Sri Vyasa Puja Speech

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vyasa Puja day of His Divine Grace
10 October 2018

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa-kula-chudamani Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Jay Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundar jiu ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Samagata Sri-Gaura-bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Pramahamsa Parivrajakachakrya-varya Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay. Tadiya Vyasa Puja maha-mahotsav ki jay. Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol.

গুর্ব্বাভীষ্টসুপূরকং গুরুগণৈরাশীষসংভূষিতং
চিন্ত্যাচিন্ত্যসমস্তবেদনিপুণং শ্রীরূপপন্থানুগম্ ।
গোবিন্দাভিধমুজ্জ্বলং বরতনুং ভক্ত্যন্বিতং সুন্দরং
বন্দে বিশ্বগুরুঞ্চ দিব্যভগবৎ-প্রম্­ণো হি বীজপ্রদম্ ॥

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.

Actually, all the devotees have come here from all over Bengal and many countries also and they are celebrating my birthday, but I am not thinking about my birthday or anything like that because I do not want to take any puja from devotees, be it my disciples, Godbrothers, or Godsisters.

I told Gurudev when he wanted to give me sannyas, "Gurudev, I do not want to be an acharya." Gurudev said, "It is not necessary to think about it now. I am only giving you sannyas for preaching." After he said that, I accepted sannyas in 1999. Actually, since my brahmachari time when Gurudev had just given saffron, I have never thought (and everybody can say it) that I am a Vaishnav. I did not come to the temple for that. Gurudev knows I had come from a jungle—I was like an insect in the stool, and Gurudev picked me up from the stool and kept me at his lotus feet.

I always want to be servitors' servitor, I do not want to take any service from others. I want to serve them. Sometimes, when my Godbrothers, Godsisters, or even my disciples give me dandavat, I can chastise somebody because they think they have become a Vaishnav. We did not come here to become a Vaishnav—we have come here to become a servant of a servant of Vaishnavs.

Sometimes they criticise me and tell many things about me. It is not a problem—if they are happy to criticise and tell bad things about me, I am happy. Sometimes, those who live with me come to me and say, "Maharaj, in this country somebody is saying this, saying that." I told them, "I do not want to hear that because I am much worse than whatever they say about me. So, what can they say about me?"

I hear now they say that I have deviated from the Gaudiya siddhanta because I installed the Deities of Nrisinghadev in Nrisingha Palli in Nabadwip, Godrumdwip. What am I? Who am I? Is it possible for me to install Deities? Deities came to Nrinsigha Palli Themselves. In Gurudev's time, in 2002 or 2003 (I do not remember the exact year, it is written in the registration book), Nrisinghadev wanted to come to take service from Gurudev, but there was some chaos coming at that time and Gurudev told me not to make any chaos. I also told Gurudev, "I do not want any chaos or any problem in your society. I do not want to give any problem to any devotees." So, if they are happy to criticise me, it is OK, but who am I to install Deities in Nrisingha Palli? Who am I?! If Nrisinghadev Himself had not come to take service from us, it would have been impossible. Gurudev told one thing—he said, "Deities come from a pure heart."

Even Bhaktivinod Thakur himself installed the Deity of Nrisinghadev in Yogapith. Is he too ousted from the Gaudiya siddhanta?! Even Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chanted the Nrisinghadev mantra a hundred times. Even when Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was at Radha-kunda, he did not praise Srimati Radharani—he praised Prahlad Maharaj's devotion. How can I see who is a devotee, who is a Vaishnav? A Vaishnav will always say, "I do not know anything." And we do not know anything. We say that Vraja-gopis have the highest devotion, they are great super-servitors of Lord Krishna, but even these Vraja-gopis say, "We do not have so much devotion as Prahlad Maharaj." Devotees themselves do not think they are devotees. I myself also do not think I am a Vaishnav. If you do not think that you are a servant of a Vaishnav, how can you be a Vaishnav? Vaishnav always thinks

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)

Gurudev has hijacked me from the mundane world and kept me at his lotus feet, this is how I can understand something. Somebody can say, "We stayed with Gurudev, so we know," or, "I have stayed with Gurudev for a long time, so I am more than Acharya Maharaj." I do not mind that. I did whatever service Gurudev gave me—Gurudev gave me service in Bamunpara, Gurudev gave me service in Siliguri, Gurudev gave me service in Ekachakra, Gurudev gave service in Dum Dum Park, Gurudev gave service at Govinda-kunda, Gurudev gave me service in the crops field, he even told me, "If I tell you to sit with me and do nothing, you think it is not service, but that is your service." When Gurudev sent me to the crops field, I can think, "That is not service, what have I come here for?" but it is not true—if Gurudev sends me there, there is some service there. That is called service. Gurudev sent me to Bamunpara, and when making the temple there I used to spend much money on the car to get there. Gurudev thought later, "He will make the temple in Bamunpara one way or another, I'd better give him a car," and he gave me his old car. You all know this.

