Guardiões
da Devoção
Guardiões
da Devoção
Are We All Students?
by Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja
Devotee: We are all students?Srila Guru Maharaja: My Guru Maharaja (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura) told: "I'm the monitor." We must not be afraid of the eternal existence of our guide and Guru, so we are always student. Always to serve under their direction,
krsna-prema janme, punar tenho mukhya
krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya 'sadhu-sanga'
krsna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga"By associating with the sadhus and gaining their mercy one can get Krsna-bhakti right up to the stage of Krsna-prema. Furthermore the practitioners very life depends on the association of the sadhus. Without sadhu-sanga it is not possible to receive the real seeds of bhakti."
(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 22.83)Sadhu sanga is always necessary, the direction of the sadhus, krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya 'sadhu-sanga': the very origin of Krsna-bhakti is in the association of the sadhus. And when you have already acquired krsna-prema janme, established in krsna-prema, tenho punah mukhya anga, he's the principal part of your transaction, your realisation, your service, and in every case his guidance will be necessary.
So don't try to be perfect, that is the greatest disease. That is almost Mayavada: "I am Brahma - so ham.“ Daso ham, that is healthy mantram, formula, daso ham always. Mahaprabhu says: dasa-dasanudasah:
naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaiçyo na sudro
naham varni na ca grha-patir no vana-stho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bharttuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah"I am not a priest, a king, a merchant, or a labourer (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra); nor am I a student, a householder, a retired householder, or a mendicant (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi). I identify myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, the Lord of the gopis, who is the personification of the fully expanded (eternally self-revealing) nectarean ocean that brims with the totality of Divine Ecstasy."
(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 13.80)That is Mahaprabhu Himself saying like that. For whom? Only for the newcomers, and not for us? So one who thinks that he's in perfection, on a perfect stage, because he's appointed as an acharya, then he's in the highest position, his position is invulnerable, undisputable, unassailable, if he thinks like that he is gone, finished.
Devotee: Maharaja, we're told that when our Gurudeva used to offer obeisance to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta would say: " Daso smi."
Guru Maharaja: Yes, to everyone, everyone, whoever he is, not only his disciples, daso smi. Once it so happened, I did not join the Math but I am coming and going to that hired house in Calcutta. There I saw that he's sitting straight but whoever is coming and bowing down, also he bends his waist and says: "daso smi“, in this way. So it came in my mind that we are once bending our head, and he the saint, he's always bending his head in response to so many, so I should not bow down to him. That was my conclusion, at least I shall give him some relief. So I mentally honoured him and passed away. I put this question to another senior disciple and told him that I did so.
He replied a little excited: "Why did you do that?"
I explained his position that incidently he had to bend down and I thought that that must be very troublesome for him so at least I'll give him a relief. With this idea I did it.
He replied: "Then it is right."
I mentally offered my obeisance to him but not physically, only like this. Then he supported me and said: "Of course if that is your idea you are all right."
So daso smi daso smi. Men are passing through his door towards the meeting. There is a seat built on the roof and he's at the door next to the staircase, they are all going by his front. So anyone whose coming and offering obeisance in return he's daso smi in this way, always daso smi, daso smi, daso smi. Hare Krsna. I am your servant. I am servant. I want to cleanse the temple in your heart. Hari Mandir. The Guru wants to cleanse the heart of the disciple, his Gundica-marjana. Then Krsna will sit there, I must cleanse the heart, that throne. So this is the duty of a servant.
Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna. Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol!