Service: Proof of Love

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
speaking to the devotees in Hungary,
6 December 2014

You are celebrating Gurudev's appearance day and I am very happy to see that.

Actually, Gurudev has left us here to finish his job—we must finish whatever service he could not finish. He preached Krishna consciousness all over the world, and we must give nourishment to that. Every year we make this festival together, and we must promise on this day: Gurudev is giving us life for one more year, and for one more year we will engage ourselves in service to the Guru. This is very important.

Gurudev said, "You can stay anywhere, but you must maintain your spiritual life properly." That is his advice and his practising mood, and we must follow that properly. By service we can prove how much attachment, how much love and affection we have for our Guru, so every year we make his appearance and disappearance festivals, Guru Maharaj's festival, etc.

Our preaching movement is increasing by Gurudev's mercy, and we continue, by the mercy of Gurudev, protecting Gurudev's devotees, mission, and Deities.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had waited for thirty years to give the chair to Gurudev, that is why Gurudev could not leave his service although so many obstacles and problems came in his time. He suffered so much. After Gurudev's disappearance I am also suffering so much—so many obstacles have come in our spiritual life, but we will not run away from our service. We continue our service.

We make preaching centres and temples, ashrams in every corner of West Bengal, every corner of India, and we are very fortunate that we have got this kind of a bona fide Guru. Gurudev kept us, gave us love and affection, but we are doing so much wrong, and Gurudev tolerates so much for us. He has left us behind and engaged us in the service to his Guru, and in his absence we must continue this service until death—that is our promise, our intention, and determination.

Do you have any questions?

Devotee: I have a question about the Holy Name. Srila Guru Maharaj says that the real Holy Name cannot be pronounced by our mouth, only the soul can utter the pure Holy Name, but every day we chant...

When we chant, Namabhas or Nama aparadh comes, but if through sadhu-sanga, good association, you chant the pure Holy Name even once, that is sufficient. 
নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয়, Nama aksara bahiraya bate tabu Name kabhu naya (Pv, 7.1): we pronounce the letters, but the pure Holy Name is rare.

একবার কৃষ্ণনামে যত পাপ হারে
পাতকীর সাধ্য নাহি তত পাপ করে

eka-bara krishna-name yata papa hare
patakira sadhya nahi tata papa kare

If the real Holy Name comes once, all offences will be removed from the heart. We chant all day and night, but it is all not the pure Name—some Namabhas, Nama aparadh. সেবোন্মুখে কহে কৃষ্ণনাম, sevon mukhe kahe Krsna Nama: if you keep good association and a service mood, then if you do some service, for example cook, with your instruments (using your hands, senses, mind, etc.) and chant the Holy Name, that time pure Holy Name can come. What was your question?

Devotee: My question was how to harmonise that we are chanting Nama-abhas, Nama-aparadh...

It is not necessary for you to think about it.

কি শয়নে, কি ভোজনে, কিবা জাগরণে ।
অহর্নিশ চিন্ত কৃষ্ণ, বলহ বদনে ॥

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane
aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

Whether you are sleeping, eating, or resting, always chant the Name of Krishna.

Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, Madhya-khanda, 28.28

Do your duty and chant the Holy Name when you do your service, and also Gurudev told that when you get some time you must chant on the chanting beads, minimum four rounds, or sixteen rounds. Follow Gurudev's order, and do not think what result is coming or whether Nama-aparadh or Namabhas is coming—that is not your department.

In his last days, in 1986-1987, Srila Sridhar Maharaj did not chant on his beads—he would always chant, "Nitai Gaura haribol, Nitai Gaura haribol." Once his servitor asked him, "Maharaj, should I give you your chanting beads so you can chant the Holy Name?" Guru Maharaj replied, "You can give those chanting beads to Govinda Maharaj (Gurudev)." He would only chant "Nitai Gaura haribol."

Do you have any other questions?

Devotee: What is you favourite place to be in, and why?

Actually, Gurudev told me to stay in Nabadwip, then I have no say in what my favourite place is. I must follow what Gurudev said. Even if I had a favourite place, I could not go there because I must follow the order Gurudev gave me—I cannot follow my mind, otherwise it will be enjoyment, and I did not come here for enjoyment.

For seven years after I joined the mission, I did not spend one night outside Nabadwip. Even when I went to Kolkata to meet with Gurudev, I would leave in the morning and come back at night time—sometimes after dinner I would take the car and come back from Dum Dum Park the same day. Sometimes I would leave Kolkata at 10 o'clock at night and come at 1 o'clock in the morning. Later, Gurudev sent me for preaching to villages and I had to spend a night, or sometimes three-five nights, outside Nabadwip. When I went to foreign countries for preaching, I also could not come to Nabadwip the same day and had to stay outside.

Any other questions?

Devotee: If we somehow forget everything, what is one thing that Gurudev teaches us that we should remember and hold on to?

When you are going to die, the last what you must remember is your Guru, then no problem will come. The last you do must be remembering your Guru.

...You are doing very well—you keep a regular programme, and it is necessary. It is sincerity, nistha: whatever you do if you do it every day, all time, regularly, that will be good.

There are nine kinds of devotion (sravanam, kirtanam, etc.—nava-vidha bhakti),

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124

If you do Nama-sankirtan without offence, you will get the wealth of Krishna—Krishna prema-dhan.

— ‹ :: › —

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

• Download (3.2 Mb)