GUIDANCE

Issue# 14

Lectures of His Divine Grace

Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj

published at SCSMathInternational.com during January-March 2018

CONTENT

Protect the Mission, Protect Yourself

Sri Nabadwip Dham, India

24 July 2013

...Actually, they took initiation from Gurudev, but it is not enough to only take initiation. Initiation means

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana

sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts them as His very own."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

Initiation (diksa) means you surrender to Gurudev, it means atma-samarpan, surrender. But what they are doing is not surrendered mood. I am saying it very strongly—it is not surrendered mood. It is like you are saying, "My father is very nice, my father is very nice," but you are not giving food to your father. This is not surrender. Your father is hungry and you are giving him a garland. Gurudev said, "I am very hungry now, and you are giving me a garland?! What is this? Shall I eat the garland now?"

They do not worship the Deities properly, they do not do their service properly, they are not protecting their Mission. It is dangerous to say it but I am very sad about it. Devotees are hiding—they go to family life and enjoying so much with their family life. How long are they going to do this? This is not the real initiation. You only come to Gurudev, take a prescription from him but you are not taking the medicine. What is the medicine? The medicine is service. Gurudev said, "If you have service, you have mercy; if you have no service, you have no mercy."

I see how many people are serving now. They serve from far, but this is not right. You must come, you must join the programmes, you must arrange a class, you have so many senior devotees there, so many devotees are there. You think, "I can worship my Guru in my room," but this is not our line, this is not Prabhupad's line. This is not what Gurudev left you here for. What did Gurudev leave you here for? So that you can tell about Gurudev and his mission everywhere. It is prachar, preaching. Preaching is necessary. Jive daya (giving mercy to the souls) is necessary.

If you only sit in your room—if you work all day and sleep all night; if you only sleep and eat, as Gurudev said, this is a "pocha grihastha's" life (rotten householder's life). It is necessary to come to the Mission, protect the Mission—protect Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. You must not have ego thinking, "Oh, I cannot become the manager!" Gurudev says that if you want to reach your destination, if you want to be a good devotee, it is not necessary to be a manager, it is not necessary to be an acharya, it is not necessary to take a big position in the temple—you may have no position in the temple, but you can do service. Everybody is welcome to serve there. What is the need to have ego? Ego takes you away from service. It is very difficult for us, and for everybody also.

You must cry to Nityananda Prabhu:

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe

samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become insignificant?"

('Prarthana' by Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

"When will Nityananda give mercy? When will my material desires be removed from my heart?"

kabe nityananda more kari' daya

chhadaibe mora visayera maya

"When will Nityananda be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"Material illusory environment is attacking me, all these things are attacking me—when will it be removed from my heart?" You must all pray to Nityananda Prabhu and I am also praying for that. We must come, we must join the mission.

Also I am thinking that most people do not take prasadam... It is said,

prasada-seva karite haya,

sakala prapancha-jaya

"By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions."

(Saranagati, 31.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Prapancha means pancha jiva himsa (five kinds of violence). How will this prapancha finish if you do not take prasadam—if you only eat outside or cook for yourself? Krishna says in Srimad Bhagavad-gita says, "If you cook for yourself, you are eating the things stolen from Me, but if you cook for Me, then that food is not stolen. If you take prasadam, all kinds of sins will be removed."

I think most of the devotees do not do this—they do not practise properly, with full consciousness. Gurudev's last word is wherever you live, you must maintain your spiritual life, your practitioner's life, but I doubt that everybody is following it. We must follow Gurudev's instruction. We must join the mission and practise properly. Take devotees' association, sometimes make some sankirtan, that is good for you.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

* * *

Chaste and Sincere Service

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

When Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu were in Kalna, they came to the house of Gauri Das Pandit. Having taken prasadam, They were about to leave, but Gauri Das Pandit said, "To come here was Your desire, but it is my desire that You do not leave—I cannot let You leave." Suddenly, there appeared Deities—Gauri Das Pandit looked behind and saw Deities standing there. Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu asked him, "Who will stay?" Gauri Das Pandit was puzzled—in front of him there were Gaura Nitai and behind him there were Gaura Nitai. Those Deities of Gaura Nitai are still there in Kalna. The sakti (power) of Nityananda, Jahnavi and Vasudha, also came from Kalna.

I was telling yesterday also how Gunarnava Misra committed offence at the feet of Nityananda Prabhu, at the feet of Ramdas Minaketan. Because Ramdas Minaketan was Nityananda Prabhu's servitor, Gunarnava Misra did not show any respect to him (he did not like Nityananda Prabhu). He could not recognise who Nityananda Prabhu was. The brother of Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami (who had invited Gunarnava Misra to their house) supported Gunarnava Misra. Ramdas Minaketan came to Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami and said to him, "What is your brother doing? What kirtan is he doing? Who does he worship? He shows respect to One, but not to the Other?" After that, when Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami went to bed, Nityananda Prabhu called him, "Listen, Krishna Das! Do not stay in Jhamatpur any longer, come to Vrindavan!" And Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami left for Vrindavan...

If we can spend this whole life engaged in the service of the Lord, in the service of our Guru, Vaishnavs, Bhagavan, we will attain happiness.

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva

iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

"Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion."

You have read the Gita—Krishna says there, "If you worship Kali, Durga, Ganesh, Laksmi, whoever you worship, you are actually worshipping Me, but incorrectly [not following the prescribed process]."

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari

kaya-mane kariba bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva

ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur's explanation of Srila Rupa Goswami's verse above)

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya

krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

Your debt to mother, father, sages, demigods, all your debts are cleared—if you worship Krishna, you do not have to worship any gods or demigods. You have heard also how Gopal said in Vrindavan, "Worship Govardhan! Why are you worshipping Indra? I am Govardhan!"

We must understand these things. We must be chaste, we must be sincere, we must accept these teachings. Taking shelter of Guru and Vaishnavs, serving the Guru and Vaishnavs is what is called bhajan (service). If you serve the jiva souls, the soul must get benefit. Following the whims of your mind in the name of service is not service—following the Guru and Vaishnavs, serving the Guru and Vaishnavs, satisfying them is called bhajan.

How long will we be in this world, tell me? Since time immemorial we have been averse to Krishna, and now, having crossed 8,400,000 species, we have got this very rare human birth:

durlabha manava janma labhiya samsare

krsna na bhajinu duhkha kahiba kahare?

"I have got a very rare human life in this world, but I have not worshipped Lord Krishna. Whom can I tell of my misery?"

We do not say that you are not allowed to have a family—we say that you must not engage in karma. Somebody can ask then, "If I am not allowed to engage in karma, it means I cannot go to work, I cannot do business?" It is not so. You must do what you do, but do it as service. If you engage in karma (if you do something pursuing the result for your own purpose), you will be bound by that karma and the result of bondage of karma is suffering in hell(!). You must do what you do but do it as service. A cat may carry a mouse in its mouth and the same cat may also carry its own kitten in its mouth—it looks the same, does it not? But the motive is not the same.

atmendriya-priti-vancha—tare bali 'kama'

krsnendriya-priti-ichchha dhare 'prema' nama

"The desire to gratify one's own senses is kama (lust), but the desire to please the senses of Lord Krishna is prema (love)."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 4.165)

If you do something for your own pleasure, that is karma.

nijera posana, kabhu na bhaviba,

rahiba bhavera bhare

"I will never think about my own maintenance; I will always remain within the shelter of loving attachment for You."

"I will never think about my own self."

False renunciates say, "I will not stay in the temple, I will go to a jungle—I will stay and practise meditation there." They will end up in "Gita samsara"... They may go to a jungle, but their stomach will go with them! You must leave false renunciation and accept proper renunciation, you must do service. What service have we done at the temple of our Guru Maharaj? How much have we been able to serve the temple of our Guru Maharaj? We must think about this.

* * *

Highest Benefactors

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

A Guru takes a disciple so that the disciple can serve the Lord. So, we must ask ourselves and judge it for ourselves, "How much service have I done?"

pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana

lobha-hata sada kami

e hena durjana sajjana-varjita

aparadhi nirantara

"I always do bad things for my own name and fame. I am ruined by greed and constantly covetous. Devotees avoid such a sinner as I am. I am a constant offender."

We always make offences and the Holy Name never comes to the mouth of an offender:

'krsna-nama' kare aparadhera vichara

krsna balile aparadhira na haya vikara

“There is a consideration of offences when one chants Krishna Nam—offenders to the Name get no effect from their chanting.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamita, Adi-lila, 8.24)

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya

namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

The Name of Krishna never appears in bad association. If you want to chant the Holy Name, then

'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga'—sarva sastre kaya

lava-matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi haya

“‘Good association’, ‘good association,’ all the scriptures keep saying. Only by good association can you get all perfection.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.54)

You must keep good association. Who can chant the Holy Name (do kirtan)?

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara

apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana

pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana

“Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean. Practise tolerance like a tree. Give up vengeance and nurture others.”

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe

para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

dainya, daya anye mana, pratistha-varjana

chari gune guni hai karaha kirtana

"Live without causing anxiety to others; do good unto others without considering your own happiness. Humility, compassion, honouring others, and giving up prestige—become qualified with these four qualities and chant the Name."

(Sri Siksastakam Giti)

You must do kirtan with these four qualities. Who has the right to do kirtan? Those who have humility, tolerance and who can give honour to others.

Once, a sadhu was sitting and chanting the Holy Name on the bank of the Ganges. Suddenly he saw a scorpion moving towards the bank of the Ganges. The sadhu thought, "If the scorpion comes to the Ganges, he will be washed away and die. I must do something." He put his mala on his neck, picked the scorpion and put it far from the bank of the Ganga so that it could not go to the water again, but after a while the scorpion again went towards the water. The sadhu again picked it up and kept it aside. It repeated many times. One boy was passing that place and, having seen what sadhu was doing, he asked the sadhu, "Sadhu, what are you doing? Do you have nothing to do? What is it to you if this scorpion is saved or not?" The sadhu replied, "Even if this scorpion cannot change his character—if he is going to die, I must try to save it."

There are people in this world who are heading towards death, and those who really want their benefit are merciful to the jiva souls—and to give mercy to the jiva souls they tolerate abuse just like Nityananda Prabhu did! "Mar kheyeo nam prema yache: Nitai endures being beaten yet gives His aggressors divine love."

Madhai hit Nityananda Prabhu, but Nityananda Prabhu said, "You can beat Me, it is not a problem, but only chant the Holy Name!" When blood fell from His head, Haridas Thakur ran to Mahaprabhu to tell Him the news. Mahaprabhu called Sudarshan, and Sudarshan came at once, but Nityananda Prabhu said, "What are You doing, Prabhu? I am begging You for Madhai—please give him Your mercy!"

Is there anyone in this material world except this Nityananda Prabhu? Is there anything in this world worth living for without His mercy? To get this Nityananda Prabhu it is necessary to give up material attachment:

krsna-bhakta—niskama, ataeva 'santa'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami—sakali 'asanta'

"A devotee of Krishna has no desires and is always peaceful. Those who have material desires, desire for liberation or desire for some perfection are always lusty and never know any peace."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.149)

So, that sadhu said, "If the scorpion cannot change its character, why should I change my character?" Sadhus always want to save the jiva souls.

sakti-buddhi-hina ami ati dina

kara more atma-satha

"I am devoid of ability and intelligence, and greatly distressed. Please accept me."

We pray to Gurudev, "Please hijack me! Take me!" Sadhus do not come to take your money, your wealth. Those who take the disciple's money can never be a sadhu; those who take away the disciple's suffering and misery are the highest sadhu. It is written in Padma Purana that the number of vitta-harankari gurus (who come to take your wealth and money) is great, but the number of santap-harankari gurus (who come to take your misery away) is very small…

* * *

Sadhus' Target

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

It is rare to get a good doctor in this world—most of them take your money or advise you to enjoy the world. Just as Sukracharya advised Bali Maharaj that in order to save your wealth and property, it is necessary to tell a lie, it is necessary to take back the word you had given, but Bali Maharaj did not listen to him—he gave up his guru. Sadhus come to hijack souls from the family of Maya and bring them to the family of Krishna.

Once I went for preaching in Midnapore, it was perhaps 20 or so years ago (before I took sannyas). A man came to me from one of the houses there and said with folded palms, "Prabhu, please do not come to our house—there is nothing we can do to help you." I said to him, "I have not come to take anybody's help, I have come to help you." The programme that day was in a house nearby, and that man sat at the programme. Many people assembled there that day including brahmacharis and foreign devotees. I told him to sit and just listen to what I have to say.

The man listened to the class and began to cry in the end. He went back to his house and brought all the rice he had at home and also gave whatever money he had with him. When I asked him, "You have given us all your rice, what are you going to eat in the evening?" he answered, "The Lord will take care of that."

I gave him an invitation to Gaura Purnima, told him to come to Nabadwip. He said, "Oh Lord, do I have the fortune to come to Nabadwip? So much money is necessary to get there and to stay there also! If I can manage somehow to come one day, I will come." Then I told him, "Here is what you do. You have six people at your house and you cook two kg of rice every day, so take a handful of rice and keep it aside in a pot. I will come next year."

When I came next year, I asked him how much rice he had collected. He said he had thirty-six kg of rice. I told him to give ten kg to the temple and sell the rest, then take his two daughters (one was eight years old and the other one five years old) and come to Nabadwip. He did that.

He did Nabadwip Dham parikrama properly and took initiation from Gurudev on Gaura Purnima. After that, he went back home, practised properly, eventually he got a good job and managed to run the family nicely. His daughters come now all the time, they went to Vrindavan, to Puri; when they come to Nabadwip they also bring some other people with them—they preach. Now they ask me, "Maharaj, how come you are not coming to our village now?" I told them, "Your father thought I had come to steal something from you, that I had come to take your money, but actually I had come to steal you. You have taken initiation, your husband has taken initiation, your father, mother have taken initiation—I have already hijacked all your family, what will I go there now for?" They laughed, "Yes, now we understand what you came for." Now there is kirtan in that place...

Sometimes in Birbhum, when you go by train or by bus, some musicians start singing a song, "O my Golden Gora, I will keep You in my heart and never leave You..." I ask them, "Do you actually serve Gora?"

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale

gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

“Just saying, ‘I am Gora's! I am Gora’s!' does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

They sing to earn money—they do not practise anything. They use Gaura, they use Nitai. It is said,

haya gora bhaja, naya loka bhaja bhai

eka-patre dui kabhu na rahe eka thani

"Brother, either serve Gora or serve society. The two never remain in one place together."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 4.15)

"If you worship Gora and worship the society, it is the same as crossing a river standing with your two legs in two different boat." "Sarala hale gorara siksa bujhiya la-ibe: you will understand Gora's teachings if you are sincere." (Pv, 8.3)

You can serve the Lord even staying in a family, but you must make your family Krishna's family. "Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi' anachar": make your family Krishna's family and leave bad habits. It is necessary to leave bad habits, otherwise you will not get any result. Drinking milk and taking tobacco will not do—it is necessary to accept what is favourable to devotion and reject what is not favourable. If you do both, what is favourable and what is unfavourable, it will not do. Did I not tell you just yesterday? Atyahara (too much eating), prayascha (hoarding), prajalpa (talking nonsense), niyamagraha (superficial following of the rules), laulancha (being fickle-minded), jana-sanghancha (non-devotee association); mana-veg (mental urge), krodha-veg (urge of anger), jihva-veg (urge of tongue), udar-vega (urge of stomach), upastha-veg (urge of genitals), vakya-veg (urge of speech)—you must give up all these. Even if you go to heaven, you will have to come back from there—you know that even Indra, the king of heaven, had to take birth as a pig...

We must always remember and be aware of this.

* * *

Beyond “I” and “Mine”

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,

baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari

janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!

ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Non-devotees say, "Dhanam dehi, vidhyam dehi, rupam dehi, bharyam dehi—make me rich, make me clever, make me beautiful, give me a nice wife"; and Mahaprabhu taught,

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want knowledge, I do not want beauty, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

"I do not want anything—not money, not knowledge, not anything else; I only wish for to have causeless devotion to Your feet (ahaituki bhakti charane tomara)."

There are selfish devotees (sakam bhakta) and there are selfless devotees (niskam bhakta). There is karma-misra bhakti (devotion driven by the desire of material gain), jnana-misra bhakti (devotion driven by the desire to gain knowledge), and jnana-sunya bhakti (devotion devoid of any desire to gain knowledge). Among millions of fruitive workers there is only one wise person; among millions of such wise people there is one liberated soul; and among millions of such liberated souls there is only one devotee of Krishna. Even though such a devotee is so rare, he can rescue the entire universe.

It is necessary to always remember about this.

Even Lord Indra himself had to be born as a pig. The guru of the demigods, Brihaspati, cursed him to be born as a pig—twelve years later Brahma came to him to teach him and take him back. You can even get a body of a crocodile—in Kali-yuga there was a Pastime at Gora-daha when a child demigod got a body of a crocodile but in the end as a result of chanting the Holy Name he again got his demigod body. There is Kaliya-daha lila in Vrindavan and there is Gora-daha lila in Nabadwip.

We must live always remembering this, always thinking about this. What have we got this human birth for?

To cross this material world we must worship the lotus feet of Nitai, but we go home and forget everything—we do not practise, we do not follow the rules and regulations, nothing. I spoke yesterday about the glories of Ekadasi, and I told you what happens if one does not observe Ekadasi, what happens if you eat rice on Ekadasi, I told you everything. But it does not hit home—we think, "Whatever."

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya

sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

"One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.227)

We are slaves of our tongues, but look at the examples of the Vaishnavs. There were so many Vaishnavs in Puri, and Raghunath Das Goswami would pay a full obeisance to each and every of them whenever he met them. There was Vasudev Vipra also, his body had such a disease that pus would ooze from his body and there were worms in his sores—when the worms fell out of his sores, he would pick them up and put them back into the sores, thinking, "If they are happy living in these sores, then let them be. I will go and leave this body soon, I will not take anything with me, nothing is mine." Yet, we always think "my" and "I". "Asatyera satya kari mani": we always take untruth as truth. We always believe that His things are ours and we cannot control our anger and the other urges...

Always remember about this.

* * *

"Please Do Not Forget"

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

The Lord cannot tolerate when His devotee is harassed, when His devotee is hurt or disrespected. We must try to never give pain to devotees. "Bhakta More bandhiya rakhiya hrdaya kamale: devotees have Me tied to the lotus of their hearts." A cow cannot go anywhere without her calf—when the calf walks in front of her, then the cow walks behind it. The Lord is also like this. The Lord always rests in the hearts of His devotees:

bhaktera hrdaye sada govinda-visrama

govinda kahena—mama vaisnava parana

“Govinda always rests in the hearts of His devotees. Govinda says, ‘Vaishnavs are My life and soul.’“

Suppose you have two children. One child always asks you, "Give me this, give me that, give me this, give me that", and the other child serves you in every way, takes care of you—who will you give your mercy and be affectionate to? The same is true with the Lord—those who serve the Lord selflessly (niskama), who think, "Whatever lot is destined for me, it is fine," they get the Lord's mercy. And if you like prayascha, to hoard or accumulate too much, then you will never get anything.

Whatever you do, who do you do it for? We think, "My house, my room, my family"... When you close your eyes, everything will stay here.

"Kothay chhilam, hetay elam, kothay yabo bhavi nai: where I was, where I came, where I will go—I do not know." We have got this rare human birth at last, and if, having got this human birth, we do not use ourselves for the service of the Lord, we will have to take birth again. You think you will go to heaven, but even the demigods have to come back from heaven, and you too will have to come back. This is written both in Srimad Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

Whatever you have got is meant for the service of the Lord. The Lord says, "Whatever is created in this world, is meant for My service, for My enjoyment. You enjoy everything out of ego, but actually you are stealing My things and you are only enjoying sin." It is said in the Gita, "If you cook something and do not offer it to Me—if you steal and eat My things—you only enjoy sin." Devotees always offer everything to the Lord and take prasadam.

prasada-seva karite haya,

sakala prapancha-jaya

"By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions."

(Saranagati, 31.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

jivana anitya janaha sara

tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara

namasraya kari' yatane tumi

thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base

nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

"My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me."

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We never think that one day we have to leave this place...

I am requesting you all—please do not forget service to the Lord. You can make a temple in your own room or house. When you do everything for the Lord, when you use your room for the Lord, then your room becomes a temple…

* * *

Eternal and Internal Devotion

8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi

grhete goloka bhaya

“On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.”

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

The house where the eternal service of the Lord is going on every day, where eternal kirtan is going on, is Goloka Vrindavan. You can use your house for the eternal service of the Lord. Many of our devotees live like that.

They offer the bhog to the Lord and then take prasad. They do not take or enjoy anything except prasadam. They wake up, take full prasad, go to work, and, if they do not come home for lunch, they take a tiffin box (a lunch box) to work. They do not take outside things.

When you buy something outside (fried savouries, snacks, samosas, etc.), the person who you buy it from or who gives it to you has material desires in their mind and those desires will come to you. You think, "Let me get some sweet rice and some samosas," but when you buy it from outside people, the desires of that person who you buy it from will come to you. That is why we do not take outside food, nor do we eat food that comes from non-devotees.

In some houses we do not even take water from people because if somebody gives me a glass of water, I am thinking some other non-devotee people have drunk from that glass, and it is not good to drink from it. So, it includes even water too. Devotees have no job at any house, at any place except their homes. Sometimes, when there is a programme at a non-devotee house, they will be making nice fries, luchis, etc., but I lie and say, "Oh, sorry, I do not eat in the evenings"—I will go and take prasadam at the house where I am staying, and not anywhere else. I have no difficulty with that, but if I do not do it, then there will be a difficulty for me.

...Tomorrow is upavas (fasting). Do you know about it? Tomorrow is fast till noon. Do you know the meaning of upavas? "Upavas" means "nikate vasa", sitting near. Near whom? Near the Lord, near Hari. So, tomorrow is the appearance day of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, fast on this day—even if it is a bit difficult for you, fast. Fast till noon, after that you can take prasad full stomach. And appreciate whatever prasad comes...

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay! Harinam sankritan ki jay!

* * *

Sweet and Deep

Sri Nabadwip Dham

1 June 2013, part 1

Question: You mentioned yesterday distributing simple, sweet, and good things, not external things. Can you speak about it a little bit more?

This Chaitanya Saraswat Math was established in 1941 by Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. When he got a message, an order coming from the sky (akash dhvani) from his Gurudev, Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, then he decided what is necessary for our life. Simple things are necessary because people do not want very complicated things, people are always attracted by much imitation, by much false renunciation, etc. Srila Sridhar Maharaj has a strong common sense, disinterested nature and deep intelligence, and through these qualities he wanted to distribute simple things all over the world.

What is Krishna consciousness? What have we come in this world for? What for have we come into this world in a human body? We have got this human body after many births—if we were not fortunate souls, we would not have got this human body. What is this human body necessary for? This is what we should know. Only to eat, sleep and enjoy? We did it before and we will do it later also when we get another body, and in other bodies we will get more facility to enjoy, but a human body is not for that. We have something that other bodies do not have—we have good intelligence, good sukriti, and that means we can adopt simple living, high thinking.

High thinking means thinking about Krishna—searching for Sri Krishna who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has brought us here in a human body, who has given us this human body. We have got this human body by the mercy of the Lord, and it is our duty to serve Him and His divine associates whom He sends into this world (tava nija-jana kona mahajane pathaiya dile tumi). Krishna has sent someone here!

Also, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came in this world. He knew that it is very rare, it is difficult to get a bona fide guru, a bona fide divine master, or a bona fide spiritual master, that is why He Himself—Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself—came here in the form of a Guru. We should learn about Him—what were His pastimes, what He did, what for He came, what His preaching is, what His conception is, what He wants to tell us. That is what is necessary to preach, very sweetly.

There are not so many external things in Chaitanya Saraswat Math's preaching. "External things" means showing people something attractive, but after seeing it they forget everything. This is not our preaching. Chaitanya Saraswat Math's preaching is sweet and deep; Chaitanya Saraswat Math preaches about the main things and in a simple way, not so much complicated.

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi

grhete goloka bhaya

“On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.”

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Whether you live a householder life or a brahmachari life, you can make your house a temple. If you live a householder life, it is not necessary to leave your duty—your karma, your service, whatever you are doing, even be it cooking. It is not necessary to leave it, but you must connect everything you do with the Lord. Why? Because when you keep that connection with the Lord, what you are doing will not become karma—it will become sadhana-bhakti (devotional practising). Whether you are cooking something at home, going to work, or doing something else, it must be devotional practice—you must connect everything with the Lord. Everybody has a fuse, but it is necessary to connect with the bona fide spiritual master.

These are the teachings that Chaitanya Saraswat Math gives to people. What is actually necessary for our spiritual life? Search for Sri Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. You are searching for beauty, but what is the greatest beauty? Krishna. Krishna is beautiful, and you must search for Him.

* * *

Cheap and Easy

Sri Nabadwip Dham

1 June 2013, part 2

If you think of quantity, you can say easy things, like everything is equal—if you worship Kali, if you worship Durga, if you worship Brahma, if you worship Siva, if you worship Krishna, it is all the same.

One time, one Gurudev and his disciple were walking to some place. The Guru went first and the disciple was following him. At some point, the disciple said,

"O Gurudev, I am very hungry, I cannot walk any further!"

Gurudev is very kind, he said, "All right, I have a paisa, take it and bring something to eat."

"OK, what shall I bring, Gurudev?" asked the disciple.

"Bring some chana (chickpea, fried dal)."

[They call chickpea chana in Vrindavan: not chhana (paneer), but chana (chickpea dal).]

So, the disciple said "Yes, Gurudev, I am going," and went to the market.

