Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Is Coming

By His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
21 December 2010

You all know that Gurudev's appearance day is coming soon. Gurudev came to this world on this day to rescue the whole universe.

As you know, he appeared in Bamunpara, but actually, Vaishnav's avirbhav, Guru's avirbhav (appearance) are non-different from the Lord's appearance day, that is why we celebrate this festival every year all over the world.

Gurudev would always stay here in Nabadwip for his appearance day, last year also (2009) he was here, and he is still here, but in samadhi. He sees everything—who offers a flower on his appearance day, who does not, etc.

অধ্যাপিহ সেই লীলা করে গোরা-রায় ।
কোন কোন ভাগ্যবানে দেখিবারে পায় ॥

adyapiha sei lila kare gora raya
kona kona bhagyavane dekhibare paya

Gora Ray continues performing His Pastimes, and those who are fortunate can see it.

Gurudev's lila is also going on, but only the fortunate souls can see it, that is why we must engage everybody in service on his appearance day. Whatever capacity we have—in kaya, mana, vakya, (body, mind, and speech)—we must serve his appearance day, his birth day.

There are so many services here—cleaning, decoration, picking mango leaves, etc. The new samadhi mandir is there, and we can hang some decoration. The construction is still going on, and I cannot say how many more days it will continue, but we are trying heart and soul to install Gurudev's murti very soon. It depends on his wish—it will happen when he wants it to happen.

Gurudev is very merciful. We have no quality or qualification, but still he keeps us, tolerates us so much. Everybody has some fault, nobody is pure, but Gurudev is very merciful—he tolerates us and engages us in service to his lotus feet. We must think of it in this way.

All over the world on this day, devotees are celebrating Gurudev's Vyasa Puja, appearance day, but somebody thinks, "Oh, Gurudev is not here, what we will go there for?" But I think they do not have a relation with Gurudev then. A relationship must come when you realise that Gurudev never disappears, never appears. Guru always stays with us, always gives instruction to us. If we remember his instruction, his words, read his books, then we will always get his association through that, and you can easily understand it.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also left, and he is also in samadhi, but Gurudev would always say, "Srila Guru Maharaj always protects me, he always gives me energy, gives me enthusiasm, and shelter. He gives everything." We must also think like this. Gurudev has left, but he has left many things here—he has left his devotees, his Deities, his temples; he has left the scriptures, his words. We will find him there.

We must worship and serve him properly, then we will get everything. Gurudev can see everything—if somebody thinks Gurudev cannot see any more, this is a misconception, a wrong conception.

Very soon we are going to celebrate his festival, and we are only praying to him for his mercy, "Give me some power, some energy, some devotional activities, some devotion so that I can serve your lotus feet until death." That is our only hope and prayer to the Guru. Nothing else.

গুরুমুখ-পদ্মবাক্য চিত্তেতে করিয়া ঐক্য
আর না করিহ মনে আশা

guru-mukha-padma-vakya, chittete kariya aikya,
ara na kariha mane asa

Make the teachings from Sri Guru's lotus mouth one with your heart, and do not desire anything else within your heart.

Wherever you stay, you must distribute Gurudev's mercy, but first you must accept his mercy—we must empty our heart to make space to accept and keep his mercy. We only ask, "Mercy, mercy, mercy," but we have no place where to keep his mercy. It is necessary to make ourselves qualified through practising, otherwise we will not be able to accept and keep his mercy.

You have a glass full of water, and if you pour more water, the water will spill. First you have to empty the glass. You have some desires in your heart, and you have to remove them first. It is not easy to remove these bad elements from your heart—bhukti, mukti, siddhi, kami, kanak, kamini, pratistha, kama, krodha, lobha, mada, moha, matsarya [desire for enjoyment, liberation, power, money, women, fame, lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy], ego—but it is possible through sravanam, kirtanam, and also mercy from the Guru, the Vaishnavs, through service to the Vaishnavs. Once you get some space in your glass, you will be able to get some mercy and you can fill your glass with that.

There is so much service we can do. Somebody always says, "Gurudev, Gurudev, Gurudev," but when Gurudev wants a glass of water, you cannot give it to him. You keep saying, "Oh, my father is very nice, my father is very affectionate to me." Day and night you keep praising your father, but you do not give food to your father, and you kick him out of your temple or house, "You are now an old man, you cannot do anything. Get out of here." Such is our position.

We always say, "Gurudev, Gurudev," but we are not following what Gurudev wants. You always say, "Gaura Hari, Gaura Hari, Radhe Radhe, Nitai Nitai," but you do not do what Radharani wants, what Gaura Hari wants, what Nitai wants. Then what is the use?

That is why we are praying to everybody—serve Gurudev's mission, serve his devotees. Do service, it will bring benefit to you.

Whatever your capacity is, serve with your kaya, mana, vakya (body, mind, and words). Everybody has different qualifications. Maybe somebody cannot do something nicely, but they have another qualification. Somebody may not be a good singer, somebody cannot sing Hare Krishna maha-mantra so well, but Krishna does not want your tune, Krishna knows what you are singing, what you want to say, Gurudev knows it. You must understand it. Somebody may not be doing something well, but they have some other qualification.

In Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's time, a well-educated man, Sundarananda Vidya Vinod Prabhu came to Gaudiya Math, the main Math, from Bangladesh. At that time, it was rare to see an educated person, so if somebody passed the BA (Bachelor of Arts), people would come to see them from far away villages. So, when Sundarananda Vidya Vinod Prabhu came to the Gaudiya Math, everybody complained, "He is not doing any service." Prabhupad saw that boy and asked Kunja Babu, "You are not engaging this boy in any service. What can he do?"

"Oh, Prabhu, that boy has no quality or qualification. He cannot do anything."

"You are the one who has no quality or qualification, that is why you cannot engage him in service."

Do you understand? Sometimes we say, "Oh, he cannot do anything, he has no quality or qualification," but we must see our own fault first. Before you blame anybody, you must first see your fault.

Vaishnav is adosa-darasi [forgiving], he does not see others' fault, but he sees his own fault. That is the quality of a Vaishnav. If somebody does not like you, you must see: maybe you have some fault, that is why they do not like you. In this way, you can correct yourself.

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye je priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

Gitavali, 4.5, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

People feel affection to their children, wife, husband, relatives, and if you think that kind of relation is coming to you towards your Guru, towards your Guru's mission, then you can think that some devotion is coming to your heart...

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