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Story 05 Bilvamangala Thakura
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PRABHUPĀDA: There is a nice
verse of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura.
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He lived for seven hundred
years in Vṛndāvana,
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and he became a great
devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
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In the beginning he
was an impersonalist.
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His life is very nice.
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It is better to cite his life.
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He was a South Indian brāhmaṇa, a
very rich man and very much sensuous.
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He kept one prostitute.
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Prostitute.
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So, he was so much, I mean to
say, devoted to the prostitute
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that he was performing his father’s,
I mean to say, death ceremony
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and he was asking the
priest, “Please [make] haste.
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Please make haste; I
have to go; I have to go.”
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By a prostitute’s house.
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So, he was very rich man; a priestly,
anyway, he finished that business.
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Then there was ceremony.
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He took very nice foodstuff in a bag, and
he was going to that prostitute’s house.
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But when he came out of his
home, oh, it was raining torrently.
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So, he never cared for that raining.
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He went to the riverside.
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Oh, there was no boat, and
it was, river was waving.
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The waves were very furious.
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And he thought that “How
can I go to the other side?”
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He was daily going to the
other side of the river.
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Then…
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Anyway, he swimmed over,
crossed over by swimming.
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Then the prostitute thought, “Oh, it is
today raining, and he may not come.”
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So [she] blocked the
door and went to sleep.
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And when he came
to the house he saw,
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“Oh, the door is blocked,”
and it was raining still.
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“So how can I go?”
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He crossed over the wall
by catching one snake.
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Just see how much
intensely he was attached.
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And went to the prostitute, and she
was astonished: “Well, Bilvamaṅgala”—
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his name was Bilvamaṅgala—
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“How do you dare to
come here like this?”
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Oh, he described, “Yes; I did this;
I did this; I did this; I did this.”
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“Oh!”
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The prostitute was astonished.
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Her name was Cintāmaṇi.
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So the prostitute said,
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“My dear Bilvamaṅgala, if you
have got so intense love for me,
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oh, had it been for God, for Kṛṣṇa, how
would have been, your life, sublime.”
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That struck him: “Yes.”
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He at once left and went
away: “Yes, you are right.”
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Then he was [going to] Vṛndāvana.
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He saw another beautiful woman
because he was practiced to that habit.
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So, he was going behind.
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Although he [was] determined:
“Now I am going to Vṛndāvana,”
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on the way he was again
attracted by another woman.
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So he followed that woman.
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That woman belonged
to a respectable family.
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So he came, and the woman said to her
husband, “Oh, this man is following me.
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Please ask, ‘What is the idea?’”
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So the husband asked, “My dear sir,
you appear to be very nice gentleman,
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and you belong to
very aristocratic family.
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From your appearances
I understand.
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What do you want? Why
you are following my wife?”
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He said, “Yes, I am following [your]
wife because I want to embrace her.”
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“Oh, you want to embrace?
Come on; embrace; come on.
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You are welcome; come on.”
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So, the wife also; [He]
ordered, “Oh, here is a guest.
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He wants to embrace
you and kiss you.
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So please decorate yourself
nicely so that he may enjoy.”
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So the wife also followed the
instruction of the husband,
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because wife’s duty is to
follow the instruction.
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And when Bilvamaṅgala came
inside before the woman,
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he said, “My dear mother, will you
kindly give your hairpins? Yes.”
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“Why?”
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“I have got some business.”
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He took the hairpin and at once pierced
his eyes: “Oh, this eye is my enemy.”
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And he became blind.
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He became blind.
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Then… Then all of
them… “That’s all right.”
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“Now! No more I
shall be disturbed.”
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So in that blindness he was
penancing, austerity in Vṛndāvana.
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So, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.
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Kṛṣṇa came like a boy.
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“Oh, my dear sir, why
you are starving?
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Why don’t you take some milk?”
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“Oh, who are You, my dear boy?”
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“Oh, I am a boy in this village.
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I am a cowherd boy.
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If you like, I can give
you daily some milk.”
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“All right; very good.”
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So Kṛṣṇa is supplying him milk.
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So there was friendship.
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And he has written that
bhakti is such a thing that,
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muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān:
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Mukti, mukti is nothing for me.
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So this is his verse,
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Muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate
asmān (Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura):
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So, we have no desire for mukti.
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When Kṛṣṇa comes to supply milk,
oh, then what is the use of my mukti?
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So that’s a great soul,
Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura.
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It is worth to remember his name.
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For seven hundred hears
he lived in Vṛndāvana,
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and he has written a nice book
which is Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta.
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That is a very authoritative
book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta.
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Lord Caitanya picked up this book,
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and He recommended all His devotees
to read that Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta book.
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Subtitles by Pratyatoṣa Dāsa, Causelessmercy.com