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Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionssay Prabhupada is too tough. Love means all in all. If I love Prabhupadathen there cannot be any compromise. Even in the material world, Ican give one example, there was one girl and she was coming from avery rich family, but she fell in love with one poor motor mechanic.Then the father of the girl was bound to say, “I cannot accept you asmy daughter if you marry that guy.” Then that girl said, “Love is love.I cannot throw him away simply because he is poor. I can leave youand go away if the situation demands so.” Then she went away evenleaving her father. She was never habituated to live life in poverty butstill it was possible for her to make a total adjustment for her husband.Why? Simply because she was in love with her husband. Also, ourGuruvarga came from high families but when they found the nectarof Srila Prabhupada, they were ready to give up their whole life andbelongings. The unique love affair of Srimati Radha Rani was so strongthat no impediment could stand in the way of Her love for Krsna. Thatis the mystery of a great love affair.If we are confused and unable to recognize pure GuruVaishnava, then this is a great offense. So we shouldremember this point very carefully. Sometimes we find someextraordinary qualities in some ordinary man. That is called pratibha.But pratibha is surely not bhakti. We must be very careful about thispoint. Sometimes we are in confusion when observing some specialquality such as oratorship, speaking power, writing power,speculative power or technical power, in someone. We can see theexample of Dig Vijayi Pandit. Surely he was enjoying the full kripa ofmaterial Sarasvati, but in front of Sriman Mahprabhu he was justpuzzled. Why? Because aprakrita Sarasvati is the vidya shakti of theSupreme Lord who is always there with Her Lord. So how it is possiblefor Dig Vijayi Pandit to establish his own vidya Shakti in front of SrimanMahaprabhu?Sometimes we see that some of our Guruvarga may not havesufficient material education. But surely they are realized souls. Yetsometimes still we can see they are going to take some help fromsome material pratibha ban genius. Why? Simply because they want13

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsto utilize the special quality for the cause of Guru and Gauranga seva.This is Their causeless mercy upon them. We should remember thatbhakti is the natural function of our soul, and that aprakrita divyajñāna can always be found with Sadhu-Guru-Vaishnava. Specialpratibha in the form of material knowledge or capacity cannot stay forlong with bound souls. But if the Guruvarga somehow utilizes theparticular pratibha of any jivattma for the cause of aprakrita seva,then what is wrong in that? In that case, we should not have themisconception that the pratibha ban genius is more important thanGuru-Vaishnava. Even the Yogis and Jñānis must somehow take thehelp of Bhakti Devi to get success in their line of Bhajan. Otherwise,they can never come out successful. That is the excellent and uniquedivine glory of Bhakti Devi.In a place where aprakrita Harikatha-Kirtan is going onthere cannot be any problem or danger. Once SrilaPrabhupada was invited to speak Harikatha in the house of someimportant devotee. There was also a big Yagja going on there. SrilaPrabhupada was speaking Harikatha nearby at a separate place. It sohappened that the young grandson of the host who in a playing moodsuddenly fell down into the fire. When the message of the incidentwent to Srila Prabhupada, he said with full placidity that sinceHarikatha was going on there could be no danger. It really happenedjust like this: that boy came out of the fire without any injury. Fromthat moment, everybody present realized in their hearts that at theplace where aprakrita Harikatha is going on there can be no problems.Aparticular incident demonstrates the indirect kripa ofSrila Bhaktivinod Thakur. One year after SrilaBhaktivinod Thakur left this material world, one group of so-calleddevotees approached Srila Prabhupada and started complaining, “Younever allow us to do the Lila-kirtans like the ones they sing inShantipur but Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur always used toallow us such Lila-Kirtans. Then Srila Prabhupada started giving an14

