Gross!

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
15 July 2012, speaking online to Caracas

Devotee: If we see some other line is doing Harinam sankirtan on the street, should we join them or should we just give respect and go?

Give respect and go. Not to go fishing there!

Actually, we have some distinction and Gurudev always told not to go to Mayapur, not to go mix with other Gaudiya Maths and missions. Now I can understand and feel why Gurudev told me not go to Mayapur but instead send somebody else. Gurudev always protected me, and now I understand why.

Sometimes I am invited to some big programs, but I do not feel comfortable to go and sit with those who do not follow Prabhupad's conception, among so many mayavadis, sahajiyas, and mix with all the hotchpotch and kitchuri. I think, "I am a small Guru—I want to be their servant, so I will stay far and not disturb them."

I am not after name and fame. If somebody wants to hear Srila Sridhar Maharaj's words, wants to know Gurudev's conception, I will tell them something, I will spend my time on them, otherwise I do not want to be some big pagri-wearing speaker. Pagri (পাগড়ি) is a turban. When Swami Vivekananda, a mayavadi sannyasi, went to America, he wore a turban, and now many Gaudiya Math sannyasis too wear turbans. Have you ever seen Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Swami Maharaj, Sridhar Maharaj, or Gurudev wearing turbans? But some think they are now big sannyasis, so they wear a pagri to show how big they are...

[Note—there are photographs of Srila Saraswati Thakur and even Srila Sridhar Maharaj wearing turbans but those were taken either in a photo studio or at official gatherings where a turban was used mainly to aide preaching to the government officials. Other than that, in the usual circumstances, they would not wear it.]

Devotee: When somebody goes to a temple of another line, saying, "Well, I do service there," where does that service go if they do not serve their own Guru and their Guru's temple?

It goes to karma. Later you will see: they will be bound by karma and the result is that they will go to hell.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita told,

চারি বর্ণাশ্রমী যদি কৃষ্ণ নাহি ভজে ।
স্বকর্ম্ম করিলেও সে রৌরবে পড়ি মজে ॥

chari varnasrami yadi krsna nahi bhaje
svakarma karileo se raurave padi maje

"The followers of the varnashrama institution accept the regulative principles of the four social orders (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and four spiritual orders (brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa). However, if one carries out the regulative principles of these orders but does not render transcendental service to Krishna, he falls into a hellish condition of material life.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.26

If a brahmachari (celibate), a grihastha (householder), a vanaprastha (retired), or even a sannyasi (monk) follows varnasrama dharma and performs their duties, they will actually sink into hell if they do not serve Krishna.

These are very heavy words, and it is very difficult to digest it, but I am bound to say it, and these are not my words—it is said in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. These words are only for devotees; when you go preaching, do not say this to a new person, otherwise they will not be able to digest it and will run away.

Also, when you stay at the temple, sometimes what you are doing can be karma. If you do not fulfil Gurudev's desire and just follow your mind, that is karma. Do you understand?

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

At the time of taking initiation we surrender to our Guru and promise him, "I will serve you, I will serve your mission—I will do whatever you tell me to do"—that is called surrender. If after that you go to another temple, go to serve another Guru, what is this? It means you are breaking your promise.

Gurudev said something very heavy in this regard. Suppose a lady has a husband, she serves him, takes care of the house, children, etc. but secretly she mixes with others and does nonsense with others for her own enjoyment, for the enjoyment of her mind. It is called prostitution. So, when a disciple goes to another temple and does service there, they are just like a prostitute and what they are doing is the same as prostitution.

— • :: • —

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

• Download (1.8 Mb)