Transcription: Appearance of Śrīla Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Speaker: Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Vana Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Edição: Madana Gopal Das
First of all, I offer my humble, respectful daṇḍavat-praṇāma to the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Śrī Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. And my Nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Śrī Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. I naturally offer my humble, respectful daṇḍavat-praṇāma to the lotus feet of Nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrī Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrī Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and Śrī Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. And to all senior devotees, and all Vaiṣṇava and Vaiṣṇavīs, and presented all of my respectful guests. Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga Gāndharvikā-Giridhārī Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa-Bihārī Lāl kī jaya!
So, I will not take too much of your time. Also, we are very tired. Whole day almost travel. Travel means travel. This is the nature. Suffering. But today is a very super excellent, auspicious day. Just you heard, hey, today at a time, two Ācāryas’, great Ācāryas’ appearance and disappearance day. That means we are celebrating their āvirbhāva and tirobhāva-tithi. Appearance and disappearance day.
Morning we also spoke some Hari-kathā, and offering our homages to the lotus feet of Guru-pāda-padma, Vyāsa-pūjā. Our Ācārya’s appearance day, āvirbhāva-tithi, that is called also Vyāsa-pūjā. Today Śrī Gurudeva Śrī Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja appeared in this material world. This is a very super excellent, auspicious day for us also. And this is a very memorable day. Memorable day. Hey Gurudeva, he appeared, why? Because giving mercy to us.
Morning I also told, Guru and Vaiṣṇava, they are coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. Anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ / bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍā yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet. Śukadeva Gosvāmī-pāda told Parīkṣit Mahārāja, Lord Bhagavān and His parikara, and His associates, and His Dhāma, descended from Goloka Vṛndāvana to this material world. Why? Because conditioned souls, they have no any idea about Lord. Māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi kṛṣṇa-smṛti jñāna. Conditioned souls, māyā-baddha jīva, they have no knowledge about Lord. Even they have no any activity, spiritual activities in this material world. Because they completely forget to Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha / ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsārādi-duḥkha. Conditioned souls, baddha-jīva, they completely forget to Kṛṣṇa. And wandering in the cycle of repeated birth and death. Māyā-devī, that is the illusory potency of Lord, she is giving so much punishment to us. This is our situation. But Lord is very merciful, He descended from Goloka Vṛndāvana with His own parikara and remind to us how we will return back our home, back to God, back to home. Because this material world is not our permanent house. Is a temporary and suffering. As like kārāgāra. Kārāgāra means prison house. All we are suffering.
So now coming in this way. Guru-pāda-padma is very merciful. He is coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. Why? Actually Śrīmatī Rādhikā She herself sends to him. That is the evidence in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. If you read Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, Sanātana Gosvāmī-pāda explains Gopa-kumāra, he was in Goloka Vṛndāvana. His own transcendental constituent form, that is called svarūpa. Now Gopa-kumāra told his own life history to his disciple Mathurā Brāhmaṇa. That is called Jana Śarmā.
He told, “Hey Jana Śarmā Mathurā Brāhmaṇa, listen. When I was in Goloka Vṛndāvana, one day, I prepared to go to herding the cows with Kṛṣṇa. In the meantime Śrīmatī Rādhikā She came and Śrīmatī Rādhikā She told me, ‘Hey Svarūpa, today you don’t go to herding the cows with Kṛṣṇa. You should go to material world and bring your disciple.'” Jana Śarmā. So for this regard, I have come here.
So Guru-vargas and our spiritual master, Guru-vargas, how they are merciful. And especially Śrīmatī Rādhikā She sends, for this regard they are come. So for this regard I explain, today is very super excellent, auspicious day. Guru-vargas, specially Śrī Gurudeva Śrī Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrī Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrī Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja. All our Guru-vargas, they are coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. They are eternal associates of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Mañjarīs there.
So on another hand we are very unfortunate. Why? Because today Śrī Gurudeva Nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Śrī Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja departed from this material world and attained in Goloka Vṛndāvana serving his Iṣṭa-devī, Śrīmatī Rādhikā. And now we are feeling so much separation from him. One hand we are meeting and another hand we are feeling separation. That is Sanskrit word that is called milana and viraha.
