Vishvarupa, Nimai's Brother # 10

10

Nimaï is a special child, but his brother Vishvarupa is no less so. While everyone worries, grieves, marvels, or rejoices over Nimai's peculiar activities, Vishvarupa only smiles about it. He knows why his brother behaves in such a way…

Perhaps we don't emphasize it enough, but Nimaï does not grow up normally. Tireless, turbulent, mischievous as much as insolent, he disrupts the entire neighborhood. At home, it's even worse. He takes advantage of the blind love his parents have for him to make their life difficult. If they dare to comment, he doubles his impudence. Thus, they quickly learn not to cross him. However, in front of his older brother Vishvarupa, he restrains his devilry; he is always humble and gentle. Throughout his life, he will maintain this respect towards him.

And for good reason. While he himself seems to lack interest in Vaishnava religion, his elder brother has been deeply immersed in it since his earliest childhood. His only concerns are discussions about the Absolute Truth. That's why he always seeks the company of saints, already scarce in those times.

The materialists have taken advantage of this near-total absence of sincere spiritual concerns. Concerned only with worldly affairs — money, women, children, education, etc. — they harass the Vaishnavas. Fat and agitators, they recite satirical and immoral poems to the winds:

Yogis and renouncing monks
Chaste women and solemn penitents
Like everyone, you will die one day
So why this austere path?

Bol! Bol! Bol! Everyone is fed up!
Hari! Hari! Hari! The bigot has doubled down.

Wake up to modern times
Trample underfoot these dull cults.
On a white horse mounted with a palanquin
Without shame, parade on the roads.

Bol! Bol! Bol! Everyone is fed up!
Hari! Hari! Hari! The bigot has doubled down.

Of the Names of God that thrilled you
Your shirts are soaked with your tears
Of your share of poverty and misery
Alas! We see nothing better than yesterday.

Bol! Bol! Bol! Everyone is fed up!
Hari! Hari! Hari! The bigot has doubled down.

Your dancing God will surely get angry
If you keep pestering Him with your cries.
Stop screaming, be reasonable
Go work to please Him.

Bol! Bol! Bol! Everyone is fed up!
Hari! Hari! Hari! The bigot has doubled down.

Vishvarupa can no longer endure the atheistic mentality that prevails in the town. The silence of cymbals and drums, the prayers that no longer rise to the heavens, and the neglect of the land that gave birth to most of its inhabitants and cradled them with magnificent tales of the lives of saints from the distant mists of antiquity make him ill. And if someone happens to comment on the Bhagavad-gita or the Srimad Bhagavatam, it is always done professionally and from an impersonal perspective; the speaker never discusses the benefits of devotional service to Krishna, which is the essence of these Scriptures.

This is why the idea of taking the sannyasa order haunts him: "I can no longer bear to see the faces of these sinners; this materialistic society disgusts me. I will retreat to the forest as soon as possible." The only solace he finds is in the company of Shrivas Thakur, Advaita Acharya, and a few other great souls.

Shrivas, like Advaita, is advanced in age; his four brothers and wife are ardent devotees of Vishnu. In Nadia, he is the spiritual leader. He will become one of Chaitanya’s closest and most intimate companions. Seeing Nimai’s apparent indifference to bhakti saddens him, but he recognizes the boy's exceptional worth. Nevertheless, he cannot help but occasionally address the matter and lecture him about it. One day, he approached him with this prophetic question:

"Nimai! When will you abandon your passionate interest in dry and barren studies and instead dedicate yourself to the pure love of God?"

"By your mercy," Nimai replied respectfully, "and if the devotees are kind to me, I am sure I will dedicate myself to His sublime service."

So, every evening, after bathing in the pure waters of the Ganges, Vishvarupa would visit Shrivas's house, where devotees gathered regularly to discuss the glories of God, singing and dancing late into the night. His discourses on the scriptures were a source of immense joy for this spiritual circle. When he prepared to speak, everyone would gather around him, eager not to miss a single word:

"When the living entity, deeply absorbed in the affairs of this material world, mistakenly identifies with something it is not — that is, the temporary body it inhabits — it falls prey to fear. Turning its back on the Supreme Lord, it soon forgets its original position as His servant. This condition gives rise to fear, which is a product of maya, the illusory energy.

Therefore, an intelligent person should diligently engage in pure devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, accepting him as the most cherished figure in their life. Only then can they truly understand the Srimad Bhagavatam. Unless one discards, as mere refuse, the desire for fruitive ritual practices, the pursuit of wealth, and the aspiration for oneness with the Absolute or liberation, they will never grasp its message.

The Srimad Bhagavatam focuses entirely on the service rendered to God. Thus, the profound meaning of the Tenth Canto can only be realized by one who studies it with a heart imbued with total renunciation. Simply put, one should never venture into its passages — especially those about the rasa-lila* dance — without having first developed a spontaneous attraction to hearing this sacred text, celebrated as the best of all Puranas."**

Thus, every night, Vishvarupa expounds on philosophy and narrates stories of Krishna and the gopis, the village women of Vrindavana. The questions posed by the devotees evoke a blissful joy that fills him with delight. These dialogues often continue until the first rays of dawn. Even Shrivas Thakur, an expert in Vaishnava philosophy and theology, as his reputation suggests, takes great pleasure in Vishvarupa's responses. He knows that a well-chosen question can draw Vishvarupa into a state of divine trance, one that will captivate the entire audience:

"The term bhakta is often used to refer to a devotee — someone who has a more or less direct relationship with God. Could you elaborate on this term and its deeper implications?"
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*The rasa-lila dance occurs between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, representing the highest esoteric dimension of their spiritual pastimes.
**This explanation draws upon The Nectar of Devotion, translated and commented on by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
 

Preceding chapter: The Adventures of a Visiting Brahmana # 9