After Gaura-pūrṇimā, Śrīla Gurudeva accompanied Ācārya Kesarī and some close associates to various holy sites in Gauḍa-maṇḍala—the area in Bengal where Mahāprabhu performed His pastimes, which includes the appearance places of many exalted Vaiṣṇavas and associates of Mahāprabhu. They went to Śāntipura, the residence of Ādvaita Ācārya, and Phuliyā, where Haridāsa Ṭhākura resided. Next they went to Ambikā-kālanā, where Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita worships the Deities of Gaura-Nityānanda that were created from a neem tree by the Lords’ Themselves when Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita requested the Lords to always stay with him. Ācārya Kesarī and Śrīla Gurudeva then went to Cāṭigrāma, the birth village of Mahāprabhu’s dear associates Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, Caitanya Vallabha, Vāsudeva Datta, and Mukunda Datta. They then went to Ekacakrā-dhāma, the birthplace of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, and next to Kaṭavā, where Nimāī Paṇḍita accepted sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī. Afterwards, they went to Śrīkhaṇḍa, where many eminent associates of Mahāprabhu took birth, such as: Narahari Sarakāra Ṭhākura, Mukunda Ṭhākura, Raghunandana, and Jagadānanda, to name a few. They finished their parikramā at Pānīhāṭī and Ādi Saptagrāma.
Ācārya Kesarī described the pastimes and glories of each place they went to. When Gurudeva heard the glories of Ādi Saptagrāma, the appearance place of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he asked, “Why did renounced Vaiṣṇavas like Haridāsa Ṭhākura go to the house of Hiraṇya and Govardhana Majumadāra? After all, Mahāprabhu said, ‘Meeting with kings and royalty is like taking poison. Renounced Vaiṣṇavas never meet with such men.’ Despite this, we see that numerous Vaiṣṇavas in the renounced order went to the house of the aristocratic viceroy Govardhana. Why was this?”
Ācārya Kesarī explained, “Haridāsa Ṭhākura had no desire for wealth or anything material. He was niśkiñcana-akiñcana, completely neutral and free of mundane desires. Haridāsa Ṭhākura had the transcendental desire to meet with Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the son of Govardhana Majumadāra. Dāsa Gosvāmī came from the eternal world of Vraja-maṇḍala. In Mahāprabhu’s līlā he is Raghunātha, but in vraja-līlā he is Rati Mañjarī. Without Rati Mañjarī’s mercy, rati, attraction for Kṛṣṇa will not arise in one’s heart. Rati Mañjarī bestows anurāga and the desire for bhajana, bhakti, and a transcendental relationship. At present, our rati is for our own senses. Without spiritual strength and attraction we are unable to transcend our material condition and enter the eternal realm.
“Once Nityānanda Prabhu sat under a tree on the bank of the Gaṅga in Pānīhāṭī in the company of Śivānanda Sena and thousands of bhaktas. Raghunātha came to meet Nityānanda Prabhu there and prostrated himself before the Lord from a distance. Nityānanda Prabhu called him forward, saying, ‘Thief! You have been hiding from Me; today I will give you a punishment. Now and forevermore you must serve all the Vaiṣṇavas.’ Nityānanda Prabhu placed both His feet on the head of Śrī Raghunātha and said, ‘The living beings are only truly helped when they receive vraja-rati. You must distribute this rati to not only the people that visit your home but to everyone. I have been thinking about pulina-bhojana—how Kṛṣṇa picnics with His friends on the bank of the Yamunā. Arrange prasāda at once for everyone here. This will please Me.’
“Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī made all necessary arrangements with haste and ease. The love of svarūpa-śakti empowered him. He did not distribute just sweet yogurt, flat rice, and fruits that morning on the riverbank. In that festival, Rati Mañjarī distributed rati, loving attraction for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. The medium was flat rice, ghee, fruit, yogurt, and so forth, but in truth he was not giving ordinary substances. On Lord Nityānanda’s order, he gave his pure heartfelt love to the devotees.
