(3/16) Bribing and Increasing Stool

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ganga Sagar, evening class,
11 January 2019, part 3
Translated from Bengali

When I went to Nepal, somebody asked me a question, 'There is Jesus in Christianity; there is Buddha in Buddhism; there is Allah in Islam; but in Hinduism, there is Laksmi, Kali, Ganesh, Durga, Krishna, Siva, Parvati, Kartik and many others! Why is it like that?' The answer is there in the scriptures.

Brahma received initiation from Krishna – he heard what Krishna had told him in his own way and created the world according to his understanding. That is how all these gods appeared. But my pain is that we turn God into our menial servant. Instead of worshipping God, we turn Him into a menial servant. We must serve the Lord, not that the Lord must serve me, but we think that the Lord must serve me – that is our foolishness. And Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur put it in an even harsher way – he said that we turn our worshippable Deities into bribe-takers. You do that, too. Take a hundred people, and 100% of them are like that. Why? For example, people come for the Ganga-sagar Mela. Why do they come? To get some piety (punya); in other words, they come for their own benefit. Somebody is sick, somebody wants to find a job, somebody wants their business to run smooth, somebody's family is in tatters – people have all these desires, so they come with their desires, give some fruit, money, rice, etc. and in return of that, they expect their desires to be fulfilled. When people worship Durga, Kali or Ganesh, they do that same.

For example, if somebody wants to get a government job, they give some bribe to a minister or some partyman, and they get a job. What do you call such a minister after that? A bribe-taker. In the same way, we come to Durga with some offering (some fruit, some money, and so on) because we want to get something from her for ourselves (some benefit or blessing) – this is how we turn the Deity into a bribe-taker. Whatever you may ask the Deity for, you want it for your own self, so you give the Deity something and expect your desire to be fulfilled – this is how, instead of worshipping the Deity, you make the Deity your menial servant, or a bribe-taker. You expect the Deity to work for you. Is that true or not?

Genuine devotees do not worship Deities like that. Genuine devotees pray, 'I only pray to have devotion to You and faith in You birth after birth. I do not want anything from You.'

নাহি মাগি দেহ-সুখ, বিদ্যা, ধন, জন ॥
নাহি মাগি স্বর্গ, আর মোক্ষ নাহি মাগি ।
না করি প্রার্থনা কোন বিভূতির লাগি’ ॥

nahi magi deha-sukha, vidya, dhana, jana
nahi magi svarga ara moksa nahi magi
na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi

'I do not pray for bodily pleasure, learning, wealth, or followers. I do not pray for heaven, I do not pray for liberation, and I do not pray for any supernatural powers.'

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

This is Mahaprabhu's kirtan.

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

'I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could serve You life after life.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.29)

But we always think about our own happiness...

Do you know what Srila Prabhupad said you cannot give up even having given up everything? You can give up kanak (greed for money), you can give up kamini (greed for women), but it is very hard to give up pratistha (desire for being extolled, glorified, praised). Srila Prabhupad said that pratistha (প্রতিষ্ঠা) is sukarer vistha (শুকরের বিষ্ঠা): name and fame are pig's stool! The stench of pig's stool is extremely strong. Who is a Vaishnav? 'Kanak, kamini, pratistha-baghini chhadiyachhe yare sei ta vaisnava (কনক-কামিনী প্রতিষ্ঠা-বাঘিনী ছাড়িয়াছে যারে সেই ত বৈষ্ণব): Vaishnavs are those who can give up money, women and fame the tigress' (Vaisnav Ke? Srila Saraswati Thakur). People like to say, 'I have done this', 'I have done that', 'I have done so much' – this is your pratistha.

You do not become a Vaishnav just by writing that you are a Vaishnav. You must become Vaishnav Das, a servant of a Vaishnav. If you serve a pure Vaishnav, then only can you become a Vaishnav yourself. You cannot become a Vaishnav yourself without serving a Vaishnav. You must always remember this.

— : • : —

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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'