A Rustic Lad As Custodian Of Krishna’s Temple

A rough and tough rustic lad in the suburban small village of Mauha who was just sixteen had stepped on the threshold of seventeenth of his teenage. But the most amazing aspect of this youth was that he had grown as tall as a bamboo. He had studied only up to eighth standard. The mobile had not entered into the lives of people at that time. With nothing much to do in the village the boy was tired of being idle the whole afternoons. He thought ‘What the hell I am doing here in this silly village just sleeping like Kumbh Karan’ Besides even the people sneered and shouted “Aye you ‘lamba chhokra’(Tall Boy) Long giant bamboo boy go and work in the city. But these upshots became irritating and he turned up to be positive “Maa I am going to Jabalpur to get some work” “Who’d look after you, who’d feed you there?”

No don’t leave me alone”

“Maa Krishna is there to look after me. Don’t worry I’d write every day a post card maa”.

He left with one pair the only one that he had extra he had an ‘angochha’ and a big rough and rag like trousers called’ kuccha’ (an underwear}. Packed into a small heap of old clothing termed as gathri(cloth wrapped parcel). His mother gave him a bundle of parcel with some parathas, mongo pickle, few onions and jaggery to eat when he was hungry. The mother and the son who lived together were neither rich nor poor but could manage some of their needs. Paranthas she made even at the cost of foregoing herself. Gopal’s father had expired eight years back and his only sister Raj Rani had been married when he was just nine. The mother of this boy would be left alone in the small thatched hutment of twelve dwellings.

He reached Jabalpur on a truck of one Sardarjee without any payment of a ticket. He could not travel in public transport as he did not have enough money. He had got only twenty rupees and the transport fare was fifty two rupees. Driven by an inner urge he decided to do some kind of job in Krishna’s temple. He could have worked in any Punjabi dhaba and get tea and biscuits, lunch and dinner and even a few hundred as his pay but he wanted to work only in Lord Krishna’s temple. He had inherited his love for Krishna from his mother.

 As he entered the precincts of the temple the priest shouted with mad anger to keep himself out. Sundaram had not washed and bathed and the truck ride he got on condition to clean the screen glass and everything needful had made him fully untidy. He was full of dust smeared from top to bottom. It made him look like a ghost from a grave yard. The priest was right in his own way.

The priest lambasted upon him. “You mad churlish vagabond boy how dare you enter Krishna’s temple in this manner? Get lost out of my sight.”

The boy completely prostrated with tearful eyes:

“Swami please forgive me for my sin. I forgot that I was full of dust.”

“No go and first wash in the bathroom at the back side of the temple. Clean full with bath soap your body applies oil too and thereafter only you can come to me.” I’d talk later at four when the temple office would be opened. The priest closed the entrance door and he went off on this two wheeler Hero Honda Splender.

But it was a Lord’s blessing in disguise. He was made conversant with the washroom that was quite open. He had a full bath and fortunately some person of charitable disposition had also left a bottle of mustard oil and Life Bouy soap and hair -oil for any devotees from nearby villages visiting the temple..

The boy bathed and wore the trousers and a shirt that he had brought along. He ate the Paranthas with mango pickles and jaggery that his mother had given him and then slept on a bench there.

He got up much earlier before the priest had come. He also found a bucket with brushes and several cleaning equipments. The phenyl bottle was also there. He found a broom. Even before the priest came, he washed all the ascending marble tile stairs and the spacious portico of the temple. As the priest came at sharp four he was pleased with the boy who had spotlessly cleaned all the steps and the portico. The priest was very impressed with the boy who had done all this on his own. He called him in his special office full of modern comforts “What do you want boy?”

“I have come from my village to be at the service of Shri Krishna.”

“Is it a job that you are seeking for money?”

“No no Swami I want to be at service of the Lord’s temple and I desire nothing else besides”. “I can also ask the priest of Amba Mata Devi as well to employ you. You can also work there.” ”No Swami I only want to be humble devotee and caretaker of Bhagwan Shri Krishna ji.”

The priest still stopped not from examining his firm resolution “I can ring my friend Sardar Surinder Singh to employ you in his Punjabi Vaishnav Restaurant as well And there you would get best foods ,many cups of tea and better salary.”

