Visrambha-seva

Rama Kanta Das

There are two kinds of service rendered to the guru. One kind is ordinary and arises out of the consciousness of duty. The other kind is performed by the loving affection of the heart (anurāga), and this service is extraordinary. This is viśrambha-guru-sevā.

One simple sādhaka leaves home, comes in contact with a spiritual master, takes initiation and gradually takes instruction also. He makes progress in bhajana. He offers obeisances to his guru every morning, touches his feet and performs ninefold devotion: hearing (śravaṇam), chanting (kīrtanam), remembering the glories of the Lord (viṣṇu-smaraṇam), serving His lotus feet (pāda-sevanam), worshipping Him (arcanam), praying to Him (vandanam), carrying out His orders (dāsyam), making friends with Him (sakhyam) and offering one’s very self to Him (ātma-nivedanam). These are the nine limbs of bhakti mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.23).

There are also five limbs of bhakti mentioned in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta(Madhya-līlā 22.128):

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana

One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside in Mathurā-maṇḍala and serve the deity with great faith.

Of all the methods prescribed for performing bhajana, to always chant the holy name of the Lord is topmost. This is expressed in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 4.70, 71):

bhajanera madhye śreṣṭha nava-vidhā bhakti
tāra madhye sarva śreṣṭha nāma-saṅkīrtana

Of all the limbs of bhajana, the nine types of devotion are the best, and amongst these nāma-saṅkīrtana is best of all.

So one type of disciple places more emphasis on executing the activities of sādhana and on hearing, chanting and remembering. This is ordinary service to the spiritual master. The second service, which is performed with spontaneous feelings of love, is when the disciple serves the spiritual master first and then chants the holy name and performs other types of sādhana if he finds time after serving his guru. He gives preference to serving the spiritual master rather than to sādhana. This is special and extraordinary service.

yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau

One should have equal devotion for one’s guru as he does for Kṛṣṇa Himself; this is an eternal truth.

In the early stages of sādhana one should have more devotion for the guru than for Bhagavān, because hearing, chanting and so on have sambandha– a relationship with the worshipful object – but in the beginning we really don’t have much of a relationship with Kṛṣṇa or render service directly unto Him. On the other hand, service to the spiritual master bestows all kinds of perfection.

One noteworthy example of service to guru is found among the disciples of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya. This particular disciple, named Giri (later Toṭakācārya), was illiterate. He used to wash his spiritual master’s clothes, cook for him and perform other menial services. Even while Śaṅkarācārya was giving a lecture, Giri would be engaged in the service of his guru, but he tried to hear also. Other disciples considered him to be a fool. One day he went across the river to wash clothes and got delayed. Meanwhile his spiritual master was scheduled to speak, but did not start the lecture. The other disciples, numbering six thousand, asked their gurudeva to start the class. They said:

"Except for that one ignorant disciple, all others are present. And he does not understand anything anyway, so please start the class.”

But Śaṅkarācārya kept waiting for Giri. After finishing his service, Giri came running and sat for class, and began reciting Sanskrit verses that were full of beautiful poetry and metaphors. The others were astonished at his knowledge. Śrī Śaṅkarācārya explained that this was the result of viśrambha-sevā, service rendered unto the spiritual master with intimacy and great love.

There are several such examples of guru-sevā. Govinda dāsa used to serve Śrīman Mahāprabhu with great love and intimacy. He used to tell Svarūpa Dāmodara:

“Why do you come and make Mahāprabhu cry?”

It is not so that he did not understand the dealings of Mahāprabhu; he was not a fool. He understood the deep spiritual emotions (bhāvas) of Mahāprabhu. He could write Sanskritvverses, and he recorded the pastimes of Mahāprabhu in his notebooks, which are known as the kaḍacā, or notes, of Govinda dāsa. These writings were used by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī in composing his Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Devotional Service Attracts even Krishna

por Shanti Devi Dasi,

 Attracting Krishna

Srila Rupa Gosvami has stated that devotional service attracts even Krishna. Krishna attracts everyone, but devotional service attracts Krishna. The symbol of devotional service in the highest degree is Radharani. Krishna is called Madana-mohana, which means that He is so attractive that He can defeat the attraction of thousands of Cupids. But Radharani is still more attractive, for She can even attract Krishna. Therefore devotees call Her Madana-mohana-mohini -- the attractor of the attractor of Cupid.

To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of Radharani, and devotees in Vrindavana put themselves under the care of Radharani in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the material world; it is directly under the control of Radharani. In Bhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the mahatmas, or great souls, are under the protection of daivi prakriti, the internal energy -- Radharani. So, being directly under the control of the internal potency of Krishna, devotional service attracts even Krishna Himself.

This fact is corroborated by Krishna in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 20, where He says, "My dear Uddhava, you may know it from Me that the attraction I feel for devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be attained even by the performance of mystic yoga, philosophical speculation, ritualistic sacrifices, the study of Vedanta, the practice of severe austerities or the giving of everything in charity. These are, of course, very nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendental loving service rendered by My devotees."

How Krishna becomes attracted by the devotional service of His devotees is described by Narada in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto, Tenth Chapter, verses 48 and 49. There Narada addresses King Yudhishthira while the King is appreciating the glories of the character of Prahlada Maharaja. A devotee always appreciates the activities of other devotees. Yudhishthira Maharaja was appreciating the qualities of Prahlada, and that is one symptom of a pure devotee. A pure devotee never thinks himself great; he always thinks that other devotees are greater than himself. The King was thinking, "Prahlada Maharaja is actually a devotee of the Lord, while I am nothing," and while thinking this he was addressed by Narada as follows: "My dear King Yudhishthira, you [the Pandava brothers] are the only fortunate people in this world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared on this planet and is presenting Himself to you as an ordinary human being. He is always with you in all circumstances. He is living with you and covering Himself from the eyes of others. Others cannot understand that He is the Supreme Lord, but He is still living with you as your cousin, as your friend and even as your messenger. Therefore you must know that nobody in this world is more fortunate than you."

In Bhagavad-gita when Krishna appeared in His universal form Arjuna prayed, "My dear Krishna, I thought of You as my cousin-brother, and so I have shown disrespect to You in so many ways, calling You 'Krishna' or 'friend.' But You are so great that I could not understand." So that was the position of the Pandavas; although Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the greatest among all greats, He remained with those royal brothers, being attracted by their devotion, by their friendship and by their love. That is the proof of how great this process of devotional service is. It can attract even the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is great, but devotional service is greater than God because it attracts Him. People who are not in devotional service can never understand what great value there is in rendering service to the Lord.

Nectar of Devotion, ch 1

jay srimati  tulasi devi maharani

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