Twenty-one years ago, on this very day of Utthāna Ekādaśī, our revered Śrī Guru-pāda-padma manifested his disappearance pastime — twenty-one years have gone by since then. He came to this world for our eternal well-being. We approached his lotus feet with numerous hopes and aspirations for auspiciousness. Thus, even though he has left this world, his memory remains with us. The remembrance of the Supreme Lord’s close associates includes many inspiring stories that intensify our enthusiasm for devotion, that increase our tendency to serve Śrī Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇavas. His conduct is meant to be followed; mere imitation would lead us into inauspiciousness and difficulties. During his manifest presence, many fell from their spiritual position by trying to imitate his actions; their purpose should have been to follow him.
The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says:
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ ।
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati ॥
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.25)
[In the association of saintly people, discussions of My heroic deeds arise, which captivate the heart and bring delight to the ears. By listening to these stories, one develops faith, attachment, and eventually, pure devotion to Me.]
By having prakṛṣṭa (real) association of those who constantly serve the Lord, and by hearing and discussing the narratives of auspicious Śrī Hari’s glories that emanate from their mouths, which gives rise to attraction in the purified heart and ears, a desire to serve Śrī Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇavas will arise within us. There is no other path to our eternal welfare.
We are currently residing in the domain of measurement. [It means that in the material world, everything can be measured as it is finite, and also the tendency of everyone here is to measure. In fact, one of the definitions of Māyā or illusion is: ‘mīyate anayā iti māya’ i.e. that which can be measured is Māyā.] By depending on the knowledge from our material senses, we remain surrounded by all the things of this world that give birth to obstacles towards our eternal welfare. There is no way to be liberated from this but through sādhu-saṅga (saintly association). Those who run after the fleeting, perishable, rejection-worthy things of this world lose the drive to search for the eternally existing object, to find the indestructible infinite consciousness and to look for uninterrupted bliss. In our present state, by associating with saintly people and constantly hearing narrations of the Lord, all inauspicious and false narratives that have entered our ears till now will be completely eradicated.
The narrations of the Supreme Lord are eternal, full of perfect knowledge, and brimming with uninterrupted bliss. Only rare sādhu (saintly persons) can sing these narrations, and thus, even though such sādhu-saṅga is rarely found, one should still search for it. The narratives in which we have placed our faith and which we enjoy hearing are, in truth, products of the misguided, insanity-filled thoughts and intellect of the materially-illusioned souls of this world who themselves are full of various anarthas (useless habits); they contain nothing of the eternal world or of the soul’s true welfare. They simply provide temporary satisfaction to the perishable body and mind. But even if we lack taste or faith in the narratives of the sādhus — the eternally liberated associates of the Lord — their narrations are the talks of the Vaikuṇṭha, of the eternal realm of consciousness, and uninterrupted joy. Such narrations bring delight and happiness to our true self, the eternal atomic conscious being.
The hallmark of sādhus is that even if we in our ignorance, desire to hear from them about temporary worldly happiness and comforts, they being knowledgeable do not instruct us in material enjoyment which can only lead to inauspiciousness. Instead, they narrate topics of the eternal realm, complete knowledge, and uninterrupted bliss. These narrations should always arise in our memory; in the absence of such remembrance, various other narratives enter the heart. Thus, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says:
avismṛtiḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ
kṣiṇoty abhadrāṇi ca śaṁ tanoti ।
sattvasya śuddhiṁ paramātma-bhaktiṁ
jñānaṁ ca vijñāna-virāga-yuktam ॥
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.12.55)
[Constant remembrance of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet removes all inauspiciousness and brings peace, purifying the soul, developing supreme devotion to the Supreme Self, and endowing one with wisdom, realized knowledge, and detachment.]
In other words, by continuously remembering the Kṛṣṇa-kathā (narrations of Lord Kṛṣṇa) that one has heard from the sādhus, all inauspiciousness of a living entity gets destroyed, and the ultimate welfare of the soul unfolds. Through this, one attains purification of the heart as well as devotional service which is characterized by knowledge, realized knowledge, and detachment. The words of sādhus, the words of the Guru, the words of scripture, and the words of the Supreme Lord are not different — they are one and the same.
