Human Body, Siva, Vaishnavs, Guru:
Learning to Appreciate

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Caracas, Venezuela
18 & 19 September 2009

Question: Is it possible to develop love for Krishna in this very life?

Yes, it is, actually it is only possible in this, in a human body.

কৃষ্ণের যতেক খেলা, সর্ব্বোত্তম নরলীলা,
নরবপু তাহার স্বরূপ ।
গোপবেশ, বেণুকর, নবকিশোর, নটবর,
নরলীলার হয় অনুরূপ ॥

কৃষ্ণের মধুর রূপ, শুন, সনাতন ।
যে রূপের এক কণ, ডুবায় যে ত্রিভুবন,
সর্ব্ব প্রাণী করে আকর্ষণ ॥

krsnera yateka khela, sarvvottama nara-lila,
nara-vapu tahara svarupa
gopa-vesa, venu-kara, nava-kisora, natavara,
nara-lila haya anurupa

krsnera madhura-rupa, suna, sanatana
ye rupera eka kana, dubaya saba tribhuvana,
sarvva-prani kare akarsana

"The highest form of Godhead is Krsna, who plays in His eternal divine pastimes like a human being. An everyouthful cowherd boy of Vrndavana, the best of dancers, He enjoys His pastimes, always playing His flute. His beauty is so charming and sweet that the whole universe is flooded by even the tiniest atom of it, and all beings are attracted irresistibly to Him."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 21.101-102)

Krishna also likes this human body—as Narayan, He has an eight-armed form (asta-bhuja), but He Himself comes in a human body.

If you tell a dog, "Chant Hare Krishna," it will not do it; if give a garland to a cow, the cow will eat it...

Question: Can we ask Lord Siva to remove obstacles from our devotional service?

Lord Siva has different activities, some devotees worship Siva and take ganja, drugs, but we serve that Siva who is a devotee (vaishnavanam yatha sambhu, Sada Siva, he even entered the rasa-lila, as you know). Lord Siva can digest everything, but we must not imitate him, we can serve Lord Siva who is a Vaishnav.

Question: What reaction does one receive if they make an offence to a devotee engaged in devotional service?

That is called Vaishnav aparadh.

হরিস্থানে অপরাধে তারে হরিনাম ।
তোমাস্থানে অপরাধে নাহিক এড়ান ॥

hari-sthane aparadhe tare hari-nama
toma-sthane aparadhe nahika edana

"If one offends the Lord, the Lord's Name delivers him, but if one offends you, O Vaishnav, one has no salvation."

But if you come to that Vaishnav and say, "Please forgive my offence, please excuse me," then that offence will be removed. There are four kinds of offences—seva aparadh, Nama aparadha, dhama aparadh, Vaishnav aparadh...

Question: The scriptures say that we must be detached from this body and material things, but we find that when the Guru leaves his body and goes back to the spiritual world we may develop attachment to the Guru's body. Why do we suffer when the Guru departs from the world?

Guru never departs. If you think the Guru departs, you have no relation with your Guru. He always eternal, he is always here.

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