Anything for Guru's Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
5 April 2013, Sri Puri Dham

There is a very nice story written in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila, chapter 10).

Ishwar Puri had a disciple called Govinda, and once Govinda asked his Guru, "Prabhu, whom shall I serve after you leave?" Ishwar Puri replied, "After me, you will serve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, of course."

Later, when Ishwar Puri expired, Govinda came to Mahaprabhu and said, "Prabhu, use me as Your servitor. Please allow me to serve You." Mahaprabhu hesitated and asked Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya (Ramananda Ray was also there), "Govinda is My godbrother, how can I use him as My personal servitor?" Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya replied, "It is said in the scriptures that you must always give obeisance, always bow your head at the lotus feet of your Gurudev's servitor. However, if Gurudev gives you an order, what will you do—follow the scriptures or follow Gurudev's instruction?" Mahaprabhu agreed that one must follow Gurudev's instruction above all and accepted Govinda as His personal, intimate servitor.

One day, Mahaprabhu danced and chanted the whole day and became so tired that at the end of the day He fell asleep in the doorway of His room. (At that time He lived in Gambhira, which literally means 'a house inside a house'). Because Mahaprabhu lay across the doorway, Govinda could not go inside to serve Him. He asked Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, can You move a little so that I can go inside? Every day I massage Your feet, but if You do not move a little, how am I to go inside?" Mahaprabhu replied, "Do as you like, whether you go inside or not, it is up to you. I am very tired, I cannot move."

Govinda thought, "What am I to do? Every day I do this service—every day I massage His feet—but how shall I do it today? [This is an example of sincerity.] Should I stop my service for one day? No! I cannot. I will not stop my service. One way or another, I have to go inside." Then Govinda put a cloth on Mahaprabhu's body, crossed Mahaprabhu and put whatever dust fell on the cloth on his head. He then massaged Mahaprabhu's feet nicely, and Mahaprabhu rested well.

At midnight Mahaprabhu woke up and saw Govinda was sitting inside:

"Govinda, did you not go to sleep? Did you not go for prasadam?"

"Prabhu, how can I go? You are sleeping in the doorway..."

"How did you come inside?"

"At that time I came here to serve You, but I cannot cross You for my own eating, sleeping, enjoyment. For Your service, any sin is not a problem, but for my own self I cannot cross You."

This is the example given in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. You can do anything for the service to your Guru, but for your own self you cannot do any sinful work; but we do just the opposite: "নিজ সুখ লাগি' পাপে নাহি ডরি, nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari"—for our own happiness we are not afraid to do any sinful work, and we are always afraid to do something for Gurudev. It is not right: for Krishna's service, for the Guru's service we can do anything.

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