He Tolerated More Than a Tree

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tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 11.3.21)

"Any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters."

Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said that bonded souls can exhibit submission unto the lotus feet of guru-vaiṣṇava until a certain extent, but not fully. If there is any breakage of self-interest, they can break the relationship with Gurudev immediately. That is the kind of inclination bonded souls are usually showing unto the lotus feet of guru-vaiṣṇava. We can remain completely certain that guru-vaiṣṇava never wants to get any pratiṣṭhā-puja.

Guru-vaiṣṇava cannot accept any kind of puja from anybody. The condition of a bonded soul is that they may worship today but if they lose self-interest, they can kick tomorrow. The slightest deviation from the track of Gurupādapadma can ultimately throw you away from bhajan. Be careful! Your heart should be totally harmonized with guru-vaiṣṇava. That is the only way to get kṛpā, no other way.

guror anugraheṇaiva pumān pūrṇaḥ praśāntaye

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.80.43)

"Simply by the grace of the spiritual master, a person can fulfill life’s purpose and attain eternal peace."

By the mercy of pure guru-vaiṣṇava you can get total satisfaction in your life. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa and his longtime friend Sudāmā Vipra were talking in Dwaraka. Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke that only by the mercy of guru-vaiṣṇava you can get total satisfaction inside. Total satisfaction means you are getting bhakti, when the nectar of bhakti comes into the heart. Then there is no desire, no dissatisfaction, and nothing negative can exist in your life. That is the way out; that is the procedure.

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 11.3.21)

Śabda-brahma is the sound incarnation of Supreme Lord Himself and is equal to Parabrahma. Śabda-brahma reaches us through the channel of guru-vaiṣṇava. Niṣṇātaṁ means one should have a clear idea of this by the mercy of guru-vaiṣṇava. The guru from whom you are taking initiation should have direct experience with both Śabda-brahma and Parabrahma; knowledge with direct feeling and realization of Supreme Lord. Upaśamāśrayam means totally satisfied, with no feeling of dissatisfaction or burden, and with a heart that is full of total transcendental bliss. At present, people are suspicious and they do not have one hundred percent belief in guru-vaiṣṇava. Prabhupāda and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that according to the degree of your inclination, you are going to get kṛpā from the transcendental world.

Guru-vaiṣṇava are vāñchā-kalpataru, wish-yielding trees. Sometimes guru-vaiṣṇava is bound to make an ācārya. That does not mean that ācārya is now equal to Gurudev. But some may think since they are ācārya, it means being equal to Guru. But, no, it is not automatic; one will have to come to the level of Gurudev. That person has no right to feel that I am equal to ācārya; that is one kind of vanity. That is the main ground from which they fall down. As long as one is going to follow Gurudev in toto, then they can get total power from Gurudev. There is no facility for manipulation. When one is in constant connection with Gurudev, then they can get total power and act as ācārya, otherwise not. In such a case when one cannot get total power from Gurudev, everything will get lost and one can lose power gradually. Ultimately one can become a sahajīya-guru and lose all gravity and value. One's activities should prove you are an ācārya. A tree is known by its fruits.

When he was to become an Ācārya, Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja thought he was a most unfit person and had no good qualities. His mood was such that he thought I am an unqualified person; Gurudev wanted to correct me so he gave so much sevā. I am bound now to pay so much attention to this that I cannot do any non-devotional activities. He thought for this reason that his Gurudev put him in a leadership position so that he will have to do all sevā by himself. For this reason, he thought, his Gurudev is giving him pressure. He spoke in this way.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja is a living embodiment of tṛṇād api sunīcena. My Gurupādapadma, Śrī Bhakti Pramod Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāja also said that he is an embodiment of taror api sahiṣṇunā. I have never seen that kind of enduring power in my life. I can only speak the philosophy that the tree can suffer to the maximum, but practically I have seen that he has tolerated that more than trees.

Without the mercy of guru-vaiṣṇava we cannot do anything, we will have some vanity. At present we see those who think since they have enough money that they can buy a vaiṣṇava. They have no darśana, they have no idea who is a vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇavas have all the pratiṣṭhā of the world within their grip, but they can easily throw it.

Guru Mahārāja used to say, "You are a servant. Servant means you should not have any free will. Your free will should be only to serve Gurudev and Kṛṣṇa. If you have any free will which is not favorable, then you are not śiṣya, not a disciple of sadguru." 

Practically we see this in the life of Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja. The total situation in which he was put was totally reversed, but he was always finding it favorable— he knew who is doing what. Tirtha Mahārāja was not at all foolish. So many wanted to make a fool of him. They may have thought he was foolish, but he knew everything.

He used to say, "Zero, zero, zero, everything is zero." Mahārāja used to shout this way, emphasizing how easily one could finish their spiritual life due to foolishness. Everything is zero in your life when you are all doing the opposite of what you are to follow, so you cannot get any benefit. Guru-vaiṣṇava is more powerful than Sun God, guru-vaiṣṇava is more powerful than fire, guru-vaiṣṇava are more powerful than Brahman— you do not know, that is why you like to play. If you are burnt up by fire, somehow you can apply medicine and recover after some time. But don't try to play with guru-vaiṣṇava or you will become burnt so badly that it will totally finish your spiritual life.

By the mercy of Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāja, I could realize something of guru-vaiṣṇava. Externally we cannot understand him due to the conditioned mind. Mahājanas may appear to be doing everything just like the average person, but they are not at all ordinary.

—Śrī Shyamadās Bābājī Mahārāj


April 30, 2019
spoken in English, excerpted and edited







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