But the disciple had no chastity for his Guru: he came to the market and, instead of buying chana, started asking the price of other things. He saw some grapes and asked the shopkeeper, "How many rupees a kilo are these grapes?" The shopkeeper replied, "One paisa." "Oh, grapes are only one paisa?" He was surprised. Then he asked the price of chana (chickpea) that Gurudev had told him to get, it was also the same price: one paisa a kilo. The grapes were one paisa, the apples were one paisa a kilo, the oranges were also one paisa a kilo—everything, all kinds of fruit, all kinds of things were the same price. The disciple got excited and thought in his mind, "It is a very nice place! I do not want to leave it. I will stay in this place! Everything is cheap and is the same price. So good!" Then, he went to a sweets shop and asked how much was chhana (paneer, curd). The shopkeeper replied, "One paisa, all is the same price." So, the disciple decided, "Why should I bring chickpea dal, chana? I will bring paneer, chhana!" So he bought one kilo of chhana.

When the disciple came back to his Gurudev, Gurudev asked him, "Let me see what you have brought. Where is your chana? I want to see it." The disciple explained, "Gurudev, it is a very nice place, everything is equal here. I asked the price of all things and everything is equal here! I did not bring what you had told me to bring, I bought something else. I got a kilo of chhana (paneer)!" Gurudev was very upset, "Oh, you do not listen to me. You follow what your mind tells you... What can I do? You know better what you want to do. As you like. You can eat your paneer yourself, I will not eat it." So, the disciple ate the whole kilo of chhana alone.

After a while, Gurudev asked him, "Have you finished your eating?"

"Yes, Gurudev, I have finished."

"OK, let us go now. Come with me."

"No, Gurudev, you can go, I will not go... I will stay here. This place is very nice, everything is equal here."

"No, no, it is not a good place! The place where is everything is equal, where a thief, a good man, a bad man, everybody is equal, is not a good place. It is not the same. You cannot stay here. Please do not stay here!"

"No, no, Gurudev, you can go alone. I will not go."

"OK, what can I do?" Gurudev said in the end. "You do not want to listen to me... Now you are covered by the illusory environment, you will not listen to me. What can I do? Let it be, but if one day you get into a dangerous position, if you face some problem, you will remember me. Now I cannot help you..."

"OK, Gurudev," said the disciple, "You can go, I am staying here."

The man started showing false renunciation—he would put tilak and when he saw people walking his way, he chanted loudly, "Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!" (as soon as people passed he stopped chanting). Everybody thought, "Oh, this man is sitting under the banyan tree and not going anywhere!" They threw a coin, some money for him—he took that money and used it to buy some nonsense things. He always ate something and in the end became fat and had a big belly. Gurudev had gone and he was alone now...

Some time later, a problem started in that village: a thief started going house to house stealing things. One day, the thief burgled a big man's house. The man went to the judge, or the local village administrator, and complained,

"You are the local leader but you are not looking after your people! Every day a thief burgles a house! We are very disturbed! There was a problem in my house also today!"

"What has happened? Have you seen the thief?"

"I was sleeping and suddenly heard some noise of the utensils that the thief wanted to take. When I woke up, the thief ran away, but I managed to see that this thief is a very big, fat man."

The administrator ordered his men, "Go and find the fat man in this area!"

They began searching. They searched and searched and finally saw a new man (an outsider) in the village—a sadhu was sitting under a banyan tree. They said,

"Hey you, come with us. The administrator is calling you. You are a thief!"

The man was surprised, "No, no! I have not stolen anything! I always sit here!"

"No, go with us!"

The leader's men forcefully arrested him and the court found him guilty. Their judgement was, "You are the thief—you have been going house to house stealing things. You are new in this village, you are coming from outside—you are the thief! Otherwise how are you running your life? You are eating so much every day—it means you sit under your tree all day long and at night you go to steal. You will be impaled tomorrow!"

[Before, in landlord's times, they used shul system—impalement. There was a platform and a long pole, and the guilty man would be thrown on the pole so that it pierces his body from bottom to head. It is something like hanging.]

So, the administrator of the village announced to all villagers that the thief had been arrested and would be executed the next day.

While in jail, the disciple lamented, "Oh, why did I not listen to my Guru?" (Now he is thinking about that.) "Gurudev told me this area was not good and that here everything was equal. I am not a thief but they make me a thief! No, this village is not good—a good man and a bad man is the same here! Why did I not listen to my Guru! Where is my Guru now?..." He began remembering his Gurudev, and eventually his Gurudev came there.

Many years had passed since Gurudev left his disciple in that village. When Gurudev came to him now, he said,

"Yes, you are calling me now... Now you have such a big problem, I heard... OK, tell me what has happened?"

"O Gurudev, you told me, but I did not listen to you! Please forgive my offence. What am I to do now? Please give me some advice!" and the disciple explained what had happened.

Then, Gurudev said, "Yes, I am giving you advice, listen to me. When they take you to the shul, I will go with you and say, 'I will go to the shul! Let me be executed!'"

"No, no, Gurudev!" the disciple objected, "Why will you go there?! You have not done anything wrong!"

"Hey, guru-mukha-padma-vakya, chittete kariya aikya! [Make the teachings from Sri Guru's lotus mouth one with your heart.] You must follow your Gurudev's order, but you still do not listen to me! You must follow what I am telling you to do."

"Yes, yes, Gurudev, I will..." submitted the disciple.

"When they take you, I will also go with you to be impaled."

So, the next day came. So many people had come to the platform to see the execution. They saw the sadhu walking in front, follow by an old man (his Guru). Suddenly, the old man shouted, "I also want to be impaled! Let me also go there!"

Hearing his words, the administrator asked him, "Who are you?!"

The Guru explained, "You do not know me, I am an astrologer. Your father and grandfather made this shul at a very good time, and now it is also a good time, so because these two good moments coincide, the person who is going to be executed will go to Vaikuntha, Goloka Vrindavan!"

The administrator thought, "My father is very old and always suffers because of his disease... He wants to go to Goloka Vrindavan, to Vaikuntha—why must I send these people to Goloka?" Then he ordered his associates, "Tell them to get out and bring my father! It is a very good moment—my father will go to Vaikuntha!"

Then Gurudev said to his disciple, "Hey, my disciple! Now go! Now is the time to go!"

So, the Guru is always merciful. Whenever we make some offence, Gurudev wants to save us—even if we listen to him at the last moment, he can still rescue us from that kind of situation, from the illusory environment. We must follow what the Guru tells us. And another thing is that we do not think that everything is equal. This is a mayavadi conception, and we do not follow that kind of things.

* * *

Humbug

Sri Nabadwip Dham

1 June 2013, part 3

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur told many stories to teach the brahmacharis—he was making many temples and for our benefit he also told many stories and many funny stories also. One story is about chungola and dudh—chungola means limewater [milk of lime] and dudh means milk.

Everything is not the same although it may look the same. There are many gurus, many sadhus in this world, but many are actually disguised sadhus—they pretend to be sadhus. Such people wear the garb of a sadhu for their own enjoyment, for their own benefit...

You can see sometimes on a train that if somebody is dressed as a sadhu, they do not have to pay the train fare, and the ticket master does not ask the fare from them also. It is not good. Why will we not pay the train fare? We are all citizens of India. Because they are dressed as a sadhu, they do not pay, but they are actually not a sadhu—I am thinking they earn money by begging and collecting, so why will they not pay? They say, "Oh, I am a sadhu!"—but those who say they are a sadhu are not a sadhu. Srila Prabhupad says that if you think, "I am a Vaishnav," "I am a sadhu," then you can never become a sadhu. A sadhu will never say, "I am a sadhu," a Vaishnav will never say, "I am a Vaishnav." Those who say such things are bogus sadhus. Even a bad person can take the garb of a sadhu and do some nonsense things, do other things—because of the sadhu's dress they think they can always do so many things, and people believe them, "Oh, he is dressed a sadhu, he must be a good person." This is not true. Railway ticket is the government's money—we are citizens of India, why will we not pay the train fare then? We must pay. Trains are for everyone's benefit, and we must pay the government for it.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj also says that we do not go for free: we must pay all taxes and bills (municipal tax, electric bill, land tax, etc.). Why will we do anything wrong with the government? This is not our duty. We will not take anything from the government, but we will give the tax and whatever other payments that are required. Gurudev also says this. This is our duty and we must do it.

Anyhow, Mahaprabhu says that it is very rare to get a sadhu in this world, in this age of Kali, that is why He Himself, Krishna Himself, comes in this world as a sadhu:

sadhu paoya kasta bada jivera janiya

sadhu-bhakta-rupe krsna aila nadiya

"Understanding that it is very difficult for a soul to find a sadhu, Krishna came to Nadia in the form of a pure devotee."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.8)

So, Prabhupad told one story about bogus sadhus. The story goes like this:

There was once a landlord who had many good cows. He kept many cowherd men to take care of the cow and also kept a milkman who would come every day to milk the cows. Every day that landlord chastised his cooks and the milkman:

"Why do you bring me such thin milk every day? It is not thick at all, it is too much liquid, like water! Why is the milk like this?"

"What can I do if your cows give that kind of milk?" answered the milkman. "I always give you pure milk, I do not mix any water or anything else into it."

But that landlord did not believe him, so every day he continued chastising him. Finally, one day the milkman said, "All right, I will bring you the milk from my cows tomorrow."

"Yes, show it to me. I want to see your cows' milk."

The next day the milkman brought it. Actually, instead of milk he brought thick limewater. He put the landlord's milk in one pot and his "milk" in another pot and said to the landlord, "Here is my cows' milk and this is your cows' milk. Which milk do you like more, tell me?" The landlord put his finger in his cows' milk and thought it was too thin, then he put his finger in the milkman's milk and saw that it was very thick (he could not understand that it was just thick limewater). So, the landlord said, "Your milk is very nice! Bring this milk for me tomorrow!"

The next day the milkman brought his "milk" to the landlord. The landlord was very greedy and got excited to see the thick milk ("Oh, such thick milk!"), but after he drank it he died...

So, if you take shelter of a bogus sadhu (a person who looks like sadhu but it is not a sadhu), you will also die—you will not get any benefit...

In the same way, chanting the Holy Name and offensive chanting of the Holy Name also can look the same—somebody chants the Holy Name outside, and sadhus also chant the same Name. Somebody chants the Holy Name for their own business, for their own benefit, interest, and enjoyment—to maintain their family, to earn money; they use many instruments like harmonium, flute, they play different tunes, etc. but this is not chanting—this is singing the Holy Name, not chanting. They sing the Holy Name, but actually they are making Nama aparadh, they make offences to the Holy Name. The Holy Name and the offence to the Holy Name look the same, but the result is not the same. If somebody makes such offences and, hearing them, somebody else begins to sing the Name in the same way, they will both be making offences. It is necessary to differentiate between Nama aparadh and the Holy Name.

* * *

Ludicrous Laziness

Sri Nabadwip Dham

1 June 2013, part 4

Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur always taught about brahmacharis. Sometimes he would say that four kinds of people live in the temple—arthah, artha-arthi, jijnasuh, jnani (those who are suffering, who seek happiness, the inquisitive, and the self-realized). So, he told these two stories "Pi pu, Phi sho” and “Gomph-khejure"about the lazy, idle people.

'Gomp' means moustache and 'khejure' means dates. (In May-June we always get dates—we also have a dates tree at the Govinda Kunda, behind the Sevak Ashram building.) The story was in a village in old days when there was no electricity: people would always sit, rest or sleep under a tree in the afternoon on a straw mat. Some people however can be very lazy. One time, a date fell on the moustache of one man lying under the tree. Somebody said to him, "Hey, look! The date got ripe and has fallen on your moustache!" but the man replied, "Oh, I cannot move my hand to put it into my mouth... Can you put it into my mouth, please?"

That is "gomph-khejure"—the date is already there on his moustache, so near his mouth, but still he does not eat it—how lazy the man is! That is called a lazy person.

And another story Srila Prabhupad told is "Pi-pu, Phi-sho". Two brahmacharis shared one of the rooms in a house. One night, they were sleeping under a mosquito net in their beds when suddenly there started a fire in the house. It was winter, so it was very cold, and when the house started burning, the two brahmacharis thought, "Oh, how nice and warm!" They continued sleeping. The fire spread further—now their bed was on fire and the mosquito net was burning. One of them wanted to say to the other one, "My back is burning!" but instead of saying "pith purche" (back’s burning) he could only say, "Pi pu" [Ba' bu']. The other one, hearing his friend, wanted to answer, "OK, turn over..." but instead of saying "phire sho" (turn over), all he could say was, "Phi sho" [Tu' o']. How lazy they are—their back is burning but still they do not want to wake up or move in the bed or even say anything!

In this way, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur told us that in the same way people often come to the temple and become lazy—they do not do any service, but only eat and sleep all the time…

* * *

Dispatching Sri Damodar Pandit

Sri Nabadwip Dham

1 June 2013, part 5

Mahaprabhu Himself knows devotees—who is a 10% devotee, who is a 20% devotee, who is a 50% devotee, who is a real devotee—He knows all of His associates.

Mahaprabhu knew also that Damodar Pandit was very honest, and once He wanted to know, "If I do something a little wrong, who will tell Me about it? I want to see it."

There was one little boy who often came to Mahaprabhu. When the boy came to His room, Mahaprabhu would give him some affection, sweets, prasad, etc. Damodar Pandit did not like it—he always chastised the boy, "Hey, why you are coming?", "Why are you coming to Mahaprabhu?", "Why are you coming here?" The boy was afraid of Damodar Pandit and started to come to Mahaprabhu secretly. He also often complained to Mahaprabhu, "Oh, that old man, Damodar Pandit, is always chastising me, he always says, 'Why are you coming here?'..."

Mahaprabhu understood why Damodar Pandit did it—because that boy had a widowed mother. She was a pretty lady and had no husband, that is why if people saw that the boy came to Mahaprabhu (a sannyasi), they will say bad things about Mahaprabhu, and it would be a big problem for the devotees. Mahaprabhu understood it.

One day, Damodar Pandit could not tolerate it any longer and told directly to Mahaprabhu's face, "Prabhu, You are a sannyasi, and Your behaviour must be correct. I know You are right, I know You are giving affection to the boy, and he is a good boy, but You know that his mother is a widow and she is a pretty woman. His mother does not come, but people will say bad things—they will make an offence and go to hell. For this reason I am telling You that You must behave properly..."

It is a lesson for us. We must think both ways: if people say something and go to hell as a result of it, we must not behave in such a way that will cause this.

So, Damodar Pandit said, "Prabhu, You cannot allow this to happen. Please do not allow this boy to come."

As Damodar Pandit was speaking, Mahaprabhu thought, "What is this? I am a sannyasi, and Damodar Pandit is a brahmachari—why is he teaching Me? But actually he is right—sometimes even a brahmachari can teach a sannyasi. If a sannyasi does wrong, a brahmachari can chastise him." In the end, Mahaprabhu decided, "Yes, Damodar Pandit is the perfect person: I can send him with some prasad and presentation to My mother. Who else can I believe?"

What does "Who else can I believe?" mean? Gurudev said that at that time Sachi Mata was old, but in her house there was a young lady—Vishnupriya. So, Mahaprabhu sent Damodar Pandit thinking, "I can send Damodar Pandit, then people will not be able to say anything bad about Vishnupriya."

That is why Mahaprabhu gave some prasad to Damodar Pandit and sent him to stay in Sachi Mata's house in Mayapur...

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay! Nitai-Gaura premanande Hari Hari bol.

* * *

Daring Determination

Sri Nabadwip Dham

19 June 2013, part 1

After Mahaprabhu disappeared, Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami continued their service in Vrindavan. Das Goswami Prabhu also came to them. What did he say? He said, "What I got from Sanatan and Rupa was even more than what I could get from Mahaprabhu and Svarup Damodar."

Das Goswami Prabhu wanted to commit suicide when his Gurudev disappeared. Now too after Gurudev's disappearance, many think, "What will I keep my life for?" This is wrong thinking, it is following your mind. Sanatan Goswami explained to Das Goswami Prabhu, "I too wanted to commit suicide once, but Mahaprabhu stopped me, and I am stopping you not too. You think that your Guru, both of your Gurus, have left, so you want to commit suicide, but no—you have some duty, you have some service here!" And he used him for service there in Vrindavan.

So, you must have a great good fortune, but who does fortune actually come to? Gurudev said one phrase, "Fortune favours the brave." Those who think, "Yes, I can do it! Anyhow but I can continue!" can succeed. It is necessary to have good fortune, but Gurudev said, "Who gets this good fortune? Fortune favours the brave." We are thinking, "Oh, I do not know if I can do it or not...", "Will I be able to do it or not?" No. We must be confident, "One way or another I will be able to do it!" Those who have such daring mentality, such strength of mind, can be successful—they can defeat the illusory environment and proceed in their spiritual environment; they have the power to do anything.

* * *

From All Walks of Life

Sri Nabadwip Dham

19 June 2013, part 2

I am not trying to discourage anyone. People take initiation from Gurudev, they give everything up and come here. There are four types of people who come to Krishna consciousness—arthah, artha-arthi, jijnasuh, jnani. In each case, if these people practise Krishna consciousness, they can succeed, and if they do not practise, then not...

Artha means poor people—they see a nice building, a nice place and hope to get something here; artha-arthi—people who seek money; jijnasuh are people who want to understand, to know something; and jnani want to know, "What is there?" This how I came to the temple—I came wondering, "What is there?" and, once I came, I could never leave.

One morning, I took my toothbrush and started walking (you have seen outside people do it sometimes). I came to Gauranga Setu bridge and saw the domes of the temple. I wanted to see the temple, so I came to the gate and began to wait and observe. I came early in the morning and stayed there all day—I had not eaten anything the whole day until 3 p.m. (I was very hungry) when some devotee noticed me and took me in. By the evening I was 'brainwashed' in such a way that I could not leave after that—my father, mother, friends, I left them all behind at home and eventually threw the key from my house into the Govinda Kunda (at that time there was no temple in Govinda Kunda; it was only a pond, and people used to fish and pass stool here). When I came, I did not know who devotees were, I did not know what a temple was, how people lived in a temple, who lived in a temple, whether there were dogs, cats or wolves there—I did not know anything, my head was blank. I came eager to know what was the temple about and after they 'brainwashed' me I did not want to leave.

So, these four kinds of people come to the temple, and if they practise, they can succeed. Practice is the abhidheya, the process how to attain the goal. Wherever you stay—if you want, you can stay in a bathroom, even there you can practise. If you want, you can stay in a pond, you can live in a thatched house, you can stay in a jungle, you can stay anywhere, but it is necessary to practise. Practice is the main thing; it is necessary to practise.

* * *

Management, Attachment and Service

Sri Nabadwip Dham

19 June 2013, part 3

Gurudev always gave examples and his word was very strong.

One time, a devotee would come to me every day asking me to make a kitchen for them, I went to Gurudev and asked him briefly, without explaining much, but if you heard what Gurudev said, you would run away. I asked Gurudev, "Gurudev, can I make a kitchen behind there? Some bricks, stones are necessary..." Gurudev replied, "Please, forgive my offence, but I cannot be your servant any more." Do you understand what Gurudev said? He was saying, "This is your duty, why are you telling this to me? Why are you telling these material things to me?"

I do not want anyone to be discouraged, I am only telling you.

Another thing is some people chant the Holy Name so much, they say, "I chant three lakhs Names!", "I chant one lakh Names!" but what did Gurudev say? He said, "If I punch you in your belly, then no Hare Krishna will come from your mouth—'Mother! Father!' will come out." This is a good test of your attachment.

To give you an example, when I came here, I had run away from home and for thirteen-fourteen years did not give them my address. At first, I came to this area and became a school teacher, taught English and other subjects. Then I came here to the temple... When somebody asked me if I had father or mother, I said I did not. Service is the most important thing. Simple living, high thinking.

alpa-bhagye seva nahi haya

koti janma thakle bhagya

visaya chhede haya vairagya

"Service does not come by just a little fortune. Only after ten million births of good fortune, can you leave this material world behind."

Only if you attain good fortune for millions of lives, will renunciation come, and renunciation means not markata vairagya (monkey, or false, renunciation): "Yatha-yogya visaya bhunja' anasakta hana, accepting material necessities without being attached to material things. If you can do that, if you can practise in this way, it is good for you, and for your father, mother as well. If one's child becomes a sadhu, or a sannyasi, if they practise and serve the Lord, then, Guru Maharaj says, not only their father and mother, but twenty-one generations become rescued. I have told before also that just one bona fide sadhu can rescue the whole universe. Among millions of karmis (fruitive workers), there is one jnani (wise man), among millions of such jnanis there is one liberated soul, and among millions of such liberated souls one is only one devotee of Krishna—it is very rare, but just one such devotee can rescue the whole universe.

krpaya hari-kirtana-murti-dharam

dharani-bhara-haraka-gaura-janam

janakadhika-vatsala-snigdha-padam

pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

"He is the embodiment of Hari-kirtan. He mercifully relieves Mother Earth of the burden upon her. He is an associate of Sri Gaura, and more kind and affectionate than a father. Eternally I offer my obeisance to my master's feet."

It is said about Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, "He is dharani-bhara-haraka, he relieves the earth of its burden”...

* * *

Patience Is a Virtue

Sri Nabadwip Dham

19 June 2013, part 4

If somebody wants to serve the Lord, it is necessary to practise with enthusiasm. If you do not have that eagerness to practise, you will not get the result. Also, sometimes we become frustrated, "Oh, I took initiation so many days ago, I have been practising for so many days, but still I have not been able to reach my destination... I am not getting the proper happiness..." We feel hopeless and lose patience. If you lose patience, you will not get the result.

How will you get happiness if you have disease? When your body is sick and somebody gives you some good food, you will get no taste in your tongue—everything will taste bitter. When you have many material desires—rupa, ras, gandha, sabda, sparsa (desire to enjoy through the senses of sight, taste, smell, sound, touch); when you have six enemies—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (desire, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy); when you suffer from six faults—atyahara, prayascha, prajalpa, niyamagraha, laulancha, janasangancha (eating too much, hoarding, talking nonsense, superficial attachment to rules and regulations, greed, associating with nondevotees); when you suffer from the six urges—mana-veg, krodha-veg, jihva-veg, udar-vega, upastha-veg, vakya-veg (mental urge, urge of anger, tongue, stomach, genitals, speech)—when all this in inside, then you will get taste for Hari-katha. When you hear Hari-katha repeatedly, then you can understand something.

You can examine yourself—what do you like to hear, Hari-katha or other things? What is more interesting for you? You know, sometimes they play some songs in movies, they play them for two months and then another song comes out, but Hare Krishna maha-mantra is always the same and you begin to lose interest. We chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, chant, but then we get tired and want to stop, and what did Rupa Goswami Prabhu write?

tunde tandavaniratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye

karna-kroda kadambinighatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham

cetah prangana-sanginivijayate sarvendriyanamkrtim

no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvayi

“When the holy name of Krishna descends and captures the tongue and lips, it controls them so strongly that it engages them in chanting the holy name as if the lips and tongue have gone mad. In this way, the power of the name descends in them, and one feels that only one tongue and one mouth are not enough; thousands of mouths are necessary to taste the name. Then the holy name of Krishna enters the ear with such a great force and current that the ears are captured, and one thinks that only two ears are insufficient; he wants millions of ears to attend to the sweet current entering the ears. Two ears are nothing to him; he wants millions of ears. The nectar of the holy name is coming like a flood through his ears, pushing its way within the heart.

“It is so sweet that as it goes to capture the heart, the center of all senses, everything is paralyzed. Wherever that sweet aggressor touches, the whole thing is captured with such intensity that everything else is ignored. Rupa Goswami writes, ‘I don't know, I can't say, I fail to express how much nectar there is in the holy name of Krishna. These two syllables contain so much sweetness, and such a high quality of sweetness. And this sweetness is so aggressive that it captures everything.’”

(Vidagdha-Madhava, the translation is quoted from 'The Search for Sri Krishna')

He says, "I want millions and millions ears! I want millions of mouths! Only two ears are not sufficient! One mouth is not sufficient! Millions and millions of ears are necessary to hear this Holy Name, there is so much sweetness in Him!"

If you can follow what I am saying, you can reach your goal…

* * *

Fishing and Matchmaking

Sri Nabadwip Dham

19 June 2013, part 5

Loving search for the loving servant: we are all the Lord's lost children, and He comes to take us back:

tava nija-jana kona mahajane

pathaiya dile tumi

“You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me).”

"O Lord, You have sent to me Your own associate to tell me about You."

What is Gurudev's duty? When two people get married, there is the bride's party, the groom's party and there is somebody like a matchmaker or a middleman between them. The Guru's duty is like that. Guru has connection with the lost servant and he has connection with the Lord and as a middleman, whatever message he gets from the Lord, he supplies that message to the lost servant, and when we tell some message to the Guru, he sends it to the Lord. That is the Guru's duty.

...I remember when ** was just starting to buy the temple land beside our temple, I told Gurudev, "Gurudev, I can buy that land first and stop them." Gurudev replied, "Will you buy the whole India? How will you stop them? They are making a temple here, next they will buy a land near your temple in Govardhan, then they will buy a land and make a temple in Vrindavan near your temple—how many places will you stop?" Then I said, "I can make some sign board on the street that will show that Srila Sridhar Maharaj's lectures are here." Gurudev replied, "You must do something, mustn't you? What will you do that for? You have good food here in your pond, then all fish will come to your pond themselves, why will you go finishing in their pond?"

Gurudev has taught so many things...

Jay Srila Gurudev.

* * *

Sri Guru-Puja: Who Is Guru?

