Perfection is attained by a combination of effort and mercy • A genuine guru does not make anyone his disciple • Devotion is the essential component of any offering • Knowledge and good fortune arise by the mercy of Śrī Hari, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas
śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
Śrī Vāsudeva Gauḍīya Maṭha
P.O. Basugaon (Goalpara) Assam
12/6/1971
Snehāspadāsu—
Mā Umā! … It is natural for the heart to become anxious when one does not receive news of a dear one. … As long as this body made of five elements endures, its health and illness will persist. Striving to improve the health of the embodied soul that dwells on the foundation of the body is the only thing indicative of intelligence. “Yāvat jīvo nivasati dehe, kuśalaṁ tāvat pṛcchati gehe[1] – as long as the soul inhabits the body, people inquire of his well-being at home,” but the living entities bound by māyā cannot know or understand what the soul’s well-being is. Those who are absorbed in that cultivation of the soul are the real scholars and seers of truth.
Guru and Vaiṣṇavas’ merciful gaze is always focused upon the sādhaka or sādhikā. By their blessings, all that is impossible becomes possible, the lame gain the ability to scale mountains and the mute become talkative. If one is always ready to engage in the service of Śrī Hari, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas in a mood of simplicity and is performing bhajana of śrī nāma at every moment, then all anarthas will be dispelled. It is by daily chanting the holy name with honour and care, regularly studying the bhakti scriptures, and taking opportunities to hear hari-kathā that one makes advancement on the path of devotion. Faithfully performing pūjā and arcana purifies one’s consciousness and steadies the restless mind. Just becoming filled with pride in one’s own efforts will not afford one proximity to the Absolute Truth. In addition [to one’s effort], the mercy of guru and Vaiṣṇavas is necessary. It is when endeavour and grace are unified that perfection is attained. This is what was proven in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dāma-bandhana-līlā [pastime of being bound by Mother Yaśodā].
The sādhaka or sādhikā is considered eligible for the mercy of guru and Vaiṣṇavas if a mood of humility enters his or her heart. The magnanimity of great souls is a truth known to everyone. The twenty-six qualities of saintly personalities are radiant examples of that. Though the sādhus’ mercy, generosity, compassion, and respect for all without expectation of respect in return are exemplary for the people of this world, the sādhus’ exclusive surrender to Kṛṣṇa is their foremost quality. Only he who is himself fully reliant on the grace of the Lord and who is the personified emblem of the six limbs of surrender can impart instructions on the dharma of service to the Lord and His devotees; only he is called a Gosvāmī. Such a bona fide guru sees all inhabitants of the world as servants of the Lord, and even those he favours and who have taken exclusive shelter of him, he knows to be opulence meant for the service of Bhagavān. He does not make anyone his disciple, as the desire to become a disciple himself is the only thing that fills his heart. One who [arrogantly] thinks his disciples deserve chastisement is conceited. Never is he worthy of being called a guru. One who is a true Vaiṣṇava and a guru to the world has the ability to be harsher than a thunderbolt and softer than a flower (vajrād api kaṭhorāṇi, mṛduni kusumād api) concealed within his natural disposition of respecting all without any expectation of respect for himself (amānī-mānada-dharma) and regarding himself as more insignificant than a piece of straw (tṛṇād api sunīcena). By obtaining the mercy of that sort of great soul, even those who are devoid of bhakti and who are sinful and godless attain ultimate auspiciousness. “Even the demigods do not have the capacity to recognize a Vaiṣṇava – vaiṣṇava cinite nāre dever śakati.” This I have heard from the lips of saints, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas. The Vaiṣṇava mahājanas have informed us how to behave toward someone who exercises envy toward those bona fide gurus and Vaiṣṇavas: “vaiṣṇava-caritra, sarvadā pavitra, jei ninde hiṁsā kari’; bhakativinoda nā sambhāṣe tāre, thāke sadā mauna dhari[2] – Vaiṣṇavas are always of pure character. Bhaktivinoda never converses with those who maliciously criticize them. Instead, he always remains silent.” This is precisely what is called asat-saṅga tyāga (giving up bad association).
