296 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
instance, did not enter the Jagannatha temple at Puri, for he was born in
a Muhammadan family, and the Hindus opposed the Muhammadans’
entering the temple. Haridaésa Thakura did not let this disturb him,
however. He thought, ‘‘Oh, why should I go and disturb them? I shall
chant here.’’ Consequently Lord Caitanya, who is Lord Jagannatha Him- |
self, came daily to see Haridasa. This is the power of a pure devotee: he
doesn’t have to go to Jagannatha; Jagannatha comes to him. Lord
Caitanya Mahdprabhu used to go see Haridasa Thakura daily when the
Lord was going to bathe in the sea. The Lord would enter Haridasa’scot- ~
tage and ask, ‘‘Haridasa, what are you doing?”’ and Haridasa would reply,
‘*Please come in, my Lord.’’ This then is the actual position of a devotee.
Therefore Krsna says that worship of His devotee is even more valuable
than worship of Himself. The devotee is actually able to deliver
Krsna, for he knows the science of Krsna consciousness, the science of
hearing Krsna’s words, eating Krsna prasdda, and enjoying Krsna. The
impersonalists and voidists may preach dry philosophical treatises on
aham brahmasmi—‘‘I am spirit?’ —but ultimately who will be attracted?
What is the difference between someone who thinks, ‘‘I am a stone,”
and someone who thinks, ‘‘I am void’’? Why should we become stone,
wood, or void? Our actual position should be in reciprocating loving
affairs with Krsna.
The spark of love for Krsna is struck by the spiritual master, the pure
devotee. As for myself, my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Or
Visnupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada, ordered me
to take up the responsibility of spreading Krsna consciousness in the
Western world. His Divine Grace had a great desire to preach Lord '
Caitanya’s message in the West, and my success is both his grace and
pleasure. When I first met my spiritual master, I was a very young man in |
India, a nationalist, engaged in a very responsible office. But although I
did not want to go, one of my friends, who is still living in Calcutta, forc-
ibly took me to His Divine Grace. I was reluctant to see him because in
our home our father used to receive many sannydsis and I was not very
satisfied with their dealings. I thought that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati |
Goswami Maharaja might be a similar man, and if he were, what business
would I have in seeing him? But my friend took me forcibly. ‘Why not
see him?”’ he asked. I finally relented and went with him, and I profited.
On my first visit, His Divine Grace said that it was necessary for edu-
cated boys like me to go to foreign countries and preach the gospel of
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I replied that India was a foreign-dominated
nation and that no one would hear our message. Actually at the time for-
