Devotee: But the mantra is the same?
Gour Govinda Swami: Mantra is the same. That's—
Devotee: My question this morning.
Gour Govinda Swami: But, this is Kali-yuga. You know, Mahāprabhu Himself, Kṛṣṇa Himself has come. The name of this Kali is called dhanya-kali. Yes, dhanya-kali, yes, special Kali. [aside] Hey, hey. Dhanya-kali. Chalo, don't touch him. Don't touch. Chalo, chalo.
Devotee: That people get one of those four rasas?
Gour Govinda Swami: Mahāprabhu gives.
Devotee: Mahāprabhu gives?
Gour Govinda Swami: Four rasas.
Devotee: Four rasas.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. [verse not found] He says, "Giving this prema-bhakti, I will make the whole world dance." Dancing. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, all are dancing.
Devotee: And in all the other Kali-yugas, how many rasas?
Gour Govinda Swami: Hmm?
Devotee: How many rasas?
Gour Govinda Swami: Rasas are always there.
Devotee: Oh, always there.
Gour Govinda Swami: But Mahāprabhu gives four.
Devotee: Gives four.
Gour Govinda Swami: Chief rasas are five.
Devotee: Five.
Gour Govinda Swami: Śānta, beginning from Śānta up to—
Devotee: Mm-hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: ...Mādhurya, you see? But Mahāprabhu discarded Śānta.
Devotee: Mm-hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: No Śānta in Mahāprabhu's line.
Devotee: Hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: Other four: Dāsya, Sakhya, Vātsalya, Mādhurya.
Devotee: Mm-hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: Other four are there.
Devotee: So in other ages I guess there is no, no chance at all of getting Kṛṣṇa-prema.
Gour Govinda Swami: No. No.
Devotee: Mm-hmm.
Gour Govinda Swami: Once a kalpa. Mahāprabhu comes, then one can get [prema]. Special Kali-yuga.
Devotee: I think Mahatma Prabhu is here.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: Mahatma who is in Mauritius, he's here. He will speak with you.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: Oh, I saw him in San Diego.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: Upananda, from San Diego.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: It was very nice to actually see them again in San Diego.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh. Oh.
Devotee: And your shoe.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: And Sunarma [?].
Gour Govinda Swami: Hmm.
Devotee: Who gave you those shoes?
Gour Govinda Swami: Hmm.
Devotee: Sunarma.
Gour Govinda Swami: Ah, yes, yes. In Santiago, yes.
Devotee: Yeah, he's here.
Gour Govinda Swami: Mm-hmm.
Devotee: So Mahatma has some questions for you.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: He will ask.
Gour Govinda Swami: What questions?
Devotee: Something about rasa.
Devotee: Exactly what we're talking.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh. How many days are you staying here?
Devotee: Well, this moment... Maybe tomorrow night.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh, leaving soon?
Devotee: Well, maybe on Sunday.
Devotee: Gurudeva, someone was telling me that there's some significance to the breeze in Bhubaneswar.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah.
Devotee: Spiritual significance. Is that back?
Gour Govinda Swami: So nice breeze.
Devotee: There's no spiritual significance to the breeze in Bhubaneswar?
Gour Govinda Swami: Ah?
Devotee: He has said. [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: No spiritual significance.
Devotee: He has said. He said that there was some spiritual significance to the breeze in Bhubaneswar.
Devotee: I didn't say—
Gour Govinda Swami: Everything, when everything is related to Kṛṣṇa, how can you say that there is no spiritual significance? [laughs]
Devotee: [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: You'll never find such breeze anywhere. A nice breeze in these summer days. What day so cooling? You see? So cooling. You go to Delhi, you go to Vṛndāvana. Can you find? So hot, isn't it?
Devotee: Very hot.
Gour Govinda Swami: Vṛndāvana, Vṛndāvana. Delhi, this time, night time, very hot.
Devotee: Very hot.
Gour Govinda Swami: All so hot. You cannot sleep inside. If you sleep outside, still it is hot. Ground is hot, air is hot, everything hot. But here's so cooling. Even sleep inside, very cooling breeze. Open the door, the windows, so cool.