Sri Nabadwip Dham, India

23 July 2013, part 2

I am very happy to see you all. Actually, I told it yesterday, and it is necessary to say it now too. A Guru is santap-harankari (he who removes santap, three-fold miseries), not vitta-harankari (he who removes your wealth). Do you understand? This is who a Guru is. "Sei pita pita non, sei bandhu bandhu non, sei mata mata non...": if somebody cannot give you relief from death (mrityu-rupa-samsara), then they are not your mother, they are not your father, not your friend.

This is who a Guru is and also an original Guru will not hope to get anything from his disciples—he does not ask for glorification. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Tosamod kari' kakhon guru hate pare na. Those who flatter others can never be a Guru." He taught so many things.

In this age of Kali, there are so many kaulik gurus (ancestral guru), so many laukik gurus (family guru), so many karmi gurus (gurus instructing on the path of fruitive work), jnani gurus (gurus instructing on the path of knowledge), but it is very rare to get a paramarthik guru (a bona fide spiritual Guru).

I saw from 1992, when I joined the Mission, how many times Gurudev said, "Everybody always says, 'Hari bol!' 'Hari bol!' but how many percent of them have chastity, sincerity, how many of them are actually sincere seekers?" It is necessary to understand how many percent chastity we have and how many percent attachment to our service we have.

* * *

Sri Guru-Puja: What Is Puja?

Sri Nabadwip Dham, India

23 July 2013, part 2

You are doing your service on Guru-puja, but it is necessary to understand what is the meaning of Guru-puja, Guru Purnima. We must follow Gurudev's instruction, that is our main necessity. We must understand easily and clearly what Gurudev wants and what Gurudev wanted.

In this age of Kali, it is very difficult to harmonise with this, but you should always understand how you will harmonise the situation. I have told it to you many times, but if you think you cannot follow proper etiquette towards other Vaishnavs, if you think it is not necessary to do it, I can give you an example. Mahaprabhu loves Jagadananda Pandit very much, but when Jagadananda Pandit showed disrespect to Sanatan Goswami, Mahaprabhu chastised him. Then, it is easy to understand what is necessary and what our advice is.

So many obstacle can come. When I came in 1992, I saw that Gurudev's godbrothers did not give good respect to Gurudev. When I joined the Mission, they could not even establish the Guru—I did that and it was a very difficult time for me. For example, the Dum Dum Park temple was made in 1989 and it was written on the temple "Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj"—not even "Om Vishnupad", not even "Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj." In Srila Sridhar Maharaj's time, they would give "jay" to Gurudev, but after Srila Sridhar Maharaj expired, they stopped giving "jay" to Gurudev. Later, when I came in 1992, I chastised them and started giving "jay" myself—I did not allow the pujari to do it (before he could start the jaya dhvani, I did it). This is how I was establishing Gurudev. It was a very difficult time—they hated me, they chastised me, but I did not care.

In early 90s they also did not make Guru-puja—they would write "Acharya abhivandana maha-mahotsav." Acharya abhivandana maha-mahotsav festival means giving some general honour to the acharya, but it is not a Guru-puja or Vyasa-puja. When I came, I started writing the invitation letters and I was first to write "Vyasa Puja Maha-mahotsav." When I did it first time I made some mistake. Gurudev asked, "Who wrote this letter?" I said, "I wrote it." And Gurudev explained to me, "If my godbrother writes it, they can do it, but you are my disciple, why did you not write 'Om Vishnupad'? As a disciple, you must write it." In this way Gurudev corrected me—at that time I did not know so much Vaishnavism language, and Gurudev corrected me.

* * *

Sri Guru-Puja: Homage Without Damage

Sri Nabadwip Dham, India

23 July 2013, part 3

It is very difficult, so many austerities will come, but I am telling you: little by little, slowly, slowly you can harmonise with the devotees. Do not neglect the etiquette—they are senior Vaishnavs, they always hope for some recognition. You know that if you give them a garland and "jay," it is sufficient for them, they will be happy; then what is the problem for you?

You can also see the example of Ramachandra Puri. He criticised Mahaprabhu so much behind His back, but when he would come, Mahaprabhu would give a big chair to him. Everybody was disturbed, "Why?! This man criticises Mahaprabhu so much, why does Mahaprabhu give a big chair (so much honour) to him?" You can say it is a kind of politics. Sometimes you should be a politician and manage and harmonise everything. You know what will make them happy, then it is necessary to do that, you can harmonise the situation in this way.

You know, when the banner for Guru-puja Maha-mahotsav was made, they actually broke it. Later, I wrote "Acharya Bhavan" on Gurudev's house—it was a small house at the beginning, and when I wanted to expand it, they tried to stop me. There was so much trouble. Also the small house inside the Centenary Museum—when the Museum building was being built, they were going to demolish that house, but Gurudev told me that it was very painful for him that they were going to do it. Gurudev then went abroad, and I managed to stop them somehow. You can still see that house there—I kept it like gambhira, a house inside a house. Gurudev stayed in that house for fifteen years—Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave it to him and he would stay there when he came from Kolkata. For the sake of this memory I did not let them demolish it. Gurudev was happy with it, but his godbrothers, whoever was there, were not...

This is how I managed.

I remember one Vyasa Puja, I decorated Gurudev's house with many lights. It was maybe 1994. His godbrother complained to Gurudev, "He is spending so much money!" Gurudev called him and said, in front of that godbrother, "Hey, why did you not paint my house with black paint?! Why are you putting light on my house?" He chastised me in front of him, but I knew he was happy with my service. You know that Gurudev never liked black paint, he always painted with white paint.

So many stories happened with me that time...

You must be tolerant, you must not use harmful language. You can do your service, you can preach properly to new people, new devotees—it is not necessary to speak against anybody. You can preach properly to new people, what is the problem?

Gurudev became the acharya in 1985 and I came to Gurudev and joined this main temple Chaitanya Saraswat Math seven years later, in 1992. At that time I did not see even one reliable person who would be for Gurudev, not even his godbrothers. I did not see anybody who would have chastity for Gurudev. Now everybody says, "I have love and affection for Gurudev," now they say so many things, but when Srila Sridhar Maharaj declared Gurudev his successor, many sannyasis left the temple because of their ego. Also, when Gurudev would give initiations, I saw how many sannyasis were there in front of him at that time and I could also understand then who was for him... Many had some desires, ego, and they would not stay with Gurudev—while Gurudev was alive, in Gurudev' time, they wanted to be a Guru. So, there are only few reliable people who are for Gurudev.

Then, you can understand clearly how to do the Guru-puja. You must understand it. Do not make any trouble for me. You can preach in your style, it is good, I do not have any problem with that, but do not create any cruelty, do not use harmful language. I heard somebody say, "Oh, Acharya Maharaj is like a sea and they are just a drop"—it is not necessary to say such things. You can preach properly without saying such things, that will be good for you.

So, today is a good day, it is the Guru Purnima day. We celebrated it here yesterday. How will you do Guru-puja? Actually, giving one flower, giving a "jay" to the Guru is not Guru-puja—it is necessary to think how you can do Guru-puja, it is necessary to try to serve. Try to serve in harmony, speaking good about others, without speaking against anybody, etc.

I am always with you, and I am happy with your service. Sometimes it is necessary to chastise also. You know, if I do not chastise you, some people will not be very happy, but if I chastise you, they will be very happy. That is why it is necessary for me to chastise you. That is my "politics." It is very easy to understand. Why did Mahaprabhu chastise Jagadananda Pandit? It was necessary. Actually, Jagadananda Prabhu's love and affection and Sanatan Goswami's love and affection are different, there is a different meaning there.

Continue your service, bring new people, preach to them. This is what is necessary. I do not want to give disrespect to others. That is my opinion. I am very happy with you. May Krishna bless you. Gurudev is always with you. You can continue your service in this way, that will be very good.

Jay Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay

All the assembled devotees ki jay

All the worldwide devotees ki jay

Harinam sankirtan ki jay

Samagata sri gaura bhakta vrinda ki jay

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay

Harinam sankirtan ki jay

Nitai Gaura premanande hari hari bol

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-shata-sri Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay!

* * *

On Standby

Sri Nabadwip Dham, India

23 July 2013, part 4

Are you not going today [to Ekachakra]?

Devotee: Actually, I was very unprepared, my bag is not packed...

What kind of a brahmachari are you? You must be like a soldier. You must be always ready in case an order comes.

A few years ago, perhaps 2006 or so, terrorists attacked a hotel in Mumbai. Many foreign people died that time. One of our devotees' son, a Hindu boy, is a major. Indian government has special groups that fight against terrorism, and he is the leader of one of these groups. So, when that hotel was attacked, the government called this boy at one o'clock at night (he was sleeping with his wife in bed) and told him, "The helicopter is ready, you must come in fifteen minutes." His parents called me and told me about it. Forty-eight hours had passed and they could not manage the situation, so they called this special squad. They came first by aeroplane, then by helicopter, landed on the roof of the building and killed almost all terrorist—only one of them survived.

Then, Gurudev's servitor (those who want to serve) should be like this—must be always ready. What packaging is there? You need two dhotis, two kurtas and one gumcha. What else is necessary to pack, tell me? And your computer that you are using. What does a sannyasi need? It is not like ladies—so many ornaments are necessary, etc. An empty car is going, I told you about it yesterday, and you are saying you cannot pack your things because you must take so many things. What is this? Prabhupad's style is "if you do something, do it now." If you think, "I will do it tomorrow," tomorrow another service will come. We do not know the value of time...

One time, Gurudev called me at night at 3 o'clock (I was in the toilet) and told me to come to Kolkata. I had my programme, many plans because I was the manager of the temple, but I immediately left leaving the instructions for others and within an hour I took the train and was on my way. When I got to Kolkata, Gurudev told me I had to go to Puri. You are not a manager of anything, so you do not have to tell anything to other. For example, if I have to go to Kolkata now for service, I will have to tell many things to others—I have to leave money, have to leave instructions to devotees, etc. You, on the other hand, do not have to tell anything to anybody, but you cannot pack your baggage. What is your baggage anywhere? You are not going there forever, it is just Ekachakra. Take a plastic bag and go quickly.

* * *

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's Festival: Anxiously Awaiting

10 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Translated from Bengali, part 1

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay

Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay

Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsakula-churamani Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay

Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay

Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Prabhupad ki jay

Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay

Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay

Vrinda Devi Tulasi Devi Sri Bhakti Devi ki jay

Sri Shyama Kunda Radha Kunda Sri Giri Govardhan ki jay

Sri Guru Sri Gaura Sri Nityananda Prabhu ki jay

Samagata Sri Gaura Bhakta-vrinda ki jay

Sada Siva Gangadhar jiu ki jay

Giriraj Govardhan ki jay

Harinam sankirtan ki jay

Bhakta-raj Prahlad Maharaj Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay

Nitai Gaura premanande Hari Hari bol

Devotee:

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Visva-varenya Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay

Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay

Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Today is our last day of the festival—almost all devotees have joined this year, have listened to Krishna-katha. We had waited for this day all year thinking, "When will this day come in our life? When will this festival come?" And today this festival is almost finished... We have read about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, glorified Sriman Nityananda Prabhu for these few days, but it is actually not so easy to glorify Him. Still, we try—we try to glorify Him in order to get His service. If we glorify Sriman Nityananda Prabhu (listen and speak about His glories) and serve Him, then we will get supreme benefit.

We want to get supreme benefit,so we pray for the service to Radha Krishna's lotus feet, but to get that service, it is necessary to first serve Nityananda Prabhu. If you do not serve Nitaichand, if you do not get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, you will not be able to do or get anything.

Nityananda Prabhu can remove all obstacles and bondage, He can let us leave attachment to the material world. Only Nityananda Prabhu can do it. In this way, we make this festival of Nityananda Prabhu every year, we circumambulate the place where He appeared, and we also remember that by Guru Maharaj's mercy these beautiful Deities and Their service manifested on that same day. You will not see anything like this anywhere else. It is only by His own desire that Nityananda Prabhu appeared here.

Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is such that once somebody takes shelter of Nityananda Prabhu, even if they are averse to Him, He accepts them. We must try to serve Nitaichand. His mercy comes in different ways—for example, He kicked Sivananda Sen, and by kicking Him He gave him His mercy; in another instance, He kept His feet on the head of Raghunath Das Goswami and said, "Now you have got the mercy—you can go to Mahaprabhu now."

If we can get the mercy of this Nityananda Prabhu, then we will have nothing else to attain, we will have no problem, no difficulty, whereas our formal, general aspiration is to attain the lotus feet of Radha Krishna,

matala hari-jana kirtana-range

pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

"From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline."

Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is unparalleled. His glory is such that He rescued the extremely fallen Jagai and Madhai, He actually brought Madhai to Mahaprabhu's feet. He gives mercy to those whom Mahaprabhu rejects, He is not less powerful than Mahaprabhu Himself…

* * *

Our Hope and Heart-Felt Gratitude

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 1

After so many long days we have come again to Sri Ekachakra Dham, Sri Virachandrapur and at the appearance place of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—we are very fortunate. We are very happy today because by the mercy of Gurudev, by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu we are able to come to Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance place.

We are staying here for a few days, but those who live here, who protect Nityananda Prabhu's appearance place, who protect His dham, who protect Gurudev's temple here, who live here permanently—they keep a room for us, they keep accommodation for us, they keep prasadam for us—they do permanent service to Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. They are very fortunate, there is no doubt about that.

We come here like adventure-seekers, we come as pilgrims, people who like visiting different places—we come to this place only for the festival time, but those who do service here permanently, they are tolerating so many things to manage the temple—they are tolerating so much from the environment, from the atmosphere, they are tolerating so many obstacles; despite everything they keep protecting Gurudev's temple. This is our hope, and it is owing to them that why we are able to stay here, we are able to come and celebrate the festival Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day. That is our happiness. Actually, I am very grateful to them.

Our duty is serve our Guru, to serve our Mission, as well as preach Nityananda Prabhu's message all over the world, distribute the message of Sriman Mahaprabhu, distribute the message of Srila Gurudev and Srila Guru Maharaj. That is the main thing for us, and that is our hope.

* * *

Learn from Mahajanas

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 2

Sometimes we cannot do proper preaching—so many obstacles come in our spiritual life, so many things come at that time, but we must tolerate everything. This is the main thing.

How much did Sriman Nityananda Prabhu tolerate the situation? How much did Srila Prabhupad and all Guru-varga tolerate the situation? We must learn from them. We must get proper education, proper achievement, follow the proper path of their teachings because we have not come to this world to preach for ourselves. We will not say how we came to the temple, how we joined the temple, it is not necessary for us to say it—by the mercy of Gurudev, by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu we have surrendered to Gurudev, surrendered to Nityananda Prabhu, surrendered to Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and we can continue our spiritual life in this way and serve until our death, until we leave our body.

We must try to do something for our Gurudev's Mission, we must try and try. We will not be always successful, but we must always keep trying and we must always try to harmonise everything. We will try to harmonise with the situation, harmonise with circumstances. We must be careful: we must teach Guru Maharaj's and Gurudev's conception all over the world—anyhow, by hook or by crook, we must preach their teachings.

I know how much Gurudev tolerated, now I can understand it, and I can understand now that it is very difficult to be an acharya, to be the Guru of this Mission. It is very difficult. Before I could not understand it because I was always like a child—I did service but at that time I always thought Gurudev was always above my head, he was there, and I did not worry about anything, did not worry about any problems. Before I would do service randomly, but if I want to do something now, so much trouble, so many problems and so much opposition comes in our spiritual life and service... But still, I am getting inspiration from my Gurudev, from all my senior godbrothers and godsisters to protect Srila Gurudev's Mission and Srila Guru Maharaj's Mission.

When I read about mahajanas (life history of many highly qualified gurus), I see how their life went and how difficult it was in so many ways. We can learn from them—we can learn to be humble, to be tolerant and give honour to others. We must remember these teachings step by step. This is the main teaching of Srila Gurudev and Sriman Mahaprabhu. Sriman Mahaprabhu gave it to all jiva souls, to all of us. And I have also taken some advice from there:

Gurudev always says if you love people, everybody will love you, if you love devotees, everybody will love you. That is the main thing. I am getting this kind of power from Gurudev. To be able to follow this properly is our main necessity, our duty. This is a Vaishnav's duty. Gurudev says that before you become a Vaishnav, you must first be a good man—first you must be a good man, then you can be a Vaishnav.

You must learn from Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. You must remember the real example of Nityananda Prabhu, how He excused, pardoned, forgave offences of Jagai and Madhai. He rescued them. Even Mahaprabhu could not tolerate what they had done, but Nityananda Prabhu cried for Madhai and begged Sriman Mahaprabhu to forgive him. You must understand this lesson.

If somebody says something bad to you, you cannot tolerate it even a moment, but you can see how much offence Madhai had made to Nityananda Prabhu—blood was coming from Nityananda Prabhu's head! Mahaprabhu was very angry, but Nityananda Prabhu cried for Madhai. At first, Nityananda Prabhu was trying to rescue Madhai, and Mahaprabhu was upset, but still Nityananda Prabhu begged Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, please, I must rescue Madhai. I am begging You. What am I begging? I am begging You for Madhai. I want to rescue him from this situation. He was not born with such qualities—he was born as a good little boy, but after some bad association he became pasanda, cruel, became a drunkard."

Many people make some offence, many people do so many things, but what is our duty? Our duty will be to rescue them from such bad situation. Our duty is to engage them in service, to give them some opportunity. That is the main thing. We must give them some opportunity. You must not kick them out for what they are, you must think about Nityananda Prabhu, think how much He tolerates, how He rescued Madhai. We must have such vision.

Many people will do so many bad things, will say so many bad things—you cannot stop their mouths, but our duty is not to listen to so many bad things. Our duty is to rescue them, our duty is to pardon their offences. This is the mahajan's duty, this is the Vaishnav's duty.

We must have such vision, we must compromise and manage the situation in this way. These are very important things for our spiritual life, it is a very good lesson for our spiritual life.

* * *

Seeking Mercy

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 3

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe

samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become insignificant?"

('Prarthana' by Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

"When will Nityananda Prabhu give me some mercy? When will material attachment leave us? When will it go out of us, forever." This is necessary. If you have even a little attachment to material things, you will not be able to reach your goal, you will not be able to reach the proper way, you will not get the proper things. You must always think how merciful Nityananda Prabhu is:

kabe nityananda more kari' daya

chhadaibe mora visayera maya

"When will Nityananda be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"When will Nityananda be kind to me? Chhadaibe mora visayera maya: I have so much attraction to the illusory environment—when will it be removed from my heart?" Even some pratistha ("I am a big sannyasi," "I am a big guru," etc.)—when will these material things be removed from us?

Gurudev says that to be a sannyasi you must be a soldier. Only the cloth does not make you a sannyasi; a sannyasi must be humble, tolerant, give honour to others, not be envious, must speak sweetly—then everything, all environment will be harmonised.

Temple life is not so easy. You can all understand it—even two brothers sometimes cannot stay together, they quarrel, fight and go to stay in different houses. We are born in many different families, in so many different castes and classes, we are coming from many different cultures, but we must all live together. We think we are coming from this family, we are coming from that education, we are coming from this and that, but we must leave our ego. Be humble and try to understand the proper teachings that Gurudev gave you, and preach in this way. This is the main thing for our spiritual life.

How will you learn? If you even sing one song and explain its meaning, you can learn so many things.

kabe habe bala se dina amara

aparadha ghuchi suddha name ruchi

krpa-bale ha'be hrdaye sanchara

"Please tell me, when will that day be mine? When will my offences be removed? When will the taste for the pure Name arise in my heart by the power of mercy?"

('Kabe habe bolo, se dina amar?' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur cries, "When will that day come?" When will the day come when my offence is removed? Aparadha ghuchi suddha Name ruchi: when will Vaishnav aparadh, Dhama aparadh, Nama aparadh be removed from me?

aparadha ghuchi suddha name ruchi

krpa-bale ha'be hrdaye sanchara

kabe habe bala se dina amara

"Please tell me, when will that day be mine? When will my offences be removed? When will the taste for the pure Name arise in my heart by the power of mercy?"

('Kabe habe bolo, se dina amar?' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"When will my offences be removed? When will I get mercy from my Guru?" This is the main thing for us. "Yogyata vichare kichu nahi pai”—we always sing it, saying, "I have not got anything. Kichhu nahi pai, I have not got any qualification." What is the main thing? "Yogyata vichare kichhu nahi pai, tomara karuna-sara: mercy is above justice. Through vichar (seeking qualification, judgement) you will not get anything. Only your mercy is necessary, Prabhu." You must think in this way.

We did not come to this world for buildings or many other things—it is nothing for us. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached around the whole India—how many temples did He make? Did He have His own house? No, He did not. He did not have any house. He left Nabadwip and went to South India, North India, everywhere, after that He finally stayed in Gambhira, in Kashi Misra's house, and that too was not His own house—He lived there and preached from there. Even when Mahaprabhu was in Nabadwip, He also preached and went everywhere, place to place—He did not have His own house. We too must preach in this way. We must have no attachment to any particular house or building—we only want to serve you, Prabhu. Wherever we live, we must follow spiritual practice, that is the main thing in our spiritual life.

* * *

Revealing Sri Nityananda Prabhu

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 4

I am trying to give some glorification of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu because today we have come to Nityananda Prabhu's appearance place.

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu wanted to meet Mahaprabhu, so He came to Sri Dham Mayapur. At the time when He came there, there were not so many temples and houses also in Mayapur, the population was also very little. Nityananda Prabhu first stayed in a house of a householder family—Nandan Acharya's house. Mahaprabhu is antaryami, He knows everything, so He knew that a great personality had come to Sri Dham Mayapur, so He told the devotees (His associates—Chandrasekhar Acharya, Srivas Pandit, and others), "I know a great personality has come to Mayapur. Please go and find Him. Find where He is staying and tell Him to come here." Chandrasekhar Acharya and Srivas Pandit went to search for Him, but they were unable to find Him because Nityananda's glories are actually very guro (esoteric, profound)—His glories are very sacred and of a very high level. It is not easy to find Him.

So, the devotees came back to Mahaprabhu and said they had not found that great personality. Mahaprabhu told, "All right. You have tired but failed, now I will go Myself. One way or another I will find Him." Mahaprabhu knows everything, so He went directly to Nandan Acharya Bhavan and saw Nityananda Prabhu sitting there. They hugged each other, paid obeisance to each other and spoke for some time. Then, Mahaprabhu brought Nityananda Prabhu to His house (Jagannath Misra's house).

When Sachi Mata saw Nityananda Prabhu, she was very surprised. She cooked very nice preparations, offered the bhog, and Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and Sriman Mahaprabhu took prasadam together.

Then, we can understand easily that Nityananda Prabhu is not simple. He is very highly qualified. "Ek dehe dui vartaman": it means that just as there is Krishna and Balaram, there is also Gauranga and Nitai. Nityananda Prabhu is mul sankaran, He is the possessor of the main power, and He is the ashraya vigraha—He is first to give us shelter. Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Guru-tattva, that is why He is actually more powerful than Mahaprabhu.

* * *

Seeking Srila Saraswati Thakur's Mercy

16 February 2017, Sri Mayapur Dham

Bengali address translated into English

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam

chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam

govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram

vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

“I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.”

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the feet of my Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, then to the Guru-varga, to great Vaishnav Pujyapad Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, the sannyasi-vrinda, the devotees (bhakta-mandali), all the brahmacharis, as well as all godbrothers.

I have been requested to speak today about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and his teachings. Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, who wrote the first kirtan that was sung here ("Sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam yuga-dharma-dhurandhara-patra-varam..."), wrote also one beautiful sloka,

nikhila-bhuvana-maya-chhinnavichchhinna-kartri

vibudhabahula-mrgya-mukti-mohanta-datri

sithilita-vidhi-raga-radhya-radhesa-dhani

vilasatu hrdi nityam bhakti-siddhanta-vani

"With his first step, he vigorously cut asunder the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he put a stop to all the calculations of the different scholars with their different conceptions of liberation. With his third step, he eased the hard rules and regulations by a touch of the Divine Love: he gave us the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda. The real existence of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad is in his divine teachings. May those teachings dance eternally within the core of your heart."

Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur declared a totalitarian war against maya and he relaxed the viddhi, rules and regulations. When he came to Nabadwip, he had to go through many austerities, he said,

jagate kaile ghosana 'taroriva sahisnuna'

hana 'kirtaniyah sada harih'

"You have declared that to always chant the Holy Name one must be more tolerant than a tree."

He proclaimed: be humble, tolerant and give honour to others. That is Bhakti-siddhanta vani. He relaxed the viddhi rules and promoted the raganuga bhakti. He also said that if instead of making thousands of hospitals, instead of treating thousands of patients, you can bring even one person averse towards Krishna to this path, then it is thousand times better.

[Audience claps.]

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur also wrote beautifully: by serving the jiva souls, the soul gets benefit. "Soul" (jiva) means that even chickens have souls. "Jive prema kare yei jana sei jana sevichhe isvara" ("love God by loving others"). People say this all the time, but they do not think that even a chicken or a goat has a soul. That is why in our Gaudiya Math we say that such mentality is not Rama Krishna Mission, it is mentality of a Murgi Mission (lit. "Chicken Mission"). They say, "As many faiths, so many paths" (yata mat tata path), but if you do not put food into your mouth—if you put it into your ear—will the food go down? Then you can understand what is what. This is apa-siddhanta.

