[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on January 27th, 1998, Bali, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 24]
Srila Gurudeva: I am advising you to follow a very sincere devotee like Sanatana Gosvami. How did he become happy? He was prime minister at that time, but he left this and took shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I am going to describe something about his life and precepts. At that time he was the prime minister of a king. We should know that by our own efforts, by our own activities, we cannot do anything if there is no mercy from the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His associates. Sanatana Gosvami was the eldest of three brothers. The three brothers were all engaged in the service of Hussain Shah, the Muslim king in India. But they wanted to have devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
They were so sincere. They wanted to sacrifice everything for krsna-bhakti, but they were waiting and waiting. Despite occupying such a high post, the three brothers used to read Srimad-Bhagavatam. They were also chanting and engaged in many devotional services. They had so much opulence, so much wealth. They were free to do anything as they liked. But they were always thinking, “How can we progress in krsna-bhakti?” Yet they were helpless because without any high class of association, anyone cannot develop his Krsna consciousness. He tried hard to find a bona-fide Guru. He searched here and there, but he had no trust in such Gurus. He was worried for this, always thinking, “How can I develop in krsna-bhakti? What should we do?” They wanted to sacrifice everything for Krsna, but there was no guidance at all. You should very carefully hear this. If anyone is sincerely praying to Krsna that, “O Krsna, I want to serve You,” and from the core of heart he prays to Krsna that, “You should give me shelter. I want to serve You, but I don’t know how to serve You. I am helpless. I don’t know any way to reach You. So please arrange for me.”
If he gives himself at the lotus feet of Krsna, if he becomes saranagata, surrendered, then Krsna arranges everything for that person. He arranges for Gurudeva, for good, high-class association, hari-katha, and everything. Krsna arranges all of these things for that person. They were so honest, they were so sincere, and they had offered everything at the lotus feet of Krsna, their heart and everything. So Krsna accepted them. Then Krsna in the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided that He wanted to go to Vrndavana. He made a program to go to Vrndavana in such a way that He would travel from Jagannatha Puri along the bank of the Ganges up to Prayaga. He would go along the bank of the Ganges and from there He would reach the bank of the Yamuna and thus He would reach Mathura and Vrndavana. There was a much shorter route than this, but He did not use that route. He wanted to go by this way. Why did He not use the short way? Because He knew the heart of Srila Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami. He wanted to help them and give His association to them.