Odds and Ends (7)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Compiled on 9 April 2017

Several excerpts that were not included in the main posts:

Rupanuga-dhara | 16 June 2001

I have come here for the first time and I am happy to see that so many devotees are following our Gurudev. It is very good. He is actually the Rupanuga-dhara, he always carried the main conception—only he does it. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that he had kept one disciple (Srila Sridhar Maharaj) as his successor, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj himself also gave his chair to my Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, he made him his successor. So, only he can carry this conception in this world.

You can see many Gurus in this world—if you go to some shop, every shopkeeper will tell you, "My shop's sweets are very nice," but you must see with your own eyes. The problem is that we actually have no eyes. Can we see the Deities here, for the example? We cannot—because our eyes are full of dirt, they are full of dust...

• • •

Cleaning | 16 June 2001

When we take bath in an ocean or in the Ganga, it can clean our body but it will not clean our mind. That is why we must come to the class every day, we must come in front of the Deities every day—if we get some good association, we will proceed, we will increase our Krishna consciousness life. We have much dirt in our heart and it is necessary to remove it. How will you remove it? It can be removed with the help of good association.

• • •

Practice at home | 11 August 2002

Question: Is it possible to worship Krishna at home just like we are doing it here in the temple? Can we do the same things at home?

Yes, you can. You can make your house an ashram. Those who are grihasthas (who live with their family) can make their house an ashram. "Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi' anachar (করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার)": leave your bad habits and make family a family of Krishna. You must understand that the family you live with is is not your family, it is Krishna's family.

You can make an altar at home—put Gurudev's picture—you can offer some fruits to him, you can keep Tulasi, sing the songs that we sing here every day in the morning and evening, you can read the scriptures that we read here (Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya-charitamrita, etc.) in front of the Deities.

Krishna said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita, "I am the proprietor of all things. If you take something without giving it to Me, you are stealing My things." So, we must give everything to Krishna—we do not eat, we take prasadam. Before taking anything, you must give it to Krishna, otherwise If you do not offer it first to Krishna, it will be a sin. Everybody should do it.

My answer is always straight and direct.

• • •

If Gaura had not come... | 28 September 2009

যদি গৌর না হ'ত তবে কি হইত
কেমনে ধরিতাম দে ।
রাধার মহিমা প্রেমরস-সীমা
জগতে জানাত কে ? ॥

yadi gaura na ha'ta tabe ki ha-ita
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima
jagate janata ke?

"If Gaura had not come, then what would have happened? How would we have maintained our lives? Who would have revealed to the world Radha's glory and the extremes of Her ecstatic divine love?"

(Srila Vasudev Ghosh Thakur)

Have you seen anywhere in Srimad Bhagavatam Radharani's name? No. When Mahaprabhu came, He showed us who Radharani is. If He had not come, we would not know who Radharani is. We can understand Radharani's glories only after Mahaprabhu came.

• • •

Practise chanting kirtans | 11 November 2010

It is necessary to practise kirtans. You do not have to know how to read for this. Listen and repeat, then you will learn them by heart. You do not even have to read a book.

'sadhya-vastu' 'sadhana' vinu keha nahi paya
krpa kari' kaha, raya, pabara upaya

"No one can achieve the goal of life without practising (following sadhana). Please kindly tell me, Ray, how can I attain this goal?"

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 8.197)

If you want to get sadhya-vastu (the goal of life, supreme attainment), you must practise (engage in sadhana). What is the practice? Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Ray "Please tell me how to get this sadhya-vastu?" It is necessary to practise and it is necessary to have some devotional attachment. Come to the lectures, do kirtan. Sravan and kirtan are necessary.

Guru-vandana, Pancha-tattva, Vaishnav vandana, Nityananda vandana—it is necessary to sing these every day, every morning and evening. When devotees sing the kirtans you must sing too, then you will learn them by heart. These are such beautiful kirtans.

• • •

Buy kirtan guide | 28 February 2012

Buy the kirtan guide book, it does not cost much money—it does not even cost the price of one meal, but this book will last you all your life. Take prasad up to your neck and loudly chant the Holy Name. You must chant kirtans out loud—you must sing when I sing.

• • •

Stay on track | 28 February 2012

"Samsara-davanala" is the Guru vandana. What goes next? Whose vandana do we sing after Guru? Our line is Guru, Vaishnav, Bhagavan. Do we ever say Bhagavan, Vaishnav, Guru? It is Guru, Vaishnav, Bhagavan. So, Vaishnav vandana goes after Guru vandana. This is how you must practise, this is the line.

What happens if you go off the line? If a train goes off the track, it falls over. Follow the line. To get to Vrindavan, you must get on the train that goes to Vrindavan. If you want to get to Nabadwip from Kolkata, you must get on the bus or train that goes to Nabadwip. You must take the right train.

• • •

Your home is here | 10 March 2012

Devotee [in Russian language]: Maharaj, please forgive our aparadhas that we have committed here due to our imperfection and ignorance. [Then in English:] Please sorry.