“No Swami I want only to serve my Lord Krishna and Krishna only. The priest did not bother to listen him and intervened “Surinder would give you five hundred rupees. Its’ much higher amount than what I can give you besides several cups of tea, good food too would be free. The priest got up to begin with the new dress to adorn Krishna and Radha. I will call Surinder after an hour. He would be sleeping just now. The priest took hold of the lock to close the office room. Gopal bent and prostrated himself down holding his knees with tears flowing fully on the cheeks “Swami employ me I want Krishna my master only. “I can give you two times limited food and two cups of tea and only one hundred and fifty but Surinder would give you five hundred which is three times more and good food in bargain. Go there I would recommend you to him.

“No Swami I don’t want five hundred. I would get bad habits there and I promised my mother I would not smoke and not drink any wine, please keep me with you I would be happy and satisfied with whatever you would give me.”

The priest Swami was fully impressed and he felt how the rustic boy had transformed his hot chillies heart.

The priest looked into him and smiled “Ok boy you are accepted. Bring the bucket with phenyl full water and clean the temple from Krishna’s rostrum, the hall and every nook and corner”. ”Yes yes Swami ‘Dhanyawad aapka shriman” (Thanks a lot sir).

The boy swept the floor with phenyl dipped buckets changing with fresh phenyl full buckets four times. The priest felt awfully pleased with the lad’s meticulous way of performing the work. None had ever before washed with several bucketful. Other maids earlier had managed only with one bucket doing the whole job hurriedly.

Pandit Premjit Singh was immensely pleased with Gopal’s sincere dedication to every job. The sparkle and shine of the temple was drastically transformed in just one week. The boy was as tall as a bamboo and he would employ a cleaning cloth to reach all the photographs of Shri Krishna.

There were several photographs dealing with several outstanding events of Shri Krishna’s life. The temple had around twenty five pictures of Lord Krishna’s. One portrait was His birth in the prison. And it stretched the whole span of Shri Krishna’s life. He asked Pandit Premjit Singh jee to give him two good cleaning cloths of silken variety. He brought two from the best shop dealing with linen cloths. He soon formed an impression that this rustic lad is also a genius with innovative mind. He cleaned all the glass framed photographs with he rinsed cloth followed by dry cloth. None of the other helpers had ever done so clean job. The hidden abilities the inborn connoisseur in that eight class passed boy blooming like fresh buds springing into full grown flowers. The boy had a mind of an innate artist.

When one month was over Panditjee gave him two hundred and fifty rupees. Initially he had offered him on his first meeting one hundred and fifty only. Panditjee had scorned and scoffed at him in the first interaction but Gopal left an indelible impression and the priest felt that the boy was an indispensable assistant. He served so splendidly and even four helpers would not have been able to do what this boy single handedly managed. Gopal immersed his full heart and soul in the various jobs assigned to him. He not only did the assigned jobs but had an innovative gift in creating different jobs.

So as well Gopal the village lad just contributed his personal innovations in raising the overall impression of the whole temple. Several sorts of people began pouring in the precincts of the temple who had never come to give it a second look. This lad became life blood of Krishna’s temple whose work could not be ignored.

Suddenly some one’s death happened in Premjit’s family and the priest had to go to Patna. He was awfully worried and consequently could not even sleep one whole night. Next day when he had finally come his face belied his pale tired appearance. The boy asked “Swami you could not sleep the whole night”.

“Why what makes you think that way?

“Sir my respectable master I can read it on your face. Besides my mother also could not sleep many time and I have learnt this from experience. Sir please relate to me who knows I might be able to tell you some way out of an unknown dilemma that pressurizes you. By this time the boy had won the personal confidence of the Swami ji. He finally opened the knotty threads issue that had become totally puzzling. “I have to go to Patna. Two deaths have descended into my nearest family ones.” So what’s the problem? Please tell me Sir and he was full of tears in his sentimental face as he as apprised of the sudden deaths. The boy cried with tears as if the one’s who had left their lives were also connected to that village boy.

