Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Mahaprabhu has taught in Siksastaka (Cc. adi 17.31):
trnad api sunicena taror api sahinuuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This is the most important teaching in Siksastaka.
uttama hana apanake mane trnadhama — This is the nature of a real vaisnava. He is the topmostparamahamsa, but he thinks, "I am the lowest of the low, much humbler than a blade of grass in the street. All those who are walking on the street may step on me." A real vaisnava submits and tolerates everything. He never retaliates against anyone.
dui-prakare sahisnuta kare vrksa-sama — One should be as tolerant as a tree. There are degrees of tolerance. A tree doesn't ask for water. In the summer season when the scorching heat of the sun is drying everything up, the tree will never ask for water. It
tolerates. It may dry up and die, but still it never asks for water. A vaisnava is as tolerant as this.
Madhavendra Puri is the example. He never asked for anything. If he was hungry or thirsty he tolerated. He never asked Krishna to help him. One who tolerates like this becomes as tolerant as a tree and becomes much humbler than a blade of grass lying on the street. He can chant the pure name.
The pure name means Krishna. So Krishna comes. Krishna told Madhavendra Puri, "What sort ofsannyasi are you? A sannyasi goes out to collect some bhiksa, madhu-kari. You are thirsty and hungry. Why are you not going out to beg alms?"
"Who are you?"
"I am a cowherd boy. I live in this village. I tend
the cows here."
"How do you know that I am hungry and thirsty?"
"I heard. Some women were taking bath in that pond. They were talking amongst themselves: `Thatsannyasi sitting underneath the tree is very hungry and thirsty.'
So I have brought this pot of milk for you. Take it."
Caitanya-caritamrta (antya 20.24) states:
yei ye magaye, tare deya apana-dhana
gharma-vrsti sahe, anera karaye raksana
A vaisnava is as tolerant as a tree. A tree gives its cool shade to whoever sits under its branches. It gives flowers, fruits, leaves, twigs, and branches. It will give its whole body for someone to cut. It never complains. It tolerates the scorching heat of the
sun, torrential rain, the pelting of stones, beatings. He tolerates and gives everything. He always does good to others. A vaisnava should be like that.
Caitanya-caritamrta (antya 20.25) states:
uttama hana vaisnava habe nirabhimana
jive sammana dibe jani' `krsna'-adhisthana
A vaisnava is uttama, paramahamsa, the topmost person, but he thinks, "I am the lowest of the low." He never demands respect, rather he respects one and all thinking that Krishna is there in the heart of every living entity. He never demands respect. This is amani manada.
— From a lecture in Bhubaneswar, 23 April 1992.
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