Highest Devotion

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking online to devotees in London
28 July 2018, part 5

Devotee: There are different kinds of inner devotion, what is the highest kind of devotion?

You know what is the highest relation. The scriptures tell (and Gurudev told it also) that a tridandi sannyasi means serving with your body, mind and speech (kaya, mana, vakya). That is OK, but Gurudev said, "The highest kind of a devotee is the one who has such qualities as humility, tolerance and who gives honour to others." Those who have these qualities are the highest kind of devotees. Be humble, tolerant and give honour to others, then you will be the highest devotee and you will be adhikari—you will have the power to chant the Holy Name.

Those who are humble, tolerant and give honour to others are the highest devotees. Do you think that if somebody has all scriptures in their head, in their brain, if somebody reads so many books and knows everything, they are the highest devotee? No. The books do not say this. "Bahu grantha na paribe, bahu kalabhyasa na karibe (বহু গ্রন্থ না পড়িবে, বহু কলাভ্যাস না করিবে): it is not necessary to read so many books, it is not necessary to practise so many artificial things." It is only necessary to serve your Guru properly, nothing else. You know the story about a disciple of Gauridas Pandit, I have told it before. You must listen to it.

Gauridas Pandit lived in a temple in Kalna and served Gaura Nitai there. He had a disciple called Chaitanyadas who helped him to serve Them, and there were many other devotees also. Gauridas gave one service to Chaitanyadas, he told him, "You must make a flower garden for the Deities and look after it every day." At that time, it was very difficult to get water—there was no tube well, no tap water, so the water had to be brought from the Ganges. So, Chaitanyadas would bring water for the garden every day and he was so busy that he did not even get time to pay obeisance to his Guru.

A few months later, Gauridas Pandit thought, "I must go and see what garden he has made." He came to the garden and when he saw it he was astonished, "What a good garden! So many flowers!" He waited in the garden for his disciple to come. Soon, Chaitanyadas came. He was carrying water in a clay jar on his head, and as soon as he saw his Gurudev, he removed the jar from his head and fell down in obeisance to his Guru. Then Gurudev saw that there was a big wound in his head, and it was full of insects. Gauridas Pandit said, "What has happened? Come to me! What has happened to your head? You have so many insects, but you are still working and carrying water?!" Chaitanyadas replied, "No, Gurudev, nothing has happened, nothing has happened." Gauridas Pandit personally took him to a doctor—the doctor took out the insects, bandaged his head and they returned to the temple.

When Gauridas Pandit became old, who did he give his power? He had many scholarly disciples, but he gave his power, his authority to Chaitanyadas and made him his successor. But when Gauridas Pandit left, all these scholarly disciples took over the temple—they beat Chaitanyadas and threw him out. So, Chaitanyadas went to Vrindavan and lived there under a tree, chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

One day, a big merchant from Delhi had a dream, "There is a devotee of Krishna in Vrindavan, he is suffering very much. Help him." The next day, the merchant came to Vrindavan to see that devotee, Chaitanyadas, and soon after that he made a big temple for him in Vrindavan.

Do you see? Gauridas Pandit had so many disciples, so many followers, but the temple has been ruined. If you go to Kalna now and see that temple, you will see that now those who are serving there are not devotees of Krishna—they eat fish, meat, etc., they do not follow Gauridas Pandit's conceptions. This is what happened.

So, what do you love? Somebody loves bricks and stones, but who do you love? You love your Guru.

— : • : —

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