(1/11) Step Forward

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Hooghly District, preaching programme,
21 February 2019, noon, part 1
Translated from Bengali

Everybody must take prasad. If you honour prasad, all material illusion will be removed from you. This material illusion (prapancha) means five diseases (pancha-roga): avidya (ignorance), asmita (false identification), raga (misdirected love), dvesa (aversion to anything that goes against one's enjoyment), and abhinivesa (being unable to give up unfavourable habits). Service to prasad (prasad-seva) destroys these diseases. When the diseases are removed, you become free from offences, and then only does the pure Holy Name come. Therefore, give up all outside food from today.

I have been coming to your house for a very long time. It must be more than twenty years now. So, give up all this outside food, unoffered food. I know you have small children and you have some elder relatives who have not come to this line, but you two, a husband and a wife, can come to this line – what is the problem? What problem is there if you serve the Lord and chant the Holy Name? You are the ones who will benefit from it. I take great trouble to come here – for your spiritual benefit. There are a lot of problems, I am getting a lot of phone calls, there is also a big parikrama coming soon, and many devotees are coming from abroad to see me, but they cannot meet with me – leaving them behind, I am going house to house to bring benefit to you all. I come to your house to take you and throw you at the holy lotus feet of the Lord.

If you practise Krishna consciousness – if you have some attachment and taste for spiritual life – it will make me very happy. Come to this path. Practise Krishna consciousness. The Lord will be happy, and you will also live a happy life. This is what I want. Why must you live apart from the Lord? You still have time. If you have time to worry about your material family, why do you not find time to think about the Lord's family? I am not telling you to leave your house, wife and children and come to stay at the temple. I know you have to look after your household, it is well and good, but if you stay in your house, serve Krishna more and more.

সর্ব্বধর্ম্মান্ পরিত্যজ্য মামেকং শরণং ব্রজ ।
অহং ত্বাং সর্ব্বপাপেভ্যো মোক্ষয়িষ্যামি মা শুচঃ ॥

sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo, moksayisyami ma suchah

'Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, do not despair.'

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

This is the last word of Gita. You must follow this in your life. If you can do it, you can make a big progress in your life. If you can move forward in the path of devotional life, you can get great benefit. You can see in this hell that so many insects, bugs, flies, beasts, birds, worms, pigs, dogs are eating all kinds of stool and urine – filthy things. If you want to save yourself from such a fate, then come to the Lord and live a spiritual life.

You are the eldest son in the family – if you go forward yourself, the others will slowly follow you. Do you understand what I am saying? Think about what I have told you. I have known you for a long time – I know that you are enthusiastic to do service, you are eager to serve Vaishnavs and devotees. I am not telling such things to everybody – I have not actually told anything to anybody so far. But when I come here, I see you and I see that you want to do service, that you want to help. You have some devotional inclination towards the Lord, so come forward. If you take shelter of our gurudev, of the Lord, you will see that you will get supreme benefit. You think, 'Oh, I will not be able to give up fish and meat' – it is because of these trifles, small interests that you have a problem.

Anyhow, think over about what I have told you; it is for your own good. All right?

— : • : —

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Size: 31 Mb
Length: 64 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Step Forward
2) Be Content and Focused
3) Pursue Eternal Wealth
4) My Appeal to You
5) Lord Vamanadev's Appearance
6) Bali Maharaj's Sacrifice
7) Lord Vamandev's Gift
8) Rusted Souls' Solace
9) Read and Remember
10) Accept Guidance
11) Devotional Propriety