So that means today we celebrate at a time two things. One is called āvirbhāva-tithi or milana-tithi and simultaneously tirobhāva or that is called viraha-tithi, separation. Labh means also this also. Meeting, separation, separation and meeting. Na vinā vipralambhena sambhogaḥ puṣṭim aśnute / yathā rañjitā kaṣāyite vastram. Meeting will be relishable when we feel separation. So that means separation is higher than meeting. Without separation, we cannot relish the meeting.
Gurudeva is very merciful. Guru-tattva is very complicated, not so easy to understand. Sanskrit word that is called Guru. Guru means heavy. Two words. One is called heavy, and opposite word light. Laghu. So Guru-tattva very heavy, this is not so easy to understand. But with the causeless mercy of Guru and Kṛṣṇa, then we realize about him.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāya Rāmānanda, “Duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha?” Hey Guru-vara. There are many kinds of misery, distress, unhappiness in this material world. This is a true or wrong? But greatest or worst, painful things that is called when we separate from śuddha-bhakta Vaiṣṇava. When we separate from Guru and Vaiṣṇava, that is very, very painful in our heart.
But one thing, Gurudeva Śrī Gurudeva Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, once in his class Hari-kathā, he explained, “Who will feel separation from Guru and Vaiṣṇava?” Who will feel separation? Who has sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of relationship. Sambandha-jñāna, they say. Just give an example. Sometimes you are watching TV, what you are looking? Many people died in the earthquake, accident, or bombing. Many things happen. Are you crying? For you think? Are you crying or not? Tears rolling down from your eyes? No. And sometimes you are feeling some sadness, compassion, oh, my God. So many people died, eh?
But your any very close family member died or left body, what you will feel? Tell to me. You immediately cry. Rolling on the ground, crying and crying. Why? Because you have relationship with him. This is true. In this material world. When your relationship, sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of relationship come, then we feel separation, viraha. Then we are thinking, oh, what things I got and what things I lose. This is the process also.
Give an example, Gurudeva gave an example. Now our eyes. But when we lose our eyesight. When we have our teeth, we are not thinking about the value of our teeth. But when you lose one by one teeth, that time you will understand what is the value of your teeth. This is truth. This is true or not? In the same way, when Guru and Vaiṣṇavas staying with us, that time we are not feeling any value of them. But when disappear out of our vision, then we think, what, what to do now? Everything depend on sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of relationship.
And simultaneously another things also, mamatā-buddhi. Mamatā means possessiveness. This things also very important. Sambandha and mamatā. Two words using in our śāstra. Sambandha means knowledge of relationship. And mamatā that is called possessiveness. This way. In Vṛndāvana everybody loved Kṛṣṇa, this is true. But according to their sambandha, they serve to Kṛṣṇa. And in this way they serve to Kṛṣṇa also depend on their mamatā, possessiveness.
Subala, Śrīdāmā, sakhā-rasa. Understand? Sakhā-rasa, friendship mode. They serve to Kṛṣṇa with friendship mood, with mamatā, this is true. Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja also serve to Kṛṣṇa with their parental mood, vātsalya-bhāva. And Gopikās they serve to Kṛṣṇa with their mādhurya mood, sweetness mood, and paramour mood. Parakīyā. So according to sambandha and mamatā, then you feel everything. This is the process also.
What kinds of mamatā, possessiveness and sambandha-jñāna. This is very important in our spiritual life. For this regard, sambandha laiyā bhaje tāre kṛṣṇa nāhi tyaje / āra saba mare akāraṇa. One who performs bhajana and sādhana with sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of relationship, he will never fall down. This is the process. But first we have to sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of relationship with Guru, then same things is going towards Kṛṣṇa. Because Guru is very close to us.
So for this regard Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, prathamantu gurum pūjya tataś caiva mamārcanam / kurvanti siddhim āpnoti… First you worship lotus feet of Guru. Guru-pūjā. Without Guru’s mercy, we cannot realize about Kṛṣṇa. So Guru-pūjā. Offering our homages, offering our flowers to the lotus feet of Guru-pāda-padma. Flowers one name is called Suman. Suman means flowers. But Sanskrit word Suman: Su means Sundara, beautiful. Man means mind. So here it goes. We offer our beautiful mind, heart to the lotus feet of Śrī Guru-pāda-padma.
