Month: April 2014

  • Jive Doya, Name Ruchi, Vaishnava-Seva

    Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discusses the essence of Vaiṣṇavism.

    Mahāprabhu said very clearly,

    tṛnād api sunīchena taror api sahiṣṇunā
    amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

    Who can chant properly the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra? One who is qualified in this way: who is very humble and who can tolerate everything. We must have the tolerating mood; we are always doing wrong in this mundane world, no doubt, but it is necessary to tolerate that and correct that. And we must also give honour to that person who has no position or respect. Then everybody will be happy: I will not get any obstruction from others, and my mind will also always be peaceful with everyone.

    alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā bhakṣyāchchhādana-sādhane
    aviklava-matir bhūtvā harim eva dhiyā smaret

    [“If persons engaged in the devotional service of Lord Hari are unable to obtain food and shelter despite their attempts, or if their acquisitions are lost or destroyed, they should, without anxiety, absorb their hearts deeply in the thought of Lord Hari.”]

    All the scriptures say that this is the first qualification. You may be getting or not getting, you may be getting or losing, alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā; and that may be your food or your cloth or your mental position or anything, but you must keep your mind quiet, stay in the faithful plane, and try to practise Kṛṣṇa consciousness very humbly. We can say that this is Vaiṣṇavism, in a very simple way.

    Newcomers are sometimes confused to see so many things, and it is our duty to help them all. With our behaviour, with our affection, and with our intentions, we must try to help everybody. Śrīla Prabhupād, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur, said, “Which is better, to make a big hospital or rescue one conditioned soul from illusion? What is best?” He answered, “By making many hospitals we can disturb the universe, but if we can rescue one jīva-soul from the illusion of māyā, that is the best sevā to the jīva-souls.”

    In the hospitals they are also doing sevā, service, but that is not proper sevā. One dacoit [bandit] may be shot by the police and go to the hospital, and be treated and cured. After fifteen days or one month, he will be put in jail, and after coming out of jail, he will again do dacoity. There is no goodness in that. My sevā for that dacoit is not proper sevā. I did sevā for that man and cured that man; that is good, but I cannot change his mind, and that is very bad. After getting strength, that man will again do that wrong work. Therefore, Prabhupād Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur said, “It is not necessary to make many hospitals; if we can try to rescue only one jīva-soul from this illusion, that is valuable sevā to the jīva-soul.”

    Mahāprabhu advised sevā to His devotees: jīve doyā Nāme ruchi Vaiṣṇava-sevā. Jīva doyā means kindness to the jīva-souls. Real kindness means that you must serve the jīva-souls by preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness to them and turning their illusioned minds towards the service of Kṛṣṇa. Nāme ruchi: we must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra without offence; and Vaiṣṇava-sevā. He simply gave these three instructions.

    One who is serving the Lord and His associates and devotees twenty-four hours a day is a Vaiṣṇava, and you must serve him. This is the meaning of Vaiṣṇava-sevā. If you can do that, you will have no problem. A man may go to the jungle and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra, but that chanting is not proper chanting; better than chanting is service to the Vaiṣṇavas.

    Śrīla Guru Mahārāj is very merciful. He mercifully gave me the association of the devotees, and we are trying together to properly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra all over the world. We have no problem. Mundane problems must come to us and give us some trouble, but we know that, and we have no problem; we can stay anywhere. We can stay in a building or in a thatched house or anywhere, according to the will of Kṛṣṇa and our karma, but if we engage ourselves in the service of Guru, Vaiṣṇava, and Bhagavān, then we will have no problem.

    Reference
    Spoken on 10 October 1989.

  • The Fifth Restriction

    Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discusses the proper utilisation of wealth.

    I heard from Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Mahārāj Prabhupād, that when devotees joined his Mission he gave four rules and regulations to them: no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling, and no meat-eating. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam there are five restrictions given, but Swāmī Mahārāj gave only these four. He did not give restriction for the fifth one, which is money. He kept that for himself. It is very nice thing; he took charge for that himself. He told the devotees, “You collect money, give that to me, and I shall use it for Mahāprabhu. Then no harm will come to you.”

    Once a great devotee of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, gave a donation to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. Śrīla Guru Mahārāj was happy and that devotee was also very happy. Śrīla Guru Mahārāj took his donation and asked him many things about the news of other devotees. Then that devotee asked Guru Mahārāj, “Mahārāj, what will you do with this donation? What sevā will you do with this?” Guru Mahārāj immediately changed his mood; he took his position and said, “That is not your business.” Guru Mahārāj had been very happy talking with that devotee and searching, “What is that devotee doing, and what is that devotee doing?” They were talking in this very happy mood. That devotee was very enthusiastic and had done so much for Guru Mahārāj. He happily asked Guru Mahārāj, “Mahārāj, what sevā will you do with this money?”, and Guru Mahārāj immediately changed and said, “That is not your duty. That is my duty. Your duty is finished.”

