(12/14) Gentle Clean Hearts

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 12
Translated from Bengali

So many devotees come to the holy dham of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. It is necessary to be wise. If you run a temple, you do not have to worry about money because if you behave gently with devotees, money will come automatically – money will not be leaving, money will be only coming. So, it is not necessary to think how to force anyone. All this is not necessary.

Sridhar Prabhu told the Lord, ‘Why do You not go to somebody else? I am a poor brahman, and You keep coming to steal my thor (banana stems). You always come and bargain with me!’ Mahaprabhu said, ‘No matter what you say, I will always come to take from your shop!’

We must understand what this means. In one of the lila-kirtans, they sing, ‘Yar hate khai, tar hate khai—yar tar hate khai na (যার হাতে খাই, তার হাতে খাই, যার তার হাতে খাই না).’ Krishna says that He does not take food from anyone and everyone – He eats from the hand of those whose hand He wishes to eat from.

ভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু লুটিপুটি খায় ।
অভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু উলটি নাহি চায় ॥

bhaktera jinisa prabhu lutiputi khaya
abhaktera jinisa prabhu ulti nahi chaya

‘The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it to Him, but He does not want to take anything from a non-devotee.’

(Based on Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.9.185)

The Lord never takes anything from the hands of non-devotees. For example, the Lord never took Duryodhan’s raj-bhoga (royal opulent food), but He took banana skin from Vidura’s wife. He also took chipped rice from Sudama Vipra! When Sudama Vipra came to Krishna, Krishna personally massaged his feet and also told His queens, Satyabhauma, Rukmini and others, to massage his feet. ‘Sudama has come from so far – his feet must be hurting. Let us massage his feet! I am going to massage his feet, and you all must help Me!’ Krishna Himself served His devotee.

Therefore, service to devotees is the highest service. We do not know anything except service to devotees. We have nothing else to aspire for. We must serve devotees.

Many say with their mouths, ‘I will leave my family! I will leave my material life!’ but you must come to the level when you actually feel, with all your being, with all your heart, that your (material) family is nothing. You must make so that all material desires become insignificant, trifle, and so that you feel only attachment and devotion to the Lord.

Our Param Guru Maharaj said, ‘We are looking for the Lord, but at the same time, the Lord is also looking for us.’ We are lost children, and the Lord is looking for us! How much attraction there is! How irresistible it is! The Lord looks for us and calls us, ‘Come back to your home! Come back to God, back to home!’ We lost our home so long ago! We have lost our address! It is to bring us to our real home that sadhus come to this world:

মহান্ত-স্বভাব এই তারিতে পামর ।
নিজ-কার্য্য নাহি তবু যান তার ঘর ॥

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara
nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

‘It is the innate nature of great souls to deliver vile fallen souls. Great souls never come to their homes for any personal purpose.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.8.39)

Sadhus have no business of their own. Why do they go house to house? For some sort of personal interest? No! Because they do not have enough food or clothes? No! Sadhus have no eyes – they do not know anything about food and clothes! They only know to bestow mercy onto you – they only want to bring you to this path and help you practise Krishna consciousness nicely. If you think only about big buildings, temples and other material things, you can never become your guru’s devotee like that. If you can get your guru’s love and affection, that is everything. Even if your guru beats you with a stick, you must continue serving him. Your guru can chastise you, your guru can scold you. I told you yesterday how Nityananda Prabhu bestowed mercy unto Sri Sivananda Sen and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. Even Advaita Prabhu is a very elderly person, but Nityananda Prabhu threw rice into his face! Advaita Prabhu said, ‘Yes, right. How can You possibly fill Your stomach at my house? I am only a poor brahman.’ What he said is right – can we, mere poor brahmans, possibly serve the Lord? The Lord is the master of the entire world, and we cook some boiled potato and rice for Him. Even if you give the whole world to Him, He will eat it all! Nevertheless, we must still try to give everything to the Lord…

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Free Yourself From Deceit
2) Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere
3) Chastity In Preaching
4) Cry, Pray, and Serve
5) Service: Labour of Love
6) Service: Adherence and Attachment
7) Forging Fortune
8) Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service
9) Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam
10) Keep Yourself On Track
11) Are You Getting Off?
12) Gentle Clean Hearts
13) Do Not Give Up
14) False Attachments