Guru-pūjā means this way. Vyāsa-pūjā is another name is called Guru-pūjā. And Gurudeva’s āvirbhāva-tithi, that is called Guru-pūjā or Vyāsa-pūjā. When Gurudeva appears, we offering our flowers, glorified about them, that is called Vyāsa-pūjā or called Guru-pūjā. But how we offer, what we offer to lotus feet of Gurudeva? What we give to Gurudeva?
This simple way I tell to you one story. There was one very intelligent person. Every day he used to come listen Hari-kathā from Gurudeva. After few months, Gurudeva told, “The human life is very, very rare. If you not practice devotional service to Lord, then your life will be useless.” Because the human body is very, very rare. Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte / mānuṣyam arthadam anityam apīha dhīraḥ / tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anumṛtyu yāvan / niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. This human body is very rare. After 8.4 million species then Lord gives us this human body. Not so easy to get human body.
What is the meaning of the human body? Nara-tanu bhajanera mūla. The root cause of Kṛṣṇa human body that is how to worship to Lord. If you not do bhajana and sādhana to Kṛṣṇa, then life is useless. Eating, sleeping, defending and mating. These four things are common in our human life and animals life.
So just I will explain once Gurudeva told to the intellectual person. Because many years, many days, many months he listened Hari-kathā. So one day Gurudeva told to him, “You do bhajana and sādhana.” And you have to receive dīkṣā-mantra. Otherwise life will be useless. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, he quoted one verse from śāstra. Once you not receive dīkṣā-mantra from Guru and you left his body, then you will get animals body.
So, then he, then that the intellectual person he thinking, “I have to receive dīkṣā-mantra from Guru.” Then he asked Gurudeva, “Gurudeva, okay, tomorrow I will receive dīkṣā-mantra from you.” But Gurudeva, what things I will offer to you, give to you? What do you want? Śāstra saying if you receive dīkṣā-mantra from Guru, you have to give some Dakṣiṇā. Something you give, something better than nothing. You understand? Okay.
So that person he asked Gurudeva, “What things I offer to you, give to you?” That time Gurudeva told, “You give me very, very what is called worst.” Mane which worst thing. Worst things you have, you give me. Mane completely useless things. That things you can give it to me.
Then he returned back his home, because next morning he is going to receive dīkṣā-mantra from Guru. And he thinking, Gurudeva told me that I have to give some Dakṣiṇā to Guru which are very rubbish, worst. That was, no value thing. People are thinking I will take dīkṣā from Guru then I will give wealth, money, maybe nice juice, maybe nice cloth, fruits, big basket they are given. But here Gurudeva told, “No, you bring which things? The worst things. What is your useless thing?”
Then he thinking, what, what thing I will give? Early in the morning, before taking bath, he went to toilet. Then he thinking, what things I will give? Whole night he was thinking, thinking. Now he thinking, what things I will give? Oh no. Then he thinking, “Oh, this stool useless. Bad smell.” Then stool start to say, “You are very intelligent person, why you criticize to me? Do you know? Last night I was nice beautiful purī. Purī, understand? And laḍḍu, kachorī, different different nice preparation. Just couple hours, not many hours. How many? Couple hours. Maybe two, three hours I associated with your stomach. Eh? Now I am stool.”
Stool is speaking. Stool is speaking. Just a story I am giving you. And you are thinking I am very worse. Śāstra saying, “Yasya yat-saṅgatiḥ puṁso…” According your association, depend on good qualification, bad qualification. If you associate with good person, then good qualification will come. And if you associate with bad person, bad qualification will come. This is true or wrong?
So just couple hours, not many hours. Last night I was very nice beautiful sweet samosā. Laḍḍu, kachorī. Many kinds of sweet things. You ate me and now I associated your stomach, now I am very bad. So that means this what? Stool is saying who is bad person? Who is very, very worst? Tell to me. Mane, stool says, “I am or you are?” You tell to me. That time intellectual thinking, “Oh, this is true.” Gurudeva he told me what is which are the very worst. So he thinking, “This body.” Actually this is true, this our body is useless. This is true or wrong? All the bad things always coming out from our nine doors.
