(6/11) Do Not Overstep

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sundarpur, 18 January 2019, noon, part 6
Translated from Bengali

We must know the established customary practices of Krishna consciousness. How do we even get to know about Krishna? If Gaura had not come, where would we be?

যদি গৌর না হ'ত তবে কি হইত
কেমনে ধরিতাম দে ।
রাধার মহিমা প্রেমরস-সীমা
জগতে জানাত কে ? ॥

yadi gaura na ha'ta tabe ki ha-ita
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima
jagate janata ke?

'If Gaura had not come, what would have happened? How would we have lived? Who would have revealed to the world Radha’s glory and the extremes of Her ecstatic divine love?'

(Srila Vasudev Ghosh Thakur)

Srila Vasudev Ghosh wrote this kirtan. We chant it, but what is its meaning? How would we have known about the glory of Srimati Radharani if Gaura had not come? Do you think it is possible to worship Krishna without Gauranga? Do you think you can worship Gauranga without Nityananda? Nityananda Prabhu is guru-tattva. Can there be any guru-tattva without Nityananda Prabhu? I have told you today that you cannot call your place 'Krishna Ashram'. Gaudiya Vaishnavs will never name a place like that – only Mirabai people can name a place like that. She said, 'I have got the treasure of Krishna-prema!' but Mahaprabhu (the Lord Himself!) said, 'I have not got even a trace of Krishna-prema!' I have just told you:

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)

That is the difference between other missions and us. Others say, 'Become a devotee of Krishna!' You cannot become a devotee of Radharani, then how can you first become a devotee of Krishna?! When I went to South India, whenever people saw me, they said, 'Jay Sri Krishna!' but I said, 'Hare Krishna.' 'Hare Krishna' means Radha-Krishna. So, if somebody says, 'Jay Sri Krishna,' our duty is to say, 'Hare Krishna!' They worship Krishna directly, but Krishna Himself says, 'If somebody says they are My devotee, they are not My devotee. But if somebody is a devotee of My devotee, they are My devotee.' Who is Krishna's devotee? Srimati Radharani. So, in other words, Krishna Himself says, 'Those who are devotees of Radharani are My devotees.' 'Radhara dasira Krsna sarva-vede bole (রাধার দাসীর কৃষ্ণ সর্ব্ব বেদে বলে). Krishna is the property of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani; all the Vedas say this.' If you read Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's kirtans about Srimati Radharani, you will find much more evidence of Her supreme position. You must remember these things.

Many devotees came to Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj from other missions. Why? Because they preach about becoming devotees of Krishna, but when devotees from their missions come to us, we show them that it is impossible. That is the difference between them and Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Gaudiya mission. First you must become a devotee of Radharani's maidservant, then only can you become a devotee of Krishna. You cannot become a devotee of Krishna directly. Remember this.

Anyhow, I have spoken a lot today. We have been in this world for so long, we have been eating, sleeping and doing everything else, but please practise Krishna consciousness now! Serve the Lord, come to the real path. The Lord says, 'There are twenty-four hours in a day, and these twenty-four hours are My due!' but we are using all twenty-four hours a day only to gratify our own senses. We are spending twenty-four hours out of twenty-four hours on all the other things, but when will we serve the Lord? If we do not practise Krishna consciousness twenty-four hours a day, what will become of our lives? We will have to live in an extremely miserable condition... We must always remember this. Read what is written in those kirtans about Srimati Radharani. Always read Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's kirtans.

রাধিকা দাসী যদি হোয় অভিমান ।
শীঘ্রই মিলই তব গোকুল কান ॥

radhika-dasi yadi haya abhimana
sighrai milai taba gokula kana

'Those who pride themselves on being maidservants of Sri Radha will quickly meet Gokula Kan (Krishna).'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

What should be our pride, or ego (abhiman)? Our pride should not be, 'I am a servant of Krishna!' Our ego should be, 'I am a maidservant of Srimati Radharani!' Radharani is nondifferent from gurudev, so we must have the ego that 'I am a servant or a maidservant of my gurudev.' You cannot practise Krishna consciousness by worshipping Krishna directly. This the difference between us and other missions, and this is what Srila Prabhupad taught us.

You have crossed over many births. Nobody knows how many times you have been born as humans before, but this time you are born here in India:

ভারত-ভূমিতে হৈল মনুষ্য-জন্ম যার ।
জন্ম সার্থক করি' কর পর-উপকার ॥

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

'One who has taken birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of this birth by bringing benefit to others.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.9.41)

You must bring benefit to others. 'Be merciful to others, have taste for the Holy Name, and serve Vaishnavs.'

জীবে দয়া, নামে রুচি, বৈষ্ণব সেবা ।
ইহা বহি সনাতন নাহি আর ধর্ম্ম ॥

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva
iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

'Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion.'

We must be merciful to other souls – we must bring to this path the souls who have turned away from Lord Krishna; if we can do that, we can come to the Lord ourselves. Forgetting the Lord, we have been averse to the Lord since time immemorial, but sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs come to remind you about Him.

তব নিজ-জন কোন মহাজনে
পাঠাইয়া দিলে তুমি ॥
এক বর দয়া করি' মোরে পতিত দেখিয়া
কহিল আমারে গিয়া ।
ওহে দীনজন শুন ভাল কথা
উল্লসিত হবে হিয়া ॥
তোমারে তারিতে শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য
নবদ্বীপে অবতার

tava nija-jana kona mahajane
pathaiya dile tumi
(ek bar) daya kari' more patita dekhiya
kahila amare giya
ohe dina-jana suna bhala katha
ullasita ha'be hiya
tomare tarite sri krsna-chaitanya
navadvipe avatara

'You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me). Seeing me so fallen and being merciful, he came to me and said, "O humble soul, listen to this wonderful message and your heart will rejoice. Sri Krishna Chaitanya has appeared in Nabadwip to deliver you."'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

This incarnation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Nabadwip is for your deliverance. Therefore, always practise spiritual life, practise Krishna consciousness. How will you practise it? This is what I have explained to you just now. Until and unless you become a devotee of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, you cannot become a devotee of Krishna. If you think you can become a devotee of Krishna directly, then what is there to say?

This is what we learn from Nityananda Prabhu...

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Length: 67 min
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