Today, my disciples performed kirtan and worshipped me as their guru. By listening to their kirtan, I worshipped them. If by listening I had any untoward motives, if I had accepted it for my own sake, then there would have been no puja (worship).
Today, Utthana Ekadasi, is also the tithi (lunar day) when we worship our predecessor acarya, Srimad Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, for it is his disappearance day. You have heard a great deal about Babaji Maharaja’s transcendental activities and teachings from the venerable Puri Maharaja. As I utter his name, I beg for his blessings, and I also pray for the blessings of my Guru Maharaja, who is non-different from him.
Coincidentally, this also happens to be my own birthday. Those who love me have taken this opportunity to give me their profuse blessings. Who is such a fool that he will not accept blessings when they are given? Who will not take the opportunity to make spiritual advancement when it comes? I therefore humbly accept all of your blessings. May every one of my senses be constantly engaged in the service of Krishna and His devotees by your mercy.
It is the custom for those in the renounced order to worship the guru on their own birthday. So, today, I make this my personal duty. I have three types of guru:
- The word guru (gu+ru) means “the destroyer of ignorance.” The embodiment of unlimited knowledge is the Lord Himself, Whose appearance destroys all ignorance. The Lord Himself is thus the root of the truth that is guru.
- The second type is he who personally attracted and engaged me in the service of the Lord, who is himself another form of the Lord. This is he who founded the worldwide Chaitanya Maṭhas and Gaudiya Maṭhas, my Gurudeva, Nitya-lila-praviṣṭa Prabhupada Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Ṭhakura.
- Thirdly, all the Vaiṣnavas are my gurus.
What do the Vaiṣnavas do? Just as it is the guru’s job to constantly engage the disciple in the service of the supreme object of service—the Supreme Lord, so the Vaiṣnavas keep us engaged in the service of our worshipable Lord. It is impossible for anyone to get away with any aberrant behaviour. If we deviate in any way, they will catch us. So I also include my disciples amongst my gurus.
Today, my disciples performed kirtana and worshipped me as their guru. By listening to their kirtana, I worshipped them. If by listening I had any untoward motives, if I had accepted it for my own sake, then there would have been no pūja (worship). Just as kirtana is a devotional activity, so listening (sravana) is also a devotional activity. However we express it, they are all my masters whom I must serve. But even though they are my masters—the objects of my service—the great affection I have for them compels me to instruct them, to take care of and protect them in the same way that Yasoda and Nanda punished, instructed and took care of Gopala. When Yasoda bound little Gopala to the mortar, she did not do so because she considered Him to be the object of her service; she did it because she considered Him to be her child. The object of service can be the one who protects and also the one who is protected; the one who takes care of and also the one who is taken care of. Therefore, both attitudes are found in a pure devotee.
Srila Prabhupada called his disciples prabhu (“master”). He even called his most insignificant disciples prabhu and used the polite form of the pronoun “you” (apni). He used the more intimate pronouns tui and tumi with only very few of his disciples. He was never condescending. But he would chastise and instruct even those disciples whom he addressed as prabhu, using the respectful pronoun apni. When one calls someone prabhu, is it not paradoxical to then discipline him? Some might even consider it to be a kind of hypocrisy. But this is not hypocrisy on the part of the guru; when he calls his disciple “master,” he means it. On the other hand, when the situation necessitates it and the other mood comes upon him, he disciplines his disciple. From one vantage point, the spiritual master is a disciplinarian; from another, he is the disciple’s dearmost friend and well-wisher.
I am most grateful to all those who have blessed me today. May the result of their blessings be that my every thought and instinct be directed toward the service of Krishna and His devotees. And if anyone was really worshipping me, then he should know that he has in fact worshipped my spiritual master, who is the real object of worship. Service to the guru is service to God. I never saw anything in my guru other than the desire to achieve the pleasure of the Lord. He never for a moment thought that anything other than devotion to Krishna was in the true interest of the conditioned souls. Had he thought thus, he would not have been able to keep someone like me in the maṭha.
vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo viṣaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam pṛthivim sa siṣyat
(Upadesamṛta 1)
“A sober person who can tolerate the urges of speech, the mind and anger, as well as the urges to taste nice food, fill the belly and satisfy the genitals is qualified to become spiritual master of the entire world.”
