His Sublimely Subtle Vision of Service

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In 2005, we had grand celebrations of Paramgurudev’s Centennial in Mayapur and invited 108 mrdanga players. Pujyapad Madhusudan Maharaj made all the arrangements with devotees and we assisted him in that event. In 2011, we celebrated the 50th sanyass anniversary of Srila Guru Maharaj. The excitement and interest which Gurudev showed in 2005 during the centennial celebrations of Paramgurudev were hardly seen when the event was planned for 2011 for his sanyass anniversary. His sanyass celebration was so big, but for him, it appears as not very significant compared to the event in 2005 where he was seen monitoring each and every activity we were preparing for the centennial of Paramguru Maharaj. 

For Srila Paramgurudev's festival, we purchased so many shirts for the mrdanga players and volunteers, nearly 500. We wanted to make some printing with a color image of Paramgurudev on the shirt with the idea that when we were seen walking on the road, it can be good publicity. When this news came to Srila Gurudev, he rejected it. He said no because the persons wearing the shirts will wash that shirt with Paramgurudev’s image along with other potentially impure clothes and it is not correct. He also mentioned that when they do pranams on the floor the picture of Srila Paramgurudev will touch on the ground; that is also not correct. His thinking was so subtle; a vision that we can’t even imagine. We see it as a part of publicity like it can be good for photos, but Gurudev sees not only the picture but the person in the picture. So that plan was canceled, and we understood we’re not going to make any colored image. 

An updated plan was made then that we will make a screen print of Centennial celebrations and the name of Paramgurudev. Gurudev rejected that also. He said the name is written there. Shabda brahma; that holy name is written— that is also nondifferent from the form of his Gurudev and Supreme Lord. He’s not ready to accept the name of Paramgurudev to be put on the shirt either. That’s why we don’t use the bead bags which have words written on them, it is shabda brahma in the form of writing. 

What to do then? We planned to prepare stickers. Madhusudan Maharaj had the idea to stick them on the shirt and after the event, we will peel it off and put in Ganga. Gurudev accepted this proposal. When the stickers were printed, Srila Gurudev wanted to see them and when we tried to present the sticker to him,  but he was again not ready to accept. Again in the sticker, a color picture was prominently printed. So he’s not ready for that. Then we proposed to put the sticker on back of the shirt and Gurudev said no because the rope of mrdanga will come on the sticker. 

No single person can ever see in such a subtle way the way Gurudev does. Especially when it comes to his Gurudev. He always wanted to make sure that the service to Paramgurudev has to be done in a very perfect manner. There should not be any kind of imperfection while serving Gurudev. That was very clearly seen in Most Revered Srila Guru Maharaj. 

So he said no the rope of mrdanga will come, it is not correct. Finally what we planned was when the kirtan started, we will stick each sticker on the front of everyone’s shirts— not before, not after, only when kirtan is ready to start, and immediately after the kirtan comes back to math, we will remove all the stickers. Finally, he accepted this proposal. Such an interest he has shown. Also, we made some posters of Paramgurudev’s teachings so that we can hang them everywhere and Gurudev personally monitored all these posters we hung in different languages. 

In 2011 for his own celebration, he did not do all that. In 2005 and 2004 he was personally taking care of all these things for his Gurudev. Madhusudan Maharaj, Pujyapad Sadhu Maharaj (called Narottam Brahmacari then), and I were collecting donations. Sevaks would easily allow us to go to the room of Gurudev and we would tell everything to him. He would like to know what we brought, how many clothes we bought for sanyassis and brahmacharis and how we will distribute them because this is Paramgurudev’s celebration.  In his seva and words, he never wanted any changes and dilutions. 

—Srila Bhakti Kinkar Damodar Maharaj

Excerpted and transcribed with slight edits from Zoom meeting for singing glories of Srila Gurudev on His 96th Appearance Festival (Zoom), 02 Apr 2020



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