Digesting Mercy

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening class
Sri Varaha Dvadasi, 6 February 2020, part 11
Translated from Bengali

If somebody accepts a guru but does not accept the guru's chastisement and guidance, then you can understand that this is not a disciple. What is there in chastisement? Spiritual benefit. There is a seed of spiritual benefit planted within chastisement and guidance. A mother also chastises and guides her son—she takes soil out of his mouth. She does it because she thinks about the child's benefit. In the same way, the guru always thinks about the spiritual benefit of his disciple. When the guru chastises and instructs his disciple, it means he is doing it desiring the disciple's benefit. If we cannot tolerate this chastisement—if we become upset or hurt (we become upset or contrite, thinking, "Oh, he told me this," "He told me that"), then we are very unfortunate. I would get actually happy, "Gurudev has chastised me! He does not chastise others, but he can chastise me." Gurudev did not chastise others, but he chastised me, and I would feel very happy, "Gurudev has chastised me!"

When Mahaprabhu was chastising Jagadananda Pandit, Sanatan Goswami cried. He thought, "The Lord has never given me sweets, He has always given me bitter things." Sivananda Sen was a very great personality, everybody knew him and everybody gave him honour. This Sivananda Sen was taking devotees from very far and everybody was full of honour towards him, but Nityananda Prabhu kicked him! What will you think of this? Who will understand the meaning of this? If somebody kicks you like this, you will get offended, "What is this! I do not need this kind of guru!" What to speak of kicking anyone, if the guru just chastises somebody, they say, "I do not need such a guru!" and flee! Yet Nityananda Prabhu did not just chastise—He kicked! Not only that, He also cursed Sivananda Sen's sons to die! Sivananda Sen's wife did not understand it and began to cry, and Sivananda Sen said, "You do not understand it! Nityananda's curse is mercy, it is His blessing! If your sons die because Nityananda says, then they are very fortunate—they will go to a spiritual place." Who is able to understand this? Sivananda Sen said, "I have been serving Prabhu for so long, but it is only today that I have got His mercy!" Sivananda Sen's nephew Srikantha went to Gaura Hari to complain about Nityananda Prabhu ("My uncle is a big person, how can he be insulted like this?"), but Gaura Hari understood what had happened and He saw that Srikantha came and sat there quietly without saying anything—when he came to Mahaprabhu, he could not say anything.

Such is Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami also—he had made a grand festival, but when he came to Nityananda Prabhu and surrendered to Him,

সংসার-সমুদ্র হৈতে উদ্ধারহ মোরে ।
এই আমি দেহ সমর্পিলাঙ তোমারে ॥

"samsara-samudra haite uddharaha more
ei ami deha samarpilana tomare"

"Please rescue Me from this ocean of material existence! I am surrendering Myself to you."

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Adi-khanda, 17.54)

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami fell at Nityananda Prabhu's feet in a prostrate obeisance, but Nityananda Prabhu put His feet on his head! On his head, can you believe it! That is why He is called avadhut (beyond any rules or restrictions). Nityananda Prabhu put His feet on Srila Raghunath Das Goswami's head and said, "Go, My child, your material bondage is gone now." Mahaprabhu had told him before,

সে ছল সেকালে কৃষ্ণ স্ফুরাবে তোমারে ।
কৃষ্ণকৃপা যাঁরে, তাঁরে কে রাখিতে পারে ॥

se chhala se-kale krsna sphurabe tomare
krsna-krpa yanre, tare ke rakhite pare

"Krishna will reveal to you how you can come. Who can stop the one who has got mercy of Krishna?"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.241)

This is how Srila Raghunath Das Goswami could finally run away and come to Mahaprabhu. This happened in Panihati, at the chida-dahi mahotsav.

Once, somebody asked Srila Guru Maharaj, "Is there no way for me? If you give me your mercy, then my mother, my wife can leave me." Srila Guru Maharaj said humbly, "Do I have the power to give mercy? They will leave you, but you will not be able to leave them. That is the profound truth." "I have left the blanket, but the blanket is not leaving me." So, your wife, your son have left you, but can you leave them? You cannot!

Everyone should serve according to their right or qualification. Many come to the temple, thinking, "I will live in the temple, I will chant kirtan," but gradually they become lazy and begin to slacken—they cannot sit during kirtans, they cannot sit during the class, they do not come to the class... Such people do not get a chance to practise Krishna consciousness.

"Ambarish Maharaj always engaged his mind at the lotus feet of Krishna, his words in describing the spiritual world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his hands in cleansing and washing the Lord's temple, his ears in hearing topics about the Supreme Lord, his eyes in seeing the Deity of Lord Krishna in the temple, his body in embracing Vaishnavs or touching their lotus feet, his nostrils in smelling the aroma of the Tulasi leaves offered to Krishna's lotus feet, his tongue in tasting food offered to Krishna, his legs in going to places of pilgrimage like Vrindavan and Mathura or to the Lord's temple, his head in touching the lotus feet of the Lord and offering Him obeisances, and his desires in serving the Lord faithfully. In this way Maharaj Ambarish engaged his senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord." Everyone must do the service that they are given. In a devotee's life, service is the vow, service is the life force, service is the duty, Always remember this.

Anyhow, much has been said, you have heard many things. Does anyone have any questions or doubts? Is there anything you could not understand? How can the tongue of such a low soul as myself speak about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu? I have only told you the little bit that I have heard from Sri Gurupadpadma. Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur described Nityananda Prabhu very beautifully. You can find this description in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, some of it is also printed in Sri Nityananda Mahimamrta.

You know, Param Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) came here, to the birthplace of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, before he started giving initiation. He paid his obeisance here and prayed for His mercy, "Prabhu, please give me Your mercy." Then, Nityananda Prabhu ordered him, "First distribute to this world the mercy that you have got from Prabhupad, then come to ask Me for mercy." After that, Srila Sridhar Maharaj started taking disciples.

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