When the dharma that people practised become different from the true dharma, Haridas Thakur and Advaita Acharya brought Mahaprabhu to this world. Later, after Mahaprabhu, there appeared thirteen apa-sampradayas (aul, baul, kartabhaja, neda, darvesh, sani, sahajiya, sakhibekhi, smarta, jata gosai, ativadi, churadhari, gauranga-nagari), and now there are thousands of them. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wanted to give relief from it. What did he do? He came with Bhagavati Devi to Bimala Devi in the Jagannath Mandir and prayed, "O Lord! Please send someone who can preach Bhagavad-katha, who will be able to preach the precepts of pure devotion. Please send someone to me!" By the mercy of Jagannath, Bimala Prasad (later known as Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur) came in this world. I have heard about this from my Gurudev. Later on, Bhaktivinod Thakur came with Srila Saraswati Thakur here in Mayapur, Nabadwip, and stayed here.

Bhaktivinod Thakur also had another son, Lalita Prasad, who often objected, "I am also Bhaktivinod Thakur's son! I am a brother of Bimala Prasad, why do I not get honour like him?" Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Baba badha Radha: you only see a father in Bhaktivinod Thakur, but I see him as an intimate associate of Srimati Radharani. That is the difference."

"By serving the jiva souls, the soul gets benefit." "Following your mind in the name of service is not service—following Guru and Vaishnavs, serving Guru and Vaishnavs, satisfying them, is called service." "You cannot become a Guru by flattery." Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur taught many things. You can travel to many places, you can follow all sixty-four devotional practices but if you do not follow your Guru, if you do not preach about your Guru, if you just carry on in your own way, then we will not be able to get Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur' mercy.

Thus, this is our address:

My Gurudev sent me to this Saraswat Gaudiya Sangha for the first time in 1996 after Pujyapad Jayapataka Swami Maharaj wrote an invitation to my Gurudev, and I am very happy that we celebrate the days of Srila Saraswati Thakur, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur together and I am very grateful that you have given me, a lowly person, an asan on this stage. I am very grateful to you all. I am asking you all for your mercy. Please forgive my offences.

Who would have said it?

sri-gauranga-parisada thakura bhakti-vinoda

dina-hina patitera bandhu

kali-tamah vinasite anilena avanite

toma' akalanka purna indu

"Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is an associate of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and a friend of all low and fallen souls—to dispel all darkness of this dark age, he brought to this earth you, a spotless full moon."

How beautifully it is written about him. What advice, what teachings did he give to the world?

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

If we all accept these teachings, then we too will be able to get the mercy of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Jay Srila Prabhupad ki jay!

Tadiya avirbhav tithi bara maha-mahotsav ki jay

Jay Sri Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava sagha ki jay

Tadiya sadasya vrinda ki jay

Harinam sankirtan ki jay

Nitai Gaura premanande hari hari bol

vanchha-kalpatarubhyas cha krpa-sindhubhya eva cha

patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

"Again and again I offer my obeisance unto the Supreme Lord's devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy, and wish-fulfilling trees.”

* * *

Mahaprabhu's Stay in Shantipur

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 5

Nityananda Prabhu knew that Mahaprabhu was going to take sannyas. When Mahaprabhu came to Katwa with the devotees, Nityananda Prabhu was also present there.

After taking sannyas, Mahaprabhu wanted to go to Vrindavan, but in Nabadwip, even those who criticised Mahaprabhu, even those who were envious of Mahaprabhu shed tears and cried for Mahaprabhu having got to know that Mahaprabhu had left Nabadwip. They felt it had become very dark in Nabadwip. Nityananda Prabhu understood devotees' feeling and He decided, "Mahaprabhu may not go to His birthplace again, but still I will try to take Him to Gauda-mandal, Shantipur, to Advaita Prabhu's house—it is near Nabadwip, and everybody can come and meet with Him there." Somehow Nityananda Prabhu managed to take Mahaprabhu to Shantipur instead of taking Him straight to Vrindavan.

When Mahaprabhu came to the ghat in Kalna, there is Kalna on one side and Shantipur on the other side. Advaita Prabhu was there waiting for Him in a boat in the middle of the river. How was it possible at that time? There were no satellites, no phones, no mobile phones, no whatsapp, no facebook at that time—how did Advaita Prabhu know that Nityananda Prabhu was coming that way? Mahaprabhu entered the Ganges to His neck and with His eyes closed offered obeisances and recited mantras in glorification of the Yamuna thinking, "Oh, I have come to Vrindavan! Very nice! I am very happy." Then He opened His eyes and saw Advaita Prabhu.

Mahaprabhu was surprised, "Advaita, how did you know I was here? How did you know I was in Vrindavan?"

Advaita Prabhu replied, "Prabhu, wherever You are, there is Vrindavan. Wherever You are, there is Yamuna."

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"Look around, Prabhu."

"Oh, this is actually not the Yamuna... It is the Ganga... But I have already recited the mantras in glorification of the Yamuna..."

"And it is not wrong because here one side is the Ganga, and the other side is the Yamuna, so actually You are correct, You made no mistake."

Then, Advaita Prabhu gave some clothes to Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, please wear this. You have been wearing the same cloth, you have no clothes to change." Mahaprabhu changed His clothes in the boat and they reached Advaita Acharya's house.

Sita Rani [Advaita Prabhu's wife] cooked thirty-two items (battisa-athiya-kalara angatiya pate)—she made so many various preparations and so many Indian sweets (it was winter season, so she made pancakes and many other things) for Mahaprabhu. She prepared two asans, and Nityananda Prabhu sat on one of them. He was very hungry and could not wait. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is hungry, He can tolerate many things, but Nityananda Prabhu is always hungry, and since He had been walking with Mahaprahu He had eaten only three times in three days. This was very painful and austere for Him. So, Nityananda Prabhu could not wait—He sat down on the asan and started eating before Mahaprabhu sat down. Mahaprabhu saw it and said to Advaita Prabhu, "You sit, you sit, this is your asan!" Advaita Prabhu refused, "No, Prabhu, ask Sita Rani who this asan is for. She has prepared it for You. In three days You have eaten only three times, You have not eaten properly after taking sannyas, so You please sit down here and eat. Nityananda Prabhu is already eating." Then, Mahaprabhu sat down and took prasadam.

By that time, Sachi Mata and all the citizens and devotees of Mahaprabhu heard the news that Mahaprabhu had come to Shantipur, and there was a long line of people who came there to see Mahaprabhu. Everybody was very sad because Mahaprabhu had changed His dress and no longer wore His householder clothes, He had shaved His head and left His beautiful curly hair—He had left, had renounced everything in Katwa... In Shantipur, Mahaprabhu gave some lecture, He sang and danced the whole day and night without stop, and all day and night He instructed the devotees.

When Sachi Mata came, she spoke to Srivas Pandit and Advaita Prabhu: "I understand that Nimai will not return to Nabadwip, He has left... Can I cook for Him? Will He take it if I cook for Him? He is a sannyasi now and I have to ask Him, but I cannot ask Him myself. Please you ask Him. I am thinking He will leave and go far away, but you will always be able to cook for Him and I will not—I will not be able to cook for Him every day. I want to cook for Him at least while He is here. Please ask Him if I can." They asked Mahaprabhu and Mahaprabhu gave Sachi Mata permission to cook for Him. So, Sachi Mata cooked and tried many times to give prasadam to Mahaprabhu from time to time while He was in Shantipur.

Mahaprabhu passed days and nights chanting, dancing without stop. Sometimes He would fall down, sometimes many things became manifest in His body. This all started happening after He took sannyas. Some days later, He started walking to Vrindavan. On the way, He stayed a few days in Puri, then He went to South India and other places. In this way, Mahaprabhu spend six years travelling with Nityananda Prabhu. After that, He finally settled in Puri…

* * *

Preaching Ideal

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 6

Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu, "I am leaving Nabadwip, Gaura mandal, but I am giving the responsibility to preach in Gaura mandal to You. Preach Krishna-katha there." Nityananda Prabhu understood, "It is very hard to preach Krishna-katha—people cannot understand so much Krishna-katha, but if I preach about Mahaprabhu, then people will understand it easily and they will easily take Mahaprabhu's conception." This is how Nityananda Prabhu started preaching about Mahaprabhu.

Mahaprabhu chanted Hare Krishna, "Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam...", "Hari haraya nama krsna yadavaya namah, yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah", but Nityananda Prabhu chanted,

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!"

"Chant Mahaprabhu's name, listen to Mahaprabhu's lecture, listen to Mahaprabhu's teachings, and speak about that—speak about Mahaprabhu's teachings."

Our duty is to learn what the main teachings of Mahaprabhu are. You should read Chaitanya-charitamrita, Chaitanya-bhagavat properly.

"Bhagavata pada Vaisnavera sthane, ekanta asraya kara Chaitanya-charane. Read Bhagavatam under the guidance of bona fide Vaishnavs and take shelter at Mahaprabhu's lotus feet."

It is necessary to surrender. Do not think so much about yourself. For as many days you are alive in this world, you must preach Krishna-katha, preach Gauranga-katha, preach Guru-katha, Guru Maharaj's katha. If you preach that, what is the need for you to worry about your future?

Gurudev always preached Guru Maharaj's katha, and now we are preaching Gurudev's katha, Gurudev's lectures—we are preaching Gurudev's glories. You must understand that it is not necessary to preach for yourself. If you preach for your Guru, then Guru will arrange for people to preach about you. That is the main principle of preaching.

Self-glorification is not our ideal, not our teaching. Mahaprabhu never preached about Himself—He never said He was Bhagavan (the Lord). We preach that Mahaprabhu is the Lord, that Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from the Lord. This is what we preach and teach everybody; this is what we learn from our Gurudev, from the devotees. This is our preaching standard.

It is not necessary to preach about yourself. If you preach for your Gurudev, if you preach his glories, that is sufficient for your spiritual life; people will understand it easily and everybody will respect you. If you give respect to others, everybody will give respect to you; if you love everybody, then you will get love and affection from everybody. That is the main thing, the main teaching of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and that is our teachings and main things.

* * *

Learn and Distribute

Sri Ekachakra Dham

26 January 2018, part 7

You must learn from Visvanath Chakravarti, you must learn from Prabodhananda Saraswati, you must learn from Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami. If you learn what they teach, what they do, what their lifestyle is like, you can understand everything easily then.

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

"The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krishna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action, knowledge."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.1.11)

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari

kaya-mane kariba bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva

ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

You must avoid other desires—other desires, other knowledge. You must throw your karma, your jnana, etc. into the Ganges. You must be determined, "Kaya, mana, deha—with my mind, body and speech I will worship You, I will preach for You." "Sadhu-sange Krsna-seva": in the good association of a great sadhu, you must engage yourself in the service of the Lord, in the service of your Guru. That is our duty. Do service and engage others in service of your Guru. That is the main thing for us. If you are not eating, it is not good, and if you are eating yourself and not giving to others, it is also not good.

When Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came to Nityananda Prabhu's birthplace, he had not been giving initiation to anybody for many years. Many people wanted to take sannyas from him, many of his godbrothers wanted to take sannyas from him, but at first he did not agree. Then, he came here to the lotus feet of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and he got mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. Everybody knows that. Nityananda Prabhu said to him, "You have come to Me to ask Me for mercy, but Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur has given so much mercy to you and you are not distributing it. You are a miser, but you are asking Me for mercy. This is not correct. Go and preach your Guru's katha. You must start preaching about Prabhupad, and you must start giving initiation to others because if you do not initiate others, if you only sit in one place and do not preach, that is not good. You can sit in some place, it is not a problem, but if somebody comes to you, if some fallen soul comes to you, you must give them some engagement, give them some service, and you must preach to them—you must tell them about Prabhupad, tell them who Nityananda Prabhu is, who Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is." Then, Srila Sridhar Maharaj came back from Vrindavan. He had been staying in a very nice place, Pavan-sarovar and Kadam-khandi in Nanda-gram (where Sanatan Goswami stayed), but he left it and came to Nabadwip. There, he stayed secretly on the back of the Ganges in Koladwip, aparadh-bhanjan pat, and eventually so many godbrothers and so many people from all over India and abroad came to him, and he instructed them. He would say, "This is the kind of inspiration that I have got from Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. Now I can start initiating you all."

On these examples, we can understand what the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu is, what the teachings of Nityananda Prabhu are in a very easy and concise way.

ye age padaye, tare kraye nistara

uttama, adhama, kicchu na kare vichara

“Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.208-209)

That is Nityananda Prabhu's quality. He does not judge who is educated, who has quality, whose skin is white colour, whose skin is black colour, who comes from a lower caste, who comes from a higher caste, who is lower, who is higher or the highest—He never judges by this. He gives mercy to anyone who surrenders to Him. That is Nityananda Prabhu's quality.

ye age padaye, tare kraye nistara

uttama, adhama, kicchu na kare vichara

“Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.208-209)

He rescues whoever falls before Him.

In this way, we can understand very smoothly what Nityananda Prabhu wanted, what our Guru Maharaj and Gurudev wanted, what they want to preach about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, and we are very fortunate because on the appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu we are able to be present here, we can stay here, and we can get an opportunity to serve this Mission, we can get an opportunity to serve Nityananda Prabhu's place. That is the main things for our life.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

* * *

Great Good Fortune

Translated from Bengali, part 1

27 January 2018, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Today, by a great good fortune we have arrived here. What is this place? This is aprakrita dhama (transcendental abode), Sri Ekachakra Dham. We have arrived in this Sri Ekachakra Dham where our most beloved Lord Nityananda Prabhu manifested His appearance pastime. We have reached this appearance place of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu by the mercy of Guru and Vaishnavs, by the mercy of the Lord. This is not a matter of small fortune—not everybody gets such fortune.

Scriptures said,

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151)

One gets this bhakti-lata-bij (the seed of the devotional creeper) by the mercy of Guru and Krishna, and Guru-tattva is non-different from Nityananda-tattva, there is no difference between them. This Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, who is non-different from the Guru-tattva, manifested His appearance pastime here and spent His childhood pastimes here also. And by our great fortune we have arrived in this kind of place to observe His avirbhav tithi (appearance day). In many places and villages all over the world people observe this day—they read about the glories of this Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, they reveal the glories and the appearance pastime of Nityananda Prabhu. You have come to such kind of place, and it is possible only by a great fortune.

It is said in the scriptures,

chari varnasrami yadi krsna nahi bhaje

svakarma karileo se raurave padi maje

"Whatever varna (a priest, fighter, manager, or worker) or asram (a celibate, householder, renouncer of the household life, or monk) you may belong to, if you do not worship Krsna but engage in your prescribed duties, you will have to fall into a terrible hell."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.26)

Whatever stage (ashram) you staying at—whether you are a brahmachari, a grihastha, a vanaprastha, or even a sannyasi—if you do not worship Lord Krishna, if you do not worship the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani and Krishna, if you do not worship Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's lotus feet and Gauranga's lotus feet, then you are a great sinner and you are going to an extremely austere hell called raurav. 'Raurav' means something much worse than hell in general. How is it more austere? Suppose you take a pot of hot oil and put some eggplant into it—it begins to sizzle and burn at once. The same fate awaits you if, having got this human birth, you cannot engage yourself in service of Krishna even after hearing about it from the mouth of the sadhus and the Guru...

The sadhus and the Guru travel place to place just to tell you about this. They actually come right to your house. Having got the order from Gauranga, from the Guru, Sriman Nityananda Prabhu also went house to house to tell you about this…

* * *

Participate In Service

Translated from Bengali, part 1

9 February 2018, Hooghly District

We have assembled here today to hear the glories and to glorify the Lord. Talks about the Lord, His Name, form, qualities, pastimes and associates are completely non-different from the Lord Himself. Not everybody has the fortune to hear about the Lord or to serve the Lord.

There are so many jiva souls in this world, but the number of human beings is very small. Among human beings, those who say that they follow the Vedas are called Veda-nistha, some also call them karma-nistha (fruitive workers). People say they follow the Vedas but they do what is prohibited by the Vedas. There are three types of karma—sukarma (good activities), akarma (abstinence from activity), vikarma (prohibited activities). If you engage in karma, you will enjoy the fruit of that karma. As a result of their karma, some go to heaven, and some go to hell, but both of these are temporary—heaven is temporary and hell is also temporary. Depending on your karma, if you serve other human beings, you will go to the human planes of life; if you serve the jiva souls, you will go to the plane of jiva souls; if you serve Lord Siva, you will go to the abode of Lord Siva; if you serve Lord Vishnu, you will go to the abode of Lord Vishnu; and if you serve the Lord, if you serve Govinda, then you will reach the eternal abode in Goloka, the abode of Govinda, and stay there forever. Once you reach that eternal abode, you do not have to ever come back from there.

Always remember this—if you engage in the kirtan of Lord Siva (if you glorify and praise Lord Siva), you will reach Lord Siva, and the Lord will be happy with that because Lord Siva chants the glories of the Lord with his five mouths. Brahma chants the glories of the Lord with his four mouths, Narad travels with the vina chanting the glories of the Lord. So, if we can chant the glories of the Lord, if we can practise service of the Lord, then we will reach the eternal abode of Goloka Vrindavan and will not have to ever came back again. Time and time again we come to this world taking birth as an animal, bird, insect, moths, etc. and there is only one remedy against it—to participate in the service of the Lord.

* * *

Not a Game

Translated from Bengali, part 2

9 February 2018, Hooghly District

Gurudev said all the time: everybody does some service, but how many have attachment to their service? How many have seva-pravrtti (service mood), seva-vrtti (service engagement)? Gurudev always said that everybody is doing some service, but only very small percent has attachment to their own service. Everybody has some attachment, but nobody has all attachment to their service.

We must be serious about our spiritual matters, spiritual life. It is not a play, it is not childish games. You must be serious about your spiritual life. That is the main thing. Whatever you do, you must do it seriously. For example, if somebody studies something, they have some aim in life, "I will be a scientist," "I will be a lawyer," "I will be a judge," "I will be a big personality." There must always be some aim in life. Just as a boat cannot run without the helmsman, in the same way life cannot run without an aim. Gurudev always said that everybody is doing some service, but it is very rare to get somebody who is attached to their service, who has sincerity. Sincerity is very rare, what to speak of chastity—chastity is very far. First it is necessary to have sincerity, nistha, then attachment (asakti)—attachment is necessary—then taste (ruchi). There are nine principle devotional practices, and everybody must have strong attachment to their service. Not everybody is attached to their service, as a result they cannot prosper in their spiritual life or their material life. You must understand it.

When I was coming here, a railway gate was closed and the cars on both sides could not pass it. I was thinking how much sincerity the man who closes and opens the gate must have. So many lives depend on his hand—if a train is coming and he keeps the gate open, many people will die, then you can understand how careful he must be. What will happen if a train is coming but he falls asleep and forgets to close the gate? The man must do his service properly, and he must be always alert.

I was also remembering how a few years ago terrorists attacked the American Centre in Park Street, Kolkata. They were so careless. The terrorists attacked when the workers were changing their duty shift. The shift changed at 6 o'clock—the next shift was coming and the previous shift was leaving—suddenly two terrorists attacked the American Centre at that time. Many policemen, many military men died. How? The terrorist knew that when they were changing shifts, everybody's attention was loose—those who were leaving were tired, and those who were coming were still adjusting and settling. We must be alert at every moment in our spiritual life—maya can attack at any time.

Maya is always alert, and you must also be always alert. Maya is always alert, "As soon as I get a hole, I will attack that jiva soul." Maya is always searching for this opportunity. As soon as somebody becomes detached from their seva, maya attacks them. As the jiva soul is going closer to the Lord, maya pulls them from behind and throws them into her net, but just as when fish gets caught into a net, it splashes and tries so hard to get out, we too must try in the same way not to fall into the net of maya. Maya is always alert and always waits to catch us and take us away from the service of the Lord. When you come to this path of chanting the Holy Name, whatever obstacles and dangers you encounter are all maya.

You can see thousands of people everywhere in this world—thousands get off the train at Howrah, at Sheldah station, get off the airplane, etc. The other day I was driving through Tollygunge bypass road and saw hundreds of cars. I was thinking we were going to some place for the service of the Lord, but those people were going pursuing their own business. You can see how busy the Kolkata roads are at twelve or six o'clock. How busy people are for their own food, for their own clothes, for their own sense-gratification, for their own enjoyment and happiness. The whole day, from early morning to sunset, they spent in worries—they have no time to think about anything, they do not even think that they must keep some time to think about the Lord. I was sitting in the car and kept thinking about it time and time again these people of the illusory world fall into the illusory bondage and they are so busy all the time, they have no time for anything.

On the train, you have time to have some tea, you have time to read a newspaper, to chat with others, but once you get off the train you can see how busy everybody gets. You can die at any time, this life can end at any second, but people do not think about it. Sadhus approach them, "Please take this book for ten-fifty rupees. Read it, you will get benefit," but they say, "I have no time to read. I have no time at all!" You can see how maya attacks them, how these souls live within the bondage of maya. Sadhus and acharyas always think about them…

* * *

Bhava-Rog Doctor

Translated from Bengali, part 2

27 January 2018, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Having got an order from Gauranga, from the Guru, Sriman Nityananda Prabhu went house to house to give you the message... Think about it. Who is there more merciful than Him?

When you get sick, you have to go to different hospitals, you have to see a doctor—the doctor gives you medicine, you take it and get well. Here, to cure your bhava-rog (disease of material existence), the doctor actually comes to your house and tells you what your disease is, what things you must avoid in order to remove your illusory environment. Why is your disease not cured? Because you are not taking the medicine properly.

Think about it. How merciful such a doctor is. In this world, to see a doctor you have to pay, you have to wait in line for the appointment for three days, sometimes even three months, but this 'bhava-rog' doctor comes to your house himself and tells you what your disease is, gives you the medicine, but you do not take it. How will your disease be cured then? How will you escape maya? You will never be able to.

When you come to this doctor, you must receive medicine from him and take it, then you will be able to get relief from maya and reach the lotus feet of the Lord where you can be engaged in the eternal service.

* * *

Foster Devotional Feelings

Translated from Bengali, part 3

27 January 2018, Sri Ekachakra Dham

Going house to house, Nityananda Prabhu would say,

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!"

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe

samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become insignificant?"

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

kabe nityananda more kari' daya

chhadaibe mora visayera maya

"When will Nityananda be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"

(Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

How beautifully Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote

kabe habe bala se dina amara

aparadha ghuchi suddha name ruchi

krpa-bale ha'be hrdaye sanchara

"Please tell me, when will that day be mine? When will my offences be removed? When will the taste for the pure Name arise in my heart by the power of mercy?"

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,

baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari

janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!

ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

What do I want? I do not want wealth, knowledge, eloquence, beautiful companions—all these things that the outside people are so proud of... Chaitanya-charitamrta (Adi-lila, 8.18) says,

krsna yadi chhute bhakte bhukti mukti diya

kabhu prema-bhakti na dena rakhena lukaiya

"If you ask Krishna for anything except devotion, He can give you those things—bhukti, mukti, liberation, and so on—but He will hide devotion from you. You will not get devotion."

If you run behind the illusory environment—if you run behind enjoyment, if you run behind liberation—Krishna will give it to you, Krishna will make you happy for a few moments, but what will you think after that, when you are leaving your body? Even during this life also—if you ask for liberation or enjoyment in lieu of devotion, Krishna will give it to you, but He will never give you devotion—He will take it away and hide it from you.

Through devotion you can get the Lord; if you have no devotion, you will not get the Lord, you will not be able to do any service. When you get devotion, all other things (money, wealth, houses, cars, etc.) will be insignificant for you. We have come to this world and if we cannot attain devotion and cannot engage ourselves in the service to the lotus feet of Krishna through that devotion, then this life has no value.

How beautifully the great souls write: "jive daya, Name ruchi, Vaisnava seva." You must be merciful to the jiva souls, you must have taste for the Holy Name, and you must serve the Vaishnavs. "Chhadiya Vaisnava-seva nistara payechhe keba: without service to the Vaishnav, you cannot get any relief." You must use everything for the service of the Lord.

If you have dirt in your heart, where will you find place for the Lord, tell me? We always sing in the kirtan of Nityananda Prabhu (and we must always remember it), "Ahankare matta haina, Nitai-pada pasariya"—intoxicated by ego we forget the lotus feet of Nitai...

We do not know the Lord, we do not have faith in the Guru, even when we see the Deities we do not bow, do not lower our heads. How unfortunate we are... How many people come here to Ekachakra? They come to enjoy, to have a picnic; they see the Lordships and have no feelings—they turn their back to the Deities and take photos. How unfortunate they are. They do not understand anything... On the other hand, when we see the Deities, we offer obeisances, when we see a Tulasi tree growing anywhere on the street, we offer obeisance to her; when we cross the Ganga, we offer obeisances to her. This is how devotees practise devotion…

* * *

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj's Bhajan Kutir

9 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj's bhajan kutir

Actually, Srila Jagannath Da Babaji Maharaj was living in Radha Kunda, and when he was already very old, Srimati Radharani expressed Her desire to him, "My lila is now not in Vrindavan. You must go to Nabadwip." Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj has a servitor called Bihari Das—he brought Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj in a basket here, to Nabadwip. He stayed and did pure Hari bhajan here in this place.

Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj also wanted to find Mahaprabhu's appearance place (we went to that place yesterday). When Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur discovered that place in Mayapur, he called Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj to show him the place, "Prabhu, I think that this is the place of Mahaprabhu's birth because so many Tulasis grow there. Please come and see this place." Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj came there in a basket and as soon as Bihari Das put the basket on the ground, Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj jumped up and began to dance, "I have got my Prabhu's birthplace! This is my Prabhu's birthplace!"

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj had two dogs here and he would always give prasadam to them. Bihari Das did not like it, so one day he took the money from the pranami box that Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj used to give prasadam. Babaji Maharaj understood what had happened and said to Bihari Das, "I give prasadam to the dogs, but you do not like it. I understand it, but they are also jiva souls, they live nearby, so how will I take prasadam without them?" Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj also liked feeding cows—he would get some pranami and always buy sweets with it and give them to cows.

