(6/16) Collecting vs. Begging

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 6

Why do pure Vaishnavs do collection? The reasons why Vaishnavs do collection are these: a) to deliver the souls that are charmed by Maya and consider that everything that exists for the pleasure of Krishna is meant for their own enjoyment, and who are thus attached to eating sin.

The souls living in material bondage eat rice, dal, vegetables, they enjoy the air, the light – they think that this is all for them, so they are enjoying with it. Rice cannot grow without sunlight, and if there is no wind, there will be no rain also. We think that we do everything, we arrange everything, and it never occurs to us that it is God who provides everything. We do not even believe that everything in this world is given to us by the Lord. We think that we do everything, and as the result we only incur sins. So, when Vaishnavs come to you and collect some items from you, they take it and offer it to the Lord. You can see heaps of rice cooked here. This is not some rice purchased at the market. We went house to house collecting this rice, handful by handful. Devotees also went to the Bardhaman district and collected it handful by handful, and sometimes people gave some potato also in the rice. Somebody gave one kilo rice, somebody gave ten kilo. They collected all that rice and whatever else people gave and used it here in service to Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. So, this kind of collection is not the same as when people go begging for themselves.

I told you yesterday that we must not go where we have no right to go. We have no right to listen to Vidyapati's and Chandidas's kirtans, so we will not transgress our rights and go to listen to all that. Be careful! Control yourselves. First prepare yourself and gain the right to chant the Holy Name – get the right to enter the market of the Holy Name. How do you get this right? You must pray, 'When will my offences go away? When will my heart become pure and I will get taste for the pure Holy Name?'

কবে হবে বল, সে দিন আমার ।
(আমার) অপরাধ ঘুচি', শুদ্ধ নামে রুচি,
কৃপা-বলে হবে হৃদয়ে সঞ্চার ॥

kabe habe bala, se dina amara
(amara) aparadha ghuchi', suddha name ruchi,
krpa-bale habe hrdaye sanchara

Tell me, when will that day be mine? When, by mercy, will my offences go away? When will I get taste for the pure Holy Name?

তৃণাধিক হীন, কবে নিজে মানি,
সহিষ্ণুতা-গুণ হৃদয়েতে আনি' ।
সকলে মানদ, আপনি অমানী,
হয়ে আস্বাদিব নাম-রস-সার ॥

trnadhika hina, kabe nije mani,
sahisnuta-guna hrdayete ani'
sakale manada, apani amani,
haye asvadiba nama-rasa-sara

When will I feel lower than a blade of grass, when will I bring the quality of tolerance to my heart, become eager to honour everyone without any desire for honour from anyone and relish the essence of the Name's nectar?

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur also said:

দৈন্য, দয়া, অন্যে মান, প্রতিষ্ঠা বর্জ্জন ।
চারিগুণে গুণী হই করহ কীর্ত্তন ॥

dainya, daya, anye mana, pratistha-varjana
chari gune guni hai karaha kirtana

'Humility, compassion, giving honour to others and giving up your own prestige — become qualified with these four qualities and chant the Holy Name.'

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Only those who have humility, who have a heart for others, who can give honour to others can chant kirtan.

The second reason why Vaishnavs go for collection is sadhu-sanga: b) to tell conditioned souls about Krishna consciousness, to bring them to the bona fide path and the path of eternal spiritual benefit. 'Sadhu-sanga is the main feature of the human beings practising Krishna consciousness, and under the influence of sadhu-sanga the soul becomes gradually intensely drawn to the service of the Lord. This is the most important engagement of a human being, but we are unfortunate because, deprived of such association, we are spending our life in vain. As a result, all kinds of other works occupy the place of service to the Lord' – instead of serving the Lord, we serve Maya, carrying out her orders.

Srila Prabhupad wrote about these things in a very nice way. You should read this book (Guidance 3).

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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