Please note: Guru Maharaja is already a glorious personality.

By glorifying him, we are only to be

benefitted. Neither by our glorification he will become glorious, nor do we have any qualification to
glorify him. It is by his mercy only that we can glorify his divine personality to some little extent.
Please take this article, the previous articles and the articles to come in this spirit only. Thus we
apologize for various errors made due to human frailties while presenting his divine personality.
We hope that the sincere readers will forgive us, overlook our mistakes, and dive deep in the glories
of a drop of his oceanic transcendental personality.

Offenceless Chanting of the Holy Names

Lord Caitanya gave us the process of Offenceless Chanting of the holy names for deliverance from
the ill-effects of the age of Kali – aparädha-çünya ho'ye loho kåñëa-näm and thus one can realize –
kåñëa mätä, kåñëa pitä, kåñëa dhana-prän i.e. one will experience the sense of belongingness to
Krsna’s family and therefore would be able to give up all sorts of improper behaviour – kåñëaera
saàsära koro chäòi' anäcär. Thus, ultimately one will come to the realization that the showing of
compassion to all the fallen souls by loudly chanting the holy names is the essence of all forms of
religion – jéve doyä, kåñëa-näm-sarva-dharma-sär.
The very same process is blessed to us in Parampara by Srila Prabhupada, our Founder – Acaraya,
and his faithful followers like Guru Maharaja.
In all the Initiation-ceremony lectures, Guru Maharaja stresses on chanting of the holy
names and elaborates explicitly on the various offences to be avoided in the matter of
chanting the holy names.
In a recent meeting with a group of devotees, a devotee asked him: “Guru Maharaja,
how can I please you?”
He replied: “By chanting”. Then he added – “By reading Srila Prabhupada’s books”.
And then he commented further: “I will not tell you to get one lac rupees etc.”

Not only that but even when Guru Maharaja was not in good health and had to be admitted
in the ICU, his shelter remained on the chanting of the holy names only.
When he was in ICU, a disciple sent him a message stating: “Guru Maharaja, please
accept my respectful obeisances. I seek forgiveness, individually and collectively on
behalf of the devotees, as it is due to the mistakes and offences of the disciples that the
Guru has to face difficulties. Apart from prayers, extra chanting, kirtans etc. what can
we do for you?”
In response, Guru Maharaja just told: “Chant!!!”

However the formula for offenceless chanting is given by Lord Chaitanya Himself in the Sri
Caitanya Caritamrta (Antya 20.20-26):
ye-rüpe la-ile näma prema upajaya
tähära lakñaëa çuna, svarüpa-räma-räya
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu continued, “O Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé and Rämänanda Räya, hear
from Me the symptoms of how one should chant the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra to awaken very
easily one’s dormant love for Kåñëa.

tåëäd api su-nécena

taror iva sahiñëunä
amäninä mäna-dena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
“‘One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not
expect personal honour but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always
chant the holy name of the Lord.’

uttama haïä äpanäke mäne tåëädhama

dui-prakäre sahiñëutä kare våkña-sama
“These are the symptoms of one who chants the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra. Although he is very
exalted, he thinks himself lower than the grass on the ground, and like a tree, he tolerates
everything in two ways.

våkña yena käöileha kichu nä bolaya

çukäïä maileha käre päné nä mägaya
“When a tree is cut down, it does not protest, and even when drying up, it does not ask anyone for
water.

yei ye mägaye, täre deya äpana-dhana

gharma-våñöi sahe, änera karaye rakñaëa

“The tree delivers its fruits, flowers and whatever else it possesses to anyone and everyone. It
tolerates scorching heat and torrents of rain, yet it still gives shelter to others.

uttama haïä vaiñëava habe nirabhimäna

jéve sammäna dibe jäni’ ‘kåñëa’-adhiñöhäna

“Although a Vaiñëava is the most exalted person, he is prideless and gives all respect to everyone,
knowing everyone to be the resting place of Kåñëa.

ei-mata haïä yei kåñëa-näma laya

çré-kåñëa-caraëe täìra prema upajaya

“If one chants the holy name of Lord Kåñëa in this manner, he will certainly awaken his dormant
love for Kåñëa’s lotus feet.”

Srila Guru Maharaja emphasizes on this verse from Çikñäñöaka quite often in his lectures and
constantly in his behaviour. Though there is no need to prove this by examples yet few instances
are mentioned here to highlight the qualities of his divine personality.

Recently Guru Maharaja went to offer mangala-aratik offering to the Deities. Upon
returning to his room, he said to a visiting disciple from US (Chicago) – “I am sorry”.
In response the disciple replied: “No Guru Maharaja, I am glad that you offered the aratik”.

