(1/3) Serve Carefully

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
Kolkata—Colombia & Venezuela, 17 October 2020, part 1

Hari bol! Hare Krishna!

It is very nice to see everybody. I am very happy to see you all.

Srila Ashram Maharaj: Dandavat, Srila Acharya Maharaj. Please accept my humble obeisance. I wish you very happy Vyasa Puja celebration.

Please accept my humble obeisance, Srila Ashram Maharaj!

Srila Ashram Maharaj: How is your health, Maharaj?

My health is good, but it is too much austerity today. I have been talking on the phone and online the whole day. My phone started ringing early in the morning, from three o'clock, and it is now 7:35 p.m. I have been talking today for almost fourteen or fifteen hours...

Srila Ashram Maharaj: It is a very long time! But everyone appreciates it very much.

Actually, Gurudev mercifully chose me as his dog and is keeping me as his dog, that is why I am trying to serve everyone. All devotees are giving me very much love and affection, they are keeping me in their hearts – that is my great fortune.

I was born in a simple family where there is no tradition to make birthday festivals or wish anybody happy birthday. But when I joined Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip, I started making the Guru Puja and Vyasa Puja festivals for my Gurudev, and after that I understood the meaning of vyasa-puja and guru-puja. But it is very difficult for me on this day, I always feel shy...

I told everyone last Sunday that they could make guru-puja, but I asked them not to make big festivals, but they still made big festivals everywhere, and many devotees and many people joined the festival. I saw today that even in Russia many people gathered on this day. They are not afraid of coronavirus. Coronasur, a demon called Corona has come, but this Demon Corona cannot stop the glorification of the guru, guru-varga and their associates. Corona cannot stop the chanting of the Holy Name. Corona can stop some financial, economical or other material matters, but Corona cannot stop the chanting of the glories of the guru and Krishna.

So, I am very fortunate because all devotees are keeping me in their hearts, and I am also trying to serve them as much as possible. I was very happy to see this festival all over the world. It is giving me inspiration and enthusiasm.

There is one thing I want to tell you. I joined Sri Chaitnaya Saraswat Math almost thirty years ago, and when I had just joined, Gurudev's godbrothers were making Gurudev's appearance festival. I saw the leaflet (the invitation) they had distributed, and saw that they called this festival 'Acharya abhivandan mahotsav'. When I later got many invitations from other acharyas in Mayapur, I saw that they wrote 'Vyasa Puja and Guru Puja maha-mahotsav'. At that time I could not understand the meaning of vyasa-puja and guru-puja because I had joined the Mission only one or two months before that one-two months before and I was not very experienced in Vaishnav culture. So, I did not really understand the difference between 'Vyasa Puja and Guru Puja maha-mahotsav' and 'Acharya abhivandan mahotsav'. In 1992, I made the invitation letters for Gurudev's Vyasa Puja, and when Gurudev saw the letter, there was something written wrong in it, and Gurudev corrected it. I was very happy. Before the festival, I invited many devotees from the Indian section (many foreign devotees also joined), arranged for a generator and a lot of decoration with lights and also painted Gurudev's room, veranda and corridor. At that time, Gurudev lived in a small room (you saw that room, you probably remember it), he did not live in his new house. On the eve of the festival, Gurudev came out of his room to see what decorations and arrangements I had made. (At that time, Govinda Kunda had not manifested properly. It was there, but there was a lot of jungle around it and no decoration.) Gurudev saw everything and was very happy. It was a very big festival. Then, I went away to join the evening arati, and after finishing Tulasi and mandir (temple) parikrama, I came to Gurudev to offer my obeisance. Suddenly, I saw that Gurudev was a little upset about something. He chastised me, 'Why are you spending so much money on my birthday? Why did you not paint my house with black paint instead of using expensive white paint?' I did not understand what had happened (why Gurudev was upset), but I heard later that one of Gurudev's godbrothers, who was very envious of Gurudev, had come to him and complained, 'Vinod is spending so much money on this festival!' That is why Gurudev asked me, 'Why are you spending so much money?' I did not say anything in reply; I kept quiet. I understood later that Gurudev said it because he was feeling much pain after hearing his godbrother's words. Actually, that money is Gurudev's money, so I spent it on Gurudev's Vyasa Puja, but because that godbrother was envious, he could not tolerate it. At that time, I learnt something.

I also heard from Gurudev how he served Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrothers. In Srila Sridhar Maharaj's time, many of his godbrothers would come to Srila Sridhar Maharaj to hear Hari-katha, and Gurudev (he was a brahmachari at that time) got an opportunity to serve his guru-varga (Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj and others). And Gurudev taught me how to serve devotees and Vaishnavs. You cannot proceed in your spiritual life, you cannot prosper in your spiritual life without service to Vaishnavs and devotees. It is necessary to serve devotees. This is the main thing in our lives. This is our Vaishnav culture. We serve devotees. 'Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya vande guroh sri-charanaravindam (কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্): I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is no doubt the Lord's dear associate.' Gurudev is the dearmost associate of Lord Krishna, he is like Srimati Radharani, that is why you must serve him carefully.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Serve Carefully
2) 'My Actual Happiness'
3) Always Chant