Learn and Practise

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
3 January 2019, part 10

You should wear Tulasi neck beads, do Tulasi parikrama. As I was telling you, you suffer from so many material diseases in your family life—if you want to get relief, you must take prasadam. Always give an offering to Deities. Otherwise, if you cook and do not offer what you cook to Deities, it means you are stealing the Lord's things. You must chant the Holy Name every day, do arati every day, offer bhog every day.

প্রসাদ-সেবা করিতে হয়
সকল প্রপঞ্চ জয়

prasada-seva karite haya,
sakala prapancha-jaya

"By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions."

(Saranagati, 31.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We suffer from five kinds of diseases (prapancha) and these diseases will be removed if you offer bhog and take prasadam. Sadhus always take prasadam (take what is offered). We should always try to avoid outside food, but sometimes when you are outside, when you are on a train, etc., to keep the strength in the body, to stay alive you have to take something, drink some water, etc.—then you can remember Krishna, remember Gurudev, offer it to them mentally and then take it. It is necessary to do this, otherwise Mahaprabhu said,

বিষয়ীর অন্ন খাইলে মলিন হয় মন ।
মলিন মন হৈলে, নহে কৃষ্ণ-নাম গ্রহণ ॥

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe krsna-nama grahana

"If you take food that comes from materialistic people, your mind becomes contaminated. When your mind is contaminated, you cannot chant the Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.278)

If you take outside food without offering it to your Guru, your mind can become dirty and you will forget Krishna's Name.

Do you have any questions?

Question: How can one surrender to the Lord? How one must chant the Holy Name?

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

How will you serve the Lord? You can come to the one who is the dearmost servitor of your Guru and surrender to that kind of Vaishnav—he can give you proper guidance. Also, you can read the books, you can pray to the Lord, and in that way you can remember the Lord. The main practice is sravan (hearing) and kirtan (chanting), this is srestha, the best...

You can see also what we do. We do evening arati, then Tulasi parikrama, offer bhog, then we take prasadam. In the morning, wake up early, do mangal arati, after that some kirtans. Sripad Paramarthik Maharaj is here, he will do the mangal arati and show everything to you, he will teach you how to practise Krishna consciousness properly. Learn from a proper sadhu.

[Addressing one of the devotees:] Prabhu, do you have no questions? You are a retired person, why cannot you join the temple full-time? You are still serving your wife, aren't you? This is very difficult. Only when they take the last drop of your blood, will they be happy. These are very dangerous things, is it not? Family always takes everything, and every moment they want to engage you in their service in lieu of service to Krishna... They think that they are the enjoyers, but they must understand that Krishna is the enjoyer, we are only servitors.

When Mahaprabhu also wanted to take sannyas, He said, "I am always thinking, 'I will leave, I will leave,' but Maya always attacks Me!" Arjuna was also attacked by Maya—he said, "I do not want to fight, I do not want the kingdom, I do not want to kill my relatives." You are also like that, but when Arjuna listened to Krishna, listened and listened, then he understood what the right way was.

সর্ব্বধর্ম্মান্ পরিত্যজ্য মামেকং শরণং ব্রজ ।
অহং ত্বাং সর্ব্বপাপেভ্যো মোক্ষয়িষ্যামি মা শুচঃ ॥

sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo, moksayisyami ma suchah

"Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, do not despair."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

Finally, Krishna said, "Give up everything I have told you previously—Veda, Vendanta, everything—forget it and only surrender to Me. I will give you relief."

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay

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