Editorial

gurvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

"I worship the holy lotus feet of he who perfectly fulfils the most cherished wish of his Divine Master; who is adept in all Vedic conceptions, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the faithful follower in the line of Sri Rupa; who is known as Srila Govinda Maharaj; whose beautiful divine figure revels in the mellows of Divine Love; who is the Guru of the entire universe and the bestower of the seed of Divine Love for the Supreme Lord."

I pay my sincere, fallen, and prayerful obeisances to Srila Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and to his dearmost servitor, the glorious Sri Acharyadev of his exalted Mission of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math: His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj who has been so patient in tutoring my lowly self.

That the dignified glories of both of them can be chanted on this occasion of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj's 63rd Appearance Day is most befitting and all-auspicious, therefore I pray to Their Divine Graces that their glorification may be accepted in the form of this book, Dignity of the Divine Servitor.

The author of Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur, was a disciple of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Generally the disciple sees his Guru as the manifestation of Krishna or Mahaprabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is directly the manifestation of Mahaprabhu, yet Srila Vrindavan Dasa Thakur considered it even more glorious to declare Him to be supremely exalted as the best servitor of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This example reinforces the ever present theme of the teachings of our esteemed Sri Guru-varga exemplified in Srila Guru Maharaj and Srila Govinda Maharaj, that to be a servant of divinity is the most exalted and glorious position. It is in this vein that the attempt is being made in Dignity of the Divine Servitor to broadcast our Gurudevas' glories.

Srila Guru Maharaj was always very joyful to chant the nature of devotion and of the devotees, and he did so in innumerable ways. One of his valuable contributions to the world is the supremely holy Scripture of pure bhakti, Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamrtam. On reading the glorious descriptions given there about the life of devotion, we cannot but consider the embodiment of that to be our effulgent Om Visnupada Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj. Paying my repeated obeisances to His Divine Grace, to all our Divine Masters, to all those who assisted in preparing this publication, and to the whole Vaisnava community, I pray that you may accept the honest intention with which this book has been compiled and published. In addition, I appeal to your good nature that you may overlook my inevitable shortcomings which can only have detracted from the otherwise spotless deliveries contained herein.

Today, and for all time to come, let us joyfully join together in the congregational chanting of the glories of the Lord and His pure devotees headed by our immediate guides Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Guru Maharaj. We pray that by their causeless grace they may grant us even the smallest post, but within the rays of that service world. The service world is their domain.

Mahananda Dasa Bhakti Ranjan
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
Nabadwip
23rd December 1991

Contents


Editorial

Part One:
• Chapter One:
Vaishnava Thakur
• Chapter Two:
The Original Current
• Chapter Three:
Divine Desire and Directives

Part Two:
• First Discourse:
Descent of Knowledge
• Second Discourse:
Lessons in Giving
• Third Discourse:
Protected Journey
• Fourth Discourse:
Adjusting to His Account
• Fifth Discourse:
Present Position, Brightest Prospect
• Sixth Discourse:
Fortunate Indeed

Part Three:
• The Written Word
(Answers through Letters)
• Appendix A
• Appendix B:
The Ten Offences to the Holy Name