Continue Your Service,
by Hook or by Crook

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 21 February 2015

[At the beginning, addressing one of the Mexican devotees who has just arrived at Sri Nabadwip Dham:]

You are a very fortunate soul because you have got the association of Madhuchanda Didi and Srila B.K. Ashram Maharaj. Actually, through sadhu-sanga our heart becomes clean. We sing, "তবে ত' গাইব হরিনাম সুখে অপরাধ হবে হত, tabe to' gaibo Harinama-sukhe aparadha habe hata: we make so many offences, but by chanting the Holy Name all offences will be removed."

Gurudev told that Krishna has given us time for serving the Lord, but, unfortunately, through illusory environment Maya takes our time away: Maya uses Krishna's time for herself. That is very unfortunate, very bad luck for us. We have got much time for the service to the Lord, but Maya is taking her share. It is very difficult to avoid it, but anyhow—by hook or by crook—you must engage yourself in the service to the Lord. That is very important.

Maya will always try to take you away from the service, but you must forcefully keep yourself within service—that will be good for your spiritual life. Sometimes we become sad when service leaves devotees (actually, devotees do not leave service—service leaves them). It leaves them because of their offences, their ego, or bad fortune...

I am not saying everybody must stay in a temple—everybody does not have that kind of good fortune to stay in a temple; staying in a householder (grihastha) life is not a problem, but Gurudev said you must maintain your spiritual life wherever you stay. So, wherever you stay, wherever you are, you must maintain your spiritual life perfectly. That is the main point.

Once, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur went to Murshidabad, Kasim Bazaar, but they did not let him give the class: he would begin giving a strong class, but they would stop him. Because of this, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur did not take even one glass of water from their house. He stayed there for three days, and they gave him so much prasadam, but he took nothing except the Tulasi leaves. He said, "I did not come to take food or money from your house. I have come here to give some benefit to you, but I could not do that. For this reason, I do not want to waste your rice." You can get some idea from this...

Gurudev said that in different countries devotees should preach and practise under the guidance of a senior sannyasi, a senior Vaishnav, and he mentioned many times the names of Srila Ashram Maharaj, Srila Janardan Maharaj, Srila Trivikram Maharaj, Srila Avadhut Maharaj. I become very happy when I see or hear that they are doing it, that their service still continues, and day by day, year by year, it increases and our family also increases. You have been sending me pictures, reports, and I can see that.

Last year, by the mercy of Gurudev (that was also his mercy) I could not do the parikrama, but I do not have any problem with that. I still got energy through that—when I came here on the last day I was very happy. It is also a lesson for me: every year I had been doing the parikrama, why did Gurudev stop me that year? It is his wish, Krishna's will. Whichever way Krishna keeps you, you must be happy with that. That is the main thing.

You are coming, or you have already come, for the Gaura Purnima festival, and you must continue your service. If somebody wants to stay for a longer time in India, I have no objection. We have many branches, and you can stay in any of them—in Ekachakra, Kolkata, Nabadwip, Vrindavan, Puri, or others. This is your temple actually, and, day by day, by the mercy of Gurudev, everything is increasing. You can see on the Internet that every year several Deity inaugurations take place. Last month, in January, by the mercy of Gurudev, there was inauguration of Sri Sri Gaura Nityananda Gandharva Govinda Sundar in Ganga Sagar...

I am always with you all, and I always want to serve Gurudev's mission together. This is my wish. I want us to run this mission together and want the preaching to go on happily everywhere. I will be very happy with that. Two-three years ago, some devotees told me that the 'Western' parikrama should be separate from the 'Indian' parikrama. I said, "No." Gurudev did not tell me to do so, and Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur said that 'black' colour people and 'white' colour people would run together, dancing and chanting in the Gaura Mandal.

This year I have also bought a land in Mayapur, near the birthplace of Mahaprabhu (Yogapith). It was my plan to give prasadam there on the first day of the parikrama, but the land is not levelled properly yet and it will be hard to make a pandal. The devotees will be very sick if they sit in the hot sun, that is why I did not take the risk this year. I can show that land at the Gaura Purnima time. After that, my plan is also to make a centre in Nrisingha Palli. I got a land right next to the temple there...

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