Service in Separation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
22 April 2013

Today is the adhivas (eve) of our Gurudev's disappearance, tirobhav maha-mahotsav... We are observing this disappearance festival on this day.

In a conversation with Ramananda Ray, Mahaprabhu asked,

দুঃখ-মধ্যে কোন্ দুঃখ হয় গুরুতব ? ।
কৃষ্ণভক্ত-বিরহ বিনা দুঃখ নাহি দেখি পর ॥

'duhkha-madhye kona duhkha haya gurutara?'
'krsna-bhakta-viraha vina duhkha nahi dekhi para'

"From all kinds of sad things, what is the saddest?"—"I do not know what other sadness can there be other than bhakta-viraha, separation from a devotee."

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 8.247

Separation from devotees is very sad, but sometimes through separation pleasure comes—through service separation can bring one closer.

Somebody thinks, "Tirobhav... Gurudev is not there, why will I go there?" It is a misconception, a wrong conception. Gurudev said one time, "Some of my godbrothers stopped coming after Guru Maharaj had left. They think, 'Guru Maharaj is not there, why will I go there?' But I would tell them: they actually have no relationship with Guru Maharaj." If they had made this relation with their Guru, they would understand whether Gurudev is still here or not.

If you only take initiation, it does not mean there is a relation—a heart to heart connection is necessary. It is necessary to make relationship through service, through some exchange—in this way a transcendental relationship comes.

The relation with your Guru is a transcendental connection, it is not a relation of this world. When your father (he who gave you birth) dies, that relationship finishes, but when Gurudev, the transcendental, divine master, leaves, that relationship does not finish—it is a life after life relationship and it never stops. We cannot understand that...

Separation is another thing—it does not come in one day. When you connect with your Guru every day, serve him, live with him, have that continuous relation, then slowly, slowly separation comes.

Gurudev never wanted to come for the disappearance festival of Srila Param Guru Maharaj... I do not want to remember also anything about the day Gurudev left and making his samadhi. When I come to that samadhi, these things always come to my memory and I want to stay far, but Gurudev said: if you follow your Guru's instruction, if you fulfil his desire, even after his disappearance, if you always think what will make him happy, then you will get his association, you will feel joy...

You can make his disappearance festival, serve him, serve the Vaishnavs, and think what will make him happy and how to make his festival.

What did Gurudev leave us for? So that we join the festival, give some glorification, take prasadam, and leave? Our service does not finish there. We must distribute to others what Gurudev told all over the world, what Gurudev kept for us—his books, his audio and video recordings. What we invent or discover is not necessary to distribute; distribute what he told, what he invented and discovered, that is sufficient—people will be benefitted through that. That is necessary for us. We should understand what he wanted and what he did not want...

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