While on His south India tour, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped in Madurai, there He visited the Sunder, Ishwari and the Meenakshi temples. One day one Brahmin invited Caitanya Mahaprabhu to his home. The Lord accepted his invitation but when He reached his home for lunch, he found that nothing was prepared. So the Lord asked him, “why is there no Prasad.’ With great emotion the Brahmin replied that he was a simple forest dweller and therefore he could not prepare anything on time. He said chat Laxmana has gone to the forest to bring the ingredients so that Sita can cook and he would simply assist her. But today Laxmana has not yet returned. Lord Caitanya was very pleased with his absorption; he was completely absorbed in Ramayana. In fact he was living Ramayana.
Lord is within the heart, if you are just pretending, if something is just sentimental, it’s not pleasing to the Lord. But Ramdas Vipra was for real and he was totally absorbed in the mood of pure unalloyed devotion. One should not try to imitate that or pretend to be like that, without the purity of heart and without realization.
The Lord knows every living being’s past, present and future. Nothing artificial in our devotion will give real pleasure to the Paramatma. We have to be honest and sincere. Therefore devotees don’t try to make themselves great. If you are great then you are grateful. The more honest and sincere we are, we grow in our devotion.
vedahath samatitani vartamdnani carjuna
bhavisydni ca bhutaini math tu veda na kaisana
(Bhagavad-Gita chapter 7 verse 26)
Lord Caitanya was very happy with the genuine devotion of the Brahmin. Every day his meditation was to wait for Laxmana to bring the vegetables from the forest so that he can assist Sita in the cooking. Ramdas Vipra arranged everything by 3pm and Lord Caitanya happily accepted the offerings because it was offered with devotion. Lord Caitanya saw that the Brahmin was very sad and was fasting. So Lord asked him why he was lasting. The Brahmin replied, “How can I live when Sita Devi has been touched by Ravana.”
Lord Caitanya told that Brahmin that do not be unhappy. Sita is the supreme goddess of fortune and among the all the chaste women, she is the topmost. She is the eternal consort of Ramacandra. Her body is purely spiritual and therefore it cannot be seen or touched by anything material. Ravana was a materialistic person full of egoism, lust, envy and anger. He cannot see the spiritual body of Sita nor could he possibly touch her. It was a maya Sita, an illusory Sita that was taken by Ravana to Ashoka vana. That which is pure spiritual substance cannot be perceived by gross material senses.
We can only see the Supreme lord or His consort when our eyes are anointed with the salve of love. When we engage in the service of Hrishikesh, the Lord of the senses, our senses become purified, they become spiritualized and then we can see things as they are.
Lord Caitanya requested him to take his lunch and be happy. Ramdas Vipra had faith in the Lord’s words, because he was speaking with such deep and intimate compassion. The Lord stayed overnight and then continued his journey and eventually He came to Rameshwaram.