(2) Follow without Imitation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Ishwarpur, 19 January 2019, part 2
Translated from Bengali

There are fourteen worlds with hellish and heavenly planets exiting within them: Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya; Atal, Vital, Sutal, Talatal, Mahatal, Rasatal, Patal. Above this material universe, there is the Viraja River, and then Paravyoma: Vaikuntha, etc. and, finally, Goloka Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna resides.

Please do not speak. Sit quietly and listen, do not speak. I will not take long, but for as long as we are here, please do not speak. It is necessary to speak about the Lord – no gramya-katha, no nonsense talks, no bad talks or anything else. Those who are cooking will stir the pots and chant softly, 'Krishna, Krishna' always. You must focus all your senses – your tongue, nose, eyes, ears, skin – on the Lord's kirtan. With every breath you take, you must speak about the Lord. This is how we must live; otherwise, we will not come to the Lord.

The only way to come to the Lord is to realise that you have got twenty-four hours a day for the Lord, so you must ask yourself how much of the time you spend thinking about the Lord and how much of the time you spend thinking about yourself. You must turn your family into Krishna's family: 'Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi' anachara (করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার). You must make your family Krishna's family and give up all unwanted and unfavourable habits.' Live in Krishna's family, offer bhoga to Krishna, serve Krishna. This is how we must live.

Do you know what the problem is? The problem is that we all become Vaishnavs, but none of us are actually Vaishnavs. We must realise this about ourselves – we must never consider ourselves Vaishnavs. Somebody can call us a Vaishnav and offer us obeisance, but we must never think about ourselves that we are Vaishnavs. Always remember this.

'আমি ত' বৈষ্ণব', এ বুদ্ধি হইলে,
অমানী না হ'ব আমি ।
প্রতস্ঠাশা আসি', হৃদয় দূষিবে,
হইব নিরয়গামী ॥

"ami ta' vaisnava," e buddhi haile,
amani na ha'ba ami
pratisthasa asi', hrdaya dusibe,
haiba niraya-gami

'If I think, "I am a Vaishnav", then I will never stop desiring honour – my heart will become polluted with the desire for prestige, and I will end up in hell.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

I explained this nicely at a programme yesterday, and I am telling you now the same thing. What is the difference between our mission and other missions? Do not imitate other missions – follow what Srila Prabhupad and Mahaprabhu told. This is what Gaudiya Vaishnavs come to tell (they come to tell about Mahaprabhu's teachings). The difference is this. Some other missions tell everyone, 'Become a devotee of Krishna!' But before you become a devotee of Krishna, you must become a devotee of Radharani, Mahaprabhu. This is what our Guru Maharaj teaches us.

You live here, in the area of Nityananda Prabhu. What did Mahaprabhu tell Nityananda Prabhu? 'Nitai, preach about Krishna.' Did Nityananda Prabhu do it? He did not – instead, He would say:

ভজ গৌরাঙ্গ, কহ গৌরাঙ্গ, লহ গৌরাঙ্গের নাম রে
যে জন গৌরাঙ্গ ভজে, সেই আমার প্রাণ রে

bhaja gauranga, kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje, sei amara prana re

'Worship Gauranga! Say Gauranga! Take Gauranga's Name! Those who worship Gauranga are My heart and soul!'

Nityananda Prabhu told everyone to worship Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He did not tell anyone to become devotees of Krishna. We must follow what Nityananda Prabhu told us. Is that not so? What is Mahaprabhu's conception? Separation. Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Ray, 'What is the greatest of all sadnesses?' Ramananda Ray replied, 'The only sadness is separation from devotees, I cannot see any othe sadness.' So, our greatest sadness is separation from devotees. We have come here to observe a devotee's departure – this separation is very sad for us. But amidst this sadness, we happily serve Vaishnavs, chant the Holy Name and speak about Krishna – it will bring benefit to the soul.

There is no other sadness in this world except for separation from devotees. This is also the pastime that Mahaprabhu showed in this world. Overcome with the divine mood of Srimati Radharani, Mahaprabhu relished the divine madness that overcame Radharani in separation from Krishna when Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura. Radharani and all the gopis became grief-stricken, they would lament, 'Where is Krishna? Where can we find Him? Where are we to go to find Him?' This kind of pull created in separation is what is called happiness and devotion. This is what Mahaprabhu showed.

We sing in one of the kirtans: 'Radhara dasira Krsna sarva-vede bole (রাধার দাসীর কৃষ্ণ সর্ব্ব বেদে বলে). Krishna is the property of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani. All Vedas say this.' Whom does Krishna belong to? He belongs to the maidservants of Radharani. What does Krishna Himself say? 'Those who say they are My devotees are not My devotees.' Then what others are preaching ('Become a devotee of Krishna!') is wrong. You must accept it. If there is anybody from those missions here, you can come to the front and speak out. Before you become a devotee of Krishna, you must become a devotee of Krishna's devotees. Krishna Himself says, 'Those who are devotes of My devotees are My actual devotees.' Mahaprabhu also said:

নাহং বিপ্রো ন চ নরপতির্নাপি বৈশ্যো ন শূদ্রো
নাহং বর্ণী ন চ গৃহপতির্নো বনস্থো যতির্বা ।
কিন্তু প্রোদ্যন্নিখিলপরমানন্দপূর্ণামৃতাব্ধে-
র্গোপীভর্ত্তুঃ পদকমলয়োর্দাসদাসানুদাসঃ ॥

naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na cha grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

'I am not a brahman, not a ksatriya, not a vaisya, not a sudra; neither am I a brahmachari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself as a servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, who is the beloved of the gopis, an ocean of nectar, eternally self-effulgent (self-manifest) and filled with the entire scope of all possible highest ecstasy.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.13.80; Padyavali)

'I am not a brahman, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya, I am not a sannyasi, I am not a brahmachari, etc. What am I? I am a servant of a servant of a servant of Krishna.' The Lord Himself says that His devotees never consider themselves devotees and that His devotees are those who serve His devotees. Who is His devotee? Srimati Radharani. So, we must think, 'I am a devotee of a devotee of Radharani.' This is what service to devotees (Vaishnavs) is. This is what Mahaprabhu taught us.

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