Guru Consciousness,
Service Consciousness

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance day of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta
Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad
25 December 2010

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur is aprakrita (supra-mundane, transcendental). "Aprakrta vastu nahe prakrta-gochara (অপ্রাকৃত বস্তু নহে প্রাকৃত-গোচর, Cc, 2.9.195)"—you cannot see transcendental things with your mundane eyes.

অন্ধীভূত চক্ষু যার বিষয ধূলিতে ।
কিরূপে সে পাইবে পরতত্ত্ব দেখিতে ॥

andhibhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite
ki rupe se paibe para-tattva dekhite

"Our eyes have become blind by the dust of visaya, the material world—how can we see the transcendental world?"

Our eyes have become blind with the illusory dust, but if Maya Devi gives us her mercy and removes this illusory net, then we will be able to see the transcendental dham, chinmoy dham. We must first clean our eyes. To remove the cover from our eyes, you must go to a good doctor, otherwise you need an operation on your left leg and if you go to a wrong doctor, he will operate your right leg.

The scriptures say that there are three types of gurus (spiritual masters)—kaulik guru, laukik guru, paramarthik guru (কৌলিক গুরু, লৌকিক গুরু, পারমার্থিক গুরু). Now, in this age of Kali, there are so many karmi-gurus, jnani-gurus, yogi-gurus. If you weigh them on the scales, kaulik (Kali-yuga gurus) and laukik gurus (commonplace gurus) will be of the same weight. Some guru thinks, "Oh, that man (girl) is very nice and very rich! If I initiate him or her, I will get so much money! I must make them my disciple!" That kind of guru is available in this world, but my Gurudev has never asked anyone for even one coin, and I can challenge anyone about this. The difference is that all these gurus now go all over the world, but they go there for their own enjoyment and their own benefit, but my Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj never did that.

There are so many pastimes of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur...

I heard from Gurudev, one time it was Janmastami, and Madhav Maharaj (his brahmachari name was Hayagriva Prabhu) had some service in Delhi, so he had to travel by train on the Janmastami day. Prabhupad called the cook and ordered him, "Tomorrow, he is going to Delhi, arrange for some food for him to take on the train—some rice, dal, subji." The brahmachari who was in charge of the kitchen at that time was surprised. He thought, "Maybe Prabhupad has forgotten that it is Janmastami tomorrow... Maybe I should remind him..." So, he said, "Prabhupad, tomorrow is Janmastami—" Prabhupad immediately answered, "I KNOW THAT!!" Hearing Prabhupad shout, the brahmachari nearly passed urine and quickly ran away.

শ্রীহরি সেবায় যাহা অনুকূল ।
বিষয় বলিয়া ত্যাগে হয় ভূল ॥

sri-hari sevaya yaha anukula
visaya baliya tyage haya bhula

"It is wrong to renounce material, mundane things if accepting them is favourable to the service of the Lord."

(Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's translation of a Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu verse, 1.2.256)

"You should not renounce what is in favour of devotion and what is necessary for service."

I heard from Gurudev that once Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj went to Kashmir for preaching. Kashmir is mostly a Muslim area, perhaps before there used to be some brahmans there. So, Guru Maharaj went there with a group of devotees, brahmahcaris, and for two-three days they did not have anything to eat—they could not find any Hindu hotel, and whatever fruit or dry prasad they took had all finished. How will they preach now? Finally, they found a Hindu hotel and went there. Everybody was excited—they took some rice, dal, and alu-bhaja (fried potato). When they were served the meal, it turned out that they made the dal with onion. One of the brahmacharis could get the smell of onions and said, "Oh, it has onions!" But Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "Hey! Maha-prasad! Maha-prasad! Chant, 'Maha-prasade Govinde...' and all smell will be gone. It is maha-prasad!"

They preached so much...

শ্রীহরি সেবায় যাহা অনুকূল ।
বিষয় বলিয়া ত্যাগে হয় ভূল ॥

sri-hari sevaya yaha anukula
visaya baliya tyage haya bhula

"It is wrong to renounce material, mundane things if accepting them is favourable to the service of the Lord."

For the service to the devotees, for the service to the Lord if any obstacle comes, you must accept and harmonise with it. For example, when you go preaching, you do not have time to cook, so you can buy some vegetarian food and accept it remembering your Guru: "Jay Maha-prasad!" Gurudev will accept it...

Jay Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur ki jay!
Tirobhav tithi maha-mahotsav ki jay!
Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!
All the assembled devotees ki jay!
Harinam sankirtan ki jay!
Nitai Gour premanande Hari bol!

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Download (2.3 Mb)