Guru's Care for Mission and Disciple

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
Speaking online to devotees in Caracas, part 6
22 July 2012

We have had so many stories with Gurudev, so many... When I sit alone, all these memories come to me. Gurudev said so many things, gave so much advice for our spiritual life. When I sat in front of him, I thought, "Every moment, his every single word is everything—just one his word is my wealth, his every word is very important for my spiritual life." I saw Gurudev's every word, every sentence—anything that came from his mouth—as a spiritual teaching.

In all his dealings, I saw how much he thought about the temple, how much he thought about his Gurudev's (Guru Maharaj's) mission. Just ten-twenty hours before he expired (left his body), he said in front of me, "There is some money in the Vrindavan bank, that money is on the name of some thief and *** Maharaj. If *** Maharaj does not withdraw it, the thief can steal that money." He remembered everything. I always think and realise how much he thought about the temple.

When he walked around the temple in Nabadwip, he would take care of every tree, and if there was even one light on in the daytime without need, he would chastise us for this. This is how careful he was in everything. I saw his service mood.

When I joined the temple, he would make the festivals and give me instruction how much rice, how much dal, how much oil, how much this, this, this, is necessary, how many people to arrange it for. He remembered everything in his mind and would tell it to me, and I would write it down. For example, five thousand people are coming for Gaura Purnima, and he would tell me how much of what is necessary to arrange. He only said it to me one-two times, the first time and the next year, at the Gaura Purnima festival and other festivals as well, after that he never had to tell me again and I did not have to write it down also after that. He taught me like this with his own hand.

I also saw how he did construction, he arranged everything himself. He always kept everything in his mind, he always kept everything in his heart. He did everything that was necessary and told me also what to do, and I tried to fulfil his desire as much as he tried to fulfil his Guru Maharaj's desire. I was a helping hand to him those years...

He always protected me, and still he is giving his protection to me. I can tell you one story. It happened in 2000 or 2001, I cannot remember the year, maybe 2002—at that time, there was construction going on at the Govinda Kunda. After I joined the temple, I actually had no relation with my previous family—I never saw my father's or mother's face. When they somehow got the news that I became a sannyasi and lived in Nabadwip, Chaitanya Saraswat Math, one of my relatives came here and said to me, "Your father has sent me to you. You have become a sannyasi, but you have some property—your father is going to die and wants to give some property in your name. You can come and take this property, otherwise your brother will take everything." It was not a small money at that time, something like $50 000 ten years ago, now it has even more value. I went to Gurudev and said to him,

"Gurudev, can I go to my previous home? I can get that land, sell it, and give the money to you."

"How much money will you get?" Gurudev asked me.

"$50 000."

"It is too much money! And how many days are necessary to go and come back?"

"Seven days."

"If I give you that money now, then it will not be necessary to go there, will it?" answered Gurudev.

At that time I thought, "Gurudev does not allow me to go—he does not want me to go to my previous home to bring that money because he thinks I am more valuable than that money..." How much he was protecting me from maya...

I saw Gurudev's protection from my brahmachari life, and I am thinking how much the Guru is the protector in this life—the Guru can protect us and the Guru can engage us in service. I can see this through my life.

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