SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

(19) Kalidas’s Victory

Mahaprabhu taught that nobody could touch His feet when they offered their obeisances to Him. There was only one person about whom He said, ‘Do not stop him.’ Why is it so?

That devotee’s name is Kalidas. He was Raghunath Das Goswami’s uncle. One day, he got a mango and went with it to Jhadu Thakur’s house. When he came, he offered obeisances to Jhadu Thakur and his wife, and they spoke a little. Then, Jhadu Thakur said, ‘Prabhu, you are a brahman, and we are low-caste people. We live by selling leather. You have come to my house, so I must give you some prasad, but I am a simple shoe-maker, so I cannot feed you myself as it would be offensive. If you do not mind it, there is a brahman staying nearby – I will ask him to give you some prasad.’

Kalidas replied, ‘Do not worry about it. I have come to take your darshan. Just by seeing you I become pure. I have brought this mango here, you can offer it to the Lord and take prasad. I must go now, so do not worry about anything.’

Kalidas left the mango at Jhadu Thakur’s house and left. He walked a little down the street and then hid in a forest behind Jhadu Thakur’s house. Jhadu Thakur did not notice anything. After a while, his wife offered that mango to the Deity and then first he and after him his wife took that mango as prasad. After Jhadu Thakur’s wife sucked the stone clean, she threw it into the forest behind their house and went back home. Kalidas saw it. He found the mango stone, picked it up and started to suck it. By hook or by crook but he took their prasad.

This is how he also took prasad of all other Vaishnavs. He would usually come and ask for Vaishnavs’ remnants – if nobody gave him anything, he would hide afar and later find and eat their remnants. Sometimes, there would be some vaishnav-seva held in one place or another. He would come, too, but he would not sit together with all the Vaishnavs. When all the Vaishnavs finished eating, they threw their plates away in some place. Kalidas would go there, pick their plates up and eat whatever remnants there were on those discarded plates.

When Kalidas was in Puri, he came to Mahaprabhu. Everybody knew that nobody could touch Mahaprabhu’s feet, it was strictly prohibited. So, Kalidas came to Mahaprabhu and offered Him his obeisance. Then, he saw that Govinda started washing Mahaprabhu’s feet, and he quickly put his hand to catch that water and drank it. Everybody rushed to stop him, but Mahaprabhu said, ‘Leave it. Do not stop him.’ Mahaprabhu knew how much devotion Kalidas had for Vaishnavs; as the result, He did not prohibit him to touch His feet.

Such love, such love for Vaishnavs, such devotion for devotees’ remnants must come to us, too.

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