With no clue of what was happening, we approached the devotee and asked him the
reason of Guru Maharaja’s apology. He replied that whenever he visits India, he takes
the initiative to offer aratik to the Deities. As usual today also he was ready to offer
the aratik when Guru Maharaja arrived at the altar. Since the disciple could not offer
the aratik due to the presence of Maharaja himself on the altar, Maharaja was
apologizing to him!!!!!

Going further into it this devotee narrated a previous incidence when he had barely
begun offering to the Deities and Maharaja arrived at the altar. But seeing him having
begun the aratik, Maharaja returned back to his room from the altar without offering
the aratik, and told others, “Let him offer the aratik”!!!

Recently when a devotee suggested Maharaja that the most convenient way for him to reach
his room after coming from some visit outside the temple: “To get down from the car next
to the lift which is meant for entering the temple hall. From there you can walk through the
Parikrama marg or the temple hall, and then take the personal-lift to go back to your room”.
This indeed was the best approach since the route otherwise has many twists and turns.

However, Maharaja told: “That’s Ok but the other way is better. Because in the option
of going through the lift and then the temple hall someone will have to carry my
slippers to the room!!!”

A deep-down humility is required to even have this thought and especially when one is
engaged in so many services and that too with not the best condition of his physical
health.

Throughout our lives we have seen so many times devotees had to carry his slippers… the
most often example of his riding the Ratha on any Ratha-yatra festival. And still, he wants
to avoid every opportunity, whenever he can, to avoid taking any personal service from
devotees or disciples. In fact, many a times he says to his personal caretakers also to let
him do whatever he can on his own.

There is another aspect of his deep quality of humility which is not very known to the
people around. In fact, Srila Prabhupada defines humility as: “Humility means that one
should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others” (Bhagavad-gita
13.8-12 purport). So he does not make a show or propaganda of his humility!!!

Although his age and his health condition demands daily physiotherapy, proper
massage of the body, professional medical personnel etc. to take care of him BUT he
does not hire a professional physiotherapist or a masseur or even a medical male
nurse!!! Wherever and whenever some devotee or pious individual is available, who
 would render these services for free, he would take the advantage of the opportunity,
but he would not like to spend Krsna’s money on this.

In the past few months, few devotees who are physiotherapists in India (Delhi,
Hyderabad, Mumbai etc.) or abroad (US, Russia, Canada etc.) came to meet
Maharaja and offered to have some sessions with him. With them Maharaja
agrees quickly. But recently the team of doctors suggested to hire a male nurse
(professional medical person) to care of some medical needs, Maharaja
immediately gave the responsibility to some non-medical person in the team of
caretakers. Why so? In Maharaja’s own words: “I do not want to take
obligation from some individual”. This obligation refers to taking monetary
help from some disciple to pay off the expenses of the male nurse!!!

Quite in contrast to the notion of the general masses, that a guru would be enjoying
the various facilities or luxuries at the expense of wealthy disciples, he lives a life
completely based on the teachings of Guru Parampara. It is no surprise that he
likes to speak about the renunciation of Sripad Madhvendra Puri, who would not
even beg for his daily sustenance, as he sincerely follows in the footsteps of such
great Acaryas.

Yet another beautiful and mesmerizing exhibition of his humility is his waking up early
every morning, regardless of his health to offer worship to the Deities. Sometimes when he
is not able to sleep throughout the night, and sleeps as late as 4.30am, even then he would
wake up in the early morning hours (by 5am or 6am) so as to offer services to his Deities
on time.

As a humble servant, he wants to be up there on the altar to render service to the Deities.

Not just that, when some Godbrother or some senior personality in the movement visits
him, he takes a very proactive approach to personally arrange everything. He takes
sufficient anxiety to get ready before time and sguides the whole team of personal
caretakers to arrange everything properly. Recently when an aspiring candidate was
visiting Maharaja few hours before his flight for Canada, Maharaja was duly ready to
receive him. In fact, Maharaja was ready before time knowing everyone to be the resting
place of Krsna (text 25 above).

Since he always maintains this humble and respectful mood in dealings with others, he is naturally
very careful to avoid committing offences towards anyone… including his disciples!!! And this very
careful attitude in avoiding offences was appreciated by Srila Prabhupada as well (Letter dated 21
April, 1970 – Los Angeles):
 I am very glad to learn that you are doing spiritual activities very nicely and you are always
alert to see whether you are committing some offense. This is a very nice attitude. In rendering
service to Lord Krsna and His representative the Spiritual Master, we should always maintain
this fearful attitude which means careful attention. This attitude will advance you progressively
in Krishna Consciousness.

Somewhere we must end this article. It is not that the narration is complete but we have to end the
article as the narration can keep on going on and on to deeper levels of depth. So let us just offer
obeisances and glorify such a humble and tolerant, and thus offenceless personality, who gives all
respects to everyone without desiring any respect (or facility or comforts) for himself.

All glories to Guru Maharaja

All glories, all glories, all glories to Srila Prabhupada