Rasikpath - Edition 8
The Day a Courtesan Looked at God and Forgot How to Breathe
Now, let me tell you about the day someone saw Krishna’s form, and their soul literally said “peace out” to their body and just. merged.
No warning, no dramatic build-up, just saw Him, and GONE.
It all started with a saint who had the audacity to spend a hundred gold coins on a courtesan-not for himself, but for God.
Out-and-out nerve. The divine plan. The VISION.
This is a story of getting stuck on the right thing for probably the very first time in your life.
The Pad That Started It All
मो मन गिरिधर छबि पै अटक्यो। My mind is stuck on Girdhar’s form
ललित त्रिभंग चाल पै चलि कै, चिबुक चारु गडि ठठक्यो॥ Walking in that graceful tribhanga pose, my chin rests frozen - I can’t move
सजल स्याम घन बरन लीन ह्वै, फिर चित अनत न भटक्यो। Lost in that rain-cloud dark complexion, my mind never wanders anywhere else
‘कृष्णदास किए प्रान निछावर, यह तन जग सिर पटक्यो॥ Krishna Das offered his life - threw his body at the world’s feet in surrender
stuck. frozen. Attracted. Atak Gaya.
The problem with getting stuck, though, is that it matters WHAT you’re stuck on.
And this? This is the tale of a person who, for the first time in her life, became stuck on the right path.
The Saint Who Bought Groceries (And Changed Someone’s Destiny)
Let’s talk about Krishna Das Ji - one of the Ashta Sakhas (eight friends) of Vallabh Sampradaya.
This guy had a strange habit that would make today’s minimalists cry:
He’d give everything he liked - ANYTHING - to Krishna first.
Spotted a pretty piece of cloth? “My Lalji will look stunning in this. He gets to wear it first then maybe I will.”
Came across fresh veggies? “These are too good for me. Thakurji gets the first choice.”
That’s not just devotion, that’s taking it to a whole new level. And you know what? We’re here for it.
The Voice That Changed Everything
One day, Krishna Das Ji traveled to Agra to buy vegetables. (Yes, he journeyed 100 kilometers for sabzi. This shows his level of commitment.)
While he picked the finest sabji for Thakurji’s bhog, he heard something unexpected.
A voice.
Not an ordinary voice - the kind that slows down the world around you. You know how a song can hit you so hard you stop mid-scroll? When someone speaks and the traffic noise fades away?
That type of voice.
He tracked its source. Through packed markets tight alleys, past puzzled shopkeepers, until he came upon a big gathering where a courtesan entertained wealthy men.
Back then, courtesans did more than dance - they created art. They wrote poetry. They played music. They could do it all. But people had... thoughts about them. You get the idea.
Krishna Das Ji stood there listening. He saw something others didn’t:
“She might be putting on a show for them, but her voice shows real feeling. Yearning. Faith. Krishna has already touched this person soul’s - she just hasn’t realized it yet.”
The Economics of Faith
He watched how the system worked:
Toss a coin → she walks to you. Toss more coins → you get more focus. Toss the most coins → you get her all night.
Simple supply and demand. Give and take. Straightforward.
Back then even TWO gold mohars meant a lot. Wealthy traders might toss one perhaps two if they felt generous.
Krishna Das Ji reached into his pouch...
And pulled out ONE HUNDRED gold mohars.
A HUNDRED.
In today’s money, that’s like giving away your entire year’s wages. Your car payments. Your housing costs for ten years. EVERYTHING. Just to catch someone’s eye.
He rattled them.
The noise rang through the room like a heavenly chime. Jhanak-jhanak-jhanak.
Everyone looked over. All talking stopped. Every guest knew they were out of their depth.
The courtesan’s eyes grew large. She ignored everyone else.
“I’m done for today,” she said. “This evening is perfect.”
She walked right up to Krishna Das Ji, her ankle bells chiming with each step, and asked with her most professional smile:
“How can I help you?”
He smiled - that calm saint smile that suggests hidden knowledge:
“Not for me. I’m just a helper. I want to bring you to my Master.”
She pictured:
A wealthy trader with a mansion as big as a palace
A strong ruler with endless riches
Some important nobleman who’d give her lots of jewelry
“Where does He live?” she asked already thinking about how much she’d earn.
“Govardhan,” Krishna Das Ji said . “A lovely haveli on the hill.”
She agreed right away. A hundred gold mohars for one meeting? This Master must be RICH.
Oh sweetie. You have NO CLUE.
The Trip and the Instant Everything Halted
As the bullock cart moved toward Govardhan, she kept wondering:
How do I appear? Is my jewelry in the right place? Will my dance impress him? What if he wants poetry? Should I get my best ghazal ready?
All the mind games we play when we think we need to DAZZLE someone significant.
She got ready for her act. Her business face. Her “I’m worth every penny” vibe.
She had no idea that the One she was about to meet didn’t care about her act.
He wanted her soul.