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: That it requires chaddar to put on. So cool, you see? Summer is so cooling.
Devotee: There's Sunarama here from, from San Diego.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh, yeah, he gave these shoes? Yes, yes. Nice. I am using it. [laughs]
Devotee: [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: So, this year again we go to San Diego?
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: [laughs] Yes, we have. He has told me about Badri Nārāyaṇa and Navin Kṛṣṇa. "Please come, please come. Don't forget to come. Please come." [laughs] Yes, I'll go. [laughs]
Devotee: The other day, myself and Nimai, we went to the Rāma Mandir. And there is Pañcamukhī Hanumān. Is this bonafide or is it something that's speculation?
Gour Govinda Swami: Hanumān sometimes assumes such form. Yes. Because he is a... the yogi as well as sādhu also. Very dear devotee of Lord Rāma. So he may do like that.
Devotee: Pañcamukhī, there's one head of Rāma also.
Gour Govinda Swami: One head of Rāma. Because that head chants Rāma's name. [laughs]. That becomes very big. Sometimes, it's so small. Yeah, and Hanumān, he has such siddhi, some perfection.
Devotee: Five heads?
Gour Govinda Swami: Five heads, he says.
Devotee: Five heads.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Hanumān is a dāsya-bhakta. He is the right example of dāsya-bhakti, very dear, intimate servant of Lord Rāma. Very dear, intimate servant of Lord Rāma, who opened his heart and showed that only Sītā-Rāma is only there and nothing else, he showed us. And Lord Rāma then, after winding up his life here in the material world, hmm, went back to his abode of Ayodhyā in the spiritual kingdom. He took all with him, all. Those who were in Ayodhyā at that time, he took all of them with him to Ayodhyā, but he left Hanumān here. He didn't take Hanumān. Why? You know?
Devotee: To teach...
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, to teach that same thing. You stay here and teach that same thing. So Hanumān is still now, still now, hmm.
Devotee: Where does he stay?
Gour Govinda Swami: He stays in that one varṣa, what is this, his name? Uh, in Kim Puruṣa-varṣa, yes.
Devotee: That's certainly the, uh, Badrinath.
Gour Govinda Swami: Somewhere. [laughs]
Devotee: King Puruṣa-varṣa is a city?
Gour Govinda Swami: And only chants Rāma's name, only chants Rāma's name. Hmm. Hanumān.
Devotee: Where is that place?
Gour Govinda Swami: Well, somewhere. Did that, uh...
Devotee: There?
Gour Govinda Swami: What did that was? Somewhere—
Devotee: [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: [laughs] in this universe, material universe. [laughs]
Devotee: We can't see him anyway. [laughs] We can't see him anywhere.
Gour Govinda Swami: What is that? If you want to see Hanumān, he can take you. If you want to see Hanumān, uh, pray to him, so he may appear before you. Give you darśana.
Devotee: Gurudeva, this is Mahatma. He went to Māyāpur.
Devotee: Mauritius.
Gour Govinda Swami: Uh-huh.
Devotee: You had some questions about rasa. We were talking about rasa just before.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah. Oh. [Unclear]
Devotee: Yeah, a few days ago.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, Mauritius Republic. Well, Mauritius now becomes a republic.
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: Question is that we all have a particular relationship with Kṛṣṇa. So if one comes in the Gauḍīya Mādhva Sampradāya, and he gets the mercy of Lord Caitanya, how does that change his relationship? Or does it change his relationship? Or how is that different from someone who is coming in some Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya but not the Mādhva Gauḍīya Sampradāya?
Gour Govinda Swami: In other sampradāyas, there is no question of love, prema. Only Mahāprabhu gives prema. Unless someone comes to the fold of Mahāprabhu, he cannot get prema.
As for example, this Hanumān, he is a dear devotee of Lord Rāma. You understand? And he is Murāri Gupta in Caitanya-līlā.
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: He is Murāri Gupta. You understand? And he gets prema added. Prema is added to his dāsya-bhakti. His dāsya relationship. Now his prema is added.