Those who have controlled the six urges are qualified to discipline others. Srila Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura considered the above instruction to be directed towards householders and not to renunciates, but in fact, unless one has already been able to control the six urges, he is not qualified to leave the householder asrama. Why then did Srila Prabhupada make me a tyagi (renunciate), when I have not been able to master the six urges? Perhaps I can make a mistake, but he certainly could not have made one. As my well-wisher, as my protector and master, why did he keep me in the maṭha? The reason is, he knew with certainty that there is no other way for anyone to achieve the ultimate good other than associating with Vaiṣnavas and engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. Through association with devotees and by hearing the scriptures, one is able to experience the greatness of the Lord. This gives him the impetus to serve the Lord. There is no guarantee that simply by superficially controlling the senses one will become a devotee. There are many eunuchs in the world who would have become devotees if that were the case. Such sense control or renunciation has no standing unless there is love for guru, Krishna and Radha. Without love for Krishna, without service to my Lord, all this renunciation is not worth a penny—it is false renunciation.
A renunciate or celibate who has no interest in service to the Lord is not as dear to us as someone who has dedicated himself to the Lord’s service. This is because even though at first he may be somewhat erratic in controlling his senses, through the higher taste, his senses will ultimately be completely mastered and he will have no interest in anything but Krishna. Nothing else will enchant him.
viṣaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso ’py asya
param dṛṣṭva nivartate
(Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)
“Although a person of gross, corporeal consciousness may avoid sense objects by means of external renunciation, his eagerness for sense enjoyment remains within. However, inner attachment to sense objects is spontaneously denounced by the person of properly adjusted intelligence due to his having had a glimpse of the all-attractive beauty of the Supreme Truth.”
tasmat kenapy upayena manah kṛṣne nivesayet:
I may be renounced, but my mind is still accepting and rejecting thoughts and desires constantly. So, I am associating with my mind, not with Krishna. What benefit can come of that? It is of no benefit to me to associate with someone who simply praises and flatters me. It is far more beneficial to find the company of someone who will discipline me, who will instruct me and show me my mistakes.
Devotion to Krishna bears no relation to worldly learning or ignorance. If it did, then scholars and panditas would all have been devotees. One who has realised that the ultimate goal of life is Krishna’s pleasure alone does not need to waste his time in studies. I remember an event that took place when I was at the Madras Gaudiya Maṭha, where I spent about ten years of my life. Through the efforts of Sripada Sridhara Maharaja, Sripada Vana Maharaja, other venerable godbrothers and myself, we were able to build the Madras temple. Ramacandra Aiyar, the son of Sadasiva Aiyar, who had donated the land for the temple, advised us to learn Tamil so that we could preach to the general populace of the city. He even took steps to help us learn. I had been studying Tamil for only three days when a telegram came telling me to go to Puri. When I saw Prabhupada, I told him that it would take about six months to learn Tamil. Srila Prabhupada said, “Krishna-bhakti is not preached by language. Through it, you may be able to transmit learning or scholarship, but that is all. One who possesses love for Krishna communicates love for Krishna. Preach in whatever languages you already know. I do not advise you to waste your valuable time learning other languages.”
The maṭha exists for culturing one’s inherent love for Krishna. Through such culture, one experiences happiness and communicates that happiness to others. One who loves Krishna loves every single living being. Associating with saintly devotees awakens devotion to the Lord. The scriptures say, saṅgena sadhu-bhaktanam isvararadhanena ca: “One should worship the Lord in the association of sadhus and devotees.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.30)
I may be incapable, but my worshipable Lord is not. If any of you engage me in the service of Krishna and His devotees, then my worshipable Lords, Srila Prabhupada, Mahaprabhu and Radha-Krishna, will surely give you Their combined blessings. May all of you be successful; may Srila Prabhupada be pleased with you all.