He Responds According to Our Degree of Surrender

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When I came to the USA and before entering the IT field I was working in a motel as a manager.  I saw people eating all sorts of abominable things and feeling sad, I thought that I will return to India. With a feeling of great regret, I sent Gurudev a letter from the US and got his reply by email which started, “I read the contents of your letter and noted the points.” He went on to explain to me that seven types of people involved in such a living get attached to sin equally and advised me to immediately give up this job and look for some other job. If such a letter from Gurujī had not arrived, maybe I would have compromised with the situation.  For this reason, we need Gurudev's guidance.  When I put my foot down, the supervisor also compromised and arranged a different manager while I got some other engagement.

Even before leaving India, I had written a letter to Gurudev where I opened my heart to him and spoke about my drawbacks. And the result was that Gurujī graced me and told me that there are impressions of many past lives, so in devotional life, you should have both patience and enthusiasm, both are equally important.  Without enthusiasm, you cannot proceed in devotional life, and patience is also very much needed. Without patience, though the graph may rise, it may just stop anywhere in the middle and not progress further in devotional life. So, even now in my life events, I seek some guidance from Gurujī, anticipate that things go according to Gurudev's order because Gurudev says where we give our energy we go there, where our mind goes, we go there.  So, why not go to Kṛṣṇa? Material benefits follow spiritual benefits. If we run for spiritual benefit, material benefits follow as by-products whether we want them or not. We should carefully consider what we are here for. 

The establishment of GOKUL (Global Organization of Śri Kṛṣṇa Caitanya's Universal Love) by Gurudev is also his wonderful pastime and some devotees accompanied Guru Mahārāj on his tours abroad on pracār under this name. Among many who accompanied Gurudev abroad was Śri Rasbihari Prabhu and he is still continuing to nourish this organization taking it as Gurudev's wish and order. He had so much association with Gurudev. He is coming here and with patience and dedication giving guidance to people and speaking guru-vani always. Whatever little support or motivation we give is only by Gurudev's mercy. All things connected to Gurudev are our objects of worship, they have to be kept alive and growing.    

If we speak about Gurudev and not speak about his dear god-brother Śrila (Bhakti Vijñāna) Bharati Mahārāj, then it would remain incomplete. Both are together in following Param Gurudev's orders and serving him. Of many instances Śrila Bharati Mahārāj speaks, the most touching for me is that Śri Vigraha and Gurudev respond even today, sometimes through a portrait or through a deity form in your home.  Their response is directly proportional to the degree of śaraṇagati we have.  He has given examples of Kshirchora Gopinath, Sakshi Gopal as he highlighted the glory of Param Gurudev's presence in two places at the same time. This is to say, even today Gurudev responds to our heartfelt prayers, and not only Gurudev, Śri Vigraha, and the Lord will begin to respond. 

Then a day will come in our life as a sādhaka when we will have direct communion with Gurujī and the Deities while serving them and we will feel they are responding to my prayers. Initially, the signs may be like they smiled at me, they blinked their eyes, and even before this may be you will experience their blessings by way of flower garlands slipping off their necks, like this various levels of responses will increase. We all have to become sincere in our devotional practice, then we can avail the benefit of their presence in this material world.  Otherwise, it is like we have given up our benefits. We are all very fortunate that we are in this special Kaliyuga when Śriman Mahāprabhu Himself has arrived and performed pastimes just some 550 years before so we have to avail full benefit of this.  

—Madhusūdana Das (Manish Lakhani)

Spoken in Hindi (translated), 10.5.2020, Guru-kathā posted on GOKUL India Youtube channel

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