Yesterday I was at Tirumala (Tirupathi) to take darshan of Balaji. One foreigner innocently enquired my son that where the footwear are deposited? Where is the entrance to Sanctum Sanctorum? My son felt compassion towards the helplessness of the foreign seeker. Whereas we were struggling for the past two days to get entry pass to the Temple. What to say and how to guide him?
May God grace the visitor.
MEENA DEVI DASI: The visitor became fortunate by meeting you and your son. The benefit of pilgrimage to holy places is to contact the saints and devotees who are there. By their mercy we gain access to the Lord.
There is an account of a great Vaisnava saint who was giving darshan. He is in line of succession from Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Bhaktidsiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. He actively preached to expand Krishna consciousness in the early part of 20th century. So he was giving darshan. Pure devotee. Empowered with pure devotion to Lord Krishna. The aratika conch shell blew and the sound of the pujari's bell-ringing could be heard. Many of the people in darshan excused themselves to view the deities. Maharaja commented, "What will they see? Simply eye exercise." The living representative of the Lord was there before them but they could not recognize.
We do not go directly to the Lord. He will be forever blocked from our view in that way.
One day we will cry when we think of the pastime of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and the woman who was so eager to have darshan of Lord Jagannatha that the Lord allowed her to stand on the Lord Himself in His incarnation as a devotee of the Lord. CHAITANYA CHARITAMRTA ANTYA LILA 14:23
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