Introduction—Śrīla Gurudeva’s contribution

We would like to present now one main topic of this book which is why Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktivendanta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, came to this world and what was his contribution to this world.

There are many generous people involved in humanitarian works—donating food, water, clothes, and so on to those materially deprived. Our Śrīla Gurudeva is not going around personally donating food, water, and clothes to the poor in the same manner as the others yet he has become immensely popular. His name and fame are spread all over the world. We will deliberate on this amazing popularity, and the cause behind this.

Every Janmasthami in the Mathurā māṭha, Śrīla Gurudeva holds a grand festival that lasts for three days. There are more than 50,000 plates of sumptuous prasādam are distributed to guests as they have visitors continuously coming during those three days. Śrīla Gurudeva also donates devotee clothes to those in need. In Navadvīpa, during the annual Gaura Pūrṇimā festival and Navadvīpa parikramā, done in the honour of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, more than 500,000 plates of prasādam are distributed there during the ten-day festival.

In Govardhana, more than 100,000 plates of prasādam are distributed during Braja Māṇḍala parikramā. Śrīla Gurudeva goes to great lengths to make sure that whoever comes to the festivals will get prasādam. In this way he is giving pure sanctified food in charity with lasting spiritual benefits.

The wordly generous persons donate with the subtle desire to be recognized as magnanimous, virtuous and benevolent, thus harbouring fruītive desires for their own benefit. Rather than striving to render all kinds of selfless confidential services to the Supreme Lord, they engage in reward-seeking activities which will propagate their own humanitarian enterprises. Such charity is temporary and therefore has no eternal benefit because the person they feed today will be hungry again tomorrow and every day for the rest of his life. The clothes they give to someone will eventually be worn out and more will be needed. So, how can these welfare acts done on the bodily platform, provide any eternal or perpetual benefit? Such material welfare cannot stop the continuous suffering of people.

As long as God is not the centre of one’s activities, whatever duties one performs are subject to fruītive actions and reactions. To render service to the jīva who is averse to service to God, is to render service to his enjoying propensity. Both the doer and the recipient of such welfare may enjoy some temporary material benefits, however they cannot become free from material suffering, neither in this life or future lives. Do not think that Śrīla Gurudeva is dead against helping the needy people.

So how is Śrīla Gurudeva’s contribution different?

Śrīla Gurudeva came into this world to contribute bhakti. Bhakti is spiritual, eternal and perpetual. He came to distribute the ocean of mercy from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and to complete Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s mission to distribute that mercy all over the world. To bestow kṛṣṇabhakti upon all souls is undoubtedly the topmost form of altruism. Śrīla Gurudeva is always thinking how to give others such benevolence through the proliferation of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s compassion. Other contributions will continue to produce heavy burdens on the already suffering humanity and nothing else. One who wholeheartedly accepts this gift of bhakti will not be entangled in worldly dharmas and karmas like with the gifts of all others. Only those who take exclusive shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanyadeva and His pure representative will achieve the real gift of hari-bhakti and attain full spiritual welfare in this very lifetime.