He Forgives The Most Sinful, Giving Shelter to All

I neither have the strength to sing the glories of Śrīla Gurudev nor do I have the required knowledge or intelligence or some humility in my heart to speak about his qualities; this is cent percent true. A lustful mind full of material desires like mine cannot gather the courage to sing the transcendental glories of such a divine personality because I never had such a divine darśan. But still, by Gurudev's mercy, I will try to sing his transcendental glories from my observation and experience which are also described in the scriptures.

The scriptures say an acārya or guru is adoṣa-darśī—one who does not see any faults in anyone. This quality is manifested fully in Gurudev. Whenever anyone approached him and spoke about some faults or some wrong acts of others, Gurudev never accepted those words as such, but he always tried to convince them otherwise by saying such things as maybe you have understood or interpreted their actions wrongly, maybe others have misunderstood your actions,  or there is no one in this world who has all the good qualities in him, and like this and so you have to accept it. His final conclusion is do not see defects and faults in others.

Another quality in Gurudev is bālavat svābhāv, his child-like nature. A child does not know what is happening around him, he is in his own world. So Gurudev was always engrossed deep in his own thoughts. Although he had vast knowledge and he is an acārya who knows everything, he never spoke from the perspective of his own vast knowledge and experience. He has spent more than fifty years of his life as sannyāsī, and many more years as maṭh-vāsī, but he never gave any replies to anyone's questions or queries based on his own knowledge or experience. He would remember Gurudev's teachings and base his replies on them and on what he heard from guru-varga. He would also say, I know only up to this extent. This shows explicitly his guru-gata-pran; other than his Gurudev he has not seen anything else in his life at all. 

We heard from Śrīla Vishnu Mahārāj how he offered respect to an old Matajī who helped prepare and offer prasād for many years during his brahmacārī days. He saw everyone with guru-dṛṣṭi, that everyone is superior to me, not only in his spiritual life, even in his social life. He gave respect to one and all, he had guru-darśan in all, seeing everyone as superior and never a laghu-darśan, seeing someone as inferior or insignificant.

Another of his qualities is kṣamāvān— very forgiving. It is often said in the material world it is very easy to get angry at someone, fight with someone, and speak abusive words to someone, but to forgive someone is very, very difficult. A person can be forgiving when he realizes his own insignificance, his frailties, and his weaknesses. Only one who has always seen the world as insignificant, who lived his life as an insignificant being in society can forgive an individual or the whole world. Gurudev has been most forgiving to all because he never possessed any feeling that he is guru. Gurudev forgave even the most sinful and offensive, gave them shelter, gave them advice, and gave love and affection to all. I saw this quality in Gurudev.

He also possesses a great amount of śiṣya-vātsalya, affection for his disciples because of which many of our god-brothers have given up all material enjoyments of this world, forgetting their family members and surrendering themselves for the service of guru, vaiṣṇavas, and the Lord. Seeing them we can realize how much love and affection Gurudev has showered on them that they could surrender their whole life to the propagation of their Gurudev's ideals and glories throughout the whole world.

It is a human tendency that unless one gets a higher taste he cannot give up lower tastes. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, 2.59:

viṣayā vinivartante

nirāhārasya dehinaḥ

rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya

paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

[Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]

Without realizing superior taste, one cannot give up inferior desires in one's heart. Our god-brothers who desired to relish, experience, and to make our Gurudev's supreme words and his supreme conduct their own surrendered themselves at Gurudev's lotus feet giving up material life is itself a proof of Gurudev's supreme śiṣya-vātsalya his limitless love for his disciples.

I am not used to speaking on mobile like this and whatever I intended to speak I am forgetting which never happened to me any time. This is in fact the first Zoom meeting I am attending. So, if any of the listeners had difficulty understanding my words, I seek their forgiveness.

May Gurudev's grace and blessings be on us all, may he protect us all in this present situation, and protect and maintain our devotional practices. With prayers at the lotus feet of Śrīla Gurudev for mercy and forgiveness.

—Śrīmad Bhakti Saṃbandha Sadhu Mahārāj

source: Vaishnav sabha for the glorification of Śrīla Gurudev in honor of His disappearance day-09 May 2021

spoken in Hindi, translated to English