0 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,683 Story 05 Bilvamangala Thakura 1 00:00:03,684 --> 00:00:07,900 PRABHUPĀDA: There is a nice verse of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. 2 00:00:07,901 --> 00:00:12,049 He lived for seven hundred years in Vṛndāvana, 3 00:00:12,050 --> 00:00:17,109 and he became a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. 4 00:00:17,110 --> 00:00:21,266 In the beginning he was an impersonalist. 5 00:00:21,267 --> 00:00:23,565 His life is very nice. 6 00:00:23,566 --> 00:00:27,190 It is better to cite his life. 7 00:00:27,191 --> 00:00:37,500 He was a South Indian brāhmaṇa, a very rich man and very much sensuous. 8 00:00:37,501 --> 00:00:41,505 He kept one prostitute. 9 00:00:41,506 --> 00:00:42,692 Prostitute. 10 00:00:42,693 --> 00:00:49,112 So, he was so much, I mean to say, devoted to the prostitute 11 00:00:49,113 --> 00:00:57,230 that he was performing his father’s, I mean to say, death ceremony 12 00:00:57,231 --> 00:01:00,536 and he was asking the priest, “Please [make] haste. 13 00:01:00,537 --> 00:01:05,336 Please make haste; I have to go; I have to go.” 14 00:01:05,337 --> 00:01:07,802 By a prostitute’s house. 15 00:01:07,803 --> 00:01:12,399 So, he was very rich man; a priestly, anyway, he finished that business. 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,008 Then there was ceremony. 17 00:01:15,009 --> 00:01:21,245 He took very nice foodstuff in a bag, and he was going to that prostitute’s house. 18 00:01:21,246 --> 00:01:29,213 But when he came out of his home, oh, it was raining torrently. 19 00:01:29,214 --> 00:01:34,529 So, he never cared for that raining. 20 00:01:34,530 --> 00:01:36,785 He went to the riverside. 21 00:01:36,786 --> 00:01:41,657 Oh, there was no boat, and it was, river was waving. 22 00:01:41,658 --> 00:01:43,888 The waves were very furious. 23 00:01:43,889 --> 00:01:47,285 And he thought that “How can I go to the other side?” 24 00:01:47,286 --> 00:01:51,251 He was daily going to the other side of the river. 25 00:01:51,252 --> 00:01:54,483 Then… 26 00:01:54,484 --> 00:01:59,304 Anyway, he swimmed over, crossed over by swimming. 27 00:01:59,305 --> 00:02:08,179 Then the prostitute thought, “Oh, it is today raining, and he may not come.” 28 00:02:08,180 --> 00:02:12,775 So [she] blocked the door and went to sleep. 29 00:02:12,776 --> 00:02:15,453 And when he came to the house he saw, 30 00:02:15,454 --> 00:02:19,217 “Oh, the door is blocked,” and it was raining still. 31 00:02:19,218 --> 00:02:20,936 “So how can I go?” 32 00:02:20,937 --> 00:02:28,067 He crossed over the wall by catching one snake. 33 00:02:28,068 --> 00:02:32,660 Just see how much intensely he was attached. 34 00:02:32,661 --> 00:02:38,494 And went to the prostitute, and she was astonished: “Well, Bilvamaṅgala”— 35 00:02:38,495 --> 00:02:40,268 his name was Bilvamaṅgala— 36 00:02:40,269 --> 00:02:43,519 “How do you dare to come here like this?” 37 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:50,216 Oh, he described, “Yes; I did this; I did this; I did this; I did this.” 38 00:02:50,217 --> 00:02:51,254 “Oh!” 39 00:02:51,255 --> 00:02:55,852 The prostitute was astonished. 40 00:02:55,853 --> 00:02:58,635 Her name was Cintāmaṇi. 41 00:02:58,636 --> 00:03:00,711 So the prostitute said, 42 00:03:00,712 --> 00:03:06,675 “My dear Bilvamaṅgala, if you have got so intense love for me, 43 00:03:06,676 --> 00:03:14,523 oh, had it been for God, for Kṛṣṇa, how would have been, your life, sublime.” 44 00:03:14,524 --> 00:03:18,511 That struck him: “Yes.” 45 00:03:18,512 --> 00:03:27,022 He at once left and went away: “Yes, you are right.” 46 00:03:27,023 --> 00:03:34,170 Then he was [going to] Vṛndāvana. 47 00:03:34,171 --> 00:03:40,413 He saw another beautiful woman because he was practiced to that habit. 48 00:03:40,414 --> 00:03:43,487 So, he was going behind. 49 00:03:43,488 --> 00:03:46,160 Although he [was] determined: “Now I am going to Vṛndāvana,” 50 00:03:46,161 --> 00:03:51,738 on the way he was again attracted by another woman. 51 00:03:51,739 --> 00:03:54,676 So he followed that woman. 52 00:03:54,677 --> 00:03:58,386 That woman belonged to a respectable family. 