In Word and Deed, a Krishna Devotee

To those who borrow money from others and never repay it on time—or at all—who break their promises, whose words carry no weight whether morning, noon, evening, or night, I tell the story of Krishnapanti.

The gentleman's name was Krishnakanta Palchowdhury (1749-1809), founder of the Ranaghata Palchowdhury lineage. He was unlettered; poverty forced him to earn his living selling betel leaves, which earned him the name 'Krishnapanti' among everyone who knew him. Later, through his own effort and perseverance, he entered various businesses and amassed considerable wealth. He purchased several zamindaris; in 1799, he bought Ranaghata, built a residence there, and settled permanently. From the Raja of Krishnanagar, he received the title 'Chowdhury,' and in 1814, during the Marquis of Hastings' visit to Ranaghata, he was granted the surname 'Palchowdhury' and permission to use the insignia.

Krishnapanti, the ancestor of Ranaghata's Palchowdhurys, was a man whose deeds matched his words—he never went back on what he said. Let us learn of some incidents from his life.

(a) His reputation for truthfulness was so renowned that even thieves and bandits never hesitated to trust him. One day, he was traveling by boat from Calcutta to Ranaghata when several bandits attacked him. A few of them boarded the boat, and finding little money, began to beat him. Krishnapanti told them, "Come fearlessly to my estate, I'll make you happy; now leave." The bandits left immediately upon hearing the master's words. When they later came to Krishnapanti's house, he gave them exactly the amount he had mentally promised during his distress and sent them away satisfied.

(b) One day, he had promised a Brahmin to buy him a taluk estate. When the right opportunity arose and he prepared to purchase the promised taluk, his sons objected, saying, "This taluk is very profitable; it wouldn't be right to give it to someone else." This annoyed him, and he said, "But I told him I would give him one!" To him, the value of his word was worth far more than money.

(c) A man once gave Krishnapanti an advance to buy salt but couldn't arrange the remaining money, so he neither met him again nor made any provision for the advance. When salt prices soared shortly after, Krishnapanti sold all his salt. From the total profit, he deducted the remaining price for the salt the man had promised to buy, deposited all the profit in that man's name, and when he met the man much later, gave him that profit money.

(d) In 1805, there was a lawsuit between Shambhuchandra Ray (the middle son of Maharaja Krishnachandra Ray) and the then Raja of Nadia, Ishwarchandra Ray, over Shambhuchandra's allowance. Needing money urgently, Shambhuchandra proposed to his brother Raja Ishwarchandra: "Give me some money for now; if I'm not found liable after the case is settled, I'll return it." Ishwarchandra, embarrassed, agreed superficially but demanded surety from a wealthy and respectable person. When Shambhuchandra asked Krishnapanti to stand surety for him, he agreed. When Raja Ishwarchandra learned that Krishnapanti would be the guarantor, he sent word forbidding him from standing surety for the middle thakur. Krishnapanti said, "I have given my word; how can I take it back now?" Krishnapanti firmly believed that just as one cannot take back spittle once spat, it was equally impossible to go back on one's word. Ishwarchandra was displeased with this response, and when Krishnapanti went to Krishnanagar to sign the surety bond, he made many attempts to humiliate him. When the judge ordered him to sign the surety, Krishnapanti said, "My handwriting won't be good; it will suffice if my diwan signs." When the diwan's signature was rejected due to objections from the Raja's side, he had to sign himself with great difficulty. Seeing this, the judge stared at Krishnapanti for a long time and understood well that education, virtue, and competence are separate things altogether.

(e) Once, someone filed a lawsuit claiming money from another person and wanted Krishnapanti as a witness. Having a firm conviction that taking an oath was against Hindu dharma, he appeared in court and said, "The plaintiff will indeed receive the money—I'm paying it myself; but I cannot take an oath." The judges were astonished and issued an order that in future, no one could call Krishnapanti as a witness.

(f) An English merchant had agreed to buy atap rice from Krishnapanti when the rice market was quite soft. A few months after their agreement, rice prices tripled. Though there was no written proof, Krishnapanti called the English sahib and offered to give him all the rice he wanted at the original price. Rice began loading from Krishnapanti's warehouse onto the ship. After a considerable amount had been loaded, the sahib told his men to stop, saying, "Don't take any more from such a man—the ship will sink!"

Self-respect is a precious thing. One who holds his head high remains proud whether poor or rich, whether rising from poverty to wealth. On the other hand, people of cheap mentality remain cheap no matter how much wealth they accumulate.