Question: Guruji, I have one question. You had said that in scriptures it is mentioned that Guru is a representative of God. So, if you do Vaishnava seva and Guru seva, that is like doing God seva and if Guruji is pleased then Lord is pleased. So, if I do service to God and if I do service to Guruji and when Guruji is pleased, then Lord is pleased. So, if from the start, if I lead my day-to-day life with this aim that I should please my Guruji and I should please Vaishnavas by holding Sankirtan and by celebrating festivals, I am using all my earnings, my material earnings, aiming to earn really well to do service to the Lord, to do service the devotees, to do service to my Guruji, does that fall into devotion? If I want to really serve God, Vaishnavas and Guruji, if I need to celebrate festivals for the Lord, then for that we need money. So, if we need money, then you have to earn, if you have to earn then you have to work hard and then if you work hard then at that point you have to balance your spiritual and material life. If I am working only for my own sense gratification then that is wrong. That will cause restlessness, like you said yesterday in the lecture. But if I work, I do everything from this point of view that I have to earn as much money as possible so that I can do service to my Guru and I can do service to the Vaishnavas, is that correct or is that wrong?

Srila Gurudev: Have you gone through the biography of Srivas Pandit? Have you got that (Sri Chaitanya & His) Personal Associates, big book? There you will find about Srivas Pandit and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srivas Pandit in Krishna-lila is Narada. He came as Srivas Pandit to fulfill the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his wife is also a personal associate of Lord Krishna.

Now, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyas and left Nabadwip Dham, all the personal associates felt extreme separation grief. Srivas Pandit could not remain in Nabadwip Dham and he shifted to another place near Kacharapada, Halisahar, Kumara Hatta there, and always weeping for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and deprived of seeing Him and all His personal associates. Mahaprabhu came to the birth place of Ishwara Puripada. Mahaprabhu accepted Guru, only to teach others that accepting Guru is compulsory. That time Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself came there with all His personal associates. Srivas Pandit and all were very glad to have them there, immensely glad and they served them day and night. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw that Srivas Pandit did not give any attention to earn money, then how he will manage house, there are so many dependents, he should give attention to earn money. Otherwise how he will maintain his family? He is always engaged in serving all the devotees with great enthusiasm. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called, “Come here. Have you forgotten? You are a household devotee. You have got necessity, you cannot beg to others. You have to depend on your own efforts to earn money. For that reason you should try to earn some money otherwise how you will maintain your family? You are not giving any attention to it. Is it good?” Then Srivas Pandit made three clapping sound. Clap, Clap, Clap. Mahaprabhu asked, “What is this? What is the significance of this?” Srivas Pandit replied, “I am Your servant. I will fast for one day, two days, and on the third day will jump into the Ganges and I shall finish this life.” Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu shouted, “Oh, you can be without food? No. Even if Lakshmi Devi is to beg, but you will have no want in your home. You have got that belief that when Supreme Lord will maintain you, why you have to think about this. He is the only maintainer sustainer of all and you are to serve Him.” For that reason, with this sort of belief Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is pleased. “I am His servant, He is the only Sustainer and Maintainer.” But we are not of that stage. So according to our own way of thinking, and status we have to try and earn money just to maintain, not that we have to have more money for worldly elevation, enjoyments.

Question: But is it wrong to get more money for the service of Guru, Vaishanvas and the Lord?

Srila Gurudev: When you (already) have money, Guru-Vaishnava say that you should engage this money in service because if you spend it on worldly things then you get attached to that. But then, (if) you have to earn money and then engage (this money) in the service of Guru, Vaishnavas, then this is not required. As much is necessary, so much you can earn. Somehow, you have to live, as Bhakti Siddhant Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupad has said in his last message.

Question: But Guruji, it gives us as devotees, a lot of pleasure to celebrate Lord's festival with so much grandeur (dhumdham) to serve our Guruji, and do Lord's festival so many devotees come, we have nice prasadam for Lord and distribute prasadam and so many people are partaking in that festival and go and when we would do that we get pleasure, so is that correct?

Srila Gurudev: You have got the scope to engage your money for the service, as much you will do. Household devotees do. As one big person in Kolkata, (named) Bhojanagarawala, he wanted to serve ten thousand people in the advent anniversary of the deities, appearance day of the deities. Guru Maharaj had installed the deities. And Guru Maharaj said, “Alright.” For ten thousand persons, by truck he sent (all the articles required for service). Because he has money and he wants to engage it in such things. And those who have got no money, if they give ten rupees, that itself is sufficient. Supreme Lord does not feel anything about this money, only by devotion He is subdued.

