(4) Getting to Know Ramananda Ray

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Puri Dham parikrama, 3 July 2019, part 4
Translated from Bengali

And then there was also a Vaishnav brahman and a devotee of Mahaprabhu called Pradyumna Misra. One day, he came to Mahaprabhu and asked Him,

'Prabhu, I would like to hear about Krishna...'

'I do not know anything about Krishna,' Mahaprabhu replied.

'Who knows about Him then?'

'Ray Ramananda. He knows about Krishna. I do not.'

Then, Pradyumna Misra went to Ray Ramananda to hear about Krishna from him. He came to him in the evening – it was dark in the garden, and there, in the dark, Ramananda Ray sat surrounded by beautiful young girls. He was dressing them, taught them to dance, touching different parts of their bodies. Pradyumna Misra waited for him to come and tell him Hari-katha. He asked a servant at the house,

'When is Prabhu coming?'

'Oh, he is a little busy in the garden now,' the servant replied.

When he saw what was happening in the garden, he did not like it. He thought, 'How can a sadhu teach girls to dance and dress them?' Actually, those girls were Lord Jagannath's maidservants, so it was necessary to train them. But, anyhow, Pradyumna Misra left and went back to Mahaprabhu.

'Have you heard about Krishna?' Mahaprabhu asked him, eagerly.

'What will I hear there? I did not like what I saw there...'

Mahaprabhu understood what was on his mind.

'Listen, Pradyumna,' He said then, 'you are wrong. I am a sannyasi, but if I see a picture of a lady, even My mind is disturbed, but Ramananda dresses girls and teaches them to dance – at this time, he is not a man! He becomes a gopi! He has no male ego at this time. Go back to him, listen to Hari-katha from him.'

Pradyumna Misra went back the next day. Seeing him, Ramananda Ray apologised, 'Prabhu, I heard that you had come yesterday, please forgive me for not being able to spare you time. What did you want to talk to me about?'

Then, Pradyumna Misra asked him many questions. We have no time to speak about it in detail now, but after Pradyumna Misra heard Ramananda Ray's answers, he was astonished. When prasad came, they did not even remember to take it. The whole night passed as they spoke, and when the sun rose in the morning, Pradyumna Misra was surprised, 'Oh, it is morning already!'

When he left and came again to Mahaprabhu, he told Him,

'Prabhu, You were right! You sent me to the right person! I was wrong...'

Truly, Ramananda Ray knows Hari-katha. Who knows Krishna? Ramananda Ray. If you come with me to South India or if you come to the evening class, I will tell you what they talked about. Such intimate things cannot to be spoken about in front of everybody...

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Length: 10 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Srila Prabhupad's Birthplace
2) Srila Prabhupad's Effulgence
3) King Prataparudra's Mercy
4) Getting to Know Ramananda Ray