Today is a memorable day for us, the day our Guru-pāda-padma entered his eternal pastimes is something we must remember; it is not correct to neglect it for via his memories the divine pastimes of the Lord become illuminated. When these stories arise in the path of remembrance, we receive the supreme welfare. In this world, all the things by which we have associated and all the people that we have encountered are our temporary companions, as their association does not awaken the discernment between the eternal and the temporary. “What is eternal? What is temporary? Who am I? With whom is my eternal relationship? What are my duties?” — these questions are deeply analyzed solely in the association of sādhus.
The Supreme Lord is the infinite consciousness, the eternal entity, and as His infinitesimal parts, we too are eternal beings. Our eternal relationship is only with the eternal object called Bhagavān. We’ve forgotten His narratives, and thus He is now situated far from us. By always listening to and chanting His stories with a service-oriented ear and tongue, He will drive away all our sins and all kinds of discomfort and grant us His association — “vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam-aśeṣa-agha-haraṁ viduḥ” [The chanting of the Lord’s name removes all sins without exception. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.2.14)] Therefore, it is necessary that our minds should be attracted to such essential, most necessary topics. Earthly things do not endure; however, it is not our duty to abandon that which is eternal and supremely auspicious.
Due to the darkness of ignorance, we have always associated with inert objects and have seen and heard only about inert things. We have not had a vision of the conscious reality. By Śrī Guru-pāda-padma’s merciful act of opening spiritual eyes, we have gained the fortune to behold the infinite consciousness — the Supreme Lord, and His intimate associates —
ajñānatimirāndhasya jñānāñjanaśalākayā ।
cakṣurunmīlitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ॥
["I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Gurudeva who has opened my eyes which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the ointment of knowledge."]
akhaṇḍamaṇḍalākāraṃ vyāptaṃ yena carācaram ।
tatpadaṃ darśitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ॥
["I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Gurudeva who has showed me the abode of the Supreme Lord, who pervades the entire universe of moving and non-moving entities."]
prāte śrīmannavadvīpe dvinetraṃ dvibhujaṃ gurum ।
varābhayapradaṃ śāntaṃ smarettannāmapūrvakam ॥
["In the morning, one should meditate on the Guru in Śrīman Navadvīpa, who is two-eyed and two-armed, bestowing boons (varada) and fearlessness (abhaya), and who is tranquil (śānta), preceded by the utterance of His holy name."]
All these verses are always worthy of contemplation. By the mercy of Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, our divine knowledge — the knowledge of the relationship with the Supreme Lord — is awakened; then, for the service of Śrī Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇavas, we become travelers towards the eternal Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma and attain supreme peace. However, the association of karmīs (materialists), jñānīs (impersonalists), yogīs (followers of eight-fold path of yoga), anyābhilāṣīs (those who have desires other than service of Lord Kṛṣṇa), mixed devotees, etc., only covers us in the darkness of ignorance, causing us to be attached to wealth, women, and prestige, thus making us wander through the cycle of birth and death in the fourteen worlds, suffering the threefold miseries, or even leading us to self-destruction. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam advises us to leave such bad association and to always take association of the sādhus —
tato duḥsaṅgamutsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān ।
santa evāsya chindanti manovyāsaṅgamuktibhiḥ ॥
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.26.26)
["Thus, the wise should renounce bad association and engage with the saintly. Only the saintly can sever the attachments in the mind with the sword of detachment."]
The duty of the sādhus is to ensure our eternal welfare. They slash the witches, who are sitting in our heart in the form of desires for enjoyment, liberation and mystic perfection, with the weapon of auspicious instructions, thus establishing Bhakti-devī in their place. Having poor intelligence, we have become far removed from the Supreme Lord and His dear ones and are so confused that we consider the terrifyingly inauspicious actions as auspicious. Being ignorant of the principles of Bhāgavata-dharma, we have adopted the behavior of animals, calling ourselves saints while killing other creatures. Later, those very animals will also devour us —
ye tvanevaṃvido'santaḥ stabdhāḥ sadabhimāninaḥ ।
paśūn druhyanti viśrabdhāḥ pretya khādanti te ca tān ॥
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.14)
["Those who, devoid of proper understanding, consider themselves saints but ruthlessly harm animals, will, in turn, be devoured by those animals after death."]
