Assisting and Meditating on our Gurudeva

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: This is the third of the three important ślokas discussed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in his Rāga-vartma-candrika:

श्रवणोत्कीर्तनादीनि वैधी-भक्त्य् उदितानि तु
यान्यङ्गानि च तान्यत्र विज्ञेयानि मनीषिभिह्

śravaṇotkīrtanādīni vaidhī-bhakty uditāni tu
yānyaṅgāni ca tānyatra vijñeyāni manīṣibhih

Śrī Bhakti-rāsāmṛta-sindhu, 1.296

In vaidhī-bhakti one should practice the limbs of bhakti like śravaṇa, kīrtana, and so on according to one’s qualification. Similarly, it has been advised by scholars who are well versed in the principles of bhakti to follow the same practices on the path of rāgānuga-bhakti.

Śravaṇotkīrtanādīni: This refers to all the nine limbs (aṅgas) of bhakti; or to the five main limbs, namely sādhu-saṅga (association of pure devotees), nāma-kīrtana (chanting the Lord’s holy names), bhāgavataśravaṇa (hearing narrations of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the pure devotee), mathurā-vāsa (living in Vraja, Navadvīpa, and Purī); and śrī-murtiraśraddhayā-sevana (serving the Deity with faith). Whatever limbs of bhakti are executed in vaidhī-bhakti should be adopted in mādhurya (rāgānuga)bhakti also, but the bhāva will be changed.

Śrīpāda Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja: Can I ask some questions? When we are meditating on the activities of Śrī Rūpa Māñjarī and Śrī Rati Māñjarī, we know that our guru is also assisting them. So I want to know: when you are meditating on your Gurudeva, do you also meditate on assisting him in his service to Rūpa Māñjarī?

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: We do it as assistants of Vinoda Māñjarī.

Śrīpāda Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja: How does a disciple–just as you are his disciple–how do you meditate on assisting Vinoda Mañjarī?

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: I will tell you afterward. You will also know your Gurudeva by his grace, and you will meditate accordingly.

Śrīpāda Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja: I am asking this because you are always saying that we should meditate on Rūpa Māñjarī or Rati Māñjarī. So I am only asking if we should meditate on our Gurudeva as you are meditating on serving Vinoda Māñjarī.

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: As our ācāryas have done, we meditate on our Gurudeva as a very near and dear sakhī of Rūpa Māñjarī; and who has qualities like those of Rūpa Māñjarī, but not exactly the same.

Śrīpāda Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja: As we are assisting our Gurudeva in our sādhaka form here, will we also be assisting him there?

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: The form of your Gurudeva which you have seen and served will surely come to you, so you can pray to him that his form as a sakhī will mānifest in your heart. Then, when he gives you his darśana, at that time your meditation will be very easy for you. It is certain that he will somehow give an idea, and after that you will be able to realize and serve him there. Now you should only pray to him, “Please manifest yourself as you serve in Kṛṣṇa-līlā.”

Burijana dāsa: “Tan no guroh pracodayat.”

Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: Yes, that is the guru-mantra. We should know that he is certainly a sakhī of Rūpa Māñjarī, performing all varieties of services to Śrīmatī Rādhikā under Rūpa Māñjarī’s guidance.

Regarding your Gurudeva’s sādhaka-śarīra (the form as a devotee engaged in sādhana-bhajana in this world), that is already known to you. You can realize what you have seen and who you served as you watched him engage in sādhana-bhajana.