Sri Krishna Janmastami:
Surrender and Practise Daily

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
speaking to Mauritian devotees
Morning, 18 August 2014

Today is the appearance day of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, and here in Nabadwip we are making a big festival: hundreds of people have come.

যদা যদা হি ধর্ম্মস্য গ্লানির্ভবতি ভারত ।
অভ্যুত্থানমধর্ম্মস্য তদাত্মানং সৃজাম্যহম্ ॥

yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya, tadatmanam srjamy aham

Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.7

When religion was getting demolished and bad things were coming, that time Krishna Himself appeared.

কৃষ্ণের যতেক খেলা, সর্ব্বোত্তম নরলীলা,
নরবপু তাহার স্বরূপ

krsnera yateka khela, sarvottama nara-lila,
nara-vapu tahara svarupa

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 21.101

Krishna has so many Pastimes, but He chose the nara lila, the human body. He likes this kind of Pastimes very much, and these Pastimes are so great.

We are now in Kali-yuga, and Radha-Krishna's combined form appeared in Kali-yuga as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, and He is distributing the Holy Name—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We are like rusty iron—we have spent so many years, so many births rusting. We have forgotten the Lord for so many births, and Krishna Himself comes in the form of the Guru and teaches us the main things: who Krishna is, who Mahaprabhu is, why we must worship Krishna, why we must worship Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Guru always explains that, and does it very smoothly.

So, we are celebrating, we are fasting on this auspicious day. Every year we celebrate this festival very gorgeously, and we spend this day with the devotees, chanting the Holy Name. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj told in his time that on this day we should read only Chaitanya-charitamrita. He did not tell to read Krishna's Pastimes, but he told to read about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Pastimes. Why did he tell us that? Because that Krishna who appeared in Dvapara-yuga came as Mahaprabhu—the combined form of Radha-Krishna; and we can understand that it is more authentic, it is more pure:

যদি গৌর না হ'ত তবে কি হইত
কেমনে ধরিতাম দে ।
রাধার মহিমা প্রেমরস-সীমা
জগতে জানাত কে ? ॥

yadi gaura na ha'ta tabe ki ha-ita
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima
jagate janata ke?

Vasu Ghosh sings this song: "If Gaura had not come, who would have told us about Radha-Krishna's Pastimes? Who would have been able to understand Radha-Krishna's Pastimes if Gauranga Mahaprabhu had not appeared?" For this reason we always prefer Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

And also a few days ago we made a festival at Baladev Purnima, Baladev's appearance day. Baladev is non-different from Gurudev, He is non-different from Guru-tattva.

We must understand Krishna's Pastimes.

যে যথা মাং প্রপদ্যন্তে তাংস্তথৈব ভজাম্যহম্ ।
মম বর্ত্মানুবর্ত্তন্তে মনুষ্যাঃ পার্থ সর্ব্বশঃ ॥

ye yatha mam prapadyante, tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante, manusyah partha sarvasah

Howsoever people surrender to Me, I accordingly reward them. Being the ultimate goal of all paths, I am the objective to be attained by all. O Partha, all men follow My various paths.

Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.11

We do not know what and how to offer anything to Krishna, and there are also two kinds of devotees: sakama bhakta (devotees with material desires) and niskama bhakta (devotees devoid of material desires). Krishna Himself says:

কৃষ্ণ যদি ছুটে ভক্তে ভুক্তি মুক্তি দিয়া ।
কভু ভক্তি না দেন রাখেন লুকাইয়া ॥

krsna yadi chhute bhakte bhukti mukti diya
kabhu prema-bhakti na dena rakhena lukaiya

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 8.18

"If you ask Me for anything except devotion, I can give you those things—bhukti, mukti, liberation, everything—but I will hide devotion from you. You will not get devotion."

Krishna Himself says, "অমা ভজে, মাগে বিষয়-সুখ, Ama bhaje, mage visaya-sukha (Cc, 2.22.38): somebody worships Me, but they want some material happiness. I will not give it to them; instead I will give them My lotus feet, and they will forget all material desires." In this way. We must be niskama bhakta, no other way: we must have no material desire, and we must not ask Krishna for anything.

Krishna says, "If you think for Me, I will think for you; if you think for yourself, I will not think for you."

Bhakti Vinod Thakur writes in his song:

সর্ব্বস্ব তোমার চরণে সঁপিয়া
পড়েছি তোমার ঘরে ।
নিজের পোষণ কভু না ভাবিব
রহিব ভাবের ভরে ।

sarvasva tomara, charane sampiya,
parechhi tomara ghare
nijera posana, kabhu na bhaviba,
rahiba bhavera bhare

I have offered everything at Your feet and taken shelter in Your home. I will never think about my own maintenance; I will always remain within the shelter of loving attachment for You.

Saranagati, 19

"I will never think for myself; I will always think for You. Prabhu, if you can tie me to your bed, door, or gate—if you can keep me and treat me as a dog, I will be happy."

We must worship in this way—it is very important to understand this.

Just fasting and celebrating Krishna Janmastami one day and the next day not practising properly—not like that.

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ।

ye-dina grhe, bhajana dekhi,
grhete goloka bhaya

On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.

'Suddha-bhakata' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

We must practise every day, we must worship every day, we must prepare food for Krishna every day. Our practising life is not for one day, not for two days, not for one month—whatever practice we do, we have to do it everyday. That is the main thing...

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

• Download (3.5 Mb)