Recognising Guru:
What Is Your Obstacle?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2013

How shall I recognise the Guru? The Guru is always recognised by the great Vaishnavs, great Gurus.

Our line comes from Krishna to Brahma, from Brahma to Narad, from Narad to Vyasadev, and so on in this way. In his lifetime, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur did not declare anybody the next acharya, but in another way when he was showing his asustha-lila (অসুস্থ-লীলা), showing some sickness, he wanted to hear the Rupa-manjari kirtan from Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and by that he indicated that his successor would be Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

Also just today I was telling about 'baba badha radha' (বাবা বাধা রাধা). Bhakti Vinod Thakur never thought Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was his son, and Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur also did not think Bhakti Vinod Thakur was his father—he thought, "He is my spiritual master."

It is the age of Kali—we sing, "Krsna mata, Krsna pita, Krsna prana-dhana (কৃষ্ণ মাতা, কৃষ্ণ পিতা, কৃষ্ণ প্রাণধন): Krishna is my father, Krishna is my mother, Krishna is my parent," and still say, "baba", "mata" ("father", "mother"). It is material attachment.

When Bhakti Vinod Thakur saw how much misconception was going on—all the aul, baul, etc. and so much Nama aparadha—he prayed to Gaurachandra, Mahaprabhu, he prayed to Bimala Devi, "Please send someone who can preach! Send someone who can preach the pure Krishna consciousness conception, who can preach about You!" Then externally he got a son, but actually Krishna, Lord Gaurachandra sent His own associate to the womb of Bhakti Vinod Thakur's wife.

Also, if we look at it from the material point of view, Bimala Prasad (the childhood name of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur) had a brother Lalita Prasad. Bimala Prasad preached so much and had so many followers, but Lalita Prasad was very jealous, "I am also my father's son, why do I not get so many followers?" That is why Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote, "বাবা বাধা রাধা: baba badha Radha." He wrote to his brother, "Brother, you see Bhakti Vinod Thakur as your father, but I do not see him as my father, I see him as my spiritual master. That is the difference. What you see is a father (baba), and that is the bondage, the obstacle (badha) that prevents you from getting Radharani (Radha)."

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