Entering Service Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham
11 December 2010

Krishna's Name, Beauty, Pastimes, associates are non-different from Krishna, non-different from the Lord, and only the Lord Himself or the Lord's associate can distribute this Holy Name.

There are four ages: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. In the age of Satya-yuga, people's lifetime is 100,000 years, and at that time the process prescribed by the scriptures for them is meditation, dhyan—they would sit in one place meditating for 60-70,000 years. It is unbelievable, but it is the truth. Then came Treta-yuga. People's lifetime reduced to 10,000 years, and people did yajna—asvamedha yajna, rajasuya yajna, etc. Sometimes they would do a very big fire sacrifice and offered a horse (asvamedha yajna). Then came Dvapar-yuga. In Dvapar-yuga, people's lifetime is 1,000 years, and at that time they did puja, archan (Deity worship).

The scriptures, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Srimad Bhagavatam also say that even if you do ten million yajnas you will not get the same result as when you chant the Holy Name once. If somebody says that chanting Harinam once is equal to millions of fire sacrifices, it is not correct—the Holy Name is much higher. The person who says this is an offender, a seva-aparadhi.

কিবা মন্ত্র দিলা, গোসাঞি, কিবা তার বল ।
জপিতে জপিতে মন্ত্র করিল পাগল ॥

kiba mantra dila, gosani, kiba tara bala
japite japite mantra karila pagala

"My lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? What kind of power does it possess? Chanting this maha-mantra made me mad!"

(Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 7.81)

This is Mahaprabhu's words.

So, finally there is Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, Krishna Himself appears in the form of His Name.

কলিকালে নামরূপ কৃষ্ণ-অবতার ।
নাম হৈতে হয় সর্ব্বজগৎ-নিস্তার ॥

kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara
nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara

"In the Kali-yuga, Krishna appears in the form of the Name. The entire world is delivered through that Name."

(Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 17.22)

So, the Name, the form, the beauty of the Lord are non-different from the Lord, there is no difference between the Lord, His form, His Name, and so on.

This Name comes from Goloka Vrindavan, through Guru-parampara. Guru-parampara starts from Krishna, from Krishna it comes to Narada,

কৃষ্ণ হৈতে চতুর্ম্মুখ, হন কৃষ্ণসেবোন্মুখ,
ব্রহ্মা হৈতে নারদের মতি ।
নারদ হৈতে ব্যাস, মধ্ব কহে ব্যাস-দাস,
পূর্ণপ্রজ্ঞ পদ্মনাভ গতি ॥

krsna haite chatur-mukha, hana krsna-sevonmukha,
brahma haite naradera mati
narada haite vyasa, madhva kahe vyasa-dasa,
purnaprajna padmanabha gati

"Through Krishna, Brahma became devoted to Krishna's service. Brahma inspired Narad. Narad inspired Vyasadev. Madhva Acharya is a servant of Vyasa. Thus, the line continued through Purnaprajna (Madhavacharya) and Padmanabha."

In this way, the Guru-parampara goes from Krishna to Brahma, from Brahma to Narad, from Narad to Vyasa, from Vyasa to Madhvacharya, and so on. In this way the Name came to Madhavendra Puri (the name of our sampradaya is Brahma Madhava Sampradaya). Who got it from Madhavendra Puri? Ishwar Puri. Who did the Name come to from Ishwar Puri? To Mahaprabhu. When Mahaprabhu went to Gaya, He took initiation. Who did He take initiation from? From Ishwar Puri. Mahaprabhu is the Lord Himself, but He shows that it is necessary to take initiation, it is necessary to accept a Guru.

আশ্রয় লইয়া ভজে তারে কৃষ্ণ নাহি ত্যজে,
আর সব মরে অকারণে

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."

(By Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Prarthana, 17)

You must take shelter of a Guru. Even Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself showed that He took shelter of His Guru. We must understand this.

Krishna Himself comes in the form of the Name and as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, a combined form of Radha-Krishna.

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)

On the one hand, Krishna Himself comes in the Form of the Name, and on the other hand, wondering, "Why is Radharani crying for Me? Why is Radharani chanting My Name? I want to taste and enjoy that too! I must experience that!" Bhagavan comes in Kali-yuga in a combined form of Radha-Krishna as Gauranga Mahaprabhu to relish the mood of Srimati Radharani and to establish the yuga-dharma (prescribed religion of the age).

হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

"Only chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name—there is no other way, no other way, no other way."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 7.76)

"There is no other way except the chanting of the Holy Name."

So, the Name comes from Ishwar Puri to Mahaprabhu, and in this way, it eventually comes to Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, then Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and then our Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj who is Gurudev of our Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had got this Name from his Guru, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and our Gurudev got it from his Guru, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. When Gurudev was here, he ordered me, "If somebody is a sincere seeker, if somebody wants to chant the Holy Name and follows the rules and regulations, you can give this Name to them."

Do you know about the four kinds of obstacles? They are dyuta, pana, striya, suna. There are four things prohibited, these four things are four places where Kali stays. Kali means kalaha (quarrel, fighting).

(1) Dyuta means gambling—dice, cards, etc. Do not do this.

(2) Pan means wine, smoking, taking drugs, pan, tea, etc.