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsanswer to them. With a laughing mood he addressed them in thefollowing way. “You have never seen Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. That iswhy you all are making this kind of remark. Now only one year haspassed and in the meantime there is already so much confusion andmisunderstanding arising about the teachings of Srila BhaktivinodThakur”. Srila Prabhupada told them that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakurnever had actually allowed them to do that kind of Sahajiaya kirtanbut they could be sure some secret motive was behind that kind ofexternal permission.”If we look into the life of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, we can seehow strict he was about Gaudiya Siddhanta Vichar. But at the sametime, he was clever enough to arrange kripa for averse people. Heindirectly and externally arranged Lila-kirtan to attract commonmasses. But he himself never used to hear that kind of Sahajiya LilaKirtan. When people used to come to attend that kind of Sahajiya LilaKirtan, they would also automatically see the great devotee, SrilaBhaktivinod Thakur, doing Harinam with his eyes closed and in a veryabsorbed mood as if he were lost somewhere else. Not even a singleword of Sahajiya Kirtan enter into the aprakrita sravan indria (ear) ofSrila Bhaktivinod Thakur because he was at all times busy in nittyaseva. So we should never make any such kind of unusual remark aboutsuch a great devotee as Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur. Heonly used to do that kind of unusual lila of arranging Sahajiya LilaKirtan in order to bestow causeless kripa on bound souls by givingthem his aprakrita darshan.Unique and absolute Acharyaship is really very rare. Onceupon a time, Sri Saradendu Ray made a proclamation toSrila Prabhupad as to the huge achievements of Gaudiya Math. Bythen, Srila Prabhupad had already established fifty different Gaudiyamissions all over the world. Sri Saradendu Ray said that the missionwas very successful. Then Srila Prabhupada replied in a veryenthusiastic way that it was actually not his desired accomplishmentbecause he had really wanted to establish Gaudiya Math inside theheart of each and every person. He said that in place of fifty different15

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsbranches of Gaudiya Math it would be better if he could get fifty livingGaudiya Maths, by which he meant fifty fully dedicated souls for thecause of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Mission. He said if he could getfifty living Maths, which is comparable to fifty living mridangas, thatwould have been the greatest success of his mission.By the absolute preaching of Gaudiya Math, the Sahajiyaswere in great trouble and were losing their status andposition. By the tireless preaching effort of Gaudiya Math, it was quiteimpossible for the Sahajiyas to establish false siddhantas in thegeneral public. So they wanted to take revenge against the GaudiyaMission and to stop the preaching program of Gaudiya Math. Theyalso wanted to stop the sankirtan, bhiksa, and other traditions beingpracticed by the Gaudiya Math. Because of this, it became quiteimpossible for Gaudiya Math devotees to maintain their normal life ofBhajan. Srila Prabhupada was informed about the critical situationcreated by those Sahajiyas but he was so confident about thecauseless mercy of Gaura Sundar that he took the situation as a testpresented by Sriman Mahaprabhu. He was therefore bound to givestrong instructions to the preachers to go on doing Nama-Sankirtanand Harikatha with full enthusiasm even though they could not domadhukari bhiksa. Srila Prabhupada asked them who is going to stopyou from drinking water from the Buri Ganga. He told them to go ondoing their seva with complete resolution and wait to see the ultimateresult. Within a very short time, all of the common people turnedagainst the demon Sahajiyas and started hearing Harikatha from theGaudiya Mission preaching party with full faith. They also startedgiving a huge amount of bhiksa to the devotees. This way all theproblem caused by the Sahajiyas ended. We learn from this incidentthat fully dedicated souls always get divine help from the SupremeLord and no one can stop their divine endeavors.Gaudiya Gosthi Pati Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta SarasvatiGosvami Thakur Prabhupada told that there are twoprocedures for those who are trying to realize the16

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsabsolute truth. One is descending and the other ascending.Whichever way a person prefers depends on their samskaras.Ascending means that out of my own efforts we believe we can knowthe Absolute Truth. The descending procedure, on the other hand,means we depend upon the Divine power to come into our life to helpus know the Absolute Truth. In this process, called Saranagati,surrender to Sat-Gurudeva is the vital factor. The most effectiveexamples given by Srila Prabhupada can help us understand aboutboth the ascending procedure and descending procedure. SrilaPrabhupada used to say that the ascending procedure is just like howa monkey baby holds onto its mother while the mother jumps fromone place to another. Here the mother has no responsibility for thesafety of the baby. The baby must hold onto the mother very carefullyand if the baby falls down then the mother is not at all responsible forthat. But with the example of the baby cat we can understand thedescending procedure. The mother cat intentionally holds onto thekitten by biting the nape of the baby’s neck with its mouth. Surely, thebaby cat does not have any responsibility about where to go and howto get there. In this arrangement, all of the responsibility lies with themother cat.Anything in our life, whether we consider it good or bad, caneasily be controlled by Sat-Gurudeva because he can guide us to theultimate goal of life which is our Bhajan. We simply have to rely onhim. In this case, our full and final Saranagati is the vital factor just ashappens with the baby cat. In this descending process, allresponsibility lies with Sat-Gurudeva.The absolute Personality of Srila Bhakti SiddhantaSarasvati Gosvami Thakura Prabhupada was so heavythat it was impossible for kapat people to remain in front of him. Suchsevaks were not in a position to get free access to Srila Prabhupadaexcept in very special circumstances. If an unknown personality wouldcome in front of Srila Prabhupada having no smell of a seva moodinside his heart, in that case, Srila Prabhupada would never17