One time, a lady came to Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj and gave him a batabi-lebu (pamelo). Babaji Maharaj understood that she had some material desire, so he said to her, "I cannot accept it."

Another time, he said, "If you chant the Holy Name, but you do not chant the proper Holy Name—chanting only Nama aparadh and Namabhas—even if you chant the whole day, chant one lakh, two lakhs, it will be better if instead you go and water a Vaishnav's branjol (aubergine) tree."

So, this place where we are sitting now is the samadhi mandir and the bhajan kutir of this Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. We are paying obeisance to his place. He is our Guru parampara. Bhaktivinod Thakur always liked him and always consulted with him. That is why we are paying our obeisance to this Guru of our parampara, Om Vishnupad Srila Vaishnav Sarvabhauma Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj.

Jay Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj ki jay!

Tadiya bhajan kutir samadhi mandir ki jay!

* * *

Association and Assimilation

Translated from Bengali, part 4

27 January 2018, Sri Ekachakra Dham

"Bhakta-sangena parijayate: devotion comes from devotees' association." (Brhan-naradiya Purana) It is said, "Bhagavata pada Vaisnavera sthane, ekanta asraya kara Chaitanya-charane: Read Bhagavatam under the guidance of bona fide Vaishnavs and take shelter at Mahaprabhu's lotus feet." How will you know the siddhanta (spiritual truths)? If you keep the association of Gaura's devotees every day, if you keep the association of Krishna's devotees every day, then you will be able to understand the waves of the ocean of devotion to Krishna:

chaitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara 'sanga'

tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga

[Svarupa Damodara said,] "Always associate with the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then only will you understand the waves of the ocean of devotional service."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 5.132)

Otherwise how will you ever understand it?

There is one working householder devotee who every Sunday (no matter whether it rains or not) takes his bicycle and goes to a house to speak Hari-katha: he sits on the veranda of that house and gives a class for one hour. Local people from the neighbourhood come to listen to him—old people, ladies, etc. Twenty-twenty-five people come to his class every Sunday. When I came there, I told them, "Just look. A doctor comes to your house every day, but you cannot bring your wife, your children to this path. He has been coming and giving class for two years already, but still people see sadhu, Guru, Vaishnavs and they do not even pay obeisance. The house has three floors, and they sit on the top floor and do not come to hear the class, but those who live nearby come. Even the son and the son's wife of the house do not come, but his parents do—they come, listen to the class, they have become vegetarian."

We must be our own doctors and bring ourselves to the path of devotion to the Lord, then our disease of material existence will be cured. What did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu say? Whoever you see, tell them to chant the Name of Krishna (yare dekho tare kaho koro Krishna Nam)!

yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa

amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa

"Whover you see tell them about the teachings of Lord Krishna. On My order, become a Guru and rescue this land."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 7.128)

Mahaprabhu instructed, "I am giving you My order—become a Guru in this land! Rescue the souls of this world." If you only listen to Hari-katha but cannot give anything to others, then you are very unfortunate. You must always think about it, always remember it. What did Sriman Nityananda Prabhu give to you? He gave what Mahaprabhu could not give—He gave what was beyond Mahaprabhu's power to give. Think about it then—what is the Guru able to give you? You cannot even think of it.

Nityananda Prabhu was hit, blood fell from His head, and He cried—why did He cry? Did He cry because His head was bleeding? No. What did He cry for then? For Madhai. He said to Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, You must save, You must protect Madhai! If You cast him aside, who will save him then? There is no second person who can do it in this world."

You must always think about these teachings, remember Nityananda Prabhu's tolerance and patience. If somebody tells you something bad, if somebody chastises you, you become upset, you get angry with them, but this is not your conception—your Gurudev never taught you this, Nityananda Prabhu never taught you this. If somebody does not give you respect, you become upset, this is also not right. Be humble, tolerant and give honour to others—you must be humble as a blade of grass, as tolerant as a tree...

I told it yesterday also—many of you are thinking what will happen? Will we not go on parikrama? After Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left Nabadwip and took sannyas, where did He stay? Did He have His own house? Did He have a place to stay? He spent the rest of His life in Puri—in whose house? In Gambhira, Kashi Mishra's house. Where did Nityananda Prabhu stay, tell me? When He left Ekachakra, where did He stay? Yet, how many temples did He make? Think about it. We too will manage and spend our life in this way. As the Guru wishes, as the Lord wishes, so be it. The temple is where the Guru is. The devotees gather wherever the Guru stays.

Devotee: Hari bol!

Those who come to the temple because they see a nice building, do not love the Guru. Those who love the Guru will come to him even if he stays in the jungle—they will go there and find him there. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj at first stayed in a thatched hut in the jungle, but thousands of people came to see him. The temple, the ashram, everything is wherever the Guru is.

Then you can understand that we have come here for spiritual matter, we have not come to the Guru for a nice building. Somebody may even come to Nabadwip and not get spiritual things there. You must think about this.

* * *

We Forget

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 1

The main thing that I want to tell everybody is that everybody is preaching, everybody knows everything, but sometimes because of the illusory environment, because our ego attacks us, we forget. We forget that we ourselves have no power to do anything. Our ego disturbs us so much and because of that we sometimes forget, we cannot remember that Krishna does everything, that our Guru is doing what he wants. We think we do everything, but it is not possible for us to do anything. We must understand what the mercy of Gurudev is, what Gurudev gave us, what is our duty after Gurudev's disappearance. We forget it, but we must remember him and his words, his instructions—what he wanted to say and what he could not say also.

We must preach about our Guru all over the world. That is our main priority. If we preach about ourselves, it is not good—we always want to preach about ourselves, but this is not good for our spiritual life. We must preach for Gurudev. That is our main priority.

Whatever your capacity is, even if you are a householder, a brahmachari, a grihastha or a sannyasi, it is not a question. Even a householder can be a great devotee—like Ambarish Maharaj, for example. When Durvasa Muni made an offence to Ambarish Maharaj (he got angry and used bad language against Ambarish Maharaj), Krishna could not tolerate it, so Sudarshan ran behind Durvasa Muni. Durvasa Muni ran to take shelter of Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, but it was not possible for them to give shelter to him. Then Ambarish Maharaj asked the Lord, "Please forgive his offence. Please stop. I am the offender. I am the offender. Please stop Sudarshan." You must understand this.

We sing the song,

gurudev!

krpa-bindu diya kara ei dase

trnapeksa ati dina

"Gurudev, I am very humble-I am less than a blade of grass."

sakala sahane bala diya kara

nija-mane sprha-hina

"O Gurudev, please give me some power, some sakti, so that I could tolerate everything."

When Mahaprabhu went to South India, he met there one Vasudev Vipra who had leprosy—his whole body was rotten and insects were eating it, falling out of the sores on his hands, legs, etc. one by one. Vasudev Vipra thought, "My body is nothing. One day it will be burnt and destroyed, what am I to do with it? If these insects are happy to eat it, what is my problem?" So, he would take the insects fallen from the sores and put them back into his body. You must realise how much tolerance he has.

sakale samman karite sakati

deha natha yatha-yatha

We ask Gurudev for his blessing, for his power, "Prabhu, please give me the kind of power by which I can tolerate everything." If we can be like this, then we will get the result one day.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

* * *

"I am not hopeless"

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 2

Past few days I have been very busy with preaching for Sri Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Tomorrow I was supposed to attend a programme in Basirhat, it is 50 km from here, but I postponed it. They are very unhappy, but I told them that my priority is the devotees and the parikrama in Nabadwip Dham—devotees are coming from various countries to join the parikrama, so my first priority is them. I want to give some association to them, and I want their association also. That is why I postponed the programme tomorrow. They have already arranged everything (got the vegetables, etc.), but I said, "Please forgive my offence, but I cannot come now." I had some job in Kolkata today, I finished it, and I had also gone out for rice collection for so many days and finished that too.

We try so many things, but everything depends upon Lord Krishna, our Gurudev. He is always our guardian, and we are all instruments—we cannot do anything. We only try our best, but the result will come through him.

We have tried to go to Nabadwip again and again—we have even got the High Court order in our favour—but there is too much illusory environment, that is why we cannot enter our destination. Gurudev always tests us, tests me also. I do not have so many qualities and so much qualification, but my Gurudev is very powerful. So many times there were difficulties at Gaura Purnima time. Two time they filed false cases against me and I could not join Gaura Purnima at first, but by the mercy of Gurudev I could finally join the last days. When I was in jail, I got the bail, but even then there was some illusory environment and I could not attend full parikrama, but finally, on the last day of the parikrama, one day before Gaura Purnima, I entered and joined Chaitanya Saraswat Math Temple. This has been happening for many years now and two years were like that but we finally did go for Gaura Purnima.

They are always trying to stop us—maya is always trying. It is Kali-prabhav, Kali-yuga, and Kali Maharaj is very powerful. That is why we must fight—we must fight against maya in this world.

Anyhow, I am not hopeless. I printed the Gaura Purnima invitation card two months ago and have been going to many villages for preaching. I have done parikrama in many villages, have gone for rice collection, potato collection. I have done everything, but Krishna is the arranger—He is doing everything—that is why we depend upon Krishna.

Devotees always ask, "When will Maharaj go to Nabadwip?" Many phone calls came today, devotees are asking, "What will we do? Should we come or not?" Thousands and thousands of people are coming and they are calling me, "Maharaj, what should we do? Where will we go for parikrama?" I told them, "What is the problem? Sriman Mahaprabhu—Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—also left Nabadwip (Gurudev said Mahaprabhu rejected Nabadwip and accepted Puri). Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left everything and lived in Puri at Kashi Mishra's house in Gambhira, but how many temples did He make? For a sannyasi, a sadhu, there is no problem—he sits under a tree and goes preaching here and there from there. It is not necessary for a sannyasi to stay at a particular house. A sannyasi goes here and there and preaches." They understood what I wanted to say.

Wherever Gurudev is, there are our main things; wherever Gurudev is, we will go there. That is our main vision.

* * *

Other Desires

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 3

Wherever Guru is, there is our Deity, there is our everything, but sometimes we cannot understand it... We only say, "I am your, Gurudev. I am yours. I am your dog, I am your this, I am your that." People say this but inside they have some other desire also. It is called anyabhilasita—other material desires. We may have no material desire, we may have some spiritual desire, but we cannot understand what is a material desire and what is a spiritual desire, or what Gurudev wants.

I heard a very nice story from Gurudev in this regard.

One time, Gurudev told a Western devotee, "Sit in front of me." He was living that time upstairs, at 487 Dum Dum Park. The devotee sat in front of Gurudev, and Gurudev spoke to other devotees—there were many devotees present there at that time, and Gurudev spoke to them, to his servitors, to sannyasis, and that devotee was only sitting and listening—Gurudev did not say anything to him. One day, another devotee came to him and said, "What are you doing there sitting in front of Gurudev all the time? That is not service, you are only sitting there and doing nothing. Come with me, you can clean the kitchen." The devotee agreed and started cleaning the kitchen and prasadam hall, there at 487 Dum Dum Park. Three-four days later he finished cleaning, but during these days he could not come to Gurudev. When he finally showed up, Gurudev asked him, "What happened, Prabhu? I have not seen you past three-four days." The devotee explained, "Oh, one devotee told me, 'What are you doing there? You are only sitting and doing nothing, come with me and clean the kitchen.' I went with him and have been busy cleaning the kitchen..." Gurudev said then, "Oh, and I was thinking you did not want to see my ugly face, that is why you did not like being here and you went to another place. I told you to sit here. You think that you have no service here, but that is your anyabhilasita. I told you to sit here, then that is your service. Sitting here, even if I say nothing to you and you say nothing to me, that is your service."

When I heard this story from Gurudev, I understood then what is called anyabhilasita. Anya (other) abhilas (desire). Rupa Goswami said,

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

"The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krsna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action, knowledge."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.1.11)

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari

kaya-mane kariba bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva

ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

It is easy to understand.

* * *

Sadhus' Mission

7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Bengali evening class, part 1

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim

yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all devotees and all of you praying for your mercy to this low soul.

"I am low and fallen, I have no quality, qualification."

sakti-buddhi-hina ami ati dina

kara more atma-satha

yogyata vichare kichu nahi pai

tomara karuna-sara

karuna na ha-ile kandiya kandiya

prana na rakhiba ara

“O master! I am devoid of ability and intelligence, and greatly distressed. Please accept me. When I examine myself for qualifications, I find none. Your mercy is everything. If you are not merciful to me, then, crying, I will no longer maintain my life.”

Many of you think that you have come here for some punya, piety. If you do pious activities, you will go to heaven, but even heaven is temporary, is it not? When you come to heaven, you will enjoy some happiness for some time as a demigod or a demigoddess, but just as demigods have to come back from there, you too will have to come back and go to lower planets (hell) after that. Now tell me, do you want to go to heaven? Does any of you want to go to heaven?

Devotee [softly]: No.

Say it clearly. Does anyone want to go to heaven?

Devotees [firmly]: No!

All right, that is good.

nahi magi svarga ara moksa nahi magi

na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi

"I do not pray for heaven, I do not pray for liberation, and I do not pray for any supernatural powers."

(Sri Siksastakam, 4.1-2, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Bhaktivinod Thakur says, "I do not pray for any opulence or powers." Where is our destination? Where is our home? Goloka Vrindavan. This is where you must go—the place of no return. When you come there you will never have to come back again. You must go to the place where you will never have to be born and die again, you will never have to again suffer old age and disease. To take you to that place, the sadhus undergo so much austerity going house to house, coming to your houses, calling you, "Come, come!"

At the time of temple inauguration in Tarakeshwar, I would go out every morning and came back in the evening visiting ninety houses every day. Walking on foot with my stick, I would go house to house and returning to the temple in the evening, I would give class. You saw how many thousands of people came for the festival. Those who saw the festival, could see how by the inspiration of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, by the desire of Srila Guru Maharaj, by the mercy of Gurudev, such a beautiful Math manifest there and how many thousands of people came there, took prasad, listened to the class, kirtan. You can imagine—the people from the places where nobody understood Hari-katha, nobody knew, nobody understood who Krishna is, that kind of people came to this path.

One time, I went for collection to Mednipur. At one of the houses, a man saw me in the car. He came to me and said, "I am sorry, I cannot help you." I said to him, "I have not come here to take your help, I have come here to help you." Then, he let us in and gave us a seat at his house. When we came in, I saw he began climbing a coconut tree. I asked him, "What are you climbing the coconut tree for?" He wanted to give us a dub. I told him, "I will take prasad later. I have come to help you, and you must first take my help." He climbed down from the tree, sat down and listened to Hari-katha. After the class, he went into his house and put whatever rice there was in his clay pot into our collection sack. On top of that, he gave us whatever money he had—twenty-fifty rupees. I asked him, "You have given everything to us, what are you going to eat at night?" He said, "The Lord will take care."

I gave that man an invitation card to Nabadwip Dham. He said, "Nabadwip... Will I ever be able to go there in my life? It is so far... Where will I stay there? How much money is needed? I do not know anything about these things..." I told him, "The address is here, you do not need to worry." He said, "All right, I cannot cannot come this year, but I will come next year." Then I told him, "In the meantime, here is what you will do. Every day you cook two kg of rice. Take a handful of that amount and keep it in a clay pot."

When I came to that village next year, he showed me that he had collected thirty-four kg of rice. I told him to give ten kg to the Math, sell the rest twenty-four kg and come to Nabadwip with that money. He came to Nabadwip, took initiation from Guru Maharaj, began chanting the Holy Name. Later, his children also took Harinam, and now they come for Nabadwip Dham parikrama too.

One day, he told me, "Maharaj, why do you not come to our village any more?" I explained to them, "That time I went there to hijack you all. You thought I had come for your rice, dal, money, to hijack your wealth, but I went there, hijacked you all and brought you to the feet of Gurudev. That is why I came there. My intention is successful, so now there is no need for me to go to your village."

This is what the sadhus want—they do not need your money. Real sadhus do not come for your money. As Maharaj was saying just now, there are many false sadhus who only dress as a sadhu—it is very difficult to become a sadhu, but it is very easy to dress as a sadhu. That is why I always tell you,

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale

gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

“Just saying, ‘I am Gora's! I am Gora’s!' does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'

gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

“You show the world you serve Gora simply by wearing tilak but secretly you misbehave. Gora will catch you, you thief!”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.7)

Do not make a show for the world that you serve Gora, you must love Gora with your heart. Do not be a hypocrite. You must love with your heart—love comes from the heart. It is not necessary to love just for the sake of showing it to others. You must love with your heart, with the real feeling.

* * *

Parikrama Will Not Be Stopped

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 1

By the mercy of Gurudev, by the will of Gurudev and Guru Maharaj, you all have come from various corners of the world to join Sri Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. I am thinking that one way or another we will do the Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Even if there are fewer people, we will still start the parikrama. We will not stop it.

There were many problems in past years also, but we have never stopped the parikrama—anyhow we are running it every year. One time, when Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was sick, Gurudev did stop the parikrama that one year. I heard about it from Gurudev's mouth, at that time I had not come here yet, so I did not know about it. Gurudev was also afraid when he was in Kolkata and very sick. He asked me, "What do you want to do? Will you continue the parikrama or will you stop it? One time I had to stop it because my Guru Maharaj was sick." I said to Gurudev at that time, "Gurudev, by your mercy, if you order me, I do not want to stop the parikrama." Then Gurudev replied, "Yes, if you can run it, I am very happy," and the parikama happened very nicely that year.

Just like this year, so many disturbances came that year, but the parikrama happened. This year also, one way or another we will do our parikrama—we will go forward, we will not step back. Many kinds of problems will come, but we will face them.

So, I started the preparations yesterday and I am going to Nabadwip tomorrow to make further arrangements. If devotees cannot go to our Nabadwip temple, I have chosen a place in Mayapur and Nrisingha Palli which is almost ready now. I am 100% sure that we will go, but if not possible to go to Nabadwip at this time, then the second option will be Mayapur and Nrisingha Palli. We will stay there. We will arrange a bus and do the whole parikrama in this way. There is no problem, devotees will manage it.

* * *

Time for Sravan

7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama adhivas day,

Bengali evening class, part 1

You have all come here by the mercy of the Lord, Gurudev and Vaishnavs to go on the parikrama that is starting tomorrow. Now it is necessary to listen well (it is necessary to practise sravan and kirtan properly).

How can you see a sadhu, with your eyes or your ears? You must see the sadhu with your ears, because you cannot see a sadhu with your eyes. This is actually not a place for play or tourism, this is a place for sravan and kirtan.

The other day Sripad Shanta Maharaj reminded me of one story, I heard it from Gurudev but have not told it for a long time.

We sing in the kirtan, "Ramachandra-sanga mage Narottama Dasa" (Narrotam Das is praying for the association of Ramachandra Kaviraj). What does this mean? You would think that it means that Ramachandra was the guru of Narottam Das Thakur and that at the end of the kirtan, as it is usually done, he wrote the name of his Guru. In fact, what happened is this:

One time, Acharya Srinivas was sitting with Narottam Das Thakur in one place, when Ramachandra Prabhu, who had just got married, passed that place in a palanquin with his wife. Seeing the groom's palanquin, Acharya Srinivas spoke out loud, "Oh God, this man has fallen into maya! Maya has caught him!" These word reached the ears of Ramachandra Prabhu. When he heard it, he began to think about it all the time, "Have I fallen into maya? What is this? What did that sadhu mean?"

Thinking, "I must find out about it," he found that sadhu the next day and asked him, "Prabhu, when I was passing this place in my palanquin yesterday, some words reached my ears—you said that I had fallen into maya..." Then, Srinivas Acharya explained everything to him nicely—he told him what is called maya, how one falls into maya, what becomes of such a person, etc. After listening to him, Ramachandra said, "I want to take initiation from you."

So, he took initiation from Srinivas Acharya. After that, Srinivas Acharya told him to go home, but when he came home he did not like it there any more, so he came back. Srinivas Acharya was surprised, "What is this? You have come again? You have just got married, you have a young wife—you took initiation just yesterday and next day you say want to stay. Go back to your home." He preached to him, but Ramachandra Prabhu still came there again. He kept coming to Srinivas Acharya again and again. In the end, no matter what Srinivas Acharya told him, Ramachandra Prabhu did not go back, so he stayed with him. That is why Narottam Das Thakur is saying, "I want the association of Ramachandra Kaviraj (Ramachandra-sanga mage Narottama Dasa)"

This is what is called sadhu-sanga. If you listen properly, you can see the result of such listening—Ramachandra Kaviraj listened to his guru's instructions just once but very attentively, with his heart, and you can see that by the power of that good association he surrendered to his bona fide guru, began to serve the Lord and, leaving home, joined his Guru full time. From this example, you can understand what is the result of sravan. You must listen with your heart.

'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga'—sarva sastre kaya

lava-matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi haya

“‘Good association’, ‘good association,’ all the scriptures keep saying. Only by good association can you get all perfection.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.54)

If you keep good association, you can get supreme benefit.

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya

namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

Even if you get a moment of such association, you will get all perfection (sarva-siddhi).

That is why you come here again and again. If you really take good association, you can reach far, but if you think that the sadhu eats like me, the sadhu goes to the bathroom like me, the sadhu bathes like, he is human like me, then you cannot understand these things—it means you see the sadhu as something external and you will not be able to see the real things.

We must take real good association.

* * *

Sri Gaura Purnima Festival: Miraculous and Marvellous

2 March 2018, Sri Nrisingha Palli

Sri Gaura Purnima day, evening class

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim

yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, all the worldwide acharyas, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all devotees and all of you praying for your mercy to this low soul.

Today is a very good day, the holy appearance day of Sriman Mahaprabhu. He appeared in this world in the land of Gaura on a full moon day in the month of Phalgun in Sri Dham Mayapur, in the house of Jagannath Misra. We went there during the parikrama, and it is on the occasion of this parikrama that so many devotees have come from so many places.

Pujyapad Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Kusum Ashram Maharaj has come from Mexico, South America (he is the acharya there). We have a new temple there now. Pujyapad Srila Bhakti Vijay Trivikram Maharaj has come from Brazil. He is the acharya of our Brazil Math. The acharya of the Russian Math is Srila Bhakti Bimal Avadhut Maharaj, he is on the way now here, he has also come. Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Bharati Maharaj has come from Russia/Germany. Srila Bhakti Chandan Parvat Maharaj has come from America. And here is also Sriman Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj. He preaches all over the world, he is always with you, you know him well. Although junior in age, he always speaks and teaches the true conception (bhakti siddhanta suddha saraswati katha). He always preaches about the Lord, about Mahaprabhu, preaches the conception of Hari-bhakti-vilas, Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, and so on.

Many other devotees have came from many countries. Devotees have come from Venezuela. Adhoksaja Prabhu has come from Mauritius, some have come from Colombia, from America, from Delhi. Visakha Didi has come from London. Here is Tripta Krishna Prabhu and many other devotees from South Africa. There are devotees also who have come from South India, there is a girl (Nanda Priya Didi) from Nepal. There are devotees from Bangladesh and other different places. Many devotees have come from Russia with Avadhut Maharaj and Bhakti Chaitanya Bharati Maharaj. Here is also Bhakti Tilak Niriha Maharaj. Here is also Bhakti Amrita Paramarthik Maharaj who is doing the puja at the temple. There are devotees from Colombia, South Africa. Abhinava Prabhu and Kelikadambanana Didi have come from Australia. Here is a girl from Russia who is sitting at the book table every day, Kundalata Didi. She has been here from the Ekachakra festival. Ananda Vardhan Prabhu has come from New Zealand. Here is also Shyamali Didi from South Africa. Here is also Divya Sakti Didi from America, Anjali Didi from London. Damodar Acharya Prabhu is also sitting here from Brazil. He has actually opened a temple in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Here is also Purna Prajna Prabhu, who has been helping with the management very nicely. Here is also one more Damodar, from Colombia. Kamalendu Prabhu is also here, he always stays with me. Ramachandra Prabhu and Krishna Mohini Didi are here from Soquel, America. Nimai Prabhu has come. Bindu Madhav Prabhu has come from Bangladesh. I cannot remember all other names now.

Here is also the father of Niriha Maharaj from Bihar. At first he was very angry that his son had run away from home. He threatened me, "I will put a court case against you! You have stolen my son!" but later he actually took initiation himself. One time, in Ekachakra, somebody came to the temple and it was not the time to take prasadam. They began to create some disturbance, but he said, "No, no. First they will take prasadam, then you can take." He has become very intelligent now.

Also, Sanjiv Prabhu, my secretary from Delhi, Vrindavan, has come. Tarok Prabhu has come from Hapaniya, he brought the pots and utensils. You know that we did not have anything, but he brought the iron kadai which you cannot get so easily. Ashok Prabhu has come, he went on collection in Hooghly every day and here he is managing the festival. Rama Prabhu also has come as always. Paramarthik Maharaj, who always travels from place to place, is also here. And Mahaprabhu has also came, the vijaya vigraha from our Chaitanya Math in Kolkata...

I took decision that I will not go to the Nabadwip temple just one day before the festival, on Saturday morning, at 10 a.m. because we want to celebrate Nabadwip Dham parikrama and Gaura Purnima festival peacefully and smoothly.

Our conception is

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana

pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

“Practise tolerance like a tree. Stop ill-treating others, instead nurture them.”

Those who harass others, who are envious create disturbance, but Mahaprabhu teaches us, our Gurudev teaches us that we must be humble, tolerant, and give honour to others.

