Mercy Through Surrender and Service

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

As I have told you before, when Nityananda Prabhu was twelve years old, a sannyasi came to Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Mayi's house and said to Padmavati,

"I want to beg something from you."

"What shall I give?"

"I want your only son, Nityananda."

Padmavati had no choice—she agreed and handed Nitai over into the hands of the sannyasi.

Later, when Mahaprabhu took sannyas in Katwa, Nityananda Prabhu knew everything and He came there too. Mahaprabhu wanted to go to Vrindavan, but the strong desire of Nabadwip basis pulled Him and did not let Him go there. Instead, He appeared in Santipur, Advaita Acharya's house. Mahaprabhu asked Advaita Acharya if it was Vrindavan, and Advaita Acharya said, "Prabhu, wherever You are, there is Vrindavan." In this way, Mahaprabhu stayed at Advaita Acharya's house for about ten days, and all Nabadwip basis, all Vaishnavs and devotees from Nabadwip and nearby villages came to see Him there. Sachi Mata also came there. She asked Advaita Acharya, "You all will see Him so many times, but I cannot cook for Him anymore, please ask Him whether He will eat if I cook for Him now?" (Mahaprabhu agreed.)

As for Nityananda Prabhu,

তব নিজ-জন কোন মহাজনে
পাঠাইয়া দিলে তুমি

tava nija-jana kona mahajane
pathaiya dile tumi

You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me).

দয়া করি' মোরে পতিত দেখিয়া
কহিল আমারে গিয়া ।
ওহে দীনজন শুন ভাল কথা
উল্লসিত হবে হিয়া ॥

daya kari more patita dekhiya
kahila amare giya
ohe dina-jana suna bhala katha
ullasita ha'be hiya

Seeing me so fallen and being merciful, he came to me and said, “O humble soul, listen to this wonderful message and your heart will rejoice.

তোমারে তারিতে শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য
নবদ্বীপে অবতার ।
তোমা হেন কত দীনহীন জনে
করিলেন ভবপার ॥

tomare tarite sri-krsna-chaitanya
navadvipe avatara
toma hena kata dina-hina jane
karilena bhava-para

"Sri Krishna Chaitanya has appeared in Nabadwip to deliver you. He has brought many humble souls just like you to the shore of the ocean of material existence."

বেদের প্রতিজ্ঞা রাখিবার তরে
রুক্মবর্ণ-বিপ্রসুত ।
মহাপ্রভু নামে নদীয়া মাতায়
সঙ্গে ভাই অবধুত ॥

vedera pratijna rakhibara tare
rukma-varna vipra-suta
mahaprabhu name nadiya mataya
sange bhai avadhuta

"To fulfil the prophecies of the Vedas, He has appeared with a golden complexion as a brahman's son bearing the name 'Mahaprabhu' and driven all of Nadia (all the world) mad with divine love in the company of His brother Nityananda.

Mahaprabhu's brother Avadhut (Nityananda Prabhu) is elder than Mahaprabhu. In Treta-yuga, there are Ramachandra and Laksman, Laksman is younger and Ramachandra cannot serve him, that is why in Kali-yuga He takes birth as an elder brother—"Balarama haila Nitai."

Since time immemorial we have been averse to Lord Krishna,

কৃষ্ণ ভুলি' সেই জীব অনাদি-বহির্ম্মুখ ।
অতএব মায়া তারে দেয় সংসারাদি-দুঃখ ॥

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha
ataeva maya tare deya samsaradi-duhkha

Having forgotten Krishna, the soul wanders throughout the universe. Being thus covered by illusion, the soul goes through all kinds of material suffering.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.117)

Having forgotten the Lord, we have fallen into the three-fold sufferings and there is only one way how to get out of this suffering—we must take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, we must take shelter of the lotus feet of Nitai. We must not use Nitai, we must serve Him. Only when you serve Him can you get His mercy. Mercy is kripa, kore-pabe (do-get): to get something, it is necessary to do something. What should we do? We should serve Nityananda Prabhu, we should serve His Dham, then we will understand everything.

When the guest house building here was completed, I asked Gurudev what would be its name and Gurudev gave the name Hadai Pandit Padmavati Smriti-Kunja. If you want to get the mercy of this Nityananda, you must serve Hadai and Padmavati. If you do not serve them, you will not get Nityananda Prabhu.

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধু-গুরু কৃপা বিনা না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya
sadhu-guru krpa vina na dekhi upaya

"It is not possible to conquer maya by engaging in maya. I see no other way to get relief except for the mercy of sadhus."

('Ki rupe paibe seva', Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

We have fallen into this bondage of maya, and to get out of it there is only one way out—

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you.

Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34

It is necessary to surrender fully (sadanga saranagati),

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ॥
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord’s guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me'...

ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভাব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

Engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion ...

ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yanhara
tanhara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"These are the six types of saranagati, and if you can surrender in all the six ways, Krishna will hear you."

Yesterday I told you about the kirtan,

সর্ব্বস্ব তোমার চরণে সঁপিয়া
পড়েছি তোমার ঘরে ।
তুমি ত' ঠাকুর, তোমার কুকুর
বলিয়া জানহ মোরে ॥

sarvasva tomara, charane sapiya,
padechhi tomara ghare
tumi ta' thakura, tomara kukura,
baliya janaha more

I have offered everything at Your feet and taken shelter in Your home. You are my Master; please consider me Your dog.

বাঁধিয়া নিকটে আমারে পালিবে,
রহিব তোমার দ্বারে ।
প্রতীপ-জনেরে আসিতে না দিব,
রাখিব গড়ের পারে ॥

bandhiya nikate amare palibe
rahiba tomara dvara
pratipa-janere asite na diba
rakhiba gadera pare

"Tie me up nearby and maintain me. I will remain at Your doorstep. I will not allow anyone who is against You to enter, I will keep them outside."

(Saranagati, 19)

This is a kirtan of a surrendered soul.

For ten months we stayed in our mother's womb, with our head down, legs up, and in the end we cried, "O Lord! I cannot stay here any longer! Please let me out of here!" The fortunate souls get the darshan of the Lord in their mother's womb—the Lord says to the soul, "You will come out of here, but once you come out you will forget Me. That is why I am giving you eyes, I am giving you nose, I am giving you mouth, I am giving you ears, I am giving you everything so that you can remember and serve Me. I am giving you a tongue, a mouth so that you can chant the Holy Name."

Mahaprabhu said to Raghunath Das Goswami,

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

We must not listen to gramya-katha, gramya-varta (mundane talks, mundane news). What did the Lord give us a mouth and tongue for? We have nine doors in this body—if we use our mouth for sadhu-ninda, Vaishnav-ninda (for criticising others, for speaking bad abonvut others), then what is the difference between mouth and the other door where stool comes from? If the same thing comes out of these holes then there is no difference...

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