(8/14) Highest Vaishnavs and Pseudo Vaishnavs

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Ishwarpur, 19 January 2019, part 8
Translated from Bengali

I will give you an example of how vaishnav-seva is done. You can see from this example what our attitude should be and what the highest Vaishnavs' mood is like. You have heard the name of this great Vaishnav from our parampara, you give him 'jay' every day. His name is Vaishnav Sarvabhauma Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. I have written about him in my books also. I have told you earlier that you do not have to give me any pranami – better spend this money on the books. Read these books carefully, you will get benefit. I have written these books in simple language. When you read Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata or Srimad Bhagavatam, you may not understand the meaning of what is written there, that is why I wrote some commentary nicely. One more book (Guidance 3) will come come out also. So, just see what kind of Vaishnav Srila Babaji Maharaj was. When we go for the Nabadwip Dham parikrama, we also speak about Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. I think that you have heard it.

[To a devotee] Didi, I can see that you are struggling with your legs. Please go and sit on a chair at the back, it is not a problem.

শ্রীহরি সেবায় যাহা অনুকূল ।
বিষয় বলিয়া ত্যাগে হয় ভূল ॥

sri-hari sevaya yaha anukula
visaya baliya tyage haya bhula

'If something is favourable to the service of the Lord, it is wrong to reject it considering it material or mundane.'

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's translation of verse 1.2.256 from Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)

I also cannot sit on the ground because when I do, my legs start paining. You can go a little to the back and sit on a chair there. It is not an offence. I can look at your faces and see if anybody is struggling with anything. I also struggle when I sit – if I sit in a chair and my legs do not have some support (if they swing in the air), they start to pain.

So, I began talking about Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. You can tell people about him and explain who is called a Vaishnav. The main thing in vaishnav-seva is 'What does the Vaishnav want?' Vaishnav-seva is not done to make you happy, so it does not matter what makes you happy – the main thing is what makes the Vaishnav happy. When Vraja gopis gave their footdust to Krishna, they did not think about their happiness, sin or piety. Whether Krishna is telling the truth or lying, whether He is feigning His headache or not, it does not matter to them. That is why their devotion is the highest. You must learn who is called a devotee. Vraja gopis, who always stay at Radha Kunda (some of them turn into various plants, trees, insects, etc. and always stay there), say, 'We do not have any devotion to Krishna! We do not have any attraction to Krishna. We could not serve Him! He has left us!' Actually, Vraja Krishna never leaves Vraja, but they lament in this way, 'Krishna has left us all and went to Dvaraka...' There is Mathuresh Krishna, Vraja's Krishna and Dvarakesh Krishna. Vraja's Krishna never leaves Vraja. He only externally goes to Dvaraka. When we went to Dvaraka, I explained why He went there. Anyhow, we say that gopis are the highest devotees, and Krishna Himself gave them His certificate, 'Gopis are My highest devotees, and among all gopis Radharani is the highest devotee.' Krishna also gave this kind of certificate to Sivji Maharaj by allowing him to stay at rasa-mandala and calling him Gopeshwari ('Mistress of the Gopis'). Sivji Maharaj defeated Cupid and was able to stay at rasa-lila of Lord Krishna. So, what do these highest Vraja gopis say? 'We do not have any devotion to Krishna! We have not been able to do any service to Krishna! We do not have the kind of devotion Prahlad Maharaj has!' Those who have devotion always say this out of sincere humility. They are always humbler than blades of grass, more tolerant than trees, and they always give honour to others. These are the signs of a Vaishnav. Vaishnavs always try to give honour to others, try to show love and affection to others.

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

'One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

This is what we also pray to gurudev for every day:

সকলে সম্মান করিতে শকতি
দেহ' নাথ ! যথাযথ ।
তবে ত' গাইব হরিনাম সুখে
অপরাধ হবে হত ॥

sakale sammana karite sakati,
deha natha! yatha yatha
tabe ta' gaiba hari-nama sukhe,
aparadha habe hata

'O Master! Please give me strength to give proper honour to everyone, then I will happily chant the Holy Name and all my offences will be destroyed.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Gurudev, please give me power to chant Krishna-kirtan. I cannot give honour to everyone, I cannot tolerate everything, I cannot become humbler than a blade of grass.' None of us can become Vaishnavs... Remember this. One does not become a Vaishnav just by adopting some external insignia (tilaks, neckbeads, clothes, etc.).

So, we must remember that Vraja gopis never did anything for themselves. When they gave their footdust to Krishna, they did not think whether they will incur sin or get some piety for that. They never think about themselves. We must always think, 'What does gurudev want? What do Vaishnavs and devotees want or need?' We must always serve to fulfil their desires. Our Gurudev also gave an example in his lectures. Suppose Krishna says, 'Give me a laddu,' but you make a singara instead. What for? Krishna has asked for a laddu, so give Him a laddu. We must not follow the whims of our minds. 'Satisfying the whims of your mind is a show of service, it is not service (nijera manera kheyala khusi-mato bhajana abhinaya, bhajana bale na; নিজের মনের খেয়াল খুশিমতো ভজন অভিনয়, ভজন বলে না). When you come to do service, do not do it for your own pleasure or happiness.

I can give you an example. About twenty years ago, I went to Midnapore. The programme was supposed to start at six or eight in the evening. By the time I came there (we had to walk four–five miles [6.5–8 km] through fields to get there because the car could not reach the place), it was half past nine. I was very tired. There were crowds of people lining up to wash my feet! I told the host, 'Can I have a glass of water? I am very thirsty,' but they did not bother – they were too busy washing my feet. This is emotion, or show-off devotion. They want to show off, 'Oh, I love gurudev so much, I am going to wash his feet!' You know, there is one sampradaya in Vijayawada where the leader says, 'How can you remove your offences? You must wash my feet with some water and then drink that water!' What kind of a Vaishnav is that? Actually, it is not the sampradaya's fault – it is the fault of the person who says such things. You cannot blame it on the sampradaya, but the person who says such things is an offender. Those who consider themselves Vaishnavs can never be Vaishnavs. That is why when Srila Prabhupad returned from Vrindavan, he said, 'I have not seen a single Vaishnav there!' There are so many babajis who chant the Lord's Name there, but Srila Prabhupad said, 'I have not seen a single Vaishnav there!'

We must always remember this.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Dearth of Hari-katha
2) Follow without Imitation
3) Higher Conceptions
4) Pursuit-Free Devotion
5) Dasya-Abhiman, not Prapya-Abhiman
6) Servant's Stance
7) Internal and External Mood of Servants
8) Highest Vaishnavs and Pseudo Vaishnavs
9) Example of Vaishnav Quality
10) Action and Reaction
11) In Search of Reality
12) Cutting Illusory Bondage
13) Love for Lord, Love for Yourself
14) Come to Serve Devotees