"This Is Your Life"

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
17 August 2013, Sri Nabadwip Dham

When we do some service, when we practise properly, Maya always disturbs us. What should we do? You must understand that we are soldiers in a battlefield and we have come to fight, so we must fight against Maya. How will you fight against Maya? Some training and weapons are necessary. What kind of weapons do you need? Not a sword or anything like—you only need some sadhu-sanga (good association), Nama-sankirtan (chanting the Holy Name), Bhagavat-sravan (hearing the holy scriptures), Mathura-vasa (residing in Mathura), sraddhaya sri-murtir seva (serving the Deity with faith). These are our weapons. Service (seva) is our weapon.

If you have attachment with your service, then Maya will automatically run away. This is the main way. Sometimes, you are doing some service and you feel that Maya is coming to attack you—sravan and kirtan are necessary even when you are doing service. Suppose you are doing some service with your hands, but your mind disturbs you with something during that time—you are thinking about some little problem, etc.. Even when you are doing your service, you must listen to or remember your Guru's katha, Hari-katha, Krishna-katha. It is necessary. This is how you can conquer Maya—if you follow this, Maya will be defeated by you.

You must engage yourself in Krishna-katha, Hari-katha every day. Make the programme, join the programme, join the class every day. This is your life. Rest is also necessary, but not laziness—laziness is not good. Prasad is necessary, but eating is not necessary. Do not follow your tongue, do not follow your senses (indriya). This is the main thing. Always keep connection with the centre.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would chant and dance in the Jagannath Vallabha garden all day and night, without food, without anything, and He would not feel tired. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did non-stop kirtan, and taught all the devotees too. One day, when Mahaprabhu finished bathing in the morning, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Gopinath Acharya brought some opulent Jagannath prasad for Him (they had taken some at the temple and brought some home also). That day was ekadasi, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught them, showed them the example how to observe it.

কীর্ত্তন-প্রভাবে স্মরণ হইবে
সে কালে ভজন নির্জ্জন সম্ভব

kirtana-prabhave, smarana haibe,
ta kale bhajana nirjana sambhava

Chanting of the Holy Name (kirtan) arouses remembrance (smarana), and at that time it becomes possible to practise nirjan-bhajan.

(Vaishnav Ke? 19)

When you can remember Krishna through kirtan, then you understand everything, then you can easily practise.

শ্রীগৌরাঙ্গ-পারিষদ ঠাকুর ভক্তিবিনোদ
দীনহীন পতিতের বন্ধু ।
কলিতমঃ বিনাশিতে আনিলেন অবনীতে
তোমা' অকলঙ্ক পূর্ণ ইন্দু ॥

sri-gauranga-parisada thakura bhakti-vinoda
dina-hina patitera bandhu
kali-tamah vinasite anilena avanite
toma' akalanka purna indu

"Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is an associate of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and a friend of all low and fallen souls—to dispel all darkness of this dark age, he brought to this earth you [Srila Saraswati Thakur], a spotless full moon."

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, distributed the pure Holy Name through Harinam sankritan all over the world. They brought a full moon (purna indu) in this dark age of Kali. 'Dark' means Maya (illusion). A full moon gives light, but it does not give heat. This is the line (dhara) of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu wrote:

tunde tandavaniratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye
karna-kroda kadambinighatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham
cetah prangana-sanginivijayate sarvendriyanamkrtim
no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvayi

When the holy name of Krishna descends and captures the tongue and lips, it controls them so strongly that it engages them in chanting the holy name as if the lips and tongue have gone mad. In this way, the power of the name descends in them, and one feels that only one tongue and one mouth are not enough; thousands of mouths are necessary to taste the name. Then the holy name of Krishna enters the ear with such a great force and current that the ears are captured, and one thinks that only two ears are insufficient; he wants millions of ears to attend to the sweet current entering the ears. Two ears are nothing to him; he wants millions of ears. The nectar of the holy name is coming like a flood through his ears, pushing its way within the heart.

It is so sweet that as it goes to capture the heart, the center of all senses, everything is paralyzed. Wherever that sweet aggressor touches, the whole thing is captured with such intensity that everything else is ignored. Rupa Goswami writes, "I don't know, I can't say, I fail to express how much nectar there is in the holy name of Krishna. These two syllables contain so much sweetness, and such a high quality of sweetness. And this sweetness is so aggressive that it captures everything."

(Vidagdha-Madhava, the translation is quoted from 'The Search for Sri Krishna')

Only one mouth is not sufficient! Only two eyes are not sufficient! Only two ears are not sufficient! Srila Rupa Goswami is writing this about Krishna's beauty and the glories of the Holy Name (Nama-mahatmya). When Srila Haridas Thakur heard this sloka, he said, "I have heard so many glories of the Holy Name, but I have never heard this kind of glorification before!" Srila Haridas Thakur(!) said that. Srila Rupa Goswami says, "I want millions of millions of ears—my two ears are not sufficient, my only one mouth is not sufficient!"

Srila Haridas Thakur chanted, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya" when he was going to die. He took the Lord's Name three times and left his body—Krishna fulfilled his desire. Srila Haridas Thakur told Mahaprabhu, "I want to chant Your Name three times. I want to see Your face in front of me, and I want to keep Your feet on my chest. Will You fulfil my desire?" Mahaprabhu replied, "Everything depends on the will of the Lord. You are a devotee of the Lord, so when you wish for something, Krishna must fulfil your desire." Mahaprabhu came again the next day and asked, "What is the news?" Srila Haridas Thakur replied, "As You wish." What a nice answer! Then, Mahaprabhu told all the devotees to start sankirtan. While the sankirtan was going on, Mahaprabhu sat down in front of Srila Haridas Thakur's bed, and Srila Haridas Thakur pulled His leg, placed it on his chest, and chanting, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya," he left his body...

You must understand something. Brahma himself was born in the lowest family. Krishna is the origin of all—He creates Brahma from a lotus coming from His navel and orders him to create everything. But that Brahma himself also wants to come in this age of Kali so that he can chant the Holy Name and also go back to his real home. In this way, Brahma comes to this world as Srila Haridas Thakur, and he comes as a member of the lowest family, lowest caste (yavan)...

...Everybody can wear Tulasi neck beads. "Tulasi dekhi' judaya prana madhava-tosani jani': seeing Tulasi Devi soothes my soul, for I know she pleases Madhava." We always wear something on our body—we wear something on our hand, on our neck, etc., but these things are not connected with Krishna, but these beads are the only ornament that connects us with Krishna. We can leave our body at any time, that is why we must always keep Tulasi beads on our neck. This is your ornament.

I remember when I went to the Apollo hospital for some check-up, they told me, "You must take the neck beads off." I replied, "You can keep the money, it is not necessary to check anything." They explained, "No, if you do not take it off, then it will be a problem because it will be in the picture." I told them, "What is the problem? If it comes in the picture, it is good. If you cannot do the test, it is not a problem, I am not creating any disturbance for you." The same thing happened when I went for the operation—they wanted to open my neck beads, but I did not allow it. I told them, "You are going to cut my belly and take out some stone, what is the problem if I have the neck beads on? The operation is on the stomach, not on my neck!" They said, "No, these are the rules..." I said, "What rules?! This is my rule, and I say you cannot take it off my neck." Very strong words... [His Divine Grace laughs.]

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

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