Poison-Free Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
19 December 2010

When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu's father heard that his son was begging and eating rotten Jagannath prasad, he was very sad, "Oh, what is my son's condition? My son is living like this!" Das Goswami Prabhu and his father were very rich—they got twelve lakhs (1 200 000) income. Do you know how much value it was at that time? Das Goswami Prabhu was also his only son, so when his father heard he was taking rotten rice with some salt, it was very sad for him. He started sending him 400 rupees every month.

What purpose did Das Goswami use that money for? For Vaishnav seva. He thought, "I do not want to take this money for myself, my father must get some benefit. If I do some Vaishnav seva two-three times a month, then my father will get some sukriti." He started giving Vaishnav seva, and soon all Puri knew that Das Goswami Prabhu was giving Vaishnav seva and spending much money. So much pratistha came to him, and Mahaprabhu did not like it.

When Das Goswami Prabhu understood that Mahaprabhu did not like it, he returned the money and told his father not to send any more. Das Goswami Prabhu stopped the Vaishnav seva. One day after that Mahaprabhu asked some devotees, "What has happened? How come Raghunath has not invited us this month?" and somebody explained, "Prabhu, he has stopped giving Vaishnav seva..." Mahaprabhu was happy, "Oh, he did good! He has freed himself from the material attachment, he has become free from the poison of material world (visaya-vish)."

Do you see? This is what He said, and this is what is called practising.

Question: If it was Vaishnav seva, why was it poison?

It is Mahaprabhu's matter, and it is a very high conception.

Das Goswami Prabhu wanted to start his own suddha Vaishnav sampradaya—when he took that money and did Vaishnav seva, he was given some pratistha, name and fame, and in future some problem could come because of that. Mahaprabhu did not want that.

You do Vaishnav seva and become proud, "Oh, I am spending money", "I am doing this", "I am doing that", "I am spending a lot of money on Gurudev's samadhi", "I am spending a lot of money on Nityananda's temple"—this kind of mentality can come, but our mood should be, "We are not doing anything", "We cannot do anything."

When you go to Vrindavan, you can see that Krishna arranges His own things Himself. You have seen the temple of Madan Mohan (some part of it is broken now, but originally it was very big)—how is it possible at that time to make such a temple? It is not possible, only Krishna can do it.

This is what should come to your mind. We think we are collecting money, we are distributing books, we are preaching—when the ego that we are doing something comes, it becomes very difficult. Gurudev told me that if you have ego, this burden will make you very heavy, and when you get on a boat, the boat will sink. Pratistha is a burden.

কনক-কামিনী প্রতিষ্ঠা-বাঘিনী
ছাড়িয়াছে যারে সেই ত বৈষ্ণব

kanaka-kamini, pratistha-baghini,
chhadiyachhe yare sei ta vaisnava

"Those who have given up money, women, and fame, are the true Vaishnavs."

(Vaishnav Ke? 11)

Pratistha is sukarer vista (stool of a pig), it is a baghini, a tigress—it can eat everything at once. That is why we must always remember that we are not doing anything—Gurudev is making his temple, Gurudev is doing everything for himself, we are not doing anything.

It is easy to say these things, but difficult to practise—but it is difficult when you do not try to practise, when you do not have mercy.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Download (1.9 Mb)