You understand? How many doors in this, your body? Nine. Really, you know? Who knows? How many doors? Seven. Upper seven and lower two doors. And there everything is always bad things, good things are not. Eh? This is true or wrong? Look. Our mouth, nose, two eyes, ears. How many? Seven. Always bad things coming out. Our śāstra saying, if you touch, you have to wash your hand. Bola Vṛndāvana-Bihārī Lāl kī jaya! This is. And lower two, you know. Bad thing. So that means this body is also…
So that means his body is [worse] also. That time he realized that means Gurudeva he told me you offer yourself, offer to me.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in said, told Kṛṣṇa Purī-pāda, he told, ‘Ei deha samarpiluṅ tomāra caraṇe.’ O my Gurudeva, I completely surrender lotus feet of my body. Not anything. That is called Sanskrit word that called ātma-samarpaṇa. What is called? Ātma-samarpaṇa. Completely surrender lotus feet of our Guru. This is the process. Dīkṣā means this way, when you this is not, not my, everything is not my belongs to me. Everything belongs to Gurudeva, Kṛṣṇa or Guru. This is not mine.
Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa / sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama. Sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya / aprākṛta-dehe kṛṣṇa-caraṇa bhajaya. When you offer everything to lotus feet of Guru, and that time that is called your body is called cid-ānanda-maya. Transcendent body will come. And with the transcendental body then you serve to Lord. This is the process.
Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ / sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Kṛṣṇa-nāma, Kṛṣṇa-kathā is transcendental. And all our senses that is called material. Jaḍa. So transcendental things and material things completely what? Opposite and difference. But when our tendency will come to serve to Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-sevā-vṛtti. Then our all senses will become… And when our desire will come to serve to Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-sevā-vṛtti. And that time it will become transcendental. This is the process also.
Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ / sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Sevā-vṛtti the tendency to serve to Kṛṣṇa, that time will be that will be as like… No no no, if you put the fire in the iron, iron in the fire… Then that iron will be as like also fire. Look this. The Sanskrit word called tadātmya-vṛtti will come. What is called? Tadātmya-vṛtti. Tat ātma vṛtti. Tadātmya-vṛtti will come. Iron cannot burn anything. But same iron understand? You put in the fire then iron become reddish color. And that time that iron can burn everything. Everything you know. Because tadātmya-vṛtti come. In the same way when our this tadātmya-vṛtti will come to serve to Kṛṣṇa, then our body will become as like sac-cid-ānanda. And that time we can chant holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
In the same way śuddha-bhakta, their body also sac-cid-ānanda, cid-tanu. Kṛṣṇa is called sac-cid-ānanda. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ / anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. Brahma-saṁhitā. Kṛṣṇa is Sat-Cit-Ānanda-maya Bhagavān. Sat means sattā that is called existence. Cit means transcendental knowledge. And Ānanda means bliss. So that means Sat-Cit-Ānanda. Kṛṣṇa’s body is called sac-cid-ānanda. So and Kṛṣṇa nāma, rūpa, guṇa, Kṛṣṇa name, qualification everything also sac-cid-ānanda.
So how will chant holy names? How will serve to Kṛṣṇa? So when our tendency will come to serve to Kṛṣṇa, then our that tadātmya-vṛtti will come. That means the oneness with the potency will come in our body. And that time we can serve to Guru and Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Otherwise how possible serve to Guru and Kṛṣṇa, tell to us.
So for this regard Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda wrote this verse in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Not possible to accept transcendental things with our material senses. You understand? What he say? Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is explained in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu that the body and senses which are made of dull matter cannot connect with what is divine, what is spiritual. So only when one is infused with the desire to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then the senses become spiritualized, as Mahārāja was explaining like putting iron into a burning fire. It gets the same qualities as the fire itself. It glows, it has the same heat and the same potency. That is called tadātmika-bhāva will come.
And only then can Kṛṣṇa’s name actually be uttered. The pure name of Kṛṣṇa be uttered because the pure name will not appear on the senses made of dull material, dull matter. In Sanskrit word also say, ‘nādevo devam arcayet.’ If you have not the qualification of demigod, demigoddess, you cannot serve to them also. So the Sanskrit verse, ‘nādevo devam arcayet.’
