Joining Sri Dham Parikrama

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
7 March 2017, Sri Nabadwip Dham
Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama adhivas day,
Bengali evening class, part 2

We have come here to do the parikrama of Sri Nabadwip Dham:

গৌর আমার যে সব স্থানে
করল ভ্রমণ রঙ্গে ।
সে সব স্থান হেরিব আমি
প্রণয়ি-ভকত-সঙ্গে ॥

gaura amara ye-saba sthane
karala bhramana range
se-saba sthana heriba ami
pranayi-bhakata-sange

"In the company of loving devotees, I behold all the places my Gaurasundar roamed during His ecstatic Pastimes."

"I will visit the places that my Gaura has viited—in sadhu-sanga. I will go there with sadhu-sanga—in good association."

সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণনামে—এই মাত্র চাই ।

সংসার জিনিতে আর কোন বস্তু নাই ॥

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of the sadhus. There is no other way to conquer samsara.

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13)

If you want relief from this illusory world, there is no other way to attain it except chanting the Holy Name in good association. In Satya-yuga, people lived 100,000 years, they practised meditation; in Treta-yuga, people lived 10,000 years, they made sacrifices; in Dvapar-yuga people lived 1,000 years and practised archan, puja; and the religion of Kali-yuga is only one—Nama-sankirtan (congregational chanting of the Holy Name).

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"Those of sharp intellect will worship Krishna who appears with a non-black bodily hue, who is armed and surrounded by His associates and servants, and who always chants the Holy Names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode.

What is our weapons? Mridanga and karatals are our weapons.

You must do the parikrama tomorrow in sadhu-sanga. From all over the world people come to do this parikrama for the four-five days with you all—they work all year, save money just to come here and do the parikrama, and you—

ভারত-ভূমিতে হৈল মনুষ্য-জন্ম যার ।
জন্ম সার্থক করি' কর পর-উপকার ॥

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of his birth and bring benefit to all other people."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 9.41)

What does "benefit of others" mean? It means jive-daya—you must be compassionate to other souls. It is necessary to distribute the Holy Name door to door. Prabhupad (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur) said that instead of making millions of hospitals and curing millions of patients, it is much better if you bring just one person averse to Krishna to this path. In this world, when you go to hospital because you have some headache, they will treat your headache, but next you will have pain in your arms—once you treat the pain in your arms, you will get pain in your leg; once you treat the pain in your leg, you will get pain in your back, and so on. Tell me, is it possible to be free of disease in this world? But if you chant the Holy Name in good association, if you want relief from all miseries (adhidaivik, adhibhautik, adhyatmik—miseries caused by nature, body, other souls), then you must only take shelter of the Lord, take shelter of Gauranga.

আশ্রয় লইয়া ভজে তারে কৃষ্ণ নাহি ত্যজে,
আর সব মরে অকারণে

asraya laiya bhaje tare krsna nahi tyaje
ara saba mare akarane

"Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in Him. All others simply die in vain."

(By Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Prarthana, 17)

It is necessary to take shelter of a real, bona fide guru and serve the Lord under his guidance. There are many gurus in this world, but there are many vitta-harankari gurus (who take away your wealth and material things) while the number of santap-harankari gurus (those who take away material suffering) is very small. It is said that both those who take disciples out of greed and affection and those who take initiation from such gurus go to hell. People do Kali-puja, Durga-puja, Laksmi-puja and always pray, "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, varyam dehi, kavitam, sundarim dehi"—they always think, "Give me, give me, give me," and what did Mahaprabhu say?

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

"I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. That is my only wealth."

ধন জন আর কবিতা সুন্দরী
বলিব না চাহি দেহ-সুখকরী ।
জন্মে জন্মে দাও ওহে গৌরহরি
অহৈতুকী ভক্তি চরণে তোমার ॥

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,
baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari
janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!
ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Who can do kirtan? Who has the right to do kirtan?

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥
বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥
জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ-সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara
vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana
jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

"Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean. Practise tolerance like a tree. Give up vengeance and nurture others. Live without causing anxiety to others; do good unto others without considering your own happiness."

Sri Siksastakam Giti, 3

What do the people of this world understand?... There are many religious sampradayas in this world—aul, baul, kartabhaja, neda, darvesh, sani, sahajiya, sakhibekhi, smarta, jata gosai, ativadi, churadhari, gauranga-nagari. We never want to associate with these thirteen sampradayas...

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

"The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krsna, free from the coverings of any pursuits such as action, knowledge."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhuh, 1.1.11)

অন্য অভিলাষ ছাড়ি, জ্ঞান কর্ম্ম পরিহরি,
কায়মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণসেবা, না পূজিব দেবী-দেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari
kaya-mane kariba bhajana
sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva
ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Service to the Lord in the association of devotees—that is the topmost devotion. That is why Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur first started this parikrama with a few devotees from the Gaudiya sampradaya. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wrote about his Gurudev (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur),

জয়রে জয়রে জয় গৌর-সরস্বতী ।
ভকতিবিনোদান্বয় করুণামুরতি ॥

jayare jayare jaya gaura-saraswati
bhakativinodanvaya karuna murati

'All glory, all glory to Sri Gaura–Saraswati, the holy embodiment of mercy in the line of Sri Bhaktivinod Thakur'.

প্রকাশিলে গৌরসেবা ভূবনমঙ্গল ।
ভখতিসিদ্ধান্ত শুদ্ধ প্রজ্ঞান উজ্জ্বল ॥

prakasile gaura-seva bhuvana mangala
bhakatisiddhanta suddha prajnana ujjvala

'Revealing service to Sri Gaura, which spreads auspiciousness in this world, you presented devotional teachings (bhakti-siddhanta) that radiate self-effulgent pure transcendental knowledge'.

Srila Prabhupad revealed the service of Gauranga Mahaprabhu all over the world. In his time, there came so many digpals (great personalities); among them there was Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Srila Prabhupad, there was Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and after them our Gurupadpadma, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, who travelled all over the world and preached the message of the Lord, sang the glories of the Lord. We do not have the qualities and qualifications that they had,

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

Humble as a blade of grass, tolerant as a tree, they chanted the glories of the Lord, the glories of the Holy Name all over the world, and you can see now that every year, day after day, people come from all over the world to participate in this Nabadwip Dham parikrama. You have also come from different places in West Bengal to take part in this Nabadwip Dham parikrama, and really, you are all very fortunate, there is no doubt about it—you are very fortunate to have come and joined this Nabadwip Dham parikrama.

If you cannot walk properly, you can go by rikshaw, that is sufficient for you. Gurudev said also that if even those who have no legs sit in their room, if they stay back at the temple, but they think about the Nabadwip Dham parikrama, they too will get the result of doing Nabadwip Dham parikrama—in other worlds, those who cannot walk, who have too much difficulty, or those whose legs are broken, if they sit in their room, if they stay here and think about Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, they too get the benefit of doing the parikrama.

Nitai Gour premanande Hari Hari bol!

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