(10/11) Learn Proper Meaning

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sundarpur, 18 January 2019, noon, part 10
Translated from Bengali

[A person hesitates to ask.] Speak, speak. I am happy to hear questions; everybody can also learn.

Question: Every living entity has its own separate service, but if all human beings have the same souls...

Yes, and the religion of the soul is to serve Paramatma.

Question: Yes, one scripture says that the soul's service is to serve Paramatma.

Not 'one' scripture. This is what Bhagavatam says!

Question: Yes, but in other scriptures, Sankaracharya says that the soul is Brahman.

If you think, 'I am Brahman,' then you think that you have become God. We are not Gods.

Question: Yes, then it means that the atma, Paramatma and prakriti (material nature) are all one.

One? If you think they are one, then this is your heresy. Jiva-atma and Paramatma cannot be one and the same.

Question: But if a jiva-atma keeps practising...

No. A man can never become God. Even Mahaprabhu Himself said, 'I am not God.'

Question: This is my personal opinion, but what you are saying is the opinion of the scriptures.

No, what you are trying to say is a misconception.

পৃথিবীতে যত কথা ধর্ম্মনামে-চলে ।
ভাগবত কহে সব পরিপূর্ণ ছলে ॥

prthivite yata katha dharma-name-chale
bhagavata kahe saba paripurna chhale

'Bhagavatam says that whatever is going on in this world in the name of religion is complete cheating.'

(Based on Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.2)

Do not look at what others say – read Bhagavatam. If you talk about merging with impersonal Brahman, it means that you want to become God. Man can never become God. First become surrendered, then you can understand these things. Mahaprabhu called such talks heresy (pasandata, পাষণ্ডতা) and atheistic (nastikata, নাস্তিকতা). The body (deha, দেহ) and He from whom the body comes (dehi, দেহী) are not the same. This body is composed of five elements: earth (ksiti, ক্ষিতি), water (apa, অপ), fire (teja, তেজ), air (marut, মরুৎ) and ether (vyoma, ব্যোম). How can this body be God? God is known by six special qualities:

aisvaryasya samagrasya, viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayos chaiva, sannam bhaga itingana

'He who is full with all the six opulences of wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation is known as Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord.'

(Vishnu Purana, 6.5.47)

How can you ever say that you are God? Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya also preached at first the mayavadi conception, but Mahaprabhu brought him to this path. When Mahaprabhu had first come to Puri, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya tried to teach Him the mayavadi conception, and when Mahaprabhu later came to Benares, Prakasananda Saraswati also tried to teach Him the mayavadi conception, but both of them ended up falling at Mahaprabhu's feet. We can never be Brahman, neither can the soul ever become one with Brahman. This is a misconception.

You must study properly. First read Srimad Bhagavad-gita, then Chaitanya-charitamrita. It is necessary to gain proper understanding. That is why it is said, 'Bhagavata pada Vaisnavera sthane, ekanta asraya kara Chaitanya-charane (ভাগবত পড় বৈষ্ণবের স্থানে, একান্ত আশ্রয় কর চৈতন্য-চরণে). Read Bhagavatam under the guidance of a Vaishnav and take exclusive shelter at the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu' (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.5.131). Why is it said that we must read under the guidance of a Vaishnav? Sometimes, I tell you about the example that Srila Prabhupad gave about wild paddy grass (শ্যামা ঘাস) and rice paddy plant (ধান গাছ) – both look the same, but are they the same? There are 1.5 billion people living in India, and among those people, there can be, perhaps, one or two million people living in jail. You cannot judge about everyone by those who are in jail. In the same way, there are some people living in the jail of Maya, illusion, and you cannot judge about the rest of the creation by them. Srila Prabhupad also told a story. A teacher went to teach students at school, and at the lesson he recited a poem, 'Kapala bhijiye gela nayanera jale (কপাল ভিজিয়া গেল দুই নয়নের জলে). My fate has got soaked in the tears from my eyes.' One of the student wondered, 'How can tears from your eyes drench your destiny? Tears from the eyes can drench your cheeks, not destiny...' Then, the teacher recited the second line, 'Thyan pa dukhani badha chhali tamalera dale (ঠ্যাং পা দুখানি বাধা ছিল তমালের ডালে). Bang! Both my feet were stopped by a branch of a tamal tree.' The students were nonplussed. Later, one of the students came to his private tutor and asked him, 'This is what my school teacher said.' Then, parents and the tutor came to that teacher and charged him, 'What are you teaching the children? You are telling them wrong things!' Then, the teacher explained, 'What I wrote is correct. I did not say kapāl (কপাল), I said kapol (কপোল), meaning "cheek". My cheeks were drenched in tears!' This is how we read, too – we do not understand the meaning of the words.

When we read about karma-yoga in Gita, we see, 'Do your job without expecting any result.' This is the starting point, from there you must study more and more and progress from primary school to high school, to college and then only to university. Mahaprabhu's conception is very high – when He explained things, He would enter a very high realm.

I have told you earlier today that Brahma created this world based on how he heard things from Krishna. We belong to Brahma-Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya. We are not Ramanuja Sampradaya or any other sampradaya. Besides, Ramanuja Acharya, Madhva Acharya, Nimbarka Acharya and Vishnu Swami are all Vaishnavs, but Sankaracharya, whom you mentioned earlier, does not fall under any of the four main recognised sampradayas. He preached mayavad. For example, we say, 'A lotus has appeared in a pond' – we do not say, 'A pond has appeared under a lotus.' Or when you see that the sun has risen in the sky, you do not say, 'Oh, this sun was created at some point in time...' The Lord has created the sun, yes, but when the sun rises in the sky, you know that it is time to wake up – it is not that you see the time and say, 'Oh, it is time for the sun to wake up now.' It is necessary to understand the proper meaning of things. If somebody says, 'Oh, I have become God,' this is a mayavadi conception. There are many groups who say things like that. There is aul, baul, kartabhaja, nera, darvesh, saki, sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, atibari, chudadhari, gauranga-nagari. We are told to never associate with these thirteen misconception schools. This is what Mahaprabhu teaches us.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Basis of Mahaprabhu's Conception
2) Learn the Ropes
3) Watered Down Conception
4) Become a Good Practitioner
5) Spiritual Selfishness
6) Do Not Overstep
7) Internal and External Devotion
8) Step Forward
9) We Are Servants, Not Devotees
10) Learn Proper Meaning
11) Come to Nirguna Plane