Talk:Nirguṇī Sant Sena the Barber

By Vishal Agarwal

Sena was a devoted Vaiṣṇava. He was a barber by profession. Every morning, he got up early and worshipped Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Thereafter, he went to the palace of the Mahārāja of Revā. Although Sena was the royal barber, his loyalty lay only with Bhagavān Viṣṇu. He did not think much of his good fortune of being the king’s barber; his sole fortune was his bhakti towards Viṣṇu.

One morning, the king sent for Sena much earlier than usual. When the royal messenger reached Sena’s home, he was still engrossed in his daily worship. Sena’s wife knew that nothing could make Sena leave his worship incomplete. Therefore, she lied to the messenger that Sena was not home, and that she would send him when he returned.

However, Sena reached the king’s palace on time and started with his work of shaving and shampooing him. After shampoo, Sena used to do an oil massage for the king, and therefore he would place a bowl of oil next to them. The king happened to look into the bowl and was stunned to see the reflection of four-armed Viṣṇu. He looked up to Sena, but saw him as usual, and not as a four-armed divine deity. The king looked multiple times into the bowl, but always he saw the beautiful form of Viṣṇu reflected.

That day, instead of giving the usual fee, he slipped several gold coins into Sena’s bag. Sena left, but the king was so mesmerised at the darśana of Viṣṇu that he had to be shaken by his attendants to get up and take his bath.

Later, in the court, the king asked his attendants to rush to Sena’s home and ask him to appear in front of him promptly. Sena thought that the king would be furious with him for not showing up that morning for the shave. As he entered the court, the king got down from his throne, bowed to Sena, and welcomed him respectfully. The king touched his feet and said,

“Truly the scriptures say that great are the rewards of satsaṅga, or companionship of saints. Today, because of you, I was able to get a darśana of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, who is sought by millions in this world!”