The following is an excerpt from an interview with Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Murwillumbah, Australia, on January 15, 2000

 

Satyarūpa dāsī: I heard that Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Mahārāja said that the person who the guru designates to perform his samādhi is his successor. Is that true?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: It is not necessarily true, but Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja told me to give him samādhi, and I did it. He had so much faith in me. I am not his uttara-adhikārī (successor). Actually, I am. Those falling down are his successors outwardly, but spiritually and transcendentally, I am his successor.

But you should also understand that an elevated devotee may not be present when giving samādhi. He may be a more elevated disciple and the successor, no harm, but anyone else can give samādhi. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja told me to do it, but it may be that another ācārya has not told his successor, “You should give me samādhi.” Has Śrīla Purī Mahārāja himself told? I don’t know if he has said this.

Satyarūpa dāsī: I want to know if this is true or not.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I think it is not true. His successor is Bodhāyana Mahārāja, who is a good devotee, very humble and polite. But when the samādhi was given, he was not there. He was in another country. Others gave it. My godbrothers came, and others came, and they all gave samādhi. Then, after some time, Bodhayāna Mahārāja came; there was no harm. It is not siddhānta that he who gives samādhi will be the successor. So many devotees came from Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha, and others also came to give samādhi to Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Mahārāja. But they will not be the successor. His successor will be his disciple whom he believes in and has instructed.

Usually, the guru never tells who his successor will be. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja never told who would be his successor. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda never told who would be his successor. He knew that “Someone will come who is very near and dear to me, and who knows all siddhānta.” No one can ever make anyone a guru by appointment. His qualities will make him a guru.

Satyarūpa dāsī: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja did not nominate a successor. So, how did it come about that Ananta Vāsudeva became his successor?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: It is not the transcendental line that anyone can make someone else a guru. It may be that if one is so qualified, Gurudeva selects him and says, “After me, you will be the successor.” This is one line. However, the more essential and prominent line is that anyone serving Gurudeva fully, preaching so much in his line after his departure, and making his Gurudeva very prominent is a successor. He will preach the same line.

Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura never told my Gurudeva, “You should be my successor.” Never. But he became so, as did Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja. My Gurudeva never appointed me, yet I became so. I am preaching worldwide, and so many are accepting me. So it depends on quality. No one made Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, yet he became prominent worldwide. Rāmānuja was not made ācārya. Do you know Rāmānuja? He took sannyāsa himself, and Madhvācārya also did this. He was not given sannyāsa by anyone else.

So we should follow this thought. Who made Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī ācārya? Śrī Vyāsadeva never said, “You are my successor.” Kṛṣṇa will arrange that those who do bhakti will be ācāryas.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja knew what the qualifications of his disciples were – that they may fall down, they may give him poison, and so many things. So, he never declared anyone as his successor.

Satyarūpa dāsī: When the time comes that you must depart, how would you like to see things continue?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I know the system from the beginning. No one made Śrī Nārada Ṛṣi ācārya. He who manifests very good qualities and serves his Gurudeva is ācārya. I am not worried about this. If I see someone, I will select him. Otherwise, without being selected, he will become ācārya by his qualities, and all are bound to obey him. We know that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is our complete root ācārya, and he never initiated anyone. Still, all accept him.

Satyarūpa dāsī: So we can get śikṣā from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yes. This is the eternal line. No one knew I would preach worldwide and glorify my guru, the paramparā, and this parakīyā mood. But Kṛṣṇa can do anything, even from a dry straw. I am unqualified, but my Gurudeva accepted me; my entire guru-paramparā accepted me as ācārya. I never thought, “I am ācārya.” Never. I don’t have such self-conception. I am not ācārya, but all tell me that I am.

The following is an excerpt of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Miami, Florida, on May 10, 1999 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 39)

 

hā hā svarūpa, sanātana, rūpa, raghunātha
bhaṭṭa-juga, śrī jīva, hā prabhu lokanātha

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Dayā Karô More (6)

Alas! O Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī! O Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, and Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī! O my master, Lokanātha Gosvāmī [give me your mercy]!

Devotee: O Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya Prabhu, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Like this he is praying to all the Gosvāmīs, to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī and so many, remembering all the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What can they do? They have left this world, so what can they do? What is the use of praying like this? They are not in this world now. So, who will hear this prayer?

Devotee: They are eternal; they are not material.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If anyone can poison Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja and he will die, then how can he give mercy to all others? Those who are thinking that Śrīla Prabhupāda has been poisoned and died…if he has died, then similarly, all the Gosvāmīs have died. They are not in this world, so who will hear our prayers?

Devotee: The first instruction is that Guru and Vaiṣṇavas are not ordinary. We should not have martya-buddhi, worldly intelligence or faith like ordinary people. They are transcendental. They are as good as Kṛṣṇa because they are His part and parcel and very near and dear.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: So where are they now – Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāmānanda Rāya, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana?

