How ‘much’ I serve Guru-Vaishnava is not so much important than ‘how’ to serve Guru-Vaishnava

All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru Gaurāṅga

How ‘much’ I serve Guru-Vaiṣṇava is not so much important than ‘how’ to serve Guru-Vaiṣṇava

By Śrīla Śyāma Dāsa Bābā

Date: 28.05.2025

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura used to say that— “ In the hearts of those who harbor anyābhilāṣa—worldly desires—whether they be karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, or even pseudo-devotees, the chāṇḍālinī in the form of prestige is ever engaged in her seductive dance. This is because none of them are truly established in vaiṣṇavī-pratiṣṭhā—that divine and humble position which is grounded in pure servitude. The innate identity of "I am Kṛṣṇa-dāsa", the genuine self-conception of a servant of Kṛṣṇa, is absent in them.”

It is the fact that most of the time baddha jīvas they want to prove themselves superior to others instead of focusing on actual guru-sevā without any duplicity. So called guru-sevā and actual guru-sevā are surely not the same. So called guru-sevā can be detected when our material ego is the center point of our life, but actual guru-sevā means to serve Gurudeva on the platform of the real self (attma).

Competition in devotional field only can take place if we are in illusion about our real self. If we think that we are this material mind and body then naturally this creates dirty competition which is the worst enemy in our bhajan field. That is why the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clearly states in the second śloka—

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ

vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam

śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ

sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt                            (ŚB 1.1.2)

Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata-purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are totally free from any matsaratā. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda used to say that— “Bhakti is the natural function of our soul”.

It is only bhakti śakti (or svarūpa-śakti) which can allow us to do some actual sevā, and it is only when we can recognize this bhakti-śakti (or svarūpa-śakti) in others that we can give proper honor and respect to each other, and only then it will be possible for us to serve jointly together in harmony under the strict guidance (ānugatya) of Śrī Guru.

Śrīla Sadananda Svami, the first western adherent to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy in the 20th century (the most intimate disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda) used to say that: “The true Upaniṣads, like God’s Word Revelation as a whole, are eternal living presence, and as such they cannot be written, or printed, or read, or uttered. They are expressions of svarūpa-śakti, of which God, His realm, the idea, the thing, and the real Word consists. This is why a Name of God, for example, never can be heard, read or expressed in its essence by someone who does not have svarūpa-śakti. It is the svarūpa-śakti itself which hears in the ātmā of the person who listens and sits before the guru, just as it is the svarūpa-śakti which speaks in the guru’s ātmā.”

But from the view point of the material ego which is always colored with the mood of doership, one will be unable to realize that everything is actually done by Śrī Guru, and that we are just like puppets in the hand of Śrīla Gurudeva. Sometimes we think that Gurudeva is one old man who is lying on bed unable to serve anymore. But this is not guru-darśana! Only Gurudeva making fool of us. In reality everything is done by Sad Gurudeva. To illustrate this we would like to give the following example—

One day Hayagriva Brahmachari and Aprakrita Prabhu approached Śrīla Prabhupāda after coming back from bhikṣā-sevā. Both of them declared in front of Śrīla Prabhupāda that from today onwards no more we can do this sevā. Even though Śrīla Prabhupāda could realize everything, still he started asking the reason for why “You are speaking like this”. Then both of them said that— “We are collecting so much money for sevā by traveling here and there, and at the end of the day we are giving everything to the Maṭha in charge, but actually we have no idea about what he is doing with that amount.” Then Prabhupāda became very harsh and said— “Do you think I don’t know who is doing what! Everybody coming with different different purpose in front of guru, if someone like to collect money or misuse, then let him do so, what it concerns to you? Why you want to leave your bhajana? Do your own sevā. What will go or come if someone going to misuse money?”

The very next morning both of them again went for bhikṣā, but they could not collect even one paisā. They could realize their own fault. On coming back to Maṭha both of them went in front of Śrīla Prabhupāda and begged for pardon. They said— “Today we could not collect anything.” Then Śrīla Prabhupāda in a loud voice started to say that— “Do you think that you are doing bhikṣā? Actually, I am doing.” Then both of them were completely shocked after hearing those powerful declaration by  Prabhupāda.

Even though Śrīla Aprakrita Prabhu and Haigriva Brahmāchari both of them are eternal pārṣadas of Śrīla Prabhupāda, but still they done such līlā for the benefit of common people like us to teach us the gravity of guru-tattva. 

