The Hungry Calf

This morning, I was listening to Śrīla Prabhupāda and he was talking about topics in relationship to the Bhagavad-gītā. He was saying that the Gaṅgā is flowing from the feet of Viṣṇu, and if one takes bath in the Gaṅgā, then he can become emancipated. But he said the Bhagavad-gītā came from Kṛṣṇa’s mouth, and if we make a comparison, what’s coming from the mouth is more relevant than what’s coming from the feet. Of course, that could be taken in many different ways.

He gave a further example, which is very appropriate for Vraja. The Gītā is compared to the cow, Kṛṣṇa is the expert milker, Arjuna is the calf taking that milk, and the saintly persons are also relishing that milk. I we look at that example, we can see that the Gītā, the cow, is being milked by Kṛṣṇa’s representative, the guru, and from that milk, the expert milkman makes so many different preparations. The guru takes the words of Kṛṣṇa and extracts deeper and deeper meanings from those words, and the hungry calves drink that meaning and become strengthened by it. When a calf takes sufficient milk from the mother, it becomes very strong.

That strength is what? One’s ability to represent what the guru has given and extract the essence. For example, first you have milk, then you have yogurt, then butter, then ghee. It develops with more intensity and attains more purity from what it was initially. So, as it comes down through the śikṣā-guru paramparā, the message of Kṛṣṇa becomes more and more potent to those who are in that line.

When one knows what is good milk, he’ll go to the cow that gives that good milk, so we must become expert at understanding where good milk is coming from. We should know which cows are giving that milk and we should know the milkers that are extracting that milk and processing that milk. Wherever it is coming from, we should try to drink that milk.

Śrīpāda Narasiṅgha Mahārāja was like a hungry calf going from one cow to another to another to another, and drinking milk. Where was he getting it from? He went to Śrīla Prabhupāda, and then he drank the milk that was coming from Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja which was even more condensed. Śrīla Prabhupāda realised the potency of that milk because he drank it himself and then reproduced it. So, Narasiṅgha Mahārāja was the beneficiary of that.

Union in separation – Giri Mahārāja was talking about how the disappearance day and the appearance day are said to be the same. For the devotee who is always drinking that milk coming from his guru, he’s never separated from him. Śravaṇam kīrtanam – by constantly hearing those instructions, then the presence of one’s guides are always there. In the ultimate sense, the guides are Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. They shine Their light to guide us.

At the particular time when Mahārāja departed, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s shoes were on his head and Girirāja was on his heart, and it was high noon when the sun is at its zenith. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī worships Sūrya – She is represented by the sun, and Kṛṣṇa-candra is represented by the moon. One is giving light at night, and one is giving light in the day. But the sun is always giving light wherever it is. Rādhārāṇī is giving light during the day and the night. Wherever She is, there is light. Because Her only thought, Her only move is for Kṛṣṇa.

In his last days, Narasiṅgha Mahārāja said that he wanted to spend his time here in Vṛndāvana. Why? Because this is the place of his gurus. This is the place of Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and all the inhabitants of Vraja. The ācāryas haven’t left. They’re here, engaged in their eternal pastimes. And the more we hear, and the more we engage in active service here, we’ll experience that. That is the blessings of guru. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. We are all the recipients of that blessing. And yes, it is difficult sometimes, but when you have something good, you want to share it with others, and the result is that when others come, then you have a saṅga.
That’s the order of guru. Prabhupāda said, “Don’t lock Mahāprabhu up in your room. Go out and distribute the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” It may be painful in certain circumstances, and there may be some divide which creates difficulty. Like Giri Mahārāja said, “Maybe it is Kṛṣṇa’s desire to expand the preaching mission.” This is the blessings of Narasiṅgha Mahārāja because he brought you all here to Vṛndāvana. He brought you all here for a particular purpose, and that is to allow others to experience that also. So always to be absorbed in their words.

Mahārāja was like Sarasvatī Ṭhākura – a heavy hitter! Our Śrīla Prabhupāda was a heavy hitter. Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja was a heavy hitter. They didn’t tolerate any nonsense, any deviation from the line of Śrī Rūpa. And we’re seeing – we have to fight to show that ours is a legitimate connection. Why is it legitimate? Thousands of people from all over the world are coming and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. How does that happen from someone who is not legitimate?

But we have to refine the conception. It’s not a static process, it’s dynamic. When you go to the Gaṅgā, the water is flowing on either side, but Prabhupāda explained, “Go to the middle of the Gaṅgā where it is deep – that’s where you will get the purest Gaṅgā water.” We want that purity because that is satisfying to our guru-varga.

And Narasiṅgha Mahārāja was searching that out everywhere and refining that. He was extracting that from the teachings of his gurus and then presenting it to others.

• The True Spirit of Separation by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī
• Śrīla Swami Mahārāja Attains the Dust of Vraja by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī
• The Disappearance of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī
• Who is Qualified to Succeed the Ācārya? by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
• Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s Disappearance Day by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
• His Last Instructions by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• The Prākṛta and Aprākṛta-līlā of Śrī Guru by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Antya-līlā by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s Disappearance Day by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Śrī Jagannātha Deva Shook the Heaven and the Earth by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• After the Disappearance of Śrī Guru by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Our Most Humble Koṭi Koṭi Koṭi Daṇḍavat Praṇāms by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• A Nourishing and Compassionate Nature by Śrīla Bhakti Kiśora Araṇya Mahārāja
• The Compassionate Nature of Śrī Guru by Śrīla Bhakti Kiśora Araṇya Mahārāja
• Hope For The Hopeless by Śrīla Bhakti Kiśora Araṇya Mahārāja
• With My Head at His Feet by Śrīla Bhakti Kiśora Araṇya Mahārāja
• The Disappearance of Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja by Swami B.V. Giri

• Śrī Acyutānanda’s Departure by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Sādhu Śikṣā (Holy Teachings) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Recognising a Pure Vaiṣṇava by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Natural and Marginal Characteristics of a Vaiṣṇava by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Nature of a Vaiṣṇava by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Deliberation on the Methodology of Sādhu-saṅga by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Association of Sādhus by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura