(5/5) Love Others

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 18 January 2019, evening, part 5
Translated from Bengali

Mahaprabhu taught:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

'One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

We must be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than trees and give honour to others. This is a simple conception.

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)

These are verses from Siksastakam. We sing them every niyom-seva month, but we must understand their meaning. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur also says:

ধন জন আর কবিতা সুন্দরী
বলিব না চাহি দেহ-সুখকরী ।
জন্মে জন্মে দাও ওহে গৌরহরি
অহৈতুকী ভক্তি চরণে তোমার ॥

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,
baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari
janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!
ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

'When will I say that I do not want any wealth, followers, poetic gift or any other bodily happiness? O Gaura Hari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your holy feet!'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We only want causeless devotion – we do not want wealth, friends or family, women, cars, houses, etc. This kind of mood must come to us. This is what Mahaprabhu taught us.

How one must chant kirtan?

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

'Give up ego and consider yourself lower than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and vile.'

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

'Practise tolerance like that of a tree, stop ill-treating others and nurture everyone.'

জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ-সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

'Live without causing anxiety to others; do good unto others forsaking your own happiness.'

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must throw away our own happiness to help others. What does it mean to help others? Does it mean giving people money or clothes? This is all temporary help. If you give somebody ten rupees today, they will want to get twenty rupees tomorrow – such desires will never be quenched. If you give 200,000 rupees to a drunkard, he will not start drinking less (he will only drink more). It is necessary to teach people that it is bad to drink alcohol, that it destroys health. It is necessary to give people knowledge. Money does not solve alcohol addiction. This is the teachings that Gaudiya Vaishnavs come to give. What do they say? First, stop gambling; do not drink or smoke; do not have illicit connection with women; do not kill any souls. People put up banners saying, 'Jive prema kare yei jana sei jana sevichhe isvara (জীবে প্রেম করে যেই জন সেই জন সেবিছে ঈশ্বর). Love God by loving others.' In the name of such 'love' for others, they kill jiva souls. Nowadays, boys and girls do what they call 'making love' – this is not love, it is lust. Lust is darkness, but love is pure light. What people do in this world is lost, it is not love. These days, a boy can declare his love to the girl, but if the girl does not agree, the boy can kill her. Is this what you call love? This is lust. He craved something, and when he did not get it, he become angry and killed her. Love means caring and loving the other person. This is the most important ingredient in service. We must serve the Lord with heart and soul, with love. We must love the temple, the mission with heart and soul. Spend the whole day like that, serving the Lord with heart and soul.

So many respectable people come here on their way to Tarapith. They come not knowing or understand anything, so you should try to bring them to this path – tell them Hari-katha, speak to them nicely, give everyone prasad lovingly. What did Sri Jagadananda Pandit say?

বৈষ্ণবে আদর কর প্রসাদাদি দিয়া ।

অর্থ নাই দৈন্যবাক্যে তোষ মিনতি করিয়া ॥

vaisnave adara kara prasadadi diya
artha nai dainya-vakye tosa minati kariya

'Honour Vaishnavs with prasad and other remnants. If you have no wealth, then submissively satisfy them with humble words.'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 9.32)

Show people affection by giving them some prasad, and if you do not have any prasad, then show them affection by talking to them sweetly. You will find this teachings of Jagadananda Pandit in Sri Prema-vivarta. Listen to these things carefully. Even if you do not have association here, what of that? You can see *** Prabhu – he is keeping to himself, but he is carrying on his service. [One by one, devotees explain that the devotee is behaving strange and does not even speak to anybody.] Can he hear? [Devotees say he can hear everything, but they fear he can become mute if he stops speaking altogether.] Why will he become mute? He was not mute before, so he will not become mute. Something must have happened, he must have got hurt. I have seen him. He has a big beard now... But anyhow, he is doing much service. Does he chant on his beads? [Devotees say he does.] How does he chant it without speaking? [Devotees say he chants silently and continue to tell more about his behaviour.] Let him be. If he is practising Krishna consciousness in his own way, if he is doing service, it is all right. He will come to the Lord through his service. You must think about what Srila Prabhupad said. We must not discriminate whether one is a householder or a sannyasi. One should not be judged by that – one should be judged by the service they are doing.

Let us chant some kirtan now.

If you do service but do not take prasad, you will have to get reaction. I was asked today, 'Outside people eat fish and meat, but when you eat rice, wheat or vegetables, that is also killing, is it not?' It is. Even when we drink water, breathe, we kill so many souls, but if we use our life exclusively in the Lord's service, then there will be no reaction for our actions. We can be breathing, walking or cooking, killing so many insects, we can be eating rice killing paddy plants, we can be eating cabbage, eggplant or any other vegetable – we are killing so many souls. But if we use all these things for the service to Lord Govinda (if I can take some plant, cook it and offer it to the Lord) and then take prasad, then our action become nirguna (beyond material modes of nature), and there will be no offence for us. Always remember this and keep this in your thoughts, then you will be all right.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.
Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay.
Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay.
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay.
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay.
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay.
Harinam sankirtan ki jay.
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Do Not Become Sahajiya
2) Sincere and Selfless Service
3) Think What You Are Doing
4) Sprout of Deviation
5) Love Others