“If He Protects Us, We Will Be Protected, and If He Wants to Finish Us, We Will Be Finished”

The staunch faith that Mahārāja has in Śrī Guru is to a degree that is rarely seen. How one should follow the instruction of one's Gurudeva is seen fully in Śrīla Tīrtha Mahārāja.

Once, a young man came to our Kolkata maṭha at Rasbihari Avenue and troubled Bhandari Prabhujī, a devotee who took care of the storehouse. He came after everyone took prasādam in the afternoon and demanded that he be served immediately. He mentioned his whereabouts in Kolkata and told about how his family gives a donation to the maṭha every month. 

Prabhujī told him that the prasādam is over and he can come either that night or the next day. But he demanded that he must be served prasādam immediately and started abusing him. Bhandari Prabhu tried to make him understand, but he started debating. 

Śrīla Tīrtha Mahārāja, who was secretary of our maṭha at that time, came out of his room when he heard the loud shouts and asked what was the matter. That man continued shouting and complaining.

“You come to our house for a donation, now I have come and you are refusing to give me prasādam!” he demanded.

Mahārāji tried to make him understand, but the man said, “If you come to our house for a donation, we shall not give you anything from now on. I will wait and see how you will take care of the maṭha without donations.” 
 
Mahārāja then exhibited his anger and said, “We have not come to the maṭha thinking that you will take care of us and our needs. You may stop giving donations. We have come to maṭha after seeing our Gurujī. Kṛṣṇa is our protector. We have come to the maṭha to do hari-bhajana. Bhagavan is the protector and the maintainer. If He protects us, we will be protected, and if He wants to finish us, we will be finished. Stop giving us a donation and go away from here.” 

He was very strong in this speech. That time our Gurudeva [Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī] came out of his bhajana-kutira. He heard the entire conversation. 

He said, "Whatever Mahārāja has said is right. He gave an appropriate reply. We should have faith in Kṛṣṇa. Our faith should not be in worldly persons. That is not the reason for our renouncing material life. We have come to the maṭha to do kṛṣṇa-bhajana. Kṛṣṇa is our protector and maintainer, He is the master of the universe, and He is maintaining everyone, so will He not maintain us too? Definitely, He will take care of us."

Gurujī praised Tīrtha Mahārāja a lot. I saw that he is very much devoted to Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa and Gurudeva.

–Śrīla Bhakti Saurabha Ācārya Mahārāja (2012)














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