The Wife of a Sahukar
Story No 43 from the 252 Vaishnavas...
She was young, beautiful, a divine soul, and a disciple of Shri Gusainji but also a great bhakta. Shri Nathji glimmered in her eyes. She inspired her husband to go to Gokul and become Shri Gusainji's disciple. The guru presented them with a svarupa of Child Krishna for their seva.
Varta 1
One day, after she had taken prasada, while she was sitting on her balcony fixing Krishna a betal leaf, a Muslim man saw her through her window. At that moment he remembered, from a previous birth, their lila connection. When he saw Shri Nathji shinning in her eyes, he became addicted to her.
From that day, he would not eat or drink anything unless he saw her. If he couldn't see her, he would stand in front of her house and mumble to anyone, who would listen, "I will only eat after I see her." Sometimes he fasted for days on end. People began to talk and the young woman; the object of his affection was deeply disturbed.
Meanwhile, several people talked to him but, but to not avail. Finally, with her husband's blessings, she told her family, "I have brought complications to your home: we have decided to pilgrimage to Gokul. There we will see Shri Gusainji, his sons, the seven forms of Shri Krishna, the Yamuna River and also have the darshan of the blessed land of Vrindavan."
Everyone agreed with the plan and felt something exalted has come out of a difficult situation.
Two bullock carts were called for and after packing their belongings, on the following day just before leaving, the bullock cart driver told the Muslim man all about their plans. Later that day, when the wife and the rest of her family were a few miles outside of town they noticed the Muslim man following them. They all grieved, "The reason why we are leaving our home, is now following us."
Several days later, while crossing the Yamuna River, they requested the boatman not to ferry the Muslim across the river. Arriving in Gokul, they immediately went to see Shri Gusainji and were delighted to have the darshan of Shri Navanitapriyaji, Child Krishna. After the temple closed, Shri Gusainji returned to his room and invited the Sahukar family, " Today, take your prasada here. How many are you?"
When they said, "Four." Shri Gusainji corrected them, "But you are five. There is another bhakta. The man in love who followed you here."
After Shri Gusainji completed his meals, he put down five plates for the Sahukar family and told them, "Now invite him." When Shri Gusainji returned to the room a while later and saw no one had eaten anything he questioned, "Why are you just sitting there? "
"But there is no fifth bhakta with us! There is I, my wife, my son and his wife and no one else. Who is the fifth!"
"Don't let him just sit there on the other bank. He is a great bhakta, a vessel of grace."
Sahukar was astounded by his guru's words. Shri Gusainji then turned to another disciple, "Invited that bhakta here who is dressed as a Muslim and is sitting on the other side of the Yamuna. Tell him to bath at the Thakurani Ghat and give him some new clothes before bringing him here."
When the muslim arrived before Shri Gusainji, he saw him as Shri Krishna Himself and became full of bliss. He could not stop staring at him. The guru then initiated him through his glance and then told everyone, "Now the five of you, please take prasada."
Shri Gusainji watched everyone eat and right after he retired to his room, the muslim fainted and a divine fire of separation consumed his being. He left his body. When Shri Gusainji heard what happened, the hairs on his body stood erect. His heart overflowed with affection as he said, "It is very rare to find a love-filled bhakta like that man."
Then Shri Gusainji addressed the Sahukar family and all of the bhaktas assembled there, Cremate his body by the Yamuna river. After you perform his last rites I will tell you who he really is."
The following afternoon, the Sahukars and other bhaktas came before Shri Gusainji, "Now please tell us about that man."
"In his previous birth, the muslim man was a Brahmin and lived in a village near Patna. He was a bhakta and Sahukar's wife, sitting here before me was his wife. They were both bhaktas and practiced Shri Krishna seva together. Bhagavan, pleased with their worship spoke directly to them. Day and night they were always engaged in satsang. They were not worldly and truly loved each other; their affections were divine.
"One day, after her Brahmin husband when out to beg for some food, another bhakta came to their home, he occasionally visited them for satsang and lived nearby and asked her, "Where is your husband?"
The wife replied, "My true Husband resides in my temple. The other good man who also lives here will be back soon."
When the wife began to engage him is elevated satsang , the bhakta replied, "This type of divine talk has to be done in private. You home is right on the road and no one else should hear our words."
After the wife locked the door, they both began to speak of their Beloved Krishna. A few moments later, her husband arrived home. When he found the door locked, he called out to his wife to open it. When he found the other male bhakta sitting in a private corner of his house, he thought he was having relations with his wife. When the bhakta got up to greet him, her husband, filled with a jealous rage, did not even greet him. The bhakta understood that he suspected him. After he returned home, the Brahmin harshly accused his wife, "What were the two of you doing behind locked doors?"
Even though she told him they were just having satsang he did not believe her and his hatred towards that bhakta poisoned in his heart. Although his wife remained loyal to him, he always suspected her. After many days, her Brahmin husband died and he was born as that Muslim.
Any person who sees bhakta in a contrary way is subject to a low birth.
After some days, his wife also died and she became this woman sitting her, the wife of Sahukar. In this present life, when our Muslim friend happened to glance upon her, he had the darshan of Shri Krishna glimmering in her eyes.
This ignited a devotional fire and necessitated his daily need to see her, but she could not recognize him. What can a weak worldly mind know of such things? When he saw me, he recognized my Svamini lila form and when I went into my room a blaze of separation consumed him. His lila connection with the help of my glance is now established. There was nothing left for him to do here. Because your wife is vain, even now , she does not have this lila insight."
You could doubt that if Shri Nathji glimmered in her eyes, she must have been a great bhakta; yet Shri Gusainji commented, "even today she does not have this lila insight." Meanwhile the Muslim, by just seeing her eyes attained knowledge of Shri Krishna's form. This is all confusing.
Through Shri Gusainji, Sahukar's wife developed love for Shri Nathji while her contemplation upon Shri Nathji made Him glimmered in her eyes. Her consciousness was not totally divine for she lacked association with accomplished bhaktas. Without bhakta's association, there is no true insight and so she remained proud of her beauty and forgot her lila form. The Muslim bhakta had humility and this allowed him to receive the guru's blessings. In a moment, he attained the lila. This demonstrates to us that bhaktas should cherish humility and dread bad association.
"When she is liberated from pride, she will attain her former husband's proximity in the lila. During Krishna's incarnation they were brother and sister."
In this way, Shri Gusainji showered blessings over those souls by revealing to them their previous and current births. Absorbing the guru's words, Sahukar wife suddenly became Krishna consumed and after the spiritual fire incinerated her entire stock worldly karmas, she too left her material body and entered the final lila. Shri Gusainji advised the family, "They have both entered Shri Krishna's Rasa Lila.
In the lila, they are both the sakhis of Shri Chandravali. The wife is called Kama while the Muslim's lila form is Kama Aturi. They are both constantly engaged in Shri Krishna's seva. They care for the nikunja, the lila bower. Their bhavas match and they both serve Shri Chandravali.
The wife of the Sahukar and the Muslim were both very blessed bhaktas. Shri Gusainji was always pleased with them. In their account, lila greatness revealed. It is beyond measure. What else to say!
This was kindly translated by Shyamdas. His numerous books (in English) on Pushti Marg are well worth reading.
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