Adjusting Mind, Ego, and Heart

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Caracas, Venezuela
26 September 2009

Question: Why does Mahaprabhu not come in every Kali-yuga? Why does He take so long?

You have to call Him.

যদা যদা হি ধর্ম্মস্য গ্লানির্ভবতি ভারত ।
অভ্যুত্থানমধর্ম্মস্য তদাত্মানং সৃজাম্যহম্ ॥

yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya, tadatmanam srjamy aham

"O Bharata, whenever there is a decline of religion and an uprising of irreligion, I personally make My advent."

Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.7

The Lord comes when the devotional activities become bad. Kali-yuga's duration is 432,000 years, and only about 5500 years have passed so far, so much is still due...

Question: Sometimes you explained that we may imagine that we can even play football with Krishna in the spiritual world, but I am thinking it is a very high conception—is it not better to imagine that we are playing football with Gurudev?

That's a good question. It is Kali-yuga, and there are some rules and regulations. Here, we cannot use a very high conception—we cannot do what the gopis did. That will be ego. Sometimes somebody thinks, "I am Rupa Manjari," "I am Lavanga Manjari," and they think they must play in the same way; some sannyasis also think, "I am an associate of Srimati Radharani," and they play accordingly, but that is called sahajiya style. We cannot do that. We must follow rules and regulations, we follow viddhi-marga, not raga-marga. Raga-marga is a high conception. You must first follow the viddhi-marga, then you can get entrance into the raga-marga. Do you understand what I am saying? Does everybody realise this? It is a very simple matter...

Question: Many philosophers say that we must give up our ego, but A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj used to say that actually what we should give up is our identification with this body because we cannot give up our ego by ourselves.

I explained it the other day. Rupa Goswami said,

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

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)

This sloka can be explained in many ways.

কৃষ্ণসেবা কামার্পণে, ক্রোধ ভক্ত-দ্বেষিজনে,
লোভ সাধুসঙ্গে হরিকথা ।
মোহ ইষ্টলাভ বিনে, মদ কৃষ্ণ গুণগানে,
নিযুক্ত করিব যথা তথা ॥

krsna-seva kamarpane, krodha bhakta-dvesi-jane,
lobha sadhu-sange hari-katha
moha ista-labha bine, mada krsna guna-gane,
niyukta kariba yatha tatha

"I will engage lust by offering it in Krishna's service. Anger I will direct towards those who are envious of the devotees. I will be greedy to hear the topics of Hari in the association of devotees. I will feel illusioned without achieving my worshipable Lord. I will be maddened while singing the glories of Krishna. In this way I will engage these enemies in their proper places."

Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 22

What does it say about the ego? It says you do not need to remove your ego, you should have an ego, but what kind of ego? The ego that I am a servant of the Lord, I am a servant of my Gurudev—that will be my ego, and that kind of ego should be there.

Krsna-seva kamarpane: you may some material desire, but your desire should be used for the service to the Lord. You have some anger, and you can also use your anger—your anger should be towards those who criticise your Guru, criticise the Vaishnavs, criticise your temple. In this way, everything is written in this sloka. But Krishna says that there is one thing He cannot give place to. There are chaya-ripu, six enemies—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (desire, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy)—and Krishna says, "One of them is very bad, I cannot give any place to it. What is it? Matsaryata, jealousy. I give some place to everything else, but I cannot give any place for the jealous mood."

OK?

Question (a little girls is asking): When are you coming back?

When you call me. [His Divine Grace laughs.]

—Gracias. [Thank you.]

OK, it is very nice to meet you all. If I have made any offence, please forgive my offence. I do not want anything from you, I only want you to please forgive my offence, please remove my offence. You know, and I told before, I have no quality, I am a fallen soul, I have no qualification, I only pray you can give some mercy to me so that life after life I can serve my Guru and all the great Vaishnavs...

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

I am very happy to see you all, and I also hope, I pray to the Lord, pray to Gurudev that I can meet with you all again.

I heard that some devotees are coming for the Kartik parikrama, I am very happy. Gurudev's Vyasa Puja is coming, also our preaching programme and Gaura Purnima are soon. If somebody wants to join me in the preaching programme in Bengal, you can come, I will be happy.

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