“G u r u m u k h a p a d m a v a k y a"
How can I serve you?.......................Nectarean Mellows
The miseries of material existence for a devotee are unfortunately sometimes necessary to take things seriously. Unless we suffer we will not take things seriously. Unless we suffer without and understand the need, then we take things cheaply and one of the most abominable ways of taking things cheaply is to be demanding, simply abominable from the perspective of devotional service. na dhanaà na janaà na sundaréà kavitäà vä jagad-éça kämaye/mama janmani janmanéçvare bhavatäd bhaktir ahaituké tvayi - Mahaprabhu teaches us, ‘I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers or the opposite sex. All I want, life after life, is to serve You’. aslisya va pada ratam pinastu mam ‘You can do as you like with me because I am your servant. You can make me broken hearted by not being before me, you can embrace me, whatever you like’.
Bhakti Vinod Thakur takes this principle, märobi räkhobi-jo icchä tohärä/nitya-däsa prati tuwä adhikärä – ‘My Lord, I am yours. I am not demanding you, I am yours. You demand to me’. When you demand you take the role of a master. Bhakti Vinod Thakur says, “My Lord, if you want to kill me please do that, that’s the perfection of my desires. And if you want to protect me, please protect me that would be the perfection of my desires. I am your servant. You can do anything you like with me.” Srila Prabhupada didn’t demand from Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur anything. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur told him, “You go to the west.” Srila Prabhupada showed how a disciple treats his guru, no demands. How can I serve? That’s the question. That’s the perfection of all prayers. How can I serve you my Lord? That’s the way we should be among devotees also because we approach the Lord through the devotees. How to serve each other?
H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj
guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete koriyä aikya, är nä koriho mane äsä
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trinad api sunicena, taror api sahishnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniya sada Hari
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
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Humility is not just a part of devotional service; it is the heart of devotional service.
To see a Vaishnava and not become happy is an offence. – Skand Puran
It is important to remind ourselves that at the end of the day, all we really have is each other.
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