Coming to Give or to Take?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
17 February 2017, Tarakeswar
Bengali evening class, part 3

Today, by the mercy of Gurupadpadma and by the mercy of Sivji Maharaj Taraknath we are here in a branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Tarakeswar. One day, Parvati asked Sivji Maharaj, "Of all kinds of worship, whose worship is the highest?" Sivji Maharaj said in reply, "Of all worships, the worship of Vishnu is the highest." Parvati became upset, she thought, "The worship of Vishnu is the highest, but I am worshipping Lord Siva..." Guessing her thoughts, Sivji Maharaj said, "Parvati, do not be sad.

আরাধনানাং সর্ব্বেষাং বিষ্ণোরারাধনং পরম্ ।
তস্মাৎ পরতরং দেবি তদীয়ানাং সমর্চ্চনম্ ॥

aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarchanam

"Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Vishnu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Vishnu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaishnava."

"The worship of Vishnu is the highest, but higher than that is the worship of a devotee of Lord Vishnu." Siva is a devotee of Vishnu. Vishnu Himself also says, "Those who say they are My devotees, are not My devotees, but those who say they are devotees of Krishna's devotee, are My devotees."

In Padma-purana, Sivji Maharaj also says, "O Devi! In this world there are very few gurus who actually can rescue the soul from the three-fold miseries (santapa-harankari guru)." For example, you go to a doctor and the doctor says, "You have diabetes, do not eat sweets and potato." You say, "Doctor, prescribe some medicine for me, I will take it, but I cannot give up sweets and potato." If the doctor loves you, he will say, "Do not come to me. If you cannot give up sweets and potato and keep coming to me, what benefit is it for me? I do not want your money." But if the doctor loves your money, he will give you medicine and tell you to come every week.

There are many disciples in this world—some love the guru and some love the guru's money... In the same way, there are many gurus in this world. There are gurus who can really save a disciple from the three-fold miseries, but such gurus' number is very small. "Santap" means "tri-tap-jvala" adhibhautik, adhidaivik, adhyatmik, আধিভৌতিক, আধিদৈবিক, আধ্যাত্মিক: miseries caused by one's body, by the nature, and other souls. You may have money, you may have wealth, but you will not have peace or happiness in your life...

What is this beautiful temple for? You can see Gaudiya Maths all over the world now,

পৃথিবীতে আছে যত নগরাদি গ্রাম
সর্ব্বত্র প্রচার হইবে মোর নাম

prithivite achhe yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

"My Name will spread to every village and town on this earth."

Mahaprabhu predicted this, but who fulfilled it? Our Guru-varga. There was so much unlawful behaviour going on in the name of religion, so much adulteration in the name of religion. Advaita Prabhu and Haridas Thakur would offer Tulasi leaves and Ganges water calling the Lord to come, and with those Tulasi leaves and Ganges water they brought the Lord (Mahaprabhu) to this world. After Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur came to revive and begin to spread the almost lost at the time movement of Mahaprabhu all over the world.

মঠ মন্দির দালান বাড়ীর না কর প্রয়াস ।

অর্থ থাকে কর ভাই যেমন অভিলাষ ॥
অর্থ নাই তবে মাত্র সাত্ত্বিক সেবা কর ।

জল-তুলসী দিয়া গিরিধারীকে বক্ষে ধর ॥

matha mandira dalana badira na kara prayasa
artha thake kara bhai yemana abhilasa
artha nai tabe matra sattvika seva kara
jala-tulasi diya giridharike vakse dhara

"Do not endeavour to make monasteries, temples, or big houses, but if you have wealth, brother, then you can make them, as you desire. If you do not have wealth, then simply perform pure worship. Offer water and Tulasi to Giridhari and hold Him to your chest."

Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 9.29-30

If you have money you can make temples, but if you do not have any money, what will you do? You can offer water and Tulasi and hold Giridhari to your chest, nothing much is necessary. You have water, you have Tulasi, and with that you can worship and hold Giridhari close to your chest.

So, in this world there are very few santapa-harankari guru (real gurus who take three-fold miseries from you), but there are so many vitta-harankari guru (gurus who take your money from you). There are many rich men in this world—if such bogus gurus make rich men their disciples, they get a lot of money and things from them. People always run behind money, but if you always engage in real service, if you always chant the real Holy Name, money will come on its own.

In this world, people go everywhere out of lust, but the sadhus go everywhere out of prema (divine love). Kama and prema look the same, but they are actually not. Kama means the relationship between a husband and a wife in this world, and prema means the relationship between the gopis and Krishna. Kama and prema are the opposites—one is intense darkness and the other is intense light. They are as different as hell and heaven. Where there is kama, there is no light—there is no right for prema; and where there is prema, kama has no right there. This is said in the scriptures.

Sivji Maharaj also says that if you drink milk, you will feel nourished, but once a snake touches this milk, what will happen to you if you drink it? You will die. It is the same with the Holy Name. If you hear the Holy Name, you will get benefit, but if hear the Holy Name and there is offence in that chanting, you will not get any benefit, it will actually harm you.

অসাধুসঙ্গে ভাই কৃষ্ণনাম নাহি হয় ।

নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয় ॥

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

The Holy Name never comes to the mouth of offenders. The Holy Name is conscious, and the Holy Name of Krishna and Krishna are non different from each other.

By the mercy of the sadhus and the Guru, we have come to this path, we have come to this line. You do not have to leave your family to join this line, but your worship must be exclusive—Krishna Himself says if worship Him you do not have to worship Durga, Kali, Laksmi, Ganesh and others. You worship Kali and say, "Dhanam dehi, vidhyam dehi, rupam dehi, bharyam dehi, kavitam dehi, sundarim dehi, etc." You always want something. Suppose a father has four sons—the eldest says, "Father, give me this, give me that," another child says, "Father, give me this, give me that," another says, "Give me a house, give me a car, give me wealth," and so on. If on the other hand, a child looks after his parents and serves the Lord, then the parents are happy with this child. Here also it is like this.

We are all the Lord's children, we have all come from him. We have all come here to Takareswar from different places—some come from London, some are from South Africa, Russia, Venezuela, some are from Colombia. What have they come here for? Have they come here to get some money? No, they come give money, they come here to do service. If you serve the Guru, you will get the Lord—if your Guru is pleased, you will get the supreme benefit.

So, this is our prayer to you—there is going to be a new temple in your village, what is it for? It is for your benefit, it is here so that you can chant the Holy Name, so that you can come to the line of pure devotion.

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