A sevak of Shri Gusainji, a Vaishnav Gujarati Brahmin, at whose house a thief came disguised as a Vaishnav — the sentiment of his account is described.

Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): This is a tamasic devotee. In the divine play, her name is Manotsava. She is the daughter of Umashankar, the bard of Shri Nandarayji. She manifested from him; therefore, this is her devotional form.

He was born in Gujarat in the house of a wealthy Brahmin. That Brahmin had no other children. Therefore, he loved this boy very much. In this way, when he became about ten or twelve years old, his parents arranged his marriage. Then an epidemic spread through the village. During that time, the Brahmin’s parents died. After that, only this Brahmin and his wife remained in the house.

At one time, Shri Gusainji was traveling to Dwarkaji. On the way, he came to this Brahmin’s village. There he set up camp near a pond. At that time, this Brahmin had come to the pond to bathe. There he obtained the darshan of Shri Gusainji. Then he thought within his mind, “This appears to be a great saint. It would be good if I were to take shelter of him.”

After bathing, he came to Shri Gusainji and submitted a request: “Maharaj, please be merciful and accept me into your shelter.” Then Shri Gusainji had him perform Naam-Nivedan. Afterward, he returned home and brought his wife and son as well. He had them also perform Naam-Nivedan. Then the Brahmin submitted, “Maharaj, what should we do now so that this path of dharma may be fulfilled?”

Shri Gusainji instructed him, “Perform the seva of Bhagavan, keep the company of Vaishnavas, and continuously recite the Eight-Syllable Mantra day and night. By doing this, Bhagavad-dharma will be accomplished for you.” Then the Brahmin said, “Maharaj, please bestow Shri Thakurji upon us.” Shri Gusainji then bestowed a form of Lalji upon him and taught him the method of seva.

Thereafter, the Brahmin and his wife began serving Shri Thakurji with great love. They greatly satisfied all Vaishnavas who came to their home. They lovingly kept them in their house for satsang. They also recited the Eight-Syllable Mantra daily and never forgot it even for a moment. After some time, Bhagavad-dharma became fully established in them. Their speech also became perfected—whatever they spoke came to pass. They attained faultless vision and saw no faults in anyone. Everything appeared to them as the divine play of Bhagavan. Thus, the Lord immediately began granting them direct experiences.

Prasang 1 – The Thief Disguised as a Vaishnava One day, a thief came and stayed at Vaishnav's house. He had assumed the appearance of a Vaishnav. The Vaishnav received him with great honor and hospitality and kept him in his home. The thief observed the house daily but did not find an opportunity. Then one day, Gvaliya Ekadashi arrived. The Vaishnava had a son about one to one-and-a-half years old. That child was adorned with many ornaments. Seeing this, the thief thought to himself, “Today is the opportunity.”

He said to the lady of the house, “I will take the child out to play.” She replied, “Take him and play with him happily.” Then the thief took the child into the courtyard. Going there, he strangled him, removed all his ornaments, dug a pit, buried the child there, and departed from that place. By destiny, while on the road, he met the Vaishnav. The Vaishnav said to him, “Why are you leaving without taking prasad? It is the time of Rajbhog. How unfortunate would we be if you were to leave our house hungry?” The thief replied, “I am going.”

The Vaishnav said, “No, Vaishnav! I will not allow you to leave without taking Mahaprasad.” Saying this, the Vaishnav brought him back home. Then he asked his wife, “What time is it?” She replied, “Rajbhog has arrived.” The wife then asked the thief, “Where is the child?” He replied, “He must have fallen asleep somewhere nearby.” They searched here and there but could not find him. Then the Vaishnav went into the courtyard and noticed that the dust appeared disturbed. When he moved the soil aside, he found the child buried underneath. Then he said, “Get up. Jai Shri Krishna.” At once, the child rose up.

The Vaishnav said to him, “Jai Shri Krishna.” Seeing this, the thief began to tremble. Then he said, “Vaishnav! Is your dharma truly so genuine?” Saying this, he placed the ornaments before him and said, “Make me a Vaishnav as well.” The Vaishnav replied, “Only Shri Gusainji can make someone a Vaishnav.” The thief then said, “How would Shri Gusainji know me? Please write a letter for me.” The Vaishnav wrote a letter for him. Taking that letter, the thief came to Shri Gokul and approached Shri Gusainji. He submitted, “Maharaj, please be merciful and accept me into your shelter.”

Shri Gusainji said, “You are a thief.” The thief replied, “Now I will no longer engage in theft.” Shri Gusainji then said, “How will you maintain yourself?” He replied, “Maharaj, I will earn my livelihood through service and work.” Then Shri Gusainji mercifully bestowed the Name upon him. Thus, through the association of that Vaishnav, even this thief became a Vaishnav.

Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): The intention of this account is that even if someone merely wears the dress of a Vaishnav, if he comes to one’s home, he should be honored and respected. One should not allow him to leave hungry. It also demonstrates that through even a moment’s association with a Bhagavadiya Vaishnav, even the most fallen soul can become fulfilled and spiritually blessed. That Gujarati Vaishnav was such a supremely blessed Bhagavadiya and recipient of Shri Gusainji’s grace that there is no limit to his account; how much of it could possibly be told?