Preaching Mahaprabhu's Conception

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

...I will not listen to bad things. My Guru is my Guru. Do you know what Vrindavan Das Thakur said? He said, "My Guru is Nityananda Prabhu. Even if He goes to a prostitutes' quarter, He will still be my Guru." I am telling it today strongly.

Do you have any questions?

Question: I wanted to ask you for advice about preaching. I am not a good preacher...

Yes, I know that, but you are asking this kind of question, then I think you will be a good preacher.

Good preaching is not so many things—preaching movement is a simple matter. How did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preach? He had three types of preaching—a high conception that He discussed with Ramananda Ray, a middle conception that He gave to Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami, and a simple conception that He gave to Raghunath Das Goswami.

The conception that Mahaprabhu discussed with Ram Ray is very, very high and difficult for us, practitioners, because it deals with antaranga prem, intimate love of Radharani. If we try to practise it, we will become sahajiya.

Once somebody asked Gurudev on the Janmastami day, "Gurudev, can you explain Krishna-lila?"

"Do you want to hear Krishna-lila?"

"Yes, Gurudev."

"If you hear it, you will become pregnant."

Gurudev said it very strongly. So, we are not to discuss this. Ramananda Ray explained all stages—karma-misra-bhakti, jnana-misra-bhakti, jnana-sunya-bhakti, suddha-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. It is all in Chaitanya-charitamrita, and it is called Ramananda sambad (the news, the message of Ramananda Ray).

The middle conception was given to Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami—Mahaprabhu told Sanatan Goswami clearly how one should practise.

Sanatan Goswami asked Mahaprabhu five questions, "Who am I (কে আমি, ke ami)? Why am I suffering (কেনে আমায় জারে তাপত্রয়, kene amaya jare tapa-traya)? How can I prosper in my spiritual life (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)?" Mahaprabhu taught this to Sanatan Goswami and explained how we must practise.

Practising means

শ্রবণং কীর্ত্তনং বিষ্ণোঃ স্মরণং পাদসেবনম্ ।
অর্চ্চনং বন্দনং দাস্যং সখ্যমাত্মনিবেদনম্ ॥

sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam
archchanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam

Hearing, practising (chanting), remembering the Lord, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, serving the Deity, offering obeisances, considering oneself a servant, thinking of the Lord as of a friend, and full surrender.

Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.23

Before sravanam (hearing Hari-katha), there is sukriti. Sukriti means when somebody is used for the service to the Lord, they get a commission from that. You can say to somebody, "Please, say, 'Hare Krishna.'" If they say, "Hare Krishna," they will get some commission through it—you will give some benefit to them. That is a preaching movement. Another example is this. If you take some fruit, put a Tulasi leaf on it, and offer it to the lotus feet of the Deity, you will give benefit to the fruit tree; or you can take some flowers, make a garland, and give it to the Deity. Fruit cannot serve the Lord on its own, but if you offer it, then it is possible. In this way, you can use everybody for the service to the Lord.

Everybody in this world exists for service, and you must use everybody for the service to the Lord, in this way you will give them benefit, sukriti. This is what preaching means.

Then, through sukriti one gets faith.

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62

You do not know who your father is, but your mother knows it, and if your mother says, "This is your father," you must believe it. Gurudev says, "Serve the Lord, serve the Guru," and you must believe that. To believe it, faith is necessary.

There are different kinds of faith. There is kamala-sraddha: 'sraddha' means faith, 'kamala' means lotus. Lotus is very gentle, fragile, and our faith is also like that. If somebody says something bad about my Guru, I believe that and become crazy—I leave everything and start dancing to that tune. This is not real faith!

There is also taranga-sraddha: 'taranga' means a wave. Some festival comes as a wave, and everyone comes, but when the wind is gone, the wave of faith is gone too. How many people come for Gaura Purnima? 10 000 people dance and chant at the festival, but how many of them come to serve Gurudev? Not 1 000 people, maybe 5 people—not even 1%! That is called taranga sraddha.

And sudridha-sraddha (firm faith)—it means if somebody says something bad, I do not believe it. I believe my Guru, my Lord. It is necessary to have such strong faith. Haridas Thakur is an example of it. When the guards were beating him, they said to him, "We will not beat you if you stop saying, 'Hare Krishna,'" but in reply Haridas Thakur chanted, "Hare Krishna!" even louder, and they again started beating him. That is called the strongest faith.

Then, through sraddha you will get good association, sadhu-sanga; and through sadhu-sanga you will do sravan, kirtan (hear and practise). A sadhu only speaks Krishna-katha—he will give you advice, his association. A sadhu will not say anything bad about anybody, he sees the fault within himself. Through such sravan and kirtan, bad elements within you will be removed. You may ask me how to remove bad things, bad desire—it is possible to remove it through sravan, kirtan, and nothing else. Kirtan means chanting the Holy Name properly, doing Gayatri three times a day, and so on.

Then smaran, remembering, vandan, offering obeisance, then feeling, "I am a servant of Krishna," feeling, "Krishna is my friend." There are five types of relationships—santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhura (neutral relationship, relationship as a servitor, friend, parent, and paramour). It is a very high conception.

Mind is always very bad—for example, when you see a good-looking boy in the street, even later, when he is no longer in front of you, you can still see him in your mind. Through sadhu-sanga (good association) your senses and the mind will be controlled.

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