No. No sorry, you have no offence. I understand what you have said. No offence, you are a good devotee. You are a surrendered soul, and there is no offence for a surrendered soul.

Devotee [in English]: Thank you Maharaj. Dandavat. I go home [I am leaving now].

[A few seconds' pause.]

Go home? No! Home is here! Your home is here!

• • •

Blessing for progress, not regress | 11 April 2013

Gurudev said once, "If a saffron-clad brahmachari comes to me saying, 'Maharaj, can I change to the white cloth?' then I will say, 'No.' I cannot give somebody my permission to change from the saffron cloth, but I can tell somebody to leave their wife—that permission I can give."

[His Divine Grace laughs.] Gurudev said this in front of me, I remember that.

• • •

Actions speak louder than words | 11 April 2013

Do you sometimes give the deer some food from the vegetable storehouse? Sometimes give some pumpkin, cut some straw, OK? Take care of this. If you only say, "I love the deer, I love the camel," but you are not giving them food, it is not good. Somebody says, "Oh, my father is very good, my mother is very good," but they do not give them any food. Or somebody always chants, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna," but does not serve the Deities, does not think about the Deities' service. Somebody always says, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna! Hari bol! Hari bol!" but they do not do service for Lord Krishna...

Like, in one country the devotees say, "Oh, I love Gandharva Govinda Sundar so much, I have so much love and affection for Them!" but they only pay dandavat and go—there is no servitor there. If you have love and affection, then serve there. Why complain? Somebody says, "I do not want the Deity to leave from here." OK, go and serve! Gurudev has made the Deity for you—to give mercy to you and all the devotees, why should only one person serve there? Go and serve! Is what I am saying correct or wrong? If I am wrong, please forgive my offences.

• • •

Temple is not a house for old cows | 11 April 2013

Some devotees do not do service, do not come to the class, do not do kirtans, does not come to the arati. What is this Math for? Is it a place where you get free food? This is not pinjrapol.

There is a pinjrapol in Kolkata. Do you know what it is? Sometimes when cows are very old and do not give milk any more, people take such cows and serve them in a special place—the cows only eat and sit there. That is called pinjrapol. Gurudev said that this temple is not a pinjrapol. These are Gurudev's words.

Do service according to your capacity. If you can carry a bucket of water to take bath, then you also can carry a bucket of water to water Tulasi plant or other trees. Is it not so? There is so much service here. When you stay here, you should give service, but do you give to the Math or do you take from the Math? How much do you give to your Guru and how much do you take from your Guru? (Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "I will stay alone! You all go.")

If somebody does not wake up in the morning for mangal arati, you can sometimes throw water on them... Now I cannot do this, but before I did it. Somebody did not come mangal arati, they slept all day, and I went to their room, knocked at the door one hour before the arati, but they did not wake up, so I put a bucket of water on them and all their sleep was gone. Then (it was in winter season) they spent the whole day drying their clothes, bed, etc., and the next day they woke up for arati. I was a very naughty boy... If somebody does not do service, you can also turn off electricity in their room.

• • •

Ultimate obstacle | 18 August 2013

When *** cooked, he could not do it properly because he had some material desire. Srila Sridhar Maharaj said that if somebody has some other desire, some material desire, it is very difficult to serve to Guru, Vaishnav, Bhagavan. Now one Bengali boy is serving very nicely. He cooks so many items—nine-ten-eleven at a time. He has desire to learn, that is why I told him something and he has learned very fast. Sometimes when he is cooking he is on the phone with his mother—he is learning to cook from his mother over the phone!

• • •

In the lap of Maya | 12 September 2015

What has happened? Are you sleeping? Why are you sleeping? Listen to what I am saying. Do you know why you are sleeping? Sleep means Maya Devi. Do you understand? Listen attentively to what I say.

• • •

Technology for service, not indulgence | 20 February 2016

What is a mobile phone for? It is not for your own enjoyment. It is for service. Internet, Facebook, movies—this is all enjoyment, it wastes your time. You can use a mobile phone, but for service—you cannot use it for your own enjoyment. For example, you can get now all books about the Lord (Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya-charitamrita, etc.) online and your can read them. This is what we can use these things for. Always remember this. Whatever we get we must use for Govinda, for the Lord.

• • •

Fateful change | 24 February 2013

On Ekadasi day, when I met with Gurudev last day, I came back to Nabadwip... I had so much work, but Gurudev called me to Kolkata and came to meet with him (on Ekadasi day). When I was leaving, Gurudev asked me, "Are you going to Nabadwip?" I said, "Yes." Then Gurudev said, "OK, you will come tomorrow." Gurudev said he was going to leave, and I thought, "What is Gurudev saying?" He had told this many times before too, so I did believe it at that time. My plan was to go to Mednipore for preaching the next day (all my party was ready, my bus was ready), but in the morning a phone call came saying, "Please come quickly," and all my programme was postponed. It is Krishna's will... When Gurudev left his body he showed us what our duty was, "Are you going for preaching now? This is not you duty now. You must take me now."

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