Without mercy doubt and criticism are incurable disease

Dear readers,

By the mercy of Śrī Guru and and Śrī Gaurāṅga we are discussing different topics regarding our real mood towards sādhu and guru for our purification. Doubts towards Gurudeva, to think that Gurudeva as an ordinary human being is the cause of all our inauspiciousness. In other words, by thinking this way we are inviting all calamities to our spiritual life. This doubting nature slowly invites the mentality of an atheist.  Because of this the tendency to perform sādhu, guru- and vaiṣṇava sevā becomes dimmed. By associating with devotees whose mentality is to find faults of vaiṣṇavas, this doubting nature arises within the heart. In such way that it disturbs the mood of a real servant. In Caitanya caritāmṛta [antya-līlā 13.133] it is written that Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa would not listen to the blasphemy of a vaiṣṇava, nor he would listen about the misbehaviour of a vaiṣṇava. The only thing he knew was that everyone was engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. He did not understand anything else besides that. In the purport of this verse Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned, "it is the duty of a vaiṣṇava-ācārya to prevent his disciples and followers from violating the principle of vaiṣṇava behaviour. He should always advise them to strictly follow the regulative principles, which will protect them from falling down."
If one follows this principle of not hearing or saying anything about the faults of vaiṣṇavas then his śravaṇa and kīrtana becomes fruitful.

Those who are speculators, their heart always oscillate, they do not have a fixed platform to stand or to perform bhakti. They sometimes think "sādhu, guru and vaiṣṇavas are there, they are internal. It is our duty to serve them." And the next moment they doubt whether there is a sādhu, guru, vaiṣṇava or not. They think: "It is better to enjoy this life or to be detached from all activities." But those who are real sādhakas, they should surrender at the lotus feet of the guruand be in a humble mood. If this person is able to continue the principle of praṇipāt, paripraśnena and sevā, and is also able to perform kṛṣṇa-bhajana, then śrī-guru-pāda-padmaarises within the heart of such sādhaka. Such devotee achieves immense strength and enthusiasm. This is the real servitor mood.

1. According to the teachings of our sampradāya, we accept our guru and ācārya as our lord, prabhu, because they are twenty-four hours engaged in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa and Gaurasundara.
Our mission in life is to figure out how I can be happy. But the mission of a Guru is to figure out how can Kṛṣṇa be happy, because Kṛṣṇa is his life. If we develop a little doubt towards sādhu-guru whose life is Kṛṣṇa, how it is possible to satisfy Kṛṣṇa? A little doubt towards guru-pāda-padma, creates a great havoc in our spiritual life.

2. A pure devotee is always engaged to give pleasure to the senses of the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough, he will be able to help such pure devotee in this service. Only by helping a pure devotee one can save himself from the cruel hands of other desires, and make progress in his spiritual life.

3. If someone has doubt towards sādhu-guru, for him to be engaged in the loving service of the Lord is not always possible. Also he cannot engage others in the service of Guru and Gaurāṅga, because he developed a tendency to discourage others who are engaged in the service of Guru and Gaurāṅga. Ultimately this person becomes envious towards sādhu-guru and make others become envious too.

4. If we associate or make friendship with someone who is a faultfinder, or is envious towards sādhu-guru, as a result we will slowly lose taste towards śravaṇa and kīrtana. Not only will we lose this inspiration for service and faith, and the spirit to do service, ultimately we will come to such stage that we think that there is no meaning for hari, guru and sevā and that the aim of life is to achieve dharma, artha, kāmā, mokṣa or lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā.

5. One who gets the causeless mercy from Guru and Gaurāṅga can discriminate by whose association his service attitude and enthusiastic for bhajana increases and by whose association it decreases. Without this mercy it can look like association, but the person is actually faithless, like someone who is only searching faults of vaiṣṇavas.

6. If we are really simple, Kṛṣṇa will gives us the intelligence with whom we have to associate, about the position of the vaiṣṇavas, whether he is a uttama, or madhyama or kaniṣṭha, and also how to give proper respect to the vaiṣṇavas according to their position. Kṛṣṇa knows the position of everyone, without His help it is impossible to recognize a vaiṣṇava. When we are simple there is no question of doubt, criticism, faultfinding and jealousy towards sādhu-guru. Gurudeva used to say, "finding faults and criticism is not at all bhakti-vṛtti."

7. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura mentioned in his vaiṣṇava song- the action and character of a vaiṣṇava is always pure. One who criticises a vaiṣṇava commits violence. Bhaktivinoda does not speak to one who criticizes a vaiṣṇava and thus maintains his silence.

8. Without accepting the hearing process or following the footsteps of an ācārya strictly, no one can calculate a vaiṣṇava through knowledge and merit. If someone develops this calculating mood inside the heart, certainly he will develop a pride nature. Although he is performing devotional activities outwardly, he can not connect with Guru and Gaurāṅga. As a result he experiences this bhakti process as dry and dirty.

9. If someone has no internal connection with sādhu-guru, his bhajana is only pretended. Due to this lack, his illusion increases up to such limit that in his vision an ācārya or a guru-pāda-padmais like an ordinary human being. Besides that he also develops enviousness and enmity towards pure devotees. On one side he makes friends with bhogīs and impersonalists, thinking they are like pure sādhus or sometimes he thinks everyone is equal, so there is no need to give a special position or to give respect and attention towards pure devotees.

10. In conclusion, we may say when karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and so called great personalities will reject us, we will get the mercy from a pure devotee. Even if we have a little attraction towards them, a sādhu or guru will not shower their mercy on us. But if we have pure desires to do bhajana, eventhough we have many weaknesses due to our own karma, still there is hope or a chance that one day a sādhu-guru will accept us. But if we have a duplicitous nature, a faultfinding nature towards sādhu-guru, there is no chance, no place and no shelter.

Dāsānudāsa,

Haladhara swami