(2/16) Highest Realm of Devotion

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ganga Sagar, evening class,
11 January 2019, part 2
Translated from Bengali

Some missions preach, 'Become a devotee of Krishna!' But we do not say this. Remember this. Those of you who have taken initiation must understand that we are not devotees of Krishna. Whose devotees are we? Mahaprabhu's. Remember this. Who is Mahaprabhu? He represents the divine mood of Srimati Radhika, the mood of separation. At the same time, we do not consider ourselves devotees...

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says:

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ-ভজন তব অকারণ গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

'If you did not become devoted to the worship of Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna was in vain.'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

But some people say they have become devotees of Krishna. Mirabai also said that – she would sing, 'I have attained my treasure, Krishna.' We, on the other hand, want to be devotees of Radharani, of our gurudev. Mahaprabhu said, 'I do not understand anything about Krishna-prema. I do not have any devotion to Krishna!' Our aspiration is to attain servitude (dasya) to devotees. 'I have become a devotee' – may this mood never come to us.

Srila Prabhupad also said, 'Dusta mana tumi kisera vaisnava (দুষ্ঠ মন ! তুমি কিসের বৈষ্ণব): naughty mind, what kind of Vaishnav are you?'

'আমি ত' বৈষ্ণব', এ বুদ্ধি হইলে,
অমানী না হ'ব আমি ।
প্রতস্ঠাশা আসি', হৃদয় দূষিবে,
হইব নিরয়গামী ॥

"ami ta' vaisnava," e buddhi haile,
amani na ha'ba ami
pratisthasa asi', hrdaya dusibe,
haiba niraya-gami

'If I think, "I am a Vaishnav", then I will never stop desiring honour – my heart will become polluted with the desire for prestige, and I will end up in hell.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We can never think that we have become Vaishnavs. We must know the relationship. This is a very high conception. That is why a gradation is there – there is dasya, then sakhya, vatsalya, and then madhura. For example, Hanuman and Laksman are dasya-rasa devotees. But our dasya cannot be compared to them.

'কৃষ্ণ-নিত্যদাস'—জীব তাহা ভুলি' গেল ।
এই দোষে মায়া তার গলায় বান্ধিল ॥

'krsna-nitya-dasa'—jiva taha bhuli' gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bandhila

'The jiva soul forgot that it is an eternal servant of Krishna. Because of this mistake, illusion threw its ropes around the soul's neck.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.24)

Always remember Mahaprabhu's conception.

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।
গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

'Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.'

লোক দেখান গোরা ভজা তিলক মাত্র ধরি ।

গোপনেতে অত্যাচার গোরা ধরে চুরি ॥

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

'You put on tilaks and show the whole world that you serve Gora, but secretly you do outrageous things. Gora will catch you, thief (hypocrite)!'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6–7)

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Length: 86 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Keep Trying
2) Highest Realm of Devotion
3) Bribing and Increasing Stool
4) What Is a Soul?
5) Service with Faith and Love
6) Core of Devotion
7) Set Your Heart for Govinda
8) Think and Learn
9) Think about Your Soul
10) Sadhya-Sadhan-Tattva
11) With Faith and Surrender
12) Surrender and Learn
13) Bhakta-Seva Pravritti
14) See Good and Do Good
15) See Through It
16) 'Lord Exists for Those Who Have Devotion'