I have a most wonderful dream to share. It is the dream of a dear friend and Vaisnava, a close friend of mine, and nice sober devotee of Srila Prabhupada and Krsna since childhood. He had a recent experience he wished to share with me, and gave permission to share with you also. It is an inspiring tale, very real, so now i will relate the whole story as he shared it with me;
THE APPEARANCE OF NARADA MUNI
In a dream, I’m in school (DAV) though for some reason I feel to be beyond school times, or perhaps new to that school again after considerable gap before which I used to study there, felt something like that. Matching with present scenario as I did study there but now am in college and the school would be new and old to me.
I come home for the lunch break to eat, at least that’s what it felt like. The home also feels new and old simultaneously. For some reason it appears little cramped for space. I change clothes or something, memory unclear.
Next I remember a scene in the evening. For some reason that house is the house in Perunagar where my ancestral house is located; though it seems to retain the features inside of the Anna Nagar house in Jeevan Beema Nagar as I saw earlier, from outside I see we are in Perunagar and for some arcane reason we are staying outside in a small hut. The village of Perunagar is occasionally attacked by ape-like intelligent men-like beings, and hardened men who side with them robbing and destroying people. While I am only in the hut with my mother, these ape-like creatures and the men come (2-3 and 1 or 2), destroy our small hut and go away with some threats that I can’t remember now. I had already been urging my mother as to why we can’t live in our house instead of this hut and my urges became stronger now and somehow mother became more relenting or something.
Next I’m sitting with my mother on the long sitting place (thinnai in Tamil) outside the main house, talking to her. I turn right and see a man in old saffron robes, with a vina in his hand, mallika flowers on the knot on his hair, approach us with a humble smile in his face, silently mouthing “Narayana, Narayana!” to himself while jingling something in his hands, I don’t know what that is called (something like gudu-guduppai, as we say in Tamil). He was approaching us and I instantly recognized him to be Sri Narada, the great sage of the heavenly planets. I stand up, only half-believing what I see, and as he folds his hands I am joyed and don’t know what to do; I consider whether I should talk to him in English or Sanskrit or some other language, but English naturally comes to me and I hope upon hope that he will not reject me or leave me for not understanding English or because it is not manners to speak with him in such a language. I speak with half my voice, “You are.. Devarsi?” He responds in English, “Yes, I am Narada Muni.” Overjoyed at his immense presence and that we can communicate with each other, I say that I’ve wanted to see him or been waiting for meeting him for a long time, at the same time condemning myself for thinking that Narada Muni will be unable to understand what I say. I forget my manners for those few seconds and then remember to immediately fall at his lotus feet, grasping them with tears in my eyes. As I get up, my mother follows suit, falling at his feet. Then I say that because he is omniscient, he would know what troubled my heart. He smiled and conceded, and started answering my most significant doubt for then; the question that troubled me was, whether we should stay in our house or stay in that small hut. Narada Muni kindly told that I should stay in the hut. I asked if it wouldn’t be better to stay in the house and perform service to the Lord with more comfort than stay in the hut, risk being killed or robbed by those ape-like creatures (who never touched houses, only huts and people living outside, for strange reasons). Narada Muni smiled and said no, you should stay in the hut. I couldn’t understand the relevance, but obeyed and said I would follow by his order.
As he understood my acceptance, he started answering my next question, and an elaborate answer, glorifying Krsna and His pastimes and then quoting verses from the compositions of great Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas, he exhibited his knowledge of Krsna vividly, changing his form into one I seem to remember from long, long ago, a time forgotten in time, with improperly arranged teeth yet most beautifully matching his features, as splendid as the Lord. I’m still unsure if Gauranga Himself appeared at that moment exhibiting Himself through Narada Muni, with a red turban, and golden embroidery on it. But at that point Narada Muni looked very much like Krsna as He explained Bengali compositions by great Vaisnava acaryas to support his point in clearing my doubt, albeit he looked superwhite, or golden, I can’t describe that color. That’s why the doubt whether it might have been Gauranga Himself.
As Narada Muni explained deep philosophical concepts, my mother left, going to Divya’s house, carrying on with her work. I walked with Narada Muni till the end of the street (as going towards to the Temple of Lord Siva). Then it appeared as if we were suddenly walking in the night, by some wide road, lit by lights; we were crossing or something like that. His form had changed from saffron clothes to yellowish robes, and he appeared bald but beautiful, still holding his vina. Till this point I was always addressing him as Prabhu when I suddenly remembered he is also an acarya from our own disciplic succession. By now it had dawned upon me that Narada Muni is a very amusing personality, who, in contrary to the serious attitude with which we know him, was very much humorous. When I addressed him Guruji after my sudden realization, he said, “What is that? Oh yes, I’m your guru, right!” eliciting a grin from me and laughing himself. Though I had my doubts, as he was omniscient and it seemed unlikely he didn’t know that.
At that point I raised my doubt – seeing as he waited for me to ask the question – the Bangalore issue that I had. I just said something like, “So this Bangalore, what should I..?” and before I could finish, he simply said, “Better to read, than write,” in a somewhat serious tone, that he hadn’t assumed till now. I hadn’t really understood much, maybe I got a glimpse of an answer, but he seemed to hurrying now, and I was struggling to keep up, and I understood my time with him was coming to an end.
I kept following him fast and it looked like morning suddenly. ISKCON devotees, mostly men, were coming and going, crossing what looked like a country border, jumping over something, all in dark orange robes, including a hefty woman. None of them seemed to notice that Narada Muni himself was present here. The atmosphere felt like that they didn’t care who was around, for they were very fortunate to be in ISKCON and they had everything they needed. In a haughty sort of way, neither disrespecting others, nor showing much consideration to anyone who appeared non-ISKCON.
