Questions and Answers

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata, speaking online to
devotees in Kharkiv (Ukraine),
2 June 2019, part 3

Do you have any questions?

Question: Can we offer the Tulasi leaves that have touched the floor or the ground or have fallen down?

Offer them to whom?

Question: To Gurudev or the Deities.

Oh, yes, you can wash the leaves and give them, it is not a problem. Tulasi is always pure.

Question: Gurudev, we see Tulasi tree as a tree...

No, no! Tulasi is not a tree. Tulasi always worships the Lord. You see Tulasi in the garden because Tulasi got a curse from Srimati Radharani—Srimati Radharani said, "You will be born in the material world." After that, Tulasi became a tree and started worshipping the Lord. So, wherever there a Tulasi in the garden, that Tulasi is doing dhyan—she is in meditation.

Tulasi is a part of Narayan, she is Laksmi. Tulasi Maharani's body became the Gandaki River in Nepal; and her hair became the Tulasi leaves. I was reading about this in Bengali from Brahma Vivarta and Padma Purana the other day.

Question: Tulasi Maharani expands herself into million forms to accept service from the devotees—is that so?

Yes, correct, and actually whenever we see a Tulasi in a forest or in a garden, she always practises meditation, dhyan.

Question: We have heard about the kirtan that Mahaprabhu did with the devotees in Jagannath Puri, that it was a great sankirtan before Lord Jagannath that all the fourteen worlds can hear, and we would like to ask you if the kirtans at Srivas-angan and the mood during those kirtans were the same or different?

This is sankirtan. Mahaprabhu externally showed the distribution of the Holy Names all over the world and manifested sankirtan at Srivas-angan, and He also did maha-sankirtan in Jagannath Puri before the chariot of Jagannath during Ratha-yatra. Both sankirtans are the same, there is no difference, but what Mahaprabhu discussed with Ray Ramananda and Svarup Damodar in Gambhira is the highest conception.

Question: We hear that the Guru is a representative of the Lord. If Gurudev gives one some blessing, will Lord Krishna always help or He will decide?

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur says that you will not get any letter from the Lord, if you ask your Guru proper questions about the solution of your problem or what is necessary for your spiritual life, Gurudev will send your message to the Lord.

বৈষ্ণবের আবেদনে কৃষ্ণ দয়াময় ।
এ হেন পামর প্রতি হবেন সদয় ॥

vaisnavera avedane krsna dayamaya
e hena pamara prati habena sadaya

"Satisfied by the Vaishnav's prayer, Krishna will be merciful to this sinner."

When Gurudev tells about you to the Lord, Krishna will become kind and He will fulfil your desire to serve Him. Srimati Radharani is Krishna's power, and Krishna is Radharani's property—Gurudev is nondifferent from Radharani, so the Guru can engage you in the service of the Lord.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also says that Nityananda Prabhu is nondifferent from Mahaprabhu. Nitai and Gaurachandra and Krishna are the same—They are two forms of One. There are different moods—dasya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa, madhura rasa. In sakhya rasa, Nityananda Prabhu is our Guru, and in madhura rasa, Radharani is our Guru.

What was the question?

Question: The question was that Srila Sridhar Maharaj says that the power of Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is such that we need only to be greedy to get this mercy—are there any actions expected from us though?

Nityananda Prabhu is nondifferent from Gurudev, He is asraya vigraha (He gives shelter), that is why we must start our devotional life from Nityananda Prabhu. We must worship Nitai Gaura. In this age of Kali, it is very difficult to worship or understand Radha-Krishna, it is a very high conception, that is why in our general, simple lives, we must follow Nityananda Prabhu's mood. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu to preach about Krishna, but Nityananda Prabhu would go and tell everyone,

ভজ গৌরাঙ্গ, কহ গৌরাঙ্গ, লহ গৌরাঙ্গের নাম রে
যে জন গৌরাঙ্গ ভজে, সেই আমার প্রাণ রে

bhaja gauranga, kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje, sei amara prana re

"Worship Gauranga! Say Gauranga! Take Gauranga's Name! Those who worship Gauranga are My heart and soul!"

During his last days, Srila Sridhar Maharaj did not even chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—he would always chant, "Nitai Gaura Hari bol, Nitai Gaura Hari bol." That is because there is no offence in chanting the Names of Nitai and Gauranga.

Thank you everybody, make a programme again.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
All the Ukrainian devotees ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Devotees: Jay Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Download (2.8 Mb)