Bringing Grace to the Countryside

Acārya Kesarī organized preaching tours in the cities and countrysides of India. Festivals of hari-kathā and mahā-prasāda were arranged wherever he and the party that accompanied him went. Brahmacārīs went door-to-door in the village or town where Ācārya Kesarī was staying and invited people to come for hari-kathā and mahā-prasāda. They collected vegetables and grains from the householders, cooked and offered bhoga, and then distributed prasāda to everyone assembled. During these tours, all the devotees were busily engaged in service, working hard to please Mahāprabhu by changing the nature of the materially conditioned souls. Such constant engagement in service is only possible for those who are spiritually empowered by the Guru-varga.

In a village nearby Siddhāvāṭī lies one of Mahāprabhu’s pāda-pīṭhas (memorial sites) established by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda established pāda-pīṭhas in the prominent places that Mahāprabhu had graced with His footprints as He traveled India. When Prabhupāda installed a pāda-pīṭha, he engaged the locals of that area in service and told them it was their responsibility to maintain the shrine. Ācārya Kesarī traveled to these pāda-pīṭhas to make sure the service was continuing properly and to encourage the locals in their practice of bhakti.

When Ācārya Kesarī and his entourage arrived at the pāda-pīṭha in the vicinity of Siddhāvāṭī, the devotees were horrified to find that the place had degraded to a village of impoverished lepers. People had missing fingers, toes, and in some cases, entire limbs. They looked on in despair as Ācārya Kesarī led a saṅkīrtana party through their village.

“Why has such a state come upon this village?” Gurudeva asked.

“Years ago,” Ācārya Kesarī said, “Prabhupāda installed the pāda-pīṭha you see here on donated land. The people of the surrounding villages were faithful and generous. They brought many gifts and ingredients for Mahāprabhu’s worship to this place. However, the inhabitants of this village were inimical, greedy, and corrupt. They acquired the shrine and stole the goods meant to be offered, including the fruits and flowers that grew here. To gain full control of the shrine, they kicked out any sādhus who came here to render service and engage in bhajana. Before long, these villagers started getting fevers, dysentery, and other illnesses.

Finally, this place was reduced to a leper village. When Gopāla Cakravartī insulted Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he lost his nose, ears, eyes, and fingers to the same disease. Later, out of the kindness of Mahāprabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was forgiven and fully healed. Faith then arose in his heart. We will likewise arrange to deliver these people from their offenses and to awaken faith in Mahāprabhu and harināma.”

An invitation was sent out for the villagers to attend a feast that afternoon. Gurudeva and the brahmacārīs cooked kicari and kṣīra. Kicari fit to be bhoga for Mahāprabhu should give off such a fragrance that people come for it from miles away. Indeed, the villagers came running as if they had not eaten in years. But how could they eat without fingers? To aid the lepers, Ācārya Kesarī arranged spoons for them to eat with. In cases where it was necessary, lepers with good hands would feed those who had lost their digits. Caraṇāmṛta and prasāda were distributed to everyone.

Ācārya Kesarī spoke to the villagers about the glory of Mahāprabhu and then informed them, “Your miserable condition will be rectified if you sincerely pray and beg forgiveness from Mahāprabhu. Anything intended for Bhagavān’s service must never be intercepted and engaged in one’s own enjoyment. Your dreadful suffering is a direct result of usurping the objects offered for Māhaprabhu at this pāda-pīṭha. If you want relief, you must repent and perform reformatory actions. Never again misuse what comes for Bhagavān’s service.”

Ācārya-Kesarī stayed and spoke hari-kathā in that village for several days. The locals were so inspired by his presence and message of hope that they donated land in Siddhāvāṭī. Ācārya Kesarī graciously accepted this donation and established a center with Deities of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Ācārya Kesarī left Trigunātīta Brahmacārī and other brahmacārīs behind to manage the center and develop the preaching. Before leaving, he instructed them to incessantly chant nāma-saṅkīrtana and thus create an auspicious atmosphere in the area. People from neighboring villages and towns started to visit the pāda-pīṭha once more. As time progressed, a steady flow of visitors came there for darśana. As for the leper villagers—their natures had changed. They no longer desired to steal and they returned whatever they had forcibly acquired. Many villagers were cured and their limbs miraculously restored. Others peacefully left their bodies.  Ācārya Kesarī went there every year to nourish the spiritual life of the people and engage everyone in chanting harināma, reading, hearing, and studying the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Caitanya–Bhāgavata, and Caitanya–Maṅgala.