Oh Gopal who would change the dress, give bath to Radha Krishna and feed the Lord with butter milk and decorate with Basil garlands. (Holistic leaves)

I would do it Swami. Go free without any tension. . Why the hell I am here for, tell me Sir?

“But how can you possible do all these regular Krishna’s Rituals?

Why I had been watching you since past two months. I know every minute jobs to be done for Shri Krishnaji.

Pandit Premji was so overwhelmed with irresistible affections for that lad. Immediately he enfolded the boy into his arms.

He left for Patna without any tensions or worries. The tall boy had become Pandiji’s personal Secretary by chance and even his security guard. He in the deep depths of heart thanked Lord Krishna.

Panditji flew by air for Patna. The boy again implored with great humility that he would accompany his boss to give him a safe farewell and return. Premjeet Singh told him to take care of the temple and the clearing job. But the fellow a stubborn boy said he would manage everything even if he did not get an afternoon siesta. He asserted further “My best friend Sardar Surinder Singh is coming along to see me off and he would come again at the airport when I come back.” ”Let him come but I will also come along”. The boy asserted emphatically. “Are baba you’d have to lock the doors of the temple”. “I would write a note that the temple is locked due to an emergency situation”. He had also learnt the hindi script by procuring the book ‘Hindi made easy for beginners’ Premjeet ji was not aware of this fact. He had been practicing writing and speaking during the afternoons and would also hear the Hindi spoken by the devotees that were coming to the temple.

When the car reached the airport the lad immediately opened the door and the driver as well knew these courtesy of profession skillful stood amazed listlessly. The lad had also got hold of his mother’s trolley and the hand boy. He took the two gift boxes and sweets also that Surinder Singh had brought. As Panditjee was getting ready to leave for the airport, the lad felt intense feelings of parting from him. The boy prostrated into his feet with eyes moist with intense feelings of parting from him. The boy had instilled the priest with love for him who otherwise was mostly a man of obscene and filthy tongue.

As a ship rocked by turbulent storms finally lands into the safe and sound harbor so as well this lad coming from rustic village had created recess into the priests heart of immense spontaneous attachment and emotional conglomeration. In this context it shall not be out of place to quote a few lines from William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” Act IV

‘The quality of mercy is not strained

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath it is twice blest

It blessed him that gives, and him that takes’

(Portia in the court speaks)

It would not be an irrelevant contention if I present an argument of correlation between an attitude of merciful feelings and emotional integration. Say for example I go to the garden or even when I am driving a vehicle and I come across a man starving for food. I feel awfully merciful because I soon reflect on that situation. “What if I too have to remain without any food for three days!” Only an emotional person can also be merciful. Emotional disposition is the other side of the person. Both are absolutely inseparable and are also integrated.

The next morning the honest village fellow got up at three of the morning hour. He finished his body cleansing job by three forty five. He began cleaning the floors of the temple including the steps. After bathing the God with milk and water he adorned the murti( idol) with golden attires. As usual the devotees began to enter into the temple.

Pandit Premji had also gone into a designer dress shop and bought a beautiful kurta with light yellow dhoti as a uniform for the sacred temple service boy. That very same place he spread his mat in the temple itself. He did not get even a wink of sleep and at the stroke of twelve o clock on the affixed wall he saw a sight dazzling his eyes.

Gopal on that very first day brought the silver “thali” for Lord Krishna. The thali was full of barley chapatis, butter milk, big slices, a cup of honey, mustard vegetable dish at twelve o clock. He kept all this stuff for the Lord. People mostly including the priest would thereafter go to their homes for their own lunch breaks and Premjit was certainly not an exception. But Gopal was bent upon compelling the Lord to eat. He went on waiting even up to 11.00 pm. He came back again and shot in little irritating tone “ Oh mere baap kyon khata nahi, muh khol mai khud tujhe mere haath se khilaun ga”

(Oh my father why do you not begin to eat, open your mouth, I will myself feed you with my own hands”) He looked into Krishna’s murti (stone idol) for three minutes and then suddenly shouted with clapping hands with resounding thunder “Oh mere nawab sahib ladle muh khol sunta hai kei nahi? (Oh you lordship my boss, open your mouth do you hear me or not?”

