suddhabhakti

  Ganapati Bhatta There was a brahmana by the name of Ganapati Bhatta who lived in a small village called Kaniari in the state of Karnataka. He was a great devotee of Lord Sri Hari and was very merciful to others. He was free from greed, had no attachment to sense gratification, and was well-versed in all the scriptures. All of his senses, including the mind, were completely under his control. He only worshiped Lord Vishnu, and had no interest in worshiping any demigods. He knew that Lord Jagannath is all-in-all, the controller of everything. Anyone who takes shelter of His lotus feet will be freed from material bondage. Without the mercy of that Parambrahma, no one can be delivered. Ganapati Bhatta was always thinking, "If I can see that Parambrahma in His transcendental form with my own two eyes, then my life will be successful." One day Ganapati Bhatta was reading Brahma Purana about how the Lord manifested in Nilagiri in His transcendental form. If one sees...

  Talicha Mohapatra Sambad There was a brahmana in Puri named Talicha Mohapatra. He was one of the pujaris of Lord Jagannath, and was very expert in all the scriptures. He was always clean and very fixed in his sad-hana. He was humble, sober, and was very dear to all the devotees. He always fed poor people and was fond of hearing krsna-kadia. He was engaged the whole day, from morning to night, in the personal service of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. These deities were everything to him. One day the King came to Puri along with his entourage. When he entered the temple through the Lion Gate, some pujaris ran to inform Talicha Mohapatra about the arrival of the King, who wanted to take darshan of the deities. Talicha Mahapatra rushed to the deity room to make sure the King received proper darshan, but he saw that the deities were not wearing flower garlands. Usually when the King came to the temple he would ask for maha-prasada garlands of the deities. Mohapat...

  The Tailor and Lord Jagannath There was a tailor in Delhi whose name was Paramesthi. Although he was very ugly and hunchbacked, he possessed all good qualities and had taken birth in a devotee family. He was a self-realized person, and worshipped Lord Vishnu as his life and soul. He had control over all his senses, was truthful, and free from envy, anger and pride. He was detached from material objects and was  always blissful. He understood the temporary nature of die material world, and thus was always engaged in chanting the holy name. His wife, Vimala Devi, was very beautiful, humble and also possessed many good qualities. She was always engaged in the service of her husband. They had two daughters and three sons. Paramesthi was very expert in his tailoring job. He was so famous for his good tailoring that the Muslim King of Delhi would send his cloth to Paramesthi. Once the King sent some very expensive cloth embroidered with gold and decorated with pearls...

  King Kulasekhara Once upon a time there was a king in Orissa named Kulasekhara. He was a very powerful king. He was very strict in his administration. His countenance was effulgent like the sun, and his heart was as deep as the ocean. He was very charitable, like a wish-fulfilling tree, and in learning he was compared to Brihaspati. He was as tolerant as Mother Earth, as beautiful as Kamadeva, the God of love, and was very pure in his mood and behavior. His wealth was like that of Kuvera, and he took care of the citizens of his kingdom as if they were his own children. He was very much surrendered to the devas and brahmanas. He was full of devotion and sincerely served the lotus feet of his spiritual master. King Ku-lasekhara always served the devotees, and was constantly engaged in hearing hari-katha. One day King Kulasekhara was sitting on his throne, surrounded by his ministers and soldiers. Many sadhus and sannyasis gathered around the King, who was listening t...

  Kanchi Abhiyan Once upon a time there was king named Purusottama Deva in the Gonga dynasty who ruled over the state of Orissa. He was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath. Every year during Ratha-yatra, the King would personally sweep the road m front of the chariot for the pleasure of Lord Jagannath. He considered the Lord as the proprietor of everything, as the real ruler of the country. He con¬sidered himself a menial servant of the Lord. One time the King went on a tour to South India. He reached a kingdom called Kanchi, and set up his tent in a garden in the capital city. There, King Purusottama Deva met with the Princess of Kanchi, Padmavati, and both came to know and like the other. Later, the King was invited to the palace of the King of Kanchi who, along with the queen, was very pleased with Purusottama Deva, and proposed to offer their daughter in marriage to him. Purusottama Deva was very happy with this proposal, and accepted gladly. He then returned to O...

  Long, long ago there was a panda in Puri named Arjun Mishra. Every day he used to read the whole Bhagavad-gita. Because he spent a lot of his time studying the Gita, and due to his unflinching faith, the local people called him Gita Panda. He was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath, a very surrendered soul. He depended upon his Lord for everything. Whatever happened he accepted as the desire of the Lord. Nothing could affect Gita Panda. He was a very poor person, and lived by begging. Once there was heavy rain for about a week in Puri, and there was no scope for Gita Panda to go out begging. Whatever little stock he had, he finished very quickly. He and his family were forced to fast, yet Gita Panda was not disturbed. He spent his days happily reciting the Gita. He was happy that he could not go out, and felt it was a good opportunity for him because he had more time to read the Gita. His wife became very angry with him. She chastised him. "Unless you go out and beg,...