Srila Gurudeva (The Supreme Treasure)
by Swami Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja | 2010 | 179,005 words
This page relates ‘Childhood: Eating with Father’ of the book dealing with life and teachings of Srila Gurudeva, otherwise known as Shri Shrimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Gurudeva is a learned and scholar whose teachings primarily concern the spiritual beauties of Bhakti—devotional service and the qualities and pastimes of Shri Krishna.
Childhood: Eating with Father
During the day, while Paṇḍita Baleśvaranātha Tiwari was out farming his land, young Śrīman Nārāyaṇa would stay at home with the women of the household. Śrīman Nārāyaṇa’s grandmother, Dulārī-devī (who would call him Bholānātha), loved her grandson dearly. She always nourished and cared for him, tending him when he occasionally became sick. Śrīman Nārāyaṇa even used to sleep with her when he was a child.
When Paṇḍita Baleśvaranātha Tiwari would come home in the afternoon, tired after a day of farming, his mother would serve him his meal and he would sit down to honour prasāda. Seeing his father eating, little Nārāyaṇa would run to snuggle into his lap, and his father would lovingly feed him. Despite his grandmother Dulārīdevī’s deep affection for him, she could not tolerate this.
“Why does this naughty boy always come and sit here whenever I feed my son? Why does he not allow my son to eat first?”
Dulārī-devī would try to chase Śrīman Nārāyaṇa out of his father’s lap so that he could eat peacefully.