(4/6) Clouded Intelligence

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Ganga Sagar, evening class
12 January 2020, part 4

[His Divine Grace is interrupted by a phone call.] You can see that they are calling me even during the class. Gurudev said that management is one thing and speaking Hari-katha is another thing. But there are so many temples now, and everyone is calling me about everything. Just now they have called me from Mayapur because some motor has broken down. I have to deal with all this. If a motor has broken down, then go and get another one. But such complaints keep coming to me the whole day. They do not have intelligence. If somebody is not getting prasad or somebody is not giving prasad, why is it necessary to tell me about it? What is the problem? Let everyone eat three-four times a day. It is said in the scriptures that you must eat up to your neck and chant the Holy Name loudly the whole day.

When I was young, I saw it too—somebody asked Guru Maharaj (Srila Govinda Maharaj) how much rice should be cooked every day, and Guru Maharaj replied, "How much I have been teaching and telling them, but they still come to ask me about such things. When will I be relieved from this pain?" Later, I took over much of Gurudev's work, and now all the burden comes to me—I have to tell everyone what to do when a motor breaks, what to do when there is cement required, what to do when there is anything else required and so on.

Devotees fight because of service, but they are not learning anything. Gurudev said that there can be only five people staying at the temple, but even those five people will not talk to each other—they will criticise and abuse each other. People come to the temple to serve the Lord, but they cannot leave their egos. Gurudev says that they must praise each other for ten minutes. This is how such situations can be managed.

The problem is that we only pretend that we have taken initiation. Many people come to take initiation, but does everyone actually take it? Many only pretend that they take initiation. In the end, they become guru-bhogi (they exploit their guru) and guru-tyagi (they renounce their guru). People end up enjoying with Gurudev's things. Instead of giving something to Gurudev, they take things from Gurudev and enjoy with his things. Such mood comes... They do not mind giving Gurudev pain and anxiety...

We must always think and remember this. Many people become guru-bhogi and guru-tyagi; they downplay their guru—they do not follow what Gurudev tells them. In his mind, Gurudev gives up such 'disciples'. At first:

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 ill chance a servant falls down and goes somewhere else, glorious is that master who captures him and brings him back by the hair."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.47)

When our mind becomes distorted, we do and do service but end up going in a wrong direction. Vaishnavs and Gurudev are so merciful that they grab us by the hair and again bring us back to use us for the service of Govinda. But there is a limit to Gurudev's patience and tolerance. If you again and again do wrong, again and again make the same offence, again and again behave bad, Gurudev will not tolerate it forever. Even if you do it secretly, Gurudev and the Lord can understand everything—they are antaryami (can see everything).

[Asking one of the devotees.] Who was singing the Gaura Arati today? Did you sing, "Gadadharer gatha mala"? Never do it. [Devotee: We sang, "Bhakta-vrinda gatha mala".] Yes, that is all right. You can sing, "Bhakta-gana gatha mala" or "Bhakta-vrinda gatha mala."

— : • : —

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Daily Duty
2) Unfaltering Determination
3) Live Within Service
4) Clouded Intelligence
5) Play of Maya
6) Answers to Many Questions