Jai Nitāi! This article is based on a Hari-kathā by our Śrī Gurudeva, Prabhupāda Śrīla Premgopāl Gosvāmī. It explores how a sādhaka can attain iṣṭa-kṛpā through developing greed for Guru-kṛpā.
Everything is dependent on the causeless mercy of Śrī Gurudeva. When a disciple surrenders wholeheartedly unto the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva, his kṛpā will make that disciple realize the actual purpose of life. When that realization matures, it connects us with our iṣṭa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
If we have an intense greed to serve Śrī Gurudeva and get his kṛpā, that will eventually lead to the highest attainment for a disciple: serving Yugala Kiśora under the guidance of senior mañjarīs.
Our śāstras, our ācāryas, and the siddha mahātmās in our paramparā have always instructed us that bhakti is not an independent endeavor—it is a practice of obedience. We are not supposed to practice anything on our own but to follow whatever our Gurudeva instructs and whatever our śāstras say. They have already given us clear directions, we just need to follow them with firm faith!
We can see this in the example of two of our foremost ācāryas, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda.
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Sevā to Śrī Gurudeva
The Āveśa-avatāra of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given us a treasure in the form of Prema-bhakti-candrikā. This grantha is like a compass that guides us along the journey of bhakti. Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura expresses in it his intense desire to receive the mercy of his Gurudeva and to serve Yugala Kiśora in nikuñja-līlā.
Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was the only disciple of Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmipāda, who serves in the nitya-līlā as Mañjulālī Mañjarī. When Ṭhākura Mahāśaya asked Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmipāda for initiation for the first time, he denied immediately. After this, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya didn’t go in front of him again but by heart he already acknowledged him as his Śrī Gurudeva.
He started to do sevā without being seen by Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmī. Every day he would clean the place where his Gurudeva performed his morning routine, all before he arrived.
Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmī always remained deeply immersed in the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, so at first he didn’t think much about the matter. But after a while, perhaps by the suggestion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, he started to notice how that place was always very clean, and wonder at who possibly could be taking care of it.
One day he went much earlier than usual and he saw the same person who requested initiation from him, busy cleaning the area. Seeing Ṭhākura Mahāśaya doing this sevā with such sincerity even after getting rejected, the heart of Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmī softened and he straightaway accepted him as his only disciple. Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was able to get the mercy of his Śrī Gurudeva through his unshakeable attachment unto His lotus feet. Through his unconditional serving attitude and humility, he was able to catch the attention of his Gurudeva.
And throughout his prayers in Prema-bhakti-candrikā, we can see the desperation he has to serve Yugala by the mercy of his Śrī Gurudeva. He cries his heart out to Śrīmān Mahāprabhu and Nitāicānd to be merciful to him as he only wants to serve as a nava-dāsī (new maidservant) under the guidance of the sakhīs and mañjarīs in nivṛta nikuñja.
Aguru candana hoitām,
tuā aṅge mākhā roitām,
ghāmiyā paṛitām tuā pāye.
Ki mora manera sādh,
bāmana haye cāṅde hāt;
vidhi ki sādh purābe āmāy
If only I could become aguru and sandalwood paste,
I would remain smeared upon Your divine limbs,
and then, melting, I would fall at Your lotus feet.
Such is the longing of my heart—
like a dwarf reaching out to grasp the moon.
Will Providence ever fulfill this cherished desire of mine?
In Vraja-līlā, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is Campaka Mañjarī. He is already there, with Yugala, but now in Gaura-līlā he is praying to Gaurasundara, Nitāicānd, and his spiritual master to enter that nitya-līlā and serve Them. What should we take from this?
Everything from our ācāryas—the prayers, the instructions, their actions—was done as a lesson for sādhakas like us, so that we can follow in their footsteps and try to do our sādhana in that same manner. The ācāryas did not only compose the scriptures, they lived their entire lives as an example for us. So when Ṭhākura Mahāśaya shows such spiritual greed and single-minded devotion to his Śrī Gurudeva’s lotus feet, that is meant as a teaching for us, showing how we can catch the eye of Śrī Gurudeva and cause his heart to soften and shower us with mercy.
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī Receives Nitāi’s Mercy
How can a deeply devoted heart catch the attention of his iṣṭa or even make them obliged to come in front of the sādhaka? Only through Guru-kṛpā.
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda is considered the epitome of devotional practice (bhajana), sacrifice (tyāga) and detachment (vairāgya). Dāsa Gosvāmipāda was completely surrendered at the lotus feet of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu. His only desire was to serve Śrīmān Mahāprabhu. But Mahāprabhu made him to wait for the right time.
When the young Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī went to Mahāprabhu, He sent him instead to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, who immediately gave him daṇḍa (punishment) for trying to “steal” His brother. Lord Nitāi is the root of our tree of bhajana, and we must approach him first of all. Without Nitāi’s mercy, no one can attain the mercy of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, and no one can attain the service of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa—heno Nitāi bine bhāi, Rādhā Kṛṣṇa pāite nāi.
This daṇḍa, of course, was also a blessing. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī received this blessing because of the intensity of his desire, which led him to flee his luxurious home life and completely surrender himself to Mahāprabhu’s mercy.
Dāsa Gosvāmipāda, who is actually serving Yugala Kiśora as Rati Mañjarī in nikuñja-kuṭīra, always used to remain deeply immersed in his bhajana. He used to lament daily at the banks of Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa just to get a glimpse of his Prāṇeśvarī, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The separation became so unbearable for him that he composed the greatest treasure that a Vaiṣṇava could ever relish, Śrī Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali.
In both the cases, the key part is getting the attention and kṛpā of Śrī Gurudeva. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was able to catch his Gurudeva’s attention by showing his greed in sevā and this greed culminated in his ultimate desire to serve Yugala Kiśora.
And in case of Dāsa Gosvāmipāda, Nitāicānd Himself—the actual Guru-tattva, Jagadguru—blessed him at the beginning of his spiritual life. We can clearly understand the magnitude of Gurudeva’s mercy and how it acts as a bridge to reach our final destination: serving Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa in our mañjarī form.
May this insignificant attempt from our side make your smile a little wider, your heart a little closer to the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva, and ignite a spark in your heart to serve Śrī Guru and our Iṣṭa with more enthusiasm, so that by Gurudeva’s mercy, one day we may all be able to yearn: kothāya go premamayī Rādhe, āmāya dekhā diyā prāṇa rākho he, kothāya ogo premamayī Rādhe… “Where are You, O love-filled Rādha? Please reveal Yourself to me and preserve my life. Where are You, O beloved, O Rādha filled with prema?”
Jai Nitāi!
Jai Śrī Gurudeva!