So now coming in this way, Guru and Vaiṣṇava, but they are very merciful. They accept our service. We are not qualified to serve to him. But Guru, Gurudeva is very merciful. He accepts all our service. Why? Because when our desire will come to serve. Lord is very merciful. Bhāva-grāhī janārdana. Lord accepts our mood. When you say, I serve my Gurudeva. Then Gurudeva will accept my service.
Very nice beautiful example Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has given, I tell to you. Uddhava himself told. When Kṛṣṇa appeared in this material world, and that time they are thinking, oh he is an ordinary person. Actually he is not an ordinary person. Sākṣād Bhagavān. Give an example. The moon reflected where? In the lake water. But in this lake many also fish are there. Many fish. The other fish they are thinking, oh this also another kind of fish as like us. Because moon is up of the moon’s in the sky, understand? But the reflection is where? Surface of the water. Look these things.
But when the water or is called reflected, water moving, little bit waves coming. Waves are coming. Then the that reflection of the moon also moving, moving. The same that time, that the fish they are thinking also he is also another kind of fish and they also playing with him. Actually where is the moon? High in the sky. In the same way, sometimes Guru and Vaiṣṇava is staying with us. Actually they are transcendental. They are all these things are super excellent everythings. But we are thinking is my friend, sometimes embracing, kissing they are there, there, there. Why? Because he is very merciful, wonderful, he is giving association to us. You understand? This example Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam giving this example also.
But when we do bhajana and sādhana, then you realize who is he? Who is Guru-pāda-padma? First, the Gurudeva is non-difference from Kṛṣṇa. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam. Gurv-aṣṭakam. He is not human being. Sākṣād Hari. So saying, ‘sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair…‘ Morning I also explained this thing. Guru-pāda-padma.
And specially Śrīla Gurudeva Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He is not an ordinary person. He is coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana, in the very confidential chamber of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s special sakhī’s mañjarī. That is called Ramaṇa Mañjarī. Try to understand these things. So, now Ramaṇa Mañjarī has come and giving association with us. Saṅga. I am not qualified to association with him. But he is very merciful. For this regard Caitanya Mahāprabhu himself recited these words. When Haridāsa Ṭhākura departed from this material world, Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited one verse, one Bengali verse.
Kṛṣṇa-kṛpā kari’ dila more ‘sādhusaṅga’ / svatantra kṛṣṇera icchāya haila saṅga-bhaṅga. Kṛṣṇa is very merciful and wonderful, He give me association, saṅga. And Kṛṣṇa is svatantra independent. And according His desires also took away. Now we are separate from. Look this. So this is the Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, they are very merciful. But when you realize these things, when you do bhajana and sādhana. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ‘tha bhajana-kriyā, anartha-nivṛtti, niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti, then bhāva and prema. Then you realize otherwise is not.
So Guru-pāda-padma is very merciful and wonderful. They are descended from Goloka Vṛndāvana and giving saṅga, association to us. Then you realize this thing. Guru-pāda-padma is very merciful. Sometimes loving with so much love and affection. Sometimes also chastisement. Not only give love and affection. Love and love and affection also chastisement. Then you realize the love and affection this way. Sometimes you also embrace, kissing your son and sometimes also chastise. As like Mother Yaśodā, so much love and affection with Kṛṣṇa. Embracing and kissing, and sometimes Mother Yaśodā chastise, taking her stick. Hey! You are cor, cor means you are thief.
So what I am saying these things? Love means this also. So Guru’s mercy. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda explained if Guru only glorifies his disciple, that means he cheating to his disciple. Vañchito ‘smi vañchito ‘smi. Do you understand? And if Guru chastise his disciple, that means he is giving blessing. Guru-kṛpā. So need both. His love and affection and also chastisement.
But how to serve to Gurudeva, śāstra saying, ādau guru-pādāśraya. First taking shelter lotus feet of Guru. Then dīkṣā, śikṣā, then viśrambheṇa guru-sevā. They use this word viśrambheṇa guru-sevā. You serve your Gurudeva with intimacy. As like laukika sad-bandhuvat prīti. Love and affection with Gurudeva as like material world people as like in your family members staying each others and sharing with their happiness and unhappiness. This is a total. In the same way, laukika sad-bandhuvat prīti.
