Visa into Service World

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, evening class, part 9
7 November 2012, translated from Bengali

"Satisfying the whims of your mind is not bhajan (service)." Srila Guru Maharaj sometimes said, "Are you going to Vrindavan? But do you have the visa to go there?" Visa means anugatya, adherence to the order of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs. Srimati Radharani is the One who issues the visa, and She is present as Gurudev:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all the scriptures to be the Lord Himself, and considered to be so by the sadhus, yet is also the Lord's beloved devotee."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, 7)

On the one hand Gurudev is the Lord's dearmost, Srimati Radharani; on the other hand Gurudev is Baladev-Nityananda. "Nitaiyer karuna habe Vraje Radha Krsna pabe (নিতাইয়ের করুণা হবে ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ পাবে, ধর নিতাইয়ের চরণ দুঃখানি)—when Nitai bestows His mercy you will reach Radha-Krishna in Vraja." Nityananda Prabhu gives visa, and Nityananda Prabhu means Gurudev.

You cannot get entrance into Vrindavan with money—if you go there just on the strength of money you will go there and only see monkeys passing stool.

When you come to the Math, you can see a big gate, a big building, you can this and you can see that. What do you see? A building? There is also a drain in the Math, and some people come as drain inspectors—they search for dirty things—they do not look at the Lord, they do not chant the Holy Name. You come to the Math to see the sadhus, to see the Vaishnavs, to hear Hari-katha, but others only see the drain. They come and start looking for the drain, "Where is the drain here?" Then, they are drain inspectors.

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 by the dust of material world. Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Samsara bhitare na bahire (সংসার ভিতরে না বাহিরে)? Is family life inside or outside?" Somebody may be sitting in saffron clothes but have lusty desires inside. That is why Prabhupad said that samsar (family life) is inside, not outside. How beautifully Prabhupad put it. Mahaprabhu also told Raghunath Das Goswami, "Leave the tilak and mala:

মর্কট-বৈরাগ্য না কর লোক দেখাঞা ।
যথাযোগ্য বিষয় ভুঞ্জ' অনাসক্ত হঞা ॥

markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja' anasakta hana

"Do not show your false renunciation to people. Serve accepting material things, but without attachment."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.238)

Today somebody came here saying they had come to Srila Sridhar Maharaj—some give respect to Srila Sridhar Maharaj but not to Gurudev... Where does that leave them? Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj himself said, "If somebody does not give respect to Govinda Maharaj, I shall drag them out." This is written in his will. This is so beautiful, but who will understand this? He also said, "I can stay alone, no loss for me..."

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