Result of Service Mood

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar area, evening programme
13 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

When Srila Sanatan Goswami went from Ramkeli, Malda, he faced so many obstacles and difficulties. Maya is such that many obstacles can come. When he left his minister's post, he was put into jail. He bribed the guards and managed to escape from prison. On the way, he was stopped by dacoits. Then, he was passing his brother's house, and his wife (Srila Sanatan Goswami's sister-in-law) tried to stop him: she insisted that he should stay at their house for a few days. He refused. She again insisted, "Your clothes are all dirty, at least let me wash them, then you can go." Sanatan Goswami refused, thinking, "I cannot stay here, it will prevent me from going to Mahaprabhu." In the end, his sister-in-law gave him an expensive shawl (blanket) saying, "You will be in Kasi in winter, it is very cold there, please take it." Sanatan Goswami took it and left. Later, when he came to Mahaprabhu, he started going out to beg. He was a minister (akin to the prime-minister), but he would go begging thinking, "I have come to Mahaprabhu, so should I just sit and eat at Tapan Misra's house? No, I will go begging." One day, he noticed Mahaprabhu giving sidelong glances at his blanket. He realised, "Oh, I am wearing a torn dhoti and this expensive blanket. Mahaprabhu does not like it." Realising this, he found a Gaudiya sadhu who was drying his old quilt (kantha). Sanatan Goswami asked him, "Brother, please take my shawl. Can I take your quilt in exchange?" The sadhu became angry, "Are you pulling my leg? Does anyone give expensive shawls in exchange for old quilts? Are you joking with me?!" Sanatan Goswami explained, "No, no, Prabhu. Mahaprabhu is not happy that I have this shawl. Please help me—take this shawl and give me your quilt." Later that day, Sanatan Goswami returned to Mahaprabhu wearing the old quilt and paid his obeisance to the Lord, giving to Mahaprabhu whatever he had collected. Mahaprabhu asked him, "What has happened, Sanatan? Where is your shawl?" Sanatan Goswami explained what had happened. Hearing the story, Mahaprabhu was happy, "The Lord has cut off your last illusion. The Lord has taken away your last material possession!" This is how we must serve the Lord.

You can remember also the pastimes of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami, who served twelve silas in Vrindavan. One day, a big rich marwari from Delhi came to his temple with some Deity clothes. At that time, Gopal Bhatta Goswami was doing arati. The rich man said he had brought some Deity dress, and Gopal Bhatta Goswami said, "All right, keep it over there. I will use it for the Lord." Later, when he was putting the Lord to rest, he suddenly remembered, "Gosh! My Deities have no form, how will I put these clothes on them? That man has gone away, what do I do not with these Deity clothes?" He went to sleep, and when he woke up the next day, he opened the door of the altar and saw a Deity standing there! (This Deity is still there in Vrindavan. When we go to Vrindavan, you can see that Deity at the temple of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha-Raman. That Deity's name is Radha Raman, a very beautiful name.) Seeing this Deity, he counted his silas and found only eleven silas (there were twelve originally). He was surprised, "Where has one more gone?" Then he saw that on the back of the Deity, there is a magnet-shape mark: the twelfth sila became a Deity. All this happens as a result of service.

It is necessary to have faith in all this. You cannot get anywhere without faith. There is even a saying in Bengali: "You can only realise things when you have faith; arguing only keeps you far away (Visvase melaya vastu, tarke bahu-dura; বিশ্বাসে মেলায় বস্তু তর্কে বহুদূর)."

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

Your debt to your father, mother, rishis (sages), demigods—all debts are cleared if you serve the Lord.

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