Thousands would attend the gatherings organized by Ācārya Kesarī in various places. Sometimes, the people would fall asleep during kīrtana and remain asleep throughout the class. But as soon as it was time for prasāda, they awoke and eagerly sat in lines. Ācārya Kesarī told Gurudeva to serve out prasāda, saying, “They are fortunate to have taste for at least one of the things we have come to give.”

Gurudeva gave everyone leaf plates and some salt and chili. Then, he chanted the prasāda prayer written by Bhakivinoda Ṭhākura, with everyone repeating line by line. He then sang the pañca-tattva-mantra and mahāmantra as he walked down the lines and urged each person to repeat after him. Only once everyone had recited the mahāmantra did he distribute kicari. He then gave out chutney with the same method.

Śrīla Gurudeva then passed out sweet rice. Sweet rice is renowned in Bengal as mahā-prasāda. Rice, dāl, kicari—this is prasāda, but sweet rice—this is mahā-prasāda! They made the sweet rice by mixing 100 kilos of rice and 500 kilos of gur with a thousand liters of water and a small amount of milk. When the sweet rice came Gurudeva would shout, “Bolo, mahā-prasāda ki jaya!” Then he would chant and have them repeat:

mahā-prasāde govinde nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave
svalpa-puṇyavatāṁ rājan viśvāso naiva jāyate

The villagers looked eagerly at the large serving spoons. Gurudeva said, “Alright, if you chant this verse, ‘mahā-prasāde govinde,’ I will give you a big spoonful of mahā-prasāda.” After everyone repeated this prayer behind Gurudeva, Kānāi Prabhu began a dramatic kīrtana and, in between the verses, spoke pastimes, such as how Durvāsā Ṛṣi went to Dvārakā, demanded hot kṣīra in the middle of the night, smeared it all over Kṛṣṇa’s body, and then gave the Lord the boon that His body would be invulnerable wherever the kṣīra had touched Him. Hearing kīrtanas like this, the villagers were mesmerized. They thought happily, “Oh, this is mahā-prasāda! Now we will become strong just like Durvāsā made Kṛṣṇa.”

Some people, owing to their bad habits or conditioned natures, cannot absorb the hari-kathā and other forms of the mahā-bhāgavata Vaiṣṇavas’ mercy so easily. Ācārya Kesarī preached in a simple and inspiring manner, and thereby transformed people’s natures. Most inhabitants of coastal villages have great love for eating fish. Ācārya Kesarī often addressed this issue strongly. Hearing his hari-kathā, people would change their habits.

Sometimes Ācārya Kesarī arranged programs in Prayāga in the deep winter. Gurudeva and the brahmacārīs started a large fire and sat around it singing kīrtana. Many people gathered around the warm glow of the fire and listened to the kīrtana. Gurudeva announced, “We are now commencing the performance of a Vedic yajña. Everyone is welcome to participate in the sacrifice to Bhagavān by bringing potatoes and eggplants to offer in the yajña. Doing so will certainly please God and grant you great benefit. You may also bring wood to fuel the sacrificial fire.”

Many people happily offered what was suggested into the fire. The potatoes and eggplants cooked in the coals as the kīrtana continued, and when the vegetables were baked, the brahmacārīs dusted the ashes off, peeled them, and then smashed them with spices and offered them. The prasāda was then distributed to all the tāmasika and rajāsika people that pervaded the area. By taking prasāda given by high-class Vaiṣṇavas, one’s attachment to material nature begins to lessen as one’s higher taste awakens. It is not easy to transform people who are inclined only towards eating, sleeping, enjoying, and quarreling. The Guru-varga gradually elevates them by connecting them to mahā-prasāda, Govinda, harināma, and the Vaiṣṇavas.

[Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publication “Sri Guru Darsana”]

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