My dear devotees, please accept my blessings in the grace of my spiritual masters, Sri Sri Gouranga- Nityananda and Sri Sri Radha- Govindaji. I feel very fortunate to be in contact with persons who really want to know the truth about their existence. The infinite is manifested in infinite ways. One of the things that makes the world more anxious is the extraordinary, the extra sensorial. The mystic is considered mythical for those who do not have any connection where knowledge descends accompanied by the gift of faith. Devotees like Hanuman or Sri Ganesh who noted the Vedic scriptures, have a wonderful world. The knowledge descends for everybody. But faith only descends when Srimati Radharani grants Her mercy.

We can see in the world of fruitive desires, that there exists a strong faith, a blind faith in the materialistic proposes. In despair people adore ghosts. They accept penitence to attain any little help from part of this world that is over the level of our real experience. Nowadays people, with their desires and despair, are inclined to the esoteric or religious sphere. Everything that promises to improve the material conditions seems to be promising enough to try. On the other hand, sanatana dharma, a pure life and love for God, does not get much attention.

The Vedas, that knew this very well, established many purposes in the Vedic knowledge to attract people with flourishing words with the forms to satisfy everything from the instincts and fugitive appetite towards the salvation. Bhakti, pure love, is described as something that is very difficult to obtain. Something so special one cannot impose. By the way, Lord Krishna keeps it guarded, and there are thousands of offerings of inferior goals that are trying us in our purpose. So, generally for the majority in this world, there are small chances to enter into bhakti.

But look, what a surprise! It appeared a phenomena of causeless mercy. Lord Caitanya made no conditions to start on His path of Divine Love. He made it so easy that one can hardly believe it. Simply by chanting from the heart: "Krishna! Come to me!" And, immediately there is a new situation. If the souls understand this gift, they will come with enthusiasm. One only has to discover how to make them enthusiastic. There are no strict rules for them. Only love and joy, loveliness and Krishna Prasadam. It doesn't sound bad... Is it really like that? Yes, of course it is!

You have to understand one thing: When you want something very, very nice, something very sweet and true, you have to be disposed to transform you life in the same way. This kind of knowledge, or rather, wisdom, is 100% confirmed by our own common sense. We shouldn't expect the mercy that came, will stay if there is no effort from our part. Otherwise, it would be like looking for liberation where our need of participation would be anaesthetised.

We are so fortunate for the intervention of Lord Caitanya; what hope would we have without Him? And to deliver His message, we need the mercy of Lord Nityananda, nothing of arrogance. People don't even have to get discouraged for nothing. The devotee should be so loving and humble that nobody would feel defied, only enriched. This is realized humility; nothing of elitism. It is not that I feel that "I - because of the contact with Lord Caitanya - have become superior to the others. The others are karmis, people who think that they can save themselves by their own acts."

People are very sensitive, and Srila Prabhupada conquered us by cooking for us. Do you realize, that all plates with prasadam that you have eaten or distributed, was really cooked by Srila Prabhupada? If I cook voluntary for a person, I make the table, I serve a banquette, I ask if he wants more, he can even forgive me if we say that Lord Caitanya is waiting for him. In spite of the sufferings caused by our own immaturity, and for the surprises that exist in life of any preacher, the mercy is manifested every day. We want to serve to thank for having been received. We want to become pure devotees. And this only by the divine grace that descends in many ways to us. We can only beg everyone please to learn the siksastaka. The process that descends, exists due to Krishna's will. Avaroha. It is not produced by intelligence of the conditioned beings. Because of this, we have the faith that Srila Prabhupada is totally inspired to transmit this divine illumination.

Vysaveti navetiva. Anyone who knows the meaning of this? Maya has two wonderful powers: avaranatmika - the power to cover us in illusion, and praksepatmika - the power to take us away from the different destinies. Before a power like this, what can our investigators do? So, without mercy we are lost.

Srila Prabhupada establishes a bond. We can all accept it. Everyone will be accepted. One just has to accept that one becomes an instrument of Krishna only when He wants. Therefore one has to repeat the message like it was received, and therefore the distribution of the books of Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas, should be in first place on the part of our various works. One has to transmit the happiness of living a regulated life.

Tell us, Gurudeva Atulananda, what was the first thing that convinced you that Srila Prabhupada told the truth?

