The Touchstone

The story of Fray Gomez and his miraculous scorpion tells of how a holy man benefits a supplicant with a magic talisman. Shridhar Mahārāja tells a similar story here, but one with a very different ending.

The Touchstone Jewel

You have come to surrender to the beauty of the ideal…

It is an adventure...to explore the spiritual world, the world of humility and humbleness. There is much jewel there. And what jewel we can find in the external surface? We want to be saved from that sort of charm of the external grandeur.

There is a story in Sanatana Goswami's life, which is found in Bhakta-mala, and also Rabindranatha Thakura has written a poem in that connection. There was a village, Mankore, and there was a rich brahmana family, who had many lineage of worship and festival of many religious types. But suddenly they became poor, and the brahmana says: "I am the best of this lineage, I'm so poor that I cannot perform so many festivals that used to be performed here every year."

So, he was a devotee of Mahadeva, Siva, he began to pray very fervently to his lord of heart, Siva, "Please help me that I can keep the glory, the name and fame of my ancestors."

Then in dream he got some suggestion, "Go to Vrndavana, there is Sanatana Goswami, meet him and your aim will be satisfied."

In those days, no train, no bus, only by walking the thousand miles the brahmana went to meet Sanatana in Vrndavana.

Then anyhow, on the banks of Yamuna, he found Sanatana in a hut and taking the Name of Krsna. He met him and told his own things.

Then after giving hearing to him, Sanatana told: "Brahmana, it was true that previously when I was Prime Minister to Bengal, I gave many things to many brahmanas, satisfied them. But now you find me I am a beggar."

"Yes, I see your condition. But how can I think that my lord, Siva, he has frustrated me, cheated me, I can't think like that."

"But what can I do? You see me."

"Yes, I see your position." Then, disappointed, the brahmana is coming away.

Then Sanatana Goswami suddenly, something came in his mind. "O brahmana, come, come. Siva has not disappointed you. You see there is some rubbish gathered together. I think that one very bright stone was found one day and I put it there. That may be the touchstone and if it is so then Siva has given you dream rightly."

The brahmana removing the rubbishes found a bright stone.

"It may be the touchstone. You take it and all your difficulty will be removed."

The brahmana took it. "How fortunate I am. Siva, my lord has guided me to a proper place and I have got it."

And now going he was always thinking, "It maybe ordinary glass also, but I must find some iron." And when searching he found a small iron nail and took it and touched and it converted into gold. "Oh, how fortunate I am, I have got a touchstone, I'm so fortunate in the world, I've got the touchstone."

He's going, but fortunately the reaction came in his mind. "This is really touchstone but why that man Sanatana Goswami, he so neglectfully put it in the rubbish? How is it possible? It can't be thought out that this thing should be so much neglectfully dealt, why?"

Then the next, second thought came to him, in the heart of that fortunate brahmana, "He must have something more greater, higher, then he could neglect this thing." The second thought came in his mind, "He's in possession of something higher, substance."

And then the third stage he came to think that, "I have found such a saint and if I go back only with this then I am deceiving myself. It is a proof that he's a saint of the highest order that he could neglect this touchstone in such a way, hatefully. I have found such a sadhu, such a saint, and if I leave him then I commit a great mistake in my life. It will be difficult to find such a saint in the world."

So he came back, retraced, and when came in the front of the cottage of Sanatana, then it came to its zenith. He threw away that touchstone into the river and fell on the feet of Sanatana. And it is mentioned:

"You have got, you are in possession of such a wealth that you did not care a touchstone to be a valuable thing. I want that valuable thing from you. I don't like to be deceived by this touchstone, valuable thing." He threw it to the water and fell at his feet.

So external things, the charm of the external precious things can be conquered in this way. Gaura Hari bol! The grandeur can attract the self-deceivers.

Krsna is such, He does not tolerate any second competition, so no alternative. Krsna is the only wealth, all other things in our paraphernalia should be very, very insignificant. We should be satisfied with that. Only the whole adoration He should command from our heart. And there should not be anything around us which may attract us, disturb our concentration towards Him. Only with the exception of His devotees, those that will help me towards right direction, towards the direction of Krsna.

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Transcript dated as May 83