(9/10) Our Hope and Solace

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day
Sri Ekachakra Dham, noon class after parikrama
17 February 2019, part 9

One time, a couple came to take initiation from Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

'Why do you want to take initiation?' Srila Prabhupad asked.

'We want to take initiation so that my family can live well – so that my son can get good education, and everything goes well.'

'I do not give initiations for all this. First listen to what I tell, listen to some Hari-katha. If you hear it and feel some attachment to serving the Lord, then I will give you initiation.'

This is what Srila Prabhupad told. You can also remember what Srila Jagadananda Pandit wrote, I always quote it:

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।
গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

'Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.'

লোক দেখান গোরা ভজা তিলক মাত্র ধরি ।
গোপনেতে অত্যাচার গোরা ধরে চুরি ॥

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

'You put on tilaks and show the whole world that you serve Gora, but secretly you do outrageous things. Gora will catch you, thief (hypocrite)!'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6–7)

You should read Prema-vivarta. Also, we have included Srila Prabhupad's words in Nityananda-mahimarita.

আমার প্রভুর প্রভু শ্রীগৌরসুন্দর ।
এ বড় ভরসা চিত্তে ধরি নিরন্তর ॥

amara prabhura prabhu sri-gaurasundar
e bada bharasa chitte dhari nirantara

'My Prabhu's Prabhu is Sri Gaurasundar. I always keep this great hope in my heart.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 1.17.153)

'We live in this world surrounded by all sorts of problems and cannot place trust anywhere here. The only hope is that Mahaprabhu is the Master of Nityananda Prabhu, and I have got this Nityananda Prabhu as my Master. Sri Nityananda Prabhu belongs to svayam-prakasa-tattva (the original form of the Lord that manifests itself in the world), and Sriman Mahaprabhu is Vrejendra-nandan (the Son of the King of Vraja), para-tattva (the Supreme Absolute). Vedas say that there is only one Person originally, but then He manifests Himself as two, Gaura and Nitai, or Krishna and Balaram.

আর কবে নিতাইচাঁদ করুণা করিবে ।
সংসার-বাসনা মোর কবে তুচ্ছ হ'বে ॥
বিষয় ছাড়িয়া কবে শুদ্ধ হ'বে মন ।
কবে হাম হেরব শ্রীবৃন্দাবন ॥

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be
visaya chhadiya kabe suddha habe mana
kabe hama heraba sri-vrndavan

'When will Nitaichand give His mercy to me? When will all my material desires become trifle? When will I give up this material world and my mind become clean? When will I behold this Vrindavan?'

('Prarthana', Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

'Vrindavan is eternally worshippable for all jiva souls. When will I leave all worldly enjoyment and come in connection with Krishna? When will I, always thinking about Krishna, leave all enjoyment and renunciation and immerse myself in the ecstacy of devotion to Nitai?' These are Srila Prabhupad's words. We could speak about it the whole day and the whole night and not come to an end.

কৃষ্ণ-মন্ত্র হইতে হবে সংসার মোচন ।
কৃষ্ণ-নাম হইতে পাবে কৃষ্ণের চরণ ॥

krsna-mantra haite habe samsara mochana
krsna-nama haite pabe krsnera charana

'The Krishna-mantra can give liberation from material world, but the Holy Name of Krishna can bestow Lord Krishna's holy feet.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.33)

You can become free from material life through the Krishna-mantra. What does it mean to be free from material life? That your wives and children will die? No. There are people who live in the family of Maya, but if we chant the Holy Name and live in the family of Lord Krishna, then we will not have to keep on coming to this world again and again – we will not have to be born again as cows, goats, sheep, cats, humans, and so on.

কীট জন্ম হউ যথা তুয়া দাস
বহির্ম্মুখ ব্রহ্মজন্মে নাহি আশ

kita janma hau yatha tuya dasa,
bahir-mukha brahma-janma nahi asa

'May I be born even as an insect, as long as I can be Your servant – I have no wish to be born as Brahma, averse to You.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

It is expressed very beautifully. 'I do not want to be born as Brahma, I do not want to be the king of heaven, Indira. If I become some insect, that is still better – as long as I remain attached and devoted to my Master's holy feet.' In other words, 'Even if I am born as a mosquito, it is well and good – I will hear about the Lord, I will not bite anybody.'

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CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 48 Mb
Length: 100 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Live in Nityananda Prabhu's Shelter
2) Cry, Pray and Remember
3) Genuine Devotion Comes from Heart
4) Worship Is Not Business
5) Nitai Consciousness
6) Sad and Foolish
7) Practise Devotion, Not Emotion
8) Live in Eternal Shelter
9) Our Hope and Solace
10) Effulgent and Munificent Lord Nityananda Prabhu