20. Living On Top of Illusion

20. Living On Top of Illusion:

“How is it that many people live in Navadvīpa but still do not get Kṛṣṇa-bhakti? How is it that offenses remain in them even though they are staying in Navadvīpa dhāma, the place of purification? Both Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa are the shelter of countless blissful devotees. Purified living entities, having crossed over the material nature, live there as associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

“Navadvīpa dhāma is eternal, non-material, fully conscious and completely opposite to the material world. The houses, doors, rivers, streams, forests, and courtyards are all composed of spirit and intensely attractive. Navadvīpa dhāma is a blissful place, transcendental to the material nature. It rests on Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable and supremely magnanimous sandhinī (eternal existence potency) energy.

“By that energy that Dhāma has descended here in Nadia to fulfill Lord Kṛṣṇa’s greatest desire to deliver the living entities. Since no material thing or person is ever situated in the Dhāma, a film of dull matter has been spread over the Dhāma to keep it covered from the materialist. The people who have no relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya simply live on top of that covering, blind to the truth. Although one thinks, ‘I am living in Navadvīpa,’ Prauḍhā Māyā keeps the Dhāma far away from that person. If by some great fortune one receives the association of a devotee, he can develop a relationship with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

“This topic of relationship is a deep thing, not so easily understood by the conditioned soul. The pretender, the deceitful, the arrogant, or a person who thinks himself highly qualified may call out the name of Caitanya with seeming affection, but if that relationship is not there, he simply remains in the material realm. Such a person resides on top of the illusory covering of the Dhāma and never attains pure bhakti.

“But by the mercy of a devotee, even such a person can give up his pride and perform devotional service. One should think of himself as lower than a blade of grass, be more tolerant than a tree, respect all others, and not desire any respect in return. When one is endowed with these four qualities and sings the glories of the Lord, then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu enters that person’s heart and personally establishes the relationship.

“With Śrī Kṛṣṇa there are 5 relationships - śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. Whoever makes a distinction between Gaurāṅga and Kṛṣṇa is worthless and vile, and he will never attain a relationship with Kṛṣṇa. But, on the other hand, whoever possesses the qualities mentioned above beginning with humility, and who associates with devotees will first worship Lord Gaurāṅga in dāsya rasa, a relationship of servitude. This worship of the Lord in the mood of servitude will gradually become perfect. In this mood, the devotees call Śrī Caitanya ‘Mahāprabhu’ the great master or Lord.

“After this if one advances in his relationship with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the standard of love of God in the mood of the gopīs in Vṛndāvana (mādhurya-rasa), the form of Lord Gaura that one worships will become that of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Becoming one, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have descended in the form of Gaurāṅga Rāya. Therefore, the full pastimes of the Divine Couple are present in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga. Thus, after dāsya-rasa reaches maturity in the heart of the living entity, and the Vraja-rasa naturally develops within the heart, then the form of Gaurahari becomes that of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.” (Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya)

Just because devotees may build a house to live permanently in Navadvīpa, they should never think that they own the Dhāma or that “this is my property.” In the biography of Śrīla Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī there is an important lesson regarding this. Seeking to purchase a small plot to erect a residential house, a devotee once approached a landowner in Navadvīpa dhāma.

Hearing this news, Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja commented, “How is it possible for someone to become a landowner in Dhāma? All the precious gems found within the universe are not valuable enough to purchase even one dust particle of the Dhāma. Therefore, no one can amass enough wealth to become the owner of a plot of the Lord’s transcendental abode of Śrī Navadvīpa dhāma. Such a neophyte mentality is offensive, and keeps one far removed from actual residence within the Dhāma.” (Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Babaji Maharaj)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, owns and controls everything within the material and spiritual universe. By the Lord’s causeless mercy, one may be situated within His palace, but under the illusory impulse of sense gratification one should never falsely think himself the proprietor or controller of the Lord’s transcendental abode. Factually, we are tiny insignificant units of consciousness. We are Lord Gaurāṅga’s eternal loving servants. Our only duty is to please Him and serve His most holy abode of Śrī Navadvīpa dhāma.