Sravan-Kirtan:
Heart of Preaching Movement

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
14 August, 2011, part 2

I always want to have a conference with the devotees, to give some lecture. I spoke through skype to the devotees in Russia and South Africa yesterday, and today I also spoke to the devotees in Singapore, Australia, and also Italy. I am always happy to see devotees' faces.

Sometimes devotees hear so many bad things, so many different things, but I told them what I think—if I wear blue spectacles, I will see blue, and if I wear white spectacles, I can see white. So, there is no problem. if some insect bites me, it is not my duty to bite the insect back—my duty is to protect it, to rescue it from danger. If somebody cannot change their character, why must I change my character? Gurudev told me, "Protect the devotees, always serve the devotees." My words are always hard and I cannot always be humble, that is my bad quality, but I always try to serve the devotees with my heart and soul. I am trying. Also, Gurudev told me, "If your vision is good, if your line is perfect, then you will prosper, you will progress in your spiritual life." Devotees all over the world have love and affection for Gurudev, and when I talk with them, when I see their faces, I think how much love and affection they have for Gurudev and in that way I can remember Gurudev through them.

Actually, I want to make more leaders so that they can preach and, even when I die, they can continue Gurudev's line, Gurudev's property, Gurudev's Mission, they can serve Gurudev's devotees and make the Mission more glorious. I have that hope for them. This is my idea. If they continue their practising life properly, they can do that.

There are very good scientist boys and scholar boys, but they do not believe in the Lord, they do not know about the birth and death, they do not believe in it, so if somebody preaches to them, I am happy with that, it is good. These people always think about science, but in the meantime they must think about the Lord, about their life—they think about science but do not even know anything about themselves. If our sannyasis teach them, it is very nice and it gives me much happiness.

Sometimes they bring some students to me and the students ask me questions. Like, this year in Puri, so many students came from a college and asked me many questions. Recently also, many homeopathic students came to Nabadwip, some of them also asked me questions. I am happy to give answer to their questions. It is a very happy thing.

Actually, they are all educated people, they are all enjoying material life, but they do not know anything about their life, they cannot think what will be in future, what will be after this life. If somebody can wash their brain, that is good. When Gurudev was seventeen years old, he was a doctor's assistant, and at that time some brahmachari came to that area for preaching and Gurudev said, "They washed my brain and I joined Srila Sridhar Maharaj's mission."

Do you know what Mahaprabhu did? Mahaprabhu would go to some house, stay there for one night and the next day say to the housekeeper, "From today, you are the Guru in this village. You can preach and make devotees in this village." Nityananda Prabhu also did like that. But now it is the scientist yuga, Kali yuga, and the facilities are increasing so much through the Internet, through skype, through science, etc. This is even more helpful for our preaching movement—it helps us increase our preaching movement. That is our great fortune.

You know, in India, even here in Bengal, people always 'dance' with Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore—they always talk about them, always think about them, but what did they give us? They do not think about it. They cannot conceive what Mahaprabhu gave to us. Their time has not come yet but if they understand it, they can easily reverse and change. When their senses start working, when their mind starts working through good association (good association of the devotees like you all), they will get some sukriti, some strong faith, and then they will understand it.

There are four types of faith—kamala-sraddha, taranga-sraddha, drdha-sraddha, sudrdha-sraddha. Through the strongest faith, we can make our foundation good, and through good foundation, our preaching movement will be more beneficial and much stronger.

আদৌশ্রদ্ধা ততঃ সাধুসঙ্গোঽথ ভজনক্রিয়া ।
ততোঽনর্থনিবৃত্তিঃ স্যাৎ ততো নিষ্ঠা রুচিস্ততঃ ॥
অথাসক্তিস্ততো ভাবস্ততঃ প্রেমাভ্যুদঞ্চতি ।
সাধকানাময়ং প্রেম্ণঃ প্রাদুর্ভাবে ভবেৎ ক্রমঃ ॥

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha ruchis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudanchati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

"In the beginning there is faith, then good association, then practising life. After that, the offences gradually go away, faith becomes stronger, taste comes, then attachment, then there arises affection and love. This is how love to God comes to those who practise Krsna consciousness."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.4.15-16)

This is the practice. I have told before: there are sixty-four types of viddhi-marga practices, if somebody practices at least five of them (beginning with sravanam-kirtanam), then sraddha, faith, will come, good association will come. If somebody can practise sravanam-kirtanam properly, following this line, then just one person is sufficient—they can conquer all fourteen worlds (chaudda-bhuvan). That is sufficient.

That kind of preaching movement is necessary. That is our conception—that is Srila Sridhar Maharaj's conception, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj's conception, Srila Gurudev's conception, and that is what we must spread all over the world. That is our life. Through the good association of the devotees like you all, we get good energy, we get enthusiasm, and if we preach and practise through sravan-kirtan, that will be even more beneficial for our life.

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