Offering Sadhan Bhajan to Him is the Real Guru Seva

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Of all practices, when one does guru seva, he makes Bhagavan the happiest. Bhagavan Himself says to Uddhava in Srimad Bhagavatam.

Guru seva is not just being near to Guru, attending to his needs, massaging his legs, etc.

Prabhupada was playing the pastime of illness before leaving this world. When his sevaks asked him to take medicine to get well, he expressed his unhappiness (dukha) that his followers are not taking medicine of Harinam regularly and seriously in the right spirit.

Guru is Antaryami, like Bhagavan. So he said, "If you take medicine, I will be cured!" He wanted his followers to do real bhajan. Prabhupada says if we do Bhajan for pratishta, it is kaitava (cheating) not bhajan.

They have no unhappiness about their body or health. Guru seva is performed through bhajan— this is vastav seva, real seva. How much time we spend for bhajan? Shravan kirtan is like water to the Bhakti lata beej a fortunate soul gets from Guru after wandering in these 14 worlds for millions of births.

In "Sri Bhajana Rahasya" Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur says by Bhakti-mula sukriti you get a sadguru (bhakta guru). So it is not ordinary to get a bhakta guru. By karma-mula sukriti, you get an ordinary guru and jnana mula sukriti you get a jnani Guru. From Sadguru what you got? Treasure of Vaikunta, Harinama Sankirtan—golokera prema dhana harinama sankirtana.

We should not be like a monkey who does not know the value of gems if he gets in his hand and plays with it and loses it. Gurudeva gave us Bhakti lata beej. We have to sow it in the garden of our heart—sresta stan. I am the gardener. I have to water it with shravan, kirtan, by both.

How much taste I have for shravan, kirtan? How much time I give for this? It is not the question of one hour, 2 hours a day; if we do not do sadhana how can we expect to get sadhya vastu—bhagavat bhakti? So our bhajan should be on the lines of tivra bhakti yogena, sincere and serious effort in the practice of devotion.

Mantra is one but depending on your sadhana you get fruits. Prabhupada said: if you do tivrena bhakti yogena you can get your eternal benefit in one life itself. Druva took dhira sankalpa, was just 5 years old which is not suitable for tivra sadhana. Narada Goswami came and first tested his determination by advising him to do sadhana later since he was young. He said: no, do or die. Then Narada Goswami gave him mantra and advice on how to do sadhana.

Oh Guruji, I do not get concentration in chanting japa. I have no taste, no interest. If you practice then you get concentration. Why in worldly matters you have a good lot of interest, taste? You have to simply practice, the more you engage your mind it will attain concentration.

—Sripad Bhakti Kushal Padmanabh Maharaj, 7.10.2013

translated and transcribed


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