1) The document discusses the spiritual master Bhakti Vikasa Swami and his exemplary execution of tapasya or penance in fully dedicating his life to serving his guru Srila Prabhupada and spreading Lord Caitanya's message.
2) It describes how Bhakti Vikasa Swami, following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada without hesitation, has achieved success and the perfection of divine love through his penance.
3) The document praises Bhakti Vikasa Swami for inspiring devotees to strictly follow the path of penance to please the guru parampara and attain success in their spiritual lives.
1) The document discusses the spiritual master Bhakti Vikasa Swami and his exemplary execution of tapasya or penance in fully dedicating his life to serving his guru Srila Prabhupada and spreading Lord Caitanya's message.
2) It describes how Bhakti Vikasa Swami, following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada without hesitation, has achieved success and the perfection of divine love through his penance.
3) The document praises Bhakti Vikasa Swami for inspiring devotees to strictly follow the path of penance to please the guru parampara and attain success in their spiritual lives.
1) The document discusses the spiritual master Bhakti Vikasa Swami and his exemplary execution of tapasya or penance in fully dedicating his life to serving his guru Srila Prabhupada and spreading Lord Caitanya's message.
2) It describes how Bhakti Vikasa Swami, following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada without hesitation, has achieved success and the perfection of divine love through his penance.
3) The document praises Bhakti Vikasa Swami for inspiring devotees to strictly follow the path of penance to please the guru parampara and attain success in their spiritual lives.
çrémate bhakti-vikäsa-svämin iti nämine nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale çrémate bhaktivedänta-svämin iti nämine namas te särasvate deve gaura-väëé-pracäriëe nirviçeña-çünyavädi-päçcätya-deça-täriëe Dear Guru Mahäräja, As a perfect disciple of Çréla Prabhupäda, you are constantly engaged in his service to his glorious spiritual master. You are constantly absorbed in thoughts of how to please him and you infect others with the same desire. Thus, by your strong desire you spread Lord Caitanya’s message all over the world. In his purport to SB 2.9.6, Çréla Prabhupäda, while explaining the meaning of transcendental penance, gives the symptoms of a bona fide guru and disciple: Penance is the beauty and wealth of the brähmaëas and the renounced order of life. According to Bhägavata philosophy, every human being is meant simply for this tapa and for no other business, because by penance only can one realize his self; and self- realization, not sense gratification, is the business of human life. This tapa, or penance, was begun from the very beginning of the creation, and it was first adopted by the supreme spiritual master, Lord Brahmä. By tapasya only can one get the profit of human life, and not by a polished civilization of animal life. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. The word upäçåëot is very significant. It is similar to upanayana, or bringing the disciple nearer to the spiritual master for the path of tapa. One who is thus initiated in the disciplic succession is able to achieve the same result, or power of creation. Chanting of this holy mantra is the only shelter of the desireless pure devotee of the Lord. Simply by such tapasya, or penance, the devotee of the Lord achieves all perfections like Lord Brahmä. Guru Mahäräja, as a bona fide spiritual master, you are the best of the brähmaëas and the renounced order. Thus, following in the footsteps of Lord Brahmä, your execution of divine tapa is evidence of you being a gosvämé, the master of your senses. Unlike those who execute dry penance, your tapa is the constant engagement of your senses in the service of the Lord. You have no other business and are thus fully situated on the transcendental platform. Your most glorious spiritual master, Çréla Prabhupäda, brought you closer to him by initiating you on the path of tapa and giving you the shelter of the holy Hare Kåñëa mahämantra and simply by such tapasya you have, like Lord Brahmä, achieved the ultimate perfection of life, the perfection of all perfections, divine love of Godhead. Çréla Prabhupäda continues speaking on the same theme in his purport to SB 2.9.8: One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source, accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without hesitation. The secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source, a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from the bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed. The disciple, however, must be ready to execute the order of the bona fide spiritual master as Lord Brahmä executed the instruction of his spiritual master, the Lord Himself. Following the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the only duty of the disciple, and this completely faithful execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the secret of success. Çréla Gurudeva, once you heard the transcendental sound from the lotus lips of Çréla Prabhupäda, you immediately accepted it as reality and proceeded to execute his instructions without hesitation. Your reception of transcendental sound, that you first received in the form of the Kåñëa book, was not blind. Clearly perceiving manufactured sounds produced by unauthorized persons to be lacking in potency, you were able to discriminate and discern the transcendental sound to be different. Yet, as a genuine sincere disciple, you determined your reception of that transcendental sound to have occurred by fortunate chance, the causeless mercy of Çréla Prabhupäda. Following his order is the secret of your success, a secret you are most enthusiastic to share with anyone who is willing to hear from you. Çréla Prabhupäda sums this subject up very nicely in SB 2.9.24: såjämi tapasaivedaà grasämi tapasä punaù bibharmi tapasä viçvaà véryaà me duçcaraà tapaù I create this cosmos by such penance, I maintain it by the same energy, and I withdraw it all by the same energy. Therefore the potent power is penance only. In executing penance, one must be determined to return home, back to Godhead, and must decide to undergo all types of tribulations for that end. Even for material prosperity, name and fame, one has to undergo severe types of penance; otherwise no one can become an important figure in this material world. Why, then, would there not be severe types of penance for the perfection of devotional service? An easygoing life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot go together. The Lord is more clever than any living entity; therefore He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord, either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord's mercy. Like Bhéñma, you are unshaken in your vow to serve the order of Çréla Prabhupäda to spread Kåñëa consciousness all over the world. In executing this penance, you are prepared to face all opposition and undergo all tribulations. You stand out amongst the disciples of His Divine Grace for being expert in pointing out anything that is opposed to the mood and mission of Çréla Prabhupäda. Although you are sometimes vilified, slandered and loathed for repeating the words of Çréla Prabhupäda, since you are fixed in the understanding that there is nothing of value in this world other than the path of pure devotional service, you fearlessly carry on with your mission. You constantly lecture and write about the dire need to undertake penance to please the guru paramparä and how it is the sure means of attaining success. You preach by example and demonstrate the standard and quality of such penance, thus inspiring the devotees to take up to such a process themselves. Like Çréla Prabhupäda and all the predecessor äcäryas, you are pleased by the attempts of devotees to execute such penance and offer them the guidance and blessings they need to improve their service. As your disciples, we are most fortunate to have such guidance and it is our first and foremost duty to constantly hear from you. In New York, we are trying to execute this penance to please you and simply by your mercy we are able to be of some service to the guru paramparä. With the order of the spiritual master comes the strength to execute it. You were pleased by the efforts of devotees to revive saìkértana in New York City and desired that such a program get a proper place to stay. Because you are very dear to Kåñëa, Kåñëa blessed us with a wonderful townhouse to stay that is perfect for us in all respects. You maintain our daily harinäma by encouraging us and sending us men. You desired to see book distribution increase, and our book distribution has tremendously increased with the introduction of the Saptarñi and similar stacks of books. This has now become a phenomenon that is inspiring many devotees around the world. You envisioned the distribution of Çrémad-Bhägavatam sets on the streets to spark a revolution in book distribution in the Western world. Impelled by your strong desire, our devotees have tasted some success in this regard. Mahotsaha Prabhu, upon whom you have bestowed your profuse blessings to distribute Çréla Prabhupäda’s books, goes up to random people and tells them, “My spiritual master, HH Bhakti Vikäsa Swami, said that if we distribute Çrémad-Bhägavatam sets on the streets it would revolutionize book distribution in the Western world. Can you please be an instrument in fulfilling this order?” And people actually say “Sure!” and take a set! One woman took both the Çrémad-Bhägavatam and Caitanya-caritämåta sets from us in Union Square Park and dropped a donation of $450. And simply by your mercy, we are able to carry on serving Lord Caitanya in this very difficult and materialistic place. By following your orders, we can feel tangible improvement in our devotional service and experience bliss and steadiness in the execution of our services. Guru Mahäräja, you desire to see many more services established in North America for the glorification of Çréla Prabhupäda. Specifically, you desire to see the establishment of daiva- varëäçrama farm communities in the Western world. On the auspicious occasion of your Vyäsa- püjä, I pray that you bless me with the service of assisting you in fulfilling these desires of yours. I pray for the benediction to simply serve your lotus feet life after life. My existence in realm of devotional service is simply because of your causeless mercy and strong desire to engage very fallen souls like myself in the service of Çréla Prabhupäda. Therefore please do not kick me away. Please place me as one of the atoms of dust at your lotus feet. Your mercy is my only hope of survival and advancement in Kåñëa consciousness. Your servant, Viñëu-citta Däsa