Odds and Ends (8)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Compiled on 30 December 2017

Several excerpts that were not included in the main posts:

Control your senses | 11 November 2010

Service is always necessary. Ahara, nidra, bhaya, maithunam cha (আহার, নিদ্রা, ভয়, মৈথুনং চ, eating, sleeping, fearing, mating)—you must always control these four things. There are ten senses indriya: pancha-karmendriya (instruments—feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth), pancha-jnanendriya (senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), and mind, intelligence, and ego. Imagine you are standing and ten men are pulling you to ten different sides—where will you go? What will be your position then? Ahara, nidra, bhaya, maithunam cha (eating, sleeping, fearing, mating)—the more you increase these things, the stronger they get.

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Too much eating, sleeping | 19 July 2013

How many hours do you sleep? Eight hours, yes. Not more than that. Too much eating, too much sleeping is bad for practising life.

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Heavy load | 14 November 2010

There are three things—kanaka (money), kamini (women), pratistha (name and fame). Pratistha is for Gurudev. When a garland comes to you, you must give it to Gurudev's lotus feet, then no establishment, no pratistha, will come. Gurudev gave an example also. Once, some Western devotee came to Gurudev and said to him, "From the time I first joined Iskcon, I sold, distributed books, I did this, this, this, this!" Gurudev listen to the man and then said, "Oh, you are doing so much service! Now you have become very heavy and when you get on the boat, your boat will sink..." It happened a long time ago.

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Garlanding an acharya | 1 July 2013

Gurudev says that it is very difficult to give a garland to an acharya because sometimes insects can bite. He said it showing another meaning. He said, "It is very difficult to put a garland on an acharya because inside there may be so many insects..."

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Goswami title | 27 November 2010

Devotee: Srila Bhakti Nirmal Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!

Do not use the "Goswami" title in my name. I am not a goswami, you know that. Many can take the goswami title, but I do not have any qualification of a goswami. Do you know that? My Gurudev is Dev-Goswami, but I have no qualification of a goswami, and I do not want to be a goswami also.

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Gurudev's Temple | 9 October 2011

[Speaking about a devotee who does not come to the temple any more:]
I do not know what the problem with his mind is, but I am sad because of it. I am thinking why he is like that. Maybe I am a bad person, maybe you are a bad person, but what is the problem? Gurudev is not bad! Gurudev is the best. I am not qualified, but Gurudev is qualified, and the temple is Gurudev's temple, the Deity is Gurudev's Deity, so what is the problem?

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Meaning of names | 22 August 2011

Question: What does the name Pran Krishna das mean?

Pran Krishna is he who is the heart of Krishna. "Pran" means heart. It means he whose heart always beats for Krishna.

Question: What does the name Yadu Gopal das mean?

Yadu Gopal is a Name of Gopal, Krishna. When Krishna was a young boy, a little baby, His Name is Yadu Gopal. Yadu means Ghosh, or Yadav, it is Krishna's family name (Yadav family, or Yadu family). Yadu Gopal is Krishna's another Name.

Question: What does the name Mandakini dasi mean?

Mandakini is a very good name. It is a name of a Vraja gopi. Krishna has many gopis, and the name of one of them is Mandakini.

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Salt Laky City's Deity of Mahaprabhu | 16 October 2011

[Speaking about the Deity in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA:]
Gaura Nitai have two hands raised and when there is only Mahaprabhu, then He has only one hand raised. This is Param Guru Maharaj Srila Sridhar Maharaj's style. Like Dhameswar Mahaprabhu, Vishnupriya's sevita vigraha. Before, Vishnupriya served Mahaprabhu, and after Mahaprabhu left, she continued serving His Deity. This Deity is coming just like that, the same face and mood.

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Where is your dhoti? | 13 November 2011

Where is your dhoti? You are a senior devotee, you must set an example for them—nije achari jivke sikhaya (teach others by your example). If you do not wear a dhoti, how can you tell others to wear a dhoti?

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Dress code of Mahaprabhu's group | 29 July 2012

I am telling to the devotees: make a rule that all initiated devotees must come to the class wearing a dhoti and a kurta. If you need, I can send some kurtas and dhotis there. They can keep a set at the temple and change when they come. And all ladies must wear a sari. All devotees must wear a kurta, a dhoti, a sari, tilaks, etc. OK? That is good. Some devotees always come to India, they can buy some kurtas, dhotis and keep there. When devotees come to the temple they can change and keep their own things in a room.

