(10/10) Remember, Love and Serve the Lord

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Hooghly District, preaching programme,
23 February 2019, evening, part 10
Translated from Bengali

You have been listening all this time – tell me, do you have any questions? Have you understood what I have said? Do you have any doubts or is there anything you cannot understand? Have you listened to me with your ears or with your hearts? You must chant Nitai's and Gaura's kirtan with your hearts. Kirtan is chanted not with your voice but with your heart. Love must come from the heart. So, if anybody has any questions, you can ask me. I will try, by the mercy of my Gurupadpadma, to give answer.

Everybody should come for Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. I will do the parikrama from wherever I am staying at the time. I will make all arrangements, do not worry about anything.

When I went to Nepal this winter, I was asked, 'Maharaj, have you seen Krishna?' I replied: I do not know about it, but I know that to see Krishna, you must go to His home, and I can show you the way there (the way to Goloka, Vrindavan, where Krishna lives eternally); if you walk down this path, you will understand how long it is left for you to walk to come to Krishna. Another person asked me, 'Oh, Vaishnavs worship Vishnu, so why is it necessary to worship Krishna separately?' I explained to them who Vishnu is and who Krishna is.

Krishna and Balaram are one but They manifest as two (eka-i dehe dui rupa). Balaram manifests Himself as Mul-Sankarsan, from whom Sankarsan, Vasudev, Aniruddha and Pradyumna come. Then, from Aniruddha come three Vishnus: Garbhodakasayi, Ksirodakasayi and Karanodakasayi. Finally, from Karanodakasayi Vishnu come the ten incarnations of the Lord that we all know from the 'Dasa Avatara Stotram': Matsya avatar (the fish incarnation), Kurma avatar (the tortoise incarnation), Varaha avatar (the boar incarnation), Nrisingha avatar (the half-man, half-lion incarnation), Vaman avatar, Parasuram avatar, Rama avatar, Baladev avatar, Buddha avatar and Kalki avatar. All these incarnations of the Lord are Lord Vishnu. Kalki has not come yet – when Kali-yuga finishes, the Lord Vishnu will appear in Sambalpur. He will be riding a horse, carrying a sword in His hand. But in this Age of Kali, the Lord did not take up any weapons. You all know how He rescued Jagai and Madhai – He showed His Sudarsan Chakra, but Nityananda Prabhu stopped Him and Sudarsan Chakra went away.

You must serve devotees and Vaishnavs, it will give you great benefit. There is nothing else in this world. The only way to come to the Lord and to rescue yourself from this material world in this age is through Harinam-sankirtan. It must be genuine sankirtan – not only chanting the alphabet, the letters of the Holy Name.

If you drink milk, you get nourishment; but if a snake touches some milk, that milk can kill you. In the same way, if people hear the Holy Name, it will bring them benefit; but if they listen to offensive chanting of the Holy Name or only the letters of the Holy Name, then it is not the Holy Name proper – it is flowery words, poetic exercise and an attempt to please the public. It can sound as 'Hare Krishna', but it is not the actual Holy Name. If you want to chant the real Holy Name, then you must follow this advice:

'সাধুসঙ্গ', 'সাধুসঙ্গ'–সর্ব্বশাস্ত্রে কয় ।
লবমাত্র সাধুসঙ্গে সর্ব্বসিদ্ধি হয় ॥

'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga'–sarva sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi haya

'All scriptures keep saying, "Good association", "Good association". You can attain all perfection even just by a drop of good, saintly association.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.54)

This is how genuine Holy Name is chanted.

Anyhow, much has been said today. I can continue long if I start telling you various stories about how you can come to the Lord, about how others have come to the Lord, and so on. I have told you the gist how you can attain the highest spiritual benefit. If you keep listening to these things and one day develop some attraction and attachment to this path – if you can become devoted to Lord Krishna – you will see yourself that it will be good for you.

Please take care. May the Lord bless you all. Rely on the Lord. Do not leave the Lord, do not forget the Lord. You are living in this material world, but try not to forget the Lord. When demigods forgot the Lord in heaven, Krishna created demons and kicked all the gods from heaven. And when gods prayed to the Lord again, then they got their kingdom back. Even Lord Indra, the King of Heaven, had to take birth as a pig. By the will of Lord Krishna, Brihaspati, the guru of demigods, cursed Indra to be born as a pig. He forgot his guru.

Therefore, do not forget Krishna. He is our Great Father (param pita), our Great Master (param swami): 'Krsna mata, krsna pita, krsna prana dhana (কৃষ্ণ মাতা, কৃষ্ণ পিতা, কৃষ্ণ প্রাণ ধন). Krishna is my mother, Krishna is my father, Krishna is my very life and wealth.' We must never forget Him. We must always remember him.

কৃষ্ণ ভুলি' সেই জীব অনাদি-বহির্ম্মুখ ।
অতএব মায়া তারে দেয় সংসারাদি-দুঃখ ॥

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha
ataeva maya tare deya samsaradi-duhkha

'Forgetting Krishna, the soul turned towards the external illusory world in primaeval times. As the result, illusion (Maya) gives such a soul various material miseries.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.20.117)

Who is called a sadhu? Those who have long-long beards and hair? No. Sadhus always think about Hari-kirtan and Hari-katha – they always speak about the Lord. Those who do genuine Hari-kirtan are called sadhus. Always remember this.

All right, you are all going to get prasad here today – the devotees have made the arrangements. I have heard that ** Prabhu's wife is very sick now, but do not worry – she will recover. There was a devotee in Tarakeshwar who was very sick too – I sent them to a very good place and they recovered. The devotee would chant the Holy Name and in the end stopped speaking altogether; they have recovered now. So, do not worry, she will recover too. I will speak to the doctor who treated that devotee and try to arrange some help for your wife.

Always practise Hari-kirtan, practise Krishna consciousness. Do not forget the Lord. Always remember Him. Live always chanting Krishna-kirtan. Using the Lord and serving the Lord is not the same thing. Some people use the Lord, and some serve Him.

[A phone call comes.] What kind of people are calling me? They are asking me where I am. I am wherever devotees are. I stay wherever devotees are. Anyhow, do not become nirvises-vadi, mayavadi or sahajiya. Practise proper Krishna consciousness.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

[His Divine Grace chants 'Gaya gora madhura svare', 'Hari haraye nama krsna' and concludes the class.]

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Length: 82 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Oblivious Existence
2) Practise Hari-Kirtan
3) Your Deepest Need
4) Engage Yourself in Sankirtan
5) Bhakta-Abhiman and Bhakta-Bhav
6) Deadly Dearth
7) Surrender Comes First
8) Wasted Time, Wasted Life
9) Managers' Mania
10) Remember, Love and Serve the Lord