(2) Genuine Practising Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Siliguri, evening, 6 September 2019, part 2
Translated from Bengali

Gurudev is not an ordinary man or some special jiva soul. We see with our common eyes that gurudev uses the bathroom, takes a shower, eats and does everything else just like us, but despite whatever we see with our mundane eyes, he is not an ordinary man. I told you yesterday that if you want to see the guru, you must see him with your ears: by listening to what he says. It is impossible to see the guru (to have his darshan) with your eyes. Srila Prabhupad said that you must see your guru with your ears. It means that you must listen to what the guru says with your ears – and these are not the same material ears that you use to hear all kinds of illusory things (maya-katha) in this world.

The very nature of Srimati Radharani is to amplify the ecstatic energy of the Lord. This ecstatic energy (hladini) is represented by Her. Her entire existence is focused on only one ananya-abhilasa. There is anya-abhilasa (other, material desires) and ananya-abhilasa (exclusive, unalloyed desire). Srimati Radharani lives only to please Lord Krishna, She has no other duty or desire. She always lives for Krishna and does not do anything except making Him happy. And who are guru-varga? They are either Her close associations or Her extensions. They always worship and serve the Lord with their hearts, senses and bodies. Their hankering to please Lord Krishna takes on one of five devotion moods: santa-rasa (neutrality), dasya-rasa (servitude), sakhya-rasa (friendship), vatsalya-rasa (parenthood) or madhura-rasa (consorthood). To taste and relish these five devotional moods, the Lord brings Goloka in this world. When Lord Krishnachandra accepts service in the highest mood of madhura-rasa, He feels extremely happy; nevertheless, devotees who serve Him in all the other moods also get the same kind of ecstasy as the madhura-rasa devotees.

Sri Gurupadpadma, the highest devotee of the Lord, descends in this world to bestow pure mercy upon fortunate souls and relish different kinds of transcendental loving devotion. Although the soul is a part and parcel of the Lord and is by its nature a servant of the Lord, its origin is tatastha-sakti (marginal position), so it can become averse to the Lord and get removed from the Lord's service. Those who turn away from the Lord forget the Lord – even when they hear about the Lord, it does not affect them in any way (does not produce any transformation within them).

I mentioned yesterday also that the method of attaining divine love is twofold. We must have exclusive irresistible attraction towards Lord Krishna – if we do not hanker for the Lord ourselves, He will come to us of His own accord. We must have a very strong desire. If we really want it and if we make effort to get devotion to the Lord, then we will be successful. If you say, 'I do not want to chant the Holy Name,' nobody can force you to chant. Many people tell me, 'Oh, I cannot chant the Holy Name. No matter what I do, I cannot chant...' Not wanting to chant and not being able to chant are two different things.

Devotion means being devoted to the Lord's service. In other words, you can get devotion by serving the Lord. So, how can you understand if you have devotion? If you feel genuine strong attraction and attachment to the service of the Lord, then you can understand that you have some devotion. What kind of taste should come? If you feel taste for chanting the Lord's Name, if you feel a strong eagerness to serve Vaishnavs and enthusiasm to serve the Lord, then you can understand that you are getting some devotion. Devotional practice (sadhan-bhakti) means serving the Lord with all your senses with an intent focus on the divine love for the Lord.

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