Inspired Service

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

Today is a very good day for us all, for me also because I have got a chance to say something to you—although I have no qualification, my Gurudev gave me some power to say something. It is actually Gurudev speaking.

Gurudev gave so much energy for this Chaitanya Saraswat Math, and he engaged me to serve this temple now. Gurudev is very merciful—he took me from where I was and engaged me, gave me an opportunity to serve you all. That is my hope. I have no qualification, but if the devotees help me, give energy and enthusiasm to me, then I can say something.

Once, Sanatan Goswami asked Mahaprabhu,

"Prabhu, I would like to hear the meaning of the atmarama sloka."

"I do not know anything."

"Prabhu, but I heard you gave a very nice explanation to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya..."

"I am crazy, a madman. I cannot remember what I said at that time, but you are a great devotee, and through your energy, by your inspiration and your mercy, I can try to give some explanation of that sloka."

Another time, in Puri, when Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu to hear some Krishna-katha, Mahaprabhu sent him to Ramananda Ray. Mahaprabhu gives energy to His devotees and then He, the Lord Himself, wants to hear Krishna-katha from them. You can see how much honour the Lord gives to the devotees.

Once, Mahaprabhu told Haridas Thakur to take care of Sanatan Goswami. You know that Sanatan Goswami wanted to commit suicide, he thought, "My body is useless, it has so much disease that I cannot use it for the service to the Lord, to the Guru. What is this body for then? I will commit suicide." Mahaprabhu understood it and said to Sanatan Goswami, "Why? Why you are going to destroy My property?! Your body is not your property—your body is My property."

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

"You have surrendered to Me, so you have already given your body to Me. Now this body is not your property, it is My property, and I will use your body for several duties. I will send you to Vrindavan—there you will publish scriptures, books; and when Vaishnavs come to Vrindavan, they do not have any shelter, you will give them some nourishment, shelter, serve them. I want to use your body for this purpose. Why you are then going to destroy My property?"

You can understand then what Mahaprabhu is saying. He is not saying it to Sanatan Goswami only—He is saying this to us through Sanatan Goswami.

Our mind says, "I am doing this," "I am doing that," but you cannot do anything yourself. Only when some inspiration comes to you through your Guru, can you do something—mercy is necessary. Gurudev said, "If you have service, you have mercy; if you have no service, you have no mercy." You should engage yourself in service to the Lord.

Sometimes Gurudev tells you to do something, but you think, "What if I cannot do it?" But you are not the doer. One day, Gurudev told me to give a lecture for ten minutes. I was a little shy to speak in front of him, but Gurudev chastised me, "Why are you hesitating? You are not going to speak, I will speak." Then I got some energy to speak. Gurudev was very happy, and I was also very happy.

You must not think, "I will do the work"—no, Gurudev will do the work. If you think, "I am doing it," "I am doing service," that is maya, ego—it will make you very heavy and your boat will sink.

You must realise, understand what is what...

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

• Download (1.6 Mb)