suddhabhakti

  Kāñcī Abhijāna: The Divine Triumph of Lord Jagannātha’s Servant The pastimes of the Supreme Lord and His unalloyed devotees are saturated with transcendental sweetness and deep spiritual lessons. Among the historical accounts of the solar dynasty of Orissa, the pastime of Kāñcī Abhijāna —the holy expedition to Kāñcī—stands out as a brilliant testament to how Śrī Jagannātha Deva personally protects the honor of His pure servants. In Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, the relationship between the Lord and His devotee is never impersonal; it is full of reciprocal love, emotion, and dramatic pastimes. The Devout King and the Custom of Cherā Pahāñrā Once, a great king named Śrī Puruṣottama Deva ruled over the sacred state of Orissa. He belonged to the illustrious Ganga dynasty and was a topmost devotee of Lord Jagannātha. King Puruṣottama Deva did not consider himself the true proprietor of the kingdom; rather, he viewed Lord Jagannātha as the actual King and Supreme Ruler of the land, whil...

  The Glories of Śrī Dāsia Bāuri: The Pure Devotee of Nīlācala The Supreme Lord acts in mysterious and wonderful ways. Sometimes, He arranges for His most exalted, confidential devotees to appear in socially low-class families. He does this intentionally to display the absolute superiority of pure devotion ( bhakti ) over all external material considerations, such as caste, wealth, or social status. In Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya 10.100), Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura describes this truth unequivocally: ye te kule vaiṣṇavera janma kene nahi tathāpi sarvottama sarva-śāstre kahe "A Vaiṣṇava may take birth in any family. Why not? All the revealed scriptures declare that a Vaiṣṇava is the best of all persons." The Birth and Early Life of a Hidden Saint Śrī Dāsia Bāuri was such an unalloyed devotee. He appeared in the 1790s in the village of Baligram, located about 48 kilometers from the holy city of Purī (Śrī Kṣetra). Born in a dark-complexioned body, Dāsia and his family bel...

  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...