Financed by Nitai Chand

Before the time of Dada Mahashay (Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev) the care and management Jagannath Dev's Mandir was "out of gear." So on the occasion of one Ratha Yatra six days had passed and the ratha still hadn't reached Gundica Mandir. Since it was not possible for Jagannath Dev to eat His usual bhoga, Dada Mahasay felt pained at heart. One morning Dada came for darshan of Jagannath and the panda doing His service gave Dada Mahashay His datun (toothbrush). Upon receiving this prasad the sattvika bhavas appeared all over his body and there was no end to his happiness. He asked Sakhi Maharani (Lalita Sakhi Dasi) to clean out a room adjoining the temple room in Jhanjpita Math. They installed the datun and began to serve it bhoga in earthen pots in the same fashion as in Jaganatha's Temple. The following day he received the toothbrush of Subhadra, and the day after the toothbrush of Baladev which he also had installed. After leaving Gundica Mandir the ratha got stuck for a number of days and again Jagannath was unable to eat properly. The beggars who depended on Jagannatha's free mahaprasad were also without food. Dada Mahashay's kind heart could not bear to see this so he made arrangements in the math to feed them. Someone asked how it was possible to feed two to three hundred people each morning and evening. How is it financed? Dada Mahasay said, "the financier is Nitai Chand. I don't know how He manages. Everyday we find we have exactly enough provisions to feed whoever comes."

A number of days passed in this way and then Sakhi Ma noted that they were all out of money and provisions for the next day. She brought this to the attention of Dada Mahasay and said, "we don't have the funds to make the necessary purchases today, I don't know how we are going to feed the people tomorrow."

Dada Mahasay: "Why tell me about this. It's not my show. Why not go and tell Them who are running the show?"


Sakhi Ma: "I tell you because I see you. I do not see anyone else. You are directly perceived, others are inferred. Why should I leave perception and run after inference?"

Dada Mahasay: "I also say that you should abide by perception, not by inference. But you are mistaken when you think you know me by perception. What you perceive is not me but my body. When I die my body will remain, but you will not see me. You will infer from the dead body that I am gone, while the body remains. It will then be clear that you know me by inference, not by perception. You are also mistaken when you think you know the One Who is the very condition and support of all knowledge and existence by inference. We do not need any inference to know Him. We know Him directly and intuitively."

Sakhi Ma: "Then tell me what I should say, and to whom."

Dada Mahasay: "I told you many times that Sri Murti is real and eternal. Go to the temple and say to Nitai, "In your ashram, so many people are being fed
every day. We have no money to purchase provisions for tomorrow. Now you do what you like."

Sakhi Ma did likewise. After about 20 minutes Dada Mahashay called her. She saw that there were rupee coins piled up before him, and that an ordinary looking person was sitting by his side. Dada asked him what for he was giving that money. He replied, "I came to know you were short of funds, so I am giving this small amount. I wish I could give more, but I am a poor man and this is all I can afford."

Dada Mahasay said to Sakhi Ma, "See how kind is Nitai Chand, he listened to your request."

Sakhi Ma was suprised. She began to curse herself for her lack of faith. With tears in her eyes she said, "I did not make the request with faith. I was rather angry with you to see your indifference and was worried to think what would happen tomorrow. I only repeated before Nitai Chand what you said in sheer obedience to you."

Dada Mahashay replied, "Now you see, if this can be the result of a request made to Nitai Chand without faith, what can be achieved by faith? Man suffers only for want of faith. Nitai Chand is very kind. He administers to all our needs even without our prayer if only we have faith in Him and depend entirely upon Him."