Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prahupada and Srila Gurudev!
In Srimad Bhagavatam, we see that Nanda Maharaja, after celebrating the birth of Krishna, went to Mathura to pay official taxes to Kamsa. There he met Vasudeva. Vasudeva had been imprisoned by Kamsa, and therefore, although present in Mathura, he was unable to see Nanda Maharaja for many years and on seeing Nanda Maharaja now, Vasudeva speaks the following wonderful verse in SB 10.5.24:
diṣṭyā saṁsāra-cakre ’smin vartamānaḥ punar-bhavaḥ
upalabdho bhavān adya durlabhaṁ priya-darśanam
It is also by good fortune that I am seeing you. Having obtained this opportunity, I feel as if I have taken birth again. Even though one is present in this world, to meet with intimate friends and dear relatives in this material world is extremely difficult.
This verse has a special place in the heart of our beloved Gurudev HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj. Whenever Maharaj met anyone, he used to refer to this verse and tell how it is really a rebirth to meet the living entities and realizing this, Maharaj was genuinely pleased to meet the living entities, whoever it may be. The following is a transcription of a part of the speech by Gurudev in one of the discussions in Rajkot and Maharaj herein explains how we should not have any concoctions and presuppositions when we meet the living entities.
"Our whole life should have the foundation of the principles of Srimad Bhagavad gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. It should become our lifestyle. The whole life should be organized in such a way that one or the other principle we are following. We should not waste time. We should not concoct anything. Things are happening according to the Lord's plans. That we are definite. We cannot change His plans. If my desires do not work, why should I concoct about my desires? Concoction must stop. Concoction is concoction. There is no value in it. You just stop concocting and you save half your life time. Otherwise we concoct so many things and why are you concocting? We think that I have to stay here for 50 years more. The reality is, we are sitting here is a fact now. Tomorrow it will be a dream. We are sitting and talking is a fact now. But this fact never remains a fact. It becomes a dream. So every material thing has a definite inclination to be converted to dream and for dream, we do not worry. I may be killed in a dream. I may be in difficulty. As soon as I wake up, I find I am not in difficulty. Dreams - we do not worry about. So gate shoko na karavyo - so please forget the past. Do not worry about the past. Those who remember past and work according to past, they are known as bhutas – ghosts, because past is bhutkaal.
We may have so many bad or good experiences with the people. Do not presuppose. No presuppositions. Every time the living entity comes, it is a new page. Because, after so many days we are coming together. We are flying, we are alive. Your purse permits you to come here. How many things have to be arranged and then I presuppose. Oh! This man is like this! Like that! No!!! Our presuppositions are completely wrong because they are based on the past. Every time the living entity comes in front of us, it is a rebirth. In India, to cross the road is a rebirth. That amount of risk we are carrying and we see the living entity and we presuppose. So how the living entity will feel? That presupposition has no value. Everything in the world changes, so the man will also change for good or for bad or worse. We do not worry. We see only the good. We do not see the bad side. If I see good, good, good, eventually I become good. If I see bad, bad, bad, I'll become bad. Why should we become bad?
This is the way to pass the life in the Vedic mould. Otherwise avedic mould is there. Our mould must be nice and then the figure will be nice. If the mould is clear, the figure will be very fine. Our vedic mould is very fine and we should really try to have nice mould according to Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. It is really like a rebirth that we are coming together. Either I die or you die or you may be consumed with some chronic disease or I may be. So many things are going on. Even then we are seeing each other. So how much more He must be merciful on us that all the difficulties He has saved us from and we are together. We come together and we are kicking each other. In Hindi there is a nice saying,
jñānī se jñānī mile hue do do bāt
gaḍhe se gaḍha mile hue do do lāt
A knowledgeable person meets another knowledgeable person and they nicely talk with each other. A donkey meets another donkey and they kick with their legs. Do not be gaḍha (donkey). Gaḍha is not our mould. jñānī is our mould and we prefer gaḍha mould. (Maharaj laughs.) Now what to do? Eventually we become like gaḍha. Srila Prabhupada has improved our mould. Otherwise always we like to be in gaḍha mould. Some bad point we take out and then we grind it. It is a waste of energy in human existence and to improve the mould, we have to go to Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam regularly. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. We should never think, I know Bhagavad-gita, I have read so many times. No. Every time you go, it is a mine of nice moulds. It will always give you the insight of the moulds and that mould will correct your life and it will help you all around. As soon as your mould is improving, your figure will improve, as soon as your figure improves, your whole atmosphere improves."
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Vaijayantimala devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
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