Instinctively, Shri Gusaiji said, "If the woman is thirsty, give her some water!!" With folded hands, the servant replied, "But we do not have any water in a separate disposable cask for her." Being muslim, the high caste brahmin and vrajvasi servants of Shri Gusaiji felt they would be defiled if they helped her move bodily (touch of non-hindus and low caste people was considered to be impure) and, if they gave her one of their own water bottles/ casks, that item would be defiled too and could not than be reused by them.
Shri Gusaiji immediately picked up a jhariji at hand and got out of the palanquin. He walked over to the old woman and gave her with his own hands. He spoke kindly to her and seeing that there was still some water left in the jariji, he left it with the woman so that she would not suffer from thirst till she got home.
Having sated her thirst, the woman moved on, but as the retinue passed her, she asked one of the servants who the kind person was that helped her. Upon finding out it was the great acharya from Gokul himself !, the woman said, "Ajatak Gopal sune thai. Aja dekhi hai." (Till now I had heard of the Lord Gopal (Krshna as a cow-heard), today I have actually seen him."
After reaching Jatipura, Shri Gusaiji first went to meet his beloved Shri Nathji and than set down to converse with the vaishnavs there. Puzzled by the earlier incidence, one of the servants asked, "My lord, please explain to me why you gave away the Lord's own gold jhariji, and that to a poor old muslim woman?"
With a smile, Shri Gusaiji replied, "You saw an "old, poor, muslim woman." I saw the Lord sitting in the middle of the road, and He was thirsty. Every soul is imbibed with the Lord's spirit. Our Shudhadvait philosophy teaches us that every particle of this universe is a part of the Lord. How can I than see the old woman in the road as anything other than the Lord Himself ?"
As the man mused over this, Shri Gusaiji continued, "The jhariji is inconsequential in this. I did not even notice that it was made of gold. (It was the jhariji of Shri Navnitpriyaji who was travelling with Shri Gusaiji in his palanquin.) My main concern was that a soul was suffering from thirst in the middle of the afternoon, and that too during the summer ! What is the cost of a life compared to the cost of a jhari ?"
It was this boundless compassion, that was the trademark of our beloved Shri Gusaiji. His wit, common sense and intelligence were beyond compare.
Gusaiji was the younger son of Shri Vallabhacharyaji and Shri MahaLakshmi-mataji. Along with his elder brother Gopinathji, he grew up in the pious environment of his father's new sect. There were a large number of very intelligent and very dedicated devotees who helped raise the two sons of Shri Vallabh. After his father and brother, Shri Gusaiji ascended to the guru gadi of Pushti Marg. He sired seven sons and two daughters. During his own lifetime, he decided to make Gokul his head-quarters and to make the matters of inheritance as smooth as possible, he gave each of his sons one of the sacred icons and established a separate haveli for each one of them in Gokul. Shri Nathji remained at Jatipura during Shri Gusaiji's lifetime.
Shri Gusaiji was an exceptional person who managed to get expand the popularity of the sect in a way very differently to his father and brother. He had a knack of explaining the most difficult philosophical point in very simple terms. Even the most ordinary people could understand and appreciate his teachings. His refined tastes and excellent abilities to explain philosophical matters helped him win some very powerful friends in the political circles of the times. Some of his devotees included members of the imperial family at Agra, members of the imperial court, and several important Hindu royal families of the times.
Gusaiji's first meeting with the emperor Akber is highlighted to explain the some of the most profound philosophical ideas of the marg and helps explain how he managed to win so many disciples.
Once, Birbal's daughter saw her father pacing up and down his mansion, looking very worried indeed. Hoping to lift his spirits, she asked, "Father, what could be worrying the great minister of emperor Akber so much that he is unable to eat and sleep tonight ?" Hoping to simply share his thoughts, he caressed her with a fatherly smile and said, "Daughter, the puzzle before me has no logical answer and it is a question that has been around since time immemorial." "What question can there be that my father's wit can not crack ?"
Emperor Akber was an exceptionally curious man. He was forever grappling with the nature of God and divinity. Desirous of knowing more, he asked his most favoured minister, Birbal, "How can one get to see God ?" Birbal asked everyone he could think of. He spent a lot of time searching out the most well-known pundits and holy-men of the era to find a logical, understandable reason that was beyond sectarian philosophy. Even after a comprehensive search, Birbal was unable to find a satisfying answer.
