Story of a Vaishnava devotee

M. read: “There was a king named Jayamal who loved Krishna with all his heart. He followed with unfailing devotion all the rites and ceremonies associated with the adoration of Krishna, whom he worshipped under the name of Syamalasundara. Completely satisfied with his own Ideal Deity, he never directed his attention to any other god or goddess.

One of the inflexible rules of his devotions was to worship the Deity daily till almost midday. He would never deviate from this practice, even at the risk of his wealth or his kingdom. Learning this secret, an enemy king invaded the kingdom during the morning hours. Jayamal’s soldiers could not fight without his command; so they watched the invasion silently.

Slowly the enemy surrounded the moat of the capital; yet Jayamal did not come out of his shrine room. His mother came to him and wept bitterly, trying to persuade the king to fight. He said to her calmly: “Why are you worried? Syamalasundara gave me this kingdom. What can I do if He has decided to take it away? On the other hand, none will be able to do me harm if He protects me.

Our own efforts are vain!”

In the mean time, Syamalasundara, the Deity Himself, had taken the king’s horse from the stable and had ridden fully armed to the field. Alone He faced the hostile king and alone destroyed his army. Having crushed the enemy forces, the Deity returned to the temple and fastened the horse near by.

Jayamal, on completing his worship, came out and discovered the horse there, panting and covered with sweat. “Who has been riding my horse?” he demanded. “Who brought it to the temple?” The officers declared they knew nothing about it. In a pensive mood the king proceeded to the battle-field with his army and there found the enemy, with the exception of their leader, lying dead. He was staring uncomprehendingly at the scene, when the enemy king approached, worshipped him, and said: “Please permit me to tell you something.

How could I fight? You have a warrior who could conquer the entire world.

I do not want your wealth or your kingdom; indeed, I will gladly give you my own, if you will tell me about that Blue Warrior, your friend. No sooner did I turn my eyes on him than he cast a spell on my heart and soul.”

Jayamal then realized it had been none other than Syamalasundara that had appeared on the battle-field. The enemy king understood too. He worshipped Jayamal and through his blessings received Krishna’s grace.

MASTER: “Do you believe all that? Do you believe Krishna rode on that horse and killed Jayamal’s enemies?”

M: “I believe that Jayamal, Krishna’s devotee, prayed to Him with a yearning heart. But I don’t know whether the enemy really saw Him coming to the battle-field on a horse. Krishna might have come there riding the horse, but I do not know whether they really saw Him.”

MASTER (with a smile): “The book contains nice stories about devotees. But it is one-sided. Also, it abuses those who differ with its views.” The following morning the Master and M. were talking in the garden.

M: “Then I shall stay here.”

MASTER: “Well, you all come here so often. What does it mean? People visit a holyman once at the most. But you all come here so often. What is the significance of that?”

M. remained silent. The Master himself gave the reply.

MASTER: “Could you come here unless you belonged to my inner circle? That means you all are my own relatives, my own people-like father and son, brother and sister.

“I do not tell you everything. If I did, would you come here any more?

“Once Sukadeva went to Janaka to be instructed in the Knowledge of Brahman; Janaka said, ‘First give me my fee.’ ‘But’, said Sukadeva, ‘why should I give you the fee before receiving the instruction?’

Janaka laughed and said: ‘Will you be conscious of guru and disciple after attaining Brahmajnana? That is why I asked you to give me the fee first.’ " It was night. The moon rose, flooding all the quarters with its silvery light. M. was walking alone in the garden of the temple.

On one side of the path stood the Panchavati, the bakul-grove, the nahabat, and the Master’s room, and on the other side flowed the Ganges, reflecting millions of broken moons on its rippling surface. M. said to himself: “Can one really see God? The Master says it is possible. He says that, if one makes a little effort, then someone comes forward and shows the way. Well, I am married. I have children.

Can one realize God in spite of all that?”

M. reflected awhile and continued his soliloquy: “Surely one can. Otherwise, why should the Master say so? Why shouldn’t it be possible through the grace of God?

“Here is the world around me-the sun, moon, stars, living beings, and the twenty-four cosmic principles. How did they come into existence? Who is their Creator? What am I to Him?

Life is indeed vain without this knowledge.

“Sri Ramakrishna is certainly the best of men. In all my life I have not seen another great soul like him. He must have seen God. Otherwise, how could he talk with God day and night, addressing Him so intimately as ‘Mother’? Otherwise, how could he love God so intimately? Such is his love for God that he forgets the outer world. He goes into samādhi and remains like a lifeless thing. Again, in the ecstasy of that love, he laughs and cries and dances and sings.”