A True Servant—A True Master
by Swami Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja | 2021 | 174,865 words
This page relates ‘Finding peace by envisioning Shri Guru and Vaishnavas,...� of book�"A True Servant, A True Master" which offers a collection of 128 handwritten letters by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja—a revered figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. This book showcases the profound spiritual insights and practical guidance on executing devotional service and addresses both Sadhakas (male practitioners) and Sadhikas (female practitioners) with equal respect.
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Letter 53 - Finding peace by envisioning Śī Guru and ղṣṇ,...
Finding peace by envisioning śī guru and ղṣṇ � Surrendering one’s mind and spirit is the best donation � Love cannot be revealed before everyone, nor can bhajana � Guru, ղṣṇ, and are in our heart, so our prayers are always heard
श्री श्री गुरु-गौराङ्गौ जयतः
śī śī guru-gaurāṅgau jayata�
Ա貹�
I received a letter from you many days ago. I should have replied to your kind letter much sooner. Forgive me for failing to reply in a timely fashion. Your piteous weeping rends everyone’s heart. You wrote referring to yourself as my ‘fallen daughter�. In the shower of your tears, even the heart of a stonehearted person such as myself is torn asunder. Śī shall fulfil your heart’s desires. Maintain powerful enthusiasm and forbearance within your heart. If you envision the smiling faces of śī gurudeva and the ղṣṇ and remember their instructions and teachings, you will find peace of mind at all times, in all circumstances.
I went to Kashinagar for the occasion of the deity installation, which was held on ṣaⲹ ṛtīⲹ, during the month of ղś [May]. At that time, there was no opportunity to converse with you properly; it seems that you have become dissatisfied with me because of that.
I hope that you have understood the gravity of my situation then and have forgiven me. I presumed that perhaps you were angry with me and feeling indignant. But that notion was dispelled upon receiving your letter.
Because you always weep, I keep saying, to give you consolation,
“O Mother, please do not cry. Śī shall certainly bestow auspiciousness upon you. Do not be upset that you have no wealth or money and therefore cannot donate anything for service. Śī Hari and guru are served through life force, intellect, words, and wealth. Those who do not have wealth will serve with their words, intellect, and life force. To surrender one’s mind and spirit to śī gurudeva and is the most excellent donation, the greatest wealth. Only if you are able to cry anxiously for śī gurudeva and shall you obtain the fruit of having offered everything to them. In that, your heart shall find joy and peace.
What you wrote is the truth:
“In this world there is no one to call your own except for guru, ղṣṇ, and .�
If we can make them our own, then only will our lives be success-ful, and all our efforts blessed.
Therefore, the ᲹԲ have sung:
तव नि�-जन, पर� बान्धव, संसा� कारागारे
tava nija-jana, parama bāndhava, saṃsāra kārāgāre[1]
“Your personal associates are our greatest friends in this jail-house of material existence.�
It is essential for us to have this realization from our core. Loving attachment cannot be revealed before everyone, as it is an exchange of hearts. It is for this reason that shedding tears in the presence of ordinary people often becomes cause for criticism and misunderstanding. Many find opportunity for cutting remarks, mockery, and the like. Therefore, specific instructions have been provided regarding proper time, place, and circumstance for performing hari-bhajana. As śī guru, the ղṣṇ, and are omniscient and present within the heart, they accept our moods and intentions. Therefore, our every cry, whether in front of them or out of their sight, truly reaches them. Śī has sat down for His meal in ٱ, ܰ쳾ṇ�-ī is serving Him, but at that moment, from ṛn屹Բ (Kāmyavana), the sound of ٰܱ貹ī’s cry reached ٱ over a thousand miles away.
You have written that 1979 was the year your money was squandered, and you even received the punishments of Yama-ܰī (city of death). As long as one has a body, there will be unhappiness, misery, sickness, disease, suffering, and torment. Perhaps you only went to the hospital because you had to. What you wrote is true: hospitals are like pits of hell, where you suffer only hellish torture. The stench makes it unbearable to breathe and people are dying and writhing in pain before your eyes. It is truly horrific! I understand that they even left you in the cold room. It was Śī alone who protected you. You must never forget śī gurudeva and , and you must faithfully perform hari-bhajana.
You have wanted to know whether your fortune will be like that of——and—�. Though born to a wealthy family, what kind of service and bhajana are they performing? Meanwhile, your inner cries are staying just there, inside you. Is it not possible for someone without money to perform hari-bhajana? Why are you upset because you could not give me a donation this time? The anxious fervour of your heart is certainly felt by guru and ղṣṇ, who are compassionate. Although you have no worldly wealth, Śī will see how you are crying and bless you with supreme, transcendental wealth. There is no doubt about it.
I understand that, despite being my mother, you are not getting the chance to serve me by cooking for me with your own hands. I will come to your cottage and relish the 岹 cooked by your own hand. This hope of yours will be fulfilled. īٲԲ and class will be held in your home. Invite as many devotees as you can. Surely you will be able to feed eight to ten devotees. We will certainly come to your home and take 岹. You have no worries. I am reassuring you. And please do not be angry with me for taking so long to reply. Without concern, without anxiety, chant 峾. Maintain a practice of studying a little of scripture, as time permits. Sing the songs of the ᲹԲ. Chant your ⲹٰī at the three junctions of the day. We are honoured to be invited to the house of վܰ to partake of the foodstuffs prepared by the hand of վܰṇ�. We will be satisfied just by tasting your leafy greens and rice.
I will go with the party to Kashinagar around the 20th of this upcoming month of ʲṣa [December–January]. At that time, I will come to your house one day and take 岹. Class, īٲԲ, and so on will also be held there. For those who have no one else in this world, Śī Bhagavan, śī guru, and the ղṣṇ are their only aid. Why have you written that you are unfortunate? Those men and women who immerse their minds in hari-bhajana by taking shelter of a bona fide guru are the fortunate ones. Their births are blessed and meaningful. Selfish, worldly people are forever criticizing devotees. You have nothing to gain or lose from that.
May my fallen daughters and my crazy sons continue to serve Śī Hari in happiness and peace. The all-auspicious Śī will certainly see to their welfare. Know that I will never be indifferent to your “waking late in the night and expressing in hints the incoherent nonsense of inner pain�. May Śī grant me the intelligence to at least be able to consider the simplicity of your heart. What is of particular concern is that the son of a crazy mother and father does not become crazy in the end. If even after obtaining śī guru and ղṣṇ as your sons you still feel childless, then you should accept the arrangement of making Śī ҴDZ-ṛṣṇa Himself your son, because such a son will never die, nor will He cause you to weep. By accepting Śī as our mother and father, our child and friend, our husband and our supreme master, we will never have to fall victim to mundane sorrow and delusion. So, know Him to be your one and only son. He will never be the cause of sorrow and suffering for you. �
All of you, please accept my unlimited, affectionate blessings. We are doing okay. Iti�
Your ever well-wisher,
Śī Bhaktivedānta 峾Բ