Birbal's daughter thought about it a while and than said, "I am unable to answer the question, but know a man who can. My guruji, Shri Gusaiji of Gokul, is an exceptional man and he will be able to help."
Having absolute faith in his daughter's judgement, when next day in court the emperor asked Bribal for an answer to his investigations, Birbal bowed low and answered, "The only way to answer this question is to go and speak in person to the great Gusaiji of Gokul."
Akber was a great man and his desire for knowledge was sincere. He immediately organised a visit to Gokul and dressed in the guise of an ordinary person to avoid unnecessary fuss. Akber and his retinue came to Gokul at a time when Shri Gusaiji was performing his snan-sandhya (ritual bath and prayers, performed 3 times a day) and they waited patiently for him to finish. After finishing his rituals, Shri Gusaiji saw Akber was waiting for him, disguised though he was, Shri Gusaiji smiled, called him over and asked him "What brings the emperor of Agra to Gokul?"
Surprised, but unfazed, Akber approached Shri Gusaiji and with folded hands, said, "Dear sir, I would like to find out how I can meet the Lord."
"It is as simple as this visit of yours to Gokul." Seeing the emperor a little puzzled, Shri Gusaiji elaborated on the answer. "Just think how complicated the procedure is to arrange a meeting with the emperor ! I would have to speak to so many people and write many letters to arrange a single date. And, even after having arranged it all, if for what ever reason you cancel the date, I would have to go through the process afresh. Yet, if the emperor wishes to see a person, can anyone stand in his way ?" Pausing to let his first point sink in, Shri Gusaiji carried on, "Similarly, a soul can struggle to see God for several lifetimes, and yet may or may not achieve this goal. But, if the Lord God wishes to bestow His grace upon a soul, can anyone stop Him ? Lord's grace is infinite and is totally at His disposal. If the Lord wishes to see a soul, He will Himself grace the soul and arrive as you have !!"
Impressed by this very simple and practical answer to his question, Akber made gift of a magnificent diamond to mark the occasion. The two men met again on a number of occasions and at one point, Shri Gusaiji made a special arrangement for the non-hindu emperor to have a darshan of the Lord ShriNathji during Sharad Purnima.
Shri Gusaiji was invited to the court at Agra on a number of occasions. Clothes he wore on such visits have inspired the shringar that is still worn by Lord ShriNathji on Shri Gusaiji's birthday each year. The favourite food of the emperor, jalebi, also made an entry into the repertoire of the haveli and is offered as a special bhog on the day of the Shri Gusaiji-ka-uttsava. Several other features of the Mogul court have been integrated into the shringar and bhog of our sect. One of the most significant aspect is the "saharo" worn by the Lord during a "marriage" festival. This is of pure Mogul origin and resembles the crown worn by Mongol leaders. The Chinese emperors wear a similar crown as do all the muslim and Sikh bridegrooms in North India to-date.
The Taj-begum (Maharani Jodhabai - chief queen of Akber) was an ardent disciple of Shri Gusaiji, as was Birbal, Raja Mansingh (brother of empress Jodhabai), and Ajabkuvarbai (wife of the King of Mewar). The sect grew under the protection of such influential and powerful patrons. Later, during Auranzeb's monstrous rule, it was the patronage of such powerful families that helped save the sacred icons of the sect. Most of the icons and the goswamies initially emigrated to Amer, Mewar and Marwad to escape the marauding armies of the new ruler of Delhi. The current haveli of Shri Nathji is reputed to stand on the very spot where Ajabkuvarbai's palace used to stand.
Shri Gusaiji's taste in life was far more luxurious than his father or his brother's. This is reflected in the seva that has since been established in Pushti Marg. During his own time as the head of the sect, he added four more poet saints to the divine court of Shri Nathji and brought the final number of poet saints to eight. Several new havelies were added at this time and new festivals and rituals were added to the repertoire of the sect. As the sect was now sufficiently strong and populous enough, he even supplanted the temple servants at JatiPura from the Bengalis (vaishnavs of Chaitanya's sect) to brahmins and vrajvasies who had converted to Pushti Marg. Some of the best known manoraths in our sect were also initiated during Shri Gusaiji's tenure as Guruji of the sect.
Shri Gusaiji had many disciples around the country. His most celebrated disciples and their spiritual experiences are recorded in the 252 Vaishnav's varta. Compiled by Shri Hariraiji, these vaishnavs are held up as the role models for all other vaishnavs to follow.
© Bhagwat Shah
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