THE RISING AND SETTING SUN

I am very happy to join this function specially for my Siksa-gurudev Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, who taught me from my childhood. His disappearance day is very painful for all the devotees and also myself. I heard the description of his disappearance time and situation from Srila Krishnadas Babaji Maharaj, Charu Swami, and Bhavananda Maharaj. Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, was also very shocked when he heard.

One day will come for everybody. We all must leave this mundane world. It is the natural flow. When we take birth, then death will come to us. But the birth and disappearance of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and His associates are not the same as mundane persons. Bhagavan Sri Krishna comes to fulfil His own desire, and His devotees also come to fulfil His desire.

In Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Krishna said:

janma karma cha me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna
(4.9)

“My birth and My activities are not like mundane births and activities.”

We say avirbhav and tirobhav. We do not say ‘birth’ and ‘death’. Avirbhav means appearance, and tirobhav means disappearance. The sun rises in the east. We can say it is ‘appears’ there. The sun sets in the West; it ‘disappears’. The sun is always bright, but in our vision, he goes away.

I cannot speak properly, but if you will follow my heart, then you can also understand what I want to say. We cannot properly understand the glories of the devotees, the associates of Krishna, or the Deity, or the Vaisnavas, or Guru. We look at our Gurudev like ourselves, as a mundane man. He eats, he sleeps, he works, he passes stool. Everything looks mundane, but it is not the same as me and not like mundane persons.

Actually Gurudev appeared for me to rescue me from the illusory environment. Where will he take me? Up to Goloka Vrndavan. That is his position. Krishna Himself appeared for me, because I am a very fallen soul, a conditioned soul. Krishna is always searching for me, and if I give my intention and attention, then He can happily take me. Krishna gave us freedom. Why? So we can freely serve Him, with our free choice we can serve Him.