Text 25] Ripa Gosvami’s Meeting with the Lord 13

TRANSLATION

In the morning they looked for the dog, but it could not be found anywhere.
All the Vaisnavas were astonished.

PURPORT

Sivananda Sena’s attachment to the dog was a great boon for that animal. The
dog appears to have been a street dog. Since it naturally began to follow Sivanan-
da Sena while he was going to Jagannatha Purl with his party, he accepted it into
his party and maintained it the same way he was maintaining the other devotees.
It appears that although on one occasion the dog was not allowed aboard a boat,
Sivananda did not leave the dog behind but paid more money just to induce the
boatman to take the dog across the river. Then when the servant forgot to feed
the dog and the dog disappeared, Sivananda, being very anxious, sent ten men to
find it. When they could not find it, Sivinanda observed a fast. Thus it appears
that somehow or other Sivananda had become attached to the dog.

As will be evident from the following verses, the dog got the mercy of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu and was immediately promoted to Vaikuntha to become
an eternal devotee. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has therefore sung, tumi ta’
thakura, tomara kukkura, baliyd janaha more (Saranagati 19). He thus offers to be-
come the dog of a Vaisnava. There are many other instances in which the pet
animal of a Vaisnava was delivered back home to Vaikunthaloka, back to God-
head. Such is the benefit of somehow or other becoming the favorite of a
Vaisnava. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also sung, kita-janma ha-u yatha tuya
dasa (Saranagati 11). There is no harm in taking birth again and again. Our only
desire should be to take birth under the care of a Vaisnava. Fortunately we had
the opportunity to be born of a Vaisnava father who took care of us very nicely.
He prayed to Srimati Radhdrani that in the future we would become a servant of
the eternal consort of Sri Krsna. Thus somehow or other we are now engaged in
that service. We may conclude that even as dogs we must take shelter of a
Vaisnava. The benefit will be the same as that which accrues to an advanced
devotee under a Vaisnava’s care.

TEXT 25

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utkanthdaya cali’ sabe daila nilacale
purvavat mahdprabhu milila sakale