You understand? Yes. You have some particular [rasa], you may have dāsya-bhakti or sakhya-bhakti or vātsalya-bhakti or mādhurya. Mādhurya is the topmost. You understand? Mādhurya is the topmost, and Mahāprabhu gives that one. And it includes everything. It includes dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya. It includes [all].
If you come to the fold of Mahāprabhu, then prema is added to it. We are discussing that in Vaikuṇṭha, there are two and a half rasas. Two and a half rasas. Śānta, and dāsya, and half sakhya. Half sakhya. There are two and a half rasas there.
So in other words, there is no love at all, prema. No prema. Mm, pure prema. It means pure prema. Prema is there. It's not devoid of prema, but it is covered up with opulence.
But in Goloka, only prema. Opulence is covered up with prema. And you cannot say there is no opulence. Opulence is there, but opulence is covered up with prema. Here [in Vaikuṇṭha], prema is covered up with opulence.
Devotee: [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: Do you follow me? This is the difference only.
Devotee: So Caitanya Mahapraprabhu is giving a very exalted understanding of mādhurya-rasa. So how does that affect one's relationship, or how one relates to his service if he is in another rasa but not—
Gour Govinda Swami: Whatever they are, prema is added only. I said this Murāri Gupta, he is devoted to Lord Rāma. But in Caitanya-līlā, he's Murāri Gupta. Once Mahāprabhu said to Murāri Gupta, "Oh, Murāri, why are you chanting Rāma's name? Chant Kṛṣṇa." [laughs] Kṛṣṇa is the supreme. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme. Chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, come to Kṛṣṇa. Why are you with Rāma?
He said, "In order to test him," he said. Then Murāri Gupta said, "All right. When Mahāprabhu, you are saying, I must do." So that night, he tried his best to detach himself from Rāma and attach himself to Kṛṣṇa, but couldn't, but couldn't. Because he's [laughs] so dear to Lord Rāma, he couldn't detach himself from Rāma and attach himself to Kṛṣṇa. Whole night he cried, he cried, he cried, no sleep at all and just waited for the dawn. "Well, I'll go to Mahāprabhu and beg his permission that I will commit suicide. I shouldn't be alive because I cannot keep up the words of Mahāprabhu. I cannot detach myself from Lord Rāma and attach himself to Lord Kṛṣṇa. How shall I survive? I cannot carry out, the order of Lord Caitanya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, 'But I couldn't do it.'"
Then early in the morning, he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, fell flat and said, "Mahāprabhu, please allow me, let me die. I cannot survive because I cannot carry out your orders. I cannot detach myself from Lord Rāma and cannot attach myself to Lord Kṛṣṇa. What shall I do? It's better to die." [laughs]
Then Mahāprabhu said, "Why would you die? Why would you die? I told, said this thing to... to test you. And you are so dear devotee of Lord Rāma.’’ "Why do you want to die? [laughs] You are dear devotee of Lord Rāma. Yes, this is your unalloyed devotion to Lord Rāma. Unalloyed devotion. Aikāntika-bhakti. And Hanumān has said that because he is a sādhu, he knows tattva.
'Śrīnāth, Jānakīnāth, abhedo paramātmani, mama jīvana sarvasya Rāmarājīva locanam.'" He says, "I know there is no difference between Śrīnāth and Jānakīnāth. Śrīnāth means Kṛṣṇa, Jānakīnāth means Lord Rāma. There's no difference, I know it because in tattva, there is no difference. But 'mama jīvanah sarvasya Rāma rājīva locanah,' but my heart and soul is the lotus feet of Lord Rāma. See, he is there in my heart." He tore open his heart and showed only Rāma-Sītā is there.
Once in Bhāgavata there is a story, Sanātana Gosvāmī has written, you see. Once from Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa sent Garuḍa, "Go to Hanumān, he is there in Kimpuruṣa-varṣa. Call him, tell him that I am calling him." So Garuḍa went there, Hanumān was busy chanting Rāma's name. So Garuḍa said, "Hey, Kṛṣṇa from Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa is calling you, come immediately." He didn't listen. He didn't listen. He said once, twice, thrice, he didn't listen. When the fourth time, with his tail, he gave a great loss to Garuḍa. [laughs] And Garuḍa was thrown off and fell down in Dvārakā in front of Kṛṣṇa.