Vrajavāsīs the residents of Vṛndāvana, they also make friendship with Kṛṣṇa as like their family member. You understand? If your any family member will become sick, you also your mind also sorrow. You feeling himself, you are not suffering any kinds of disease or distress. You are not suffering from the fever. But your son or your any very close family members, feeling any kinds of disease or distress, you also feeling same thing. Why? Because you are so much love and affection, close friendship. In the same way, Vrajavāsīs, the residents of Vraja, they make friendship with Kṛṣṇa as like their family member.
Tat-duḥkhe duḥkhī tat-sukhe sukhī. Sanskrit word. When Kṛṣṇa feeling any pain, Vrajavāsī they also feeling pain. This is the love means also this way. So Viśvanātha Cakravartī-pāda give an example, when you play the vīṇā or guitar, just to touch that the string, and making the one sound. Being one stage going to others corner going. You understand? If you have a musical instrument like a sitar or a vīṇā or a guitar, and you simply move one of the strings, the note and the tremor will go across the whole string. But you touch there the sound making sound, and whole vibration going up to down. In the same way, love means this way. Feeling yourself.
So Vrajavāsīs, the residents of Vraja, they have love and affection with Kṛṣṇa as like their family member. If Kṛṣṇa is feeling any pain, they also feeling pain. Their mind also very disturbed. Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. But Vrajavāsīs, the residents of Vraja, they never think Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. Because they have love and affection with Kṛṣṇa as like their family member. That Sanskrit word that is called laukika sad-bandhuvat prīti. So Brahmājī recited one verse, aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyam nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām / yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam.
Oh, how Vrajavāsīs, they are great fortune. Because Vrajavāsīs, the residents of Vraja, they never think Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. They are thinking Kṛṣṇa is our family member. Laukika sad-bandhuvat prīti. They have love and affection with. So saying, ‘aho bhāgyam…‘ In the same way, sādhaka practitioner serve his Guru as like his laukika sad-bandhuvat prīti, family member. That is called viśrambheṇa guru-sevā.
Guru-sevā. There are many process to attain to Lord, but top most and simple process one who serve Gurudeva. Guru-sevā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhena cārpita / saṅgena sādhhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena ca. Ārādhanaṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param / tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. There are many verses. Just I explain. So guru-sevā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā. Guru-sevā. But there are two kinds of guru-sevā. Just I finish then time will be over. I want to speak Guru-tattva also. This is very important.
Two kinds of guru-sevā. Serve to Gurudeva. One is called vapu-sevā, and is called vāṇī-sevā. Understand? Vapu-sevā means physically serve to Guru, that is called vapu-sevā. Washing his cloth, cook for him, massage his feet. This is called physically guru-sevā. Physically. And another is called vāṇī-sevā. Vāṇī-sevā means listen Hari-kathā from his mouth. And spread all over the world. That sevā is called bṛhat-mṛdaṅga-sevā also. What is called? Bṛhat-mṛdaṅga printing, press. And Guru will be very pleased. One who serve Gurudeva this type of sevā, that is called vāṇī-sevā.
Listen Gurudeva Hari-kathā. Guru will be very pleased if you listen Hari-kathā from his mouth. Bonafide Guru he wants, who is listening my Hari-kathā? And this kathā after listening this kathā, then have to spread all over the world. That is called vāṇī-sevā. Gurudeva told. Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s personal servant, his name Govinda. He served Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Jagannātha Purī. Understand? Cooking for him or massage his lotus feet. This is also important. I am not saying this is useless. You cannot say this. But Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda he cooked for Caitanya Mahāprabhu or not? Not mentioned. Cooked or not not mentioned in your śāstra.
But Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura glorified about Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda in his praṇāma-mantra. Śrī-caitanya-mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale / svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam. Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda who fulfilled all the desires of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-caitanya-mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ. What is the mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Desires. Innermost desires. What is the innermost desires of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu? And spread all tattva-siddhānta, rasa-mādhurya kathā, everything all over the world. Everybody understand this thing.
