Sri Guru Purnima Address

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Guru Purnima day, Kolkata-Worldwide
5 July 2020, part 2

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First, I am giving my full obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev, my Divine Master Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, as well as the lotus feet of all the assembled sannyasi-vrinda, all the devotees, and all the assembled devotees. I am giving my full obeisance to you all. I have no quality, no qualification to serve you all, but I am trying to follow my Gurudev's order and direction and continue in this way. I am trying to serve his mission in this way.

I am very pleased because I know all devotees wait for me to give this programme once a week—all devotees wait to express their opinion, to ask some questions and receive answers. It makes me happy and gives me pleasure and enthusiasm to continue my services. In this way, I am trying to continue my service.

Actually, I know that Guru is the centre of the disciple's heart—I have heard it from my Gurudev and read in Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's lectures. I have some understanding how we should increase our service mood, how we should increase our spiritual life—I have got much experience in my spiritual life because I joined this mission almost thirty years ago, and I have been trying to serve my Gurudev's mission since that time. I have always been trying to do the service that Gurudev gave me, and I am still trying to follow and finish that service. This is how this mission is running.

So many problems, so many quarrels, so much fighting comes. Gurudev told me before also that after his demise problems would come, he knew everything, and he ordered me not to run away. I promised him that I would not run away from whatever situation may come; I promised him that I would always stay with devotees; and I am trying to follow that. I never run away from any problems. Therefore, I want to say that I am always at your service. Any time you think of anything, you can engage me in your service at any time. Any service I can help you with, I will always try to do it, and I will try my best. That is my promise on this Guru Purnima day. What more can I say?

On this Guru Purnima day we also remember that those who can carry out Gurudev's order and who can tolerate Gurudev's chastisement (sasan, শাসন, disciplining), are perfect disciples. We must always be perfect disciples, and a perfect disciple is a person who can tolerate Gurudev's chastisement. This is very important for our spiritual life. Gurudev always chastised me so much, but I never thought that he was chastising me—I always thought he was giving me affection. That is why I did not have any problems. Gurudev would sometimes be angry, sometimes unhappy, sometimes happy, etc.—he tried to test me in many ways, and, perhaps, I passed his test, that is why he chose me as the next successor in his mission. But I am only his dog, and I always want to remain his dog, not more than that. If I can remain his dog my whole life, that is sufficient for me. If I can get some service dust from the place where Gurudev stays and where his eternal service is going on, that is sufficient for me.

All devotees are giving me so much love and affection. I do not know how many phone calls have come today—maybe one thousand phone calls—from all over the world. The phone has been ringing the whole day. I forgot to switch off my phones yesterday, and I am thinking it is the will of Gurudev because I usually always switch my phone off at night, and yesterday I came from Nrisingha Palli in the evening and was tired, so I went to take rest and forgot to switch off my mobile phones. I have four mobile phones and I started getting calls from 4:30 in the morning. Phone calls have been coming non-stop the whole day, only now I have switched it to the silent mode otherwise I will not be able to give the class. After the class I will have to answer the calls again. In this way, devotees' love and affection is giving me so much enthusiasm and happiness in my life, and that is sufficient for me. Actually, I never got in my previous life (purva-ashram, previous family) that which I have got from Gurudev—I have never got that kind of affection anywhere else. My Gurudev is more than a father to me. I have got many thousands times more love and affection from my Gurudev than from my biological father, and I never forget it, I cannot forget Gurudev's love and affection—even when he chastised me, it was his love and affection for me.

This is how I am continuing my service. So many senior devotees want to teach me, and I bow my head down at their lotus feet—I do not think they make any offence to me. It is OK, they can teach me because I am very young by age, I am younger than them. They can tell me anything they want, they can advise me, and I will follow their advice, I do not mind it. I am trying to live in this way. I do not think, "I am the successor, I am the main guru—why will they teach me then?" If somebody wants to teach me, wants to tell me something, I will be happy and I always take their advice and guidance. This is how I am running this mission. I am very enthusiastic and eager to receive any order, any service from the devotees. I am always waiting to serve you—tell me what service I need to do, and I will always try to do that, I will always try to fulfil your desire. This is how I am maintaining this Math.

You all know the situation with the lockdown. Many places are still not open fully, including the courts, so I cannot get my passport and cannot go all over the world now. I was supposed to get my passport in March, but then the lockdown started and I have not got it yet. I do not know when the courts open fully and I get my passport, but if I get it quickly within this year, I will try to visit you all. I will come. My heart is always with you all. Actually, my body is here, but my heart, my mind, my everything is with you. I am always thinking about you, I am always thinking about your good, how you can become better and better, how you can run the mission more and more successfully. This mission is all over the world. I do not think that our Chaitanya Saraswat Math is only in Nabadwip, Dum Dum Park, Ekachakra, London, America or any other particular place—no, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math is all over the world, and it is one united, single mission. The master of this mission is our Divine Master Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

Sometimes, some problems come—this is maya. All jiva souls are eternal servants of Krishna ("jiva—nitya Krsna-dasa"), but because we sometimes forget it, maya attacks us and some problems start coming—we start searching who is our enemy, but we must control ourselves, we must always fight with ourselves, not with others. We ourselves have so many enemies—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (lust, anger, greed, attachment with this material world and material things, illusion, envy). We must fight with all these enemies. That is the main thing for us in our life. Why are we going to fight with others? We must fight against ourselves. We always try to fight against others, but we never think that there are so many enemies inside us. You must fight and defeat your own enemies first, then you can conquer the whole world, but if you cannot defeat your own self, then how will you conquer the whole world? First, you must fight your own enemies—the enemies that you always carry around with you; but you are not trying to fight with them—instead, you are giving nourishment to them. You dream of conquering the whole world, but you cannot even conquer your own self! How will you conquer the whole world? First, fight against your own self. That is the main thing.

Therefore, we must practise and chant the Holy Name continuously. Do more service—serve, serve, serve, and serve. Do not become tired! You think you took initiation twenty years ago, thirty years ago, forty years ago; you think that you have been in Krishna consciousness for fifty years or ten years, that you have been chanting the Holy Name all this time, but you are not getting any result. Do not become tired! You must run continuously, do not be tired. Keep on going. You think the result will come immediately, but no, do not think about the result—you must always serve the Lord, serve your Guru, and whether your Guru accepts your service or not, that is up to his desire, not yours! Whether he will accept your service or not, depends on his desire. We must try to serve him and try to fulfil his desire, and whether he will accept our service or not, that is entirely left to his mood.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Jay Sri Guru Purnima ki jay

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