Embrace and Nurture

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
6 August 2011

Why do we surrender? Why do we come in this line? All over the world, not even one per cent become devotees and come to Krishna consciousness, many people do karma and other things. Why is it like that? It is the devotees' wish and words that the whole will chant the Holy name together, but it will not happen, you know that—if one day everybody goes to their real home, who will stay here? Despite that, day by day, our society, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat math, is increasing, and that is because there is good property, good food here. We should understand it.

জীবন অনিত্য জানহ সার
তাহে নানাবিধ বিপদ-ভার ।
নামাশ্রয় করি' যতনে তুমি
থাকহ আপন কাজে ॥

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

(Gitavali, Arunodaya kirtan, 1.3, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina jaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava labhiya samsare' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We do not think that one day we can die, can leave our body,

কৃষ্ণ ভুলি' সেই জীব অনাদি-বহির্ম্মুখ ।
অতএব মায়া তারে দেয় সংসারাদি-দুঃখ ॥

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha
ataeva maya tare deya samsaradi-duhkha

Having forgotten Krishna, the soul wanders throughout the universe. Being thus covered by illusion, the soul goes through all kinds of material suffering.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.117)

We have forgotten the Lord, so we are suffering so much, we are not happy. We want power, we want material enjoyment, but what is the use? You have been born many times and have enjoyed for many lives, but you still want that. What is the difference between the previous times and this time? Why has Krishna, the Lord Himself, sent you here with this human body? For eating, sleeping, and enjoying? Is this all that this life is for? Can you not see anything else, any other good things?

How can you understand it? How can you see it? You are covered by the illusory environment.

ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yahara
tahara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"Sri Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender in the six-fold way."

(Saranagati, 1.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

When the mood of surrender comes to you, then you can see it. Now our eyes are always covered by the illusory environment and we cannot see anything, but when Maya Devi, the demigoddess of illusory environment, Mahamaya, removes this net, we will be able to see the nirmal bhakti, pure devotion—when our eyes become clear, we will see the real things. That is why we need to get good association.

Always keep good association. Do not use your time for gossiping, or hearing gossips: kusuniba na (কুশুনিব না), we will not hear bad things with our ears; kudekhiba na (কুদেখিব না), we will not see bad things with our eyes; and kubaliba na (কুবলিব না), we will not say any bad things with our mouth. We must promise that.

Always chant the Holy Name with your mouth, always speak and hear Krishna-katha. When you see a devotee, say, "Gour Haribol!", "Hare Krishna, Prabhu!", then "Hare Krishna", "Haribol" will always come to your mind and mouth.

If, however, you always say or talk about all the bad things, you will lose your energy. How will you then chant the Holy Name? Everybody has got the same energy, but if you use your energy for talking, hearing, or looking at bad, nonsense things, then one day your eyes will say, "Oh, we are very tired now. We cannot look at good things," your mouth, your tongue will say, "I am so tired now, I cannot chant the Holy Name," and your ears will say, "We are so tired too, we cannot hear good things now."

Teach this to your children also. They should hear good things, see good things and talk about good things from the beginning, otherwise how they will learn? If they get bad association, learn bad things, they will become nondevotees—if you get bad association, you become bad.

We must use ourselves for service to the Lord.

Sanatan Goswami asked, "Who am I (কে আমি, ke ami)? Why am I suffering (কেনে আমায় জারে তাপত্রয়, kene amaya jare tapa-traya)? How can I get relief from this suffering and austerity? How can I get benefit? (কিসে হিত, মঙ্গল হয়, kise hita, mangal haya)? What is the eternal goal, and how can I attain this main goal (সাধ্য, সাধন বস্তু কি, sadhya, sadhan vastu ki)?" You should think about this. Sanatan Goswami asked Mahaprabhu these question, and you can see in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila, chapter 20) what Mahaprabhu answered.

There is also prema-bhakti that Mahaprabhu heard about from Ray Ramananda on the bank of the Godavari—"Ray Ramananda sambad."

Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur first gave Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj the name Ramendrasundar Brahmachari (the name of Ramananda Ray), because he understood that the lectures that Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj could give were like that of Ray Ramananda. Later, when Srila Sridhar Maharaj explained the conversation between Ray Ramananda and Mahaprabhu about srestha-bhakti, the main, most important devotion (prema-bhakti), everybody was eager to hear it.

First there was karma-misra bhakti. Mahaprabhu said, "এহো বাহ্য, অগে কহ আর, eho bahya, age kaha ara: go deeper, say more." Then, jnana-misra bhakti; again, "Eho bahya age kaha ara." Then, jnana-sunya bhakti, but again, "Eho bahya age kaha ara." You can see this conversation in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila, chapter 8) and you can easily understand everything. It is necessary to understand these things.

So, today is a very auspicious day because I could speak some Krishna-katha. If devotees inspire me, I can speak every day, all the time. I want to speak Krishna-katha and I also want to hear from the devotees—this is our life. We do not know how many days we will be alive in this world, but it is our fortune to be able to spend our life with the devotees, in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math that is present now all over the world.

We are very fortunate souls—we not only have got a bona fide Guru, but we also have got authentic teachings from him:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

"Be humble, tolerant, and give honour to others." Even if somebody is your enemy, be humble, give honour to them, pay dandavat to them. All asuras (demons) who create disturbance will be destroyed, but this is not Mahaprabhu's dharma. Mahaprabhu's dharma is to embrace, to give love and affection. So, you too must give love and affection to the devotees of Krishna.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!

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

• Download (2.6 Mb)