Devotee: They are in the eternal pastimes of…

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: They are in all atoms. They are everywhere in this world. In the air, in the sky, everywhere. Wherever you pray to them, they will hear. But for others, material persons, they are not in this world. So they will listen to our prayers. God is everywhere, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Also, all the associates of Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa are with Kṛṣṇa and Mahāprabhu – everywhere.

…

Then Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura is saying that in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, it has been said that those who have attained prema, they don’t know, but yet their body is here in this world. Although their body and senses are here, those who have attained a very little drop of prema cannot experience the world’s suffering, problems, misery, or anything. Miseries or anything cannot touch them, even if there is a bit of prema.

They don’t have any suffering. They don’t know any of these things. Why? At the beginning of sādhana-bhakti, all kinds of sins – avidyā, asmitā, rāga, dveṣa, abhiniveśa, prārabdha, aprārabdha, kūṭa, bīja–pāpa – everything is removed and all śubha comes. Śubha means auspicious things come, auspiciousness comes. So this is only at the time of sādhana-bhakti. There will be no problems, suffering, disease, or anything then. Understand? But it has been said that in the stage of bhāva-bhakti:

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.18

[By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.]

It has been told they realise some problem, but it is like mūrcchita-kaṣāya; some contamination is there. Problems may come at the stage of bhāva. They will not touch that person, but difficulties, sufferings, and diseases may appear. When? When bhāva is there. But they will not be worried about that. For instance, Haridāsa Ṭhākura has bhāva or more than that. They were beating him here and there, and he was bleeding profusely, but he had no problem. Then, after a minute or two, he returned fresh with a new body. Or, like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was given many things, but he never felt anything. He never prayed to Kṛṣṇa that “O Kṛṣṇa, save me.” If he had been praying like this, we could consider him at the stage of sādhana-bhajana, a sādhana-bhakta. But he was not a sādhaka.

So even for a sādhaka who is genuinely doing bhakti, these things cannot touch them. So, if we think that poison can cause a problem for Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, he cannot be siddha. Understand? He would not be siddha, not even a bhāva-bhakta. So we should always be careful about this. We have no time for these things. Let them do what they are doing, those who are in that stage. They should do so, no harm. But we do not have time for these things and to constantly engage our minds in this. Understand? If it is proved in court, what will be your gain? Will there be any gain for the devotees? Any gain?

And if it is not proven, what will be our gain or loss? Whatever happened has happened. We should try to chant and remember. We know fully that a Vaiṣṇava cannot die. So, how can he die? So don’t always engage your mind in these things. A little distraction may exist because you are a baddha-jīva (conditioned soul). Sometimes, one’s mind will go there. But don’t worry about these things.

The following is an excerpt of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Washington DC, USA, on June 13, 1999 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 46)

 

Devotee: Kṛṣṇa has His final pastime…

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: This was illusory, this was not a pastime. There is some difference between pastimes. Nitya-līlā, naimittika-līlā, and cheating līlā. This was a cheating līlā. No? So, this was not a pastime. Do you know magic? Not being killed, but anyone can see that “Oh, he has been killed.” But really, not being killed. Magician. So this was like [a] magic [show]. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has explained [it] like this.

Devotee: But the Guru also has some unusual disappearance līlā. Is that similar to this?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yes. It’s similar, but not like that. Not all Gurus, never. For example, in South India, one devotee merged into the deity of Raṅgadeva. Also, you can see that Mīrābāi of Rajasthan went to Dvārakā and merged into the deity and never returned. For example, Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the Gopīnātha temple and never returned. Caitanya Mahāprabhu played the role of a Guru,

na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ śruti-gaṇa-niruktaṁ kila kuru
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pracura-paricaryām iha tanu
śacī-sūnuṁ nandīśvara-pati-sutatve guru-varaṁ
mukunda-preṣṭhatve smara param ajasraṁ nanu manaḥ

 Manaḥ-śikṣā (2)

[O my dear mind, please do not perform either the routine religious activities resulting in piety (dharma) or the irreligious activities resulting in sin (adharma) as mentioned in the Śrutis or Vedas. Rather, you should render profuse loving service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala here in Vraja, for the Śrutis have ascertained Them to be the highest principle of supreme worship and the Supreme Absolute Truth. Always meditate on Śacīnandana Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is richly endowed with the complexion and sentiments of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, as non-different from Śrī Nanda-nandana. And always remember the spiritual master as most dear to Śrī Mukunda.]

Guru can show like that if he is high-class. Otherwise, he will have to give up this body and obtain another body if he is a madhyama-adhikārī. Then, he will again have a chance to chant and remember more. Then he will be uttama-adhikārī, then svarūpa-siddhi will come, and then vastu-siddhi will come, and he will not have to return to this world. So those who have vastu-siddhi can play like Kṛṣṇa. They have a spiritual body, not a worldly or material body. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī all have spiritual bodies. Haridāsa Ṭhākura has a spiritual body. He was subjected to relentless physical violence in twenty-two markets, resulting in severe injuries that left him without flesh, blood, and everything else. Only the bones were left, and even those were broken.

