(10/15) Avoid Kali's Places

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, Sri Jagannath Misra Anandotsav
22 March 2019, morning class, part 10
Translated from Bengali

It is written in Srimad Bhagavatam that there are five places where Kali lives.

1) Gambling. Cards, chess, dice, horse races, water games, gambling, lottery, shatranj, board games, etc.

2) Intoxicants. This includes paan, or tambula (betel nut leaf with spices and condiments). At the same time, we sing:

তাম্বুল রসাল আনে তাম্বুল মশালা ।
তাহা খেয়ে কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র সুখে নিদ্রা গেলা ॥

tambula rasala ane tambula masala
taha kheye krsna-chandra sukhe nidra gela

Then, Krishna-chandra is given some juicy and spicy betels – He eats them and happily falls asleep.

Some people say, 'Oh, if we can offer tambula to the Lord, then why cannot we take it as prasad?' What will you answer then? You should answer, 'The Lord has the right to eat it, but I am a very lowly soul, I do not have such a right.'

Devotee: In the books it is written jambula. I have been meaning to ask you for a long time about it. Is it tambula rasala or jambula rasala?

Jambula? Where is it written jambula? I have never heard anybody sing jambula in all my thirty years at the temple. It is tambula rasala. The book was published by a foreign devotee, so it must be a misprint. It is a mistake. [His Divine Grace checks an older edition of Gitanjali and confirms that it is tambula rasala, not jambula.]

So, the second place of Kali's residence is intoxicants. These include betel nut, snuff, marijuana, opium, alcoholic drinks, hashish, poisonous plants (hemlock), thorn apple (datura), arrack, etc. and twelve kinds of alcohol drinks: fermented honey, sugar-cane, grapes, tal, dates, jackfruit, maireya (ram horn with jaggery), makshika (copper pyrite), tanka (a drink from day-old cooked rice), liquorice, coconut and rice. Even dates are included here. In Mayapur, they prohibit to take dates, and on the packets of dates they write warnings that taking dates is injurious to your health (because it contains a lot of sugar and can lead to diabetes).

3) Illicit association. It means association with women out of wedlock and attachment to your lawful wife.

4) Slaughter means killing living entities.

5) Gold. Wearing gold and silver jewellery. Gold or silver jewellery should not be worn.

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Size: 52 Mb
Length: 108 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Take Prasad
2) Stay Focused
3) Remember Your Service
4) Help Yourself and Others
5) Avoid Offences to Service
6) Avoid Offences to Holy Name
7) Avoid Offences to Vaishnavs
8) Avoid Offences to Holy Dham (Part 1)
9) Avoid Offences to Holy Dham (Part 2)
10) Avoid Kali's Places
11) Devotional Strictures
12) Devotional Strictures
13) Rejoice!
14) Outstanding Happening
15) Wholesome Vision