Guru Krpa
Dear Maharajas, Prabhus, and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Guru-krpa is the nectar that we are all aspiring for:
yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado,
yasyaprasadan na gatih gato 'pi.
Recently I experienced a small fraction of the import of this. Here in Los Angeles we began the Prabhupada marathon on the first of December, so Svavasa Prabhu has been encouraging us to increase our sankirtana. At the same time several of our brahmins are sick and a few are visiting India, so our pujari department is also desperate for help. Consequently, I am going full time on the marathon, coming back in the evening and dressing the Deities, then waking them in the morning. My spiritual master arrived the day before the marathon started also. So I was feeling quite a bit of pressure from the time factor. Yesterday my spiritual master requested if I take him to a few places around town. I informed him of my schedule and asked if Friday evening would be OK. I could feel that he was not pleased, but because he is so humble and tolerant he said he was not in a hurry.
I was feeling disturbed in my mind and I knew that that was not the right choice. I was thinking, "What is more important, a bigger sankirtana score or pleasing my spiritual master?" With that perspective I decided to rearrange my priorities. I went back and asked my spiritual master if I could take him this morning after breakfast and he said sure. By the time I finally made it out to the airport it was already 12:50 pm. It was also really tough when I started talking to people. Nobody took a single book until I was out there for an hour and there were not very many people to distribute to either. But because I must have somehow pleased my spiritual master, Krishna was satisfied and gave me some mercy. I began meeting really nice people who gave generously. By 5 pm I had about 10 books left and I was heading back to the temple. I was feeling bad that I had not finished all the books I came out with when I came across this nice guy from Canada.
I showed him the book and he seemed interested. As I asked him for a donation one of his friends came out and asked what this was all about. I put a Gita in his hands and asked the first person for a donation again. He said he only had $40 and could not afford anything because that was for a whole week. Meanwhile three more of his friends come out and I put books in all of their hands. As the first guy gives his books back, the second is handing me a nice donation. The other guys see the donation and reach into their pockets and pull out their wallets. Each of the three other guys also give a generous donation and one of them gives his books to the first guy. I give the books that the first guy handed back to me to the other guy who handed his to the first. Now they all have books again and my bag is empty. Then the first guy gives in and pulls out a donation for me also! While this was happening I was marveling at the mercy of my spiritual master. When we make an endeavor to please our guru, Krishna becomes very pleased and wonderful things happen that we cannot imagine how they are being done.
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Your aspiring servant,
Omkara Dasa