They arrived at the haveli during Rajbhog time - that ideal afternoon hour when Thakurji wears His full splendor.
The courtesan waited outside fixing everything:
Adjusting her jewelry ✓
Positioning her ghungroos ✓
Styling her hair ✓
Practicing her smile ✓
All the prep we do when we think we need to be FLAWLESS to be deserving.
She didn’t know - prep done for God even without knowing, turns into devotion.
Krishna Das Ji asked : “Are you ready?”
She nodded, her professional persona taking over.
The curtain lifted.
She glanced up.
And—
Time stopped. For real.
Not in a figurative sense. Not . It ACTUALLY halted.
Her breath got stuck mid-inhale and didn’t release. Her heart missed not just one but five beats. Her chosen jewelry seemed too weighty. Her flawless hair too planned. Her whole self - courtesan, artist, woman, expert physical form - ALL of it ... vanished.
Because there He stood as casual as can be, one hand lifting an entire MOUNTAIN as if it weighed nothing, the other resting on His hip in that impossible three-bend stance, was—
Shri Nathji.
Black as storm clouds before the first downpour. Eyes resembling lotus blossoms at sunrise. Smile like sunshine breaking through after endless winters. Peacock plume swaying above that visage as if even IT can’t remain motionless in His company. That tribhanga stance - three curves - hip, throat, knee - forming a shape that defies logic yet seems the most innate thing in existence.
Alalalalala.
Her mind, which had devoted YEARS to computing, executing, handling men’s pride and demands did something it had NEVER done before:
It halted.
It ... gazed.
Atak gaya. stuck. Paralyzed. Vanished.
The Realization That Breaks You
“This...” she said , “this is your Master?”
Krishna Das Ji nodded , as if he hadn’t just set up the most complex arrangement in devotional history:
“I told you. My Master is the Lord of Lakshmi Herself.”
The words struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Her entire life - ALL OF IT - she had performed for men. Rich men. Influential men. Men who viewed her as entertainment, as property, as a business deal.
And now she found herself in front of the One who didn’t need her to perform.
He ... SAW her.
saw her. Beyond the cosmetics. Beyond her job. Beyond criticism. Beyond everything.
The tears flowed . Her throat constricted. Her well-rehearsed voice abandoned her.
“I can’t sing,” she managed to say. “I can’t dance. My body is used, My voice has been abused. My talent was wasted on those who didn’t deserve it. What... what can I offer Him now?”
She turned to Krishna Das Ji pleading:
“Please, Guruji... what should I do? How can I makeup for a life of misguided offerings?”
The Lesson That Transforms Everything
Krishna Das Ji’s answer was so basic, yet so deep, it could break your heart wide open:
“Your body may be used. But your soul is not.”
Take a moment to let that sink in.
“Some people dedicate their whole life to Krishna - their actions, their days, their years. But you... you can give something else.
Give Him your life itself. This last moment. This breath. This heartbeat. Offer Him THAT.”
She gazed at Shri Nathji once more.
That shape. That unbelievable captivating breathtaking shape.
The tribhanga that brought geometry to tears. The grin that could stop wars. The eyes that contained whole universes.
And as she looked - saw for the first time in her life something WORTH seeing -
Her tears flowed like a broken dam.
Her heart split wide open.
And her breath... just... vanished.
Not in a big way. Not with a show. Just , .
Her spirit seemed to leave her body like silk sliding through fingers and move straight into those lotus eyes, into that holy shape, into Girdhar’s embrace.
She joined. Right there. Standing. Gone.
Atak gaya. Fixed on the right thing. At last.
Now, Let’s Talk About Getting Stuck
Here’s the hard truth lovely people:
We ALL get hung up on something.
Your phone. Your ex. Your hurt. That person who gives you scraps of attention. That hope that seems out of reach. Your worry. Your history. That job you can’t stand but feel trapped in. That bond that’s over but you keep trying to bring back to life.
Getting stuck isn’t the issue. We’re built to focus. To dwell. To invest our whole selves into something.
The real question isn’t IF you’re stuck. It’s WHAT has you stuck?
The courtesan spent her ENTIRE LIFE stuck on:
Guys who bought her time but never understood her
Just trying to make it through each day
Putting on a pretty face for people who’d forget her by morning
Being seen as just a body, never as a person
She knew she was hung up on the wrong things. And she couldn’t break free.
Until Krishna appeared to her.
And her mind went: “Oh. OH. THIS. This is what should’ve had me hooked all along.”
मो मन गिरिधर छबि पै अटक्यो - Girdhar’s image captivated my mind.
For the first time ever, she stuck and it felt like freedom.
The Tribhanga Question
Now let’s talk about why that pose wrecks people.
Tribhanga. Three bends. Waist, neck, knee.
Physically? Impossible to hold for more than a minute.
Aesthetically? The most beautiful pose in existence.
Spiritually, it speaks to something deeper:
Flexibility. Grace. The ability to bend without breaking.
