The Guard and the Guardian

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
5 December 2014

Maya is taking our time for her own purpose, for her own enjoyment.

কৃষ্ণ যদি ছুটে ভক্তে ভক্তি মুক্তি দিয়া ।
কৃভু ভক্তি না দেন রাখেন লুকাইয়া ॥

krsna yadi chhute bhakte bhukti mukti diya
kabhu prema-bhakti na dena rakhena lukaiya

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.18

"Krishna always hides devotion. If you always think about material things and want material enjoyment, Krishna will give you that, but He will hide devotion and take everything away from you."

I do not want to just sit as a Guru, as an Acharya, and everybody would come and pay obeisance to me—I must go to the battlefield and fight Maya. As Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur writes,

প্রতীপ-জনেরে আসিতে না দিব,
রাখিব গড়ের পারে

pratipa-janere asite na diba,
rakhiba gadera pare

You will tie me up nearby and maintain me. I will remain at Your doorstep. I will not allow any inimical persons to enter; I will keep them on the far side of Your moat.

Saranagati, 19.2

"I will keep those who are against you far away from your zone; I will not allow them to enter." 'Pratip' means those who are not in favour of your Guru.

Bhakti Vinod Thakur wrote a very nice song.

সর্ব্বস্ব তোমার চরণে সঁপিয়া
পড়েছি তোমার ঘরে ।
তুমি ত' ঠাকুর, তোমার কুকুর
বলিয়া জানহ মোরে ॥

sarvasva tomara, charane sapiya,
padechhi tomara ghare
tumi ta' thakura, tomara kukura,
baliya janaha more

I have offered everything at Your feet and taken shelter in Your home. You are my Master; please consider me Your dog.

Saranagati, 19.1

This is very important.

If we follow regularly and attentively the advice and the practising mood that Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, that Guru Maharaj, that Gurudev gave us, then no matter what obstacles may come, they cannot do anything. Gurudev said that it does not matter where you live—even if you live in a hospital, it is not a problem as long as you maintain your spiritual life properly.

Gurudev also told that to manage a temple it is not necessary to be a great devotee. A temple manager must be a gentleman: when devotees come, the manager must give some prasadam, give some sweet talks, and have a sweet behaviour. That is sufficient. It is not necessary to be a very big scholar, or to be Rupa Goswami or Sanatan Goswami. It is sufficient to be a gentleman...

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