For this regard Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda he realized the heart of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then he wrote all these granthas, rasa-granthas. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, Vidagdha-mādhava nāṭakam, Lalita-mādhava nāṭakam, Haṁsadūta, Utkalikā-vallarī. Many granthas he wrote. So for this regard Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura he wrote this verse, glorification about Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda. Śrī-caitanya-mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ… When Rūpa Gosvāmī-pāda will give me shelter his lotus feet. Because he fulfilled all the desires of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is called vāṇī-sevā.
If Rūpa Gosvāmī not manifest these grantha, Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi grantha, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mādhava nāṭakam, Lalita-mādhava nāṭakam, Haṁsadūta, all the grantha. How will realize about the highest prema? So grantha-sevā, that is called bṛhat-mṛdaṅga-sevā. This is a top most service. That is called vāṇī-sevā. You understand? Vāṇī-sevā.
All our ācāryas Guru-vargas they wrote many granthas, many commentary. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī-pāda, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī-pāda, all our Guru-vargas wrote all these granthas. And also transcribed their grantha in different different language also. Specially in Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja. He transcribed all granthas in different different language also. Especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Gītā. That is called As It Is Bhāgavad-gītā. This is very important. Then he wrote also transcribed in Caitanya-caritāmṛtam, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Many granthas he there also.
Otherwise how possible understand the mood of them? Guru-vargas they wrote the grantha, in their grantha books they all the mood, highest mood inside there. So this is called bṛhat-mṛdaṅga-sevā. So guru-sevā means that is called vāṇī-sevā. So for this regard Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda he wrote one article, vāṇī-sevā or is called vapu-sevā versus vāṇī-sevā. Understand? So vāṇī-sevā is top most service. So all disciples this is their duty how to spread Guru’s vāṇī, Hari-kathā all over the world. Then Gurudeva will be very pleased.
So today I offer my daṇḍavat-praṇāma his lotus feet, one day I will fulfill his desires. Jaya Śrī Gurudeva kī! Jaya! Jay Gurudeva, Jay Gurudeva… Gurudeva tumārī jaya jaya ho.
Footnotes: Verses Cited
- [04:01] anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ / bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍā yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.36)
- [04:47] māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi kṛṣṇa-smṛti jñāna (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.117)
- [05:12] kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha / ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsārādi-duḥkha (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.108)
- [11:11] na vinā vipralambhena sambhogaḥ puṣṭim aśnute / kāyitā iva kaṣāyitā vastra (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 15.212 / Vidagdha-mādhava)
- [12:50] duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya guru-tara? / kṛṣṇa-bhakta-viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi para (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 8.248)
- [19:32] sambandha laiyā bhaje tāre kṛṣṇa nāhi tyaje / āra saba mare akāraṇa (Jaiva Dharma)
- [20:22] prathamantu gurum pūjya tataś caiva mamārcanam (Gautamīya Tantra / Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 4.344)
- [23:01] labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte / mānuṣyam arthadam anityam apīha dhīraḥ / tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anumṛtyu yāvan / niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.29)
- [28:30] yasya yat-saṅgatiḥ puṁso maṇivat syāt sa tad-guṇaḥ (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 2.13)
- [32:27] dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa / sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 4.192)
- [32:51] ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ / sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234)
- [36:03] īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ / anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1)
- [38:32] nādevo devam arcayet (Viṣṇu Saṁhitā / Hari-bhakti-vilāsa)
- [42:47] sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ (Śrī Gurv-aṣṭakam 7)
- [43:33] kṛṣṇa-kṛpā kari’ dila more ‘sādhusaṅga’ / svatantra kṛṣṇera icchāya haila saṅga-bhaṅga (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 11.94)
- [44:23] ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ‘tha bhajana-kriyā (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15)
- [46:36] ādau guru-pādāśrayas tasmād dīkṣā-śikṣādi-bhajanam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.74)
- [50:42] aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyam nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām / yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32)
- [52:11] guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhena cārpita / saṅgena sādhhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena ca (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.30)
- [55:04] śrī-caitanya-mano-‘bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale / svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam (Śrī Rūpa Praṇāma)