(3/16) External and Internal Contamination

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening class
17 February 2019, part 3

We are enjoying the light and the air in this world, and you all know that every single day we stay alive only at the expense of killing thousands and millions of living entities. When we breathe in and out, so many living entities enter our bodies and die. When we drink water, we also destroy so many entities that live in that water. When we cut rice paddy, wheat, cut potato, cabbage, cauliflower, we do this killing all these plants and vegetables. We enjoy the light and the air that was given to us by the Lord, and we forget who gave us everything. You think, 'Oh, I am doing farming', 'I am running a business', 'I do trading', 'Everything happens thanks to me', 'I do everything' – this kind of mood comes to everyone. The truth is that we do not do anything in this world. The master is there, and He does everything – He makes everything happen; but we forget Him and serve Maya instead.

We must always feel humble – we should have the kind of humility that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur expressed in his kirtan 'Kabe habe bala se dina amara.' Always think about it.

কবে জীবে দয়া, হইবে উদয়,
নিজ সুখ ভুলি' সুদীন-হৃদয় ।

kabe jive daya, haibe udaya,
nija sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdaya

'When will compassion for all souls arise in Bhaktivinod? When will he forget his own happiness?''

Forget your own happiness! Throw it in the Ganges! If you think about the Lord, the Lord will think about you. What is the use going crazy with worry about yourself? What is the point thinking about yourself?

I was asked recently, 'I have taken initiation, but I have to stay with my family, and they cook and eat fish, meat, onion, garlic, etc. Sometimes, I inadvertently touch those impure things...' I told the person, 'Do you think you have committed a great sin and become impure now? You have devotion, God is there, and He is there even at that house of yours.' Have you heard about Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj – when he first went to America, he stayed at the house of a meat-eating man, and that man did not keep just chicken or fish in the fridge – he kept beef (cow's meat) there. Srila Swami Maharaj went outside to preach about the Holy Name and chant kirtan every day, so in the morning he always cooked and kept some rotis and cooked vegetables (he would come back and have it in the evening) on a shelf below that man's meat. Did he become impure by that? He preached Krishna consciousness all over the world! So, if you accidentally touch something or whatever, what is the problem? When we buy potato at the market, they sell onions and potato at the same place – does it make the potato impure, too? Even if something touches, what is there to it? If you practise genuine spiritual life, you must practise with heart and soul – do not show off in front of others worrying you touch this thing or that thing. Do not think about all this; otherwise, you will not be able to preach Mahaprabhu's teachings.

You know, when I went to Russia in 2000, I was given some dal, and when I was eating it, Guru Maharaj saw it and started smiling and laughing, 'Acharya Maharaj, eat as much as you want – you will not get this dal again!' I did not really like that dal because it was without any chilli. They do not get chilli in the country there – when I asked once somebody to buy it, they brought some chilli, but when I took a bite, I realised that it was sweeter than sugar! So, when Guru Maharaj made that remark about the dal, I asked him, 'What is wrong with this dal?' He told me, 'Oh, this is masoor dal!' Did it destroy me? It did not. Later, I saw some masoor dal in the kitchen and I thought that if they did not get any other dal in the country, then it was better than nothing. I did not actually know that it was masoor dal before that story. So, some may take that dal, but is their devotion destroyed by that? They still preach so much, they dance, chant, they serve prasad to so many people. Devotion is in one's heart. Do not worry about such things.

Follow ekadasi, do Tulasi parakrama, do arati. All of you must do this. Do not slack. Follow this programme every single day. Do not worry about what is touching what. You have many people living in your house, and not everybody is intiated – many people cook meat and fish for their children. What is the problem? You do not have to eat it. Offer bhog to the Lord as you can, and if something touches something, do not worry about it. The Lord knows that you are not doing this deliberately – He knows that you are forced into this situation. If you do such things consciously, then it is another matter. The Lord knows what you are doing or not doing. Do not try to cheat Him. If you do wrong consciously, knowing that it is wrong, having heard that it is wrong, then it is bad. But if you unwillingly do something wrong while trying to serve the Lord, then it is forgivable – you want to offer bhog to the Lord, and if somebody touches it or something, what is the problem? One time, out of spite, one Buddhist gave Mahaprabhu fish cooked in gravy on the plate saying that it was prasad. Then, a bird suddenly flew in and grabbed that food – as it was flying away, the food fell out of the bird's beak and dropped on the head of the Buddhist leader! Then, the conspiring Buddhist came out and all Buddhists and sannyasis who were present there fell at Mahaprabhu's feet that day. So, if you do something like that for cheek, then it is wrong.

Please remember these things.

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Size: 53 Mb
Length: 110 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Nityananda Consciousness
2) Seek Real Help
3) External and Internal Contamination
4) Sheltered and Shielded
5) Make Effort
6) Collecting vs. Begging
7) Pure Association, Residence and Practice
8) Proper Utility
9) Our Sole Concern
10) Lord's Arrangement
11) When? And How?
12) Stay on Board
13) Service, Desire and Mercy
14) Mindless Service
15) Disciple's Folly
16) Love for Service