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsdemonstrate his full glories in front of him. There was no possibilitythat any newcomer would understand the exalted personality of SrilaPrabhupada and that he was, in fact, an eternal resident of GolokaDham. This was the excellent and unique speciality found in theAcharyaship of Srila Prabhupada. Without seeing a positive sevamood inside the heart of an aspirant, Srila Prabhupada would hide hisdivine personality from him.The intimate relationship between Guru and sisya is so secretthat usually it is seen to be confined only between themselves. It cannever be clear to others. Srila Prabhupad could easily realize howmuch love someone had for their Gurudeva. The following exampleillustrates this most subtle point. One day, Srila Prabhupada heard asannyasi making a very bad remark about another sevak who wasreally genuine at heart. But that sevak would always exhibit himselfas the most unintelligent sevak of Sri Chaitanya Math. He never wentoutside for preaching. The sannyasi thought of himself as a great andimportant personality inside Gaudiya Mission because he was a veryactive preacher. When Srila Prabhupada heard that remark from thatsannyasi about the genuine Gaudiya Math sevak, Srila Prabhupadabecame very angry and started speaking like a lion.He asked, “Who are you to pass that kind of remark? I know whois doing what. You need not pass any remark. Why do you take thetrouble to get control over others? That is my sole duty because I amacting as an Acharya.” Srila Prabhupada also used to say, “If I want toget control over others in this material world in that case this canprove to be a great bondage for me.”What is the main duty of a member of Gaudiya Math?All the members of Gaudiya Math must be ready tosacrifice their life in the Sankirtan Yagnya-Agni installed by SrimanMahaprabhu at Srivas Angan. Sriman Mahaprabhu is Sankirtan Pithaso to give Him full satisfaction, Nama Sankirtan Yagnya is the bestpossible way. It is our main duty to add more and more fuel (ghee) to18

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsthe Sankirtan Yagnya Agni. Ghee means our honest effort of sacrificeto do nonstop Harinam Sankirtan for the complete satisfaction for theSankirtan Pitha Sri Gaura Hari.Srila Prabhupada often used to speak about Sankirtan medhaand griha medha (material intellect). If griha medha is going to beincreased, in that case Hari Bhajan is not possible. However, Sankirtanmedha can help us to continue Harinama Sankirtan in a nonstop way.Even at the last stage of his life, Srila Prabhupada was not at all readyto stop Harikatha or Hari kirtan. It was on the order of his doctor notto allow him to speak much. But without singing the glories of HariGuru-Vaishnava it was quite impossible for him to live so he used tospeak Harikatha continuously.The speeches and writings of Srila Bhakti SiddhantaGosvami Thakur Prabhupada are absolute and beyondhuman comprehension. Aprakrita Sabdha Brahma is always a selfmanifesting object. Very often, Srila Prabhupada used to say, “Logicalinterpretation cannot stand in the way of that absolute truth.” This isbecause self manifesting truths can only be known by the way ofabsolute submission. Srila Bhakti Pragyan Kesava Maharaj used to say,“Srila Prabhupada is the topmost Paramahamsa Acharya of this Yuga.”At the Bhagavat assembly of Suktal Kshetra, all of the Rishis and Munissaid the same thing to Srila Sukadev Gosvami. We cannot understandhow fortunate we are to have the privilege of getting all the pureSiddhanta vichar from Srila Prabhupada. If we had Srimati Radha Raniamong us, then and only then could we expect that kind of perfectSiddhanta vichar that we are getting from Srila Prabhupada. SrilaNarottama Thakur Mahashay wrote in Prema Bhakti Chandrika “mahajanera jei patha tate habe anurata,purbopara kariya bicara.”“The essence of sadhana bhakti is to carefully consider andfollow the path displayed by the previous mahajanas”All of our previous Gaudiya Acharya vargas give us immensetreasures in the way of Gaudiya Bhajan. There is no doubt in it thatwe have no power to digest the high philosophical vichar from their19

