* Letter written by Nilkanth Varni to Ramanand Swami residing in Bhuj.
Nilakantha’sletter to Ramanand Swami.
Suvrat said:-
I will tell you, O king, listen, how the celibate wrote a letter to Ramanand Swami relating his hearts and desires. 1.
‘May well be with your Mastership staying in Bhuj Nagar, whose feet are adorned by the splendor of sovereign rulers who is endowed with numerous virtues like valuable jewels, the supreme Guru, promoter of the devotion to Krishna on the earth, may he be victorious who drives away fear from the hearts of his devotees. He, the Master, whose good name has reached far and wide. 2.
You are Uddhava incarnate who come to this earth to show the path of liberation to human beings, and to save religion; born of Ajay Vipra and his wife Sumati, in the city of Ayodhya; To that master, to your lordship, I bow prostrating down on the floor for hundred times, and I present here with my humble request that I am a Brahmin, Nilakantha by name, who has come to take your refuge with full devotion. 3.
Leaving behind my relatives and my place in Kaushal region, and left for pilgrimage, I have come here to Lojpur and now I am staying with your disciples. 4.
With eager desire to see lord Krishna in person, I am practicing four-months-vow, starting at the end of hot season every year, respectfully. According to the commands of religious texts, I keep fast three consecutive days taking food on the fourth day. 5.
For that end only, O pure one, I observe complete fast during the month of Kartika every year. Also I follow austerities like krurcha, chandrayana; and in the month of Magha parakrurcha, continuous fast for twelve days, for the lord, only. 6.
I do not care in the least for physical hardship experienced in performing the rituals of vows, Ekadashi being the main occasion for pleasing Krishna only so that he is pleased by me and shows himself to me. 7.
Abandoning the five sense-objects sound being prominent of them, extremely difficult to overcome, I have reduced this body of mine to skin and bones burning my flesh and blood by severe penance. 8.
In case you feel questioned why am I yet alive? Then my breathing goes on in this body only on the support of the nectarine-creeper of hope of Krishna’s sight. With no other support for breath, which is on the way to go out from the body without food ? 9.
O destroyer of afflictions of those surrendered unto you! Looking at my body alive without food, people imagine that ‘SatyaYuga’ is present in this Kali-Yuga, in which people mostly depend on food. 10.
Knowing that all my bodily actions are carried on by the power (divine faculty) attained through practice of eight-fold Yoga, O all-pervasive Lord ! O Master, have grace on me, a devotee of Krishna and let me have your sight. 11.
Krishna is my father, mother, and everything to me, Krishna is my Master, my relative, Guru and best friend; and those, whoever related to Krishna, are my kith and kin. Because have love towards Krishna only, and those who are intently devoted to Krishna, I Love them wholeheartedly just as devotees of Krishna. 12.
Immediately I will abandon them like enemies, who have no love for Krishna, even though they may be giving me all luxurious pleasures, may they be my relatives or beloved friends! 13.
May they be my affectionate father or elders, or my own brothers, who have supported me, if they are indifferent about Krishna, I will leave them; then what say about other relations? 14.
If you may find fault in leaving relatives like this, I say, in early times, many devoted worshippers abandoned their relatives, who had no love for Krishna. 15.
Vibhishana left his brother (Ravana) and Bharata his mother Kaikeyi and also devoted Vidura left his entire Kaurava family; and wives of the Rishi (who were religious, performing sacrifices; but without devotion to Krishna) deserted their husband’s, son’s and brother’s.. 16.
Gopis left their husbands even, O Master, who were obstructing them from going to Krishna. The king of Anga left his son Vena, gained by hard penance, and he went to the forest. 17.
O lord, there are many others who have left their own nearest relatives, devoid of devotion to Krishna. Nowhere in the world or in the scriptures, their bad name is heard, but their good name prevails! 18.
This is the path of righteousness followed by the virtuous from unknown times. I am following the same path of devotion to him, to Lord Krishna. 19.
The sages devoted to you who are staying here, have renounced worldly attachments and are venerable to me. They know the glory of the lord, and have the highest devotion. They are all in all to me. 20.
Those who are void of devotion to him, and do not deserve company of fellow devotees, I consider them to be like bullocks, dogs and eunuchs. Even looking at them will cause harm. 21.
