Imitating the Pure Devotee

One brahmacari who was born in the family of a brahmana, as pretending to be interested in devotional service. He came to Srial Gaurakisora. As a result of this, many persons became to respect that brahmacari. The brahmacari, after some time, decided he would also sit in the same manner as Srila Gaurakisora. He collected money which he used to build a small bhajana kuthir like that of Srila Babaji Maharaja. He had his small hut built on the bank of the Ganga.

The brahmacari considered that he would like to approach Srila Gaurakisora and getting permission from him entered into his small hut to begin his solitary bhajana. When he approached Gaurakisora, who, being in direct contact with Supersoul, stood and said, "If you want to perform devotional service, then it is very good. But, if you enernto the house of Maya, then you will be grasped by many impediments. You should give up living in that hut and just live under the nearby trees in the area."

Shortly after this, one person with a strong sense of false ego living in the nearby area asked Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, "You first told us to lock ourselves up in our small huts and to prform our worship unto the Supreme Lord. Now you are giving the instruction that one must live under the trees in order to perform proper worship.

Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaju then manifested his pastimes as if he were extremely mad and said, "I have given the correct instructions. The body is like a room and the eyes are like the front door. But this person, simply closing the wooden door of his hut simply learns to copy the activities of the pure devotee. Actually his eyes are still open to sense objects. Therefore it is better for him to live under the trees. If one follows the instructions of the devotees of the Lord, then he will obtain that which is actually beneficial. In this way, if one becomes more and more faithful unto that devotee's service, then he will be able to attain pure devotional service."

"But if one imitates the activities of the the great devotees of the Lord, then he will quickly be checked and fall down."

Not long after this, the brahmacari left that place and Srila Babaji Maharaja expressed himself in the following way to persons who were present there, "Just see how ordinary person's intelligence has become destroyed. They simply want some cheap adoration from the people in general by living in a secluded hut. But the result of that, shortly following this, they become attracted to gaining wealth and must leave/ Persons who are not even properly acting in the lower stages of devotion want to obtain by their on means the standard of practice of pure devotee paramahamsas."

It wasn't long after this that that brahmacari returned to his home and became engaged in different types of materialistic activities.

One person came to Srila Gaurkisora and upon arriving asked him as to the whereabouts of that brahmacari. He expressed himself as follows: "Why did that brahmacari become influenced by maya? Even after he received the association of the devotees of the Lord? If one is in contact with the devotees of the Lord, he doesn't receive the result?"

Srila Gaurakisora then said, "If one acts like a devotee of the Lord, then he will never obtain the result. A person who looses his chance before actually attaining the real association of the devotees of the Lord, then he becomes discarded by the result of that activity. That brahmacari has now become so fallen but maybe he will not eat meat or fish again and will perform some proper religious activities, but he will never be alble to enter into real devotion to the Supreme Lord."

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