Everyone Wants to ‘Know,’ But Few Want to Serve (04/13/08 )
Swami,
I read your answer to A______’s question with great interest. As always your writing is meticulous and leaves little room or necessity to comment further. Although externally I show myself to be a follower of Gaura-Gadādhara, internally I have no such qualification.
Other information that you might work into your reply might be this – Gaura-Viṣṇupriyā were first installed at Yogapīṭha by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and later Sarasvatī Ṭhākura installed Lakṣmīpriya Devī on the same altar. Later on, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura installed Gaura-Gadādhara and Lakṣmī-Narasiṁha (in separate rooms) on top of the samādhi of his mother at Yogapīṭha.
At Yogapīṭha there are the Śrī Mūrtis of Gaura-Rādhā-Mādhava (first altar), Gaura-Lakṣmīi/Viṣṇīupriyā (center altar which also has Adhokṣaja Viṣṇu), and Pañca-Tattva (third altar). At Yogapīṭhathere are also mūrtis of Jagannātha Miśra and Śacī Mātā, Gaura-Gadādhara, Lakṣmī-Narasiṁha, and Kṣetrapāla/Gopeśvara Mahādeva (Śiva-liṅga) etc.
Gaura Lakṣmī/Viṣṇupriyā means Gaura-Nārāyaṇa with Śrī Devī and Bhū Devī. There (Gaura-Lakṣmī/Viṣṇupriyā), Gaura as Kṛṣṇa searching His own self in the mood of Rādhikā is hidden, whereas with Gaura-Gadādhara it is boldfaced, unleashed, devastating! Gaura-Gadādhara — a journey to the unknown and unknowable! There it is all about vipralambha and lastly, union in separation.
My personal emphasis however while preaching on all these related topics is that one should not neglect or minimize the worship of the Lord, His incarnations or His energies. But in the name of exclusive bhajana, too many devotees fall into the pit of armchair philosophy on the higher topics — wanting to know everything about everything internal, but in fact most have no real service engagement or proper qualifications — thus they neglect that which is for their real self interest and simply lick the jar of nectar from the outside (they are unable to acquire an actual taste). Everyone wants to ‘know’ (“I want, I want, I want”), but few want to serve.Therefore, better to appear dumb before such persons and avoid their unsavory association.