Then Kṛṣṇa could understand everything. Ah, what happened? Garuḍa was morose. Then Kṛṣṇa said, "You're so... you're so foolish. Why didn't you tell that Lord Rāma is coming? Go again." [laughs] So Garuḍa came again, then said, "Oh, Lord Rāma is..." "Oh, my Lord is coming, yes, I'll go." Then Garuḍa said, "Please sit on my shoulder, I'll fly." "You go, I don't need your help, you go. I'm going."
Then Garuḍa went up. But before Garuḍa was reaching, Hanumān had already reached there. And Garuḍa saw Hanumān is sitting there with folded hands before Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Sītā. Kṛṣṇa has assumed the form of Lord Rāma, and Balarāma has assumed the form of Lakṣmaṇa, and Rukmiṇī has assumed the form of Sītā. They are standing with the bow and arrow shooting.
Devotee: Another question. I was told that in Goloka everyone is helping in the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So everyone is focused on mādhurya-rasa.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Well, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, mādhurya, all rasas are there. Nanda and Yaśodā, they are in vātsalya-rasa, parental. Cowherd boys, Śrīdāma, Subala, they are in sakhya-rasa, friendship... and Raktaka, Patraka, they are in dāsya-rasa. And all gopīs including, headed by Rādhārāṇī are in conjugal love. All are helping. Everyone is situated in their particular relationship with love.
We say it is dāsya-prema or dāsya-rati, or sakhya-prema or sakhya-rati, vātsalya-prema or vātsalya-rati, kānta-bhāva or kānta-rati. It's prema. These are all prema. Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, "Kṛṣṇa-premera yei kore adbhuta prabhāva, guru samo lobhuke korāde dāsyabhāva." This is the wonderful effect of love of Kṛṣṇa.
Whoever one may be, he may be the guru of Kṛṣṇa like Nanda and Yaśodā. He may be equal with Kṛṣṇa like Śrīdāma or Subala, he may be inferior to Kṛṣṇa like Raktaka, Patraka. That's the wonderful effect of Kṛṣṇa-prema, all become dāsa, all become servant. That means service is loving service.
All are rendering loving service. In other words, we may put it in this way: without love, there's no question of service to a person. Pleasing service and loving service, they're based on love. You understand?
But highest is conjugal love. Highest, it includes everything. Dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya. It includes everything. In dāsya you will find śānta is there, plus dāsya with prema. In sakhya, is śānta, dāsya, plus sakhya. In vātsalya, śānta, dāsya, sakhya, plus vātsalya, and in mādhurya, everything is there. It's like this.
So then the question of service is there, it is loving service and with love. And we have a perfect eternal loving service with loving relationship with Him. You understand me? We have perfect... eternal, perfect, loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The relationship based on love, so service must be loving service. So without love, there is no question of service. Yes? That is our philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy, Mahāprabhu's philosophy, and Mahāprabhu says this thing.
So whatever relationship you are in, that's either dāsya or sakhya, or vātsalya, love is there. And in case of your question about changing, suppose you are in dāsya-bhāva, servitors, you understand? And you want to be included as one of the consorts or gopīs or mañjarīs of Kṛṣṇa. You understand? If you want, and if you deserve so, Kṛṣṇa may give you, grant you.
And we have that prayer. When you worship Tulasī-devī, we offer that prayer. You understand? Because "Tulasī-Kṛṣṇa-preyasī," Tulasī-devī is very, very dear. Very, very dear. If we can get mercy of Tulasī-devī, "ye tomāra śaraṇa loy tara vāñchā pūrṇa haya," isn't it? "Oh, Tulasī-devī, if someone takes shelter of you, his desires are fulfilled." What is my desire? "Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-sevā." "Vraje Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-sevā pābo e habi lāsī." My desire is that in Vraja-bhūmi, I will get some opportunity to serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in kuñja. You understand?