The sādhus, devoid of any desire which is separate from Kṛṣṇa, constantly sing the glories of the wonderful qualities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which act as medicine for our worldly ailments and bring satisfaction to the ears and heart inclined toward service. Except for those who cause their own spiritual downfall or who are the killers of the soul possessing the mentality of a hunter, who else can resist hearing about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and engage in acts opposed to the devotional service? —
nivṛttatarṣairupagīyamānādbhavauṣadhācchrotramano'bhirāmāt ।
ka uttamaślokaguṇānuvādāt pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt ॥
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.14)
["Only a person engaged in heinous, animalistic actions would turn away from narrations about the glorious qualities of the Supreme Lord, which act as a remedy for the disease of material existence and delight the ears and mind."]
Guided by animal-like tendencies, we have committed numerous sinful acts in this world, constantly engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating like animals. Therefore the scriptures call us "two-legged animals." Whatever variety of problematic and inauspicious acts exist, we currently find them so appealing. However, as of now we are not thinking about the fact that all this will lead to so many problems for so many lifetimes, bringing untold suffering and torment for us in the future. A child, not understanding that if he’ll place his hand in the fire then it will burn his hand leading to pain and suffering, may place his hand in fire, only to suffer greatly later. Similarly, we eagerly run to catch (engage in) those actions that seem pleasing at first but will result in sorrow; however later on only sorrow and pain appears in our fortune.
Therefore, the Supreme Lord or His dear devotees come into this world to speak to us about our highest welfare. Our Śrī Guru-pāda-padma came to this world to preach the ultimate good, the supreme welfare, the welfare of the soul, through his teachings and conduct. "Who are we? What is this universe? What is the form of the Supreme Lord? What is His connection with us and with this world? What is our connection with this world? What is our duty?" All these teachings, Śrī Guru-pāda-padma have graciously revealed to us. Through his mercy, we have come to understand —
duṣṭa mana, tumi kisera vaiṣṇava ?
pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare,
tava harināma kevala kaitava ॥
[“O wicked mind, what kind of Vaiṣṇava are you? You chant the holy name of Hari in solitude for the sake of prestige alone. Thus your chanting is only a form of cheating.”]
jaḍera pratiṣṭhā, śūkarera viṣṭhā,
jāna nā ki tāhā māyāra vaibhava ।
kanaka-kāminī, divasa-yāminī,
bhāviyā ki kāja, anitya se-saba ॥
[“Do you not know that worldly prestige is like the stool of a pig, a mere manifestation of māyā? What good will thinking day and night about wealth and women bring? They are all temporary.”]
tomāra kanaka, bhogera janaka,
kanakera dvāre sevaha mādhava ।
kāminīra kāma, nahe tava dhāma,
tāhāra mālika kevala yādava ॥
[“Your wealth exists only to give birth to your enjoyment; instead you should serve Lord Mādhava, the husband of Lakṣmī-devī, through such wealth. Similarly, the amorous mellow of women is not your resting abode; it’s master is only Lord Yādava.”]
pratiṣṭhāśā-taru, jaḍa-māyāmaru,
nā pela rāvaṇa yujhiyā rāghava ।
vaiṣṇavī pratiṣṭhā, tāte kara niṣṭhā,
tāhā nā bhajile labhibe raurava ॥
[“The tree of the desire for prestige grows in the desert of material illusion. Remember, Rāvaṇa could not obtain prestige by fighting with Lord Rāma. You must establish firm faith in the identity of a true Vaiṣṇava; if you won’t worship such identity then you will attain the hellish realms.”]
We will attain auspiciousness if all these teachings always remain in our heart by the mercy of Śrī Guru-pāda-padma. This verse by the best among the followers of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī i.e. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī Prabhu, should always be our subject of contemplation —
gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu sujane bhūsuragaṇe
svamantre śrīnāmni vrajanavayuvadvandva-śaraṇe ।
sadā dambhaṃ hitvā kuru ratimapūrvāmatitarāṃ
aye svāntarbhrātaścaṭubhirabhiyāce dhṛtapadaḥ ॥
O mind, holding your two feet I pray from my heart — By renouncing pride in all respects and by leaving all useless pursuits, you develop dense unprecedented love for Śrī Guru, for the residents of the Holy dhāma, for the followers of Śrī Guru, for the Lord’s devotees, for the Brāhmaṇas who are established in Supreme Truth, and by leaving the mental speculation and by fixing yourself in the function of the self, you do the same for the mantra, the Holy Name, and for Śrī Rādhā-Govinda.