53 00:03:58,387 --> 00:04:05,613 So he came, and the woman said to her husband, “Oh, this man is following me. 54 00:04:05,614 --> 00:04:08,829 Please ask, ‘What is the idea?’” 55 00:04:08,830 --> 00:04:14,135 So the husband asked, “My dear sir, you appear to be very nice gentleman, 56 00:04:14,136 --> 00:04:17,833 and you belong to very aristocratic family. 57 00:04:17,834 --> 00:04:20,917 From your appearances I understand. 58 00:04:20,918 --> 00:04:23,399 What do you want? Why you are following my wife?” 59 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:30,605 He said, “Yes, I am following [your] wife because I want to embrace her.” 60 00:04:30,606 --> 00:04:36,211 “Oh, you want to embrace? Come on; embrace; come on. 61 00:04:36,212 --> 00:04:38,292 You are welcome; come on.” 62 00:04:38,293 --> 00:04:44,046 So, the wife also; [He] ordered, “Oh, here is a guest. 63 00:04:44,047 --> 00:04:47,454 He wants to embrace you and kiss you. 64 00:04:47,455 --> 00:04:52,482 So please decorate yourself nicely so that he may enjoy.” 65 00:04:52,483 --> 00:04:56,458 So the wife also followed the instruction of the husband, 66 00:04:56,459 --> 00:04:59,890 because wife’s duty is to follow the instruction. 67 00:04:59,891 --> 00:05:04,062 And when Bilvamaṅgala came inside before the woman, 68 00:05:04,063 --> 00:05:10,879 he said, “My dear mother, will you kindly give your hairpins? Yes.” 69 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:11,409 “Why?” 70 00:05:11,410 --> 00:05:13,615 “I have got some business.” 71 00:05:13,616 --> 00:05:20,845 He took the hairpin and at once pierced his eyes: “Oh, this eye is my enemy.” 72 00:05:20,846 --> 00:05:23,709 And he became blind. 73 00:05:23,710 --> 00:05:26,093 He became blind. 74 00:05:26,094 --> 00:05:29,141 Then… Then all of them… “That’s all right.” 75 00:05:29,142 --> 00:05:33,108 “Now! No more I shall be disturbed.” 76 00:05:33,109 --> 00:05:44,420 So in that blindness he was penancing, austerity in Vṛndāvana. 77 00:05:44,421 --> 00:05:47,371 So, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. 78 00:05:47,372 --> 00:05:51,302 Kṛṣṇa came like a boy. 79 00:05:51,303 --> 00:05:54,004 “Oh, my dear sir, why you are starving? 80 00:05:54,005 --> 00:05:55,740 Why don’t you take some milk?” 81 00:05:55,741 --> 00:05:58,529 “Oh, who are You, my dear boy?” 82 00:05:58,530 --> 00:06:01,626 “Oh, I am a boy in this village. 83 00:06:01,627 --> 00:06:03,494 I am a cowherd boy. 84 00:06:03,495 --> 00:06:07,413 If you like, I can give you daily some milk.” 85 00:06:07,414 --> 00:06:09,247 “All right; very good.” 86 00:06:09,248 --> 00:06:14,026 So Kṛṣṇa is supplying him milk. 87 00:06:14,027 --> 00:06:17,603 So there was friendship. 88 00:06:17,604 --> 00:06:25,358 And he has written that bhakti is such a thing that, 89 00:06:25,359 --> 00:06:29,560 muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: 90 00:06:29,561 --> 00:06:32,399 Mukti, mukti is nothing for me. 91 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,068 So this is his verse, 92 00:06:34,069 --> 00:06:36,568 Muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān (Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura): 93 00:06:36,569 --> 00:06:40,525 So, we have no desire for mukti. 94 00:06:40,526 --> 00:06:48,224 When Kṛṣṇa comes to supply milk, oh, then what is the use of my mukti? 95 00:06:48,225 --> 00:06:50,920 So that’s a great soul, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. 96 00:06:50,921 --> 00:06:53,367 It is worth to remember his name. 97 00:06:53,368 --> 00:06:56,709 For seven hundred hears he lived in Vṛndāvana, 98 00:06:56,710 --> 00:07:02,967 and he has written a nice book which is Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. 99 00:07:02,968 --> 00:07:06,647 That is a very authoritative book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. 100 00:07:06,648 --> 00:07:10,014 Lord Caitanya picked up this book, 101 00:07:10,015 --> 00:07:23,196 and He recommended all His devotees to read that Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta book. 102 00:07:23,197 --> 00:07:23,198 Subtitles by Pratyatoṣa Dāsa, Causelessmercy.com