Odds and Ends (2)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
2 August 2015

Several excerpts that were not included in the posts:

14 April 2015

Question: Is cleaning a service?

Of course! Why is it not service?

—I heard somebody say once that cleaning is not service...

Cleaning is not service? Cleaning is the best service! Cleaning is the best and the primary service—through cleaning the heart becomes clean. Cleaning the toilet, the bathroom, the drain, the temple... Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself showed this service when He was cleaning the temple during Gundicha marjan.

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17 May 2015

"বৃহৎ স্বার্থ পাইতে হইলে, ক্ষুদ্র স্বার্থ ত্যাগ করতে হবে, brihat svartha paite haile, ksudra svartha tyaga korte habe:" if you want to get super things, you must reject small matter. It is Srila Guru Maharaj's words. Great things are waiting for you, but in this Age of Kali there is so much small matter—so many quarrels, so much fighting, so many little things. All this small matter will come, but you must avoid it.

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18 May 2015

Now I hear all over the world all devotees always say, "Love and affection, love and affection," but I do not know what that love and affection is. I always got chastisement from Gurudev, and I think that is my love and affection from Gurudev. Gurudev told me, "I can chastise only one person," and he said my name, "I can chastise only him. If I chastise anybody else, they will leave the mission." That is why devotees do not know what the real love and affection is...

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11 March 2015

You must always remember the Lord, glorify the Lord, serve the Lord, and be kind to all souls. How can you be kind to the souls? For example, when somebody comes, say, "Hare Krishna!" When you say "Haribol", "Hare Krishna", people hear it and remember the Lord. That is being kind to them. When you meet somebody, you can greet them, "Hare Krishna, Didi, how are you?" or, "Haribol, Prabhu, how are you?" When you say "Haribol", "Haribol" comes to their ears, and this is what kindness to others is—in this way you can give benefit to others.

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22 May 2015

Are you asleep? What service have you been doing all day?

—I made some garlands...

Making garlands is in the morning, and only one or two hours. What have you been doing the whole day? You do not go for morning and noon aratis, I do not see you at the evening arati... What service do you do at the Math? Are you using the Math or are you serving the Math? Are you taking energy from the devotees or giving energy to the devotees? What are you doing? Tell me.

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May 2015

Always eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating—আহার, নিদ্রা, ভয়, মৈথুনং চ, ahara, nidra, bhaya, maithunam cha. If you allow it to get more and more, it will be more. If today you eat less, tomorrow you eat less, then you can control your eating. It is the same with sleep—today sleep a little less, tomorrow sleep a little less, and you will be able to control it. Everything will be controlled—if you try, you can do it.

In my life I have seen a chain smoker who smoked 10-20 packs of cigarettes a day, but he could give it up. Now he does not smoke at all. I have also seen some people who drink only whiskey instead of water—they do not drink any other liquid at all; but they too could control it. If you try, you can do it.

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15 July 2012

Everybody should do service together, jointly. Do not make any groups, give respect to each other—that is good. Be humble, tolerant, and give honour, give respect to each other. That is my request.

Do not think, "I am a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad", or "I am a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj"—"I am a servant." Not "I am a disciple of such and such", but "I am an aspiring servant of the Vaishnavs. That is my quality. Even if I am not that, but I want to be a servant of the devotees." It is necessary to think in this way.

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23 June 2013

Question: What to do if I want to do service but my body is always tired, always weak...

If the problem is with the body, you can see a doctor; but if the problem is with your mind, then I am the doctor of that mind.

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15 July 2012

You can serve from your house too, no problem. Gurudev said: wherever you stay, maintain your spiritual life. If you are on the train, in a bus or in a car, that is not a problem—even if you are in a forest you must still maintain your spiritual life. That is the main thing.

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15 July 2015

Krishna bless her and give her life so that she does more service. We live for service. Do you know that? We do not want to die; we want to live for more service. We want to live in this life, in this world to do more service. When our service finishes, then Krishna can take us, no problem—if there is no service, then it is not necessary for us stay here in this world, then we can die...

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15 July 2015

Question: Why do people not have chastity?

Because they do not practise properly. If you practise, practise, practise, chastity will come eventually. If you practise properly, chastity will come.

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15 July 2015

I am asking you: today is Ekadasi, what are you offering to the Deity? Are Gaura Nitai doing Ekadasi?

—No, no.

Good. Sometimes devotees do wrong—they fast on Ekadasi and they also make Gaura Nitai fast. Gaura Nitai will not fast, They must be offered everything.

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22 May 2015

Why do you always break your mobile phone? When devotees give something, it is their energy. I have been using this mobile phone for ten years, and since the time you came here, you have broken maybe twelve mobile phones already because you know when devotees come they will give you a new one. It is devotees' energy, but you do not think, "I will keep it properly, I will use it properly."

People give me so many expensive mobile phones, but I do not use them, I keep them. I use this old ten-year-old mobile phone, and I am happy with it. It is not necessary to have fancy things. Whatever is necessary for my service, that is sufficient. I have to receive two-three hundred calls a day, that is why this mobile phone is necessary for my service.

When devotees give something, they give their energy—they earn some money, and that money is Krishna's money. Devotees' money is Krishna's money, but you are using it for your own enjoyment and break things so often. They give you something, then use it properly. People also give me land, give me temples, give me money, but I use it for service.

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23 April 2013

The other day I was in the car and saw a saffron-clad brahmachari in the restaurant...

Gurudev told me once, "Do you know why I am giving you saffron so early? Because you are going to the crops field, you are going here and there, and if I give you saffron, you will be shy to go to a restaurant."

When you have so many problems and have to work the whole day, doing your service from morning to evening, and you do not get prasadam, you are so hungry—when there is no other way—then you have to take something in a sweetshop or somewhere. When, however, there is so much prasadam and only for your jihva lalasa, only to follow your tongue, you go here and there, go to Radha-bazaar to have a samosa, or go to a restaurant or a hotel to have some fried rice, that is not right.

Gurudev told me, "Devotees go so often to Mayapur for a pizza. Your can make a restaurant here nearby so they do not have to go so far just for a pizza..." However, it does not look good for a saffron-clad brahmachari to go to a restaurant and take food there. Sitting there, gossiping and talking, is very ugly. They must be a little shy, they must think a little what they are doing. OK, you need something, you can buy a pizza, offer it to Gurudev, and then take, no problem. If you take it there, you sit and gossip in the same place with the local outside nonsense people, it is a little bit ugly according to our culture. It is also very bad for the practitioner.

I too get sometimes hungry—when the whole day there are so many things to do, then I buy something and eat it in my car. Sometimes we go for the whole day, for example, to Kolkata, leaving in the morning and returning only in the evening, then I have to put something in the stomach for service. It is a necessity...

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23 June 2013

I have never, not even in my mind, said, "I want to be always near Gurudev." Gurudev told me, "If somebody does service from far, if they only follow me, then they will get me." Gurudev said it, and I always follow these words. When he calls me, I come, and I always try to follow his desire, always try to do what he wants... It is necessary to understand this.

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23 June 2013

Question: Sometimes when I do my service, others get angry or disappointed...

You do not have to make everybody happy. You must make your Guru happy. You must do service to your Guru, that is sufficient.

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23 June 2013

Question: Gurudev, when are you coming?

I am there. I am always in your heart, everywhere. I live in your heart as a witness, and I can see everything you are doing.

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