(By Sampradāya-saṁrakṣaka Śrī Śrīla Shyām Dās Bābā Mahārāj)
Date 08.05.2026
Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī-pati Śrī Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad-guru said that –“That type of kindness which does not give rise to manda (evil) is termed amandodayā dayā. As for example, if a sick man is allowed to eat tamarind or a drunkard is helped to proceed to a liquor shop, kindness is indeed shown, but in the sequel it turns out to be productive of harm to the person who is the recipient of kindness. If the sick man is placed under medical treatment against his will and inclination, if the drunkard is protected from his evil course, amandodayā dayā (non-harm-producing kindness) is shown. Preventing floods and famines, nursing the sick, pleasing or displeasing anybody, or stultifying the faculty consciousness of any one— every one of these is an instance of mandodayā dayā (harm-producing-kindness). Man cannot understand it until he realises his true position. By such acts the jīva is not really benefited. Cutting the root of misery is doing real good to others; the treatment that allows the gangrene of sensual desires to remain does no real good to the patient—neither is it a proof of great wisdom to lead the sick man out of spite to sensual desires by holding out the prospect of mukti (salvation) as complete and permanent cure.”
svayaṁ niḥśreyasaṁ vidvān na vakty ajñāya karmma hi
na rāti rogiṇo’pathyaṁ vāñchato’pi bhiṣaktamaḥ (SB 6.9.49)
“Just as a good physician, even if the patient evinces a desire for unwholesome food, does not allow it, in like manner he who is himself aware of niḥśreyaḥ (the highest good) never advises an ignorant person to do karma (work).”
The Gauḍīya Maṭh says — “All men of the world without exception are our kin—all birds and beasts, grass and shrubs, are our kindred; whatsoever conscious being, wheresoever existing, belongs to our Lord; we shall conduct our kindred from out of the spells of the enchantress towards home. By enabling those who have fallen into the snares of the enchantress to get more deeply entangled, we shall not be showing, for the time being, sweet sympathy for them. Even if under the spell of the enchantress they fill heaven and earth with their loud protestations against our endeavours, we will still proclaim the message of the amṛta to them. Even if it be contrary to the current of thoughts of the religious or religiously minded people, as that term is understood by the world, or appears strange or wonderful to them, we will still for ever practise and proclaim those religious works, the Sanātana dharmma made by God, the tidings of which are unknown to any of the Ṛṣis, gods, siddhas and men, —the dharmma which, although it happens to be hidden, pure, and difficult to understand, alone enables us to attain the amṛta,—the dharmma that is the supreme dharmma of the jīva, the dharmma to which all jīvas without exception have a claim, the dharmma to which everyone in the universe may become the heir. That dharmma alone is the object as well as the method of our endeavours. The current that is sweeping the world, the flood on which it is adrift—the famine by which it is distressed—the want, fear, sorrow, delusion by which it is mastered, oppressed, and tortured—can be prevented, can be pulled up by root, by the method of moving Homeward, of self-surrender at the holy feet of the sorrowless and fearless amṛta. So long as we shall stay in the foreign land—the greater the distance and the speed with which we shall continue to run towards foreign lands and away from the direction of Home—so long and to the same extent sorrow, fear, and delusion will not leave us; they will, on the contrary, mock at us like the delusive deer by their further and steady increase.”
If we follow strict rules and regulations in the beginning and get habituated, then in future it will be very easy. Don’t lose your level; try to maintain the standard. If we love Prabhupada, we cannot say Prabhupada is too tough, where is his compassion? Love means all in all. If I love Prabhupada then there cannot be any compromise. Even in the material world, I can give one example, there was one girl and she was coming from a very rich family, but she fell in love with one poor motor mechanic. Then the father of the girl was bound to say, “I cannot accept you as my daughter if you marry that guy.” Then that girl said, “Love is love. I cannot throw him away simply because he is poor. I can leave you and go away if the situation demands so.” Then she went away even leaving her father. She was never habituated to live life in poverty but still it was possible for her to make a total adjustment for her husband. Why? Simply because she was in love with her husband. Also, our Guruvarga came from high families but when they found the nectar of Śrīla Prabhupada, they were ready to give up their whole life and belongings. The unique love affair of Śrīmatī Rādhā Rāṇī was so strong that no impediment could stand in the way of Her love for Kṛṣṇa. That is the mystery of a great love affair.
What we often accept as compassion in this world may not be acknowledged as such in the vision of our Gauḍīya Guruvarga. To illustrate this we want to give one very nice example.
Once there was a plain-hearted boy who used to come daily to the Maṭha to get engaged in sevā —sweeping, assisting or hearing hari-kathā etc. But like someday, some of his relatives started thinking that he (the boy) wasting time in the Maṭha. He started thinking about the future of the boy. What he can gain there? It is more practical for him to earn money. With such apparent good mood the relative offered a loan to him so that he can start a business of betel leaves. The boy was very innocent and accepted the advice from his relative. But gradually the business began to grow, so naturally, no more he can give enough time for maṭha sevā. When the devotees of the Maṭha asked him with affection — “Why you are not coming?” he replied, “Now I have this business to maintain, that’s why I have no time to come.”
In this way, in the way of getting ‘so called help’ and ‘compassion’ from his relative he was slowly drawn away from the association of sādhu or the path of bhakti. What was apparently an act of kindness became the cause of his misfortune. How dangerous is the influence of māyā in fine form! What most of the people can accept as compassion in this world may deprive us of our highest maṅgala. All countless varieties of so-called compassion can disconnected us from the service of the Absolute Truth.
Through Śrī Caitanya Vāṇī distribution absolute maṅgala can be propagated in true sense. To get engaged in the service of the vāṇī-sevā of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—this can bring absolute compassion to all jīvas. One who become an instrument of that divine sevā as a postman can bring absolute maṅgala for the whole world. Those who are dedicated to the absolute service of Caitanya Vāṇī, they are the real benefactors of this world, because they are not only trying to find temporary solution of body & mind, rather they always trying their best to awaken the lost relationship of jīva with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The more one can harmonise his life with the teachings and conduct of our Gauḍīya Guruvarga, the more he can help bonded souls to get established in Hari-bhajan. If self maṅgala is ensured, then the question of arrangement of maṅgala for others can come. On the other side the more we harmonise with common society, the more we will be cheated because worldly compassion may appear more practical in the beginning, but ultimately this can prove to be like poison for bonded souls. It is just like the Trojan horse— which externally comes as a gift, but at the end can kill us.
Our Sarasvat Gauḍīya Guruvarga surely not wanted to flatter the minds of those conditioned souls, rather they apply the sharp knife to cut the knot of avidyā (ignorance). In this way, true compassion can never be measured by how pleasant it feels.
Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda wanted to clarify the most vital point that –“A flattering personality can never become a preaching personality.”
So it is very clear that to establish Hari bhakti inside the heart of the bonded jīva – if need to apply apparent heavy treatment still should be done, because to support bonded souls with their dirty saṁskāras of enjoying mood is not at all showing compassion to them, rather it is called extreme jīva-hiṁsā.
Gaura Hari Haribol