I have received orders to sing glories of Srila Gurudev. Srila Gurudev's viraha mahotsav is being observed in various places, what is the reason for this? Surely there must be some reason. What is the reason that Guruji's glories are sung in different places? In my opinion, the reason seems to be to broadcast Guruji's glories and Guruji's teachings. Guruji cannot sing His own glories? Himself, He is already established in His own glories. Like for the Lord there is no need for Him to broadcast His own glories. So also Guruji is already established in His own glories. They do not have any need to expect broadcast of their glories. Why do we do it then? Only to attain the mercy of Srila Gurudev. By singing glories of Gurudev we get His mercy. This is our thinking. So to get His mercy we sing glories of Gurudev. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur wrote in his kirtan 'piya yiya prema matta kari more suna nija guna gana..' Without Gurudev's mercy we have no capacity to sing the glories of Gurudev. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur's teaching is this, that by the mercy of the Supreme Lord only one can sing the glories of the Supreme Lord. So, in my opinion, what teachings Gurudev gives us for our bhajan, what teachings He gives us by His conduct, among these what is the main teaching?

Once there was a discussion going on between Guru Maharaj and Mangal Maharaj on some subject. Our Gurudev's room was next to our Param Gurudev's room. Hearing the sound, Param Gurudev came to the room and saw Mangal Niloy Brahmacari arguing with Gurudev a lot. First he peeped in and then came in and told 'See Mangal, you are a scholar (Pandit), Krishna Ballabh is a Vaishnav. Being a scholar you are arguing with a vaishnav? Does this befit a scholar like you?' He said, you are a scholar and Krishna Ballabh is a Vaishnav. As a scholar you are arguing with a Vaishnav, it amounts to offence (aparadha). In our math there were many disciples of Param Gurudev, there was no dearth of disciples. They were scholars, very dedicated and strong and experts in service, but what was that quality in Gurudev, what was His specialty that our Param Gurudev used the word Vaishnav for Him. And Mangal Maharaj as a scholar. So scholarship or any other qualification cannot please Gurudev. Some may say Gurudev has degree in MA Philosophy, so He was chosen to be Acarya, but this is not considered a qualification either to become an Acarya. There was only one quality that made Him an Acarya, the quality that was not seen in any other. I am in the math for a long time, never saw in anyone such a quality which was in Guruji. That quality was 'sharanagati(surrender)'. How much ever you practice devotion (sadhan), without sharanagati, it is zero. All practices minus sharanagati is equal to Zero. Whatever eligibility one attains all comes through sharangati, meaning there is so much difference between scholarship (learning, panditya) and sharanagati. A scholar may speak, but he has no experience, realization. Who is Guru, what are His duties, all these realizations come through sharanagati. So, in Navavidha bhakti, as spoken by Prahlad Maharaj, 'sravanam kirtanam visnu smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana kriyeta bhagavaty addha tan manye adhitam uttamam' these are the nine processes of bhakti. He mentioned 'atma-nivedan' sharanagati, in the end as the last limb of bhakti, and our Gurudev said 'atma-nivedan' comes first. When there is no atma-nivedan, no bhakti is possible in the real sense. So atma-nivedan is the foundation of bhakti. This is sharanagati. So Guru Maharaj wrote in a letter to me, saying if you want to practice bhakti, you always remember this kirtan, underlining the kirtan

'Hari hai, prapanche padiya agati hayiya
na dekhi upaya aar agatira gati
carane sharana tomai karinu saar

karama gyan kicu nahi mor
sadhana bhajana nahi
tumi krpamay ami to kangal ahaituki krpa cahi

vakya mano vega krodha jivha
vega udara upasta vega miliya
ei saba samsare bhasaye diteche paramodvega

aneka yatane se saba damane
chadiyaci asha ami anathera nath
daki tava nama yekhana bharosa tumi.....'

of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. In the letter He underlined this kirtan and asked me to remember this kirtan always. He gave these instructions to me, I am dusta? bad, not surrendered, so He wrote and asked me to remember this always.

