Taking Path Back Home

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking to devotees in Salt Lake City, USA
25 September 2011, part 3

Do you have any questions? You can ask me anything, do not hesitate.

Devotee: We need some special mercy for the new devotee here...

He already has it... When I am giving initiation to some devotee, I always think Gurudev is giving the initiation and pray to Gurudev, "Please give mercy to them."

Devotee: He has ready received your beads by mail.

Does he know English?

Devotee: Yes.

Good, I am very happy. Try to engage him in service. He has come to Utah to study, but he is now studying with Vyasadev and Sukadev.

I am giving him the name Sundar Shyam. Srila Sridhar Maharaj took one disciple and gave him this name Sundar Shyam, but later Srila Sridhar Maharaj was sad because that Sundar Shyam could not serve Srila Sridhar Maharaj's mission Chaitanya Saraswat Math... That is why I think it is a good name for him—a new Sundar Shyam has come and Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Gurudev will be happy.

Devotees: Jay!

That Sundar Shyam was actually Sridhar Maharaj's family member. Srila Sridhar Maharaj thought that boy would finish his job and come to join the temple, but he did not join our Mission, he joined another mission.... That is why Srila Sridhar Maharaj became sad and Gurudev was sad too. I think this name is appropriate—a new devotee has come, he will serve our Mission, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj will be happier.

Actually, you know that it is loving search for the lost servant. We are all servants of the Lord but

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 forget the Lord, that is why we are suffering. Still, Krishna is searching for us. We are searching for our Father, and the Lord, our Father, is searching for His child. Lord Krishna cannot always come Himself, that is why He sends a devotee as a medium. This devotee sends the lost souls to the Lord, "O Lord, I have got one of Your servants, and I am sending them to You now"—and directs the souls, "This is the road, follow this path, walk, walk, walk, and you will get your Father—you will get your goal, you will get your own, real home!"

We have got everything, we have got the beads...

You know that this Harinam, Krishna's Name, comes from Goloka Vrindavan. Krishna Himself is born in the form of His Name. In Dvapar-yuga, Krishna was once sitting in Imlitala under a tamarind tree when suddenly He saw the reflection of His face in the waters of the Yamuna. Krishna thought, "Oh, how beautiful I am! Why is Radharani crying for Me? Why does Radharani chant My Name? I have to taste this! I must come in the form of the Name!" This is how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came. Krishna came in the form of the Name and Radha-Krishna's combined form came as Gauranga Mahaprabhu (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Krishna's Name, beauty, pastimes, associates are non-different from Lord Krishna Himself, and only He or His associates can distribute this Holy Name.

This Name comes from Goloka Vrindavan through a Guru-parampara (disciplic succession)—our line comes from Krishna to Brahma, from Brahma to Narad, from Narad to Vyasadev, from Vyasadev to Madhvacharya, and so on down to Srila Madhavendra Puri who is the main root of our line. Then the line continued from Madhavendra Puri to Ishwar Puri. After that, Mahaprabhu took initiation from Ishwar Puri.

Mahaprabhu, who is Krishna, the Lord Himself, showed to us that we need a master. If we want to learn to cook, we need a master, or a teacher; when we go school, we need a teacher; when we want to learn something, we always need a teacher. Here too, if you want to learn something spiritual, you need a spiritual master. For this reason Krishna Himself sends His associates as spiritual masters.

So, our line comes from Srila Madhavendra Puri to Ishwar Puri, and then Mahaprabhu Himself took initaiton from Ishwar Puri. After Mahaprabhu, the line comes to Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, then Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, and Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur (Prabhupad). In this way, it comes to our Param Gurudev who is the founder acharya of our temple—Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, then the line comes to our Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

Gurudev ordered me, told me, "If somebody is a sincere seeker, if somebody follows rules and regulation (I think devotees have already told you everything and you know what the four obstacles in our line are, you can learn about it from the devotees, they are all senior devotees there and they know everything), if somebody wants to chant the Holy Name, you can initiate them." For that, I am initiating you.

First chant Pancha-tattva's name:

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু নিত্যানন্দ ।
শ্রীঅদ্বৈত গদাধর শ্রীবাসাদি গৌরভক্তবৃন্দ ॥

sri krishna chaitanya prabhu nityananda
sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta-vrinda

This is Pancha-tattva's name, you know it. First touch the beads, take the name of Pancha-tattva and ask them for mercy because they brought the Holy Name in this abode, without their mercy we cannot chant the Holy Name. After that, start chanting from the big beads. You can see the big sumeru bead, on one side to it there are big beads, on the other side small beads. Start chanting from the big beads,

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

In this way, chant from the big beads to the small beads, turn the beads, and continue chanting from the small beads to the big beads without crossing the sumeru bead—when you finish the small beads, start again from the small beads, do not cross the sumeru bead.

Every day chant sixteen rounds or more in this way, that is good for you. If any day you are busy with service, then four rounds must be chanted, not less than four rounds. Chant without offence. They will give you a book about the ten offences to the Holy Name, read it and chant without offence, then Krishna will reveal in your heart, you will be successful in your spiritual life. You must read this book and must try to remove these offences—offences can also be removed through chanting.

Jay Sundar Shyam Prabhu ki jay!

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!

Devotee:
Jay Om Vishnupad Parivrajakacharya-varya Astotarasata-sri srimad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay!
Rupanuga Guru-varga ki jay!
Nitai Gour premanande hari bol!

OK, thank you so much...

— : • : —

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

• Download (5.9 Mb)