Gour Govinda Swami Disappearance Day

Unifying power of glorifying devotees

0:00Omahyana Tirandasya, Gyanam Jana Shavakayan, Chaksuru Miritamy, Tasma Shri Gwavenama, Namahu Vishnu Padaya Krishna Vishtaya Butale.

0:15Bhaktividanta Swami Dinami, namaste saraswati, guramani pachaini, nirviše pachatani Switaini Vanchakabadara Vischakripa Sibcha Patianam Bavane Biu Vasnavyu, Sikishna Chaitanya Pramunitananda Sjadva Gadata Thank you, Mahavananda Prabhu.

0:55I'm very happy to be able to speak today.

1:03Yesterday I happened to sit with Sivaradhanat Maharaj and we were talking and at one point of our conversation we started talking about one devotee and without any preliminary agreement I started glorifying him in unified voice.

1:30He was glorifying him, I was glorifying him and we couldn't stop. And uh and then Maharaj said very important thing which actually uh touched me very much. He said.

1:44Look how all of a sudden our hearts became united, almost merged together, because in unison we are glorifying a devotee. And he pointed out that this is the service for devote which can unify and unite us together.

2:13If we come together with this sole purpose to glorify others, to glorify other devotees, so to glorify a particular devotee who is outstanding in all regards. And that's the way to unity.

2:31There could be some artificial sort of unity imposed from the top, or by some rules, you know we should be united, or by some propaganda.

2:45But the real unity comes when we are capable of appreciating genuine qualities of the devotees and be united in the glorification. And that's what Madhavananda Prabhu is doing consistently year after year after the 1996.

3:10Every year those who can come to these gatherings to glorify Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. And that's the best and the most natural way to unite our society.

Understanding sadhu shastra and guru

3:26When we speak and meditate on the qualities of great devotees.

3:31And I was thinking yesterday when I received the invitation to come, what shall I speak about and one thing came to my mind, uh, there is a very famous statement which is uh often misquoted

3:52by Srila Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura in his Prema-bhakti-candrikā, where Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura formulates the triad of Brahman.

4:07There are three elements which make our life successful because only if these three elements are in place and our consciousness is synchronized with all three, then we will be able to live proper life,

4:28and that's actually the prayer of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura: śāstra-guru-vākya, hṛdi kaye aikya — please make my heart one with the words of sadhu on the first place, śāstra on the second place, and guru on the third place. place, Shastra on the second place, and Guru on the third place.

4:57So whenever a great devotee speaks, if he lists a number of things, the order in which he lists is very significant. This triad is famous, everyone knows this, but usually

5:19we say guru-śāstra-sādhu or something like this. But not without reason Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura says first sādhu, then śāstra, and only then guru.

5:33And this order is significant for our today's topic, glorifying Gour Govinda Maharaj, because Gour Govinda Maharaj is definitely a glaring example of a real sādhu.

5:47Śrīla Prabhupāda, when he would explain these sources of pramāṇa, real knowledge, he would explain that sādhu here means a saintly devotee, previous devotee who came in this paramparā and who showed the example of how to live śāstra.

6:10Therefore, he stands the first because if we take śāstra first, then it can be bewildering. There are so many statements in śāstra, sometimes they seemingly contradict.

6:26So we need a living example of somebody who puts the proper emphasis on all the statements of śāstra in place so that it's harmonious and it's doable, it's practical. So therefore sādhu stands first.

6:44Without sādhu, without the living example of sādhu, without his example, of his you know his pramāṇa, śāstra is bewildering. Therefore those who try to put śāstra first, they usually bewilder people.

7:10They usually selectively quote śāstra or put some emphasis on whatever they like, you know. And we all know how to quote out of context. We're all expert in this. We know how to, you know, select supporting quotes.

7:26There is, you know, it's especially in ISKCON, it's a sort of a sport now, you know, to to you know to quote and counter quote and have the you know the fight of the quotes. So it's ridiculous, it's useless.

7:47You need first sādhu, then you need śāstra because sādhu and śāstra cannot contradict. Sādhu explains how to live śāstra, how to breathe śāstra, how to be like, uh, the Prabhu said that Gour Govinda Maharaj was walking Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavatam.

8:06So then the Shastra is very important but the second place, and then only Guru. Because sometimes we say Guru Shastrasada or whatever. Guru is the last one.

8:18Because Guru has to be very careful to give all his evidence and everything which he does in accordance to sādhu and śāstra, then he is bona fide guru.

8:30If he is trying to be independent or put himself on the first place, then he should be rejected or at least distanced. That's the advice.

8:42Not necessarily rejected but distanced because very important pramāṇas, uh, should, uh, be first sādhu, śāstra and then guru.

Gour Govinda Swami giving spiritual hope

8:54And if guru is in complete harmony with sādhus and śāstras, he's bona fide, there is no doubt about it. If he speaks śāstra. So answering the question which Madavananda Prabhu said, what is the

9:09significance of Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj to our society today? I would say it's exactly this because he is the real sadhu who showed to us and embodied how to live Shastra, what Shastra is teaching about because again we can be confused about this and not to have the proper understanding but his example is so clear and so vivid in front of us.

9:41Because if we take sadhus from remote past, it's nice, but there is always a temptation to say that yeah, that was long ago and you know who knows how it was in reality.

9:59But here we have somebody who was treading the same ground, the same earth which we are treading now who was just here just recently very recently here in Maiapur who was you know chastising his disciples and all of us who were speaking beautiful things, bringing tears to the eyes of those who listen to him.

10:30And that example is the most inspiring because he basically And Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj showed because sometimes also the tendencies to glorify the previous devotees that they just descended from the spiritual world.

