Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 4.105-161.
TEXT
gopinatha amara se eka-i anga haya
inhake candana dile habe mora tapa-kshaya
TRANSLATION
“There is no difference between My body and Gopinatha’s body. They are one and the same. Therefore if you smear the sandalwood pulp on the body of Gopinatha, you will naturally also smear it on My body. Thus the temperature of My body will be reduced.”
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
Gopala was situated in Vrindavana, which was far from Remuna. In those days, one had to pass through provinces governed by the Muslims, who sometimes hindered travelers. Considering the trouble of His devotee, Lord Gopala, the greatest well-wisher of His devotees, ordered Madhavendra Puri to smear the sandalwood pulp on the body of Gopinatha, which was nondifferent from the body of Gopala. In this way the Lord relieved Madhavendra Puri from trouble and inconvenience. —Cc Madhya 4.160
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
“So, this is the beautiful relationship between the Lord and His pure devotee. The pure devotee is ready to take any trouble for the pleasure of the Lord: in fact, he doesn’t take it as trouble—he takes it as pleasure. Even though externally it may be very difficult, internally he takes it as pleasure, because he is able to serve his Lord. But the Lord, knowing the consciousness of His devotee, wants to serve His devotee by saving him the difficulty. This reciprocation is important for us to know because it will serve as a guideline for how we should act, and it will inspire in us greater appreciation for the Lords’ kind and merciful nature. Even though He is the Lord and is meant to receive all service, He is also a person and wants to reciprocate with His loving servant. If the devotee passes a test, then the Lord doesn’t want him to endure any more pain than necessary.”