Only devotion is required. You will find in one hymn of a South Indian and this has been mentioned by Srila Rupa Gosvami,

vyādhasyācaraṇaṁ dhruvasya ca vayo vidyā gajendrasya kā
kubjāyāh kimu nāma rūpam adhikaṁ kiṁ tat sudāmno dhanam
vaṁśāḥ ko vidurasya yādava–pater ugrasya kiṁ pauruṣaṁ
bhaktyā tuṣyati kevalaṁ na ca guṇaiḥ bhakti-priyah mādhavah'

(Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat Tathya 23.46 originally from Padhyavali) That hunter, performing such cruelty (killing animals half-dead), but he got the mercy of Narada and he became a devotee, 'vyādhasyācaraṇaṁz. Supreme Lord did not see his previous action. Dhruva, at five years of age, it is no age, a small boy. Even at five years age he got the blessings of Supreme Lord through Narada Gosvami, and Gajendra was a beast, but he could get Narayana by devotion. Hunch-backed, hump-backed Kubja who has got no beauty but she could get Krishna's service by herself, by decorating Krishna and Balaram. Sudama pastime the pastime of a poor person, cannot get food, every day food. His wife is always trying to serve their ārādhya very nicely. And she insisted her husband to go to Dvarika, and explain to Krishna. She told, “If you go there, there would be no difficulty to maintain, I want to serve you. Why you do not go?” Sudama then went to Dvarika and Krishna served him, very poor. But before itself He ordered His sevaks that if a Brahmin comes here you should not obstruct him, and he should come to Me. They allowed him in. Krishna served him. At that time, Sudama tried to conceal whatever he brought with him for Krishna, some kind of flat rice, but not good quality rice. Krishna forcibly took it and ate that flat rice. Second time when He took, Rukmini said if You take second time, then I shall have to go to his house to serve him. Supreme Lord did not take. When Sudama came back, his deteriorating building was very nice and his wife came in the chariot and said that when she woke up in the morning, she saw all these (opulence). In this way. Vaṁśāḥ ko vidurasya—what caste did Vidura belong to? He was a sudra. But by devotion he has conquered Krishna. And what was the strength (pauruṣaṁ) of King Urgasena? Only by devotion, pure devotion, and nothing else is required to satisfy Krishna.

But when you have got money, if you spend it for all worldly things then you have to go there. It is not necessary that you have to earn more money. If you want to serve Krishna, as our Gurudev did, I want to say one instance. There was a time in Kolkata when we are not getting rice and we are rice eaters. At that time they used to bring all rice from the grain merchants, and they are all householders and said now you cannot get rice, we can give wheat for money. Then everybody decided that we shall during Nandotsava time, or during Radhastami festival we will give only sweets or if not possible we will make khichadi, a hotchpotch, as we have not got rice. We approached our Gurudev and said, “This time thousands and thousands of devotees they will come and it will not be possible for us to serve them with rice, lafda, a mixed vegetable curry, so do not invite all the persons for Janmastami and Nandotsava. We will give everybody some sweet.” He said alright. But in the meeting, he announced, tomorrow you all come. Nanda Maharaj will come to know that he has got a son and he will celebrate an utsava, festival. All those whoever will come they will be benefited. And in Bengal if you invite one person he will bring ten persons. Then we were all thinking already it is late today, and what we can do tomorrow. (On Janamsthami) After the abhiṣeka, bathing ceremony and all that, after 3 a.m. devotees took some fruits and Guru Maharaj is on complete fast. We went to Guru Maharaj, “We have got no rice and you have announced what to do, it is not available.”

Then our Guru Maharaj said, “All are celebrating their birthdays, their marriage ceremonies, everything. And Supreme Lord He is the Owner, everything belongs to Him, and on His birthday there is no celebration? There must be celebration. No, you cannot stop it.” Next day, from where people were giving rice, we did not know. We were astonished! In our store there was nothing. And someone came and given. Wherefrom he came, we do not know. We have no capacity, after the disappearance of Guru Maharaj, on his disappearance ceremony, I said that we should bring this sort of preparation for bhoga offering of Guru Maharaj, he liked that, but there was no money. When I was thinking so, one person came, to whom I had never seen before or even after, here is some money, and we celebrated the festival. And up till now I have not seen him and before that day also. Perhaps Gurudev has sent him. I gave the money to math-in-charge and said, “You do this preparation.” Very astounding! Gurudev thought, “You are unable to do, I am sending it”. He is the only Maintainer and Sustainer. That firm faith should be there. You serve his orders.