(10/10) Gurudev's Abundant Blessing

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance festival, Tarakeshwar
16 April 2019, evening, part 10
Translated from Bengali

You can see here seated is Srila Ashram Maharaj. He served Gurudev and always stayed with him, making sure Gurudev did not have any problem. Gurudev had Bengali servitors, but they did not stay with Gurudev at night – Srila Ashram Maharaj did. He first took initiation in ISKCON, but then he came to Srila Sridhar Maharaj and took sannyas from him. Despite that, he considered our Gurudev his own guru and served him in a very intimate way.

Our Sri Gurupadpadma has given us so much blessing – he has made such wonderful arrangements for us all. What is there for us to be afraid of? We have taken shelter at his lotus feet, and if we can genuinely serve his holy lotus feet, then we have nothing to be afraid of. Moreover, if we can serve his dearmost associates and devotees, then also we will have nothing to be afraid of.

There is reason for fear. We did not come to this world to be carpenters and brick-layers or for the sake of big buildings. We have come to this world only as Mahaprabhu's messengers. These are Srila Prabhupad's words.

You will not get any letter or news directly from the Lord Himself. Even if you send Him your letter, He will not reply it. But if you give your letter to the Lord's associate (to the Lord's own), then you will get a reply. If you call them, you can find out the news about the Lord. If you take shelter at their holy feet, you can learn about the Lord, you can know the Lord. Then, if you have any appeal or petition, you can submit it to them:

বৈষ্ণবের আবেদনে কৃষ্ণ দয়াময় ।
এ হেন পামর প্রতি হবেন সদয় ॥

vaisnavera avedane krsna dayamaya
e hena pamara prati habena sadaya

'Hearing Vaisnav Thakur’s appeal, merciful Lord Krishna will take pity on this wretched sinner.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Hearing Vaisnav Thakur’s appeal, merciful Lord Krishna will take pity.' When Krishna hears an appeal of His own, He can never ignore it. So, if we submit our appeal or petition to a Vaishnav, Krishna will never ignore us.

Therefore, always practise Krishna consciousness. Always remember Srila Gurupadpadma. He is a transcendental personality, and he was extremely dear to Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. You all know that at some point he left the temple and stayed outside, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj brought him back.

দুর্দ্দৈবে সেবক যদি যায় অন্য-স্থানে ।
সেই ঠাকুর ধন্য তারে চুলে ধরি' আনে ॥

durdaive sevaka yadi yaya anya sthane
sei thakura dhanya tare chule dhari' ane

'If, by some misfortune, a servant goes in a wrong direction, glorious is the master who catches him by the hair and brings him back.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.47)

Srila Sridhar Maharaj brought Sri Gurupadpadma back by the hair and again engaged him in the Lord's service. You have heard Maharaj speak in the morning. When Srila Swami Maharaj, the founder of ISKCON, lived at Ultadanga Road (his name was Abhay Charan De, or Abhay Babu, at the time), Srila Sridhar Maharaj and our Gurudev (he was a brahmachari at that time, Gaurendu Brahmachari) stayed at his house. Srila Swami Maharaj would encourage Srila Sridhar Maharaj many times, 'You can speak English well and can preach so well – you know Mahaprabhu's and Srila Prabhupad's conception. You cannot stay alone in your room. You must preach!' He would take Srila Sridhar Maharaj for preaching whenever there was an opportunity. Later, this Srila Swami Maharaj also wanted to take sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaj, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj objected, 'If I give you sannyas, your wife will curse me. She will say that I stayed nicely at your house and then have taken her husband away.' Later, on a more serious note, he told Srila Swami Maharaj, 'You are my godbrother, you like a younger brother to me, so if you take sannyas from me, I will not be able to see you as my sannyas disciple, and you will also not be able to see me as your sannyas-guru because we have stayed at the same place and virtually slept on the same bed. It is natural that we cannot have the relationship of a sannyas-guru and a disciple. Here is what you should do though. I have given sannyas and the mantras to Pujyapad Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj [the acharya of Devananda Gaudiya Math]. I can give you your name, and you can take the sannyas-mantras from him, then the line will remain straight.'

