Krishna Das Ji was the head of the temple and was responsible for all the services of Lord Shrinath. At that time, Shrinath Ji resided in Giriraj Gowardhan, where he had appeared. He used to go to Agra with his associates to buy paraphernalia for his beloved Thakur.
When he went to Agra, hundreds of people stood in a circle one day. He saw a prostitute earning her livelihood by luring people with her singing and dancing. She was taking small amounts of money from them. Krishnadas ji was an old man and was in the mood of a friend of lord Krishna. He was a great soul. He took out ten rupees from the money meant for Thakur Ji’s service and gave it to her many times. Krishnadas Ji further said he would give her a thousand coins if she agreed to come to Shrinath Ji’s temple with them.
Krishnadas Ji told her he would give her as much wealth as she asked if she would just come with them and dance in front of their lord. The prostitute agreed. The news spread that Krishnadas Ji had brought a prostitute from Agra. People started discussing that he had fallen and had been influenced by Maya. Only a few people understand the purpose behind the actions of great souls.
Krishnadas Ji built a hut next to his own for the prostitute. She was bathed in the holy water of all the great ponds of the Braj area. She was taught to sing beautiful verses and play instruments. One day, he told her, “Come, let’s take you in front of my lord today. If my lord is pleased, the problems of all your past lives will be solved. Do not think of my lord as an idol; he is present in person.” When she told him she was only interested in money, he said she would get as much money as she wanted; she just had to please his lord. Going to Shrinath Ji, Krishnadas Ji said, “Lord, whenever I have visited Agra, I have brought things of your choice. Today I am presenting you with something of your choice, please accept it.”
After bowing to Shrinath Ji, the prostitute started dancing and sang an entire verse. As soon as she raised her head after singing, she saw the lord with a flute on his lips. With a smile from Shrinath Ji, the prostitute died at that very moment and attained liberation.
Story of Deliverance Of Another Prostitute
A prostitute had collected a lot of wealth by engaging in wrongful conduct throughout her life. She had a palace outside the village with a beautiful garden. Once, a troop of saints visited her village. They asked the people of the village for a holy place where they could serve their Thakur Ji. Some unruly people told them that the garden he was seeing was very holy. That garden belonged to the prostitute, and she met with her friends there. Saints are simple and believe others easily. They believed it and went there.
The saints sprinkled water in the garden, swept the ground, and seated Thakur Ji. A little while after, conch shells were blown. The prostitute, after hearing the conch, looked around and saw that saints had arrived in the garden. She thought, “Oh! I have been blessed. How come these great men have assembled in the garden of this fallen soul?”
The prostitute kept some gold and silver coins, fruits, and dry fruits in a plate and went to the saints and said, “lord, please accept this.” The saints asked, “Who are you?” The prostitute said, “Lord, the garden in which you are sitting belongs to me”. The saints asked, “What do you do?” She told them she was a prostitute and earned her living by prostitution. The sages said, “It doesn’t matter; we are all children of God. But according to the rules of the scriptures, we cannot accept these food items.” The prostitute asked, “Lord, is there no way for my salvation?” They replied, “There is definitely a way. Sell all your property, jewelry, etc., and make a crown of gems and offer it to Lord Ranganath. All your sins will be destroyed, and you will attain God. And from today, never engage in prostitution again.”
The prostitute said, “I will never defile this body again. But Lord, I am a famous prostitute. Will I be allowed to enter the temple?”. They replied, “You will be allowed to enter the temple when we order. You offer the crown with your hands, and the Lord Himself will accept it.”
Jab Dravai Deen Dayaalu Raaghav
Vinay Patrika, Goswami Tulasidas Ji
Saadhu-Sangati Paiye
Everyone was surprised and could not understand how a woman of such low conduct would put a crown on God’s head with her own hands. The prostitute sold all her jewellery to make the crown. She moved forward to put the crown on the lord but stopped in the middle and said to the sages, “Lord, my sins are not leaving me. I have started menstruating.”
It is forbidden for a menstruating woman to touch the idol of the Lord, as, at that time, she is in an impure state. The sages ordered, “Go ahead.” Everyone stopped them, saying, “How can you do that?” They replied, “If the lord accepts it, you don’t need to stop anyone. And the proof that the lord accepts her offering will be that lord Rangnath will bow His head down.” As soon as the prostitute went to put the crown on, the head of the idol of Ranganath Ji bowed down. She attained the supreme position.
Conclusion
Kartum Akartum Anyathakartum! Guru and Lord are all-powerful. Every service you perform is capable of attaining God; you just need to believe it. The prostitute who was involved in the pleasures of the world just listened to the words of a great soul and attained God.
Bade Bhaag Manush Tanu Paava
Shri Ramcharitmanas
Sur Durlabh Sab Granthanhi Gava
It is a great fortune that we have this human body. The scriptures say that this body is rare even for the demigods.
This human body is rare, even for the demigods. The demigods have such opulence that we will faint just by seeing them. We can attain divine bliss in this birth, which even the demigods cannot. It is unfortunate that we are still stuck in bodily pleasures! We have not been satisfied with them to date, yet we do not give them up.
Believe in the glory of the scriptures, the name and grace of the Lord. We will attain God not by our efforts but by His grace and the grace of His devotees. Iron can never become gold on its own. It is the miracle of touchstone. In the same way, we can never attain God on our own; the grace of the Guru and God makes us eligible to meet Him.
Guidance By: Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj
