Sanatan Goswami saw a group of boys playing and a bluish boy smiling at him in Mahavan in Vrindavan. He ran to embrace the boy, but the boy disappeared as soon as he reached near Him. He became emotional, started crying, and fell unconscious. The same night, He had a dream in which he saw the same boy in the form of lord Krishna. Lord Krishna told him that if he wanted to meet Him, he could visit the house of Parshuram Choubey in Mathura. Lord said you can visit and take me with you from there.
Sanatan Goswami Went To Meet Thakur Madan Mohan
Sanatan Goswami reached the house of Parshuram Choubey the next morning for Madhukari (food obtained through alms). He saw the same boy in the form of Shri Thakur Madan Mohan Ji. He kept staring at Madan Mohan Ji and became attached to him. Sanatan ji used to go for Madhukari once in many days, but due to the desire to see Madan Mohan ji, he started going to the same house for Madhukari every day. He used to see Madan Mohan Ji for hours and cry. One day, the old lady of the house saw that Sanatan ji was standing for hours looking into Thakur ji’s eyes and crying.
Seeing his loving state, she said, Baba, are you looking at Him? Don’t look at him! He ruins everything. I had a very big family and wealth, but he ruined everything since he came to our house. My family was destroyed, all my wealth was gone, only I was left alone. This is what happens; that is why Shri Roop Goswami Ji says that if you have an attachment with your family, don’t make eye contact with Shri Radha Govind Dev Ji. If you make eye contact, then you will be of no use.
Sanatan Ji said, I also know this situation; this is my condition. Since the time I have loved him, I have been ruined. Whatever was dear to me is now gone; this is the miracle of his glance.
Shri Sanatan Ji Brought Thakur Madan Mohan Ji To Vrindavan
The old woman asked, do you like Him? Sanatan Ji said yes. The old woman said I have grown old and was also thinking, who will care for Him now because no one is left in my family.
You should not think that if you love Thakur Ji, your family will be destroyed; it is not so. The inner secret of this is that since Madan Mohan Ji came, he sent his entire family to His abode one by one. Thakur Madan Mohan Ji called the entire family of Choubey Ji to His abode, which is impossible to achieve even for great yogis. Thakur Ji removed their worldly wealth and gave them eternal wealth. The one who surrenders at the feet of the Lord gets an entry into His divine abode easily.
The old lady said, I have grown old; someone will take Him away once I die. I will not be able to serve Him now, and I am also bored with him because I have not received any benefit from him. She is saying all this while joking. If there had been any benefit, then at least there would have been grandchildren to serve him, but no one is left; only I am left alone. The time of my death is coming; someone is needed to serve Him, and I will give Him only to that person who loves Him. I am very satisfied to see your love for Him and know you will serve Him lovingly. You can recognize from this how much she loved Thakur ji.
I do not want to let him out of my sight, but now my body has become old, now I cannot serve Him. You take Him away. Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji said, Mother, if this is the case, then you give Him to me, and I will take Him with me. The old lady wept, hugged Thakurji repeatedly, and handed Him over to Shri Sanatan Goswami. Shri Sanatan Goswami was very pleased and brought Thakur Madan Mohanji to Shridham Vrindavan. He installed Shri Thakur Madan Mohanji Maharaj in Aditya Tila (the hilltop on which the red stone temple of Thakur Madan Mohanji is built in Vrindavan is called Aditya Tila).
Thakur Madan Mohan Ji Did Not Like The Dry And Simple Food Offered By Sanatan Ji
Sanatan Ji used to beg for food. Once a week, he would bring food and use it for many days. But now that Thakur Ji had come to his hut, Sanatan Ji would ask for flour daily for Thakur Ji’s offering, make bread, offer it to Thakur Ji, and eat it himself. When he offered food to Thakur Ji, Thakur Ji would make faces because at Choubey Ji’s place, he used to get sweets and other opulent foods, and here he was getting dry bread, which did not even have salt. Thakur Ji could not say anything but would make faces.
One day, gathering courage, Thakur Ji fearfully said to Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji, (see, this is the power of love, just like a child is afraid of elders, similarly Thakur Ji, the master of all the universes, was afraid of Sanatan Goswami Ji) Baba, this dry bread does not go down my throat. You offer me this burnt bread; my stomach is not working, and this does not go down my throat. Please add some salt. Hearing this from Shri Madan Mohan ji, Sanatan ji smiled and said, look, Thakur ji! Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered me to live in Vrindavan with detachment. I know you want to trap me again. You have had a gluttonous nature since childhood! You were never satisfied with the butter mother Yashoda gave; you were not satisfied until you went to the Gopis, performed your childhood pastimes, and got butter from ten other houses.
Today, you are saying, bring some salt, then you will say, Baba, it will be good if you dip it in ghee, then you will say, Baba, it would be good if I get something sweet. How far will I be able to make arrangements for you? I will live with detachment as per the orders of Mahaprabhu, and whatever demands you are making, you can fulfil them yourself if you want. I will not make any arrangements; I will live with detachment. Thakurji heard this answer and said, “Can I make my own arrangements?” Shri Sanatanji said, “Yes, you make your own arrangements; I have no problem with it.” Thakurji became happy.
Thakur Madan Mohan Ji Stuck A Merchant’s Boat In Yamuna
Ramdas Kapoor Ji, a resident of Multan, was going to Agra via Yamuna on a huge boat filled with various gems, rock salt, and dry fruits from Kabul. The Yamuna river was near Aditya Tila. The boat got stuck when it reached there and could not be freed even after many efforts. How could the boat move? Thakur Madan Mohan ji wanted someone to feed Him and make arrangements. Shri Ramdas Kapoor ji got worried. Thakur ji disguised himself as a boy and went to him and said, listen, this boat will not move like this; a saint (Shri Sanatan Goswami ji) is sitting under that tree; go there, bow down and make a wish, then your boat will move.
Ramdas Kapoor ji immediately went to Shri Sanatan Goswami ji; he was immersed in the thoughts of Priya-Priyatam. He came and prostrated himself and said, please protect me; I am a businessman, and my boat is stuck. I tried every means, but my boat could not be freed; please be kind; I have come to you on the request of a Brijvasi boy. Sanatan Goswami ji meditated and learned that Thakur Madan Mohan ji had sent him; he understood that Thakur ji wanted the businessman to make arrangements for His food.
Construction Of Thakur Madan Mohan Ji’s Temple
Sanatan Goswami ji said that Thakur ji’s temple is atop the hill; go there and make a wish, and your work will be done. Ramdas ji went before Thakur Madan Mohan ji and became enamoured to see his beautiful form. He vowed that if the boat was freed, with the money from selling all the gems, dry fruits, etc., he would build a temple of Thakur Madan Mohan ji and make arrangements for Him. He returned after having darshan, and this time, the boat was freed easily; no pushing was required. Ramdas Kapoor ji came after selling all the goods, and he got the red stone temple of Madan Mohan ji built and made arrangements for his food. In this way, Thakur Ji made arrangements for his temple and food.
Thakur Ji Gave Govardhan Shila To Sanatan Goswami Ji
Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji used to go on foot from Vrindavan, do the parikrama of Govardhan Ji, and return on foot daily. Thakur Ji said he should not come for darshan daily when he saw that his body had become very old. Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji said I cannot live without parikrama and your darshan. After this, Thakur Ji Himself appeared and gave Govardhan shila (stone from the Govardhan Hill) to Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji, on which the footprints of Shri Thakur Ji are still imprinted and said, Baba, you should do parikrama of this shila every day; by doing its parikrama you will get the same benefit of the entire Govardhan parikrama, you will get the same joy. That holy stone is currently present in the temple of Shri Radha Damodar Ji in Shri Vrindavan.
Seeing Sanatan Goswami Ji’s Old Age, Lord Shiva Appeared In The Form Of Bankhandi Mahadev
Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji visited Shri Gopeshwar Mahadev Ji from Aditya Tila every day. When Lord Shiva saw that he had become very old, he told him that he should not come to Gopeshwar every day. Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji said that it is my rule to visit you. Lord Shiva said I will appear somewhere in the middle, so you won’t have to walk much. Shri Gopeshwar Mahadev Ji appeared in the form of Bankhandi Mahadev in Vrindavan, and Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji started visiting him daily.
Sanatan Goswami Ji Possessed A Touchstone
A poor Brahmin in Bengal, saddened by his poverty, worshipped Lord Shiva to get wealth. Lord Shiva was pleased and came to him in his dream and ordered him and said that a great man named Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji lives in Shri Vrindavan Dham, he has a touchstone that can convert iron into gold, he will give you that touchstone, go to him. That Brahmin came to Shri Vrindavan Dham immersed in joy and went to Shri Sanatan Ji. When he saw Shri Sanatan Ji, he carried a blanket and loincloth. He felt disappointed. How could the one living in such poverty give him the touchstone? He thought that the words of Lord Shankar could not be false, so he went to him and bowed down.
Sanatan Ji asked the Brahmin what purpose he had come for. He said that Lord Shiva has sent me and has said that you have a touchstone and has asked me to take it from you. Sanatan Ji said, I have never touched it; I don’t even have it with me; one day, when I was going to bathe in Yamuna, it hit my foot, so I covered it with sand there.
The Brahmin asked, “Can you please come and tell me where that touchstone is?”. Shri Sanatan Goswami took the Brahmin to that place and said that the touchstone is there; remove the sand, and you will see it. As soon as the Brahmin removed the sand from there, he found the shining touchstone. The Brahmin thought of testing whether it was a shiny stone or a touchstone. He touched the touchstone to an iron nail, which immediately turned to gold. He was very happy that the boon of Lord Shiva came true.
For Sanatan Goswami Ji, The Touchstone Was No Better Than An Ordinary Stone
But the brahmin wondered what kind of saint this was who had kept such a precious thing so far away from himself. He asked Shri Sanatan Ji this question directly. Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji said this touchstone has many bad qualities. God knows how many impurities are hidden in it because when wealth increases, ego will increase, faults will increase, God’s contemplation will be left out, and there are many types of faults in it. I have kept it away so that its passion does not affect me or create any distraction in my worship in any way, and for me, it is nothing better than a stone because this gem is nothing in front of the gem that I have.
Immediately, Brahmin said, Maharaj, which gem do you have? Shri Sanatan Ji said “Indraneel Mani Shyam Manohar”. I have the gem in the form of “Shri Lal Bihari Shyamsundar”. He immediately bowed down at the feet of Shri Sanatan Goswami and said, Maharaj, why are you giving me such an impure gem? Please be kind to me and give me the same gem you have.
Shri Sanatan Ji instructed him to throw the touchstone in the Yamuna River and return after bathing in the Yamuna. He said you are entitled to Shri Krishna’s love because Lord Shiva has blessed you. He did not send you to take the touchstone; he sent you for this Indraneelmani Shyammanohar, but you should believe and understand that the devotees of Lord Krishna have the ability to give up even the touchstone; that is why he performed this pastime. Take a bath, and throw this touchstone in the Yamuna River. Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji gave him initiation. The brahmin lived in Vrindavan Dham, constantly meditating on God, and attained the abode of God.
In 1615, on the morning of Ashadh Purnima, Shri Sanatan Goswami Ji left his body and entered the abode of Lord Krishna.
Narrated by: Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Ji Maharaj
