BILVAMANGALA THAKURA – STORY
(As told by Srila Narayana Maharaja)
Once, in South India, there lived a beautiful pros…….te named Cintamani. She was 16 years old and danced and sang kirtana very sweetly. Everyone who saw her dance became attracted.
Bilvamangala Thakura was a pious and religious brahmana, with a beautiful chaste wife, yet he was allured by Cintamani.
Cintamani, although a pros…….te, had an extraordinary quality. She was very attached to singing songs in glorification of Sri Krsna and therefore many people were attracted.
Bilvamangala Thakura fell into her trap. He stopped all business, and service to his mother and father. He forgot his chaste wife and children and became fully controlled by Cintamani.
He would go to her, especially at night, taking some presents that he had procured by selling his land, or his wife’s ornaments, or by stealing money and good cloth, hoping that in return she would love him.
Within time his father died and a ceremony was conducted. On the final day, 13th day of the ceremony hundreds and thousands of brahmanas sat in his courtyard, about to honor mahaprasadam.
Bilvamangala Thakura went to the kitchen, and took many delicious foods and other objects, and wrapped them in a cloth.
That night he left his house, not caring if his guests took prasadam, or that his distressed mother and wife were comforted. He left them all and went to that pros…….te.
On that night, rain fell heavily. In order to reach the pros…….te’s house he had to cross a flooded river, whose current ran swiftly. Helpless, and desperate to find a means of crossing, he noticed something resembling a log floating in front of him. Not seeing that it was actually a half rotten dead body of a girl, he sat on it and crossed the river.
Then, struggling across slippery ground and finally reaching the Chintamani’s home, he found that the door was closed. He knocked hard for a long time, but his sounds were not heard. At last he walked to the back of the house and saw what looked like a rope hanging from the rafters. Grabbing hold of it, he attempted to climb it. It was not a rope, however, but a snake, and Bilvamangala slipped and fell unconscious, making a loud sound on the courtyard floor.
Cintamani heard the noise and asked her maidservant to find out what had caused the sound.
“Oh, Bilvamangala has fallen down here. Why? How did he come here?”
She and the maidservant then took unconscious Bilvamangala into the house and warmed his body.
When he woke up, Cintamani told him, “My body is full of blood, urine, stool, bile and mucus; yet you love it and have gone to so much trouble to get here. If you had a little bit of love and affection for Krsna, your life would have become successful. You are so lusty. I can no longer love you. You should leave immediately.”
Her words penetrated Bilvamangala’s heart more than an arrow could, and he became very sober. He understood at that point that he must develop his love for Krsna.
It was because of his past impressions of bhakti that Cintamani’s words penetrated his heart. Without this, her words would not have reformed him, and he would have instead fallen at her feet, panting like a dog, and begging for her to accept him.
But due to his past impressions he was able to change.
He then decided he should neither be with Cintamani nor stay at his home, but should instead go to Vrndavana. For the next five days he took no foodstuffs, and lived solely on the chanting of the holy name.
Then, desiring to drink some water, he went to a well. There he saw a very young, beautiful and newly married lady who was hauling water. He asked her for a drink and he knelt as she poured the water from her pot into his mouth.
As he drank the water he also drank in her beauty with his eyes, taking it into his heart, and he then followed her home. She went into her room and Bilvamangala met her husband who was standing at the door.
Bilvamangala asked him, “Please call the girl who just walked past you.”
He called his wife who came immediately. “How may I serve you?” she asked.
Bilvamangala then told her that he wanted two of her hairpins. She could not understand why, but still she got them and gave them to him.
As she and her husband looked on, Bilvamangala said, “These eyes are my enemy, imprisoning me in lust. If there is no bamboo there is no flute. Similarly if my eyes are removed my lust will also go. I will cut this lust at the root. If I am blind then my eyes will no longer be attracted to beautiful women and attraction only for Krsna will develop.”
He then pierced his eyes with these hairpins. Blood oozed from his eyes and he became totally blind. He began to chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare.
Soon a boy approached him and asked, “Baba, where are you going?” The voice of that boy was so sweet. He was that black cowherd boy who was not like any other.
Bilvamangala answered, “I am going to Vrndavana. My dear boy, Who are You?”
“I am a cowherd boy, I am going to Vrndavana. If you want to go to Vrndavana you can hold onto my stick and come with me. I will help you.”
Vrndavana was about a six month journey by foot, but after a few days the boy announced that they had reached Vrndavana.
As they walked, Bilvamangala created very sweet poems about the mercy of Krsna. They were very pleasing to the ear of Krsna and later became known as the book Krsna-karnamrta-nectar for the ear of Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu later found this Krsna-karnamrta in South India and presented it to the devotees.
(RIVER GANGA & GLORIES – STORY! READ HERE!)