Those who are absorbed only in sensuous pleasures, subjected to sleep, fear and anger, and six infirmities of human nature (like hunger and thrust, dejection and illusion), old age and death) I think, there is no difference between them and animals. 22.
Those men have no thought for what purpose, even Gods in heaven do praise the human life, I think, that life engaged in devotional service to him, is worthy of praise, O Lord ! 23.
A person void of devotion, may he be born of good family, having beautiful appearance, endowed with various fine qualities, wealth and fame, I think, he is like the fruit of Indravana which is beautiful in looks but bitter to taste. 24.
As even a grain of salt brings taste to vegetable dishes; otherwise, they are discarded as tasteless; like that, even slightest virtue of devotion to Krishna, makes men acceptable with all their good qualities. 25.
A man by his own power of penance may attain to the realm of Brahma; but without devotion to the lord, there also prevails fear from death to him; and the happiness he gets there is not everlasting. This is the truth witnessed by the Vedas also. 26.
Deities like Brahma, Shiva, Sukracharya (Guru of Demons) possessing divine powers; and also those liberated souls enjoying union with Brahma (the Supreme Being) humbly and devotedly remember and serve Him; then what to say about those trying for liberation from birth-death cycle. 27.
The Lord pocesses such virtues that those enjoying union with Brahma (the Supreme Self) would love Him and feel delighted in devotion to Him. Radha, Rama and other goddesses of power serve him like he being a sovereign ruler. 28.
Even insignificant mortals become free from the fear of death, by loving him. Without devotion to him, Gods, headed by Brahma, also have great fear from death. 29.
His greatness and glory, I have heard from the wise and learnt from the venerable Shastras (scriptures) so I am engaged in devotional services to him; and practicing hard penance, keeping away laziness. 30.
Not experiencing his actual presence, I am not feeling rested, with mind eager to see Shri Krishna. Bound by the string of words of assurance of Muktanand Swami and other Sadhus, I am staying here, waiting for your arrival only. 31.
O Lord! Absorbed in his thought, melodious music, various compositions and worldly utterances are like sharp tip of an arrow, to my ears, excepting the songs of this name and glory. 32.
Beautiful women coming in the range of my sight, look like demons to me. Garland of beautiful flowers put in my neck if not being the Prasad of the Lord, become like burning cinder to me. 33.
To me, absorbed happily in the thought about him, lotion made of sandalwood and saffron filaments etc is like black mud; and big mansion is like forest to me! 34.
By suffering on his absence, wearing thick and soft beautiful clothes, I feel like black serpent put on my body with its mouth opened; O Lord, various kinds of good eatables are like poison to me. 35.
Whichever object giving happiness to others in this world becomes the cause of my unhappiness. Without the sight of Shri Krishna, O lord, I have reached the state of madness. 36.
Fulfillment of this desire of mine will only be when I get shelter at your feet, somehow, as it would happen. Because, in this Kaliyuga, you are the only Guru, the preceptor in this world who would make me to have the sight of Shri Krishna. 37.
So, please favour me early; allow me to come and meet you, O of high eminence, before my body is not withered away and fallen, O well - wisher of souls who have come to your refuge !’ 38.
Suvrat said:-
O king, with high reverence, writing letter like this, Nilakantha gave it to the sage Muktananda. 39.
The wise sage then kept his own and Nilakantha’s letter together, folded it, closed and sealed it, and wrote Guru Ramanand’s name on it. 40.
Then he sent it by hand with a Brahmin named Mayaram, a man going speedily, and more speedily for the saintly people. 41.
The Brahmin (Mayaram) reached Bhujnagar on the seventh day. He went to the house of a devotee named Gangaram; there he saw the revered Master Ramanand. 42.
There he (Mayaram) prostrated before Ramanand Swami and handed over the letter to him. He was sitting dressed in white robe, with pair of eyes elongated like new-bloomed lotus petal, giving joy to his devotees, having moon-like (smiling) face, eyebrows curved, with brilliant skin, body well supported, hands long up to the knees and pair of feet soft like red lotus. 43.
Thus ends the fifty-fourth chapter entitled ‘Narration of the Letter written by Nilakantha’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 54