Chastity To Prasad

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 10 February 2015

Without service, our life is nothing, our life is useless...

The place we went to was a place of pure devotion, but not everywhere the place is good. For example, next Saturday I am going to a place of false renunciation, sahajiya.

There are many kinds of areas, many kinds of people, and many kinds of devotees in this world—some have devotion to alcohol, some to Mother Kali, some to Lord Siva, etc. There is karma-misra bhakti, jnana-misra bhakti, jnana-sunya bhakti, but pure devotion (suddha bhakti) is very rare. Many come to the lotus feet of Gurudev, but there are guru-bhogi, guru-tyagi, and guru-sevi—some use their Guru, some renounce their Guru, and only a very little percent serve their Guru.

These villagers have so much love, affection... You saw how yesterday an old lady grabbed me. This is her devotion. There were many people around, but she was not ashamed—she forcefully took me to her house.

Devotee: Does she know you from before?

Yes, she has come here many times, and I also have been going to that area for twenty years. After Gurudev disappeared there was some problem, and I could not go, I sent somebody else to that area. So, the devotees were waiting for me—even yesterday at night they were also asking me to come to their houses, but it was too late to visit any more houses.

In that area, there are a few disciples of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and mostly Gurudev's disciples. Gurudev did not go house to house in India. He only went for preaching to one place in Bengal, in 1990, but after that they lost faith in their Guru. Although Gurudev had stayed there, I do not go to that house any more because they do not follow the proper line—even in Gurudev's time also they did not come regularly, did not attend the programmes, etc. I tried to go there a few times, tried to give them some benefit, but they did not accept it. If I went there now, I would have to take a glass of water from them, but if I cannot give any benefit to them, why will I take water from them? This is why I do not go there any more.

This time I did not go collecting house to house, door to door so much—we only went to maybe ten-twelve houses, not more, and people came themselves and gave me some donation. Sometimes somebody would forcefully take me to their house, then I would go. Before, when I was a brahmachari, I would go to eighty houses a day—fifty houses in the morning, thirty in the afternoon. This time it was like relaxing. When Gurudev was there I would go door to door, house to house, collect rice, potato, etc. At that time I could also eat much—I would go to eighty houses, and every house they gave five-ten pieces of rasagulla, and I had to take at least one: eighty houses, eighty rasagullas...

People have devotion, have love and affection, and that is our happiness: প্রাণ আছে যার সেই হেতু প্রচার, pran achhe yar, sei hetu prachar, as long as you are alive, as long as you keep your jiva soul in the body, you must continue preaching, continue your preaching movement. One day this body will also be finished—everything will be finished, demolished. We always remember, "শরীর অবিদ্যা-জাল জড়েন্দ্রিয় তাহে কাল জীবে ফেলে বিষয়-সাগরে, sarira avidya-jala jadendriya tahe kala jive phele visaya-sagare: the body is a net of illusion, and the material senses—chaksu, karna, nasika, jihva, tvak, man, buddhi, ahankar, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, mind, intelligence, ego—are one's enemies; they throw the soul into the ocean of mundanity."

Next Saturday we are again going for preaching. Are you tired?

Devotee: I'm not, but so many misti (sweets)...

Why are you eating so many misti then? Do not eat it...

Devotee: They are giving it forcefully.

Not at all places...

বিষয়ীর অন্ন খাইলে মলিন হয় মন ।
মলিন মন হৈলে, নহে কৃষ্ণের স্মরণ ॥

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile nahe krsnera smarana

When a materialist offers you some food, your mind becomes contaminated, and when the mind becomes contaminated, you cannot remember Krishna.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.278

We cannot take things at all places. Sometimes I take only the Tulasi leaves. If you take something from the hands of someone who is not a devotee—karmi, jnani, yogi—that reaction will come to you. This is why we do not take things from outside without discrimination. If you stay alone, you can cook in your room, offer it to the Lord, to your Guru, and take that prasadam—you will be happy, and your devotion will be all right.

You will not get so much opulent prasadam at every place. Some place is a mayavadi place, some is a false renunciation, sahajiya, place. You have been to the place of pure devotion, and now we are going to the place of false renunciation—they will touch your feet and cry, but they will not spend one rupee for the Deities, for the Lord, or the Guru. They only show false renunciation. You will see...

For this reason we do not accept things from everywhere without discrimination, even if it is prasadam—somebody offers something to Mother Kali, Mother Durga, Laksmi Devi, demigods and goddesses, but we do not take that prasadam. Reaction will come if we do. Big-big Vaishnavs have the power to digest anything, but we are practitioners...

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