How can I reject Prahlad Maharaj's devotion? Even Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhaktivinod Thakur, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, even Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, even my Gurudev praised it. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself wrote,

jaya nrsimha, sri nrsimha, jaya jaya nrsimha
prahladesa jaya padma-mukha-padma-bhrnga

"All glories to Nrisinghadev! All glories to Nrisinghadev, who is the Lord of Prahlad Maharaj and, like a honeybee, is always engaged in beholding the lotus face of the goddess of fortune."

We sing this at the arati in Nrisingha Palli. This song was composed by Mahaprabhu. I heard Gurudev sing it, that is why I wrote it on a paper and everybody now sings it at the arati there. Gurudev sang that song.

I may not have stayed with Gurudev for a long time, neither do I think so, but I got whatever I have from my Guru and I want to maintain that with my friends and well-wishers. I am happy with what I have got from my Gurudev, I do not want anything more than that. I only want to maintain what I have got.

Prabhu, this is the service I have got from my Guru. Even when my disciples come to me, I always see them as my Gurudev—I always think that my Gurudev has come to me in the form of a disciple and I need to serve them. Somebody may come to me as a Godbrother or a disciple, but I want to serve them. That is our siddhanta (our main things), and we must proceed with that.

They say that Gurudev said Acharya Maharaj was only the Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip, but Chaitanya Saraswat Math is not only Nabadwip. It is in many places. Gurudev declared many sannyasis, his Godbrothers, as Acharyas or Gurus of the Mission. I do not have any problem if they give initiation and take disciples, but what I want tell them is that they must not preach anything wrong about my Guru.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj said, "If somebody thinks about me without Govinda Maharaj, I do not think they are my disciple." Many say that Srila Sridhar Maharaj is great, but they do not consider Srila Sridhar Maharaj's opinion is great—Srila Sridhar Maharaj is great, but Gurudev is not. They preach about Gurudev so many things, but they are also preaching a lie! You must ask them a question, "Where did Gurudev say this? Where did Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj say that Acharya Maharaj is the Acharya of Nabadwip only?" Where did he say it? Ask them where they saw this nonsense. This is false preaching about Gurudev, and it is not acceptable. It is not good for them.

I am telling them: if you need disciples, you can take disciples, but do not preach like this, do not tell lies about Gurudev. Gurudev will not be happy with that. I am sure about that. I may not have listened to many lectures of Gurudev, but from what I have got from Gurudev I can understand what Gurudev wanted.

I do not want to say more than that because I am a fallen soul and I do not know anything. I only want to serve you all, but when somebody is preaching what Gurudev did not tell, that is not acceptable, that is why I am telling you all now what the truth is. You must preach what the real truth is.

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

On this day I say: Gurudev bless you, Krishna bless you. Do not listen to nonsense things. You have no time to listen to bad things. You must listen to good things, do not listen to bad things, it is not good for your spiritual life.

I am also very pained to hear that some devotees are reading some swami's books, that they are reading these books, those books. Did Srila Sridhar Maharaj tell you to read other swami's books, or these books, those books? Did your Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, tell you to read it? No, they did not. Gurudev never told you that. Gurudev said that our conception is written in the books of Chaitanya Saraswat Math, and what Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj gave is sufficient for us. Do not go to others' ponds for food, otherwise you will have an indigestion. If you take food from other ponds thinking it is very sweet, you will get sick, you will have a stomach problem and many other problems—you will be ousted from Chaitanya Saraswat Math, you will come out of the main channel. Be careful with that. Think about that.

Maintain your spiritual life in the proper line, proper channel. You can get Ganges water from the Ganga. Ganga does not flow through another channel, Ganga flows only through one channel. If you take water from another channel, you will not get pure Ganges water.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Samagata Sri-Gaura-bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol.

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