(3) Striya means illegal sex. You have your wife, you can associate with her. Do not mix with other ladies. The ladies too must not mix with other men.

(4) And suna means killing jiva-souls (jiva-himsa). Do not kill any jiva-souls—fish, meat, lamb, goats, cats, etc. they all souls, do not kill them.

You may ask me, "Do sadhus not kill? They also cut spinach, cut some vegetables—do they not kill?" No, they do not. When they cut vegetables, who do they cut them for? Not for themselves, they cut them for the Lord—for the Lord's pleasure, not for their own enjoyment.

Some people cook for themselves, and some people cook for Govinda. You must remember it—one is karma, and on is seva. If you cook for Govinda, you have to cut some vegetables, but is it a sin? No, it is not. You are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the Lord, so it is seva and you will not get any bondage by doing it. If you cook some nice things for your own enjoyment, it is karma and you will be bound by it. You must cook only for Radharani, for Govinda. That is why what sadhus do is not a sin. Sadhus kill souls, but for whom? For the Lord. The Lord says, "I have created everything for My pleasure, for My service, not for your pleasure!" Everything here is created for the Lord. So, cooking for the Lord is not a sin, it becomes nirguna. When you cook, so many insects also die—is it a sin? No it is not, because you are cooking for Govinda. If you do something for yourself, then it will be a sin. Remember this.

So, Gurudev told me, "You can give this Name to sincere seekers, to those who sincerely want to chant the Name." You must want it sincerely—you must put tilaks on, you must chant your rounds, etc. You take initiation from Gurudev and you must practice. If you plant a tree and do not water it, what will happen? Will anything grow?

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

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."

মালী হঞা করে সেই বীজ আরোপণ ।
শ্রবণ-কীর্ত্তন-জলে করয়ে সেচন ॥

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)

How beautifully it is written. If you take the bhakti-lata-bij, the seeds of devotional creeper, but do not take care of that seed, then what will happen? If you not wear tilaks, do not chant, etc. the plant will die, the seed will be dead...

There is sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. First is sambandha, establish the relation, then abhidheya, practice; and prayojana, the goal. You can read the 20th chapter of Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila), where Mahaprabhu teaches this abhidheya-tattva to Sanatan Goswami. Abhidheya means sravanam and kirtanam, practising. If you do not practise in the proper way—if you are always talking, talking, talking, talking about some nonsense, you will get tired and you will not be able to chant the Holy Name—your tongue will be sick, tired. Do you understand it? The tongue will say, "You have been using me for so much talking, I am tired, I cannot chant." Do not talk much without Krishna-katha. I cannot tolerate this—before I tolerated much, but now I cannot tolerate nonsense, I cannot tolerate so much talking, talking...

So, I think that you are a sincere seeker, Gurudev and Krishna sent you here through a good great devotee, and I am here to serve you. That is my duty. Gurudev gave me this duty to serve you.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

First chant the Pancha-tattva's name,

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু নিত্যানন্দ ।
শ্রীঅদ্বৈত গদাধর শ্রীবাসাদি গৌরভক্তবৃন্দ ॥

sri krishna chaitanya prabhu nityananda
sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta-vrinda

First chant their name and ask them for mercy, "I am a very fallen soul, I do not have any quality or qualification to chant Your Name, Prabhu! Please give me some mercy." They have brought the Holy Name in this abode, so without their mercy you cannot chant the Holy Name. So, first chant their name and ask them for mercy.

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু নিত্যানন্দ ।
শ্রীঅদ্বৈত গদাধর শ্রীবাসাদি গৌরভক্তবৃন্দ ॥

sri krishna chaitanya prabhu nityananda
sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta-vrinda

Then start chanting. This big bead on top is sumeru, and on both sides there are big beads and small beads. Start chanting from the big beads, and always keep the index outside, do not touch the beads with it. Chant bead by bead,

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Next bead,

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

In this way, chant bead by bead from the big beads to the small beads, then from the small beads to the big beads, do not cross the sumeru bead.

Chant in this way sixteen rounds or more, it is good for you, but if any day you are busy with service, then chant not less than four rounds—four rounds must be chanted otherwise the chanting beads will be fasting. Do not make the beads fast, minimum four rounds must be chanted. This is also service—an every day service. Sixteen rounds or more is good. But if any day you are busy with some service, then you can do four rounds and the next day you can chant more. Chant in this way, and Krishna will reveal Himself in your heart, you will be successful in your spiritual life.

In this book here, there are ten offences in a poem written by Gurudev. You must avoid these offences.

কোটি জন্ম যদি করে শ্রবণ কীর্ত্তন ।
তবু না পায় ব্রজেন্দ্রনন্দন ॥

koti janma yadi kare sravana kirtana
tabu na paya vrajendranandan

"If you practise hearing and chanting for millions of lives, you may still not get the Son of Nanda who dwells in Vraja."

You can chant for millions of of lives but you will not be able to get any result because there is some offence. You must chant without offence. Remember the offences by heart and always avoid them. Chant without offences and Krishna will reveal in your heart, you will be successful in your spiritual life.

[Puspanjali.]

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

Chant at least four rounds now, then take breakfast. OK?

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