(2/2) Learn to Be One-Pointed

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, day four
20 March 2019, part 6
Translated from Bengali

How much Sri Vishnupriya Devi sacrificed in her life! For the Lord, for preaching about the Lord, she gave up the dearest Master of her life. Sachi Mata took her on her lap, and Vishnupriya would cry bitterly as Sachi Mata tried to console her. She was only fourteen years old... She was the only daughter of Sanatan Misra. Earlier, Mahaprabhu had another sakti, Sri Laksmipriya Devi. When Mahaprabhu went to Bangladesh, she was bitten by the snake of separation and went to Mahaprabhu. After that, Sanatan Misra's daughter, Sri Vishnupriya Devi, took shelter at Mahaprabhu's lotus feet.

Sri Vishnupriya Devi practised and served in a very extreme way. What did she do? Every single day, she would take a grain of rice, chant, 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare' and keep that grain of rice aside. She would chant the Holy Name the whole day in this way and keep some rice. Then, she offered that rice to Mahaprabhu's Deity and took some prasad. This is how she carried on her life.

So, you have come now to the house of Dhameshwar Mahaprabhu, the Deity of Mahaprabhu that was served by Sri Vishnupriya Devi. I told you yesterday that during Mahaprabhu's time, His Deity was worshipped in three places – here, in Chapahati (at the temple of Gaura-Gadadhar, we went there yesterday) and in Kalna (at Gauri Das Pandit's house). It is our great fortune to come here.

Next, we will go to Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj's bhajan-kutir and samadhi-mandir; it is not far from here. Our buses will be waiting for us there to take us back to the temple. When we were coming here with the parikrama, I saw the buses already coming behind us. Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj is a great Vaishnav who had confirmed the birthplace of Mahaprabhu. We will go to the place where he stayed and worshipped the Lord. Do not leave on your own, we will go all together.

Many of you have your own desires, but Mahaprabhu and Srila Rupa Goswami said:

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

'The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krishna, free from the coverings of any pursuits, such as action or knowledge.'

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.1.11)

Our destination is Goloka Vrindavan, so our meditation and aspiration should be to reach there. If you direct your meditation at some other place, then you will stray. I see all the time that when we are going with the parikrama, many of you walk and look this way, that way, sometimes you stop at some stores to buy this or that. You can stay at our temple for ten more days and do all that later, it is not a problem, but if you do this parikrama with other desires in your mind, this is not good. Srila Rupa Goswami says that we must leave all other desires – we must leave all jnana (knowledge) and karma (material life) – and go down the path of devotion to reach the Lord.

Gurudev is the captain of our boat, and if we cannot get on that boat (if we cannot follow gurudev's order), we will be left behind. For example, a bus is there to take you to your destination, but if you do not get on the bus, the bus will start moving and you will not be able to get on it then – it will not wait for you. Even when you get on the bus or the boat, do not get on it and start roaming around,. We must go together with our gurudev. Otherwise, we become busy going here and there, doing this and that, and we end up missing our train – the train will not wait for you. So, do the parikrama without any other desires (anyabhisalita-sunya); stay all together.

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