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

You should know that I started preparation for the parikrama and festival here in Nrisingha Palli only two days in advance—from Saturday, 10 o'clock in the morning. It is less than forty-eight hours. By the mercy of Gurudev, by the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, by the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, by the mercy of Jiva Goswami Prabhu, Rupa Goswami Prabhu, we have done this parikrama smoothly and happily, without any disturbance, without any problems. By the mercy of Gurudev, we are having a very good celebration of this festival today also. Tomorrow is Jagannath Mishra's anandotsav, and by the mercy of Gurudev we will finish it smoothly too.

Before the festival, I was thinking, "Where will I get the big pots?" When I decided about Nrisingha Palli, I told Tarok Prabhu from Hapaniya, "Come as soon as possible." Then, I arranged the bhog and called the cook. The cook had called me many times, asking, "Maharaj, what should I do? Where should I go, to Nabadwip or another place?" I told him, "Wait, wait." Many asked me, "Will you go to the Nabadwip temple?" I always said, "I do not know, it depends on the mercy of Gurudev."

If Gurudev needs me there, then he will take me to the Nabadwip temple. If Gurudev and Guru Maharaj do not need me to go there, if I am useless, then it is not necessary for me to go to the temple of Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip. We had so many cows there, but they are selling them; I had planted so many trees in Nabadwip temple, but they are cutting the trees now and selling the wood for money; they are not giving food to the deer, etc. Then, I think that everything depends upon Krishna. What Krishna wants or what Krishna wanted, that is happening. If Gurudev does not need me there, if I am useless, then Gurudev will not take me to Nabadwip, Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

I have so many temples, even after after Gurudev disappeared I have made many temples, many centres, so by the mercy of Gurudev I have no problem staying anywhere. I believe that wherever I go, devotees will always stay with me. If I can serve my Gurudev, if I can make my Gurudev happy, that is sufficient for me. I have no attachment with the buildings or any material things, I do not want all that. If, by the mercy of Guru, Vaishnavs, by the mercy of devotees, I die serving devotees, that is my happiness. If I can give my last drop of blood for the devotees, that is my happiness. I have promised to Gurudev, "I will give my blood for your Mission and devotees. Do not worry about it.”

* * *

Sripat Hapaniya Dham: Highest Place

17 March 2017, Sripat Hapaniya Dham

Today is the pancham dol and it also the appearance day of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinathjiu. Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj installed the Deities. The place where the altar is, is the actual birthplace of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj (his mother's labour room).

Our Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, made this temple and Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj always said to him, "This is your temple." Before making this temple, Gurudev asked Srila Sridhar Maharaj, "Maharaj, can you please go there one time and show me which place you were born in?" Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj did not want to come here, but Gurudev requested, requested, and requested him, then one day he came here. When he came, the local people did not allow him to go back to Nabadwip, so he had to stay here for three days. So many people came to see him at that time—they all remembered Srila Sridhar Maharaj because he was a very educated boy. Everybody was very happy to see him again, to hear his Hari-katha, many villagers came even from far away places.

All of Srila Guru Maharaj's godbrothers, Srila Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Madhusudan Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj, Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, and others, came here. Jajavar Maharaj said that it was a high place, like a hill. I remember there was a big flood in 2000, Nabadwip was flooded to the ground floor, but no water came here. This is a highest place.

The name "Hapaniya" means "sweet water." If you drink some coconut water from here, you can see how sweet that water is. The coconut water has a different taste in this place.

When Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's godbrother, came here from Nabadwip, he would come here on foot. He would walk twenty-five kilometers here and sing all Prema-dhama Stotram.

krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-nama-kirtanam

rama-rama-gana-ramya-divya chhanda-nartanam

yatra-tatra-krsna-nama-dana-loka-nistaram

prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

Later, the Supreme Lord travelled to the holy places of pilgrimage in South India with the clever intention of delivering the fallen souls. Appearing as a beautiful young renunciate, He distributed the sweet Names of the Lord, singing: "Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna he," as He strolled down the different pathways, entered temples, and visited homesteads during the sacred pilgrimage. Infused with an inconceivable type of divine inspiration, the Lord freely chanted "Rama Rama" and joyfully danced with the most charming gestures. Irrespective of time or personal qualification, the assembled bystanders were delivered by the Lord, who inspired them to chant Krishna's Holy Names. I offer my obeisances to that beautiful Golden Lord, Gauranga Sundar, the divine form of Krishna prema.

(Prema-dhama-deva Stotram, 22)

He would start singing in Nabadwip and finish here in Hapaniya. When he would come here, Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj always searched which pond Srila Sridhar Maharaj swam in, which playground he played football at, which school he studied at. That school (Okorsa High School) is a few kilometres away from here—he had to walk there. There is now a school in Hapaniya, but before there was not. One day, Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, "You are my godbrother, you are going to my birthplace, it is not a problem, but why are you going to my school? Why are you looking for the place where I played football, etc.?" Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj replied, "When I see the slokas that you have written, I think that Rupa Goswami wrote it. That is why I think you are non-different from Srila Rupa Goswami; that is why I want to go to the auspicious place of your birth, I want to see it."

In this way, all of Srila Guru Maharaj's godbrothers respected this place. Before, almost all villagers here were highly educated brahmans. Now most of them have left Hapaniya and live in towns and cities (Kalna and others), they have a job, etc. Srila Sridhar Maharaj's nephew lived here until he passed away in 2016, a few months ago. He kept connection with our temple.

We come to this place and make a festival three times every year. First festival is on Radhastami; then during kartik month, the day after Srila Guru Maharaj's Vyasa Puja; and the third time after Gaura Purnima, on pancham dol when we make the anniversary festival of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinath. During these festivals we always give prasadam to all villagers.

This is a very important place. Mahaprabhu would also go to his Guru, Ishwar Puri's birthplace every year, and when He would come there with the devotees, everybody took some footdust from that place, and because so many people came there and took so much footdust, there appeared a kunda (pond) that was called Chaitanya-doba.

In this way, we must give respect to this place, Sripat Hapaniya Dham.

* * *

Sripat Hapaniya Dham: Auspicious Place

6 March 2018, Sri Hapaniya Dham

Deities' installation anniversary day

You are very fortunate—after so many days we have come in Hapaniya. This is a very auspicious place of our Guru-varga line, it is the birthplace of our Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

He was born in the room where the Deities are now. When Gurudev first brought Srila Sridhar Maharaj here, he wanted Srila Guru Maharaj to show which place exactly he was born in, and Srila Guru Maharaj said that he was born in this place. Later, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj, Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, and other his godbrothers came here and installed the Deities. That Deities is still here, you can see Them here—Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinath.

When we went on the parikrama, you could see some of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's relatives' houses. They are still there. His nephew's relatives still live there. We also saw a kunda (pond)—it is called Sri Santi Sarovar. Gurudev gave this name in honour of one of the relatives of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. It is our Math's pond. The place where we started the kirtan is a temple of Lord Siva. In his childhood, Srila Sridhar Maharaj used to go to the Ganges every day (it was very far, three kilometers away), he would bathe there, take a lotus flower and bring and offer it to Lord Siva. This is also the place where Srila Sridhar Maharaj would start sankirtan with the village boys in his childhood.

Later, Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to study in Kolkata. After getting a graduate's degree he entered a law college and studied law. There, in Kolkata, he heard one day that that a sadhu (a great personality) was living in Ultadanga Road and was giving good lectures. He went there to listen to him, and after hearing those lectures for seven days he became attracted to that sadhu who was Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. He ended up joining Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Mayapur. We went there on the second day of the parikrama (actually, we always go there on the first day, but this year we went there on the second day). There, he would start the parikrama from Chaitanya Math. After Prabhupad's disappearance, he went to Vrindavan and then started our mission in Nabadwip.

That is the main history. Now we are here, this Hapaniya Dham. "Hapaniya" means "sweet water"—the taste of the coconut water is different here, it is very sweet. Srila Jajavar Maharaj, Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj and others considered this place to be Varshana, the appearance place of Radharani.

You know that Madhu Pandit served the prayojana-tattva Deity Radha Gopinath in Vrindavan, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj told Gurudev, "The Deities' Name will be Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinath." Past year we have not been able to make a festival here for different reasons, but every year we make a festival here three times—in kartik month, on the day following Srila Sridhar Maharaj's appearance day, the day after Radhastami, and now, on pancham dol (after Gaura Purnima, on the Deities' installation anniversary).

This is the place where Srila Sridhar Maharaj was born and lived in his youth. All his family spoke Sanskirt, they were a brahman family. Eventually many of the Guadiya Gurus took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaj—the gurus from Devananda Gaudiya Math, Srila Madhusudan Maharaj from Chaitanya Math, Mayapur, Srila Goswami Maharaj from Gaura Nityananda Mandir, Mayapur, Srila Bhakti Aloka Parahamsa Maharaj from Gaudiya Math, and many other godbrothers of Srila Guru Maharaj. Many of them came here in Hapaniya also. When Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj would go here, he would walk twenty-five kilometres from Nabadwip and chant Srila Sridhar Maharaj's kirtan:

krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-nama-kirtanam

rama-rama-gana-ramya-divya chhanda-nartanam

yatra-tatra-krsna-nama-dana-loka-nistaram

prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

Later, the Supreme Lord travelled to the holy places of pilgrimage in South India with the clever intention of delivering the fallen souls. Appearing as a beautiful young renunciate, He distributed the sweet Names of the Lord, singing: "Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna he," as He strolled down the different pathways, entered temples, and visited homesteads during the sacred pilgrimage. Infused with an inconceivable type of divine inspiration, the Lord freely chanted "Rama Rama" and joyfully danced with the most charming gestures. Irrespective of time or personal qualification, the assembled bystanders were delivered by the Lord, who inspired them to chant Krishna's Holy Names. I offer my obeisances to that beautiful Golden Lord, Gauranga Sundar, the divine form of Krishna prema.

(Prema-dhama-deva Stotram, 22)

When he came here, he would look for the high school where Srila Sridhar Maharaj studied (Okarsha High School), the pond where Srila Sridhar Maharaj bathed, the playground where Srila Sridhar Maharaj played, etc. Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked him once, "You are my godbrother, I understand that you go to my birthplace, but why are you going there and looking for the place where I bathed, studied, etc.?" Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj replied, "You have written so many slokas, composed so many things and I seeing what you have written I remember Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami. That is why I search for those places."

Also, when Srila Sridhar Maharaj came here for the first time after taking sannyas, he thought he would stay here one night, but the villagers requested him and he stayed here for three nights instead. There are many things happened in Srila Sridhar Maharaj's life history, you know it, and this is the village where he appeared…

* * *

Joining Sri Dham Parikrama

7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama adhivas day,

Bengali evening class, part 2

We have come here to circumambulate Sri Nabadwip Dham:

gaura amara ye-saba sthane

karala bhramana range

se-saba sthana heriba ami

pranayi-bhakata-sange

"In the company of loving devotees, I behold all the places my Gaurasundar roamed during His ecstatic Pastimes."

"I will visit the places that my Gaura has viited—in sadhu-sanga. I will go there with sadhu-sanga—in good association."

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai

samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

“I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of the sadhus. There is no other way to conquer samsara.”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13)

If you want relief from this illusory world, there is no other way to attain it except chanting the Holy Name in good association. In Satya-yuga, people lived 100,000 years, they practised meditation; in Treta-yuga, people lived 10,000 years, they made sacrifices; in Dvapar-yuga people lived 1,000 years and practised archan, puja; and the religion of Kali-yuga is only one—Nama-sankirtan (congregational chanting of the Holy Name).

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam

sangopangastra-parsadam

yajnaih sankirtana-prayair

yajanti hi su-medhasah

"Those of sharp intellect will worship Krishna who appears with a non-black bodily hue, who is armed and surrounded by His associates and servants, and who always chants the Holy Names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'

svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

“Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode.”

What is our weapons? Mridanga and karatals are our weapons.

You must do the parikrama tomorrow in sadhu-sanga. From all over the world people come to do this parikrama for the four-five days with you all—they work all year, save money just to come here and do the parikrama, and you—

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara

janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should make his life successful and live for the benefit of others."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 9.41)

What does "benefit of others" mean? It means jive-daya—you must be compassionate to other souls. It is necessary to distribute the Holy Name door to door. Prabhupad (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur) said that instead of making millions of hospitals and curing millions of patients, it is much better if you bring just one person averse to Krishna to this path. In this world, when you go to hospital because you have some headache, they will treat your headache, but next you will have pain in your arms—once you treat the pain in your arms, you will get pain in your leg; once you treat the pain in your leg, you will get pain in your back, and so on. Tell me, is it possible to be free of disease in this world? But if you chant the Holy Name in good association, if you want relief from all miseries (adhidaivik, adhibhautik, adhyatmik—miseries caused by nature, body, other souls), then you must only take shelter of the Lord, take shelter of Gauranga.

asraya laiya bhaje tare krsna nahi tyaje

ara saba mare akarane

"Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in Him. All others simply die in vain."

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Prarthana, 17)

It is necessary to take shelter of a real, bona fide guru and serve the Lord under his guidance. There are many gurus in this world, but there are many vitta-harankari gurus (who take away your wealth and material things) while the number of santap-harankari gurus (those who take away material suffering) is very small. It is said that both those who take disciples out of greed and affection and those who take initiation from such gurus go to hell. People do Kali-puja, Durga-puja, Laksmi-puja and always pray, "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, varyam dehi, kavitam, sundarim dehi"—they always think, "Give me, give me, give me," and what did Mahaprabhu say?

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want knowledge, I do not want beauty, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

"I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. That is my only wealth."

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,

baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari

janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!

ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Who can do kirtan? Who has the right to do kirtan?

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara

apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana

pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe

para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

"Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean. Practise tolerance like a tree. Give up vengeance and nurture others. Live without causing anxiety to others; do good unto others without considering your own happiness."

(Sri Siksastakam Giti, 3)

What do the people of this world understand?... There are many religious sampradayas in this world—aul, baul, kartabhaja, neda, darvesh, sani, sahajiya, sakhibekhi, smarta, jata gosai, ativadi, churadhari, gauranga-nagari. We never want to associate with these thirteen sampradayas...

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

"The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krsna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action, knowledge."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.1.11)

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari

kaya-mane kariba bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva

ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Service to the Lord in the association of devotees—that is the topmost devotion. That is why Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur first started this parikrama with a few devotees from the Gaudiya sampradaya. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wrote about his Gurudev (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur),

jayare jayare jaya gaura-saraswati

bhakativinoda nvaya karuna murati

"All Glory, all Glory to Sri Gaura-Saraswati, Of the Line of Bhakti Vinod—Pure incarnate Mercy."

prakasile gaura-seva bhuvana mangala

bhakatisiddhanta suddha prajnana ujjvala

"You revealed Sri Gaura's Service—the world's greatest fortune, Brilliant as the Perfect Teaching, Perfect Truth—Devotion."

Srila Prabhupad revealed the service of Gauranga Mahaprabhu all over the world. In his time, there came so many digpals (great personalities); among them there was Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Srila Prabhupad, there was Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and after them our Gurupadpadma, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, who travelled all over the world and preached the message of the Lord, sang the glories of the Lord. We do not have the qualities and qualifications that they had,

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

Humble as a blade of grass, tolerant as a tree, they chanted the glories of the Lord, the glories of the Holy Name all over the world, and you can see now that every year, day after day, people come from all over the world to participate in this Nabadwip Dham parikrama. You have also come from different places in West Bengal to take part in this Nabadwip Dham parikrama, and really, you are all very fortunate, there is no doubt about it—you are very fortunate to have come and joined this Nabadwip Dham parikrama.

If you cannot walk properly, you can go by rikshaw, that is sufficient for you. Gurudev said also that if even those who have no legs sit in their room, if they stay back at the temple, but they think about the Nabadwip Dham parikrama, they too will get the result of doing Nabadwip Dham parikrama—in other worlds, those who cannot walk, who have too much difficulty, or those whose legs are broken, if they sit in their room, if they stay here and think about Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, they too get the benefit of doing the parikrama.

Nitai Gour premanande Hari Hari bol!

* * *

Awakening Your Consciousness

7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama adhivas day,

Bengali evening class, part 3

You have all come to take part in this Nabadwip Dham parikrama. This is a matter of a great fortune. We have got a rare human birth, and if we can do this Nabadwip Dham parikrama, this is a great fortune because from all kinds of holy places, this Nabadwip Dham is the highest abode.

'navadvipa'-hena grama tri-bhuvane nai

yanhi avatirna haila chaitanya-gosani

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Adi-khanda, 2.55)

"There is no place in all three worlds like Nabadwip, the place where Chaitanya Gosai appeared." So, we will all together remember this Chaitanya Gosai here, we will remember what gift He has brought to this world, what He has given to the world.

"Chetana-darpana-marjanam": He has given chetan, it means chaitanya (consciousness) and darpan means a mirror. If you keep a mirror in a room, it becomes dusty and dirty and you will not be able to use it, but if you wipe this mirror and stand in front of it, then you will be able to see yourself in it. In this way, you must awaken this consciousness within you. Listen repeatedly to the sadhus, Guru, then the dust in your heart will be removed, then the devotional creeper will come in your heart.

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper."

mali hana kare sei bija aropana

sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

"As a gardener, they must plant that seed and water it with practising: hearing and chanting."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151-152)

You must water that devotional creeper with sravan and kirtan (hearing and chanting).

So, you have come to take part in Nabadwip Dham parikrama and it is our prayer that we may go tomorrow, do the parikrama properly and return here. That is our fulfilment. We will go on the parikrama, listening to the Hari-katha, chanting kirtan, listening to the glories of this dham. Tomorrow we are going to Antardwip, then Simantadwip, Rudradwip.

We have got so many births before, we have been born so many times, we have been coming to this world so many times, we have been travelling throughout this universe for so long, but having got this rare human birth, what is our duty now? What have we got this human birth for? This is what you must hear from the mouth of sadhus—you must understand what you have got this human birth for...

You have got eyes, ears, nose, etc, but if we use them to always criticise others—if we always see, listen to and talk about all kinds of nonsense with these eyes, ears and mouth, then what is the use? The body has a hole that stool comes from, it has a hole that urine comes from, some bad things come from your eyes, some bad things (spit) come out of your mouth, but the Lord is so merciful—He has given us a tongue and if we do not chant the real Holy Name with it, but instead use it to criticise and discuss others, if we are always jealous, envious, then we will never be able to take good association or do service.

First it is necessary to control, to conquer yourself. You have five sense organs of action (karmendriya) and five organs of perception (jnanendriya)—feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth (pada, pani, payu, upastha, vak); eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin (chaksu, karna, nasika, jihva, tvak); and mind, intelligence, and ego (man, buddhi, ahankar). If you can gradually bring these things under control, if you can follow this path, then you will get the supreme benefit...

What is our final destination? Goloka Vrindavan. You have heard that there, the trees are wish-fulfilling—there, the trees can give you whatever fruit you desire. Here, if you come to a mongo tree and ask for a banana, you will not get it, but there the trees are wish-fulfilling, so the trees can give you whatever fruit you want. There are surabhi cows there—if you put a bucket under their udder, the milk flows automatically. Rejecting this kind of land, we roam this world from place to place. What is our necessity now? What is our duty? We must try to get chetan-vastu (consciousness) through sadhu-sanga (good association).

samsara bhajili sri-gauranga bhulili

na sunili sadhura katha

iha-parakala dukala khoyali (mana)

khaili apana matha

“You served your family (mundane ends), forgot Sri Gauranga, and never listened to the sadhus' words. O mind, you wasted both this life and your next life. You depraved yourself.”

(‘Avatara sara Gora avatara' by Srila Lochan Das Thakur.)

"We have been eating our own brain." You know that if you do pious works you go to heaven, and many do such pious works, but sukriti and punya is not the same—sukriti means using His things for His service. You think, "Oh, I have given ten rupees, or fifty rupees, for the service of the Lord," but actually it is "worshipping Ganges with the Ganges water." You are giving the money to Him who owns it. Who did you get those ten rupees for? You earn it for Govinda—because Govinda, the Lord, gave you His mercy you could earn it, that is why it is actually worshipping Ganges with the Ganges water (ganga jal diye ganga puja kora).

We must always remember this. If we can serve the Lord following the footsteps of our Guru, then, by giving benefit to others, your soul also gets benefit. Following the whims of your mind if not bhajan—service to Guru and Vaishnavs, satisfying their mind is what is called bhajan. So, if we can engage ourselves in the service of the Lord, we will get the supreme benefit. This is how, in a beautiful way, we will do the Dham parikrama…

* * *

Come and Hear

7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham

Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama adhivas day,

Bengali evening class, part 4

Yesterday we were saying, "Bhramite habe na ara ei tribhuvana: you do not have to wander any longer in these three worlds." We have fallen into the material world, but we do not have to take birth as a cow, goat, cat, etc. again—if you can truly make this Dham parikrama, then you will get relief from the parikrama of the samsara (material world). That is why sadhus repeatedly come to your houses, I too have gone to many of your houses—what for?

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara

nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

"It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people's houses, although they have no personal business there."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 8.39)

Even in Gurudev's times, I would go house to house, and when I did not go, I would think, "This is not good—as long as I have life in this body, I will go door to door and tell the people, "Krsna bol, sange chala, ei matra bhiksa chai. I am begging you for one thing only: come with us and chant 'Krishna'!" This is what I keep telling you again and again and this is what I will keep telling you, "Come, come for Nabadwip Dham parikrama! Come, chant the Holy Name of Krishna! Do the parikrama in the association of devotees!" I tell you this all the time, I invite you all the time.

You are sitting here now, beside this Chaitanya Saraswat Math, in Koladwip, beside Sada Siva Gangadhar—he can hear everything, he is the protector of Koladwip. Here is also Giriraj, Gupta-Govardhan. Nabadwip is hidden Vrindavan, and this Nabadwip is Gupta-Govardhan. You are sitting here now in front of Giriraj Govardhan, listening to Hari-katha, and from tomorrow you must listen to the glories of the Dham parikrama, attentively, not wandering here and there (otherwise you will not be able to understand anything). Have I not just told you that you must see the sadhu with your ears? You must try to see the sadhu with your ears, practise sravan with your ears. That is why it is said,

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari

kaya-mane kariba bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva

ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Devotees have come here from all over the world. Adhoksaja Prabhu has come from Mauritious, there are devotees from South Africa, from Russia. Srila Avadhut Maharaj brought many with him, Srila Janardan Maharaj came yesterday. Due to his old age, Srila Janardan Maharaj could not come last year, but he wrote to me in a letter, "I cannot come because of pain in my back, but the pain I feel from not being able to come for Nabadwip Dham parikrama is much worse." So, despite his poor health, he has still come, bringing Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu's ashes with him. Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu left this world for Gurudev's own place. Gurudev kept him here in China, and he left his body in China. Srila Janardan Maharaj went there first and then came here. So, I am finishing here and giving the microphone to him now. Our Sripad Bhakti Niskam Santa Maharaj will translate what he says into Bengali.

* * *

Priority In Service

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 2

Actually, in the service of Gauranga Mahaprabhu so many obstacle will come in our practising life, so many obstacles will come in our spiritual life, but you see that we do not lose anything.

Sometimes, I have some problem with my mind—I become sad because I cannot go to Nabadwip (I go to Nabadwip, but not to the temple), but then by the mercy of Gurudev I am thinking—this thought comes to my mind—how many temples did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu make? Not even one. He did not make so many temples. He stayed without a house—He started the kirtan movement without anything. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was also like that—later, he made many temples for preaching, he made brahmacharis, sannyasis, etc. We also started in this way, but some people forget it and they cannot realise that jealous mood can destroy everything in our spiritual life. Jealousy is very bad, it can destroy everything.

We are trying day by day, heart and soul... No matter how much we have to tolerate, we are still carrying on.

We sing in a song,

sakala sahane bala diya kara

nija-mane sprha-hina

"Gurudev, give us such kind of power so that we can tolerate everything, so that we can give respect to others." Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur said, "Nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari—I am not afraid to commit sin for my own interest, for my own enjoyment." That is our nature, but when we are going to do something spiritual, we are always afraid...

This is happening not only at present time, it was happening in Dvapar-yuga also, and it is going on now in Kali-yuga also. In Dvapar-yuga, Rukmini, Satyabhama, even Narad Muni, Lord Siva, Brahma—they were all afraid to give their footdust for Krishna because they were thinking about themselves (they thought giving their footdust for Lord Krishna was very sinful). In this world, in this age of Kali also, this is happening. If you read Chaitanya-charitamrita, you can see that one day, when Mahaprabhu chanted and danced, He fell asleep in the door of His room, in Gambhira, and his servitor Govinda hesitated to cross Mahaprabhu's body for the service to Mahaprabhu. Later, he understood what to do, but at first he said to Mahaprabhu,

"Prabhu, I am serving You every day, I am massaging Your feet, but today it is not possible—should I stop my service? What should I do?"

Mahaprabhu replied, "That is up to you, whether you will do it or not, I do not know, but I cannot move."

After that, Krishna gave him some mercy—Lord Himself, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave him some mercy—and his mind changed. He thought, "Oh, I have to cross Mahaprabhu, but it is not for my enjoyment—I am doing it for His benefit, not for my benefit. That is why if I cross him, it is not a problem, I can do it." And Govinda did it—he put his uttariya on Mahaprabhu's body, crossed Him, put the dust that fell on the uttariya on his head, and then massaged Mahaprabhu. After that, Govinda stayed inside. At midnight, Mahaprabhu woke up and saw that Govinda was still there. He chastised him,

"Why are you still here? Why did you not go to take prasadam? Why did you not go to sleep?"

Govinda asked, "Prabhu, how am I to go? You are sleeping in the doorway..."

"What?! How did you come then? You are asking Me how you will go outside to take prasadam, but how did you come inside then?"

"Prabhu, that time I came for Your service, that is not a problem. If I committed some sin and die, it is not a problem, but I cannot cross You for my own enjoyment—for my sleep or taking prasadam."

