(6/8) Soul's Shelter

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Hooghly District, preaching programme,
21 February 2019, evening, part 6
Translated from Bengali

Do not waste your time. You have already wasted a lot of time. We have been serving Maya and suffering so much for a very long time.

বড় দুঃখ পাইয়াছি স্বতন্ত্র জীবনে ।
সব দুঃখ দূরে গেল, ও পদ বরণে ॥

bada duhkha paiyachhi svatantra jivane
saba duhkha dure gela, o pada varane

'I was very unhappy in my independent life, but all my unhappiness is gone now that I have embraced the Lord's feet.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'When I was independent, I lived as I pleased, following the whims of my mind...'

The mind is part of the external world, and the soul is part of the internal world. Equating the soul with the mind, you say, 'Eat whatever your soul pleases.' But the soul never wants to eat all this. The soul is interested in Paramatma – as a partice of Paramatma, the soul knows what Paramatma wants. When you say, 'Eat whatever your soul wants' and eat something, this is not what your soul wants – this is what your tongue wants (your tongue's and mind's cravings). You cannot do something bad and say, 'Oh, the soul wants to do this.' So, do not say that robbing, killing or raping is what the soul wants. The soul's function is to serve Paramatma. The soul is aware of Paramatma's needs and desires, and Paramatma also knows what the soul needs.

If the soul is in a conditioned state – if it is under the influence of the illusory environment (Maya) – it means that its consciousness is not fully developed. But once it gets sadhus' association, then Maya's games are removed. Getting her power from the Lord, Maya Devi removes souls from the Lord's service and engages them in her own service. But when the soul surrenders to the Lord, Maya sees, 'This soul has surrendered at the holy feet of my Master, so I will not stay here anymore – I am going away.' Remember this. I keep telling this to you again and again.

All you need to do is practise Krishna consciousness. You must chant kirtan of Nityananda Prabhu. It is impossible to chant the Holy Name of Lord Krishna until and unless you become free from all unwanted elements (anarthas – all the surrounding external environment that keeps the soul in this world). But it is possible to chant Nitai's and Gaura's Names in this state. This is such a beautiful truth. In Kali-yuga, the souls living in anartha can chant the Holy Names of Nitai and Gaura. And if you chant Nitai's and Gaura's Names, all anarthas will gradually go away, and then you can get taste for the Holy Name of Krishna – this is when you can chant the genuine Holy Name; otherwise, whatever you chant cannot be the Holy Name proper. Nitai and Gaura, especially Nityananda Prabhu, are so merciful!

প্রেমে মত্ত নিতয়ানন্দ কৃপাবতার ।
উত্তম, অধম, কিছু না করে বিচার ॥
যে আগে পড়য়ে, তারে করয়ে নিস্তার ।
অতএব নিস্তারিলা মো-হেন দুরাচার

preme matta nityananda krpa-avatara
uttama, adhama, kichhu na kare vichara
ye age padaye, tare karaye nistara
ataeva nistarila mo-hena durachara

'Intoxicated with ecstatic love, Nityananda is mercy incarnate. He does not distinguish between the good and the bad. Nityananda Prabhu does not judge who is good and who is bad: He saves anyone who falls before Him.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.5.208-209)

সংসারের পার হৈয়া ভক্তির সাগরে ।
যে ডুবিবে সে ভজুক নিতাই চান্দেরে ॥

samsarera para haiya bhaktira sagare
ye dubibe se bhajuka nitai chandere

'Those who want to dive into the ocean of devotion, crossing over material existence, must worship Nitaichand.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 1.17.152)

We must worship this Nityananda! We have come to take shelter from our Gurupadpadma, who is non-different from Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Srimati Radharani. They are our shelter.

Who can give us the right to do service (seva-adhikar)? Whom does Krishna belong to? He belongs to Srimati Radharani, and Srimati Radharani is non-different from Sri Gurupadpadma. So, if we surrender and take shelter at the holy feet of Sri Gurupadpadma, if we always remember him, then he will give us the right to serve the Lord. Always remember this.

— : • : —

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Length: 43 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Your Necessity and Interest
2) My Mission
3) Hari-Kirtan Comes from Heart
4) Come Forward
5) Do Not Cheat Yourself
6) Soul's Shelter
7) Genuine Devotion Comes from Genuine Devotees
8) Leashed and Lashed Life