(10/10) Result of Sadhu-Sanga

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ganga Sagar, morning class,
Deity Manifestation Anniversary day
12 January 2019, part 10
Translated from Bengali

[A devotee who has got initiation comes to beg for alms] Why are you coming here? Here there are all devotees, why are you begging from them? [To devotees] He is begging because he has taken initiation today. You must beg outside – you must go house to house and beg outside; otherwise, leave it, do not do it. When I took initiation (it was almost thirty years ago), Gurudev told me, 'When you go begging, you must go house to house.'

You know, one time, Sripad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj went collecting in Kolkata and somehow he ended up at a prostitutes' quarter. He did not know what that place was, but when he understood where he was, he was mortified, 'Gosh, what will become of me now?' He had gone inside the area and could not find his way out at first. Seeing a begging sadhu, some prostitutes gave him some donation. In the end, he came to Srila Prabhupad and cried to him, 'I have lost everything! My spiritual life is finished. I cannot believe where I have been today.' Srila Prabhupad asked him, 'What has happened? Where did you go today?' Sripad Bon Maharaj explained where he had been that day. Do you know what Srila Prabhupad replied? He said, 'If you think that you have done wrong today, have I been doing wrong all my life then? I am making this same "mistake" every day. To save rotten householders who have fallen into material world, into the bondage of material life, I send brahmacharis and sannyasis to them. You went to that place to take money from those people, and that money will be used in the Lord's service – you went there to rescue them. What is the problem with that? Do I send brahmacharis and sannyasis to the houses of those rotten householders because we need their dal and rice? No. I send them there to save those people and bring them to this path, to use them in the Lord's service. Those women who you went to today sell their bodies to earn money, but you took some of that money to use in Govinda's service – it will give them some benefit.'

One time, when Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to beg, one woman gave him ash. He brought that ash to the temple. Srila Prabhupad said, 'Good! You can use this ash to wash the Lord's dishes.' The woman who gave that ash later hosted a programme at her house and in the end she left everything and came to stay at the temple. Everyone treated her as their aunt. Such is the result of devotees' association and service.

Getting sadhu-sanga does not mean to just be in close proximity to a sadhu; otherwise, mosquitos can be also staying close to a sadhu, but they are only disturbing and biting – this is not sadhu-sanga. Sadhu-sanga means hearing what the sadhu says and living your life following it.

We must keep listening to Hari-katha and in this way come to this path. We sing in one of the kirtans, 'Ramachandra-sanga mage Narottama dasa. Narottam Das is praying for the association of Ramachandra Kaviraj.' Ramachandra Kaviraj showed the example how we must listen. 'Sravan' means sreyo-yoga-van: listening to that which brings benefit. Ramachandra Kaviraj had just got married, and he was being taken together with his wife in a palanquin to his house. On the way, they passed Acharya Srinivas and Narottam Das Thakur. When Acharya Srinivas saw the palanquin of the newlyweds, it suddenly slipped his tongue, 'How unfortunate, the man has fallen into illusion...' Ramachandra Kaviraj overheard his words and after that he spent the whole night thinking about it. When they get married, they usually fast the whole day. The next day, the bride and the groom are decorated with flowers. Ramachandra Kaviraj only kept thinking about what Srinivas Acharya had said, 'Having got married, I have burnt my good fortune – I cannot serve the Lord anymore.' The next day at night, he ran away from his house. He came to Acharya Srinivas and asked him, 'Prabhu, what did you say that day? I could not understand it. Can you explain the meaning of your words to me?' Srinivas Acharya explained everything nicely and Ramachandra Kaviraj left with him for Vrindavan. He began practising Krishna consciousness.

We are living amidst Maya – we come to this world of Maya and only worry about eating and sleeping. How many of us come to listen to Hari-katha? When it is time to distribute prasad, you will see that people will be coming until four or five in the afternoon, but they do not want to practise Krishna consciousness. And when people do try to practise Krishna consciousness, many become sahajiyas. Srila Prabhupad said sahajiyas enter where they have no right to enter. We must water the root of our devotion with the water of sravan and kirtan.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥
মালী হঞা করে সেই বীজ আরোপণ ।
শ্রবণ-কীর্ত্তন-জলে করয়ে সেচন ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

'Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna. Becoming gardeners, they plant that seed and nurture it with the water of hearing and chanting.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.151–152)

When you plant a tree in the soil, you must water the seed, but what happens if you pour too much water? The seed will rot. So, do not try to go where you have no right to go. For example, people begin to worship Radha-Krishna. What did Srila Prabhupad say?

মাতল হরিজন কীর্ত্তন-রঙ্গে ।
পূজল রাগপথ গৌরব-ভঙ্গে ॥

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

'From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline.'

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad)

We must chant kirtan and keep all prayers to the holy feet of Radha-Krishna in our hearts – we must not show it externally to anybody. Krishna stayed with a hundred thousand gopis, but you cannot stay even with ten women. Is this what you call spiritual life? You must not imitate Krishna. What Krishna showed is niskama-prema, love devoid of any lust. He is a brahmachari – even if He stays with a hundred thousand gopis, He is still a brahmachari. How is it possible? Because His love is devoid of any lust. He feels love, but this love is not lust. But the love that we see in this world is 'throat-cutting' love. You can see the newspapers – a boy and a girl get married, but then something happened and he killed her. Is this what you call love? People promote 'jive prema' (love for others), but at the same time those same people who promote it kill chickens. Is this love for others? Is killing chickens and goats love for others? People talk about so many things only to impress others. There are conclusions of scriptures, there are unshakable truths (siddhanta).

That is why it is said that when you study at primary school, there are a hundred pupils; when you go to high school, there are only fifty people left; when you go to college, there are ten people; and when you get to university, there can be only two people left.

You must always think about these things. If you do no think about this all, you will not get any result in your life. If you have real devotion, you will live and practise according to your right (adhikar). Do not venture into intimate pastimes of Radha-Krishna. Even when we chant the gayatri-mantra, Srila Sridhar Maharaj said that the meaning of the gayatri-mantra is meditation on the holy lotus feet of Srimati Radharani (Radha-padam dhimahi). It is actually not necessary to speak here in front of everyone about it, but all we can say is that Srila Sridhar Maharaj explained, 'Gayatri muralista-kirtana-dhanam Radha-padam dhimahi (গায়ত্রী-মুরলীষ্ট-কীর্ত্তনধনং রাধাপদং ধীমহি): Krishna's flute does not make any other tune except the glorification of Srimati Radharani; that is the real meaning and gist of the gayatri-mantra.' The real meaning of the gayatri-mantra is praying to the holy lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. This is the explanation that Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave, and now the whole world and all Gaudiya Maths are happily following it.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj.

If you want to hear more, please come in the evening, I will speak more. If you have any questions, you can come and ask your questions in the evening. Come and hear some Hari-katha and chant kirtan.

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Length: 50 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Power of Mindful Service
2) Service Is All About Mood
3) Help Yourself and Others
4) Beyond Body and Bondage
5) Do Not Cheat Yourself
6) Your Life, Your Escape
7) Keep Internal Purity
8) Embrace Devotion to Lord Krishna
9) Know Where You Belong
10) Result of Sadhu-Sanga