Srila Gurudev Glories 2

His Worship Honors Time….

Srila Gurudev has a very special quality of not wasting a moment of his time, he does nothing but devotional activity. Until 2004 we got the chance to spend time with Gurudev. Every time we would go see him, he was always at his study table and constantly speaking harikatha or listening to harikatha. Srila Gurudev is the personified form of these particular words: a pure devotee is always engaged in service. He was always spending his time writing or reading books. We got this chance to witness that divine darshan.

Every time I would see him engaged in giving guidance to devotees, like sometimes when he traveled to Chandigarh or other parts of Punjab where there are so many devotees, he gave advice all day and all the while he is speaking harikatha. When there is no one there, he was busy in reading books, studying notes, and listening to harikatha of Most Revered Paramgurudev.

One time I even got the chance to see this in Srila Gurudev’s bhajan kutir in Chandigarh. In 2000, we were engaged in guarding the math so that no thieves will come because Srila Gurudev was present and it was in Kartik so many devotees were there. In that math, you can open the windows from outside and see what’s going on inside. Once around 2 am, I went to the floor of Srila Gurdev and wanted to see what’s going on inside. We were like small curious children around the age of 22. When I tried to open the door and peeped inside, I was surprised to see Srila Gurudev inside his mosquito net chanting japa.

It was especially surprising because in Kartik all day from morning to night Gurudev was on parikram and meeting with so many people. Some people think if we are busy with seva and we skip chanting it is okay, but Gurudev never accepted this. He was emphasizing the holy name properly and he is practicing this example like an acharya. He is a perfect acharya. We can see in his example how an acharya acts. He practices and then he teaches his students how to practice; not that he will only give instructions to do it and he will not do it. Gurudev himself is practicing then preaching. That can be seen on many occasions and I am fortunate to witness this many times.

As was my habit then, there was another time in 1999 or 2000 when I opened the door and checked inside. This time was not in Kartik. Then he was under the mosquito net with his torchlight trying to read the letters he received. That time Tamal Prabhu was not there. It was after Gurudev had a cataract eye operation done in Chandigarh and subsequently someone had to help him write his diaries and read and write responses to the devotee’s letters from Srila Gurudev’s dictations. Tamal Prabhu was assigned that seva later. All day Gurudev was so busy but continued caring for devotees and regarding their inquiries directly. Devotees who were not present with him wrote many letters. At that time the email system was not all that active, it was postal letters, and Gurudev was reading each of them—I saw that. There are many such occasions and every moment of his time in shravan or kirtan—always listening from superior Vaishnavas. All the time he was listening to harikatha of his Most Revered Gurudev.

One time I was speaking with Srila BV Bharati Maharaj. He was looking at me and saying you people are recording me in recorders but we people don’t have recorders at that time, how we recorded? He pointed at his heart and said, “I recorded here.” Gurudev also recorded in his heart. That’s why that message descended as it is— without any alterations, without dilution. The transcendental message of Paramgurudev descended into this world as it is by Srila Gurudev. That’s why they called Srila Gurudev the tape recorder of Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj. The exact same thing comes out from him, the same way as Paramgurudev spoke. Gurudev recorded everything in his heart and diaries and went through those often. He was all the time engaged in reading, listening, and speaking the glories of Supreme Lord very eagerly.