Open Your Eyes

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

If we start our day with something good, the whole day will be good for us.

নিদ্রালস্য-হত সুকার্য্যে বিরত
অকার্য্যে উদ্যোগী আমি

nidralasya-hata sukarye virata
akarye udyogi ami

Saranagati, 5.4

"We are always sleepy and lazy and do not do what is helpful and beneficial for our spiritual life"—that is not good.

প্রতিষ্ঠা লাগিয়া শাঠ্য-আচরণ
লোভ-হত সদা কামী ।
এ হেন দুর্জ্জন সজ্জন-বর্জ্জিত
অপরাধী নিরন্তর ॥

pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana
lobha-hata sada kami
e hena durjana sajjana-varjita
aparadhi nirantara

I engage in deceitful behaviour in pursuit of prestige. I am ruined by greed and constantly covetous. Such a sinner as I is shunned by devotees, and is a constant offender.

Saranagati, 5.4-5

Sajjana-varjita: we are not getting the association of our true family. Can you say who is your true family—who is your sajjan? Sei pita pita non, sei bandhu bandhu non, sei mata mata non: that father is not your father, that mother is not your mother, that brother is not your brother, that friend is not your friend, if they cannot show you what is the most important, if they cannot show you the real path. Your true friend is the one who can give you some service, who can show you the real path—such person is your friend, such person is your mother.

When Narottam Das Thakur wanted to go to Vrindavan, he cried to his mother, "Mother, if you do not allow me to go to Vrindavan, I will die." Mothers are always attached to their children, and they do not allow them to go anywhere. The father can chastise his child, but the mother always gives affection; sometimes the father may even kick the child out of the house, but still the mother secretly gives food to the child. Narottam Das Thakur's mother actually gave him 30 rupees to go away to Vrindavan. That is the real mother—not the one who always gives affection and does not let you go anywhere. Your best friend, your sajjan is the one who allows and encourages you to go to Krishna consciousness.

এ হেন দুর্জ্জন সজ্জন-বর্জ্জিত
অপরাধী নিরন্তর ॥

e hena durjana sajjana-varjita
aparadhi nirantara

Such a sinner as I is shunned by devotees, and is a constant offender.

We are always great sinners, so we do not get the good association... That is why it is necessary to practise well. We sing in the morning:

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

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.

অন্ত্যন্ত দুর্লভ প্রেম করিবারে দান ।
শিখায় শরণাগতি ভকতের প্রাণ ॥

atyanta durlabha prema karibare dana
sikhaya saranagati bhakatera prana

To distribute the most rare form of divine love, He teaches surrender, which is the life of the devotees.

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ॥
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥

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'...

ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভাব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

Engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion ...

ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yanhara
tanhara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"These are the six types of saranagati, and if you can surrender in all the six ways, Krishna will hear you." Gurudev would often say: if you serve the Vaishnavs, serve your Guru, follow the order of your Guru, Krishna will come to serve you.

Another nice song is Vibhavari sesa aloka pravesa:

বিভাবরী-শেষ আলোক-প্রবেশ
নিদ্রা ছাড়ি' উঠ জীব ।
বল হরি হরি মুকুন্দ মুরারি
রাম কৃষ্ণ হয়গ্রীব ॥

vibhavari sesa aloka pravesa
nidra chhadi' utha jiva
bala hari hari mukunda murari
rama krsna hayagriva

O souls! The night has ended and the light has come. Awake and arise! Chant 'Hari! Hari!' The Supreme Lord Krishna is the bestower of liberation, the enemy of the demon Mura, and Sri Radha's lover. He appears as Hayagriva, the horse-headed Avatar.

Vibhavari sesa aloka pravesa: the night has finished, and now the light is coming—do not sleep! Even the scriptures, the yoga-sastra say that it is bad to sleep at the time of sunrise and sunset; it is good if you chant the Holy Name at this time.

উদিল অরুণ পূরব-ভাগে
দ্বিজমণি গোরা অমনি জাগে ।
ভকত-সমূহ লইয়া সাথে
গেলা নগর ব্রাজে ॥

udila aruna purava-bhage
dvija-mani gora amani jage
bhakata-samuha la-iya sathe
gela nagara-vraje

The sun arises in the east, and the jewel of the brahmans, Sri Gorachand, awakes. Taking His devotees with Him, He goes out about the town.

'তাথই তাথই' বাজল খোল
ঘন ঘন তাহে ঝাঁজের রোল ।
প্রেমে ঢল ঢল সোনার অঙ্গ
চরণে নূপুর বাজে ॥

'tathai tathai' bajala khola
ghana ghana tahe jhanjera rola
preme dhala dhala sonara anga
charane nupura baje

The mrdangas resound 'tathai tathai' to the beat of the cymbals as Gaurasundar's golden form sways with ecstatic love and His footbells jingle.

মুকুন্দ মাধব যাদব হরি
বলেন বল রে বদন ভরি'

mukunda madhava yadava hari
balena bala re vadana bhari'

He calls out, "Chant aloud Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava, Hari!"

Mukunda means Krishna, Madav means Krishna, Yadav means Krishna, Hari means Krishna—all are Krishna. Param Guru Maharaj writes:

কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণনাম-কীর্ত্তনং
রাম-রাম-গান-রম্য-দিব্য-ছন্দ-নর্ত্তনম্ ।
যত্র তত্র কৃষ্ণনাম-দান-লোক-নিস্তরং
প্রেম-ধাম-দেবমেব নৌমি গৌর-সুন্দরম্ ॥

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

...What Bhakti Vinod Thakur gave us, what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave us is exceptional, inconceivable, and incomparable!

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য-দয়া করহ বিচার ।
বিচার করিলে চিত্তে পাবে চমৎকার ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara
vichara karile chitte pabe chamatkara

If you consider the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, you will be wonder-stricken to realise it.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.15

অধ্যাপিহ সেই লীলা করে গোরা-রায় ।
কোন কোন ভাগ্যবানে দেখিবারে পায় ॥

adyapiha sei lila kare gora raya
kona kona bhagyavane dekhibare paya

"These Pastimes are still going on, but only the fortunate ones can see that." Somebody goes to Vrindavan and sees the Pastimes of Radha-Krishna, and somebody sees the monkey stool instead. The eyes are different—I have my own eyes, you have your own eyes. Only when the net of maya is removed, will we be able to see the nirmal chinmay dham (pure transcendental abode), otherwise not...

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