So nobody goes to kuñja. Only gopīs, mañjarīs go. No male goes there. So what is that? [laughs] And I have this desire. [laughs] That is our Tulasī prayer. And at last it says, "sevā-adhikāro diye koro nija-dāsī." "Well, Tulasī-devī, please have mercy on me and make me one of your maidservants, so then I will be able to serve there in the kuñja." So, this is our desire. [laughs]
Devotee: Yeah.
Gour Govinda Swami: Because Mahāprabhu gives the highest and it includes everything. There is dāsya, there is sakhya, there is vātsalya, there is mādhurya. But we may be in male body, but we want to be in female body. Sakhī mañjarīs. Otherwise, we cannot enter into kuñja. Yes. All right. [laughs]
Devotee: We should desire like that.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah. We have to pray to Tulasī-devī.
Devotee: Yes, every day.
Gour Govinda Swami: Every day, morning and evening, isn't it? Because that is the highest. We want the highest thing. Yes. This is our procedure. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "kabe ho'bo āmi Rādhāra dāsī?" Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "When will I become a servant of Rādhārāṇī?" So...
Devotee: Another question. If one is to meet a bona fide spiritual master, he has to be sincere. He has to be serious. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy is so great that He's picking up anyone.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: So the question is should a preacher think that a person has to be pious or sincere, or should a preacher think, "If I am pure enough to give the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then anybody can be delivered?"
Gour Govinda Swami: I have no qualification at all. I am most degraded, most fallen, most stupid. "Karma nāhi, jñāna nāhi, kṛṣṇa-bhakti nāhi." I have no karma, no jñāna, no bhakti. I'm devoid of everything. "Dharo śakti kevala tomāra kṛpā." Oh Mahāprabhu, You are patita-pāvana. I am completely dependent on Your mercy, nothing else. I don't deserve anything. I'm such a fallen and stupid person. But You are patita-pāvana. You are the deliverer of the most degraded. "Mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra." You'll never find someone so fallen like myself. I am so fallen. If some chronological list will be maintained, I will come at the bottom. Nobody's below me. [laughs] I am such a person. You understand? If You deliver me, show Your mercy on me, then it will be proved that You are really patita-pāvana.
Gour Govinda Swami: [laughs] Really patita-pāvana, otherwise not. [laughs] Bhakta says like this. Nobody says, "I am..." No, I'm that. Nonsense, "tṛṇād api sunīcena."
Devotee: Mahāprabhu's śikṣā, think yourself much humbler than a blade of grass lying on the street.
Gour Govinda Swami: Otherwise, this is our mood. Otherwise you cannot get mercy of Mahāprabhu. No question of prema at all. No question of getting Mahāprabhu's mercy. Yes.
That "tṛṇād api sunīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ," most important verse in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Be as tolerant as a tree. Think yourself much humbler than a blade of grass lying on the street. Be as tolerant as a tree. Don't demand respect. Pay respect to one and all. Then you'll be able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hari-kīrtana.
Kavirāja Gosvāmī says, "Make a garland of these verses, put around your neck, then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." [laughs] There is no pure name. Yes, the most important verse. That is the mood. That is our mood, should be. Otherwise you cannot get mercy of Mahāprabhu. When Mahāprabhu gives, we can't receive it. We can't receive. He gives but we can't receive it. Unless we develop this quality, this mood. Yes. Okay.
Devotee: All right.
Gour Govinda Swami: [coughs]
Devotee: Unless we actually receive that creeper of Mahāprabhu, then there's no question of it giving us, no question of us giving it to others by preaching.
Gour Govinda Swami: How? How can you give? You have no $1. How can you give $0.50 or $1?
Gour Govinda Swami: If you have $1, then you can give $0.50, $0.60 or $1.
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: But you have no $1, how can you give? [laughs] You understand?
Devotee: Just discussing, qualification of a spiritual master. If someone was initiated by a spiritual master who was bonafide and he falls down, was that initiation bonafide?
