(11) Learn to Love God

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kadigachha, Lord Siva's Temple inauguration,
5 March 2019, evening, part 11
Translated from Bengali

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went house to house, approaching everybody, 'You have lost your address! You have lost your home!'

We are all children of the same Father! The Lord is crying for us, waiting for us. We are lost children of our Father. The Lord is looking for us, waiting, 'When will My children think about Me? When will they start chanting My Name and listening about Me and come back to Me?' If we do not do it, we will have to keep coming to this material world again and again, and all our births and deaths will be a mere waste. If we cannot come and live in Krishna's family, we will have to stay and live in Maya's family. Therefore, we pray to you all: please live your lives as members of Krishna's family.

‘Give up everything unfavourable and live in Krishna’s family (kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi’ anachara, করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার).’ You are thinking, 'Oh, if I wear tilaks and neckbeads, what will people say?' They will say stuff one day, two days, three days, five days, and after that they will not say anything. Do not be afraid of these things. Always practise Krishna consciousness, worship Lord Krishna, then you will get supreme benefit: you will be able to come to the Lord and you will not have to suffer from any trouble. I pray to you all that you may never forget all these things.

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 primeval times. As the result, illusion (Maya) gives such a soul various material miseries.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.20.117)

We are suffering in the burning agony of the threefold miseries. If you want to get relief from this suffering, the only way to do it is to surrender at the holy feet of the Lord. 'Yatha Vaishnav, tatha tirtha (যথা বৈষ্ণব, তথা তীর্থ). Wherever there is a Vaishnav, this is where a holy place is.' Where? Where is Vrindavan?

যে দিন গৃহে, ভজন দেখি’,
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ।

ye dina grhe, bhajana dekhi’,
grhete goloka bhaya

‘Any day there is devotional service at home, I see Goloka manifest itself in it.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Whenever there is spiritual life practised at your home, that day you are in Goloka Vrindavan. We must always remember it. So, I beg you all to please leave all akrsna-bhajan (any worship, practise or consciousness of anything else but Krishna) – practise Krishna consciousness. Do not leave Krishna consciousness. Please love the Lord. Love him as your very own. Love and care for Him in the way that you love and care for yourselves. We must always live thinking about this. Always live worshipping and serving the Lord. Get a fan for the Lord's room and turn it on when necessary; take care of the Lord's room, serve the Lord.

[To the pujari] O gosai! Why is the fan off? Is it not hot in the altar room? Do not forget it. Does the Lord not feel hot? Why have you turned the fan off? You must turn the fan on when it is hot, and when it is cold, you must offer chadars (shawls) to the Deities. This is how you serve the Lord.

— : • : —

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