Once upon a time, in the 18oo’s, there lived a very famous landownder in Navadvipa.
He was renowned because not only was he very wealthy, but people everywhere accepted him as someone very advanced in spirital understanding.
One day he came to see Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja. He appeared to be trembling so much due to transcendental ecstacy, that a friend had to support him. He couldn’t walk on his own.
As he approached the assembly of Babaji Maharaja, the devotees there all offered their obeisances to him. The landowner was introduced to Babaji Maharaja with the following glowing introduction…
“This man is a landowner, but is completely detached from sense gratification. Last night, some thieves came to his house and stole 45 000 rupees, but rather than despair, he has come to obtain your darshan. He has a very confidential question to ask you regarding the conversation between lord Chaitanya and Ramananda Raya found in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.”
Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja did not speak directly to the landowner. Instead he spoke to his friend, “I see that you are sincere. Give up the association of this imposter. Find an authentic devotee of the Lord and enquire from him submissively. You should hear Sri Caitanya-caritamrta 100 times in the association of real devotees, and then you will be able to understand this deep conversation between the Lord and His devotee. Now do not disturb us…the devotees here want to perform sankirtana…we have no time to waste.”
With that, loud sankirtana was started. During the kirtana, the landowner and his friend left, disgraced.
The devotees were flabbergasted. They could not understand why Babaji Maharaja had treated such an ‘advanced’ soul so badly. Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja later explained…
It does not matter whether one displays symptoms of ecstacy hundreds and hundreds of times, what really matters is whether one is developing attachment to Krsna internally in his heart.
