…In the same way that a touchstone turns anything it touches into gold, the sadhaka becomes purified by the association of high-class Vaisnavas. But we also must be cautious, if we do not know how to approach a maha-bhagavata and behave in his association, then we will not receive his blessings and mercy. Therefore Mahaprabhu taught us this third verse, instructing us to become humble, tolerant, and respectful…
To regard oneself as a guru of Vaiṣṇavas is an impediment to one’s humility. Those who do not listen to the instructions of Śikṣāṣṭaka set forth by Śrī Gaurasundara, who are forgetful of their actual spiritual identity, who are greedy for prestige and material gain and who are thus anxious to obtain the status of Vaiṣṇava or guru to satisfy their senses, can never chant the holy name of the Lord. A disciple who has faith in the kīrtana performances of such persons also cannot obtain qualification for hearing the holy name…
What should the sādhaka do if a faulty and duplicitous person cheats and disturbs him? Should he contemplate about his wicked character day and night? No, by doing this, that person will never change. On the other hand, if you do kṛṣṇa-kīrtana and that person thinks about you, then his nature will automatically change. But if you think about that person, then his bad qualities will come to you. As a consequence, that person will not only remain the same, but you will also become contaminated. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that we should develop kṣamā guṇa, the mood of forgiveness…
We see that clouds sometimes appear to fight with thunderbolts. Are they tṛṇād-api-sunīcena if they fight and thunder at each other? Hanumān is tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. Because Rāvaṇa was the enemy of his Lord Rāma, he killed and destroyed all of Rāvaṇa’s followers and land. Śrīla Gurudeva said that to fight to defend one’s Prabhu is proper application of tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. Nonetheless, this should only be done with the order and desire of the master. Without their approval, the devotee should be humble and silent…
When a young girl falls in love with a boy, this relationship is very sweet and tasteful in the beginning. And when the boy is away, the girl is always anxious for his return. Is such deep attraction satisfactory? When Kubjā saw Kṛṣṇa in Mathurā, she tried to take Him to her room for enjoyment. Kṛṣṇa was very embarrassed and before Uddhava and Dāūjī said, “How is this lady? The Mathurā ladies are shameless.” He tried to chase her away, but the greedy Kubjā did not listen. Kṛṣṇa thought, “This is not possible. In Vraja-bhūmi the gopīs never do this with Me. Their love is spotless, devoid of any selfish desire.” Real love means that there are no conditions or selfishness. The gopīs are superior, for they carry Kṛṣṇa in their hearts and do not try to control or acquire Him by force. The behavior and rules of mundane attraction are not the rules of real love. Love means to be always ready to fulfill whatever one’s beloved desires…
When Kṛṣṇa plays His flute, the gopīs immediately want to leave their homes and run to meet with Him. Sometimes they get stopped by their mothers or sisters-in-law, who lock the door and brandish sticks. The gopīs who are thus trapped feel so sad and lowly that they leave their bodies and enter into another gopī body manifested by svarūpa-śakti. Then when they see their husbands and in-laws in the house, they feel as if they have absolutely no connection to them. This can only happen because they had the mood of tṛṇād-api-sunīcena…
Kṛṣṇa is wearing a vaijayantī-mālā, and on His head is a turban decorated with fragrant forest flowers. His beautiful limbs are covered by a dress made of peacock feathers, which He wears only because His beloved peacocks offered their feathers to Him. Kṛṣṇa accepts and respects any offering that is done with love, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to be. This is called love. When Kṛṣṇa walks in the forest, all the trees and creepers bend their branches down to Him and decorate Him with their flowers…
Many people think that by chanting harināma, nāma-śakti will come to them, and thus they will become powerful, superior, and great scholars. This is not the proper mood and is not helpful. With a humble mood, we should pray to the devotees who are themselves chanting harināma, and ask them how to get this śakti. Then we have to practice chanting harināma ourselves, and create a relationship with Nāma Prabhu. Then we will experience nāmnām-akari-bahudhā-nija-sarva-śakti…
It is not our duty to correct those who have faults. Our duty is nāma-sevā, vaiṣṇava-sevā, guru-sevā, and dhāma-sevā. We are not authorities. If we are sad to see wrong behavior, we can pray to Kṛṣṇa to help this person and change him. We can request Nāma Prabhu to help them, but we should personally not be against them or take sides. Being against means that we are becoming involved. Then we will think about it and forget our harināma. By this, material things come and acquire our hearts, and we will become the followers of this misbehaving person because we gave him a place in our hearts and minds. Then we will become crazy and depressed, and thus distance ourselves from Kṛṣṇa. If we do not have the power to change people, we should not think about their faults…