(4/5) Spread Gurudev's Mercy

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Basirhat, 16 December 2020, morning, part 4
Translated from Bengali

Kashi Misra's story goes back to Vrindavan. Kashi Misra came in Mahaprabhu's pastimes, but in Vrindavan, he was a hunchbacked gopi called Kubja. Kubja was not a very pretty girl, but she wanted Krishna to stay at her house for a day. Krishna told her, 'It is not possible in this birth, but we will see next birth.' In this way, Kubja became Kashi Misra in Kali-yuga.

Mahaprabhu also showed many pastimes with Jagadananda Pandit. He was a very intimate associate of Mahaprabhu. He composed Prema-vivarta. You can read Sri Puri Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala, you will find those pastimes described there. Always read this book. I have also composed Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala.

Devotee: I have Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya.

Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala is a different book; it has not been written by anybody before. When we do Nabadwip Dham parikrama, sannyasis speak Hari-katha at all the places, and that Hari-katha was recorded in the new book, Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala. It is a big book describing the glories of all islands. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote poetry about Nabadwip Dham, but we wrote it in prose. We speak Hari-katha at each place we go to, and this Hari-katha is recorded in the book in simple language. You have seen Sri Puri Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala book, it is written in simple language, too. It is described there how Lord Jagannath appeared and many other places. And in the Nabadwip Dham book, it is described how the Jagannath temple appeared in Mayapur. We go there on the first day of the parikrama and take prasad nearby. Read this book, I wrote it very beautifully.

Devotee: Will there be parikrama this time?

Parikrama? Mahaprabhu knows. I do not know anything else.

When Gurudev was abroad, he told a very nice thing. He said: Mahaprabhu rejected Nabadwip and accepted Puri. There are different reasons for this. There was some contradiction between Mahaprabhu and brahmans.

যেই ভজে, সেই বড়, অভক্ত—হীন, ছার ।
কৃষ্ণভজনে নাহি জাতি-কুলাদি বিচার ॥

yei bhaje sei bada, abhakta—hina, chhara
krsna-bhajane nahi jati-kuladi-vichara

'Only a nondevotee can be considered as worthless and abominable: anyone who takes to devotional service is great – there is no consideration of class, caste or any other status for those who have taken up service to Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.67)

These are Mahaprabhu's words, but brahmans could not accept it. There were many tarkavadi brahmans who said, 'Nimai, we cannot accept what You are saying. You are a brahman, but You are saying such things! You are giving a higher position to sudras!' Mahaprabhu's point was, 'You do not become a brahman just by wearing a brahman thread.' Anybody can buy a brahman thread on the street, but that does not make one a brahman. I have written about all these things in the book, you can read it. When Mahaprabhu spoke like that, there were some disturbances from His enemies, so Mahaprabhu said, 'No, I will not stay here as a householder. Nobody will listen to what I say if I am a householder, so I will take sannyas and go away.'

This is one of the reasons. I heard about it from Gurudev. 'If we chant the Holy Name, what will become with our caste?' This is the main reason why there was a contradiction between Mahaprabhu and brahmans. I wrote about Vaishnavs and brahmans in Guidance 3.

When Mahaprabhu was in Puri, He also performed many pastimes with Srila Haridas Thakur. Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami who stayed in Vrindavan also came to Puri every year to have Mahaprabhu's darshan. They stayed with Mahaprabhu from Ratha-yatra until the end of Chaturmasya. One time, Srila Sanatan Goswami came to Puri promising to himself, 'I live in Vrindavan, but Prabhu is staying in Puri. This time I will not keep this life... I will commit suicide by throwing myself under the chariot. I will leave.' Then, Sanatan Goswami came to Haridas Thakur (he could not come in front of Mahaprabhu), but Mahaprabhu understood what was going on, what was on Sanatan Goswami's mind, so one day, Mahaprabhu came to Haridas Thakur's place and said, 'Sanatan, what are you thinking? Have you come to spoil other's things? Is your body yours?'

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

'Devotees submit their entire being when they take initiation. At this time, Krishna accepts them as His very own.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.192)

'Sanatan, when you surrendered and took initiation, your body became the Lord's property. You cannot commit suicide and destroy the Lord's property! I will do many things through this body. There is much work left to do in Vrindavan – there are many hidden holy places, it is necessary to rescue them; it is necessary to write many scriptures; and it is necessary to serve all the Gaudiya Vaishanvs. How can you want to destroy a body that does not belong to you?!'

You should tell these things that Mahaprabhu told to Sanatan Goswami to those who want to commit suicide. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami also thought of going to Govardhan and jumping from its top, but after Srila Sanatan Goswami spoke to him, he said, 'What I have got from Rupa and Sanatan is even more than I have got from Mahaprabhu and Svarup Damodar!' 'Aham vedmi, Suka vetti, Vyasa vetti na vetti va.' Sivji Maharaj says, 'I know, Sukadev knows, but Vyasadev may or may not know it.'

When a devotee receives Vaishnavs' mercy, they extend, or spread, the influence of that mercy onto others. For example, how many people know Srila Lokanath Goswami? Because he gave initiation to Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Srila Narottam Das Thakur preached about the glory of his gurudev. In the same way, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj preached about Srila Prabhupad, his gurudev, and now there are IKSCON devotees all over the world. Also, who would have known about Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj also? Our Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj travelled all over the world and preached about Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and now everybody knows about him. It is necessary to preach about our gurudev, about his glories and qualities.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Change of Mood
2) Baladev's Care
3) Mahaprabhu Settles in Puri
4) Spread Gurudev's Mercy
5) Old Service, Spoilt Service