One Family of Caitanya Mahaprabhu

[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on January 11th, 1998, in Australia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 23]

Srila Gurudeva: I want only to develop the hearts of the devotees. I am not here for self-gain, but only to give you the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the line of Rupa Gosvami and under the guidance of Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. He told me that I should help the devotees, in whom their hearts he has planted the seed of bhakti. Really they are wanting this thing. Everywhere I go I feel like this. The devotees are hankering for hari-katha and to develop their hearts. They don’t want to go to politics and other bad things, only managing and controlling. They want pure devotion and love for Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

They want to know who Rupa Gosvami was and what was his mission. They want to know who Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Narottama Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura were. What their mission was and what were their specialties? So, I want to help you realize these things, without any selfishness. My selfishness is that I can improve your devotion. I want to make you so sweet and fragrant so that I may offer you to the lotus feet of…not Krsna, that cheater, but to Srimati Radhika [all devotees laugh].

I will tell you to not go alone to Krsna. He may cheat you. I want to make your hearts so fragrant and soft and sweet that Srimati Radhika may tell, “Oh this very fragrant lotus flower, you should give to me!” That She may hanker for that. So you should try and listen very carefully and try to understand the mission of Srila Prabhupada, your Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, my Guru Maharaja, Pujyapada Sridhara Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, up to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara Prabhu, Raya Ramananda, and especially of Isvara Puripada and Madhavendra Puripada.

If you hear all these things then automatically your heart will improve so much. So I am praying to the whole Guru-varga, to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Panca Tattva, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, who brought Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to this world, to gaura-sakti Gadadhara Pandita, and to Srivasa Pandita. I am praying to all of them that they should bestow their mercy and sprinkle their mercy upon you, without any cause. Ahaituki krpa, causeless mercy. Causeless because we have not done anything for their mercy. I am praying to them to bestow their mercy on each of you. We are all in one family. I always think that we are all in one family. Someone may be somewhat upset, no harm, but we are all in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s family.