Krushnadas Adhikari

(some further information)

 

The reason most people have some reservation in accepting Krushnadas Adhikari’s spiritual nature is, because he debarred Shri Gausaiji from entering the temple of ShriNathji for about six months. 

After Shri Vallabh, the guru gadi passed to his eldest son, GopiNathji.  After him, the gadi should have gone to his son HH Purshottamji.  However, as he was young, the administration of the sect was handed over to Shri Gausaiji.   

Krushnadasji and some of the early converts to Pushti Marg could see how the mode of seva was changing under Gausaiji’s guidance.  There was obviously a bit of friction of ideas between these early converts and the new guru on how things should develop or stay as they are. 

When Gopinathji’s son came of an age when he could administer the affairs of the sect himself, Krushnadas, as the custodian of the temple, wanted to hand things over to the young Purshottamji.  Understandably, this was resisted by those vaishnavs who had converted during Shri Gausaiji’s administration and considered their guru to be the obvious heir to Shri Vallabh’s legacy. 

Shri Gausaiji did not dispute Shri Purshottamji’s right to the guru gadi, and hence moved out of the administration to make sure there was no conflict of interest there.  Some vaishnavs, who had converted under Shri Gausaiji, wanted Shri Gausaiji to assert his rights and if need be, split the ancestral property up.  They wanted Shri Gausaiji to take the matter to “Raja Birbal”, who was the landlord / raja / jagirdar of the district.  Ever peaceable, Shri Gausaiji was against dragging the family issue into legal courts and so declined the offers by Raja Birbal to intervene on his behalf.  (Birbal’s intervention was required to affirm Shri Gausaiji’s right as the head of the sect to annual the rights of the Bengali / Gaudia temple servants from ShriNathji’s temple.  This is the reason why some Gaudias still dislike Pushti Marg.)

Due to on-going disputes amongst various “old” and “new” factions in the temple, Krushnadas, as the custodian and administrative head, decided to ban anyone and everyone that would disturb the peace, from entering the temple.  Sadly, this meant even Shri Gausaiji was debarred from entering the temple. 

After the untimely death of Shri Purshottamji, the guru gadi and all its privileges reverted to Shri Gausaiji.  Krushnadas Adhikari, ever the efficient administrator, promptly handed the temple over to Shri Gausaiji. 

Shri Gausaiji, very magnanimously, re-affirmed the rights and privileges accorded to Krushnadas Adhikari by his father and elder brother.  Knowing the bitterness of the past six months, overwhelmed by Shri Gausaiji’s generous spirit, Krushnadasji sang – “Parama udara Shri Vallabh-nandan”….. the arti we still use when welcoming a descendant of Shri Gausaiji in our midst.

The matter would have ended there, were it not for the bitterness some people felt long after the event.  Some time later, Krushnadasji murdered / died in an unfortunate accident and some vaishnavs felt this was his just rewards for keeping Shri Gausaiji out of the temple. 

A few days later, Shri Gausaiji heard a rumour about Krushnadasji’s soul wondering around as a ghost and speaking to ShriNathji !!  Question arises, how can a ghost, a cursed being, talk to the Supreme Divine ?  Surely, if a ghost is capable of talking to God, he would be released from all his sins straight away !

Seeing as people still doubted Krushnadas’s intensions and good character, and thought he had become a ghost due to his opposition to Shri Gausaiji’s administration of the temple, Shri Gausaiji decided to put the matter to rest once and for all.  He immediately went and performed the Shradh ceremony for Krushnadas himself, at Druv ghat on the banks of Shri Yamuna in Mathuraa

If ever there was a doubt as to how pious and righteous Krushnadas was, Shri Gausaiji cleared that doubt by doing his post-death ceremonies himself.  By doing this, Shri Gausaiji acknowledged Krushnadas to be as good as his own blood relative.  There could be no more talk to Krushnadas being a ghost as Shri Gausaiji had himself carried out the ceremony.  If anyone said Krushnadas was still accursed, they would be doubting Shri Gausaiji’s ability to do shradh. 

Though Shri Gausaiji has forgiven Krushnadas, sadly, it looks like the vaishnav samaj is yet to do the same.

 

BBhagwat Shah © 

 

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