(4/11) Private Service Stays Private

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme, Basirhat, noon programme,
14 December 2020, part 4

Gauranga is the combined form of Sri Radha-Krishna. But we say who is the incarnation of Srimati Radharani in Kali-yuga? Gadadhar Pandit. So, if Radharani is Gadadhar Pandit, then how can Mahaprabhu be Radha-Krishna's combined form? There arises some contradiction, and this question can come. Srila Sridhar Maharaj explains this very nicely [Krishna appears as Gauranga taking Radharani's heart and halo, and what is left of Radharani comes as Gadadhar.].

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also explained the gayatri-mantra. When boys receive the gayatri-mantra, they first recite Brahma gayatri. I cannot explain it now in detail because there are ladies present, but when Srila Sridhar Maharaj wrote an explanation of Brahma gayatri, he wrote, 'Gayatri muralista-kirtana-dhanam Radha-padam dhimahi (গায়ত্রী-মুরলীষ্ট-কীর্ত্তনধনং রাধাপদং ধীমহি): Krishna's flute does not make any other tune except the glorification of Srimati Radharani, and that is the real meaning and gist of the gayatri-mantra.' If anybody asks what the gist meaning of the gayatri-mantra is, we say that its meaning is that we pray that our minds, our hearts may always stay at the holy feet of Srimati Radharani.

When we chant glorification of gurudev, we sing:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all scriptures to be no doubt the Supreme Lord Himself and considered to be so by pious souls but who is also no doubt the Lord's dear associate."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

Gurudev is the Lord Himself (saksat Hari). If we differentiate between gurudev and Krishna, we will be committing the third offence of considering the guru a common mortal man (martya-buddhi, মর্ত্য-বুদ্ধি). So, on the one hand, gurudev is the Lord Himself; on the other hand, gurudev is also non-different from Srimati Radharani, who is the dearmost of the Lord (kintu prabhor yah priya).

Some people say that we should not offer rice to gurudev's deity on ekadasi days. They argue, 'Oh, gurudev fasts on ekadasi, then why must we offer him rice bhoga on ekadasi?' Gurudev fasts on ekadasi to teach others by his own example. Mahaprabhu also followed ekadasi, but we offer rice to Mahaprabhu's Deity on ekadasi. Then you can understand these things yourself. Only smartavadis (orthodox rule-followers) will argue about such things.

So, gurudev is both the Lord Himself and also the dearmost of the Lord (Srimati Radharani), so we always pray to have attachment and love for the holy feet of Sri Radharani.

A devotee asked me recently, 'Why do you not worship the yugala-murti (Deities of Radha-Krishna)?' I told him, 'Who told you that we do not worship Them? Do you think that we will show this worship openly, like you all do?' 'Apana bhajana-katha na kahibe yatha tatha (আপন ভজন-কথা, না কহিবে যথা তথা): Do not tell anyone and everyone about your own bhajan, service and practice.' If I practise something or do some service, do I need to show it to you? He said, 'But you are not worshipping the yugala-murti...' I asked him, 'Do you understand what yugala-murti is? Do you think that your union (yugala) with your wife is the same as the union of Radha and Krishna?' One time, somebody asked our Gurudev, 'Gurudev, can you speak about Krishna-lila?' Gurudev replied straight, 'If you hear about Krishna-lila, you will become pregnant! Your time to hear such things has not come yet.' It is necessary to speak things at an appropriate time and place. How can I speak about our internal service and worship, about Radharani, the highest conception, anywhere and everywhere at random? It is told in the scriptures also that we must speak about Radharani (about Her pastimes with Krishna and the part of Srimad Bhagavatam that describes them) only when we go to Vrindavan – we do not speak about those pastimes everywhere; apart from that, if there is any intimate devotee (antaranga-bhakta), I can tell it to them privately. Otherwise, who will you tell such things to? Who will understand it? So, who told you that we do not worship Radha-Krishna? 'Oh, I have not seen it.' Do we need to show it to you? What did Srila Prabhupad say?

মাতল হরিজন কীর্ত্তন-রঙ্গে ।
পূজল রাগপথ গৌরব-ভঙ্গে ॥

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

'From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline.'

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad)

It means that we, as the devotees of the Lord (Hari-jana), should always dance glorifying the Lord. Mahaprabhu is always pleased through kirtan. The highest worship of Gauranga Mahaprabhu is through congregational chanting (sankirtana-yajna). You can see many temples on the streets, but do they chant kirtan when they do arati? Whether it is a temple of Durga, Kali, Laksmi, Narayan, this Deity, that Deity, or any house prayer room, people only beat the gong or a drum, they do not chant kirtan. There are also certain matua people who beat drums and only chant 'Hari bol! Hari bol!'

মাতল হরিজন কীর্ত্তন-রঙ্গে ।
পূজল রাগপথ গৌরব-ভঙ্গে ॥

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

'From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline.'

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad)

Where must we keep raga-patha (path of spontaneous loving devotion)? In our hearts. It is our internal pride (gaurava). The worship of Radha-Krishna is our pride, and we always keep it private, in our hearts. We do not show this to people.

So, who says that we do not worship Radha-Krishna?

Nitai is non-different from Gurupadpadma. Unless you get Nitai's mercy, you cannot come to Radha-Krishna. If you worship Nityananda Prabhu, you will get Gauranga's mercy; and if you get Gauranga's mercy, you will get Radha-Krishna's mercy – you can come to Their holy feet. There is no other way to achieve this.

Some say, 'You must become a devotee of Krishna!' but Krishna Himself says, 'If you say that you have become My devotee, you are not My devotee at all. But if you become a devotee of My devotee, then you are My devotee.'

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Grave Warning
2) Pull of Material Life
3) Awakening Inner Longing
4) Private Service Stays Private
5) Universal Religion
6) On Others' Offences
7) Unburden Yourself
8) Benefactor's Gift
9) Exclusive Path
10) Behind Closed Doors
11) Unbending Stance