Only that which is imbued with devotional faith or mood is acceptable to devotees, whereas common people revere formality or social niceties. The words formality and frankness have two completely opposite meanings. People of the world love this worldliness, also known as “civilization”, which has been mockingly defined as “barbarian”. And nowadays, the word simplicity is used to mean stupidity. Thus, there is a difference of heaven and hell between the material and the spiritual worlds. If you consider the “yā niśa sarva-bhūtānāṁ” verse from the second chapter of the Gītā in this context, you will understand this point clearly. Bhakti is the mood or language of the heart. Whatever word or phrase it inhabits proves meaningful. Without devotion, a stanza’s poetic eloquence or skillful speech is meaningless, like a place of pilgrimage for crows. “Bhakti-puṣpa kothā pāi, bhakati candana nāi, ki diye pūjibo āmi? – where to find flowers of devotion? There is no sandalwood of devotion either. What will I use for worship?” This [prayer] itself is the faithful offering (arghya) to the Lord’s lotus feet by the sādhaka or sādhikā who hankers for bhakti.
Linguistic knowledge and speech manifest by the causeless mercy of guru and Vaiṣṇavas. Dhruva, upon attaining the audience of the lotus-eyed Śrī Hari, desired to offer prayers to Him, so the Lord touched His conch, which is imbued with all the knowledge of the Vedas, to Dhruva’s cheek, who then found the words and proceeded to sing praises of Śrī Hari to his heart’s delight in an unstoppable flow. This is why great Vaiṣṇava personalities have sung thus at the end of their compositions: “tathāpi mūkera bhāgya manera ullāsa, doṣa kṣami’ mo-adhame karo nija dāsa[3] – still this [glorification] is the fortune of a person as dumb as I and is my mind’s delight, so please forgive my flaws and make this wretch your servant.” Moreover, “the lotus feet of śrī guru are the treasure house of unalloyed prema-bhakti; I worship those lotus feet with great caution – śrī guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma, vandõ muĩ sāvadhāna-mate[4],” and “by glorifying guru and Vaiṣṇavas, the living entity is delivered from material existence – guru-vaiṣṇava guṇa gāna, karile jīvera trāṇa.”[5] It is natural for everyone to be eager and want to sing of those glories, but “offenses should not occur” for this is the flaw of those who are dumb and foolish[6]. This is precisely why it is imperative to employ caution. However, guru and Vaiṣṇavas do not take to heart any offence, fault, or shortcoming of simple-hearted persons. This constitutes our sole hope and confidence. Being omniscient, Śrī Hari, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas imbue the heart of the sādhaka or sādhikā with inspiration. There is no reason to doubt this. To submit the moods of one’s heart with utter sincerity constitutes full surrender and adherence to following in their footsteps. That is what makes life truly blessed, giving the living entity fulfilment. The very assurances of guru and Vaiṣṇavas lift the Lord’s sevaka or sevikā to the summits of sādhana-bhajana. It is conviction in sādhana that evokes grace, and that is what rises in the sky of the living entity’s destiny as good fortune. It is only in the light of guru and Kṛṣṇa’s grace that one gains a glimpse of Them. This is why patience and steadfastness are required.
“Nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tā̃hāra sevaka nitya[7] – Nitāi’s feet are eternal truth, and His servitors are eternal.” Similarly, the relationship between guru and disciple is an eternal truth. In the relationship between the one-pointed servant and his master, the following sort of interaction can be seen:
sei bhakta—dhanya, je nā chāḓe prabhur caraṇa
sei prabhu—dhanya, je nā chāḓe nija-jana
durdaive sevaka jadi jāya anya sthāne
sei prabhu dhanya, tāre cule dhari’ āne[8]
[Blessed be the devotee who never leaves the feet of his Lord. Blessed be the Lord who never abandons those who are His own. If, by ill fortune, the servant strays, blessed be the Lord who drags him back by the hair.]
Iti—
Your eternal well-wisher,
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana
[1] Bhaja Govindam (6) by Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
[2] Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, Kabe Mui Vaiṣṇava Cinibo (6) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
[3] Vaiṣṇava-vandanā (10) by Śrī Devakīnandana dāsa
[4] Prema-bhakti-candrikā by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura
[5] Śrīla Prabhupāda-vandanā (18) by Śrī Gopāla-govinda Mahānta
[6] The mūka, or mute, commits offense by refusing to glorify the Vaiṣṇavas, whereas the mūrkha, or fool, seeks only to feed his own pride by glorifying them – “tamo buddhi doṣe mui dambha mātra kari.”
[7] Prārthanā, Nitāi-pada-kamala (4) by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura
[8] Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 4.46)
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