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionswritings. That is why Srila Srinivas Acharya has written in his SadGosvami Astakam:nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saḿsthāpakaulokānāḿ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau hajanānandena mattālikauvande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis, namelySri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha BhattaGosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and SriGopala Bhatta Gosvami, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studyingall the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternalreligious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they arehonored all over the three worlds and they are worth taking shelterof because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and areengaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krsna.”We are so weak that we cannot even understand the generalmeaning of their writings. So we are very, very lucky to have thechance to go through the writings of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and SrilaPrabhupada to get the extract of all the shastras. Also, on the path ofBhagavat Dharma we can learn so many things from the DwadasMahajans and those who are in line with them. Yet still we mustconcentrate more deeply on the teachings given by our GaudiyaGuruvarga, especially those of Srila Prabhupada andSrilaBhaktivinoda Thakur. Then we can understand all the details ofGaudiya Bhajan shown by Sriman Mahaprabhu himself.The loving, strong speech of Guru-Vaishnava is notcriticism. Shortly before the departure of SrilaPrabhupada, one of his disciples expressed his heavy anxiety to himbecause of his pending departure. The disciple was feeling totallyhelpless. Then Srila Prabhupada replied, “Now nobody likes tounderstand what I mean to say. Nobody likes to accept my instructionand siddhanta vichar. So what is the use of staying in this material20

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsworld anymore?” In the same way, Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri GosvamiMaharaj told, “What can I do here? You see the situation.” Then afterthat, he immediately started manifesting his sickness lila and wassoon gone. Srila Prabhupada used to manifest his lion mood to thosewho tried to exert control over other Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada’smood would become heavy and he would say, “Why do youunnecessarily make the effort to get control over others? That is notyour duty. I am acting as Acharya so it is my duty to chastise thosewho are coming to me for Haribhajan.” He also used to say, “It is myadvice to all of you to check yourself and your own faults. Never tryto find faults with others.” Srila Prabhupada would often quote thefollowing sloka:para-svabhāva-karmāṇiyaḥ praśaṁsati nindatisa āśu bhraśyate svārthādasaty abhiniveśataḥ(ŚB 11.28.2)Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities andbehavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own bestinterest by his entanglement in illusory dualities.Bound souls are always so busy finding faults with others thatthey cannot see their own faults.Krsna kripa cannot come to us directily. It can only cometo us through a bonafide Sat Guru, a ParamhamsaVaishnava. A bound soul can never get in touch with Krsna, thespiritual sun (cit surya) directly. Only through pure Guru-Vaishnava isit possible for a bound soul to get the kripa of Krsna. Krsna is thetranscendental sun (chinmoy surya). He is always full oftranscendental delight and a sportive mood and always remains in theassociation of all His Braja parikars who are eternally present atGoloka Vrindavan. He has no time or scope to understand the painfulsituation of the bound souls of this material world who are floating inthe ocean of miserable Maya. In the svarupa of Krsna there is no21

Prabhupada and his Divine Instructionsquestion of any Maya, it is totally false, that’s why Krsna has no ideaabout it. Maya is agyan (darkness) and Krsna is chinmoy surya, whichcan be compared with the Surya, the sun god of this material worldwho is always full of self-emitting light. If somebody asks Surya, “Haveyou any direct experience or feeling of darkness?” what kind of replycan we expect? That is the question. Surya cannot have any dire

foreign country, still he is always ready to render perfect Vani -Seva by the order of Sri Gurudeva and Guru Varga. Bhaktivinod-Saraswati-Gaura-vani is the fully blossomed form of Saraswati Gaudiya shrouta pantha. Transcendental teachings flowing intact