Experiencing His Affection Fades Worldly Attraction

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Lord's compassion and mercy are described as unlimited, boundless like the ocean. This is realized only by His devotees. His affection is compared to the affection of crores of parents put together. One who has the experience and realization of the Lord's boundless mercy will never keep faith in the material world.  

I will give an example of how much śiṣya-vātsalya our Gurujī has for his disciples. When Pujyapad Bhagavat Maharaj requested Gurujī to send a pūjārī to Tejpur Math, Gurujī told me that you have to go to Tejpur.  I said, "Yes, Gurujī." But Gurujī became thoughtful. At that time, terrorist activities were on the rise in Assam with news of bomb blasts, including occasionally on trains. Gurujī said it is risky to travel by train, so you will go by flight directly from Kolkata to Tejpur. The ticket fare was then Rs.300/- and he got the ticket booked for me. Then he told, it is very cold in Assam now and if you take an early morning bath in cold water you will catch a cold. So, early morning, only change your clothes, wash your hands, feet, and mouth and perform maṅgalārati. Later you may take a hot water bath and perform arcanā of the deities.  

I am an ordinary sevak, but how much care and attention he has for me! He further explained that there is a lot of iron in the water there and if I drink it, I will have stomach upset. He advised me to drink filtered water or boiled and cooled water. He was not just giving attention to my needs and well-being but also showering his affection on me. 

When he sent me in advance to Agartala for month-long Kartik observations during the year of Mahaprabhu's fifth Centenary Appearance Celebrations he told me not to take bath in the pond there, but rather bathe with supply water. Because the iron content in the water supply is so high there, he explained, I could get an upset stomach and dysentery, so drink only filtered water. 

kṛṣṇa-bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sakali sañcāre 

(CC 2.22.75) 

All good qualities of Krsna manifest in a devotee of Krsna. Gurujī gave so much love, care, and affection that I completely forgot my parent's affection. When I try to remember my parents, I see Gurujī's form before my eyes. This is my experience. So the affection Lord has also exists in His devotee and is called śiṣya-vātsalya. Not all can realize this. So some say, Tirtha Maharaj does not discipline his disciples. Gurujī says,"Gurujī gave me authority for seva, not to discipline disciples." He also says, "Mahaprabhu will discipline" and "I am not able to discipline myself, how can I discipline others?" Such are Gurujī's thoughts. Therefore, Lord's affection and love for living entities are so deep and vast, if one experiences it even a little, he will find this world phikā (dull, faded, lifeless) and he will instantly give up this material life of illusion and attachment. So also is Gurujī's affection. 

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ

ye janāḥ paryupāsate

teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ

yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

Lord says in the Bhagavad Gita 9.22: those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form, I carry what they lack and I preserve what they have.

—Srila Bhakti Kushal Padmanabha Maharaj

spoken on June 30, 2021, from Chandigarh Math evening kathā 

Excerpt from a transcription-translation from Hindi to English








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