Vaishnavs' Care

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, evening class
17 March 2019, translated from Bengali, part 3

Sadhus and Vaishnavs think about you, "How can you be engaged in the service of Govinda, the Lord?" Their thinking is so high. They come to you to tell you about the Lord—and they leave everything with a smile on their faces. Do you know any mother or father who wants their son to become a sannyasi and leave the family? It is very rare. A very rare mother, a very rare father will want their son or daughter to serve the Lord. But,

গুরুর্ন স স্যাৎ স্বজনো ন স স্যাৎ, পিতা ন স স্যাজ্জননী ন সা স্যাৎ ।
দৈবং ন তৎ স্যান্ন পতিশ্চ স স্যান্ন, মোচয়েদ্ যঃ সমুপেতমৃত্যুম্ ॥

gurur na sa syat svajano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis cha sa syan
na mochayed yah samupeta-mrtyum

"It is not your guru, it is not your family, it is not your father, it is not your mother, it is not your gods, it is not your husband if that person cannot save you from the world of birth and death."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 5.5.18)

The Guru who cannot rescue us from the jaws of death and birth is not a guru. That father who cannot engage his child in the service of the Lord is not a father, it is not worth calling them your father. That wife who does not help her husband to serve the Lord is not a wife, you should not even take a glass of water from her, you should not even touch such a woman. These are Srimad Bhagavatam's words, not mine.

Many think, "I will practise Krishna consciousness later, when I get old," but how long will you live? How much time do you have?

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

"My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me."

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Our days always pass in work and sleep, we never think that we can leave tomorrow. I remember Sripad Tyagi Maharaj told today at Hari Hara Ksetra that Parvati Devi says those who die [at Hari Hara Ksetra] are fortunate because Sivji Maharaj comes and whispers the Harinam maha-mantra into their ears. Our life is going! One day it will be over—whether we are healthy or not, whether it is through one disease or another, one day we will have to leave this body. If, having got this body, I have not been able to use it for the service of Govinda, what will become of it? What did I get it for then? If I have not been able to serve Govinda, if I have not been able to hear about the Lord, what is the use having a beautiful body then? Then there is no use having legs, no use having arms, etc. We must always think about this—these thoughts must always come to us. When you circumambulate this holy abode, it is said that "bhramite habe na ara ei tribhuvana: you do not have to wander any longer in these three worlds."

"Samsara-anala haite magiba visrama (সংসার অনল হৈতে মাগিব বিশ্রাম): I will pray for shelter from the fire of material existence." This material world is blazing fire. We sing every morning,

সংসার-দাবানল-লীঢ়-লোক-
ত্রাণায় কারুণ্য-ঘনাঘনত্বম্ ।
প্রাপ্তস্য কল্যাণ-গুণার্ণবস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্

samsara-davanala-lidha-loka
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, the ocean of goodness who assumes the form of a cloud of mercy to deliver the souls burning in the blazing fire of material existence."

Srila Visvanath Chakravarti writes this in his Gurvastakam. Samsara-davanala: because of the poisonous desires we keep on getting into trouble. Great souls also say that just as we feel so much pain when we want to pass stool and feel so happy when we have passed it—if we can give up the material things (not as false renunciates, but with proper renunciation, i.e. if we put an end to all material attachments and can use all material things in the service of Govinda), then how much happiness we will feel! We must use everything that is created in this material world for the service of the Lord.

[His Divine Grace gets a phone call.]

We have got the buses for tomorrow. We will start tomorrow in the morning. I suppose some of you will wake up and go straight to the bus to secure a seat for yourself—and all the young ladies and children will have to sit on the floor on the bus or stand all the way. Leave giving honour to Vaishnavs, we cannot even learn to give honour to others in an ordinary way. Young men and women sit on the seats while all the old ladies and men stand. Why do we have to be like this? This is very, very sad.

Anyhow, speaking of sadness,

শুনিয়া আমার দুঃখ বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর ।
আমা' লাগি' কৃষ্ণে আবেদিবেন প্রচুর ॥

suniya amara duhkha vaisnava thakura
ama' lagi' krsne avedibena prachura

Hearing of my sorrow, the worshippable Vaishnav will thoroughly pray to Krishna on my behalf.

You know that you will not get any letter from the Lord, but if you approach a Vaishnav and the Guru (your guardian of devotion) and give them your letter, they will send it to the Lord, they will convey your message to the Lord. Whatever prayer or submissive offering you have, you should submit it to Vaishnavs...

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