(13) Service, Desire and Mercy

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening class
17 February 2019, part 13

I have told you some heavy things, let me tell you some more light-hearted stories. You will laugh to hear them. But these are not some nonsense stories – these 'stories' are in the devotional line. I am never going to sit and tell you nonsense stories.

One time, I went for preaching to Russia. There, they do not sit on the floor at public programmes – they arrange programmes in very big halls, and all speakers sit in big expensive chairs, microphones in front of them. That day, I gave a class in the morning (at the temple), and in the evening, all the sannyasis (my godbrothers and my guru-varga) were to attend that big programme. In the morning, I mentioned that, according to Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Mahaprabhu had only three and a half servitors: the three were Svarup Damodar, Ray Ramananda and Sikhi Mahiti, and the half was Sikhi Mahiti's sister, Srimati Madhavi Devi. In the evening, during the programme, all the ladies suddenly stood up and asked me, 'Acharya Maharaj, why is it that we, ladies, are only half-servitors? We cook, make garlands and do so many things – why are we only half? Why are men full servants and we are only half?' I thought, 'Gosh, there is no explanation of that in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita – what am I to say in reply?' I started to call out to Gurudev, 'O Gurudev! Please save me!' At that time, Gurudev was not present at the hall – he had made a speech and went away, leaving us to continue the programme. So, I had to answer the question. As I called out to Gurudev, the right answer occurred to me. I said, 'Srimati Madhavi Devi would cook and do everything for Mahaprabhu, but she could not come in front of Mahaprabhu and serve Him prasad personally because Mahaprabhu, being a sannyasi, always kept away from ladies. That is why she could do only one half of service, but she could not do the other half; and that is why she is said to be a half-servitor.' Later, I told Gurudev what the ladies had asked me and asked him if that answer was correct, and Gurudev said, 'Yes, it is the right answer. What you said is right.'

Another time, one devotee asked me, 'Why are there so many obscene pictures on the walls of Lord Jagannath's temple?' I was surprised to hear it because when I went there, I had never seen any of this, but later I realised that when you go to the temple, you can indeed see all the people, especially girls, staring at those pictures. I have seen some people laughing also about it. You can understand then that such people come to the temple with wrong intentions. So, what was I to say when that devotee asked me about the reason for those images in the temple? Actually, we go to the temple to have the darshan of Lord Jagannath – we do not go there to see all those images. If I come to the temple to serve and worship the Lord but instead I think about my vegetable garden back at home ('Oh, what if a goat is eating my vegetables right now?!'), will I be able to hear anything then? I will not. So, you come to take the darshan of Lord Jagannath, but if instead you see all those images and dirty things enter your mind, then you will not be able to see Lord Jagannath. And if, even having seen those pictures, you never think anything bad, then you will be able to see Lord Jagannath.

You know, when Mahaprabhu came to see Lord Jagannath, He would see Krishna in Jagannath Deity. One time, a lady actually climbed Mahaprabhu's shoulder to see the Deity! Mahaprabhu's servant Govinda quickly tried to get her off Mahaprabhu, 'Get down! Get down! What are you doing?!' But Mahaprabhu told him, 'Be quiet. Leave her.' Later, when Mahaprabhu returned to His room (Gambhira), Govinda asked Him, 'Prabhu, You do not allow even men to touch You – how come You allowed that lady climb(!) on You?' Mahaprabhu replied, 'Because that woman had such deep hankering that she was not even conscious that there was a sannyasi standing before her – she only longed to see Lord Jagannath, so much so that she even climbed on Me!' We all must have this kind of intense desire. If you have such desire, you must get mercy. It is necessary to have a very strong desire. Always remember this.

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