Clean Heart, Open Door

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
8 February 2017, Sri Ekachakra Dham
Translated from Bengali

We are sitting in the nat mandir and I am kindly asking you to please not talk during the class. This is not a place for idle talks—the nartya mandir, the Math are for Bhagavat-katha, sadhu-sanga, Nama sankirtana, Mathura-vasa, sraddhaya sri murti sevana. Do not gossip here, do not have idle talks, do not sit and criticise others, do not discuss mundane things, do not listen to any mundane talks. Leave all these talks at home. This place here is Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Sravan Sadhan: you must listen to bhakti-siddhanta (devotional conception) here, you must listen to the teaching of Guru Maharaj, to the teaching of Gurudev, listen about Nityananda Prabhu. Do not engage in prajalpa.

If you engage yourself in sravan and kirtan, then all dirt from your heart will go away, but if you do not clean the dirt from your heart, Bhakti Devi will never come there—the seed of devotion will never sprout in your heart.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151)

Have you come here to sleep and gossip or to hear about Nityananda Prabhu? You have come here from so far, you have taken much trouble to come, and you have come here to hear about the glories and pastimes of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. You heard in the kirtan,

nitaiyer karuna habe vraje radha-krsna pabe
dhara nitaiyer charan duhkhani
nitaiyer charana satya tanhara sevaka nitya
nitai-pada sada kara asa

"When Nitai bestows His mercy you will reach Radha-Krsna in Vraja. Grasp Nitai's feet! Nitai's feet are truth, and His servants are eternal. Always aspire for Nitai's feet."

সংসারের পার হৈয়া ভক্তির সাগরে ।
যে ডুবিবে সে ভজুক নিতাই চান্দেরে ॥

samsarera para haiya bhaktira sagare
ye dubibe se bhajuka nitai chandere

"To cross over material existence and dive into the ocean of devotion, you must worship Nitaichand."

(Chaitanya-bhagavat, 1.17.152)

You must hear the glorification of Nityananda Prabhu, hear about His pastimes and teaching—those who hear about His glories, can get devotion to Nityananda Prabhu. You cannot buy devotion with money.

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

"If you ask Krishna for anything except devotion, He can give you those things—bhukti, mukti, liberation, and so on—but He will hide devotion from you. You will not get devotion."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.18)

We are chanting the Holy Name, but why are we not getting any result? Because we make many offences. The first offence is sadhu-ninda and Vaishnav-ninda—criticising, speaking bad about others. Sadhu-ninda is the first and biggest offence.

"Krsna rusta hale Guru rakhibare pare, Guru ruste hale Krsna rakhibare nare (কৃষ্ণ রূষ্ট হলে গুরু রাখিবারে পারে, গুরু রূষ্ট হলে কৃষ্ণ রাখিবারে নারে)—if Krishna becomes angry with you, Gurudev can save you, but if Gurudev is angry with you, Krishna cannot save you." If you make an offence at the lotus feet of the Lord, Vaishnavs can forgive you, but if you make offence at the lotus feet of these Vaishnavs, who will then forgive you? That is why it is said,

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

"If you ask Krishna for anything except devotion, He can give you those things—bhukti, mukti, liberation, and so on—but He will hide devotion from you. You will not get devotion."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.18)

If, instead of devotion, you ask the Lord for money, wealth, car, house, the Lord will give everything to you, but you will not get devotion. If, on the other hand, somebody says, "O Lord, I want You!" they will get everything in this world.

You have heard the story of Bali Maharaj. Bali Maharaj gave three steps of land to Vamandev. Vamandev took everything with two of His steps, and there was no place left where He could make His third step. Then, Bali Maharaj's wife told her husband, "You have given everything, but have you given yourself to the lotus feet of the Lord?" If you can give yourself, then you will get everything—money, house, car, wealth, you will know no want, you must only give yourself to the service of Vaishnavs, Guru, devotees...

Do you see how many people have come today to take prasadam? The festival is tomorrow, but so many people have come today, and I gave an order to the devotees to keep the gate always open. Our heart must also always be open—do not close the door of your heart. Keep it open. If Bhakti Devi comes to you and your door is closed, how will she then enter? Do not close your door, keep it open, then Bhakti Devi will come.

This is our prayer to you. You have come to the dham of Nityananda Prabhu, but if you only engage in prajalpa, it will not do—if you only sleep and eat, if you do not listen to Hari-katha about Nityananda Prabhu, then you will incur a debt. You have all facilities here (you have a place to sit, a place to sleep, etc.), but you do not listen about Nityananda Prabhu, you listen to material talks...

There was once a maulana who used to give Koran classes and one old lady would sit at his classes and cry as soon as he started talking. One day, the maulana asked the old lady,

"You come to hear me read Koran every day, but what do you hear? How do you understand it? Why do you cry?"

"There is some reason why I cry..."

"What is it?"

"Many days ago I lost my goat. The goat had a beard just like yours, and when I see you talk and see your beard I remember my goat..."

So, do not talk here about material things, about "house" talks.

আসক্তিরহিত সম্বন্ধসহিত ।
বিষয়সমূহ সকলি মাধব ॥

'asakti-rahita,' 'sambandha-sahita,'
visaya-samuha sakali 'madhava'

"When you are free from material attachment and establish relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself."

('Vaishnav ke?' verse 12)

We live in this material world, we use material things, but we do it for the Lord, for the service to the Lord, not for pleasure of our senses.

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