Yet nothing transpired. The murti remained a lifeless stone. He got up “theek hai rakhi hai teri thali, rakhi hai, mai to apni thali main parsunga hi nahin tu nahi khayega toh meri kya majal ke main phutne lag peru jaun” (Ok don’t eat your lunch plate is before you I will not even serve any fillings in my place if you shall not eat, how the hell I can dare to eat even a morsel of any bread”).

 He got up perturbed and in annoyance was huffing and puffing.

“Kiase hai mera baap, manta hi nahi”

“What sort of fellow is my father, just turns a deaf ear”

He starved the whole afternoon. In the evening he began the aarti ‘holy traditional prayers almost three times every day, for the dinner he brought another thali. This went on for days in continuous succession. And Sunder did not have even a small bite of bread slice. He would serve the prasadam to the devotees. Not even the smallest fraction of prasadam entered his mouth.

None of the devotees could identify his face so starved. On the fourth day when he brought the sixth thali of odds for last dinner, sweet cakes, milk rabri and chapattis. He spoke in fiery rage “I am starved and have not taken a morsel or a bite. Even your Prasad I did not touch. Are you so cruel Lord! Are you not ashamed? Would you come today to eat or should I beat you with a stick?” He also cried as he brought a stick. As he lifted the wooden stick and as it whirled like a shuttle cock there came Shri Holistic Krishna with the most magnanimous smile. The boy was with a mixture of smiles and tears and he picked the morsels and fed the mouth of live Krishna. It was also an hour when the door was generally shut down. He and Shri Krishna, Shri Krishna and Gopal” Krishna also picked up the morsels of chapatis and spoonful’s of milk rabri and fed Gopal with all holistic smiles. Just imagine this young fellow from Mauvha being fed with dinner from Lord’s hands – the seventh incarnation of Shri Vishnu. Jawaharlal Nehru gave a speech “Tryst with destiny” on the eve of India’s independence on midnight of 14th August 1947. Look at this boy who also got a tryst with destiny to be fed at midnight by Krishna himself. He was so full of holistic happiness and Lord became the murti again at 22.30. But the boy was fed with the dinner went on watching how Krishna became murti again. His happiness knew no bounds. But it was not long how that time had elapsed. Lord transformed into a live person again at sharp twelve and began walking from the rostrum towards the large exit door. The boy shouted “Where are you going my dear Shri Krishna?” “To play the flute and have raas with gopikas”

“What to play flute and gopikas raas?”

“No no I won’t allow you going all alone.”

“If you don’t come the murti also would not be there. What explanation I’d give to Swamiji my employee. No no I will also come with you as your chaperon with you dear Krishna.”

“Lord kept quiet and smiled again. He was there just five feet away. All the way people saw Gopal going somewhere all alone and thought the boy had lost his sleep and was having a free stroll.

He saw Krishna but people only saw Gopal walking all alone.

None questioned they were too immersed in all worldly neigbourly gossips and rumours.

They reached one spot of grove of Mango trees and the madly holistic boy also saw the ‘gopikas’ who were all eagerly and passionately waiting for the Lord. No sooner the girls saw him they ran madly like deer in the jungle and all began prostrating on the earth without bothering for the dust particles sprawled all over. Gopal squatted down on the free space that was almost spacious as the boys cricket ground. The ‘rasa’ began soon after. The flute began to emit divinely musical strings as that of a sitar. He watched for half an hour or perhaps forty minutes. Soon he also in ecstatic rush of holistic frenzies rose up and began to roll and dance like a whirl pool of a spinning top. His ecstatic bliss reached the summit of hills. It was divine moment when all got the highest experience of their souls.

The rasa stopped at fourteen thirty. Krishna began his return to the temple. Once again Gopal also got converted into his role of a chaperone and at three Krishna was on the rostrum becoming once again a marble (statue) murti. It was a most wonderful holy miracle of Lord. The boy would sleep at three and got up from sleep at four fifteen. He would not be least tired and as he went to cleanse and bath the Basil garland, the flowers the lamps got lit by an unknown miracle of Krishna himself. He had his lunch and dinner prasadam with Lord Krishna and also enjoyed the rapturous rasa all the days till three of every morning. Every day morning he could get up. He was not the least in pains for short sleep and every morning the Basil garland, the flowers, the lamps activated on its own. It’s Lord himself who began taking care of divine flames flits where divine hearts “sits”.

