'During the time of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura there was a very prominent babaji named Vamsidasa babaji. He had long hair and wore only one loincloth nothing else. He had no bhajana-kutira at all. Rather, he lived under the shade of a tree as did his two deities, Gaura and Nityananda, who were always undecorated. Vamsidasa babaji used to play with them and sometimes quarrel with Them. He once went to pick some flowers for his worship, and there was a tree nearby with yellow karnikara flowers. It was not a very high tree, so he climbed up that tree to pick flowers. In the meantime the son of the proprietor of that land came and said, "What nonsense are you doing? He pushed Vamsidasa babaji, who fell down from the tree and became somewhat injured. Vamsidasa babaji then went directly to his deities and began to quarrel. He said, "Oh, Nityananda is very simple and very good. But this Mahaprabhu is very tricky and very cruel! I was picking some flowers for Him and He would not save me! Why did You not save me? I will not serve You. From now on I will not offer You anything." And thus he began to quarrel. He was beyond external considerations, and this is called anapeksini. Although his deities were not beautifully dressed, he used to think that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself and Sri Nityananda Prabhu were there. Our ruci should be like this.'
--Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Goswami Maharaj http://www.purebhakti.com/teachers/bhakti-discourses-mainmenu-61/22-discourses-2003/324-steadiness-and-taste.html
'The great Vaiṣṇava saint, Vaṁsī dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, was no ordinary sādhu. Outwardly, he had his advent in what is now known as Bangladesh, in Majidpur Village, Maimansingh district, near Jamālpur. But later, he came to Navadvīpa-dhāma, accepted the bābājī order and performed his bhajana under a tree. The order of sannyāsa is given for preaching, but a bābājī will perform bhajana in a holy, secluded place. A bābājī will not go outside for pracāra (preaching). Many people would come to Bābājī Mahārāja and offer to build him a cottage, but he chose to remain always beneath a banyan tree. He would not move from there. He was surcharged with kṛṣṇa-prema. He was a very tall figure. He never shaved, but remained like a madman. Many people would offer him various things, but he would pay them no attention. Whatever he might receive, he would distribute to others. He was an anchorite. Nobody could understand his behavior. He had only two big cloth bags—he had no temple. In one cloth bag was Gaura-Nitāi and, in the other, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes, he would take the Deities out and perform pūjā. So, is his bhakti less because he had just small Deities, and ours greater because we have a big temple? Gaura-Nityānanda were most satisfied by his service. Our Parampūjyapāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to bow down to him from a distance. He prohibited his disciples from visiting Bābājī Mahārāja. His disciples asked, “Shall we not have darśana of the sādhus?” But Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura replied, “You will not be able to understand his behavior and you will commit offenses. He is not within this world, but is moving in the transcendental realm. If I commit an offense, it will be anti-devotional. For this reason, I am bowing down to him from a distance. Only a śuddha bhakta can understand his wonderful behavior. An ordinary novice of bhajana will be unable to understand, so he should not go there. Bābājī Mahārāja is always surcharged with kṛṣṇa-prema!”
'There was a person from Navadvīpa-dhāma who used to come to Bābājī Mahārāja. One day, he thought, “I have the desire to obtain the Supreme Lord. How can I get Bhagavān?” He was only murmuring, speaking to himself, so Bābājī Mahārāja did not reply. This person came back repeatedly to see Bābājī Mahārāja. Finally, one day, he approached Mahārāja directly.
'“What do you want?” Bābājī Mahārāja asked him.
'“I want to see Bhagavān,” the man said.
'Bābājī Mahārāja replied with only one word: “Weep!”
'We might supply so much scriptural evidence to try to explain, in so many ways, how to obtain the Supreme Lord, but what did Vaṁsī dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja say? “Weep for Him!” If you can weep for Him, then you can get Him. If there is want for Him, then He will come. We are uttering His Names, but we do not want Him. So, we are uttering the Names of Kṛṣṇa—“hare kṛṣṇa, hare kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa, hare hare, kṛṣṇa rāma, hare rāma, rāma rāma, hare hare”—and Kṛṣṇa appears before us. He says to us, “Come along!”
'We say to Him, “No, I cannot go now. Right now I require a million dollars to save my business. I have my children. I have just bought a building. I cannot go now.”
'“So, why have you called Me?” Kṛṣṇa asks.
'“I have called you to give me a million dollars,” we reply. “Remove my difficulties. I do not have time to go now.”
'From where are we uttering the Name? Not from the heart! We are chanting, “hare kṛṣṇa” but, if Kṛṣṇa were to come, we would be unable to go.
...
'Vaṁsī dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja said only one word: “Weep!” But that single word has great significance. When we associate with the śuddha bhakta who is crying for Kṛṣṇa, then the eternal nature of ātmā will be awakened. You have love for God. Love is there in your soul. It exists, but it is presently enveloped by the external potency of the Supreme Lord and you have become averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Passing through different species, our minds have become enveloped by so many evil desires.'
--Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, _A Taste for Transcendence_, "What Is Bhakti?"
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