Gour Govinda Swami: For this, ācāryas say you have to take re-initiation. Re-initiation you have to take when there is fall down. Yes. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, so many ācāryas have said this. How many ācāryas had said so.
Devotee: What was the question?
Devotee: What if one says... Yeah, if Caitanya Mahāprabhu says everyone should become guru on His order. So how does one know when he is ready to actually give? People may be asking, but how does he know when he's ready to actually give?
Gour Govinda Swami: "Jīvera svarūpa hoya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa," Mahāprabhu says. What is your real identification? You are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. You have eternal loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Unless you are established in that loving relation, how will you become guru? Establish yourself in your relationship, then automatically you are guru. All right? [laughs] Thank you.
Devotee: Thank you. [laughs]
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya!
Gour Govinda Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya!
Devotee: Sunarma wanted to speak with you, 'cause they're leaving tomorrow.
Gour Govinda Swami: Leaving tomorrow?
Devotee: For, um, for Vṛndāvana.
Devotee: Yeah, we don't have too much time. Mahatma's giving a course in Vṛndāvana on preaching, so he's leaving. He has to leave early and we are... so far we've been traveling together.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah. Say.
Devotee: Um, my basic question was like this, 'cause I was initiated by Rāmeśvara in '78.
Gour Govinda Swami: That's right.
Devotee: That, you are here in India. This is your preaching field. Personally, I don't have too much attraction of being in India myself. I often... when I come here, oftentimes I get sick and—
Um, I joined in San Diego in '77. And I've been preaching in the United States all along. Mostly I've been doing saṅkīrtana. And, so I don't know how much of a relationship I could develop with yourself if your field is here and I would be there and—I heard that you've been traveling.
Gour Govinda Swami: I'm not traveling. This year again, I'm going in May.
Devotee: But you are just coming always just for a very short time, so...
Gour Govinda Swami: Whatever Mahāprabhu gives me facility and sanctions. Anyhow.
Devotee: But I don't know if you would expect from a disciple that he spends so much time here or that he does a certain amount of service to a particular preaching project here or anything like that?
Gour Govinda Swami: According to his desire, inclination. You understand? If he cannot stay here, he may stay there. You understand? And…
Devotee: I've always been involved with the temple in San Diego and always being...
Gour Govinda Swami: Yeah, stay there under the guidance of temple authority. Guru will sanction it.
Devotee: Actually I'm doing now, for the last year, I joined the BBT Library Party and we were traveling throughout the United States, and we were going to bookstores.
And now actually we opened our own company because, with the BBT party we could only, "only," I don't want to be offensive, but we couldn't carry other devotee books, only Prabhupāda's books. There are other devotees who have started writing and...
Gour Govinda Swami: Mm-hmm.
Devotee: Like Yamunā's cookbook, "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking," and many other books that are kind of bridging towards Prabhupāda's books that we are selling to a particular type of bookstores. Also, we are developing some sight lines to make it more profitable now. And...
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, distribution is very good. Pleases, this bṛhad-mṛdaṅga, pleases so much to Guru and Gaura. Pleases so much. Yeah, it's very nice service you are doing, yes.
Devotee: I'm just thinking it might not be something that's necessarily directly connected with what you have been serving here all the time and...
Gour Govinda Swami: We have this project here, it's Prabhupāda's last project, last founded project. It is not... It is still incomplete. It's 50% completed, 50% incomplete. So, I have to complete it because Prabhupāda has told me that thing. He has put me on my head. He stayed in that room, in that room in '77, 17 days he stayed there. And at that time this room was not like this. It was very modest, very humble. You understand? It is somewhat remodeled now. No plastering was there, nothing. Some poles are there. Wall, you see? Still he stayed there for 17 days. And he laid down the cornerstone on the appearance day of Nityānanda Prabhu in 1977 with his own hand. You understand? He told me, "Gour Govinda, you have to stay here and you have to do and see that this project is done." He told me. So it is on my head always.
Now from '77 it is '92. You calculate 15 years gone. Only 50% completed. Last year by this time we opened the temple as installed, completing only the temple portion. You understand? Other guesthouse portion, restaurant, others are there, they're not completed.
