Serving and Understanding One's Guru

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli
10 August 2018, part 2

Param Gurudev established this Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math where you have assembled today and preach for. What does service mean? It means not satisfying yourself—it means satisfying your Guru. It does not matter if I do not like something or I am not pleased—we must think whether Srila Gurudev is happy. If I do some service and Gurudev is happy with it, that is called service.

You have heard about Madhavendra Puri who would cry,

অয়ি দীনদয়ার্দ্র নাথ হে
মথুরানাথ কদাবলোক্যসে ।
হৃদয়ং ত্বদলোককাতরং
দয়িত ভ্রাম্যতি কিং করোম্যহম্ ॥

ayi dina-dayardra natha he
mathura-natha kadavalokyase
hrdayam tvad-aloka-kataram
dayita bhramyati kim karomy aham

"O gentle-hearted Lord, ever-gracious upon the destitute, O Lord of Mathura, when shall I see You again? In Your absence my broken heart trembles. Beloved! what shall I do now?"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 4.197)

His dearmost disciple was Ishwar Puri, the Guru of Mahaprabhu. Ishwar Puri understood how much pain, how much anguish Madhavendra Puri felt and he would keep quiet. However, Madhavendra Puri had another disciple, Ramachandra Puri, who seeing his Guru's state would say, "Gurudev, why are you crying? You are expert in knowledge, what need is there to cry?" Madhavendra Puri sent him away, "You do not understand anything! Go away." Ramachandra Puri had lost his Guru's mercy and service—having lost his Guru's shelter he went to hell.

So, who can know Gurudev? Who can understand Gurudev? You must always think about this. Then, you must understand who could understand Param Guru Maharaj Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj? Gurudev could. Param Guru Maharaj did not listen to what anyone said—he had many godbrothers, and many of them advised him, "You are making a mistake [by making Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj your successor]." They cannot understand, they see Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj with their external vision, but nobody can see the Guru or Vaishnavs with their external vision. Unless you have Gurudev in your heart and unless you try to understand him with your heart you cannot understand anything. So, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj did not listen to anyone—he made my Gurudev sit in his chair.

Today is the adhivas (eve) of this Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's disappearance...

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