(4/8) Do Not Imitate

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, last evening class
18 February 2019, part 4
Translated from Bengali

You have been listening to me speaking about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's glories in English, and now I will speak in Bengali. The main idea of what I have said is that we must not imitate Nityananda Prabhu's behaviour. Do you know why people become sahajiyas? Because they want to imitate. Somebody dressed themselves as Radharani, somebody 'becomes' Krishna or God. People dress themselves as Nityananda or Gauranga. They want to imitate Them. We must never do this.

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu is avadhut (beyond material rules), so He can do anything and everything. Sivji Maharaj can drink poison – we cannot do that, but all devotees of Sivji Maharaj smoke ganja, imitating Sivji Maharaj. This is how one becomes a sahajiya (imitator). It means doing what you have no right to do or going where you have no right to enter. People read Vidyapati and Chandidas – what becomes of them? They become bauls. Such people gather at their melas and smoke ganja. I have never been to such places in my life, but I have heard about it from those who have been there. You have also heard about the thirteen apa-sampradayas, and baul 'sadhus' are one of them: aul, baul, kartabhaja, nera, darvesh, saki, sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, atibari, chudadhari, gauranga-nagari. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur himself mixed with bauls. Why? Because if you want to catch a thief, you have to mix with thieves. But we do not have such qualification. If we thought, 'Oh, I will go to this baul to bring him to the right path,' then it would be all right. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur had such capacity, but we will not go to mix with them. When we do Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, we come to Chapahatti and talk about Jayadev and Padmavati and Sri Gita Govinda that Jayadev composed, but we do not enter into the discussion of those pastimes. I told you yesterday also that serving the Lord and using the Lord are not the same thing. You cannot use the Lord for any worship you do or for any goal you want to attain. 'O God, give me this' – this kind of mood must not come to us. Always remember this.

Always make sure you are in good association. If we get into bad association, we can fall down. We have very little faith, that is why we must always keep good association. 'Asat-sanga sada tyaga chhada anya gita-raga (অসৎসঙ্গ সদা ত্যাগ, ছাড় অন্য গীতরাগ). Always give up bad association and do not listen to material songs and music.' You must read this poem.

অন্য-অভিলাষ ছাড়ি’, জ্ঞান-কর্মম্ম পরিহরি’,
কায় মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণ সেবা, না পূজিব দেবীদেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya-abhilasa chhadi', jnana-karma parihari',
kaya mane kariba bhajan
sadhu-sange krsna seva, na pujiba devi-deva,
ei bhakti parama karana

'I will serve the Lord with my body and mind, giving up all other desires and pursuits of material benefit and knowledge. I will serve Lord Krishna in sadhus' association without worshipping any gods or goddesses – this is the ultimate way to attain devotion.'

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

We must leave karma and jnana: pursuits of material benefit and knowledge. It does not mean that you must leave your home or material life altogether – it means that you must live a Krishna-centred life.

আসক্তিরহিত, সম্বন্ধসহিত,
বিষয়সমূহ সকলি মাধব ॥

asakti-rahita, sambandha-sahita,
visaya-samuha sakali madhava

'When you are free from material attachment and establish relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself.'

('Vaishnav ke?', Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

You must not have any attachment to your material life. If you are a householder, you can live in a house (live as a grhi), but do not become attached to your house and household matters (do not live as a grha-medhi). There is nothing bad about living as sat-grihasthas (pure Vaishnav householders) who live and use various items for the service of the Lord. 'Grhe va vanete thake, "ha gauranga" bale dake (গৃহে বা বনেতে থাকে, 'হা গৌরাঙ্গ' বলে ডাকে). No matter whether the person lives in a house or a forest, whoever calls out to Gauranga, [Narottam begs for their association].' Whether you live in a house or in a forest, you must practise Krishna consciousness. The problem arises only when people live in their houses and are always busy with their houses, always attached to their bodies, wives and children. This will not do.

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Length: 91 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Capture Nityananda Prabhu's Heart
2) Hope of the Hopeless
3) Purifying Shelter
4) Do Not Imitate
5) Live as a Devotee
6) Obstacles to Spiritual Life
7) Pillars of Spiritual Life
8) Dedication without Offences