Mahāprabhu directly manifested in the midst of that festival and Nityānanda Prabhu offered the preparations to Him first. Mahāprabhu gladly accepted that offering, prepared with rati and offered by Nityānanda Prabhu—the original guru of all. Afterwards, His prasāda was distributed to tens of thousands of eager recipients. All became full of bliss, receiving the rati distributed by Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Nityānanda Prabhu ordered Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī to never stop this service.”
Gurudeva asked Ācārya Kesarī, “Rati Mañjarī gave this vraja-rati; did not Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura—the emmisary of svarūpa-śakti—also distribute this rati?”
“Indeed he did.”
“And you are also distributing this rati, Gurudeva?”
“Yes,” Ācāryadeva said with a smile, “those fortunate souls who have a ready vessel in their hearts shall receive this rati.”
“If I pray for this,” Gurudeva asked, “will the Guru-varga bestow it upon me?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t they? If you beg for this with faith and respect, the merciful Guru-varga will certainly give it to you.”
Ācārya Kesarī indicated the occupation of sādhakas. “We are simple beggars,” he said. “Sādhakas visit the places of the Guru-varga and beg for vraja-rati from the ācāryas. If you seek charity from general people they may give one, five, or ten rupees, but they can’t give vraja-rati. They will engender viṣaya-rati, attachment for sense objects, and will try to make you their servant. Only the Guru-varga bestow pure love.”
From that time on, Śrīla Gurudeva commited prayers of the Guru-varga to memory and repeated them daily in supplication:
tavaivāsmi tavaivāsmi na jīvāmi tvayā vinā iti vijñāya rādhe tvaṁ naya māṁ caraṇāntike
Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali 96
I am Yours! I am Yours! I cannot live without You! Knowing this, O Rādhe, please give me a place at Your lotus feet.
yat-kiṅkarīṣu bahuśaḥ khalu kāku-vāṇī, nityaṁ parasya puruṣasya śikhaṇḍa-mauleḥ tasyāḥ kadā rasa-nidheḥ vṛṣabhānu-jāyās tat-keli-kuñja-bhavanāṅgana-mārjanī syām
Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi 8
O daughter of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja, O ocean of rasa, that beautiful boy who wears a peacock feather in His hair is actually the original Supreme Personality. Still, He is always falling at the feet of Your maidservants, begging them dolefully with many humble words for entrance into Your kuñja, where the two of You engage in Your playful loving affairs. I pray to become one stick in the broom that Your maidservants use to clean Your delightful kuñja.
hā devī! kāku-bhara-gadgadayādya vācā yāce nipatya bhuvi daṇḍavad-udbhaṭārtiḥ asya prasādam abudhasya janasya kṛtvā gāndharvike! nija-gaṇe gaṇanāṁ vidhehi
Gāndharvā-samprārthanāṣṭakam 2
O Devī, falling on the ground like a stick, I prostrate myself before You and, in great distress, implore You with a choked voice: O Gandharvikā, please mercifully count this fool as one of Your own.
Śrīla Gurudeva daily petitioned the Divine Couple with these verses. He also memorized the love-filled songs of the previous ācāryas and absorbed his mind in those meditations. Gurudeva became a skilled kīrtanīya and encouraged his juniors to participate in kīrtana. When he sang, Gurudeva meditated on the profound meanings of the songs. Ācārya Kesarī and the other Vaiṣṇavas were delighted with the sweetness of Śrīla Gurudeva’s singing. Gurudeva encouraged all the devotees to attend the temple functions. If a brahmacārī did not attend the temple kīrtana and classes, Gurudeva would take note and ask him, “Prabhu, is something wrong? Are you ill and unable to attend the programs? How can I help you?” If that brahmacārī continued his absence, Gurudeva would come sit by his bed at ārātī time and start playing instruments and singing there. Grinning, the devotee would then accompany Gurudeva to the temple hall.