Life demands that we stand straight, be strong, never show weakness. Society says, “Be rigid, be perfect, be unbreakable.”
Krishna says, “Nah. Bend. Flow. Curve. That’s where the beauty is.”
The courtesan saw that pose and understood: You don’t have to be straight and perfect to be divine. Sometimes the curves are what make you beautiful.
That tribhanga walk wasn’t just attractive. It was PERMISSION.
Permission to be fluid, to be graceful in your brokenness, to bend without shame.
No wonder that her mind got stuck there.
The Modern Truth We’re Avoiding
What really gets me with this story is:
The courtesan felt she was too impure, too used, too broken-that her body had seen too many wrong eyes, been touched by too many careless hands, that there was no redemption left for her.
Sound familiar?
How many of us feel like we are “too much” for God?
Too broken
Too sinful
Too far gone
Too impure
Too late
Too damaged
Too unworthy
We think we need to CLEAN UP before we can approach the divine: get our act together, meditate six months, fix our issues, become “spiritual” enough.
And Krishna Das Ji basically said: “So what? Offer what you have LEFT.”
Not what you WISH you had. Not your highlight reel. Not your “best self.”
Offer up your REAL self. The messy one. The one that scrolls at 2 AM. The one that sticks on wrong things. The one who is impure and confused and hasn’t figured it out yet.
Because THAT’S who God came for.
Not the polished Instagram-spiritual version. The desperate one. The broken one. The one that finally stops performing and simply. looks.
What Are You Stuck On Right Now?
I need you to be honest for a second.
What has your attention right now? What’s your mind atak on?
Is it:
That person who’s never going to text back the way you want them to?
That job that’s slowly killing your soul but pays the bills?
That version of yourself from five years ago that you can’t let go of?
That trauma you keep replaying like a Netflix series?
That dream you’re too scared to actually pursue?
That validation you’re chasing from people who’ll never give it?
Now, for the more difficult one:
Is it WORTH being stuck on?
According to Krishna Das Ji, the problem is not getting stuck. We are going to fixate on SOMETHING - that’s how minds work.
It’s a matter of whether you’re stuck on something that’s destroying you or something that’s transforming you.
The courtesan was stuck on survival. On performing. On being what others wanted.
Then she saw that tribhanga pose, those lotus eyes, that impossible divine form.
And her mind said: “Wait. I can get stuck on THAT? On something that actually SEES me? On beauty that doesn’t demand I perform for it?”
मो मन गिरिधर छबि पै अटक्यो।
Getting stuck on Girdhar’s form freed her rather than entrap her.
The Challenge (Because You Knew It Was Coming)
Here’s what I want you to try:
Cease striving to get God’s attention; allow God to get YOURS.
We spend so much energy trying to be impressive, trying to prove that we’re worthy, trying to perform devotion in a way that looks good.
The courtesan entered that haveli ready to PERFORM. Ready to dazzle. Ready to earn that hundred gold mohars.
And the moment she saw Shri Nathji, all that fell away.
She didn’t need to perform anymore. She just needed to LOOK. To let herself be captivated. To get stuck on something that was actually worth being stuck on.
I have been there, stuck on the wrong obsessions, until a glimpse of the divine reminded me what freedom feels like. So my question is:
When was the last time you let yourself be genuinely captivated with the divine? Not performed devotion- actually got STUCK on it?
Not posting spiritual quotes. Not meditating because you “should.” Not performing piety for an audience.
Just. looking at something divine and forgetting to breathe.
You know, just letting your mind atak on something that matters.
Just surrendering the performance and offering the truth.
The Final Truth
The courtesan looked into Krishna’s form, and her soul simply. left.
Quietly. Completely. Like it had been waiting for permission to go home and finally got it.
She didn’t need to be pure first. Didn’t need to fix herself. Didn’t need to earn it.
She just needed to LOOK. Really look. At the right thing. Finally.
That’s all the teaching: Stop trying to be worthy. Start being STRUCK. Stop doing beauty. Start SEEING it. Stop trying to be impressive. Start being IMPRESSED. God doesn’t want your highlight reel. He wants your “I’m so stuck on You I forgot to pretend” moment. मो मन गिरिधर छबि पै अटक्यो। My mind is stuck. And honestly? I never want it to move again.
The tribhanga stance is there, the lotus eyes still see, the divine form awaits you to cease with performing and simply. look.
Are you brave enough to get stuck?
Until next week - may you get beautifully, irreversibly stuck on the right things
All my love, and Krishna Das Ji’s audacity,
Priyanshi
P.S. Whatever it is you’re obsessing over at 2 AM? Ask yourself this: “Am I stuck on something that SEES me or something that just uses me?” Because the courtesan spent her whole life being used. It took ONE glimpse of being truly SEEN to set her free.
Get stuck on things that set you free. Everything else is just noise.
This Krishna story speaks to universal truths—whatever your path may be: Hindu, Christian, or something else. Share if this resonates with you.
Thank you Mam for this beautiful post. 🙏