(5/5) Unimaginable Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's disappearance
Nrisingha Palli, 3 January 2021, part 5

Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj spoke about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s disappearance describing what happened in 1937. I would like to speak a little about what happened on that day.

[His Divine Grace reads from the Bengali translation of the article ‘On Srila Prabhupad’s Disappearance’ based on a discourse spoken by Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip, on 4 January 1983.]

Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj also wrote ‘Sri Sri Dayita Dasa Dasakam’ after Srila Prabhupad’s disappearance (after Srila Prabhupad left his body).

নীতে যস্মিন্ নিশান্তে নয়নজলভরৈঃ স্নাতগাত্রার্ব্বুদানাং
উচ্চৈরুৎক্রোশতাং শ্রীবৃষকপিসুতয়াধীরয়া স্বীয়গোষ্ঠীম্ ।
পৃথ্বী গাঢ়ান্ধকারৈর্হৃতনয়নমণীবাবৃতা যেন হীন
যত্রাসৌ তত্র শীঘ্রং কৃপণনয়ন হে নীয়তাং কিঙ্করোঽয়ম্ ॥

nite yasmin nisante nayana-jala-bharaih snata-gatrarvudanam
uchchair-utkrosatam sri-vrsakapi-sutayadhiraya sviya-gosthim
prthvi gadhandhakarair-hrta-nayana-manivavrta yena hina
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam

‘At the end of the night, Sri Vrsabhanu Nandini suddenly took him to Her entourage, drawing him away from the company of thousands of grief-stricken, lamenting souls, their bodies drenched in tears. When he was thus stolen away, this world was plunged into deep darkness as if the jewel of their eyes was plundered (Saraswati Thakur’s hidden name is Nayana-mani, ‘the jewel of one’s eyes’). O my wretched eyes (bereft of the vision of my Divine Master)! (Alternative interpretation: O rescuer of the fallen! O Master Nayana, who, in his mercy, is miserly not letting me get his company!) Wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there!’

(‘Sri Dayita Dasa Dasakam’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Srila Sridhar Maharaj wrote so many things, but I do not want to take more of your time today. I have spent a lot of time in zoom today – the Gaudiya Vaishnav Association made a programme on behalf of ISKCON, and I was there in zoom from 4 to 6:30 p.m. All the leading Gaudiya Vaishnavs, all the Gaudiya acharya-vrinda joined this programme in honour of Srila Prabhupad’s disappearance festival. I saw that everybody is doing OK; it was a nice programme.

I remember ** always sends me some poems at every festival, but this time I did not get any poem from him for Srila Gurudev’s festival. [To one of the devotees.] I do not know his email, but you can send him an email, tell him on my behalf, ‘How are you, Maharaj? I am very worried about you. Where are you? How are you?’ Ask. Sometimes they get lost, and I have to search them out. I must search where they are hiding and reach out to them. They may kick me, but I will go to them again and again. I do not mind it. ‘Sata ganjana, sata lanchana’ (শত গঞ্জনা, শত লাঞ্চনা) – so many problems, so many dangerous situations will come, but we are not to leave Krishna consciousness. We must always remember Krishna. This is the main thing.

…I know some devotees are trying to send some money here, and they have already sent something for me to buy a new land in Nrisingha Palli. I am going to make a prasadam hall (a place for taking prasadam). I have got the money you sent, thank you for that. Actually, I am not only giving ‘thank you’ – to say ‘thank you’ is a simple matter. When somebody told ‘thank you’ to Gurudev, Gurudev would often ask, ‘Oh, only “thank you”?’ So, I do not want to say thank you – to say ‘thank you’ is a simple thing, we only say it out of courtesy and tradition. I am giving my love and affection to you from my heart, and I am engaging you in service. I have just said that where there is service, there is a relation. No service – no relation.

Everybody may not have the capacity to help financially. Some can help through their money, and some can help through their minds, through their hearts. Many devotees come from Bokaro, from all over Bengal – they cook, help in many ways, serve prasadam, clean and decorate the temple, clean the Deities’ room. Devotees come and do so much service. You have seen the nat-mandir here – this year they have put up new decorations. All old decorations were taken down and thrown away, and Kamalendu Prabhu, Sripad Sadhu Maharaj, Krishna Sundari Didi and Sudevi Didi did so much service decorating everything again. You can see that Srila Gurudev’s vyasa-asan has turned out very powerful – they have made an amazing decoration. I heard that they had worked all night until 4 a.m., then they went to sleep at 4 a.m. and woke up again at 7:30–8 a.m. – after that, they cooked and did other services. They served very nicely in every way, they did so much service. Even those who are far have also sent some money for Gurudev’s festival and to buy the new land – they also serve in this way.

This year I had to again make a pandal for prasadam. It is very difficult to give a class and serve prasadam at the same place (in the nat-mandir), that is why I am trying to make some arrangement for Indian devotees – next week I want to buy a small land of five thousand square feet in the middle of our temple territory and make there a place for prasadam. I have heard that many devotees have been collecting money for it and have already sent their donations: they have some capacity and want to do some service, so they send some money. I am very happy with them; I am happy to see that everybody is serving happily. Srila Gurudev has given so many good souls in my hand…

We have here Krishna Sundari Didi from Australia – even though she is an old lady, she is also helping out with her pension! Gurudev said, ‘When one door closes, another door will open.’ She is staying here and helping so much – she is doing a lot of service. You know, all banks were closed here on 31 December and 1 January – I was a little short of cash at that time, and Krishna Sundari Didi gave me some money and did so much service here. She did so much, it is unforgettable. We do not know who Krishna and Gurudev take service from – only those who have some sukriti, who have some great fortune can participate in service in their lives. There are so many rich people, there are so many big people, but only a fortunate soul can do service. Even poor ladies, even poor people sometimes send two dollars, five dollars, ten dollars, and they are helping according to their capacity. I know that in Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela the situation is very difficult (their dollar rate is the worst), but they still serve their Gurudev’s mission. It is unimaginable.

Anyhow, by the mercy of Gurudev, we hope that 2021 will be good for us all, that some very nice things are coming in the future for everybody. I do not want to take more of your time now. I am going to Kolkata tomorrow, then I must visit Ekachakra to make some arrangements there, and after that I will start village preaching again.

Dandavat pranam. Please accept my humble obeisance. Please forgive my offences.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Illustrious Acharya
2) Advent of Hari-Kirtan Murti
3) Srila Prabhupad's Mission
4) Srila Prabhupad's Teachings
5) Unimaginable Service