Kolavecha Shridhar – The wealth of devotion makes all other wealth irrelevant

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna On this sacred day associated with Kulavija Sridhar let us contemplate briefly his extraordinary example Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had devotees from all spectrum of society he had fabulously wealthy devotees like Pundrik Vidyanidhi, he had phenomenally powerful devotees politically and socially powerful like King Pratap Rudra and he had utterly unknown devotees like Kulavija Sridhar who were not only utterly unknown they were also from material point of view pitifully poverty stricken but Kulavija Sridhar was neither unknown nor poverty stricken from the transcendental perspective because the lord knew him and the lord had enriched his heart with devotion so Bhai Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Navadweep he would go to Kulavija Sridhar and perform the transcendental pastime of haggling with him arguing with him he was a banana leaf seller and he would say that this banana leaf he would offer a certain price and whatever he would get he would use half of that for the worship of Ganga he was living in great penury and still he was satisfied Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would argue with him he said what are you getting by your worship he said actually by your devotion to Krishna he said whatever I need I get I am satisfied with it and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would argue and eventually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would not even give the price that he would demand he would ask for and he would demand at a lesser price he would take it free also and here Kulavija Sridhar’s devotion was such that everyday he would look forward for this Brahmin who would come and argue with him and then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu one of the most extraordinary disciplines of power transcendental power that he demonstrated was when he transformed Chand Kazi marched with thousands of devotees behind him and converted the Kazi and thereafter after exhibiting such power what did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do he went to the house of this unknown Kulavija Sridhar and he drank from his pot which he used to bathe and do other things and Kulavija Sridhar was horrified he said what is this? A lot done this pot is so impure and the pot was such that even the most desperate thieves would not have stolen it.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu picked up his hand and drank it. What did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrate by this? He said for him devotion was what was precious Krishna says anything that is simple that is offered I’ll accept it. So here Kulavija Sridhar actually did not even offer a water water was just kept in this simple pot.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself went and took it and drank it and this way he was drinking not just the water from a old broken or nearly broken pot but he was drinking the devotion of Kulavija that enabled him to live in such simplicity and yet with such purity maintain his devotion and later on in the Ashtapraha Harilal also Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called him and devotees did not know who was Kulavija so they called him Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him wherever you hear the name of Krishna being chanted know that that is where Kulavija will be and they called him and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked him what do you want and what did he say let that boy who would come to me regularly and argue with me for my banana leaves, let that boy, let the remembrance of that young man, that young Brahmin be forever in my heart so we see through this blessing that Kulavija should request that he was not, now he was so power he could have asked for wealth, he could have asked for heavenly residence, he could have asked for liberation he did not ask for any of these because in reciprocating past love with the lord in loving exchanges with him he was getting supreme ecstasy, such ecstasy that his material circumstance became irrelevant for him and all that he desired was to again and again be a participant in the lord’s exalted pastimes such is the pure devotion of Kulavija Sridhar and let us pray that he by his mercy bless us also with a small drop of that devotion by which we can also become purified and satisfied with whatever life provides us and still be completely absorbed in the remembrance and service of Krishna Thank you Hare Krishna