That is Chaitanya-charitamrita's siddhanta. In other words,

jnana-yoga-karma-chaya mulya tara kichhu naya

bhaktira virodhi yadi haya

"Fruitive activities, knowledge are nothing, they have no value if they are against devotion."

This is said in a kirtan glorifying Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. "There is no value in any karma, there is no value in any yoga, there is no value in liberation or anything else if it is against devotion, if it opposes devotion.

We must understand these things.

For our own benefit, we will not do anything sinful. On the other hand, I have told it many times in my lectures, you may have no flower garden, for example, and you see that there are some good flowers in somebody else's house that are not used for service—you can steal a flower and give it to the Lord, this is not a problem. They may swear you, but what is the problem? You are doing it for the service of the Lord, and some real benefit will come to you then.

* * *

Slaughterhouse

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 3

I am suffering so many things in this movement... Sometimes I am lying down and thinking what does Kali Maharaj want? What does Gurudev want? What does Guru Maharaj want?

Last year, I went to Nabadwip a few days before Janmastmi. There are many Vaishnavs' samadhis very near our temple, and the government has already made a slaughterhouse right next to one of them. There was a big meeting at Iskcon, and I went there joining the protest. Because I stopped the slaughterhouse project in Nabadwip, the government became angry with me and created disturbance for me.

What happened in the meantime? I spoke to our cowman who milks our cows in Nabadwip last night and he is also very sad—I left the temple and came to Kolkata because the chairman and the council had become angry with me, had become against me, but last night I heard that twenty cows had already been sold from my temple. What is going on? Why is it happening like this? I am thinking about it all the time. I prevented outside people from killing cows (their plan was to export milk from Nabadwip to outside countries, but now the government has postponed this project because all the sadhus of Nabadwip united against it, so they could not do it; as a result, the chairman became upset and allowed it to happen that I would leave Nabadwip temple), but now those who are there at our temple are selling our own cows to some Muslim men who will cut them... They even sold our big bull who had produced many calves and had become old now...

One time, I heard from Gurudev, the milkman came to Gurudev and said, "Gurudev, it is very expensive to maintain cows, and we have so many old cows in the goshala—why do we not sell some cows?" Gurudev replied (I was in front of him), "I am old too, you can sell me also."

This is what is happening... O Krishna!

* * *

No Compromise

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 4

I do not know any other conception, but my conception is very easy—everybody can understand this philosophy. If you have any questions for me, you can ask, but there are some devotees who know the history better than me. I mostly heard what I know from Gurudev only, and there are some who have also seen it with their own eyes. Adhoksaja Prabhu is here, he probably knows it; Srila Ashram Maharaj is here, he knows it; but it is actually very easy to understand.

When I just joined the temple, I was a young brahmachari and did not know the conception so well. At that time, there were some people in the temple who criticised Gurudev. I remembered Ramachandra Puri and Ishwar Puri at that time:

Ramachandra Puri criticised Mahaprabhu, and many devotees asked Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, he criticises You, but You give him a higher position—why?" Mahaprabhu did not say anything. Later, when asked another time, Mahaprabhu said, "You do not know? He can say whatever he wants, but he is My 'uncle guru' (he is my Gurudev's godbrother), that is why I must give him honour and respect." This was Mahaprabhu's vision, but the devotees did not give respect to Ramachandra Puri.

So, one time (when I was a young brahmachari) I asked Gurudev,

"Gurudev, this devotee is criticising you, how can I tolerate it? I am your disciple..."

"Where do you want to stay—at Radharani's kunja or Chandravali's kunja?" Gurudev asked me in reply.

"I want to stay at Radharani's kunja," I replied.

"OK."

That is all Gurudev said, nothing else.

Then, last year, during the kartik time, I was in the car, going to Nabadwip or perhaps Krishnanagar because it was the date for me to go to the court (*** had put a case against me because they wanted to take rice from the rice fields; so much problem was going on at that time). Suddenly, ** Maharaj called me,

"Dandavat, Maharaj, how are you? I heard you are in Vrindavan," I said.

"Yes, I am in Vrindavan. Can I tell you something?" he asked me.

"Yes, what is the problem? You can tell me."

"** and ** are my godbrothers—"

"Yes, I know it."

"...if they want to come back, if they want to serve the Mission, what is the problem for you?"

"Yes, it is a problem for me," I said, "because they are dead against my Guru, they are always envious of my Guru, then how shall I see their faces every day? How shall I stay in Nabadwip with them?"

"No, but then all problems would be solved quickly..."

"No, Maharaj. If I die, I die—one day I have to die anyway—but I cannot compromise with them. Yes, if somebody is my godbrother and they are against me, that is not a problem, I can tolerate it, but if somebody is against my Guru and left the temple twenty-five years ago, how shall I compromise with them? This is an offence! Is it for my own interest that I want a temple, or a house, a room? Have I come to this line for this? Have I taken sannyas, have I come to Krishna consciousness for some building, for a room, or for four-five buildings—for that?! No, I did not come for that. Even if I live in the street, I have no problem; even if I live under a banyan tree, it is not a problem, but I cannot compromise with them."

After that he did not call me again…

* * *

Backstabbing

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 5

I am not a politician, I am a straight person. Telling one thing and doing another thing behind—I cannot do that.

If you want to fight, you can fight knowing that your opposition is in front of you, but if there is an enemy inside ("sasyer madhye bhut," as Gurudev said—lit. "a ghost in grains"), then it is a big problem. If your enemy is in front of you, it is OK, you know that he is your enemy, then you can fight; but if it is like Vibhisan who was an insider, or like Mir Jafar who was also an insider, then it is very bad and difficult to fight.

Vibhisan is from Ramayan and Mir Jafar is from Bengal. Because of Mir Jafar, the British came here and possessed, conquered Bharat (India), Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1757. At that time, the king was Siraj ud-Daulah, a Muslim, of only seventeen-nineteen years of age, and Mir Jafar was the senapati, general of the army. Because of that Mir Jafar in 1757, India was under the British for 190 years—it became free from them only in 1947, on August 15. After that, they say if somebody is a traitor, he is a mirjafar. They say, "I am with you!" (and "I am with you" means "I am behind you") but they stab you in your back. "Yes, do not worry, I am behind you," but they come behind and thrust a knife into you. That is called mirjafar...

Note: Mir Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur betrayed the king of India, Siraj ud-Daulah, in a great battle of Palashi in 1757 which resulted in the king's execution and India losing its independence for the coming 190 years. As a reward for his betrayal in favour of the British, he was granted his long-pursued wish of being appointed the next ruler of Bengal. In India, "mirjafar" became a common name for a vile traitor (similar to Judah in Christianity).

* * *

Deserve, Then Desire

22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 6

One fellow came here the day before yesterday (I cannot say 'a devotee', it would be an offence), and what he did here is not a devotee's character, what he did here disturbed me a lot. He thinks I am a child, a baby, and that I have so much vatsalya rasa [His Divine Grace laughs]...

Gurudev taught me so many lessons, and he also told me about management:

If somebody says to me, "Oh, that person is bad, he is bad, he is bad," I must first have to examine the person who is saying it—I must first see what he is like. These are Gurudev's words, I cannot forget it. First I must clarify who is speaking—I must not do anything against the person who he says is bad. Chastising somebody and saying, "Get out from here—he is saying bad things about you," is not my character. First I will listen, "OK, say it," then I will observe everything myself, then only I will give the judgement. Otherwise somebody says, "Oh, he is bad, he is bad," and I say to that person, "OK, get out," this is not my nature—you can do work under such a person, and you can never be like this.

So, that fellow came and said, "I want to be a trustee right now!" I told him, "What?! Prabhu, is it necessary to be a trustee to serve the temple?!" I was nothing—I was a servitor, a gatekeeper at Chaitanya Saraswat Math. I would lock the gate, I would keep the key with me, go to bed at 12 o'clock at night, and wake up at 4 o'clock to open the gate. This was my job, and other than this I was the manager, but I was not a manager in papers—I was in charge of the temple without any official declaration—no papers, nothing is necessary. Only in 2000 Gurudev gave me the position of a secretary—when Vrindavan Purnananda had resigned, Gurudev said, "Vinod will be the secretary." Otherwise I was a gatekeeper—locking the gate, keeping the key, etc. At that time there was no gate man outside the Math, I always kept the key with me.

So, for service, you can accept anything, and anything can happen.

* * *

Fighting Against Misconception

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 4

Foreign devotees can easily understand Krishna consciousness because, as Gurudev said, they do not have so much attachment to the family life, they can even easily leave their wife, but it is very difficult to preach in India.

I go there so many times, tell them so much, give so many classes, saying so many heavy things, but it is still very difficult for them to understand it because they are worshipping 33 crores of demigods. You know that 1 crore is 10 lakhs, and 1 lakh equals to 100,000. So, 10 lakhs (1 crore) is 1 million. They worship 33 crores (330 million demigods)... They have too many material desires, and they pray for the fulfilment of their desires, they ask so many things, that is why they cannot understand pure conception. Even if they read Srimad Bhagavad-gita or Srimad Bhagavatam, they still do not understand clearly what is said in it.

If I tell people, "Do what you like," "Eat what you like", I can make millions of disciples in one day, but what benefit will it be for them? They do not practise perfectly, properly, they do not do perfect bhajan, kirtan—they do not do anything...

There were three people—Shyamananda Prabhu, Narottam Das Thakur, and Acharya Srinivas. Acharya Srinivas, and Shyamananda Prabhu to some extent, took care of books, and Narottam Das Thakur preached in East Bengal and some parts of West Bengal. Narottam Das Thakur said, "You are not chanting the Holy Name at all, you are not doing what Mahaprabhu told, but at least you can chant the Holy Name once a year during one day, for twenty-four hours." He started kirtans in this way, but people took it wrong way. Twenty-four-hour kirtans are still going on in Bengal, both West and East, but they have become sahajiya.

Narottam Das Thakur told it one way, and people are using it in another way. He thought, "People do not chant even one time during 365 days a year, so if they chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra at least during one full day (for twenty-four hours), then some devotion will come to them," but what people are doing now is Nama-aparadh. It is called "Nama-bale papachar." It means thinking, "I do so many material things, so many bad things, so much nonsense the whole day, but I will chant four rounds in the evening and all my sins will be removed." What Narottam Das Thakur wanted is going in the opposite direction now.

I go village to village telling them about it, but they cannot stop it. So, this year my preaching was actually against what Narottam Das Thakur told because Narottam Das Thakur told in one way and people use it in another way, they do Nama-aparadh. My preaching was mainly like that—when I gave class, I mostly spoke about that. I tell them, "You must stop this astaprahar (twenty-four hours, one day), twenty-four prahar, sixteen prahar, etc.

One time, a king arranged in Kasim Bazar (Murshidabad) a fifty-six prahar kirtan (seven-day kirtan), hiring rented kirtaniya (people who take money and do kirtan with many ornaments, playing harmonium, flute, violin, etc.), and he invited Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur came there, he spoke against such kirtans, and everybody began to shout, "Stop it! Stop it! Sit down! Sit down! We do not want to hear from you!" Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur sat down and went back to the house the king provided for him. He stayed here for three days, and after three days he said to his servitor, "Please call to the king. I have to go to Mayapur, so I cannot stay here any longer, you must tell him." When the king came, he was surprised,

"Prabhupad, why are you leaving? My festival has not finished—only three days have passes, there are four more days. Why are you leaving?"

"I have some job in Mayapur—I have not come to your house to waste your rice," replied Prabhupad.

"What? Three days have passes, have you not taken prasadam? I have sent much opulence prasadam on a silver plate for you—have you not taken it?"

"No, he did not," answered the disciple of Prabhupad. Neither Prabhupad, no his disciple had taken anything except the Tulasi leaves...

When I went for preaching this time also, I did not take prasadam in the evening for two days, I only took the Tulasi leaves. There were brahmans at both houses, but I did not take any food there because I thought if I could not give any benefit to them, why would I take anything from them? So, I only took Tulasi leaves at night time at those two houses…

* * *

Kirtan Business

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 5

There was one good kirtaniya in Nabadwip, her name was Radharani. Her temple in still there now, on the bank of the Ganges River, near Paramatala. I have never gone inside it, but I saw it from outside when I had some job in that area.

One day, she came to see Gurudev. She is dead now, and at that time she was perhaps sixty. Gurudev was out of India at that time, preaching in the West. What did she come for? That day, the Haritala temple, near our temple, invited her and gave her 10,000 rupees for two-three hours of kirtan—lila-kirtan. I also went there that day—I gave a lecture about Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, etc. A few minutes after I had come from there, she came to the temple and said she wanted to see Gurudev. I told her Gurudev was not there. Then, she asked me where Gurudev lived. I took her to the building, and when she saw the staircase leading to his room, she said, "Oh, his dust is here, I want his feet dust!" Then, she took some dust from the steps and put it on her head.

I asked her a question that day. I said,

"Devi, can I ask you one question? I know you have come to sing kirtan at a temple nearby, at Haritala—I heard you were invited by the temple committee."

"Yes," she said.

"I heard," I continued, "that you are getting 10,000 rupees for two hours' singing (it is very much money). I went there without any payment, and there were 200-250 people there, but I know your kirtan will be held at night time and when you start your kirtan, maybe 3-5,000 people will come. You are doing this kind of kirtan, and you travel everywhere, in every corner of India, outside Bengal too, but how many people have you changed from maya to Krishna consciousness?"

"No one," she said. "I cannot change a single person because I do not do kirtans for changing people—I do kirtans for money. But I know your Gurudev goes everywhere, here, there, and you also go here, there, to change people—you bring people and send them from the illusory environment for the service of Radha Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan.”

* * *

Perfection and Profanation

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 6

My preaching is like that:

In every village, they do astaprahar kirtans (it means twenty-four hours' kirtan; one prahar is three hours), nonstop, and after those twenty-four hours they do nonsense—they eat fish, meat, everything. It is called hasti-snana hita (benefit of an 'elephant's bathing'). I told them, "You cannot understand what Krishna consciousness is. You think you will do kirtan for one day and everything will be perfect. No, it is completely not like that. Even Sri Sivji Maharaj says it, it is written in Padma Purana." Sivji Maharaj told it in two different ways:

If you drink milk, you can get healthy and strong, but if a snake touches that milk and puts some poison into it, you will not be able to understand which milk is pure and which milk is poisonous. If you drink good, pure milk, you will be healthy, but if you drink the milk with poison, you will die. This is what Sivji Maharaj said. So, if you hear the Holy Name or you chant the Holy Name, it is good for you, and if you chant Nama-aparadh, externally it looks the same—Nama and Nama-aparadh look the same, this is Hare Krishna, and that is also Hare Krishna, both look the same, but one will give you devotion, and another (Nama-aparadh) will remove devotion from you and give you something else (emotion). That is the main point.

I gave so many examples to them those past few days, I told them so many things... Yesterday, I was giving a lecture at one place, and there was one Guru sitting beside me. When I started telling them about the guru, he ran away! I told them also what Sivji Maharaj told Parvati:

There are so many gurus in this world, but they are vitta-harankari gurus who take your money—who love your money, not you; who can tell you, "You will be very wealthy," "You will become a multi-millioner,” etc. People think that such gurus are very nice, but such gurus want your money, they do not worry about your spiritual life. It is very rare to get a paramarthik, a spiritual, guru in this world. That is what Sivji Maharaj said.

So, our preaching style, our preaching life is like that: you must accept what is in favour of devotion, and you must reject what not in favour of devotion because both things cannot go together. If you drink milk, you will be healthy, but if you drinking milk and also take tobacco, then you will lose all benefit of the milk. If you smoke, if you take alcohol, take tobacco, you will not get any benefit that milk can bring. This is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's saying, "Dudh-o khabo, tamak-o khabo." (Tamak means tobacco.) The two cannot run together—you must drink 'milk' and leave ‘tobacco'.

* * *

Just What the Doctor Ordered?

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 7

Suppose you live in a village and you get sick. You go to a doctor, but you do not become cured. Then, you come to Kolkata—you get an appointment with a good doctor in three months. Three months later you again come to Kolkata and you sit the whole day in the clinic—in the evening, you finally see the doctor, he gives you a prescription, you go to the pharmacy, buy the medicine, you take the medicine, and then you are cured. But(!) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gurudev send sadhus, devotees door to door, house to house to rescue you from the illusory environment and to send you for the service of Radha-Krishna in your proper place—in Goloka, Sri Vrindavan Dham! Gurudev sends us from this world, he hijacks us.

We say, "Ami sakti-buddhi-hina, ami ati dina, koro more atmasatha." What does it mean? It means, "I have no energy; I have no intelligence, and I am very poor and humble, I do not have anything—please hijack me!" Guru comes to your house to hijack—not to hijack your money, not to hijack your wealth, your property, or your car—he does not want anything from you, he only comes to hijack you! Sadhus come to help you, sadhus come to hijack you—hijack from where? From the illusory environment. They come to hijack you from the illusory environment and to send you to Krishna's place, Goloka Vrindavan.

This is the main thing, but there are so many karmi gurus, so many jnani gurus, so many kaulik gurus (Kali-yuga gurus), so many laulik gurus (family gurus)—so many kinds of gurus—in this world. That is why it is very hard to preach. There is so much mayavadi conception, so much sahajiya conception, there are so many other misconceptions going on in this world...

I always tell them this example also:

Suppose you come to a doctor and say, "I do not have energy to do anything, my health is not good, I do not sleep properly. Please, doctor, give me some medicine." The doctor says, "OK, but I will not give the medicine to you today—first you must do the blood test. Come tomorrow and do a blood test on empty stomach (fasting), then repeat the blood test two hours later. It is necessary to monitor it every month." Three months later, they check your blood again and see that your blood sugar is 150 when you are fasting. So, you are a diabetic. The doctor tells you, "Take this one tablet on empty stomach in the morning every day, and do not take sweets, potato and do not eat much rice." Hearing this, you start objecting, "Oh, doctor, I have money. You can prescribe more medicine, I can buy and take it, it is not a problem, but I cannot leave sweets..."

If the doctor loves you, he will say, "I do not want you—I do not need a patient like you. Go away from here. I cannot cure you unless you give up sweets. If you only give me money, then you will lose not only your money, but your health and everything else as well—you will lose your kidneys, your eyes, and so on. Your disease will progress." Then, the patient thinks, "This doctor is not giving me the proper advice. He will not listen to me. OK, I will leave this doctor and go to another one."

Then, the patient comes to another doctor, and that doctor says, "OK, no problem! You can eat sweets, and you can try to give it up gradually. Eat ten sweets today, nine tomorrow, and so on until you manage to give it up." In the meantime, the doctor is thinking, "If he dies, what is my problem? He will come to me every two weeks and I will get money, my 500 rupees' fee. Seven days later I will prescribe him more medicine, or stronger medicine. He will come to me ten days later, I will again get my 500 rupees and give him double medicine again. Even if he dies, what is it to me?"

There are gurus in this world who do like this, but you think about it…

* * *

Exclusive Remedy for Sins

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 8

Think how many hours of your time you spend on service of the Lord, how many hours you do service. We always commit some sin in our life...

What did Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj say? He says we are alive, but how many jiva souls do we kill every day to stay alive? Lakhs and lakhs. When we breathe, so many living entities come inside us; when we drink water, we also kill so many bacteria, so many jivatmas, so many living entities. When you eat rice, when you eat chapati, you have to cut plants, cut wheat; you eat cabbage, cauliflower, etc., and you kill all kinds of trees. Even when you drink milk, you do not kill the cow, but the cow eats grass, and there is life in grass too—grass too feels pain.

So, how many jiva souls do you kill every day! What is the remedy for such sinful actions? If your life is for the service to the Lord, for the service to your Guru, if you have no other desires (anyabhilasita), then whatever you do, even if you kill people, even if you steal—if it is for the service for the Lord—then it is OK.

I told a few days at the lecture—suppose you have no flowers growing in your garden, but you see there are flowers in somebody else's garden. You can go in the morning, at 4 a.m., and while they are sleeping you can steal some flowers and give them to your Guru, to the Lord. What is the problem? That is called "sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja—give us all religions and surrender to Me alone."

It is all in Srimad Bhagavad-gita. It is said there, "Give up all religions." Arjuna said to Krishna, "I have become Your disciple," then Krishna said to him in the end, "Sarva-dharman parityajya... Whatever sin you commit, I will give relief to you, I will set you free." This is the main point.

sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo, moksayisyami ma suchah

"Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, do not despair."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

Ultimately, you must have faith:

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya

krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

* * *

Discipline Yourself (1)

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 9

Many say, "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, varyam dehi (give me wealth, give me knowledge, make me beautiful, give me a good wife), etc." but what did Mahaprabhu say?

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want knowledge, I do not want beauty, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

Bhaktivinod Thakur also sings:

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,

baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari

janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!

ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"I do not want any dhana, jana, kavita for my enjoyment—I do not want anything for my enjoyment. Krishna is the enjoyer, and my only prayer is I want some devotion."

If you want to get Krishna, how is it possible to get Him? Through devotion. Not through any karma, not through any yoga or anything else—you will get Krishna only through devotion. And how will devotion come? "Bhakta-sangena parijayate” (Brhan-naradiya Purana). Devotion comes through the association of devotees. Does devotees' association mean it is necessary to sleep together with devotees, eat from the same plate with devotees or always sit with devotees? No! You must listen to Hari-katha, Krishna-katha from devotees—you must listen to pure katha, not gramya-katha (idle talks, gossips).

We sing in one of the songs, "Chhaya vega dami' chhaya dosa sodhi'—subjugate the six urges, rectify the six defects." What are the six urges? Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu said,

vacho vegam manasah krodha-vegam

jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah

sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

"A sober person who can tolerate (1) the urge to speak, (2) the mind's demands, (3) the actions of anger and the urges of the (4) tongue, (5) belly and (6) genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world."

(Sri Upadesamrta, 1)

You know this all.

Vacho vegam means you must control your mouth. If you waste your energy on talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, talking nonsense, then you will not get energy to chant the Holy Name. If you walk ten kilometres, you legs will be sore and you will not be able to do even Tulasi parikrama after that. It is the same thing—if you talk, talk, talk, talk, if your eyes go here and there, your mind goes here and there, then you cannot fully give your mind to your Guru.

Mana-vegam, krodha-vegam—you should not use words that will give others some anxiety, makes others feel anxious. Do not talk like this.

Udara-vegam means, for example, you take so much prasadam at noon time that you cannot eat anything in the evening; or somebody gives you fifty mangoes and you eat all of it in one go; or somebody gives you a whole bunch of bananas and you eat all of it. This is not good. Always control your tongue, control your mouth, control your udar (belly, stomach).

There are also chhaya dosa (six faults)—atyahara, prayascha (eating or talking too much, accumulating too much), etc. If you think, "I want this, I want this, I want this, I want this," Krishna will become crazy—you say you want Krishna, but then you start saying, "I want this, I want this," then Krishna becomes crazy and runs away from you because you are always asking for something.

kama-krodha-adi chaya batapare deya bhaya

avasana haila asi bela

"I am attacked by the six highway robbers lead by kama and krodha, and my life is coming to its end..."

("Anadi karama-phale" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

* * *

Discipline Yourself (2)

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 10

Our time is very short. We have got this human body and we must understand what is the pure conception.

chari varnasrami yadi krsna nahi bhaje

svakarma karileo se raurave padi maje

"Whatever varna (a priest, fighter, manager, or worker) or asram (a celibate, householder, renouncer of the household life, or monk) you may belong to, if you do not worship Krsna but engage in your prescribed duties, you will have to fall into a terrible hell."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.26)

These are very strong words. Even if you are a brahmachari, even if you are a grihastha, a vanaprastha, or a sannyasi, even if you are a brahman, a ksatriya, a vaisya, or a sudra, you will go to a place that is worse than hell if you do not worship Lord Krishna. Compared to that place, hell is good; raurav is a very dangerous place. This is what Chaitanya-charitamrita says. These are the main things for our spiritual life.

Gurudev says, and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur also says, that if you do something wrong, or you make some mistake, and you know you do it, then you cannot tell anything to others if you see they do something wrong, you cannot chastise others because you yourself have a problem. You must correct yourself first, then you can tell something to others, otherwise, "Hambhi chup, tumbhi chup—I will keep quiet, and you will keep quiet." It is a very nice story told by Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, I told it the other day in Bengali:

Before 1947 when India became independent, there was a British period and India was under the British for almost 200 years. At that time, the judges were all British, and they had thick beards, long moustache. They would come to the court, listen to the lawyers on both sides and give the judgement (it is still going on in this way, but the judges are not British now).

One day, a man got very happy with the court's judgement and he thought, "I have a good jackfruit, I want to present it to the judge." So, he came to the judge and gave the jackfruit to him. It was in the afternoon. In the morning, the judge looked at the jackfruit and thought, "That man gave me some fruit, I heard it is very tasty, but I have never eaten it. Let me clean it now." The judge took the jackfruit, felt it and saw that it was very soft inside. He did not know how to eat it (he had never seen a jackfruit before), so what did he do with that jackfruit? He broke the peel and took the seeds and pulp (the main things in a jackfruit that are eaten, which he did not know) and threw it all out. Now he had the carcass of fruit, empty. While the judge was cleaning and trying to eat that peel, all the gum of the jackfruit got into his thick beard, moustache and hair! He ran to wash it out, but the more he tried to wash it out, the tighter his hair got tangled! What was he to do now? He got very angry, "What kind of fruit did that man give me?! Look what it has done to me! What is this? It is already nine o'clock, I have to go to the court! How am I to go like this?" He called his servant, "Hey, bring, call the barber quickly!" The barber came and gave him a full shave.

