(4/10) Engage Yourself in Sankirtan

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Hooghly District, preaching programme,
23 February 2019, evening, part 4
Translated from Bengali

At present, we live in Maya's family (in the family of illusory environment). When we study at school, we take the Madhyama exams at the end of the tenth grade, and when the results come, we can understand who has been studying and how much everyone has been studying. Do you know where the Lord's examination place is? Here, in this material world, this earth. Do you know how you can get relief from this material world and save yourself from this place? The only way to get out of here is through chanting the Holy Names of the Lord together with devotees; otherwise, you cannot save yourself from this illusory environment. So, Harinam-sankirtan in the association of devotees is the only way out of here.

How many times have we come to this world and how many times have we left it?

কয় বার এলি কয় বার গেলি
তবু তত্ত্ব না শিখিলি ।
নিজের মাথা নিজে খাইলি
এ দোষ দিবি কারে ভাই ?

kaya bara eli kaya bara geli
tabu tattva na sikhili
nijer matha nije khaili
e-dosa dibe kare bhai?

'Coming and going, coming and going, and never learnt anything. You have been eating your own brain, who will you blame now, brother?'

There is no end of this coming and going. Having travelled through 8,400,000 species of life, we have got this rare human birth, but if we cannot engage ourselves in Hari-kirtan in this life, we will have to go backward. People think, 'Oh, I want to earn a big title in this world', 'I want to enjoy and prosper in this world', 'I want to earn fame,' but all these things will not rescue you from this material world. If you want to get genuine benefit, the only method is Harinam-sankirtan (congregational chanting of the Lord's Holy Names). We must engage ourselves in chanting the Lord's Names and glories in the association of devotees.

Forgetting the Lord, turning away from the Lord, we have been crossing life after life, suffering from birth, death, old age and disease. We suffer when we are born, and we suffer even more suffering when we grow old and die. If you want to get relief from all this, you must genuinely chant the Holy Name – sincerely and selflessly. You must not think about the pleasure if your senses. We must serve Vraja-gopis and develop the mood that they have – the mood that they showed in separation from Lord Krishna when He had left for Mathura. All of us should have that kind of intense hankering for the Lord.

Many of us think, 'I have become a devotee of Krishna,' but Krishna says, 'Those who say they are My devotees are not My devotees. Those who are devotees of My devotees are My actual devotees.' Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur also wrote:

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ-ভজন তব অকারণ গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

'If you did not become devoted to the worship of Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna was in vain.'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Radhara dasira Krsna sarva-vede bale (রাধার দাসীর কৃষ্ণ সর্ব্ব বেদে বলে). Krishna is the property of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani. All the Vedas say this.' Whom does Krishna belong to? He is the property of Radharani's maidservants. So, who can give you the right to serve Krishna? Krishna is the property of Srimati Radharani, and Radharani is non-different from Sri Gurupadpadma (guru-tattva). Therefore, if you surrender to and take shelter of Sri Guru's holy lotus feet, Sri Guru can give you the right and qualification to serve Lord Krishna. Nobody else can give you this right. We were singing in one of the kirtans now:

কৃষ্ণ সে তোমার কৃষ্ণ দিতে পার
তোমার শকতি আছে ।
আমি ত কাঙ্গাল 'কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ' বলি
ধাই তব পাছে পাছে ॥

krsna se tomara krsna dite para
tomara sakati achhe
ami ta' kangala 'krsna krsna' bali
dhaitava pachhe pachhe

'Krishna is yours, you can give Krishna – you have such power. I am very poor – calling out, "Krishna! Krishna!" I am running after you.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

This is an example of extreme humility. Who can actually chant Krishna-kirtan?

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)

We must have humility, compassion or kindness to others; we must give honour to others and reject any thoughts or desires about our own name and fame.

We always think, 'How can I live a good life?', 'How can I dress well?', 'How can I sleep well?', 'How can I eat well?' We are always busy thinking about ourselves, but I am requesting you all: please think about the Lord, please remember the Lord.

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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