Anugatya: Gurudev's Example

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
2 July 2013, Sri Nabadwip Dham, part 2

In Gurudev and Guru Maharaj's pastimes, we also get some lesson.

Gurudev was staying outside the temple at that time. Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) had been waiting for thirty years to give his chair to him, but Gurudev could not come out of the illusory environment, he always delayed, "I have to wait, I have to wait, I have to wait." Finally, Srila Guru Maharaj did not want to wait any longer because he had already waited for thirty. In the end, he was very disturbed and said to Gurudev, "If you do not take this chair, I will commit suicide!" When Gurudev heard it, he got very angry—he threw a chair, he threw a table around. Actually, you can see how much Srila Sridhar Maharaj loved him...

Once, I asked Gurudev why he got angry, and Gurudev told me, "Guru Maharaj had wanted to give his chair for many years, but if I had taken the chair at that time, he would have given it to me and disappeared. I did not want that, that is why I did not take his position immediately; that is why I had been waiting. That day Guru Maharaj said, 'You must take this chair today!' and I became angry..." A few years after that Gurudev did take Srila Guru Maharaj's chair.

Gurudev would often come to Nabadwip from Kolkata, and every time Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj called him, Gurudev would immediately come, stay with him in Nabadwip for a few days and then again go back to Kolkata. He did not leave his service. Even though he lived far from Nabadwip, he did not leave his service, he was always with his Guru Maharaj. One way or another, but he did his service from far also.

By these examples, we can understand how much surrendered Gurudev was, and what was his relationship with Srila Sridhar Maharaj also.

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts them as His very own."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

When you surrender to your Guru, Krishna thinks that your jivatma and His body are equal—at that time the disciple cannot leave his Guru, and the Guru also cannot leave his disciple. This kind of connection we have seen in Gurudev and Guru Maharaj.

Then, you can easily understand how much faith, how much love and affection to each other is there in surrender. If you give your heart, you will get your Guru's heart in return. Those who do not have any feelings cannot understand these things. Srila Sridhar Maharaj always says that we mostly do service emotionally, not devotionally. If we can do something with perfect devotion, if we can do some perfect devotional activities, with heart and soul, then we can easily understand what anugatya is and what surrender is.

Gurudev mentioned also the meaning of sastanga dandavat. Sastanga dandavat is when you give full dandavat, lying down on your stomach. Sastanga (sasta-anga, lit. six limbs) means the six types of saranagati. I asked Gurudev about its meaning and Gurudev explained it: when you pay full obeisance to your Guru, at that time you give your eyes, your head, your ears, your mind—everything—to your Guru, you cannot see what Gurudev is doing to you, and if you give him a sword, he can cut you anywhere. That kind of surrender is necessary. This is what surrender is.

These are very strong words...

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