When the judge came to the court, all the lawyers began to smile whispering among themselves, "What has happened? The judge has shaved! He has never shaved before, he has always kept his beard. What has happened to him?" Then, suddenly the judge saw a sadhu coming into the court (the sadhu had some court case going on). He saw that the man had tilak on and he was also fully shaved just like him—his head and his beard were shaved. He called that sadhu and said, "Come, come! Listen, when the hearing of your case finishes, wait here, we will go to my house." The sadhu became afraid, he thought "Why is the judge calling me? What have I done?" In the evening, when they came to the judge's home, the sadhu was shaking from fear. He asked,

"Sir, you have called me—"

"Yes, why are you so afraid? Have you also eaten a jackfruit?" asked the judge.

"No, no, I have not eaten jackfruit!"

"No? But you are also shaved!"

"I am a renounced person (a sadhu), that is why I shave."

"Oh, and I thought you have eaten a jackfruit..." said the judge.

"Why? Have you eaten a jackfruit," asked the sadhu.

"Yes, that is why I am like this, but do not tell anybody! I will also not tell anybody about you."

That is the story Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur told. So, those who are guilty themselves cannot tell anything to others.

For that, Jagadananda Pandit told,

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale

gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

“Just saying, ‘I am Gora's! I am Gora’s!' does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

If think you are a devotee of Gauranga, it is not correct—you must practise what Mahaprabhu tells us. When Mahaprabhu left Nabadwip, He said,

yadi ama'-prati sneha thake sabakara

tabe krsna-vyatirikta na gaibe ara

"If you have any love and affection for Me, then only say 'Krishna'—do not say anything except 'Krishna.'"

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 28.27)

"If you love Me, if you have love and affection for Me, then do not say anything except 'Krishna.' Always chant the Holy Name."

That is the main thing for our spiritual life. Chant the maha-mantra and chant the songs properly, then you can get a great benefit for your spiritual life. It is necessary to have faith in this. Life must be surrendered—your life must be engaged for the service of the Lord, that is good for you. Whether you clean, drive a car, work, cook, etc.—whatever you do, everything is service for the Lord. This is how we must life. I always tell everybody,

prasada-seva karite haya,

sakala prapancha-jaya

"By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions."

(Saranagati, 31.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

It means that if you take prasad, your material desires will be conquered. That is why we always recite (and Gurudev also explained it),

mahaprasade govinde nama-brahmani vaisnave

svalpa-punya-vatam rajan visvaso naiva yayate

"O king, one whose fortune is meagre never develops faith in mahaprasad, Govinda, the Holy Name, or the Vaisnavas."

bhai re!

sarira avidya-jala jadendriya tahe kala

jive phele visaya-sagare

ta'ra madhye jihva ati lobhamaya sudurmati

ta'ke jeta kathina samsare

"The body is a net of illusion, and the material senses are the enemies; they throw the soul into the ocean of mundanity. Among the senses, the tongue is the most greedy and wicked. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world."

krsna bada dayamaya karibare jihva jaya

sva-prasad-anna dila bhai

sei annamrta pao radha-krsna-guna gao

preme daka chaitanya-nitai

"O brothers! Krsna is very merciful: to conquer the tongue He has given us His remnants! Accept this nectarean food, sing the glories of Radha-Krsna, and with love call out, 'Chaitanya! Nitai!'"

This tongue is very naughty, it throws us into material environment. It always goes everywhere, it wants to eat this, this, this. You cannot conquer your tongue, but how is it possible to conquer it? If you take prasad, then you can conquer your tongue. Offer whatever you cook to the Lord with Tulasi leaves, then take that prasadam. It is necessary to follow this. If there is some problem some day and you have to take something outside, then you must always remember Gurudev and then take it. Without prasadam you cannot conquer your tongue, you cannot conquer all your other indriya—there are five karmendriya, and five jnanendriya. Five karmendriya, instruments are feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth (pada, pani, payu, upastha, vak); five jnanendriya, senses, are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin (chaksu, karna, nasika, jihva, tvak); and there is also mind, intelligence, and ego (man, buddhi, ahankar). We have so many senses and we cannot conquer them—they always pull us in so many directions. The solution is in prasadam. If you understand this, then you can realise Krishna consciousness, then you can realise why we serve the Lord, why we serve our Guru, why we have come into this world for, etc.

You must think what our main conception is, then you can get relief, and you will yourself feel pleased through your service. You can understand it yourself. How can you be happy? If you see that you are behaving properly and you are thinking properly (following the proper conception), then you will be happy.

* * *

Peddling Misconception

20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 11

The other day, a boy went for rice collection with me and he said, "That mill's name is Radharani, but the owner does not want to give any rice!" I laughed. If a mill is called Radharani's Mill or Mahaprabhu's rice mill, it is for their business trademark—they use Mahaprabhu's name. They do business, they do not serve Mahaprabhu. So, when that boy said to me, "Oh, it is Radharani's mill, but he is not giving rice!" I replied, "That man does not think deep about it. He calls his mill Radharani to use Radharani's name for his business, not for service."

There are many houses and shops like that in Nabadwip also. For example, there is a mridanga shop that has Gurudev's picture, Narayan Maharaj's picture, and also Swami Maharaj Prabhupad's picture. They put many pictures in their shops because they know when devotees come and see it, they will think, "Oh, this must be their guru, so he is a disciple of Prabhupad!" or, "Maybe, he is a disciple of Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj!" Shopkeepers use Gurus' names for their trademark, they use the name of the Lord, they use the name of the Guru, but for their own interest. It makes me think of why Sanatan Goswami cried...

Why did Sanatan Goswami cry? Because Rupa Goswami had given so much austerity to Srimati Radharani. Rupa Goswami could not understand that Srimati Radharani had come and herself cooked the sweet rice. When She brought some rice, milk, and sugar to Rupa Goswami, Rupa Goswami said he did not know how to cook sweet rice, so Srimati Radharani offered, "I saw a few times how my mother cooks sweet rice, perhaps I can try to make it." She cooked a very nice sweet rice, and when Sanatan Goswami took that sweet rice, he got Krishna-prema. After that, he went to search where that girl was, which house She brought the ingredients from, but he could not find that girl, and then he understood who that girl was—he understood, "Radharani Herself has come and served us!" That is why he chastised Rupa Goswami very much, "You have done so much wrong! You have given so much austerity to Srimati Radharani! This is not good!" (When She was cooking, She burnt Herself; the fire was not so good, there was so much smoke and so much tears came from Her eyes!) That is why Sanatan Goswami cried...

We must do service. We must do service for our Gurudev, we must not use our Gurudev for our own interest. This is the main thing.

Here in Bengal, it is very difficult. If somebody dies or is born in a house, they do not even water Tulasi plant because they say it is asauch (the place and people at the house where somebody is born or dies are considered impure). They do not water Tulasi, but they do give food to their children! This is a misconception. At this time they also do not go to the temple. They say, "Somebody has died in my house, we are not clean. That brahman told us not to come to the temple." That is the brahman culture. It is very bad. It is said in the scriptures also that asuras (demons) who kill cows, who kill or disturb demigods come as brahmans in this age of Kali (the fourth age after Satya, Treta, and Dvapar).

I told this in front of brahmans, holding Srimad Bhagavatam, quoting from there. They are very unhappy to hear it. What can I do? I have to say it. They come as brahmans, but they do not even know the brahma-gayatri; they do what they are doing for their own interest. Srimad Bhagavatam says what their character will be, it says everything, and we see that it is all true...

You can also see what the Puri pandas (priests) do. They beat devotees and forcefully take money from them. The temple of Saksi Gopal and other places are also like that. They are very cruel and greedy for devotees' money. There is so much problem... In Kali-yuga, brahmans' character is always demoniac...

One time, somebody asked Gurudev (it happened in front of me), "There are so many monkeys disturbing in Vrindavan. Who were they in their previous life?" Gurudev said, "They were all babajis." Vrindavan sahajiya babajis always take money for their own business...

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!

All the assembled devotees ki jay!

All the worldwide devotees ki jay!

Samagata Sri Gaura Bhakta vrinda ki jay!

Bhakta-raj Prahlad Maharaj, Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay!

Harinam sankirtan ki jay!

Nitai-Gaura premanande Hari bol!

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay!

* * *

Separation Day

Spoken on the holy disappearance day of

Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

8 April 2017, Sri Govardhan,

Translated from Bengali, part 1

First, I am offering my full prostrate obeisance at my Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's lotus feet begging him for his causeless mercy and service. Then, I am offering my obeisance to the holy feet of Guru-varga, all my godbrothers, as well all the assembled listeners and devotees.

Today is a viraha-tithi, a separation day. Our supreme Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj accepted this day as the day to leave this world for his eternal abode. He has left us, fallen souls, here to chant his glories. Actually, we do not have any qualification to chant his glories, but if he gives his mercy, then his words, his glories can come to our mouths; otherwise it is not possible. We have all gathered here together to discuss his words over and over again, to ruminate on that, to sing his glories.

Our Gurupadpadma accepted this day in 2010 and left this world, and he left whatever works he had not completed for us...

Guru is the Lord's very own associate,

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair

uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih

kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya

vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all the scriptures to be the Lord Himself, and considered to be so by the sadhus, yet is also the Lord's beloved devotee."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, 7)

He is the Lord Himself, and on the other hand he is a dearmost of the Lord. "Tava nija-jana kona mahajane pathaiya dile tumi: You have sent Your own associate [to rescue me]." These associates of the Lord come to this world to tell us the message of the Lord and we, in turn, can express our doubts and thoughts to Gurudev.

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya

upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

“You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you.”

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Surrendering fully and making honest enquiries, we will chant the glories and message of our Gurudev.

Gurudev came to the Math when he was seventeen years old and since then he had tirelessly served this Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had waited for thirty years to give him his chair, but Guru Maharaj (Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj) had been always stretched time. He said that, "If Guru Maharaj had given all responsibility to me, he would have left the world, but who wants their Guru to leave the world quickly?" In the end, Srila Guru Maharaj said angrily, "If you do not take charge of this Math, I will break the temple and leave, and I will give the Deities to my godbrother!" Finally, he said, "If you cannot take charge of the Math right now, I will commit suicide, and you will be blamed for it!" This is how Guru Maharaj finally agreed to take charge in 1985.

After that, you have seen yourself how the Math has expanded. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj left only three Maths, and even those were not completely finished, but Guru Maharaj left the world having opened almost 130 temples. Now there are 138 branches. Just a few days ago, a temple opened in Tarakeswar—including it, there are now 138 branches of Chaitanya Saraswat Math…

* * *

Make Service Your Goal, Means, and Sustenance

Spoken on the holy disappearance day of

Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

8 April 2017, Sri Govardhan,

Translated from Bengali, part 2

Gurudev travelled around the world many times—he would stay in Nabadwip only two months a year, and travel around the world the rest of the time to rescue the fallen souls. As Mahaprabhu said,

prthivite yata achhe nagaradi grama

sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

"My Name will be spread in every town and village of the world."

He would preach Mahaprabhu's conception everywhere, "Be humble, tolerant, give honour to others."

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

“One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara

apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

“Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean.”

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana

pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

“Practise tolerance like a tree. Stop ill-treating others, instead nurture them.”

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe

para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

“Do not trouble others for your own upkeep, and forget your own happiness in the course of helping others.”

(Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Sacrificing his own life, forgetting his own happiness and comfort, Gurudev would go door to door preaching the message of Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu told Sanatan Goswami,

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva

iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

"Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion."

There is no other religion. This is the only religion—to be merciful to the jiva souls, which means bringing the souls averse to Krishna to this path. Why do the sadhus, Gurus and Vaishnavs establish temples? What does Gaudiya Math stand for?

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana

mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

Sadhu-sanga is necessary. What does sadhu-sanga mean? It means to live following the words of the sadhus. Prabhupad said, "Serving the jiva souls brings benefit to the soul." "Serving the jiva souls" means bringing them to this path—engaging every soul in the service of the Lord. Everything that exists in this world is created for the Lord, not for our enjoyment, but we, overcome with ego, try to enjoy it. "Serving the jiva souls brings benefit to your soul. Following the whims of your mind on the pretext of service is not service—service means following and satisfying the Guru and Vaishnavs."

"Chhadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payechhe keba: Without service to the Vaishnav, you cannot get any relief." Without service to Vaishnavs, there is no remedy—if you do not serve Vaishnavs, you will not get any result.

One day, Sanatan Goswami told Rupa Goswami, "Go and invite all Vaishnavs who live in the Dham. I am going to make Vaishnav seva." He invited everyone without exception and he wanted to see if all Vaishnavs would come or not. On the day of Vaishnav seva, Sanatan Goswami saw that one Vaishnav did not come. He thought, "I must have committed some offence at his feet, that is why he did not come." So, Sanatan Goswami personally came to that Vaishnav and said, "Prabhu, I did not see you at the Vaishnav seva, I must have committed some offence at your feet..." The Vaishnav said, "Yes, you have. Once, passing Govinda Kunda during parikrama, you laughed at me. I cannot walk properly and you laughed seeing me." Sanatan Goswami said, "Prabhu, yes, I did burst out laughing. If this is why you are upset, then please forgive my offence... Can I say something though? Prabhu, I did not laugh at you that day—passing that place I saw the private pastimes of Radha-Krishna, that is why I laughed."

I would like to say that if I have made any offence at anyone's feet, please forgive me. Please come to the programme, I want to serve you all.

hari-sthane aparadhe tare hari-nama

toma-sthane aparadhe nahika edana

"If one offends the Lord, the Lord's Name delivers him, but if one offends you, O Vaishnav, one has no salvation."

If you make an offence to the Lord, Vaishnavs can remove that offence. But if you make an offence at the feet of Vaishnavs—at the feet of those who remove your offence—then who is there to save you? Is there anyone else, a second person, who can save you? That is why we must be always aware that we do not make an offence at the feet of Vaishnavs.

I always tell you,

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara

apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

“Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean.”

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana

pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

“Practise tolerance like a tree. Stop ill-treating others, instead nurture them.”

When our Guru Maharaj first came to the temple, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj declared seven days later, "This boy will be my next successor." Many had a problem with that and could not tolerate it, but Gurudev tolerated it himself and told others to tolerate too. He always said, "Wait and see. It is necessary to be patient. Do not lax your service because you do not get the result." He also said, "Wherever you stay, do not leave your service. Wherever you stay, maintain your practising life.”

* * *

Overpowered by Service

Spoken on the holy disappearance day of

Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

8 April 2017, Sri Govardhan,

Translated from Bengali, part 3

As Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Service to the jiva souls brings benefit to the soul. Following the whims of your mind on the pretext of doing service is not service; following the Guru and Vaishnavs, serving them, satisfying them, is what is called service." If we cannot serve Gurudev properly, then what is there left in the world for us? We think, "Oh, it is his duty, it is his service, it is not my duty..."

In 1995, there was the centenary festival of Param Gurudev Srila Guru Maharaj, and Gurudev told me to go to Mayapur and bring two people from there, Bhakti Suhird Akinchan Maharaj and Pujyapad Bhakti Kumud Shanta Goswami Maharaj. That day, Shanta Maharaj spoke at the programme and I still remember what he said. He told this story:

Once, there were two servitors at one temple. One of them cooked and the other one did the puja, and above that they also served their Guru—they would massage him with oil, bathe him, and so on. The Guru was blind, so they did everything for him. Those two servitors fought every day. One of them said, "You do not do anything! I cook the bhog, I do everything and you just ring the bell!" One day, they started fighting in front of the Guru—the Guru could not see anything, but he could hear them fight. He asked, "What has happened?" Then, one of them said, "Prabhu, I do everything—I cook, I give you bath, I do so many things, and he just rings the bell, he does not help me!" The Guru said, "All right, I will divide the service between you then. You will massage my right leg, and he will massage my left leg." One day, the servitor who was supposed to massage the Guru's left leg could not come. The other disciple was massaging only the right leg of his Guru, and the Guru asked him, "Will you not massage the other one?" The disciple answered, "Why should I? It is his leg!" "Oh, it is his leg?!" said the Guru, "Then I will break it!"

Such is our service mood, "It is his duty," "it is his job," "I will not do more than I have to do." Jiva Goswamipad, Rupa Goswamipad served twenty-two and a half hours a day and only spent only one and a half hours on rest, prasadam, etc. It is actually not a question of big service or small service,

dinere adhika daya kare bhagavan

kulina, pandita, dhanira bada abhimana

"Those who have a high birth, knowledge and wealth are so proud of themselves, but the Lord is so merciful to those who are poor and needy."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.68)

You have seen in Jagannath Puri also that King Prataparudra tried to get Mahaprabhu's mercy so many times, he wanted to get the darshan of Mahaprabhu so much, but Mahaprabhu refused because he was a king; but when the king started sweeping the road, when he did this low service, then he got Mahaprabhu's mercy. When Narottam Das Thakur left Kheturi Dham, he would clean the place where Lokanath Goswami passed stool. Lokanath Goswami wondered, "Who cleans this place every day?" Before that, he had promised himself, "I will not take any disciples," and Narottam Das Thakur had promised himself, "I will take initiation from him!" In the end, Lokanath Goswami became overpowered by his service.

When Gurudev started cultivating the land at the temple, he would personally tend to the garden and would take the weeds out himself. When Nabadwip was flooded, Gurudev would make a bamboo raft (there was no money to get a boat at that time) and go all around the Math on that raft guarding the temple. This is how he served the Math. Sometimes, when he went to Kolkata, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj would immediately send someone to bring him back, "Go and bring Govinda Maharaj back. Tell him I have chest pain." The devotee would quickly go to fetch Gurudev saying, "Please come back, Guru Maharaj has chest pain." When Gurudev came back, he would be surprised, "Maharaj, I see that you are OK, what has happened?" Guru Maharaj would just say, "Yes, you have come back, and now I am OK."

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj also composed the pranam-mantra of Gurudev ("Gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam..."). Have you ever heard that the Guru would compose the pranam-mantra of his disciple? Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj did it. Gurvvabhista-supurakam: Gurudev fulfilled the desires of his Guru. Guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam: he is adorned with the blessings of his Guru. Chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam: he is expert of all conceivable and inconceivable knowledge, Vedas. His writings, his slokas, his poetry were very special. There is a [Bengali] book called Rochanamrita that contains Gurudev's poetry. Gurudev wrote poetry and slokas since he was seventeen-eighteen years old, and seeing those slokas, Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj said, "He is far more qualified than me."

When Gurudev would come to the Math, Guru Maharaj ordered devotees to make alu bhaja (potato chips) fried in ghee for him, and for the Deities they would offer alu bhaja fried in mustard oil. One disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked him, "Why is alu bhaja fried in mustard oil for the Deities, and in ghee for Govinda Maharaj?" Guru Maharaj replied, "You will not understand it. Later you will understand..." Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had so much affection for Gurudev, he loved him so much. He forgave all his faults and seated him on his throne making him a Visva-guru (a Guru of the entire universe). This is the power of the Guru's mercy.

You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you have nothing.

Gurudev could easily understand everything. One time, Gurudev got a phone call from abroad—a devotees was asking for permission to do something, but Gurudev said, "I already know that they have done it. They call me to ask for permission, but they have already done it and now they are calling me to ask for permission!" Such was his expert and judicious nature; he could easily understand everything.

Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, then we will get supreme benefit. "Guru-mukha-padma-vakya chitete kariya aikya ara na kariha mane asa: Make the teachings from Sri Guru's lotus mouth one with your heart, and do not desire anything else within your heart." You must always live remembering Gurudev's words, remembering what Gurudev wanted to say. That is the meaning of sadhu-sanga. Sleeping together with the sadhu, eating with the sadhu from the same plate—mosquitoes do this, but do they practise good association? No, they only disturb. If we can properly listen to the sadhus and live in their association, then we can get supreme benefit.

* * *

Strive for Your Benefit

27 December 2014

The main thing you must understand is that we have got this nice mouth not only for eating, not only for gossiping and talking about all sorts of things—we must use it to chant the Holy Name.

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane

aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

“Whether you are sleeping, eating, or resting, always chant the Name of Krishna.”

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Madhya-khanda, 28.28)

prabhu kahe—kahilan ei maha-mantra

iha japa' giya sabe kariya nirbandha

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 23.77)

"There are no rules, no regulations, no prohibitions—whether you are eating, lying down, or sitting, you must always chant the Holy Name."

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane

aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

“Whether you are sleeping, eating, or resting, always chant the Name of Krishna.”

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Madhya-khanda, 28.28)

Chant, practise kirtan all the time. Mahaprabhu Himself would chant even in the bathroom. One time, He went to the bathroom holding His tongue between His teeth, and one person, Gopal, asked Him,

"Prabhu, why are You biting Your tongue?"

"My tongue is naughty—I am going to the bathroom but it wants to chant the Holy Name! That is why I am biting it," explained Mahaprabhu.

"But why, Prabhu? What is the problem if you go to the bathroom and chant at that time?"

"Yes, you are right, Gopal!"

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane

aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

“Whether you are sleeping, eating, or resting, always chant the Name of Krishna.”

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Madhya-khanda, 28.28)

Chant always, day and night—otherwise now you have got this tongue, but later the Lord will take the ability to speak away from you (He will send you as a cow or a cat, then you will lose the ability to speak). If we, having got this human birth, waste our life, we will have to suffer later. We all have to leave one day, but we must chant the Holy Name, otherwise you will simply come and go.

kaya bara eli kaya bara geli

tabu tattva na sikhili

nijer matha nije khaili

e-dosa dibe kare bhai?

"Coming and going, coming and going, and never learnt anything—you have been eating your own brain. Who will you blame now, brother?"

You yourself are your friend, you yourself are your enemy. You must help yourself, you must be a friend to yourself, otherwise who can help you if you do not help yourself, if you yourself do not understand what is good for you? Even if somebody comes to help us, we will not accept their help. Suppose I am sick, I go to a doctor, doctors gives me a prescription, but I do not want to chant the Holy Name. Just as when you have fever, your mother can cook nice things, but you will not get the taste—everything will taste bitter to your tongue. In the same way, we do not get taste for chanting the Holy Name because our tongue is offensive. As long as we do not strive for Krishna, do not strive for service, our tongue will never be able to chant. That is why you must stop eating outside food, you must take prasadam. Make your tongue right first, then the Name of Krishna will dance on it. Otherwise you can say so many things, but the Name of Krishna will not come to your mouth; you can hear so many things, but you will not feel like hearing anything about the Name of Krishna...

Always remember this. Always listen attentively. When you go to school, you listen to the teacher very attentively—if you do not, you will not be able to pass the exam well. It is said in the scriptures also that there can be found only one wise man among millions of selfish workers; there is only one liberated soul among millions of such wise men; and among millions of such liberated souls there is only one devotee of Krishna. It is very rare to get a devotee of Krishna. If you associate with pure devotees, you will get pure devotion, and if you do not associate with pure devotees, you will not get pure devotion.

We have got this birth as a result of a great fortune and our Guru-varga are trying so hard to bring us to this path, but we are holding maya's pillar, we are bound by maya, illusion and we cannot surrender. We always have live with an independent mentality (svatantra buddhi):

bado duhkha paiyachhi svatantra jivane

duhkha dure gelo o pada-varane

"I experienced only great distress in my independent life. All my distress has gone away by embracing Your feet."

(Saranagati, 21.5)

"When I was independent, I got so much sadness, so much unhappiness, but when I surrendered to You, all kinds of sadness was removed."

dainya, daya anye mana, pratistha-varjana

chari gune guni hai karaha kirtana

“Humility, compassion, honouring others, and giving up prestige—become qualified with these four qualities and chant the Name.”

(Sri Siksastakam Giti)

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana

'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

"Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord's guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me'."

(Saranagati, 1, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Be humble, tolerant and give honour to others. There are only three duties:

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva

iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

"Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion."

Our only religion is jive daya, Name ruchi, Vaishnava seva—you must be kind to the jiva souls, must chant the Holy Name, and you must serve the Vaishnavs. Make your family Krishna's family and give up bad practices, then your family will become Krishna's family.

If you do not heed it, you will have to continue floating in this ocean—today you have got this human body, next you will get a cat's body or tomorrow you will have a frog's family... This is how life goes for those who are bound by illusion. People do not understand this. They do not understand what is good or bad for them ("kise bhala haya, kabhu na bujhinu"). The Gurus, the Vaishnavs explain so much, tell so many things, try so hard, but we are still bound by maya, we cannot give up maya... Our mind is always fickle, it does not practise.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana

mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

These five are the main practices. First, it is necessary to always be in good association because if you listen just for one day, you will forget everything. This will not do. Nama-sankirtan means you must chant the Holy Name. Bhagavata-sravan means listen to Bhagavatam, to the narrations about the Lord.

prthivite yaha kichu dharma name chale

bhagavata kahe taha paripurna chhale

There are so many things going on in the name of religion in this world, but Bhagavatam says that it is all complete cheating (paripurna chhale). You must listen to the Bhagavatam, to Mahaprabhu's teachings... Sell your head to Mahaprabhu's feet, to the feet of the Guru and Vaishnavs, then you will get the result.

If you always live thinking about "I" and "mine" (my house, my room, my sons, my family, etc.), then you will have to come to this world again and again. You will come and go, go and come... As you sow, so you reap, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Depending on what you do in this world, you will get a reaction accordingly next life (some reaction you may get in this life, and some reaction will come next lifetime). For example, if I kill somebody this lifetime, they will kill me later in next lifetimes—if you cut a goat, a cow, or a fish, they will kill you in a later lifetime. For example, today you cut a goat—it means that goat will get a human birth later, you will be demoted and eventually get a goat's body, and that goat will kill you. This is what the scriptures tell. You must follow what is written there.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj.

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