Healthy Spiritual Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
23 October 2018, Kolkata, part 1

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Sri Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay
Jay Bhakta-prabara Prahlad Maharaj ki jay
Suddha-bhakti-vighnar vinasankari Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay
Sri Sada-Siva Gangadhar, Giriraj Govardhan ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Nityananda Prabhu ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Mahaprabhu ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

First, I am paying my humble obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev, beloved Divine Master, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; then I am paying my humble obeisance to all guru-varga, all Gaudiya acharya-vrinda, all Vaishnav-vrinda, to all my godbrothers, godsisters, all my friends, well-wishers—I am paying my humble obeisance to you all.

Actually, we do not know what is good, what is bad for our spiritual life, we do not know anything (kiser bhalo haya kabhu na bujhinu; কিসের ভালো হয় কভু না বুঝিনু). You always think you know everything, but even Lord Brahma says, "Others may be able to understand Krishna, but I cannot." That is why we must fully surrender to our Gurudev. We sometimes want to do some material things, we want some material enjoyment, but Gurudev will never advise us to do what is bad for our spiritual life.

Srimad Bhagavatam says,

svayam nihsreyasam vidvan
na vakty ajnaya karma hi
na rati rogino 'pathyam
vanchato 'pi bhisaktamah

"A pure devotee who is fully accomplished in the science of devotional service will never instruct a foolish person to engage in fruitive activities for material enjoyment, not to speak of helping him in such activities. Such a devotee is like an experienced physician, who never encourages a patient to eat food injurious to his health, even if the patient desires it."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 6.9.50)

We sometimes want to eat some other food... Suppose I come to a doctor, and, seeing my disease, the doctor tells me that some kinds of food are not good for this disease, but I cannot leave that food—I still want to take it. The doctor will always warn me, "Be careful! Do not take this food!"—the doctor will advise and order me emphatically not to take that food. Even if I want to eat something wrong, the doctor will not allow me to—the doctor will always warn me not to take what is not good for me. In the same way, a proper guru will tell us what is not good for our spiritual life, he will tell us everything. If we sometimes want to do something bad, a proper guru will always say that we must remove that kind of desire.

When we go to a doctor, the doctor prescribes some medicine, and if we take that medicine and follow all instructions of the doctor, then we will be cured—our health will be good. The same is true in spiritual life also: Gurudev tells us what is bad for us, for our spiritual life, he tells us what not to do, and if we follow that (if we do not do what our Gurudev tells us not to do), then our spiritual life will be healthy and clear. This is the main thing. This is said in Srimad Bhagavatam also.

We must understand this. On the other hand, if we serve Maya, we will have to enter a very dark place,

andham tamah pravisanti
ye 'sambhutim upasate
tato bhuya iva te tamo
ya u sambhutyam ratah

"Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute."

(Sri Isopanisad, 12)

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