"Anuradha, can you please come home to bathe and dress Giri?"
Who will speak these words to me?
"dehino smin yatha dehe...." Yes a sober person is not bewildered. Nobody is bewildered about Vishaka mataji. We all know she has gone back to Goloka but the heart weeps and grieves for the huge irreplaceable void that has been created.
For those who have not met her or have had the opportunity to associate with her, you all have lost the chance to witness pure love for Krishna. A living, walking example of how our consciousness has to be while serving our deities.
Her birth began gloriously with Srila Prabhupad himself giving her the name Vishaka. After witnessing countless sannyasis and devotees (godbrothers of Prabhupad and senior Prabhupad disciples) visiting their home and staying there, her love of service to devotees was naturally developed by seeing her parents (Mr.& Mrs Singhania) serve them.
When they were living in Vrindavan, at the age of 8, a vrajavasi brahmachari used to visit them. He had a small Giriraj whom he used to worship. Seems to me that the minute Giri saw Vishaka, he decided to be with her for the rest of her life to accept her irreplaceable pure love. She started getting dreams of Giriraj, where giriraj would tell her little things that 'Tell the brahmachari to get me new clothes, my clothes are torn" And when she would go and tell him and they would see that actually his dress was torn. "Tell the brahmachari to feed me nice sweets, I'm not getting enough". So the brahmachari gave Giri to Vishaka at the age of 8 and he has been inseparable from her ever since. She told me that she took Giri even on her honeymoon and engaged the hotel staff where they were staying to give bhoga for him. Boiling milk and cutting up fruits!
"Anuradha, this Giri is so troublesome sometimes! When a piece of jewellery just does not stick on and he doesnt want it, I give one tapki(small slap) to him that stop being naughty "
"Anuradha, just taste this and see if it is good.", "Mataji, have you offered it already?", "No
Anuradha, I cannot offer anything to my Giri without checking if it is perfect"
"Giri wants to have your dahi wada today. Is it possible to make and bring for offering?"
"We will try to move to a bigger house. I want it to be perfect for Radhanath Maharaj if he comes again next time"
" Giri is looking so tired today after all his travelling. I want to give him a spa treatment - massage him with nice oils and dip in nice hot water"
"Giri is looking like a bhoot (ghost) today after all the chandan. It looks like a mess. Anuradha, next year please help me apply chandan smoothly how they apply in the temples"
Who calls the Lord a ghost? Who gives a spanking to the Lord like he is a little child? Who thinks of moving to a bigger house so she can have bigger programs and accomodate more devotees instead of thinking of her own comforts? We cannot imitate this kind of a bhav. I'm only really grateful to Krishna that I have got the opportunity to serve and associate with such a glorious and pure devotee like her.
Giri, you have some BIG explanation to do to all of us for taking her away.
After all my resentment and anger at you for being so selfish to take her back to exclusively serve you, you are our only shelter. I can only come back to you with tears in my eyes and pray to give us all the strength to somehow get through this difficult difficult time.
Who will speak these words to me?
"dehino smin yatha dehe...." Yes a sober person is not bewildered. Nobody is bewildered about Vishaka mataji. We all know she has gone back to Goloka but the heart weeps and grieves for the huge irreplaceable void that has been created.
For those who have not met her or have had the opportunity to associate with her, you all have lost the chance to witness pure love for Krishna. A living, walking example of how our consciousness has to be while serving our deities.
Her birth began gloriously with Srila Prabhupad himself giving her the name Vishaka. After witnessing countless sannyasis and devotees (godbrothers of Prabhupad and senior Prabhupad disciples) visiting their home and staying there, her love of service to devotees was naturally developed by seeing her parents (Mr.& Mrs Singhania) serve them.
When they were living in Vrindavan, at the age of 8, a vrajavasi brahmachari used to visit them. He had a small Giriraj whom he used to worship. Seems to me that the minute Giri saw Vishaka, he decided to be with her for the rest of her life to accept her irreplaceable pure love. She started getting dreams of Giriraj, where giriraj would tell her little things that 'Tell the brahmachari to get me new clothes, my clothes are torn" And when she would go and tell him and they would see that actually his dress was torn. "Tell the brahmachari to feed me nice sweets, I'm not getting enough". So the brahmachari gave Giri to Vishaka at the age of 8 and he has been inseparable from her ever since. She told me that she took Giri even on her honeymoon and engaged the hotel staff where they were staying to give bhoga for him. Boiling milk and cutting up fruits!
"Anuradha, this Giri is so troublesome sometimes! When a piece of jewellery just does not stick on and he doesnt want it, I give one tapki(small slap) to him that stop being naughty "
"Anuradha, just taste this and see if it is good.", "Mataji, have you offered it already?", "No
Anuradha, I cannot offer anything to my Giri without checking if it is perfect"
"Giri wants to have your dahi wada today. Is it possible to make and bring for offering?"
"We will try to move to a bigger house. I want it to be perfect for Radhanath Maharaj if he comes again next time"
" Giri is looking so tired today after all his travelling. I want to give him a spa treatment - massage him with nice oils and dip in nice hot water"
"Giri is looking like a bhoot (ghost) today after all the chandan. It looks like a mess. Anuradha, next year please help me apply chandan smoothly how they apply in the temples"
Who calls the Lord a ghost? Who gives a spanking to the Lord like he is a little child? Who thinks of moving to a bigger house so she can have bigger programs and accomodate more devotees instead of thinking of her own comforts? We cannot imitate this kind of a bhav. I'm only really grateful to Krishna that I have got the opportunity to serve and associate with such a glorious and pure devotee like her.
Giri, you have some BIG explanation to do to all of us for taking her away.
After all my resentment and anger at you for being so selfish to take her back to exclusively serve you, you are our only shelter. I can only come back to you with tears in my eyes and pray to give us all the strength to somehow get through this difficult difficult time.
1 comment:
Thank you mataji for bringing her back through your words. Vishaka mataji’s house was indeed a temple for Krishna lovers. Just by entering her home one would fall in love with Giriraji. During my initial days at her place I once desired to paint Giri’s beautiful eyes, on the same evening at her place, mataji called me and asked me to paint Giri. I was stuck with thunder bolt didn’t move or speak I was in a state of shock how could this happen, in the morning I desired and here she is asking me to do, what if my hand shakes? What if I’m unable to do a good job? I didn’t reply I gave a blank look still shaken; she kept smiling and left me pondering over this leela. Now I regret not having done what I had desired.
The leela in the house continued, by me desiring to serve Giriraji and Mataji giving me opportunity to serve him.
I wonder who will call and tell me please come home early and decorate the place during the function, let’s plan for something new, do bhoga offering, apply tilak for others???????..........
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