    It is necessary to know what Kṛṣṇa consciousness is. The disciple must fully surrender to the Guru, and through the  Guru he will get everything. What conception the Guru gives will be enough for him. Kṛṣṇa may sometimes be angry with the devotee, but the devotees are not afraid of that, because in the middle point is Guru, and Guru can manage everything. Kṛṣṇa may be unhappy with him, but if he is favoured by his Guru, then there will be no problem for him. He will manage. But if Guru is angry, then Kṛṣṇa cannot give shelter. In Bengal there is a very nice phrase,

    kṛṣṇa ruṣṭa hale guru rākhibāre pāre
    guru ruṣṭa hale kṛṣṇa rākhibāre nāre

    When Kṛṣṇa is angry then Guru can give shelter and can modify that. But when Guru is angry, then Kṛṣṇa will not give shelter and will not modify anything. This is a Bengali phrase.

    Where is all my auspiciousness coming from? That is the position of Guru. All my auspiciousness is coming through Guru.

    Reference
    Spoken on 10 October 1989.

  • Safe Position

    Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discusses the importance of humility and good association.

    Question: Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj used to say that when we get a higher taste the lower taste will automatically be left behind. But we see that many devotees who we think are very senior and very advanced go back to the lower taste. How can we adjust that?

    Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj: We may have been thinking that they got the highest taste, but they did not really get the highest taste. This is the first thing, and the second thing is that sometimes a heavy offence is made to a great and higher Vaiṣṇava. These are the two causes. The first cause is more general: to think that we are in a higher level. But that is not higher level thinking.

    When we can see ourselves in a very, very low position, and see that clearly, then we can think that we may have some chance. Do you understand? That is Vaiṣṇavism. The Vaiṣṇava always thinks, “I am a servant, I am not a master”, and the servant’s servant’s servant actually holds a very high rank.

    Kṛṣṇa Himself said in the scriptures,

    na me ’bhaktas chatur-vedī mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pachaḥ priyaḥ

    “He may be a brahmaṇ boy, but he may not be My devotee.”

    “I am always worshipping My devotee, and if someone wants to become a devotee, they must worship My devotee, not Myself.” This is very clear. Bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ. If you love me, love my dog. This is a Western expression. If you love me, love my dog. How shall I know that you really love me? When I see that you are looking after my child’s convenience, or my dog’s convenience, and your mentality is loving towards them, then I will know that you love me. We can make our progress report in this way. Some ‘great’ devotee may think, “Oh yes, I served Śrīla Guru Mahārāj for forty-two years, and therefore I am very big devotee”, but if someone’s thinking goes in this way, that is not good.

    I am saying this for the benefit of the devotees. I know something by the blessings of Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, about the position of the devotees, disciples, and the Deities in this mundane world. This is my fortune, and in this way I am explaining things sometimes. I am not thinking that I myself am a good, very big Vaiṣṇava or anything like that. I know who I am, and that is the truth.

    Guru Mahārāj wanted to give me this chair thirty years ago, and for thirty years I was waiting to take this chair. I know the position of the chair, I know the respect of the chair, and I know the glorification of the chair. That is my fortune. Guru Mahārāj was always telling me, “Govinda Mahārāj, you take this chair, you take this chair,” and I was always praying, “Mahārāj, please wait, I am not thinking myself fit for this chair.” But when he heavily told me, then I took. When Guru Mahārāj heavily told me, I could not ignore that, but when Guru Mahārāj was smiling and telling me, “Yes, now you are okay, you take this now”, I was afraid to take this chair. This consciousness guarded me and kept me safe.

    If I do not leave this consciousness, then I can think I am in a safe position. Otherwise, I may fall down; I have seen so many fall down. Then I am afraid, and I am not going that way. When I am giving initiation to others, I first tell them my Guru Mahārāj’s name: “This is not my property; this is the property of my Gurudev. He kept it with me, and by his order I am distributing it to you. Keep it and try to cultivate it.” In this way there will not be any harm.

    Question: What advice can you give for the Western devotees who haven’t yet got a higher taste, and in the background have their saṁskar [acquired material habits and tendencies], which has been tasting the lower taste. How can we keep them going forwards towards the higher taste and away from trying to again taste what they remember?

    Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj: It is very easy if we can follow an established devotee. If we try to follow him, then we can ignore all our saṁskar and everything else. But we must try to follow him perfectly.

    If I wake up at three o’clock, you must also wake up at three o’clock. You have no other option. If I wake up and I ring the bell, you must wake up. Whoever is living with me will get this chance. But if someone is sleeping up to nine o’clock, how will his associates get this chance? They cannot go to ārati. But whoever is living with me will join the ārati every day. We will get this chance from the devotee. Who is a devotee? Whose life is twenty-four hours a day devoted to Kṛṣṇa and Guru.

    Question: And what about somebody who is in separate association, like in the West?

    Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj: They may be in separate association physically, but they have heard many things from their Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, and they can also get association in the form of scripture. If any difficulty or any questions come, they can ask their master. There is no other way.

    But we do not need so much. Our practice is very simple. What is that? Jīve doyā Nāme ruchi Vaiṣṇava-sevā [to be merciful to all souls, taste the Name, and serve the Vaiṣṇavas]. It is very simple. We must chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without offence, and we must give honour to others.

    tṛṇād api sunīchena taror iva sahiṣṇunā
    amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

    We chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra, we read the books, and try to serve the Vaiṣṇavas, Guru, and Kṛṣṇa. If I get any opportunity to serve the devotees who are before me, I must serve them. I shall try in this way. It is very easy.

    Reference

    Spoken on 8 August 1989.

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