Step Forward

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
29 July 2013

We must see what is necessary for our spiritual life: Krishna is always waiting for our service, always engaged in the loving search for the lost servant. You have heard how Lord Jagannath appeared through the hand of Indradyumna, Visvavsu, and Vidyapati. (Visvavasu used to offer sweet potato to Nilmadhav in a forest, and Jagannath appeared through him—He came from Visvavasu to Vidyapati, from Vidyapati to Kind Indradyumna. In this way Lord Jagannath appeared to give mercy to all universe.)

In this age of Kali, Krishna Himself came in the form of the Name.

অনর্পিতচরীং চিরাৎ করুণয়াবতীর্ণঃ কলৌ
সমর্পয়িতুমুন্নতে'জ্জ্বলরসাং স্বভক্তিশ্রিয়ম্ ।
হরিঃ পূরটসুন্দরদ্যুতিকদম্বসন্দীপিতঃ
সদা হৃদয়কন্দরে স্ফুরতু বঃ শচিনন্দনঃ ॥

anarpita-charim chirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhaktisriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah sachi-nandanah

May the Supreme Lord, who is known as the son of Sri Sachi Devi, be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

(Vidagdha-Madhava, 1.2, by Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu)

He came wondering, "Why does Radharani cry for Me? Why does Radharani think about Me?" To taste that Krishna appears as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Krishna also appeared as the Guru,

সাধু পাওয়া কষ্ট বড় জীবের জানিয়া ।

সাধুগুরুরূপে কৃষ্ণ আইল নদীয়া ॥

sadhu paoya kasta bada jivera janiya
sadhu-bhakta-rupe krsna aila nadiya

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.8)

Jagadananda Pandit says that it is rare in this age of Kali to get a great, proper sadhu, a proper Vaishnav or Acharya, that is why Krishna Himself comes in this age of Kali in the form of a sadhu, Acharya, or Guru, and teaches us. Jagadananda Pandit also says,

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।

গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

We always think, "I am a follower of Mahaprabhu, I am a devotee of Mahaprabhu," but we do not follow Mahaprabhu's siksastaka (advice). We say we are disciples of Mahaprabhu, we are disciples of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, we are disciples of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, but we do not follow their instruction. The main thing that we must understand is that we must not only say it. As Jagadananda Pandit says in this verse, "I say I am a devotee of Mahaprabhu, but I must follow Mahaprabhu's instruction—you will get the result when you follow His instruction, follow His advice."

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