So, whoever disciple comes to me, I have this request, please help me in completing Prabhupāda's project. As far as your capacity you can help. And it is for the time being, it's not for all the time. If it's completed, finished. So all are helping according to their capacity. And whatever service you do there, you do, you find some money some certain way, send something, that's all right. You follow? Many are distributing books and sending some... some are still sending, in London also. Nurari does that thing.
Devotee: Nrhari?
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Nrhrari does that thing. He distributes books and gives nice contribution. Yes. So, you may do that thing. This is my request to one and all, to help me. Thereby you get mercy of my guru Prabhupāda. You understand? Yes, he will be very pleased.
Devotee: I think the fear in the devotees living in other GBC temples is certain, they're thinking like they're committed to that temple and they don't want to splay out their service and lessen, make the service less for the temple, which could cause disturbance. That's the fear.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, therefore, we have to make some arrangement with the temple authority. You understand? I am the disciple there. So, he has sent me this thing, and what he has told for me to stay here and render service here. I will not give up my service, but I have to render some service to my guru. Please give me some facility. And temple authorities are giving. And also, I have to also sometimes request the GBC there. My disciple is here, I place him here to render service, please take care of him. And give him some facility first. I can do, I am doing those things also. Requesting GBC of that area. If we are doing this thing, so no problem. That we are doing.
Devotee: I have one other question, which is more like a philosophical question. It's in the... Every morning in Maṅgala Ārati we are chanting this verse, "nikunja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai." So how is this spiritual master assisting in the pastimes of the gopīs?
Gour Govinda Swami: Mañjarī/sakhī, that's the Guru-tattva. He is the dear girl companion of Rādhārāṇī. Just understand that verse says. Who is very expert? Dakṣa. Dakṣa means expert, in that art. What art? Uniting Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in kuñja, in grove. That verse says. That is Guru-tattva. Yes.
There's one of... one facet... one of the facets of guru, two facets. One is he is Nityānanda-Rāma. You understand? Representative, manifestation of Nityānanda-Rāma. Another is Rādhā-priya-sakhī. That is guru.
Devotee: I don't understand it, but philosophically, I can understand that.
Gour Govinda Swami: It is philosophy. Guru-tattva. Philosophy of guru, yes. All right.
Devotee: Um, I've heard many, not many, some devotees thinking that this verse is not meaning for the gurus in ISKCON, but only for Prabhupāda.
Gour Govinda Swami: Are, guru means guru. Lord means Lord. Kṛṣṇa in the lap of Yaśodā is the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa lifting Girirāja Govardhana is Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa driving the chariot of Arjuna in battlefield, also Supreme Lord.
Devotee: Yes.
Gour Govinda Swami: So guru means guru. Is not... Guru means heavy, not light. Literally it means. When you speak of guru, guru means guru, who has this qualification and who has this thing. That is guru. When you speak of guru and Guru-tattva, it is tattva.
But consideration is there, whether this person is really sad-guru or not. Yeah. Follow me? [laughs] That is another consideration. So it is also said, "This guru may be kaniṣṭha-adhikārī or madhyama-adhikārī, but it is better to have uttama-adhikārī. Otherwise, he cannot give you this Kṛṣṇa-prema, because he has not gotten, how can he give?" As you asked, isn't it? If you have no... if you have no one dollar, how can he give 50 cent or one dollar? If you possess one dollar, if you have one dollar, you can give one dollar. "No, I am devoid of one dollar. I have no dollar." How can he give you? That is the question.
I want Kṛṣṇa and full, cent percent Kṛṣṇa, not 50% Kṛṣṇa or 45% Kṛṣṇa, or 50%, 60%. Cent percent Kṛṣṇa. Whether the person has gotten cent percent of Kṛṣṇa or not, if he has gotten, then he can deliver me. If he has not gotten, how can he deliver? If he got only 50%, then he may deliver you up to at best 50%, not more than that. But I want cent percent.
Devotee: Some of the former gurus have preached that they're on this level and that disciples should understand they're not on the highest level, but they're advancing so the disciples are advancing with them in proportion.