Guru Atulananda: Jay Gurudeva, well I had read some mayavadi books and had certain faith in the Vedas. I liked very much to see that Srila Prabhupada always quoted the sastras. I wanted to know why Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna was God, and in one of his conferences, I read that he said krsasnas tu bhagavan svayam. I liked that very much. There I became very calm. Seeing his disciples like Hanuman, whom I saw to be very wise, also convinced me. Then I thought that if Hanuman, being so young could be so wise, how wise then should not his master be?

Guru Maharaj: Well, it is true; for everyone, Srila Prabhupada keeps us close to the wisdom of the Rishis. The scriptures are so rich; they satisfy and make everything clear. But it requests for everything a particular sacrifice. Only through pure love, we are invited to come with everything. The problems will get solved along the way. Begin to chant the holy name at once. And so it is; nobody can imagine the wisdom of a pure devotee. This knows only Krishna Himself.

Srila Prabhupada is the angel of the manifested guardian in the practised form for many of us. We accept him as the captain of our ship to cruise the dangerous ocean of Kali. But to preach with a lot of compassion we have to become trustworthy transparent mediums of him. It is not sufficient to exclaim the glories of Srila Prabhupada. That is the mission for everyone who come into this school after Srila Prabhupada.

People do not want to listen to your affiliation; they want to see your true affinity. And if this affinity is the love of Srila Prabhupada, well there unite all the religious ideals of all streams of all humanity. When something comes from above, it does not matter through whom it comes. It is more, we all depend on the PLURAL mercy. Because, if it does not descend for everyone, how then could it come to all places?

I have felt very fine here in Vrindavan. It was really a sacrifice Srila Prabhupada made to go from here. But as you know; the greatest nectar is the preaching, wherever it may be. And in South America it has been special nectar. Between bombs and guerrillas, among corrupted people and thieves who steal even from the temples, we are dancing and feasting like a so nice family, to the rhythm of thousands of spiritual sounds that extend from the heights of Aconagua to the Amazon rain forest.

Any questions?

Question: Gurudeva, can you explain for us why Srila Prabhupada comes in the line of Lord Nityananda and why he is a satyavesa avatar?

Answer: Because Srila Prabhupada brought Lord Nityananda to all villages, and this was possibly only by Krishna's will. And when Krishna give His so extraordinary special power, one can call it saktyavesa.

Question: Can you please amplify about the affinity that is expected from us?

Answer (Guru Maharaj): The purpose of a person one can know seeing where he spend his money. Affinity is priority; it cannot be artificial. Affinity with Srila Prabhupada means then to try to have such a big heart as he had for us. So we always should spend our money or whatever it is, for the divine affinity.

Answer (Gurudeva Atulananda): It is a great blessing that Krishna asks for our time and money and everything that we might have.

Question: When one tries to live alike, even if many people prefer to withdraw, others ask: "What is the difference?" And when one talks about the service to God and about the four principles or pure love, the few that have approached run quickly away. Then, which should be the form to meet these persons who do not seem to want to make "compromises"?

Answer (Guru Maharaj): It depends of how you present it. It is charisma, love and mercy.

Gurudeva Atulananda: A lot of patience. Srila Prabhupada himself, was around one year in USA without anybody. It is difficult; amny are kanishas and do not want to practice much. They want to have benefits instead of give benefits.

Question: Gurudeva, you say: 'Something good cannot be imposed', but at the moment that we assume a responsibility, we are obliged.

Answer: I am not obliged when I accept a responsibility. This is the difference between a child and an adult.

Question: If there are many Vaisnavas who do a lot of service and do it well, and then they are disturbed with other devotees that do not do their service well or with responsibility; what is this? Is it a lack of tolerance or is it correct like that?

Answer: It is a lack of love. You see, I never should get angry because others do less. I inspire with my example and tolerate the lazy ones.

Well, I thank you for your presence here. I was already discouraged for the poor assistance the last weeks. Sadhu sanga. Sadhu sanga is the maximum. One has do give all the possible efforts to achieve it. By the years, we will understand it much better. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur said: One must become a member of a spiritual community to help it to make it better. This is the mission of all of us, not only mine. In practice, a lot of tasks rest on my shoulders, but I immediately distribute them among those who want to be servants of the Truth, of the Divine Love. And with their help we can serve Srila Prabhupada better each day.

Always your well-wisher,
Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti

Photo credit: vrinda Copyright 2003 VNS. This material may be published or redistributed.

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