Settle Your Heart in Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
10 March 2012

দুর্দ্দৈবে সেবক যদি যায় অন্য-স্থানে ।
সেই ঠাকুর ধন্য তারে চুলে ধরি' আনে ॥

durdaive sevaka yadi yaya anya sthane
sei thakura dhanya tare chule dhari' ane

If by chance a servant falls down and goes somewhere else, glorious is that master who captures him and brings him back by the hair.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.47

We are unfortunate servitors. We are going here and there, here and there, always following our mind, but the Guru is very powerful—he can take us and throw at his lotus feet. But we must want it—we must have so much desire, otherwise, if you have no desire to go to the temple, how will you serve then? If you do not desire to come here from Mauritius, to come here from London or Italy, if you do not want to come, then how will Krishna bring you here?

If you have some desire, Krishna will fulfil it. I told it many times, if you surrender to Krishna, Krishna will fulfil your desire, good or bad. If you want something bad, Krishna will give even bad things. Eventually, however, those bad things will be defeated, they will not last long.

So, maintain your spiritual life in this way. If you think about Nabadwip, think about Mahaprabhu every day, then one day Krishna will easily bring you here.

For so many years, so many births, we have been always moving around, wandering from place to place, from body to body (dogs, goats, cats, birds, beasts, etc.), but now we must stop and settle in one place, that is in our own home.

We are doing so much wrong, we are making so many offences, but the Lord says that if you surrender to Him, He will remove all offences from you and take you back home. What do we ask the Lord for? What do we ask Gurudev for? "I am always making offence, please remove my offence. Please remove my offence!" We are offenders—we are offenders to the Lord, we make seva aparadh, we make Nama aparadh, we make Vaishnav aparadh, and the only thing we pray to the Lord, Vaishnavs, and Guru is, "Please remove my offence."

Consciously or unconsciously, we all always make offences! That is why we must try to be a perfect servitor—we will try to be sincere, we will try to have chastity and attachment to our service; service mood is necessary.

So, according to your capacity, according to your qualities, you should utilise yourself in the service to the Lord. Somebody may not be able to do physical service, but they can do other kinds of service—they can preach, they can do some other small service.

Our problem is that we have different kinds of desires. There are always so many bad elements—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (lust, anger, greed, attachment, illusion, envy), ego, and pratistha.

pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana
lobha-hata sada kami [4]

For the sake of my own prestige I pretend to behave well. I am ruined by greed and always want something.

amara jivana sada pape rata
nahika punyera lesa
parere udvega diyachhi ye kata
diyachhi jivere klesa [1]

My life is always engrossed in sin. There is not a trace of piety in it. I have caused others so much anxiety and trouble.

nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari
daya-hina svartha-para
para-sukhe duhkhi sada mithya-bhasi
para-duhkha sukha-kara [2]

I am never afraid to engage in sinful activities for the sake of my own happiness. I am unkind and selfish. I always tell lies. I am unhappy when others are happy, and happy when others are unhappy.

asesa kamana hrdi majhe mora
krodhi, dambha-parayana

There are unlimited sinful desires in my heart. I am angry and arrogant.

We are unkind, we are selfish; we have so many desires, we want so many things—always want this, this, this. We are always angry, always have so much ego. What is this?...

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