This is temple life. Pants, shirt, tie, coat—not like that. A dhoti and a kurta is good for the temple, it looks good and it sets a good example. You can think when all devotees wear dhotis it looks like Mahaprabhu's group has come—Srivas Pandit, Vishvambhar Chakravarti, Advaita Prabhu, it is as if they are all sitting there together. And if everybody wears pants, a coat, a tie, etc., it looks like one big baba has come, or the Venezuelan president. It is does not look good.

Devotional clothes are also very comfortable. If you sit in a dhoti or in a sari, it is comfortable—you can sit for two hours without a problem. It is good for them.

Jay Gurudev, Jay Gurudev, Jay Gurudev. I am paying dandavat to you all, please forgive my offence. If I said anything wrong, do not take my offence. I am always asking you to please forgive my offence.

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Do not leave the saffron clothes | 29 July 2012

Take the saffron clothes now and first touch it to Srila Sridhar Maharaj's lotus feet and Gurudev's lotus feet. Is there a photo of myself there? Put the saffron clothes on my head now. Not my feet, my head! Then give it to the hands of that vanachari Prabhu. He can change his clothes now and come to pay dandavat to all the Guru parampara. Do not leave these clothes any more. Never wear white clothes again—always wear the saffron clothes. OK? Do you promise me? OK. Gracias.

• • •

Always chant | 1 July 2012

When you have service, you can chant only four rounds, it is sufficient, but when you are doing service, always chant with your mouth. Always "sevon mukhe Krsna Nama"—always chant with your mouth when you are doing service.

I am telling you—the mouth is for two things only: eating prasadam and chanting the Holy Name, nothing else.

Question: Do we chant the Pancha Tattva on the sumeru bead and then another time again on the sumeru?

No, no. You should chant the Pancha Tattva's Name only one time. When you start chanting, touch the sumeru and say the Pancha Tattva's Name one time. After that, it is not necessary to chant it again. It is not necessary to chant Pancha Tattva's Name many times, only chant the Holy Name.

Question: How can we detect the offence in the chanting?

When you chant the Holy Name, the offences will be removed automatically. There are ten offence and we must avoid those offences, but there are also many Vaishnav aparadhs—we are doing thirty-two seva-aparadhs, many Vaishnav aparadhs, etc. We are doing so many aparadhs, but through service—if somebody is a surrendered soul and they make some offence unknowingly—Krishna will always remove their offence.

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Hold on | 22 July 2012

*** is a good boy, but he is falling down... I am trying to help him. When somebody falls down, I give them a bamboo stick, "Please hold on to it, do not fall down!" His ego is becoming very tall, he starts bending and is going to fall down, that is why it is necessary to give him a bamboo stick... Many devotees are also trying to help him, they tell him not to go in a wrong way...

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Growing and offering | 22 July 2012

...Do you control your mind? You are a good servitor, and we can take your good service. Somebody may have 80% good quality and a little per cent of bad qualities, but we do not "catch" that. You have good qualities for service, and devotees can use your service.

Do you live in Turgua? Do you grow vegetables? Bring what you are cultivating for Gaura Nitai sometimes. OK? If you are cultivating vegetables, fruits, flowers and can bring it directly from your place and give to Gaura Nitai, it is important. Somebody can buy fruits, vegetables, flowers, but if somebody cultivates it themselves and gives it to the Deities, it is more important and more beneficial.

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Honouring Vaishnav calendar dates | 4 August 2013

Question: It was the disappearance day of Vamsi Das Babaji yesterday. Could you tell us something about that?

Actually, there are many followers of Mahaprabhu. Not so much is written about many of them, but because they are followers of Mahaprabhu we give their name in the panjika (calendar). We always pay obeisance to them because they serve Mahaprabhu. Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj and others are our line and like many previous Gurus and babajis in our line, they lived and did bhajan in Radha Kunda, but after that they came to Nabadwip. We respect them as our Guru-varga, and that is sufficient for us, it is not so important to know the detailed history of their life. Sometimes, the description of their life is not written anywhere in the scriptures, but we always follow our Srila Sridhar Maharaj's panjika and we give their name in it.

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Follow tithi, not the calendar dates | 22 July 2012

When is the inauguration day of Parama Karuna? Has it already passed? Did you observe it following the tithi? Good. We do not follow the calendar dates—we always follow the tithi. Even Muslim people follow tithis...