Another such powerful illustration we can find in Śrīla Prabhupāda's ‘Upakhyane Upadesa’—

Once there was a fierce battle between the legions of the demigods and the demons. The demigods were extremely enthusiastic to defeat the demons. They succeeded in defeating the demons only by the influence of the power of Bhagavān (God). However, the demigods forgot about Bhagavān’s mercy and accredited the victory to their own physical strength and military expertise. Thus, the demigods became swollen with pride and basked in the respect and praise of the public. To dispel this foolishness and hypocrisy, Bhagavān changed His form and became visible at a short distance from the demigods. They were unable to recognize this disguised form of the Supreme Lord, so they said to Agni (the demigod of fire), “Who is this worshipful person who has appeared before us? Go and investigate.”

As soon as Agni approached Him, that great personality asked, “Who are you?

Agni replied, “I am Agni—I am the famous jāta-vedāḥ!”

Bhagavān inquired, “What power do you have?”

Agni boldly asserted, “I can burn the whole earth to ashes in an instant.”

Then Bhagavān placed a dry straw in front of Agni and requested, “Demonstrate your power by burning this piece of straw.” Agni approached the piece of straw but, even after exerting his whole might, the straw remained intact.

Then Agni returned to the demigods and informed them, “I could not recognize that exalted person.”

When Agni failed, the demigods decided to send Vāyu (the wind demigod) to discover the identity of that Mahā-puruṣa (great person). The demigod Vāyu set off and approached Bhagavān.

Bhagavān asked, “Who are you?”

Vāyu replied, “I am Mātariśvā (the wind-god).”

Bhagavān asked, “What power do you have?”

Vāyu said, “I can blow away everything on the face of the earth.”

Then Bhagavān placed a piece of straw in front of Vāyu and asked him to move it. Even after applying all his power, Vāyu could not move that insignificant piece of straw even a tiny bit. Crestfallen, Vāyu returned to the demigods and reported, “I could not recognize that great being.”

Finally, the demigods appointed Devaraja Indra, the king of the demigods, to solve the mystery. As soon as Indra approached that great person, He disappeared from view. At that moment, Indra saw the exquisitely beautiful goddess Uma Devi, the consort of Śiva, appear in the sky. Approaching Uma Devi, Indra asked, “Who is this Mahā-puruṣah?”

Uma Devi informed him, “This is Brahma, the Absolute Truth. You demigods became glorious only by His victory. Your power is manifest only by His power. When He withdraws His power, you do not have any power of your own. The original owner of your power (kṣamatā), expertise (dakṣatā), heroism (virata), and prowess (pauruṣa) is only the Supreme Brahma. He is the musician. You are just His instrument. When you think that you are doing everything with your own strength, then at once Brahma takes away all your power.”

Those who disregard the power of Śrī Guru and Bhagavān desire to use the eternally acquired prosperity, worship and prestige (lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā) of Śrī Guru and Bhagavān for their own enjoyment. Then the Lord, the spiritual master and the saints take away their proficiency. When the soul employs his abilities and energy sincerely in the service of God, exclusively for the pleasure of the Lord, only then does he become kṛpā-prārthi, truly desirous of the grace of Hari, Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇavas (saints). Conversely, when a soul uses his God-given potential to nourish his arrogance (dāmbhika) or when he becomes hostile (vidveṣa) towards the spiritual master and pure devotees, then he meets with complete ruination. The only source of all power is the Supreme Lord. All wealth, women, profit, worship, and prestige are obtained only from Him.

pratisthasa taru - jadamaya maru

napelo rāvaṇa jujhiya raghava

vaiṣṇava pratistha, ta’te’ kara’ nistha

taha nd bhajile laghibe rnurava                     (Vaiṣṇava Ke, verse 4)

The demon Rāvaṇa (lust-incarnate) fought with Lord Rāmacandra (love-incarnate) in order to gain the tree of worldly reputation—but that oasis turned out to be but a mirage cast in the desert.

Most of the time we merely profess with our lips: “By the mercy of Śrī Guru, even a dumb man may become eloquent, and a lame man may cross mountains. Therefore, I possess no merit of my own. Whatever power is manifest in me arises solely from the mercy of Śrī Guru. I shall sing only that which is revealed through the śrauta-vāṇī (divine sound descending through disciplic succession).”