Gour Govinda Swami: If he's advancing, good. Advancements will be there and should reach the highest destination, Supreme destination. Must, yes, very good. Very good. All right.
Devotee: These devotees that are not on the highest platform, should they become guru?
Devotee: Like some—
Gour Govinda Swami: That's what I said. I say. Prabhupāda said, "A guru may be kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, he may be madhyama-adhikārī, but they will lead you to the point they have gone. They cannot lead you beyond that." That Prabhupāda said. But then what to do? I want to reach the supreme destination. I should not stay halfway. What's there to stay halfway? I must take the full path and reach the supreme destination to find Lord Kṛṣṇa. How can I do it without guidance? Then I have to accept such a guru who can guide me there. That you should do. Yes. Yes.
Devotee: We're conditioned souls. We don't have the eyes to see qualifications of the spiritual master, and we can easily be cheated. How do we know who's a genuine guru and who's not? How can laymen know?
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Therefore, we say, "I don't know. I am a conditioned soul. Everything is defective with me. But, Kṛṣṇa, you know. I want to serve You. Your lotus feet. I am Your servant, eternal servant. Please help me." Cry before Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa will make arrangement. He will send His real representative to you. You'll never be cheated. Yes.
Devotee: Why, why is it that so many devotees, they don't really think that there is any representative? They think that after Prabhupāda, there's no sādhu. I mean, it seems...
Gour Govinda Swami: They think of. What they think, is it correct? "I know everything." Who knows "I know everything," he doesn't know anything. It doesn't want to see. Yes. You can stand? Yes. One should not say like that. One should not say like that. I am a blind man. I cannot see, but those who have eyes, they see, they say. I should have to accept it. Yes.
No, I cannot see, so there is nobody. What is this logic? I cannot understand. I cannot see, so there is nobody. I am blind, I cannot see, but those who have eyes, they see, they say. I have to accept. I should admit, "Yes, I am blind. I cannot see." And I should ask how can I have the vision to see. Rather, we ask to have the proper vision, then I will be able to see.
Devotee: I would like to become your disciple, but I think I might be a little bit disappointing because I don't have much qualification, I don't have a good memory and...
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh, keep in contact with me. Write letters and now I am going every year to America. Yes, every year I'm going. You understand? This year I'm going, next year I'm... I've put up, provided my Mahāprabhu sanctions. Anyhow, nothing is impossible for Mahāprabhu. I may go there, you may come here or that. We'll meet. Anyhow, keep contact with me. That's right. Thank you. May you have the blessings of Guru and Gaurāṅga.
Devotee: How should we... Who should I contact to see when you're going to be free? And how much time do you have to go?
Devotee: In the schedule—
Devotee: Do you hear—
Devotee: I spoke to [unclear] as well, he said that when he comes, he gets a visa.
Gour Govinda Swami: Visa?
Devotee: But it's very simple to get.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh, visa is needed.
Devotee: Anyway, we can find out from the travel agent, they would know.
Devotee: Preaching there is very good.
Gour Govinda Swami: Oh.
Devotee: You'd like it?
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: So if you could... I just need to know who I should contact.
Gour Govinda Swami: Contact here.
Devotee: I will tell you. I'll give you—
Devotee: He also wants, Gurudeva, he also wants to know, um, how much time. He's thinking two weeks minimum. Two or three weeks is necessary to—
Gour Govinda Swami: [Unclear]
Devotee: But he's saying that they're paying the money so they want you to give some associates every night. [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: [laughs] That's a good point.
Devotee: You can meet all the ministers, you could preach to anybody there.
Gour Govinda Swami: Anyhow, let me go there. Then see. [laughs]
Gour Govinda Swami: Pray to Mahāprabhu. I am also praying to Mahāprabhu for His sanctions.
Devotee: That'd be very nice. You know, we're very isolated.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee: So...
Gour Govinda Swami: Anyhow. You keep in contact with Caitanya Candra Dāsa, he is president. Then he will tell—
Devotee: Right.
Gour Govinda Swami: My schedule and everything.