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Real serious devotee

Expressions researched:
"real, serious devotee"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

In order to help externally the sincere person, He sends the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master from outside and the caitya-guru from inside, they are helping. The Supreme Personality is helping a devotee, a real, serious devotee two ways: from within, from without.
Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:

So that is wanted. So we should not try to see God. Then we'll be baffled. Sometimes if, trying, trying, if I baffled—I cannot see—then I'll conclude, "There is no God. If there was God, I prayed so much and He did not appear before me. Oh, this... It is all humbug." You see? So pure devotion means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), without any desire. Simply one desire, that "How I shall be able to satisfy Kṛṣṇa?" That registered... Where is Mr. Singh? He was saying that "I shall do my duty, and I do not want to know whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased or not pleased." This is not bhakti. This is not bhakti. Bhakti means the bhakta's only business is to understand whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased by my activity. That is bhakta's business. But because they have no relationship with God, they are puzzled that "How I shall understand whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased or not?" They are puzzled. That answer is given by Viśvanātha Cakravartī, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** "If you please the representative of Kṛṣṇa, guru, then He is pleased." Yasya prasādād bhagavat... Otherwise you cannot understand whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased or not. You can understand also, because if you follow the Kṛṣṇa's instructions... Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If one is completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and he has no other business than to serve Him, then he can understand that "I am now... Even if I do not understand whether Kṛṣṇa is pleased or not, by the formula I can understand that because I am fully surrendered—I have no other business—then Kṛṣṇa must be pleased." That is the... And practical.

Kṛṣṇa appears in two ways. He appears as antaryāmi, the Supersoul within himself, within oneself, and He appears as the spiritual master, externally. Caitya-guru and dīkṣā-guru. Caitya-guru... As caitya-guru, as the supreme spiritual master, He is in everyone's heart. And His representative... In order to help externally the sincere person, He sends the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master from outside and the caitya-guru from inside, they are helping. The Supreme Personality is helping a devotee, a real, serious devotee two ways: from within, from without. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta therefore says that kṛṣṇera prakāśa, manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, a spiritual master. And Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi: ** "If I can satisfy my spiritual master, then I understand that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. And if I cannot satisfy my spiritual master, then I have no other way to approach Kṛṣṇa." These songs we sing every day. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Instead of seeing Kṛṣṇa, you serve so faithfully that Kṛṣṇa will see you." That should be the process. Kṛṣṇa is omnipresent. He can see you, He can understand you, what are doing. So we have to execute devotional service in such a faithful way that Kṛṣṇa will see us. Then you will be successful. "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become seen by Kṛṣṇa." That was my Guru Mahārāja's instruction. Cakṣur yathaiva kṛtayaiva antaḥ-param. Tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ. Evaṁ bhūtaḥ parameśvaraḥ mad-anyad astīti.

Now, Yamarāja says that "I have got a master like that." The Yamarāja has anubhūti. Therefore he describes what is the nature, characteristics, of his master. Yamarāja also does not say that "I have seen my master." But he still accepts that there is a master. "I am not all in all." Never said... In these ślokas we do not find anywhere Yamarāja says that "I have seen Him." It is very common thing. Now the government is going on. Not that everyone has seen the president or the king, but still, the government is so nicely managed that everyone knows that there is an executive head. So there is no question of this villainy that "There is no God. I do not believe in God. God is dead," or "Everyone is God." Not like that.

tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ
parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ
prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś
caranti tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ
(SB 6.3.17)

Now, Yamarāja says that,

bhavaty evaṁ bhūta anyaṁ
parameśvara ye punar asmād
niduḥṣasya pāpinaṁ rakṣita-vāñchā

te ke tān āha tasyeti dvābhyām (?)

So the Yamadūtas inquired from Yamarāja, "Whether there is another controller than yourself?" So that he has described, that "There is supreme controller than myself." Tasyeva rūpaṁ guṇaḥ prabhāvaḥ prabhāvāya svabhāvaṁ bhakta-vatsalyādi yeṣām. So that tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ, so he is informing that "There are Viṣṇudūtas also. They are..." Viṣṇudūta means devotees, the devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. "They are also..." Just, the Yamadūtas, they are also traveling everywhere to find out... Not to find out. Everyone is sinful. "Similarly, there are Viṣṇudūtas also." That is the information. "They are also seeing, inspecting what kinds of actions we are actually performing." Prāyeṇa dūta iha vai manoharaḥ. Because the Viṣṇudūtas came to take away Ajāmila, so they were surprised, that "Who these persons, the great personalities, were there?" So now Yamarāja is explaining that "These manohara, these beautiful personalities who appeared, they are Viṣṇudūtas. Just like you are Yamadūtas, similarly, they are Viṣṇudūtas." Prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś caranti. Caranti: "They also travel all over the universe." And what is their qualities? Tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ: "Exactly looking like Viṣṇu, four hands with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma, tad-rūpa." This is called liberation of possessing the similar feature of the body as Lord Viṣṇu. Tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ. And their qualities are also the same. And svabhāvāḥ, and nature, character, is also the same. That is oneness. When one is liberated in his original spiritual feature, he becomes equal, just like in svarūpa, in form; guṇa, in quality; and svabhāvāḥ, characteristics, exactly like Viṣṇu. Prāyeṇa dūtā: "It is very difficult to recognize." Just like in this world also, if the president or the king comes in common dress, you cannot understand who is president, who is king and who is a common man. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha world also the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha, they have got the same feature of the body, same qualities, and same characteristics. This is described here. Try to understand.

Page Title:Real serious devotee
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:05 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1