The story of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Prabhu

A pure devotee like Śrīla Gurudeva does not have to worry about the necessities of life, but in his naravat-līlā, human-like pastimes, he sets an example for us. Whatever he does, he does for the welfare of all. In Volume I of this biography, there is an amazing story which explains what triggered, in Śrīla Gurudeva’s young adult life while working in the police department, his decision to renounce the material world. At that time Śrīla Gurudeva’s real identity remained hidden and he was known as Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Prabhu, a householder working in the police department. Śrīla Gurudeva described this incident that happened several times to the devotees, saying that this is what made him renounce and devote his life to bhajana. Śrīla Gurudeva would sometimes relate this story when preaching to the devotees to do their bhajana with determination and Kṛṣṇa would maintain them. I will describe this episode more deeply now, for it is such a wonderful proof that Śrīla Gurudeva is a pure devotee, always protected by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. With remarkable consistency and humility, instead of using himself as the example, Śrīla Gurudeva usually described the occurrence as I narrated it in the first volume, but what happened to “his friend” in the police department is in fact, truly what happened to no one other than Śrīman Nārāyaṇa himself. The miraculous incident is as follows:

On that night, Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Prabhu was scheduled to work the late night shift, from 10 pm to 6 am. Earlier that day after his lunch, he was thinking, “My duty’s time has still not come, so I can chant some rounds for some time, and then I can join the office in the evening”.

But he became so absorbed in chanting harināmā that he forgot all about the time and his work duties until the wee hours of the next morning. Seeing that there was only half an hour left before the completion of his shift, he became very anxious and quite worried. He arrived at the station and told his colleague, “Maybe my higher officer marked me red in the attendance book. Oh, and of course he must have been so much angry with me for being late and irregular”.

His fellow officers were surprised. “What are you saying, Mr. Tivariji? You have done so many activities since this evening. Your superior officer has become so much satisfied. Come on my friend, how can you say that you were not here? See here is where you signed in.”

Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Prabhu became astounded and said, “What! I have come here and joined the office today and was so busy in my work that my officer became happy!”

His friends looked at him and said, “Yes, therefore in the registration book, your officer has promoted you to a higher rank”.

Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Prabhu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He checked the attendance book and saw that indeed his superior officer had written next his name “highly recommended for promotion”. He understood what had happened. The Lord Himself came, assumed his form and performed his duties so expertly that his superior was extremely pleased. Śrīman Nārāyaṇa realized how Kṛṣṇa was so merciful to him. He thought of the mercy that Kṛṣṇa bestowed on Pūtanā, giving her the position of a nurse in Goloka Vṛndāvana and he started crying.

He remembered this verse:

अहो बकी यं स्तन-काल-कूटं जिघांसयापाययद् अप्य् असाध्वी
लेभे गतिं धात्र्य्-उचितां ततो ‘न्यं कं वा दयालुं शरणं व्रजेम

aho bakī yaṃ stana-kāla-kūṭaṃ jighāṃsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṃ dhātry-ucitāṃ tato ‘nyaṃ kaṃ vā dayāluṃ śaraṇaṃ vrajema

(Śrīmad-bhāgavatam 3.2.23)

Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā] although she was unfaithful and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?

Śrīman Nārāyaṇa solemnly vowed in his mind, “Why waste my life? I will give up this job and will only do bhajana of the Lord.”

When Śrīman Nārāyaṇa revealed his mind to Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Prabhu, the latter said, “Tivārījī, it is true, there are so many examples in the scripture of Bhagavān Himself coming to serve His devotee.”

“Oh, Prabhu, can you please give me an example?”

Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Prabhu, enthused by the young man’s eagerness to hear the pastimes of Bhagavān and His devotees, quoted the verse 9.22 from Bhagavad-gītā:

अनन्याश् चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाह् पर्युपासते
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योग-क्षेमं वहाम्य् आहम्

ananyāś cintayanto māṃ ye janāh paryupāsate
teṣāṃ nityābhiyuktānāṃ yoga-kṣemaṃ vahāmy āham

“However, for those who are always absorbed in thoughts of Me, and who worship Me with one-pointed devotion by every means, I Myself carry the necessities they lack and preserve what they have.”

“In connection with this verse,” said Śrīpāda Narottamānanda,“There is a true story of Śrī Bhagavān personally coming to serve His pure devotee, Ārjuna Miśra.