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Service place | 2 May 2015

Prabhu, do you know some Hindi? A Little? Good. I want to send you to some place, it is a Hindi place, to stay there for a few days. Is it OK with you? It is our temple branch... I will send you there for a few days, there is some some painting service. If you like it there, you can stay there, it is a very nice place.

Devotee: Where is that place?

Goloka. [Devotees chuckle.]

• • •

Poisoned life | 15 September 2013

গোরা পহুঁ না ভজিয়া মৈনু ।
প্রেম রতন-ধন হেলায় হারাইনু ॥
বিষয়-বিষম-বিষ সতত খাইনু ।
গৌরকীর্ত্তন রসে মগন না হইনু ॥
কেন বা আছয়ে প্রাণ কি সুখ লাগিয়া ।
নরোত্তমদাস কেন না গেল মরিয়া ॥

gora pahu na bhajiya mainu
prema ratana-dhana helaya harainu
visaya-visama-visa satata khainu
gaura-kirtana rase magana na hainu
keno va achhaye prana ki sukha lagiya
narottama-dasa kena na gela mariya

"I did not worship Gora, I did not care for the jewel treasure of the divine love and have lost the chance. I always took the deathly poison of the material world and have never been attracted to the kirtan of Gaura. Why am I still alive? What joy is there? Oh why didn't Narottam das just die?..."

What Narottam Das Thakur sings is always very nice... "Gaura pahu na bhajiya mainu"—I never worship Gaura. "Gaura-kirtana rase magana na hainu"—our mind does not always go to Gaura kirtan. "Visya-visama-visa"—our mind always goes to the material world, material things. We are taking that kind of poison and now suffering so much because of that. "Kena na gela mariya"—what have I got this life for? Why am I still alive? There is no need to keep such a life!

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Save time for the Lord | 18 August 2013

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj says that even some poor people who do not get proper food (who do not even get food two-three times a day), save some money for their medicine or medical treatment. We work and work, but we must save some time for the Lord, for the service to the Lord. Those who are intelligent men (buddhiman jiva) save their time for the service of the Lord.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj gives a very, very nice example. If you hear his lectures or read his books, you will be very happy.

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Simple and clear process | 23 April 2013

We must engage ourselves in the service of the Lord, in the service of Krishna. It is necessary to do prasad seva, to take prasad of the Lord, you must do Tulasi parikrama, etc.

The Lord has given us such a nice process, He has given us everything, and it is not so difficult—there are not so many rules and regulation. The Lord has given us simple things, and you can do it whether you are in householder life, brahmachari life, vanaprastha life, or sannyas life.

চারি বর্ণাশ্রমী যদি কৃষ্ণ নাহি ভজে ।
স্বকর্ম্ম করিলেও সে রৌরবে পড়ি মজে ॥

chari varnasrami yadi krsna nahi bhaje
svakarma karileo se raurave padi maje

"Whatever varna (a priest, fighter, manager, or worker) or asram (a celibate, householder, renouncer of the household life, or monk) you may belong to, if you do not worship Krsna but engage in your prescribed duties, you will have to fall into a terrible hell."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.26)

It is said that you can be even a sannyasi but if you do not practise, you will go to hell. Chari varnasrama means—brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyas. Four orders of life—whatever order you belong to, if you do not practise properly, it is easy for you to go to hell, to go off this path.

So, when you go to your home, chant the Holy Name. That is the prescription, the rule. Even if you are staying in your house—grihe thako, vane thako sada Hari bole dako—it is necessary to chant the Holy Name, to follow the rules and regulations, to serve the Lord. Always engage yourself in the service of the Lord. Guru Maharaj says that if you have service, you have mercy, and if you have no service, you have no mercy.

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Favourite pastime? | 6 October 2013

Question: I am wondering if you have a favourite pastime of Krishna?

I do not know about that.

Tava nija-jana kona mahajane pathaiya dile tumi. Gurudev, the Lord's very own, has sent me and given me this position to serve you all. I know only this. Gurudev gave me this chair to serve you all, and I am always with you. Krishna Himself says in Srimad Bhagavad-gita, "Nobody in this world is My enemy and nobody in this world is My friend, but I become bound to those devotees who serve Me properly, with full faith, and they become bound to Me."

I am always trying my best to serve Gurudev properly and I am praying to all the devotees, I am praying to Gurudev that all the devotees's health will be good and that they will run their practising life properly. These are the main things for you all.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay!
Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay!

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