Treasure Good Association

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Russia, 11 August 2003

First, I am giving my full obeisance to my Spiritual Master Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, then all tridandipad-gan and all my godbrothers and godsisters.

Actually, I have no quality or qualification to say anything about Krishna consciousness, but it is only possible by the mercy of Guru Maharaj, that is why first I recite this sloka,

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

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)

Mukam karoti vachalam: one who cannot say anything, who cannot speak, can say so many things; pangum langhayate girim: one who is lame can climb a tree or climb a hill—it is only possible by the mercy of Gurudev. So, I again pay my full obeisance, my full dandavat, with service mood, to my Spiritual Master.

We are all here getting some good association of the good big Vaishnavs, of all the sannyasis, of Guru Maharaj, and it is actually our good luck—not everybody can get this kind of opportunity. It is only by mercy of Lord Chaitanyadev, Bhagavan Lord Krishna and all the Vaishnavs that we are all meeting here today. We have come from many various countries but we have gathered together here today.

ঈশ্বরের কৃপা-লেশ হয় ত' যাহারে ।
সেই ত' ঈশ্বর-তত্ত্ব জানিবারে পারে ॥

isvarera krpa-lesa haya ta' yahare
sei ta' isvara-tattva janibare pare

"Only those who receive even a trace of the Lord's mercy, can understand the Lord."

(Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 6.83)

"Those who get a little bit of mercy can understand this kind of consciousness."

In our previous life we got some sukriti, and because of that sukriti we are now getting some good association. Sukriti, good fortune, and punya, pious activity, are not the same. I will give you an example and you will be able to understand it easily. You see that there are many flower plants growing everywhere. All trees give flowers, but not all flowers come to the Lord—those flowers that had got some sukriti, good fortune, come to the Lord (are offered to the Lord), and in this way those flower plants get some special sukriti from the Lord. In the same way, many cows give us milk, but some cows' milk is used to make sweet rice that is then offered to the Deities. So, in our previous life, we did something and got that kind of sukriti, and as a result of it we are now getting good association: we can serve the Lord, can serve the Deities, the Vaishnavs.

From sukriti we get faith. Actually everyone's faith is different—Guru Maharaj always says there is 10% faith, 20% faith, 25% faith, 50% faith, and so on. Those who have more faith, can get good service to the Deities.

In Chaitanya-charitamrita, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami said,

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

'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)

Faith means a full faith in Krishna, "If I do everything for Krishna, then all karma (activities) will be successful." Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said: you can make hundreds and hundreds of thousands of hospitals, you may be a doctor and treat so many patients, but if you bring one person from that life to this life and engage them in Krishna's service, Lord's service, then it will much better.

When we get faith, we then get good association, or sadhu-sanga. Chaitanya-charitamrita says,

'সাধুসঙ্গ', 'সাধুসঙ্গ'—সর্ব্বশাস্ত্রে কয় ।
লবমাত্র সাধুসঙ্গে সর্ব্বসিদ্ধি হয় ॥

'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 get good association of good Vaishnavs, good pious men, then you can realise what you can get through such good association (sadhu-sanga). What does the sadhu do? Sadhu always cleans our heart.

Sadhu-sanga does not mean to be always in direct association. Direct association is good, but we can get sadhu-sanga from far too. One day, Srimad Bhagavatam says that Uddhav Maharaj asked Krishna, "Prabhu, when You leave, how will I stay alive this place? How will I get good association?" And Krishna said to him, "Do not worry, Uddhav. When I go from this place, many Vaishnavs (good, pious men) like you will come to this world, and you will get good association through them."

Guru Maharaj will not stay here for more than one month—he will then go all over the world, or maybe he will stay in India or go to another country. You have had his association, as well as the association of the Vaishnavs, of the sannyasis who have come here, and if you follow their order and advice, if you read the scriptures, then through the scriptures and their order, by remembering them, you can get good association.

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