By Srila Bhakti Siddanta Saraswati Goswami
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Once I went to Mangala-giri in South India to establish the sacred impressions of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s footprints. A devotee amongst us raised this doubt: “When I first came to the matha (temple), I noted the character of the matha residents and their attachment o serving Bhagavan. This impressed and inspired me and I cherished a high aspiration to be like them. But now, the standard I once envisioned attaining has lessened considerably. I am engrossed in various mundane thoughts such as thinking about the many brahmacaris who have turned to their homes and entered household life.”
In reply I said, “I cannot say that they have left hari-bhajana just because they have returned to their homes. In fact I see each and every one of those brahmacaris as amazing Vaisnavas and that their Vaisnava qualities and devotion for the Lord have increased manifold. What a wicked atheist I used to be, but my wickedness substantially abated in their association. I see that I am averse to Bhagavan, but they a ll are engaged in hari-bhajana. By the mercy of Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, I have come to know this verse:
vaisnavera nindyakarma na pade kane sabe krsna bhaje tinha ai matra jane
[“Gossip about Vaisnavas indulging in abominable activities should never enter my ears. I should only see that all persons are serving Krsna.”]
From my perspective, everybody is advancing in hari-bhajana, and this universe, which was created by Bhagavan, is prospering in every respect. Everyone except me is receiving spiritual benefit. You have become restless without due reason, and because you are intensely eager to serve Bhagavan you want the devotees who left to also be increasingly keen to engage in hari-bhajana. They are, however, engaged in hari-bhajana. Still you are dissatisfied and want their exuberance to serve their beloved Lord to increase a million-fold. My heart, on the contrary, is meager and unable to accommodate the magnitude of their bhajana of Sri Hari. They exemplified living according to an astonishingly high ideal. The only person who is incapable of performing hari-bhajana is me, because I busy myself with finding faults in others. How, then, can I ever make progress?”
*************************************************************************************Indeed Srila Bhakti Sidhanata Saraswati Goswami is the exalted vaishnava. He has completely understood the mood of Srila Rupa Goswami. Srila Bhakti Sidhanata Saraswati Goswami is instructing us that how we are always finding faults in others and considering ourself to be genuinely practicing Hari Bhajan. With His heart full of compassion towards fallen living conditioned souls He has made Himself the object of not advancing and instructing us to not find or criticize other vaishanavas.
May Srila Bhakti Sidhananta Saraswati Swami bestows His causeless mercy upon all of us so that we will only be able to see all good qualities of Vaishnav devotees of the Lord Hari.
I pray to Srila Bhakti Sidhanata Saraswati Goswami that please bestow upon us His causeless mercy so that we will be able to see only the good qualities of the vaishanav devotees of the Lord.
