A Perfect Disciple

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila Govinda Maharaj's Sri Vyasa Puja adhivas day
4 December 2017, part 3

Srila Sridhar Maharaj bestowed all his mercy upon Gurudev and he depended on Gurudev. When Gurudev joined the temple, within only seven days Srila Sridhar Maharaj had chosen Gurudev to be his successor. Some brahmacharis (Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrothers) staying at the temple at that time had their own desire—they knew that the according to Srila Sridhar Mahraj's horoscope he would be alive for only fifty-five years, so they thought they would be the Guru in this mission after that, but when our Gurudev came, within seven days Srila Sridhar Maharaj, seeing Gurudev's chastity and strong common sense, said that he would train him to be the next acharya (successor of this Mission).

You know also that Srila Sridhar Maharaj wanted Gurudev to take this singhasan for many years—Gurudev said that he had been trying to give him his chair for thirty years, but Gurudev did not agree, he would keep saying, "Please wait, please wait. I will see later." He was avoiding this chair. Finally, Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "If you do not take this chair, I will commit suicide and you, as my disciple, will be held responsible for that! If you do not take charge of this temple, I will break it and give the Deities to my godbrothers!" When Srila Sridhar Maharaj spoke such strong words to our Gurudev, he finally took sannyas in 1985 and took all charge. Nayananda Das Babaji (Satish Prabhu) told that at last Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "Today I can sleep well because Govinda Maharaj has taken all my responsibility. Now I am free and can sleep properly."

It is those who can take Gurudev's responsibility that can be a Guru, can be a successor. Those who can take all pain from their Guru are the real disciples. Who is called a disciple? Only taking a mantra does not make one a disciple—one who can take their Gurudev's responsibility, who can take away pain from their Gurudev, is called a perfect disciple.

Gurudev fulfilled his Guru's desire. Srila Sridhar Maharaj wrote in his pranam-mantra:

গুর্ব্বাভীষ্টসুপূরকং গুরুগণৈরাশীষসংভূষিতং
চিন্ত্যাচিন্ত্যসমস্তবেদনিপুণং শ্রীরূপপন্থানুগম্ ।
গোবিন্দাভিধমুজ্জ্বলং বরতনুং ভক্ত্যন্বিতং সুন্দরং
বন্দে বিশ্বগুরুঞ্চ দিব্যভগবৎ-প্রম্­ণো হি বীজপ্রদম্ ॥

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.

"Gurvvabhista": Gurudev is abhista, he fulfilled all desires of his Guru Maharaj. "Chintyachintya-samasta-veda": he possesses all the conceivable and inconceivable knowledge. Sometimes, Srila Sridhar Maharaj would say, "I can see that in some matters, in some things, Govinda Maharaj knows much more than me."

Once, a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked Srila Sridhar Maharaj, "Maharaj, every day we fry potato for the Deities in oil, but when Govinda Maharaj came today why did you tell to fry potato in ghee for him?" Srila Sridhar Maharaj replied, "You will understand it later." Srila Sridhar Maharaj spoke many things in praise of Gurudev. There are also many articles in the Gaudiya Darshan that are said to have been written by Srila Sridhar Maharaj, but actually Gurudev said that he had written many of those articles—but he would give his Guru Maharaj's name.

Then we can understand how much love and affection Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave to Gurudev... Gurudev also said, "It was my bad luck that at some point I fell down into a well and, like a dog who cannot climb out of a hole, I would just sit there and bark—I would not take anybody's help to get out of that well—but my Guru Maharaj took my hand and rescued me from that kind of position." Gurudev told it himself many times. He received so much mercy from his Guru Maharaj.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!

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