(3/7) Unfortunate Fortune

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu
Nabadwip, 27 August 2015, part 3

There are many pastimes that took place in Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's life. Today is his disappearance day. The Lord was very happy at heart to hear what came out of his mouth and pen...

One time, when Sri Rupa Goswami was staying in Kadam-khandi, Srimati Radharani came there and personally cooked some sweet rice for him. Earlier that day, Srila Sanatan Goswami had told Sri Rupa Goswami that he wanted to have some sweet rice, but Srila Rupa Goswami thought, 'Where will I get the ingredients?' Then, Srila Sanatan Goswami went out for collection, and Srila Rupa Goswami stayed at home. Suddenly, a girl came to him – She was very beautiful and meek.

'O Thakur, are you at home?' She called from outside.

'Yes, I am.'

'I have brought this rice, milk and sugar for you. My mother has told Me to bring you all these ingredients for sweet rice.'

'Your mother has sent You? Where are You from?' Srila Rupa Goswami asked, surprised.

'I come from Yavat.'

'Oh, but I do not know how to make sweet rice...' Srila Rupa Goswami said then.

'You do not? Well, Mother often makes it, and I have seen how she makes it. Let Me try and see if I can make it or not. Do you have a pot?' the girl asked.

Srila Rupa Goswami had a broken pot, so he gave it to Her. When he cooked himself, he would just collect some dry leaves, set them on fire and roast some chickpeas in it. He was actually not habituated to cook – mostly he and Sanatan Goswami took whatever people gave them when they went begging (some rotis, fried vegetable, perhaps) – they offered whatever they got to the Lord and took that. They did not cook meals themselves, not to speak of making sweet rice.

When we go to Vrindavan, we always visit that place, Kadam Khandi. It is near Ter Kadamba, the place where Krishna played His flute and all the cows would run there. The gopis would also come there...

So, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu gathered some leaves and started a fire for the girl to make sweet rice, and She sat stirring the pot, struggling with the heavy smoke coming from the burning leaves so much that Her eyes became red. When She finished cooking, She got up and said, 'Thakur, please take it – I have to go now. Mother will scold Me for coming so late. I am leaving now.'

Then, Srila Sanatan Goswami came back from collection, and Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu gave him that sweet rice.

'What is this?' Srila Sanatan Goswami asked. 'Where did you get this sweet rice all of a sudden?'

'Oh, when you left, a girl came by. She said She was from Yavat. She brought rice, sugar and all the other ingredients. She cooked this sweet rice and went away.'

'From Yavat? Oh... Let us go to Yavat and see who She is.'

They took prasad and went to Yavat. There, they started asking people if their daughters (they call girls lali in Vrindavan) had come to their house earlier, but some said, 'Oh, my daughter has not left the house today,' and some said, 'We do not have a daughter.' They went house to house looking for that girl, but they could not find Her. In the end, Srila Sanatan Goswami sat down sadly and began to cry.

'Rupa, what have you done?' he said. 'Do you not know who it was? Srimati Radharani Herself has come! She came, cooked and went away! I was so greedy – I wanted to eat sweet rice, and She came and took so much trouble to make it! We are here in Vrindavan for Her service, but She has come today to serve us and went away! How unfortunate we are! We are doomed!'...

— : • : —

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Size: 21 Mb
Length: 43 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Sri Rupa Goswami's Longing Heart
2) Sri Rupa Goswami's Coming to Mahaprabhu
3) Unfortunate Fortune
4) Srila Rupa Goswami's Deity
5) 'Who Is That Boy?'
6) Gauri Das Pandit's Attachment
7) Gauri Das Pandit's Chastisement