Srila Swami Maharaj had many sons, but he said about our Gurudev, 'Those sons are not my sons! I have only one son – Gaurendu Brahmachari. He is my real son.' You also know that when the IKSCON Chandrodaya Mandir was being inaugurated in 1973, Srila Swami Maharaj invited all Gaudiya Math acharyas, but only Srila Sridhar Maharaj came together with Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj and our Gurupadpadma. At first, it was only a thatched house with a big plot of land behind it. We have photographs from that programme where Srila Swami Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj and our Gurupadpadma are seated all together (Srila Gurudev had long curly hair in that photograph). You can buy these photographs from the bookstore. At that programme, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj asked Srila Swami Maharaj, 'Maharaj, you have invited me to a temple opening, but where is the fire sacrifice and all the other arrangements?' Srila Swami Maharaj replied, 'Maharaj, when such a great, learned personality and Vaishnav as you has come, why do I need any fire sacrifice or anything else? I do not need all this. You have come, so my temple is already inaugurated.' Then, Srila Sridhar Maharaj took his seat, and to reveal the glory of his disciple, he showed a pastime of feeling sick – he said, 'I am not feeling well, so my disciple, Govinda Maharaj, will speak some Hari-katha on my behalf.' When Gurudev spoke, he recited this sloka:

কম্প্রতি কথয়িতুমীশে সম্প্রতি কো বা প্রতীতিমায়াতু ।
গোপতি-তনয়াকুঞ্জে গোপবধূটী-বিঢং ব্রহ্ম ॥

kam prati kathayitum ise samprati ko va pratitim ayatu
go-pati-tanaya-kunje gopa-vadhuti-vidam brahma

'To whom can I speak? Who will believe me when I say that Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is hunting gopis in the bushes by the banks of the Yamuna? In this way the Lord demonstrates His pastimes.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.98)

Who could have said? Gopis, the ladies of Vraja Dham, run behind a simple cowherd boy around the jungle paths? Who will you tell this to? Who will be able to understand it? The Supreme Lord assumes the form of a simple cowherd boy and all the milkmaids are running behind Him! So, who could have thought that Abhay Babu, a simple white-clad householder running a business in Kolkata, has now left his business, left his white clothes and, going abroad, preached all over the world and has now brought so many disciples here? Who will you tell this to? When Srila Gurudev recited this verse, Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj cried out, 'Hari bol! Hari bol! Hari bol!' and everybody began to clap.

This is our Sri Gurupadpadma at whose holy feet we have taken shelter. Srila Sridhar Maharaj kept all foreign devotees at his holy feet. Those who were faithful to him are still remaining faithful. Many of you say that Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj is a great person – if he is a great person, then what he says is also great, and we must accept and follow what he says. In the same way, we all say that Srila Gurudev is a great person, then what Gurudev said is also great, but if we cannot make his words one with our hearts, then there is nothing else left for us except to fall down. We must follow what Gurudev said.

Always remember these things. I have spoken a lot, so I would like to request Srila Ashram Maharaj to speak about Srila Gurudev now.

[At the end, His Divine Grace recalls the following pastime of Srila Gurudev.]

Gurudev told me one thing, I have just remembered it. When he was staying at Srila Swami Maharaj's house, one time Srila Swami Maharaj asked him, 'Gaurendu, what did you have for breakfast today?' Gurudev said, 'I am a Bardhaman village boy, so I eat muri (puffed rice) in the morning.' Srila Swami Maharaj replied to that, 'Muri? You are cheating your stomach! How long is your muri going to stay in your stomach? Come with me!' Gurudev went with Srila Swami Maharaj and ate luchi and aloo-dum with him! Gurudev said, 'That day I ate forty luchis!' I was also like that. Guru Maharaj loved me so much that although everybody at the temple had one-paise-worth muri, I got two-paise-worth muri, with potato! [His Divine Grace laughs.]

All right, it is late now, so we do not have time to chant many kirtans, but we must sing at least one kirtan for Gurudev and then 'Hari Haraye'. [His Divine Grace chants 'Emana durmati', 'Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu', 'Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna' and 'Hari Haraye Nama Krsna', completing the evening class.]

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Size: 46 Mb
Length: 96 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Chaste Submission Is Key
2) Busy Yourself with Service
3) Value of Chastity
4) Plan Your Journey
5) Avoid Religious Hypocrisy
6) Fight for Your Aspiration
7) Guru's Care
8) Learning the Ropes
9) Run behind the Lord
10) Gurudev's Abundant Blessing