(2/7) Happiness amidst Sadness

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama, Day Two
18 March 2019, evening class, part 2
Translated from Bengali

You must understand one thing. The line of devotion is one thing and being a big business man is another thing.

When you open a temple, it is necessary to report to the tax inspection about where the money comes from and pay the income tax. Many of you do not know this actually, but when Srila Sridhar Maharaj founded Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, he told, 'This is my private property.' He left this property to the Deities later, and Gurudev never declared any income or register the temple. This is how things stayed during Gurudev's time. After that, just to damage the temple, the opposition did such a thing that you will be astonished to hear it. They informed the income tax inspection that all those great buildings had appeared at jal-mandir, but the temple had not disclosed anything to the government. A few days after that, I received a letter in my name. I had to go to Delhi and Kolkata and spend many lakhs of rupees to resolve this. And it was not settled with money only. At that time, Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister of India. There is a gentleman who sometimes comes to us from Bolpur, and it happened so that Pranab Mukherjee's elder brother lived near that gentleman's house (that brother is dead now). I went together with that gentleman to the brother of Pranab Mukherjee and settled the situation through him. So, when you make a temple, you have to be very careful: many things must be considered...

If I myself do not tell this, how will you know about it?...

Still, we must try to be happy even amidst sadness. That is why I am still continuing and trying to make some arrangements for you all to stay happily. I know that some of you are sleeping in the nat-mandir, on the veranda upstairs and on the roof. We had big buildings before, but now it is all ruined, and only cockroaches are living there... I heard yesterday that they pay some commission to rickshaw drivers for bringing young boys and girls, college students, to the temple to rent a room to them. You can understand yourself what is going on there – it is clear without saying it... Some devotees who are staying there came today to take ekadasi prasad, and one of them told me about it. They rent the rooms to young boys and girls for two–three hours and charge them five–six hundred rupees (the rickshaw drivers get a half)...

Then you can understand what is going on. Gurudev made those buildings so that you can stay there. Although he stayed a lot abroad, he did everything at the temple, using me as his instrument. Everything happened by his wish. Srila Sridhar Maharaj had some vision, and he can see now that Gurudev fulfilled his desire. When Gurudev was in Russia, he showed me how he wanted Govinda Kunda to be made. You can find the account of how Govinda Kunda manifested in English Gaudiya Darshan (2006, Summer edition). I completed Govinda Kunda (the steps and the temple inside the kunda) in one year, and during that time, I worked so hard that I lost seven kilograms. We used 700,000 bricks to complete it! I still remember buying it and remember the price (10,000 rupees per lot)...

Gurudev did not stay in Nabadwip so much, and he asked me many times, 'You are making everything in a grand way, but will you be able to finish it?' I said, 'Gurudev, everything is by your wish. You will not be disturbed or inconvenienced.' In the end, the works got completed.

[His Divine Grace switches to English.]

I am trying my best to serve you all. In this situation I am in, you are all with me, you are following Gurudev's instruction. I am trying... Our parikrama lasts four days, and it is a little tiring, but what can I do? We do not have so many facilities now, it is a problem, but I am trying to arrange something. Actually, I want to extend this parikrama by adding one more day, so from next year we will do this parikrama during five days, then we can visit all islands. For example, we could not go to Rudradwip this time and a few other islands because it is too much austerity (too much walking) for everyone. If we can start one day earlier, it will be good – we will be able to do the parikrama nicely. Also, I am trying to finish our Mayapur centre, so in the future, we can stay there for two days. I will try to arrange for some facilities there. The construction is already going on. If that centre happens, it will be good for us. I am trying. What can I do?...

Gurudev made Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math: he manifested Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Math. In the early days, Gurudev always said that the temple in Nabadwip was 'Sridhar Thakur Bari' (the house of worshippable Lord Sridhar). So, Gurudev managed the temple in that way – he did not even register Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip Dham. Gurudev told me, 'It is not necessary to make government registration.' I registered the temple only in 2009, in Gurudev's time, and there was not so much income tax. But the problems started later.

Everybody may not know it. After Gurudev left, the opposition that destroyed the temple gave some information to the tax inspection. Because of that, I had to go to Kolkata and Delhi and settle that big problem anyhow through huge bribes and using connections. After that, the temple has been registered and running legally. Unfortunately, I heard yesterday something about what they are doing there... I heard that they are renting rooms out. They pay rickshaw-wallahs 50% from the rent price and give rooms for two or three hours to young boys and girls, college students. I heard it yesterday from those who are living there. They told me, 'Maharaj, what are they doing? How are they using Chaitanya Saraswat Math now?' It is very sad...

You know the history. Sripad Vaishnav Maharaj (Sripad Srutasrava Prabhu) printed in Gaudiya Darshan what Gurudev told about the history of Govinda Kunda's manifestation. How was it possible to do that? Actually, Gurudev did everything himself, and I only always stayed on the roof in the sun and watched. That was my job. Gurudev gave me instructions, and I tried to follow everything properly.

Now we are very short of place. We have only a small place. Actually, I could never think that this Nrisingha Palli temple would be our parikrama place, our centre. We made here a small place for taking prasad – we thought devotees would come after doing a parikrama all day long, and they could stop here and take prasad. That was my idea. I did not know that by the mercy of Nrisinghadev and by the mercy of Prahlad Maharaj, we will be here, doing our parikrama from here. I know that everybody is suffering very much because five–six people are staying in one room, and Indian devotees are sleeping in the corridor, in the nat-mandir and on the roof. I have also arranged at some other places for some rooms. Some foreign devotees are renting hotel rooms. They are suffering a lot, coming and going every day. They are getting too much austerity. It is very painful for me.

I am trying to follow what Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote:

কবে জীবে দয়া হইবে উদয়,
নিজ সুখ ভুলি' সুদীন-হৃদয়

kabe jive daya haibe udaya,
nija-sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdaya

'When will compassion for all souls arise within me? When will I forget my own happiness?

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

I want to forget my own happiness! I want to do some good for everybody. Sometimes, I chastise you, 'Get off the bus! Come and go the parikrama with us!' Because we had not finished the parikrama and when we were passing the bus, I saw some people were already on the bus. I am trying to do something good for you, that is why I sometimes chastise you... All the other sannyasi (Srila Ashram Maharaj and others) are also trying their best – they are speaking some Hari-katha, Krishna-katha, they are helping me. Srila Janardan Maharaj is also coming tomorrow (he could not come in time due to his health). Chinese devotees are also coming tomorrow – we are keeping one room for them.

So, these are the main things about our parikrama. Everything is going on properly and smoothly.

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Future Vision
2) Happiness amidst Sadness
3) Smooth Parikrama Day
4) Chad Kazi Purified
5) Meaning of Vaishnav-Seva
6) Sole Sustenance: Sravanam, Kirtanam and Smaranam
7) Sincerity vs. Excuses