But when he entered the Ganges, he came out again looking even more beautiful. So, his body was transcendental, and that is why a prostitute could do nothing to him. But you can be anywhere alone, and if a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl comes, you will say, “Oh, you are very beautiful. I want to make you my wife. I have so much wealth. I can purchase a big palatial building, and we will be there. I will give you so much money. I want to make you my wife.” He will melt at once, and he will lose everything quickly.

Devotee: Vastu-siddhi deha cannot be killed?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: No. Anyone who has attained vastu-siddhi and has a transcendental body cannot be killed.

Devotee: I am asking because there is a debate going on if it is possible that a mahā-bhāgavata, a very high Vaiṣṇava Guru, can be poisoned or killed.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Never.

Devotee: Could this happen externally? The body can be…

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If he is playing a līlā like that, then he can show by magic. But anyone cannot touch that transcendental body. Air cannot touch it; poison cannot; fire cannot, and any material thing cannot touch it.

Devotee: He is leaving only because Kṛṣṇa has told him.

Devotee 2: But then what of those who attempted to poison him?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: They will be punished to the highest extent. Like those who wanted to kill the Pāṇḍavas, their bodies were transcendental, but Duryodhana and others tried to poison them, and they were smashed, Duḥśāsana and all others. So, they can never touch this transcendental body. If anyone is a genuine disciple and has taken initiation internally, they can never fall down. You should only hear and try to advance. They cannot touch that transcendental body.

The following is an excerpt from a discourse on Real Dīkṣā, Sannyāsa and Samādhi delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Alachua, Florida, on June 17, 1999

 

In Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa sat on the shore of the ocean. He appeared to be fatally shot in the foot by a hunter. Only fools think so.

Listen to this story, and then tattva (philosophical truths) will come to you. Once, there was a king and queen. One day, a family of magicians came to the palace to perform a magic show. The father, his wife, and their two young sons, who were nine and ten years old, made a marvellous magic show. The king and queen and the whole audience were delighted. The queen gave the magician’s wife a fabulous golden necklace as a token of her appreciation, but both her sons wanted it. They each said, “I’ll take it, Mother. No, I’ll take it, Mother.” The boys began to fight over the necklace, pulling it back and forth. They were of equal strength, and neither could win. They finally became so furious that they simultaneously pulled their swords from their sheaths and cut off each other’s heads. Their mother was so grief-stricken that she took her sword and cut off her head. Then, in total despair, not able to live under the circumstances, the father took his sword and cut off his head.

You can imagine the horror of the king and queen and other spectators. The queen especially felt responsible, as she had given the necklace, which caused the tragedy. The bodies and heads were taken away, and no one could stop thinking about the very sad affair. The next day, however, the queen received a letter from the father of the magicians. The letter stated, “Thank you very much for the gift that you gave us for our first magic show. Your necklace is with us, and we are very happy but are waiting for our second gift. Where is the gift for our second show? Don’t worry. We didn’t die. Please come and see us.” The astonished king and queen immediately went to the home of the magician’s family, where they were warmly welcomed and were very happy to see them all alive and well.

There was another even greater magician, P.C. Sarakāra (P. C. Sorcar). He performed magic shows during the British occupation of India. He was so famous that even the governor, the viceroy, and other chief government ministers would all come to see him. Once, in Calcutta, he called all the important government heads to come to see his show at four pm. Being very punctual, they all came at precisely four o’clock and sat in the assembly. They waited for P.C. Sarakāra, expecting him at any moment, for they were all very busy and important people who did not expect to be kept waiting. Five minutes passed, then fifteen, then half an hour. The men became very angry and said to each other, “Just wait until we get a hold of P.C. Sarakāra. When he comes here, we will punish that rascal for making us late for our important appointments.” Finally, at five o’clock, a smiling P.C. Sarakāra casually walked on stage. The men angrily began chastising him, “Why are you late? Why have you kept us waiting? Don’t you know we are very busy and important?” P.C. Sarakāra nonchalantly said, “What is the matter?” They replied, “You told us to come at four o’clock, and we have been waiting for an hour!” P.C. Sarakāra said, “I am afraid you are mistaken. Look at your watches. It is just now four o’clock.” When they looked, all their watches said four o’clock. They were amazed to realize the magic show they had just witnessed.

If an ordinary magician can do such things, why not Kṛṣṇa? He created Brahmā and Śiva. Indeed, He cannot die. He only made it appear that He died when the hunter shot Him. It was like a drama. Even Kṛṣṇa’s devotees cannot die. Bhīṣma is an example. He could only leave his body when he desired it.

Kāliya made so much poison. All the calves and cowherd boys were ‘dead’. But Kṛṣṇa did not die, and all the boys came back to life by His glance. This is Kṛṣṇa’s symptom. No one else can do as He can. He is Svayam Bhagavān, and He is performing His pastimes.

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org and/or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)