Please kindly accept my respects in the service of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, and all the honest vaisnavas

There is nothing or no one the Absolute can’t accommodate, if it weren’t so then it would be less than the Absolute. So the Absolute has room not only for it’s friends but also it’s enemies. Not just those that love it, but those that hate, despise, deceive, use, exploit and oppose it. This is where the real test of a Vaisnava is revealed and obviously where many are failing. The Goswamis it is said, saw with equality, both the ruffians and the meek and gentle, the honorable and dishonorable. Tibetan Buddhism teaches to find emancipation one should neither cling to the peaceful deities nor be repelled by the wrathful, but remain equipoised to all opposites. The Tao of Lao Tse also taught we should tread the middle path, free of attachment and repulsion. Not so much homogenized unity, but unity in diversity which Caitanya Mahaprabhu calls acintya bedabeda tattva, simultaneously one yet different. The unity has its position and the infinite diversity is also to be accommodated. Our purpose may well be one, but that purpose has many glorious ways of expressing itself, they’re all unique, some may well be exclusive, some may be common.

As Gaudiya Vaisnavas so many different interests we have. Yet in the pool of the world wide web we can see we have much in common. I’ve noticed one obvious example of difference that grates on many Vaisnavas is this question of appointment. To say an Acharyya can’t be appointed must be limiting God’s infinite power and will, and superimposing our own will. It’s all in how we read God and the Acharyya’s will.

We can see that some Acharyyas may have contradictory instructions and a clash of conceptions may arise whereby both may be correct; yet which one is to be accepted and which rejected personally for each aspirant to advance to a more harmonious, accommodating position. By the fruit of how much it unites you in love with God and all of His family you will know. His prasadam doesn’t taste of intolerance, sarcasm, cynicism or pride. Rather it is mercy by its very nature. It is compassionate and honorable and increases affectionate dealings with all others. I’ve heard it said by one Acharyya that, “we can measure our love for God by how much we are loving each other,” and especially our Godbrethren. So are we? If we remain fixed in our conceptions of Krsna consciousness we are bound to stagnate. Srila Rupa Goswami has expressed that our Lord comes in a zigzag way. We may expect him to appear at the front door in the form we’re used to, when he arrives through the back door, taps us on the shoulder and you tell him to get out of the house, because we’re waiting for Him to arrive in the way we know. In this regard Jesus stated, “One must remain vigilantly awake.” Great souls may make themselves known by their self-effulgence or they may choose to reveal themselves only to the refined spiritual vision, and therefore they can be crucified by the very people who need them most. Such is the mystic arrangement of Krsna’s divine play.

If we accept a personality as an empowered representative of divinity on a pure platform, as an Acharyya then all that messager of God does is perfect by example. Or will we, like so many religionists take what suites us and leave the rest. It doesn’t disqualify God’s representative if they’re making a statement that we feel is wrong. It disqualifies us, because we can’t accept what they say in whole as the Absolute Truth, descended from the sweet will of the Supreme Lord. Where are we and where are they, we might honestly ask ourselves.

Everything is possible to one who has sraddha in a pure lover of God. But they say “It takes one to know one.” The Paramahamsa-like souls will recognize another from that divine soil. At the same time they can see the Lord in every atom, there is no place the Absolute isn’t, otherwise He wouldn’t be Absolute if something is outside of Him or exists separate.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj often quotes the definition of faith - “In having one, you will have all, and in knowing one you can know all.” I might take the liberty to add “In loving One you can love all and if we are truly serving One, then we will truly be serving all.” If we can accept this then everything is possible and we can see the whole environment is our friend - all sending divine inspirational help.

Many are suspicious of this and remain suspended from the organic whole, dividing the environment into good and evil, or our tribe and the others, us devotees and those in maya outside. But in the absolute consideration, “Enemy is no enemy.” The problems seem to arise from the levels of realization where various Acharyyas are trying to protect the kanista and madhyam adhikaris from themselves.

When Srila Sridhar Maharaj was leaving this world, in his unique way he would describe the transcendental environment of Nabadwip where he implored all to come to live. In that intense adhoksaja atmosphere around his holy presence, he described all, every atom of the whole environment as caring for his welfare. All were working, serving tirelessly to look after all other units of that environment, a land where all are Guru and I am the only servant, and each and every soul in that world has that same attitude. As Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur told in his own appearance day sermon to all in the audience, his own disciples included, “Oh, my saviors, you are coming to help save me.” This is the Vaisnava’s pure heart we’ve all been attracted to. This is the house that everyone can live in. Chanting and dancing under the one sky for the pleasure of Their Lordships and all souls. When will that reality be mine.

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

As I understand this glorious prayer, the devotees are like transcendental desire trees fulfilling our inner heart’s wishes and aspirations with the fruit of their compassion for all aspirants on the path of bhakti. Not just a select few who pledge allegiance to them. “I’ll love you, if you will support me.”

Conditional love is no better than fanatical religious fervor that Srila

Bhaktivinode Thakur pointed out was the greatest enemy to spiritual life and called “party spirit.” The whole world is under the spell of this witch or wizard, dividing and fighting endless wars and battles to glorify and support it’s teams position. But it’s up to the Acharyyas of the different lines in our Gaudiya Vaisnavism, if they’re responsible to prevent this mad virus, as best they can, from infecting their disciples and students and all who they in turn contact. No one can claim to be a representative of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s non-sectarian movement of divine unconditional love until they are truly doing His will, which is very crystal clear in His Siksastakam prayers. Not that we give honor to one, but not the other, or tolerate one and reject another, or show humility to one and anger to others. As much as I may have come to understand my Guru Maharaj’s siksa, one thing he taught was that those with the most liberal affectionate accommodation for all living entities will find themselves in the divine favor of Krsna and His dearmost servants sweet hearts, and be ornamented accordingly. Srila Guru Maharaj would often say, “Devotional service-Bhakti is its own sweet reward.” Bhakti begets bhakti, the more you give out the more you get. Divine love perpetuates itself. Love and you will be loved. Whereas the opposite diminishes itself. Don’t be a miser with your master’s gifts. Yet still if we wish to advance towards the heart of our hearts, we must accommodate the whole, including the nightmare which will only serve to illuminate the dream, such is its design. “Love thy enemy” and the whole environment will be seen as your affectionate well wisher.

Yours in aspiring service
My Dandavat pranams to all the glorious Vaisnavas
Gaura Hari bol
Madhura Krsna das