Wise Up

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
22 February 2018, Kolkata, part 12

Gurudev said to me, "When I became the Acharya of this Mission, there were only three temples at that time (in Nabadwip, Hapaniya, and the temple in Dum Dum Park, which was not completed then), but you are making so many buildings and so many things now—will you be able to protect these things? Be very careful." And now you can see that what Gurudev said was true.

Before, they did not disturb Gurudev because it was a small temple, there were not so many guest houses, not so much property, nothing, but now they see that Chaitanya Saraswat Math is so big, like a city—there are big-big buildings, so much opulence. Becoming envious and not being able to control their material desires, they come now to grab these things, and we are disturbed by that. Gurudev had warned about the same thing.

They fight for houses, they fight for rooms, but they have come to Krishna consciousness, what do they need the rooms for? What do they need all this for? All the goswamis—Lokanath Goswami, Bugarbha Goswami, Narottam Das Thakur, Acharya Srinivas, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami—had no room, they had nothing. They lived in Vrindavan, Govardhan and got so much austerity. They did not have any toilet, bathroom, not even water—they would go to the Yamuna, bathe there and come back. You must understand this.

In Srila Sridhar Maharaj's time, all the godbrothers of Srila Sridhar Maharaj wanted to stay with Srila Sridhar Maharaj, but they could not because they were not able to use a toilet. Srila Sridhar Maharaj had a toilet, but there was no shed—it was just a tree and he would sit under it and pass stool. There was no cover. It cost one rupee to get some plastic, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj had only fifty paise (half a rupee)—he did not even get the other fifty paise to buy some plastic cover.

It is easy to understand what I am saying, and it is necessary to understand it. Will you ride one boat or two boats? If you have one leg in one boat, and the other leg in another boat, what will be your position? You will fall down into the Ganges. Gurudev said, "What will you do—will you kiss a mongoose and kiss a snake at the same time?" Gurudev's words are very heavy. Can you kiss both a mongoose and a snake at the same time? It is not possible—you must choose one.*

Devotee: Does mongoose mean maya?

Everything is not maya. Of course, there is always maya, but this is called "pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana" (প্রতিষ্ঠা লাগিয়া শাঠ্য-আচরণ, taking up deceitful, wicked behaviour for the sake of your own name and fame), as Bhaktivinod Thakur says in his kirtan.

Note:
A mongoose and a snake are famous for being each other's deadliest enemies. The fights between mongooses and snakes are quick and ferocious, with the mongoose emerging victorious, as a rule.

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