A letter from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada
śrī śrī guru-gaurā go jayata
[All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga]
Sri Chaitanya Matha, Sri Mayapur, 22
December 1927
Yesterday I received a letter from you. Many days prior to this I received another letter from you before I went to the western states of In- dia. Because I was travelling to different places I could not reply to you timely. From the Gaudiya magazine or from the devotees you may have heard about the festivals we held in the western states. Everywhere, good people are becoming joyful just by hearing the glories of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Nabadwip is the most worshipable place for the devotees. Any place in this dhāma awak- ens remembrance of the Lord. Therefore I desire to stay for a few more days. For the purpose of serving Lord Hari I go to Calcutta and different places. Because Sriman Mahaprabhu is su- premely merciful, he arranged for many devo- tees even in a place like Calcutta. In the Gaudiya Math, hari-kathā is always going on and every- one is completely absorbed in hari-sevā. I wish to have their association in my last days, just as Pariksit Maharaja was absorbed in hearing Bhāgavata. In my last days, even if I am sur- rounded by relatives and well wishers in a com- fortable situation, if there is no hari-kathā there, I consider such a place and such association to be unnecessary. I see that by the mercy of Bhagavan the inclination of service to the Lord is present in all of the ma hs, thus I’m meditat- ing upon Mahaprabhu’s munificence. Where I was previously spending my life in luxurious enjoyment of material objects, instead of that association today I am traveling to different places serving the Lord and associating with the devotees of the Lord. If we can spend our last days in this way then we will not lead mis- erable lives in forgetfulness of Hari.
You are not hearing enough hari-kathā from devotees of Hari, who are always eagerly en- gaged in serving the Lord. Because of that, you have not had the good fortune of being engaged every moment in service to the Lord. However, your propensity for serving the Lord is keeping you far away from others’ association. Always study Gaudiya literature and literature written by devotees. Doing so you will get the same ben- efit of hearing hari-kathā from a devotee’s mouth. Although in this material world we are not meeting many devotees who are from the spiritual world, still, even today the discus- sions and pastimes of the devotees from the time of Sriman Mahaprabhu are eternally present in the form of literature and sound. Therefore we don’t feel any material distress. If we live here according to the principles of the spiritual world, then that consciousness will keep us separate from material miseries. Wherever you may be, bhāgavata-kathā will not leave you. Even in the midst of all kind of mundane talks you will be able to remember the Lord and the words of his devotees. If God desires, then the opportunity will again arise for you to return back to this place. At that time you will again get the opportunity to hear hari- kathā. For his own pleasure, God puts his devo- tees into a particular situation. By accepting that situation one will forget their miseries.
Common people in material society are not able to understand topics of the Lord, topics of Sriman Mahaprabhu, and the transcendental characteristics of devotees. If the propensity to serve the Lord appears in one’s heart then in all circumstances one can remember Lord Hari. You are always trying to make spiritual ad- vancement. Therefore, in the form of literature God is enlightening you from within all about his kathā. It is written in Caitanya Bhāgavata:
yata dekha vai avera vyavahāra-du kha niścaya jāniha sei parānanda sukha
When you see a vai ava who seems to be suffering material misery, you should know that he is actually experiencing the highest ecstasy. [madhya 9.240]
To test us, God is always residing within everything. If we can come to the realization of observing the presence of God everywhere then our self-conception becomes less.
adyāpi sei līlā kare gaura-rāya
kona kona bhāgyavān dekhibāre pāya
Even today, Lord Gaura Ray is enacting his pas- times, but only fortunate souls are able to see them.” [Seems to be adapted from Cb. madhya 10.283]
When will that fortunate day arise when all of us pursue the essence of Sri Gaurasundar ’s teachings and thus actually traverse on the path of bhakti?
This world of birth and death is the place where the Lord tests everyone. To pass this test one should hear kīrtana from the dear devotees of Lord Hari. You are hearing the same from the mouth of literature, so you should not feel that you are lacking anything. Once, Hiranyakasipu decided that there is no God in this world. Trying to prove his point, he put forward many arguments to Prahlad Maharaja. However, Lord Nrisimhadev ap- peared from a pillar and made everything auspicious for Hiranyakasipu and the whole world. Devotees of the Lord see the Lord ev- erywhere, but those who are envious of the Lord cannot even realize that he exists.
We are situated in the middle ground [being neither pure devotees nor materialists], and are showing our taste for serving Lord Hari. How- ever, the next moment we are busy trying to enjoy sense gratification. By the desire to serve Hari we become detached from sense enjoy- ment. Materialistic life is the cause of immedi- ate happiness and distress, while eternal de- votional service to the Lord brings the Lord pleasure. For that satisfaction of the Lord we are always engaged in devotional service.
I don’t know if you will get immediate benefit by reading this long letter. My use of lan- guage is extremely incompetent. I am unable to convince everyone and explain every topic. For that reason, many times I maintain silence. All of the arrangements for the upcoming fes- tivals have been made here at the Chaitanya Math. The accommodations are ready at Sriman Mahaprabhu’s house [the yoga-pī ha temple in Mayapur where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ap- peared], between Gaura-kund and the lion gate.
nitya-aśīrvādak — your ever wellwisher, Sri Siddhanta Saraswati
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