Other Desires

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
20 February 2018, Kolkata

Wherever Guru is, there is our Deity, there is our everything, but sometimes we cannot understand it... We only say, "I am your, Gurudev. I am yours. I am your dog, I am your this, I am your that." People say this but inside they have some other desire also. It is called anyabhilasita—other material desires. We may have no material desire, we may have some spiritual desire, but we cannot understand what is a material desire and what is a spiritual desire, or what Gurudev wants.

I heard a very nice story from Gurudev in this regard.

One time, Gurudev told a Western devotee, "Sit in front of me." He was living that time upstairs, at 487 Dum Dum Park. The devotee sat in front of Gurudev, and Gurudev spoke to other devotees—there were many devotees present there at that time, and Gurudev spoke to them, to his servitors, to sannyasis, and that devotee was only sitting and listening—Gurudev did not say anything to him. One day, another devotee came to him and said, "What are you doing there sitting in front of Gurudev all the time? That is not service, you are only sitting there and doing nothing. Come with me, you can clean the kitchen." The devotee agreed and started cleaning the kitchen and prasadam hall, there at 487 Dum Dum Park. Three-four days later he finished cleaning, but during these days he could not come to Gurudev. When he finally showed up, Gurudev asked him, "What happened, Prabhu? I have not seen you past three-four days." The devotee explained, "Oh, one devotee told me, 'What are you doing there? You are only sitting and doing nothing, come with me and clean the kitchen.' I went with him and have been busy cleaning the kitchen..." Gurudev said then, "Oh, and I was thinking you did not want to see my ugly face, that is why you did not like being here and you went to another place. I told you to sit here. You think that you have no service here, but that is your anyabhilasita. I told you to sit here, then that is your service. Sitting here, even if I say nothing to you and you say nothing to me, that is your service."

When I heard this story from Gurudev, I understood then what is called anyabhilasita. Anya (other) abhilas (desire). Rupa Goswami said,

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

"The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krsna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action, knowledge."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.1.11)

অন্য অভিলাষ ছাড়ি, জ্ঞান কর্ম্ম পরিহরি,
কায়মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণসেবা, না পূজিব দেবী-দেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari
kaya-mane kariba bhajana
sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva
ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

It is easy to understand.

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