Narada Muni and I crossed that small reverse-U shaped gate (which appeared like border) where all devotees were coming in and going out and he was going fast. It could only accommodate one person going and one person coming at a time, Narada Muni had left first and hurried away. I couldn’t keep up, carefully avoiding stumbling upon other people. I was already pretty behind and trying to run and catch up to him. He was guru, I couldn’t request him to stop; I had to follow in his footsteps, in this case, literally. We were suddenly in a sub-way, and I was lost. Narada Muni had left me.
For many minutes I stood there lost, with a rising conviction and a very old feeling that I was deserted. And suddenly Narada Muni appeared from behind a turn, giving his hands for me to take, and as I go closer to that turn, he starts moving, and as I turn, he’s disappeared. Now I know he’s gone. He had spent his time with me. Just as I knew he was Narada Muni the moment I saw him, I knew he was not coming back. And he never did.
But I had met Narada Muni. Spoken to him. Personally clarified doubts in the execution of devotional service. A fortune few are favored with. I woke up, unable to believe the least of what I had seen.
Notes:
- Perunagar is a village 22 km from Kanchipuram. My ancestral house is located somewhere between the Perumal Kovil (Temple of Lord Visnu) and Sivan Kovil (Temple of Lord Siva).
- My mother is a devotee of the Lord, but she also has general material attachments.
- Divya is a girl of about my age. We knew each other from birth, but I haven’t seen or talked to her for the past ten years or more. However, our parents and grandparents are well acquainted, and even two three years ago I had to visit her house.
- DAV is the school where I studied from 9th-12th. I’ve been meaning to go there once to talk to my old teachers about ISKCON.
- Other than the Bangalore question, no other questions are literally relevant to my real life. They must have deeper, hidden meanings which I need to find out. That question was personal and deeply relevant, but all the answers that Devarsi gave are non-specific and widely applicable to everyone, as far as I have understood so far from this great meeting. He always wishes for the welfare of all living entities.
Replies
Devotees do have such vivid "dreams" in which great personalities may appear and give inspiration or directions, Hare Krsna. Such dreams are often vivid, and effect real change or improvement in the lives of those fortunate enough to have such experiences. One can check, was anything which disagrees with the spiritual master given? In such cases, the validity of the dreaming becomes subject to questions, but almost always, such dreams as I have heard the devotees tell were fully in accord with sastra guru sadhu, therefore are not maya.
Would you possibly be able to contact your associate and ask him if any particular points were made, any directions or predictions given, by the Great Personality, likely Narada Muni? Did your friend act upon what he experienced, or did it help him with any particular service, I mean to ask, what was the result?
PS Please ask your friend to beg Narada to deliver us!
He doesn't remember the Bengali quotes that Narada Muni used Prabhu. Apart from that, as he said, he has told all the answers by Narada Muni, and feels they are applicable to all, not just him. In particular Narada Muni's simple statement, "Better to read, than write." He feels it inclines towards the understanding that it is best to submissively follow whatever we can from Srila Prabhupada, than try to establish one's own authority on devotional service and how to execute it, bordering on speculations. Also the simple but stern statement by Narada Muni to stay in the hut, he feels, is of significance to all - he says he feels it means that it is better to stay simple, humble and serve Krishna as best as we can rather than exhibit a show of gorgeous service to Krishna by earning a lot but enjoying one's senses in the background. In this regard, he felt this quote from Srila Prabhupada was relevant:
"It is not necessary for a Vaisnava to keep a stock of food for the next day. He should receive only sufficient grain to last one day. The next day, he must again depend on the Lord’s mercy. This is the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When His personal servant Govinda sometimes kept a stock of haritaki (myrobalan), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu chastised him, saying, “Why did you keep a stock for the next day?” Srila Rupa Gosvami and others were begging daily from door to door for their sustenance, and they never attempted to stock their äçrama with food for the next day. We should not materially calculate, thinking, “It is better to stock food for a week. Why give the Lord trouble by having Him bring food daily?” One should be convinced that the Lord will provide daily. There is no need to stock food for the next day." (Cc. Madhya 24.280)
Well, Narada Prabhu certainly preaches like a sannyasi !
1. Reduce speculation, no need for prajalpa, so many writers of imaginative books, Prabhupada's books are enough. Also, none of us are qualified to write new sastra smrti, so we repeat what we have heard nicely, that is best.
The GayBCs do a lot of writing of bogus books, and are not even distributing SP's anymore, so this instruction is in favor of the ritviks. However, the hard ritviks speculate a lot, so they are also dangerous. One wants it as it is, ie SP's version!
2. Here, this site, we do not spend much money, but remain in our huts as it were. Neither we have any storage, but i say, for householdes, this instruction is not so good. For householders, you need money, so save. But for the other ashramas, yes, money saving is not the main intent there, but to become steady pure servants and to maintain and increase also. Sometimes renunciants must handle money, as did Srila Prabhupada. He also made money, but yukta vairagya, it was like water on the swan's feathers; it did not make them wet!
Bangalore takes money from globalist demons who murdered Srila Prabhupada, and those buildings can also be seized by anyone, just as the demons stole Iskcon from Srila Prabhupada's disciples easily through money and lawyers. So, there is a mismanagement there, a failure to learn from the past? Now crores are spent in litigations instead of services.
Our planned program is a series of large hut-like "Temples" in a string of small villages. The sankirtan devotees go from hut to hut in a regular route, visiting each perhaps once a month. Such a program can cover India with the price of one or two of these huge Temples.