Today is the disappearance day of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, and it is also celebrated as Guru Purṇimā. This is the day when the maximum number of people perform the Govardhan Parikramā, even more than on Govardhan Pūjā.
Sanātana Gosvāmī was the guru of all Vrajavāsīs. He was deeply loved and respected by everyone in Vṛndāvana. He would always inquire with care and affection about each and every devotee.
Also, he would ask about their families, their marriages, their health etc. He lived the principle of caring for the devotees. It was because of this genuine love and humility that he was so dearly loved by all the residents of Vraja.
The Philosopher’s Stone
Among the many pastimes of Sanātana Gosvāmī, one depicts Sanatana’s deep faith, conviction and affection for the Holy Name.
Once, a man prayed to Lord Śiva asking for a touchstone. Lord Śiva directed him to Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana, saying that he possessed one.
With great eagerness, the man rushed to meet Sanātana Gosvāmī and asked, “Do you have a touchstone?”
Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “Yes, I think I have it. You’ll find it in that garbage heap over there.”
The man ran there, searched, and found the stone. Overjoyed, he started walking away, greatly overjoyed that he now possessed such a valuable item. But after some time, a thought struck him, “If Sanātana Gosvāmī so casually threw away this touchstone in a pile of trash, surely he must be having something even higher than this!”
So he turned around and returned to Sanātana Gosvāmī and humbly said, “If you have something greater than this stone, please give that to me.”
Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, “Yes, I do have. But I will give it to you only if you go and throw this touchstone into the Yamunā.”
The man, being simple-hearted and sincere, went and threw the touchstone into the river and came back with folded hands.
Then, Sanātana Gosvāmī gave him the Hare Krishna Mahāmantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
And said to him – this is the real touchstone by which you can attain the eternal wealth of service to the Lord’s lotus feet.
The Saint’s Touchstone
The touchstone of this world can only convert iron or stone into gold. But the power of the holy name is far greater. It can transform the stone-like heart into pure gold. It makes the heart fit to be offered to Krishna.
This touchstone of the holy name has the power to deliver anyone who comes in contact with it.
It can eradicate lifetimes of karma with just a single utterance. It can conquer our hearts, filling them with divine love.
In Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, Sanātana Gosvāmī glorifies the holy name as the topmost ornament of his life.
jayati jayati nāmānanda-rūpaṁ murārer
viramita-nija-dharma-dhyāna-pūjādi-yatnam
katham api sakṛd āttaṁ mukti-daṁ prāṇināṁ yat
paramam amṛtam ekaṁ jīvanaṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ me
”All glories, all glories to the all-blissful holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which causes the devotee to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation and worship. When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity, the holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the highest nectar. It is my very life and my only treasure.” BB 1.1.9
Sanatana considered the Holy Name as his only treasure. And sure enough, Sanatana proved it by discarding the philosopher’s stone he had with him.
The Touchstone We Already Have
We already have this touchstone of the Hare Krishna Mahāmantra freely given to us. Yet we often continue to run after the iron lumps and glass pieces of this world. And we treasure them like valuable stones. Sanatana had one treasure of the Holy Name, we keep aside this treasure and relish the garbage of this material world.
King Kulashekhara states,
aścaryam etad dhi manuṣya-loke
sudhāṁ parityajya viṣaṁ pibanti
nāmāni nārāyaṇa-gocarāṇi
tyaktvānya-vācaḥ kuhakāḥ paṭhanti
The greatest wonder in human society is this: People are so incorrigible that they reject the life-giving nectar of Lord Nārāyaṇa’s names and instead drink poison by speaking everything else. MM 38
Dhruva Mahārāja, after attaining the Lord, lamented that he had asked for broken pieces of glass when he had received a diamond.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura was fully satisfied with the holy name alone.
Rūpa Gosvāmī gave up all royal comforts, palatial living, and prestige for this touchstone.
Mayadevi herself begged Haridasa for this touchstone.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda gave this touchstone to us so freely, generously, and made it fully accessible in our lives. He transformed many stone and steel-like hearts into pure gold and diamonds, worthy to be offered to Krishna’s lotus feet.
My Heart: Stone or Gold?
Even after coming in contact with this divine touchstone, if our hearts remain like a stone, then how unfortunate we are. We can access this touchstone anytime, anywhere. It only requires our tongue, which is attached to our mouth!
Bhagavatam states,
Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one’s chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change even when one displays such signs of transformation as tears in the eyes and ecstatic standing of the hairs on end. SB 2.3.24
So on this auspicious disappearance day of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, we can pray for his mercy to be able to truly value the real touchstone in our lives, which is the holy name of Krishna, and chant with deep feeling, gratitude, and faith.