Pandit Premji extended his stay by another three days. Sardar Surendar scribbled two inland covers posting the two to his dear friend “Oh Prem ji remain without any tension. “ O munda sab sona changa kar raya hai” (That boy is doing everything quite fine). Do not worry Pandit that boy is doing all jobs fully perfectly in proper order.

The Swami came back on the morning by air at three in the morning. Surendra Sardar received his friend at the airport and brought Pandit ji back. It was five in the morning. To his utter dismay the door remained locked and just look at Krishna’s cunningness. Lord knew fully that Premji is coming back. He threw Gopal in deep drowsiness of deep sleep. He used to wake up fresh and sound every day at quarter past four. All lamps got lit Tulsi garlands on Lords chest on its own. The flowers the prasadam all set into shape but everything disordered on the morning of his arrival.

Panditjee banged the temples door in a fit of burning anger. The door was open on its own but Gopal slept like a motionless rock.

He went straight to him and slapped him hard and shouted hoarsely. “Sale kutey harami kamine sale” ( You loafer bastard you are sleeping like a rock. Have you looked after the temple in this manner?) The priest slapped him again. The vociferous rage did not turn soft. The boy pleaded “Swami I did as nicely as it could be possible. Lord Krishna came every day to eat the lunch and dinner prasadam Also Lord fed me with his own hands.”

The priest fellow was dumb founded and fumbled in wonder. He was flabbergasted. He began to slap his ears. Did he really hear what the boy was yelling? The priest could not believe and felt that his ears ears had become deaf.

But Gopal went on saying. “Swami Krishna left the temple from twelve to two forty five. I too went with him and I enjoyed the flute music and the rasa and also gopikas‘integration.”

The priest fell on the floor, his trolley and hand bag left on the threshold “What Krishna went out as a live person and you too went along”. He asked countless times. “Yes Swami my boss. I speak the truth only”. He went into twenty to thirty minutes of awful curfew like silence. ‘Was this boy a Sudama in his far off earlier birth?’ (monologue with himself)

The boy lifted him up and said

“Swami go home and sleep” I would begin the aarti soon. You come as usual in the evening hours.

“Yes yes I will come in the evening and I would come along with you to see everything”

“Yes Swami you can surely come with me. You are my master Sir”

“That day Krishna had come to him in a dream and said Gopal this day you have your afternoon and evening prasadam by yourself alone. I will not come the day that follows”

But my lord I would come for ras with you. Forbid me and I will kill myself and drown myself in a deep well.

“Ok Done Come you need not kill yourself. I will myself come and take you to my heavenly home. That day Lord became a person as usual. Krishna sent him divine smile. Gopal too smiled in return. Bansidhar began proceeding towards the mango’s grove. He reached there. The gopikas prostrated as per their usual tradition. Premjit followed Gopal. He also reached at the same point. But something went wrong. He could not see Krishna. He could not see the gopikas. He also could not hear the divine flute. Nothing of divinity blessing came to him. He only saw Gopal dancing in joyful ecstasy. He could not see anything else. That time he thought the boy had become mad crazy fool. As he came back with him he went back in crazy anger like a despondent slamming dog.

Next day in the morning he was found dead. The body was transported to the cremation for the final rites.

Gopal wept and loudly complained to Lord prostrating at his feet. “Oh my loving Krishna Hey Gopala why did you cause death of my dear master?Why my reverend lord why?”

“Because he sinned I can tolerate everything. But I cannot bear any insults and instructions on my bhakta. And that is exactly what you are.”

The boy knelt on his knees “Hence forth you are the head priest None can stop you. I will eat the prasadam every day twice with you and you will be at the rasa till your last breath of life. Thereafter you’d be with me as Narad ji is there with me in Krishnaloka.”

Narad was most ardent bhakta of Lord living in his dwellings with freedom.