As soon as we forget that we are only an instrument in the hand of Gurudeva, then all our activities can be compared to the bathing of an elephant. Maybe we can conquer the whole world by our so-called preaching style, but if we forget this most vital point, then everything can become completely useless. Can one pen claim that it has painted some picture? Can one chisel claim that it has given a shape of a statue? Can one broom claim that it has cleaned the temple floor? So, if we cannot recognize that we are nothing but an instrument in the hand of guru-Vaiṣṇava, then we can never get actual mangal in our bhajan life. Only if we understand that we are being used by śuddha guru-Vaiṣṇavas out of their causeless mercy according to time, place and circumstances, then and only then the question of jealousy, envy etc. cannot contaminate our heart.

Śrīla Sadananda Svami used to give a very excellent example, like the following— “Imagine a flower bud, containing so many things. Can the subtle elements – drawn by the roots – which give nourishment and growth and are conducive to forming the whole bud, can they compete with each other as to who will contribute to the formation of the stalk, the filaments, the calyx, the petals or the sepals?”

Unfortunately, at present we can see that so-called devotees are always trying to compete with each other, rather than cultivating a sweet mood of cooperation, so that finally the mission of Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda can be served. The evil mood of one so-called devotee with which he is roaming around – to watch who is doing what – to stop others going beyond the limit of his own capacity – can bring great harm to our Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava society. Out of jealousy if we are unable to recognize devotees according to their Vaiṣṇava etiquette and seva-mood, then the whole system of Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava society can collapse down. Even in this material world in any country ruling government also usually giving honor to those who are showing some special qualities. Such exclusive qualities should be brought into light. If we are not going to have that kind of open heart, then those exclusive personalities would be automatically ignored. For the overall development of the whole human society this kind of tolerance should be there.

Nowadays it has become a fashion that some so-called devotees like to apply dashing-pushing trick by the help of elbows or by kicking each and every one in the way of his competition with someone. This kind of dirty and cruel mentality can only be compared with the effort of Ekalavya who in the guise of guru-bhakti, completely went against Guru-padapadma.

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda told that— “The desire to become greater than another devotee is not devotion. It is the tendency of the atibadi apa-sampradāya  (deviant sects) and non-devotees. The endeavor to remain behind the Vaiṣṇavas and remain under their guidance is bhakti. Being more skillful than everyone else in activities is not guru-bhakti. Bhakti entails remaining always under the guidance (ānugatya) of the Vaiṣṇavas. Therefore, we should never try to become ‘greater’ than the Vaiṣṇavas by wearing a mask of guru-bhakti.”

Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj also used to say that— “Chaitanya-maṭhe amader sakaler tiki badha ache (we–those who are having direct link with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission in the form of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha–must have some unavoidable (inseparably) tied bondage with Chaitanya Maṭha—the original Gauḍīya Maṭha). It will be an offense to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda, if we do not see ourselves and others outside of our Maṭha as part of his family. Even in a mundane situation, we should discover our loving relationship with them and follow the divine mood of giving and taking procedure with them like brothers and sisters… Then what is the reason for why there cannot be such a free and spontaneous loving relationship among Vaiṣṇavas?"

He also used to say that— "A Vaiṣṇava is simple hearted and is a pure brahmāna (which is quite natural)."

sahaje nirmala ei ‘brāhmaṇa’-hṛdaya

kṛṣṇera vasite ei yogya-sthāna haya              (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Madhya-līlā 15.274)

“The heart of a brahmāna is by nature very clean; therefore, it is a proper place for Kṛṣṇa to sit.”

Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj also repeatedly used to say that— "A Vaiṣṇava cannot have something inside heart and speaking something else. Nor would he say one thing at one place and another thing which is contradictory to that at another place to misguide others intentionally. Kutinati (deception, diplomacy, and duplicity), all are destroying the creeper of devotion. A Vaiṣṇava's life should be an open book, and any word of a Vaiṣṇava is always matching with his action."

Śrīla Prabhupāda always used to quote the following verses from ‘Prema-Vivarta’, by Śrīla Jagadānanda Paṇḍita:

yadi bhajibe gora saral kara nija man

kutinati chhari bhaja gorar charan

gorar ami, gorar ami mukhe balile nahi chale

gorar achar, gorar vichar, la-ile phal phale

“If you want to worship Lord Gaurāṅga, make your heart simple and straightforward. Worship the lotus feet of Lord Gaurāṅga, giving up deceit and duplicity. Merely saying, ‘I belong to Gaurāṅga, I belong to Gaurāṅga’ is giving Him lip service and has no effect. Following the example of His achar-vichar and adarsha can give the result.”

Gaura Hari Hari Bol