10:49And it's a glorification of a sort, but it just makes them a completely different category. What is there for me if he descended from I didn't descend from the spiritual world. What is the use of his example for me?

11:07It's not an example in reality. Example for me, relevant example for me, something which I can follow. And Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj, he may descend from the spiritual world.

11:19But I think it's small clarification to say that he came and he realized all the elevated and exalted truths which Śrīla Prabhupāda was teaching for us to have hope.

11:33Because sometimes to be honest with you, we may become hopeless. You know, prema is so high, and where I am and where is prema?

11:46Prema is such a high ideal, but sadhus come and they say no it's real it's not just bombastic you know high-sounding words of you know, Shastra or some completely elevated and liberated soul.

12:09No, it's real, it's for you. It's about you. Don't lose hope. Just follow this path and for sure you will come to this goal. Don't miss the goal.

12:23Because the gravest mistake which we may do on the spiritual path is to declare that the goal is irrelevant for us, for our life, that the goal is too high or miss the goal. And if we miss the goal, we miss the goal.

12:43We miss the whole essence of human life. So sadhu comes, real sadhu comes to remind us it's real, it's for you, it's about you, and you can reach this goal.

12:55If you are one-pointed, if you know what is the goal, and if you follow very consistently, for sure you will reach the goal.

13:05So in my humble opinion, the immense significance of Śrīla Bhakti Govinda Māhāvaj for our whole society is that he gives us hope.

13:17He is a hope-giving personality. He gives us hope to achieve the goal and he reminds us about this goal. And he says, don't change this goal, don't try to diminish this goal. Don't try to adjust the goal to your own level.

13:39That will be a very sad mistake which we can do. Try to adjust the goal, which is you know, kind of okay for me. No, this is the high goal and it's achievable and it's there.

13:55So therefore I'm I'm really grateful to Madhavananda Prabhu and all of you who come to these meetings to be reminded about this which we tend to forget

14:11the. The forgetfulness is our human nature and we have to be reminded again and again and again.

14:22And one thing which I want to remind us that the example of the sadhu is the first and foremost pramāna, example of a sadhu who perfectly follows shastra and with whom we should try to synchronize our mood, our thinking, our actions and our words.

14:48First and foremost. Thank you very much, Hare Krishna. Thank you. I'm always so happy. And you give us a lot of wonderful things to think about.

Recognizing the symptoms of a sadhu

15:04I'd like to ask you the same question more or less I guess to uh gender with a little kind of flipped over way.

15:12What is it like Mars has been giving a very brilliant uh seminar recently about obstacles in our devotion and crises and I would definitely say that when crises is based on what you're saying that we don't recognize saintly persons because that's the life to kind of add a little about what you're saying.

15:32That's the life of a society. There's no saint, there's no society. You're stressing important to that. So what is it, might you just say a couple of words with this that keeps us from recognizing the sādhu?

15:51Again, in my opinion, this is the first thing which we should teach people who come to Iskon society, and the first thing which we should ourselves learn is how to recognize sadhus and how to appreciate devotees for what we should appreciate devotees.

16:12It's an art and science at the same time. You know it's an art because it may not be uh so easy to recognize sādhu.

16:23Sometimes sādhu is trying to hide himself and all Gorky Shordas Babaji he was sitting at the place where people would pass to you know to make sure that nobody recognizes him.

16:36But it's a science because there are very clear symptoms of a sadhu or a saintly person given in the śāstras and we have to know the symptoms or lakshanas of a saintly person and to learn this both science and art of recognizing and appreciating devotees.

17:04And the first and foremost, of course, their absorption in Krishna, Krishna consciousness, chanting of the holy name, scriptures, everything which is connected. So that's the criteria.

17:20When we see somebody who is absorbed, and I personally think that there are so many problems because we don't educate people of how to really recognize who is real devotee, who is uh great devotee, what is his greatness?

17:38Because sometimes you know we think that you know if somebody sings very nicely he's a great devotee. It's a good sign, but it's not Swarup Laksana.

17:50Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda was singing out of tune sometimes. It didn't make him a lesser devotee.

17:59And more or less, I was told that he purposefully was doing it because he just didn't want us to have some external symptoms to be mixed with internal symptoms.

18:14The internal symptom of a sadhu, the real symptom of a sadhu is one. His absorption in Krishna, his attachment to Krishna and Krishna's holy name and Krishna's scripture.

18:26And it's not easy because external science we can recognize very quickly and easily, but internal signs are not easily recognizable.

18:37But still we have to see how deeply he is absorbed and if he is absorbed, he is a great soul.

18:45Even no matter what material qualifications, what other qualifications are there, even if he is a new bhakta, but if he is absorbed, he is a great soul, no doubt about it.

18:58So, and you know, Gour Govinda Maharaj is of course a brilliant example of this complete total absorption up to the level of samadhi when he would speak sometimes for hours without stop, quoting, you know, as as you said, quoting Shastra, which is also very important thing, you know to quote shastra to to know shastra and to quote shastra

19:26but absorption is the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa of the bhakti and we should learn how to appreciate those who are absorbed in this. I will tell you a little anecdote in this regard.

19:43Once Bhakti Vaibhava Maharaj, he came to Bhaktivedanta Hospital and they discovered that he has a gallbladder stone.

19:55And he came to Sivarama Swami with this sad news and said, your disciples discovered a gallbladder stone in my gallbladder.

20:08And Maharaj looked at him and said, for sure it must be a śālagrāma and and the answer of Bhakti Vaibhava Maharaj is very telling: he said, Maharaj, it's impossible to get you out of Krishna consciousness. You always make some spiritual connection, isn't it?

20:32Even with gallbladder stones. So that's that's a little anecdote in this regard. We're waiting for you to come and visit us in Florida. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Hare Krishna.