Vanamali Das's Page

nāham ijyā-prajātibhyām tapasopaśamena va tusyeyam sarva-bhūtātmā guru-śuśrūsaya yathā - I, the soul of all beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship, brahminical initiation, penances, or self-discipline, as I am by faithful service rendered to one's spiritual master. (Bhag.10.80.34)

Sri Guru tells me that I am an eternal servant of Krsna and thus I should be engaged in His service. But where is Krsna and where am I? How can I serve Him? Is Krsna in the material world? No, Krsna is in the spiritual world, in the spiritual world Krsna is the only enjoyer. The jīva can never be the enjoyer. Gurudeva says, "Whatever you find in this world is all paraphernalia for Krsna's enjoyment, not for your enjoyment." In Krsna's abode there is abundance of enjoyment. Just as we want to be free from the clutches of māyā, Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord Krsna, also wants to take us out of māyā's clutches and engage us in His service. Krsna is the only enjoyer and His desire for enjoyment is unlimited, thus He wants to enjoy by taking everyone into His domain. We are tiny jīvas. We have no capacity to enjoy, because the jīva is not the enjoyer. We have only developed this purușa abhimāna, the thought that I will enjoy and enjoy. It is only our misconception, because the jīva has no capacity to enjoy to enjoy. Krsna has unlimited capacity to enjoy in unlimitedly different ways, and the jīva is to be enjoyed, upabhogyam. Krsna is there in His abode, Vaikuntha-rājya, the spiritual world, and we are here in the sakuntha-jagat, the miserable material world. How then can we serve Him? Krsna has made a trick for us, and that trick is Srila Gurudeva. Krsna has sent Srila Gurudeva to this material world to spread here Krsna 's samsara, His household or family. It is Krsna 's desire that His samsara be manifest in this world. All sadhus and mahājanas are gurus, so Krsna has sent them to manifest His samsara. So in this material world gurudeva has opened Krsna samsara. The Supreme Lord has not said, "You go and make your own samsara." Rather, Krsna has said, "Go there and do my samsara." So by Krsna's desire gurudeva has come here and open Krsna's samsara. Krsna is his eternal master, nitya-svāmī. Gurudeva has completely surrendered and dedicated his life, kāya, mana, vākya -body, mind and words, to Krsna. That is gurudeva. Those who take shelter at the lotus feet of such a Sri Guru, he takes them and makes them enter into Krsna's samsara. Gurudeva says, "I am doing Krsna's samsara, giving everything for the enjoyment of Krsna. You please come and enter into Krsna's samsara, then you will be free from the clutches of māyā. You will be free from all material sufferings."