Gurudev used to say often, whether any one has paid attention or not, 'sharanagat ka sab kriya bhakti, asharanagat ka koi kriya bhakti nahi' meaning all activities of a surrendered soul is bhakti, and none of the activities of a non-surrendered soul is bhakti. He used to say always, whatever a surrendered soul does is all bhakti and a non-surrendred any activity is not bhakti. With regard to this, I will narrate one instance (story). When Gurudev was secretary, He would write replies to all the letters of Param Gurudev as per His direction. Daily morning after Mangalarati and parikrama, He would sit in His room and write replies till afternoon prasad time. In between after breakfast He would rest (take a short power-nap) for half an hour or an hour and then again continue writing. One day Param Guruji called for one of the brahmacharis. I will not mention the name. The one who went to call him found him sleeping. He came and reported to Param Gurudev that he is sleeping. Param Gurudev said, do not wake him up now, but when he wakes send him to me. When he awoke, he was informed that Param Gurudev had wished to meet him long time back, so please report to him immediately. He was also informed that Param Gurudev had asked not to wake him up earlier but to send him when he wakes. He went and paid obeisances to Param Gurudev and asked Gurudev, had you called me? Yes, I had called for you long back, but you were sleeping. Further sternly said, you are a brahmachari, is it proper to sleep during day time? Then what was his reply? He said 'Krishna Ballabh sleeps.' Meaning you do not tell him anything, so what is wrong if I sleep for a little while? (Hearing this Param Gurudev lifted his hand up and hit his forehead repeatedly in an expression of regret, feeling sorry for the lack of understanding of the brahmacari). That time Param Gurudev did not give any reply. In that day's evening katha he called all the brahmacharis and in the katha said 'sharanagata ka sab kriya bhakti, asharanagat ka koi kriya bhakti nahi hai' meaning what was our Gurudev's thought behind taking rest was that I will be able to do my Gurudev's seva more satisfactorily and please him. Guru is the indweller in our heart and understands our inner thoughts, feelings and our intentions. And Guruji could understood Param Gurudev's innermost thoughts and serve him accordingly. Param Gurudeva said 'Krishna Ballabh is surrendered to Hari Guru and Vaishnavas. So all his activities, eating, drinking, resting, wandering, every thing is bhakti. A non-surrendered soul's no activity is bhakti. This Param Guruji told all. So we can know from Param Gurudev's words to what extent our Gurudev was surrendered to him. Gurudev has not spoken a single word which does not come under sharanagati, every word he speaks; he repeats the words of his Gurudev. By repeating the words heard from Guru (Srauta vani) we attain bhakti. Our Gurudev never spoke even a word other than what was spoken by Param Gurudev. At the beginning of his katha itself he would say, I have orders from my Gurudev to repeat what I have heard from Guru, Vaishnavas and Scriptures and not to speak as my mind commands. By this you will attain auspiciousness and the hearers also will attain auspiciousness. I am a conditioned soul, still I have experienced that Guruji is the embodiment of sharanagati. And Lord has stressed in every chapter of Bhagavad Gita on sharanagati. Sharanagati is the foundation of bhakti and that was in our Gurudev. This is the teaching of our Gurudev that without sharanagati no learning can be complete, otherwise it will remain incomplete.

Our Param Gurudev has many disciples, but there is vast difference in our Gurudev's sharanagati and that found in others. By His conduct also Gurudev instructs us on this important aspect of sharanagati. In Uddava samvad, Lord tells Uddava, I am not pleased by yoga, yagya, tapasya, dana, etc. as much as I am pleased by guru-susrusaya (intimate service of Guru). What is guru seva? It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam that sharanagati to Guru is in itself guru seva. That is the topmost process by which one can please Gurudev. When Guru is pleased there remains no one who is not pleased. This is the teaching of our Gurudeva to us, particularly to me. And Guruji would always tell me to remember Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur's sharanagati kirtan and to chant it daily.

Another teaching of Gurudev is Sri Sikshastaka's third verse 'trinadapi sunicena taroriva sahishnuna amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari...' I had placed a question before Guruji in a letter saying I want to do bhajan and want to engage my mind on the lotus feet of the Lord, but inspite of my great efforts mind does not get fixed there. Guruji said, 'If you want to perform bhajan, then make Sri Sikshastaka's third verse as a garland around your neck. Until you are established in this verse, think your bhajan has not started as yet. Guruji gave this teaching to me, for me.

All over India this observation of Guruji's viraha mahotsav is taking place, but I think that till this sharanagati does not come in a practitioner no devotion is possible. Though (Prahlad Maharaj) told sharanagati in the end, it comes first in the process of bhakti (sadhan bhajan).

Atma-nivedan tuya pade kari
hayinu parama sukhi,
dukha dure gela cinta na rahila
caudike ananda dekhi

ashoka abhaya amrta adhar
tomar charana dvaya
tahate ekhan visrama labhiya
chadinu bhavera bhaya...