Even a Slight Glance from Him Can Deliver Us from Our Material Existence

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I have to say many things about Śrīla Mahārāj. I have been taking darśan of Śrīla Mahārāj since the time he was a brahmacārī; I used to accompany him to many places like Māyāpur and Mumbai. Being a conditioned soul, I do not deserve such causeless mercy and good fortune of having the grace of Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāj. I saw all the qualities of Śrīla Madhav Gosvāmī Mahārāj manifested in Śrīla Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāj. In his last days, my Guru Mahārāj manifested his mahā-samādhi pastimes and entered into eternal līlā. We are seeing the same example in Śrīla Tirtha Mahārāj. 

I have heard that Śrīla Mahārāj was engaged in worshiping the Supreme Lord since his childhood. It is exactly like Śrī Prahlād Mahārāj who instructed the entire world that one should serve guru-vaiṣṇava to attain the Supreme Lord. Why? Because we are now completely immersed in saṃsāra in this material world and tumbled around by various miseries; we are continuously in anxiety, so he has instructed us in nine devotional forms to engage in hari-bhajan. Prahlād Mahārāj has instructed that as long as we are not completely bathed in the foot dust of the mahājanas, we cannot leave this material world and attain the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.  

We can see another example of Śrīla Raghunātha Das Gosvāmī to know how one should attain the lotus feet of Mahāprabhu by bathing in the foot dust of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. As soon as one gets the grace of Śrī Gurupādapadma only then all the obstacles in hari-bhajan will be removed and one can attain the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Unless and until we are immersed in the foot dust of the Vaiṣṇavas, our life will remain unfulfilled. 

Guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja 

Unless and until we attain the mercy of Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, we cannot get bhakti-latā-bīja.

In the eleventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavān has instructed Uddhava that the first thing one should have is sādhu-saṅga. The only way to attain Supreme Lord is through guru-vaiṣṇava. We cannot reach the Supreme Lord directly by our own strength. 

There are many impediments in the worship of the Supreme Lord, the main impediment being pratiṣṭhā, or the desire to attain name and fame— pratiṣṭhā is the way to hell. But even such an impediment like pratiṣṭhā will go when we attain the mercy of guru-vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava and Gurudev are like ministers of the Supreme Lord.  Only by their mercy, this impediment of name and fame can go away; otherwise not. Only after this desire for attaining name and fame goes away then the Supreme Lord can be seated in our hearts.

We also see this within the topic of the Śrī Navayogendras. After Janak Mahārāj invited Navayogendras and served them properly, they instructed him as follows: The darśan of Vaiṣṇava is most rare. Even after wandering in several species one who is most fortunate can have darśan of Vaiṣṇavas. The material illusory energy or māyā gives various sorts of worldly afflictions, afflicting the mind as well as the body. If you ask any person about his identity he will immediately say I am a doctor, I am an engineer, I am a police officer, etc. but he will never say I am an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. The only reason behind this is he is enveloped by illusory energy. This illusory energy gives us identities. Only if one attains the service of guru-vaiṣṇava, this illusory energy will be removed and they will get their eternal identity— the eternal servant of Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. So only an intelligent person will take the decision of surrendering to the lotus feet of Śrī Gurupādapadma. And even a slight merciful glance of Śrīla Gurudev is more than enough to deliver us from our material existence. Every impossible becomes possible by the mercy of Guru Mahārāj.  

I will narrate an incident that I heard from my Guru Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Pramod Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj. One man was forcefully pulling a cow but the cow was not willing to move because it had a small calf with it. Another person instructed him, please carry the calf, and then the cow will run after you. So, by our own force, we cannot force the Supreme Lord but if we surrender ourselves to Gurudev and Lord Kṛṣṇa, Govinda will run after us.  

There is one Sanskrit śloka of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When Śrīla Tirtha Mahārāj used to sing kirtans it appeared as if sākṣāt Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam appeared in person. Bhāgavan has appeared in two ways, one is in the book Bhāgavatam and the other is the devotee, bhakta-bhāgavat. So our Vaiṣṇavas used to say that Tirtha Mahārāj is a bhakta-bhāgavat in person. Narada Gosvāmī has instructed the entire world through Śrī Vedavyāsa Muni that the service of the lotus feet of Śrī Hari is the only means to cross over this material ocean. And Śrī Hari has appeared as Śrī Harināma as well as the book Bhāgavatam to deliver conditioned souls like us. 

So our main duty is to serve the Bhāgavatam, devotee Bhāgavat, and Śrī Nāma to attain Kṛṣṇa. Only by the service of the lotus feet of Śrī Mukunda, this disturbing mind can only be quietened by bhakti-yoga; there is no other way.  Even if one follows this path to some degree, to some extent, then he will attain kṛṣṇa-prema.  If gurupādapadma plants kṛṣṇa-bhakti in our hearts only then may our stone-like heart will melt and Lord Kṛṣṇa can have His seat in our hearts. So our only duty is to pray for their causeless mercy.  

We sometimes think that we do solitary bhajan, but it is not possible because illusory energy or māyā will never leave us and gradually we will get the desire for name and fame.  But if we can only serve the lotus feet of Śrī Gurupādapadma then only we will get delivered from the illusory energy, there is no other way.  

The happiness that guru-sevā can bestow to one person we will never get such happiness in other yogas like karma-yoga, jñāna yoga, aṣṭāṅga yoga, etc.  

So I conclude that the main objective is to serve Gurudev and Vaiṣṇavas.  And in a place where there is no hari-bhakti, all material elements, and evil elements will be attracted to that place.  The swan-like devotees of the Lord will never come about there. In those places where śuddha-bhakti is there or śuddha bhakti is practiced, only in those places swan-like bonafide devotees of the Supreme Lord will be attracted. Even if some person is talented, this will not get them the company of Supreme Lord, but if that person has been graced by guru-vaiṣṇava then the Supreme Lord will overlook his disqualifications and will accept him as His own person. The only reason behind this is that this person is graced by His pure devotee.  

Today I am praying for the grace of Guru, Vaiṣṇava, and Bhagavān and conclude.

—Śrīla Bhakti Śaraṇa Vamana Mahārāj, disciple of Parampūjyapāda Śrīla Bhakti Pramod Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj

Based on a translation from this source 



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