(3/3) Undistorted Line

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance festival, Tarakeshwar
16 April 2019, noon, part 3
Translated from Bengali

It is very painful for me to remember that day [when Gurudev left this world]. I wish Gurudev had stayed a little longer, but he did not want to. He did not want to tolerate the pain any longer, so it was his wish to leave this world. They did not let him stay here. Gurudev said, 'There is no anugatya [chaste adherence, submission] left in the world, so I do not want to stay in this world. If disciples are the ones who actually obstruct the guru, who disrespect and disobey the guru, then what am I to do here?'

You know, many people are preaching now, and you can hear so many people preaching Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's teachings very nicely, but what did Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj say? He said, 'If anybody cannot accept Srila Govinda Maharaj, they are not my disciples.' Gurudev, in turn, also told the same thing about his successor. Now there are many who claim that they are direct disciples of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, but Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj told all his direct disciples what to do. Some of those disciples (who have got Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's and Srila Swami Maharaj's mercy as well) are present among us today also, and they know these things – Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj handed them over to Srila Gurudev (Srila Govinda Maharaj). But there are also some disciples who now put their own photo on the altar and create their own temples. They dismiss Gurudev. They dismiss the order, the instruction of their own guru. Somebody can want to become a guru, they can do that, but they must not do it overstepping Gurudev. Why do they even do it? Without Gurudev's mercy, they cannot even follow Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's instruction. If you want to get Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's mercy, you must get Gurudev's mercy first. You cannot get Krishna directly!

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ-ভজন তব অকারণ গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

'If you did not become devoted to the worship of Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna was in vain.'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Radhara dasira Krsna sarva-vede bole (রাধার দাসীর কৃষ্ণ সর্ব্ব বেদে বলে). Krishna is the property of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani. All Vedas say this.' First, you must become a servant of Srimati Radharani, then only can you become a servant of Krishna. It is quite straightforward. But they now proudly claim, 'I am a direct disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj! I am his direct follower!' There are many like that.

There are also people who took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, but after that they left sannyas, left everything. Then, they again come after many years, and Gurudev gave them mercy and gave them their sannyas again, but now they disrespect Gurudev. How is it possible to be like that? They come to Gurudev after leaving sannyas, again take sannyas from him, Gurudev gives them much mercy, takes them with him in world tours many times, but now that person says, 'I do not think that I have any connection with Srila Govinda Maharaj. I only have direct connection with Srila Sridhar Maharaj.' How is this possible? I am surprised at it.

But anyway, they are doing what they like, and they will get the result for their actions. It is not our business, actually. We leave everything up to the Lord. We are neither managers nor judges. Gurudev and Krishna are the only judges, and they will make their judgement. We can only say something, but without their mercy nothing can be possible.

Many tell me, 'Oh, why are you not coming to the Nabadwip temple?' How can I? They criticised and abused Gurudev, they said very bad things to Gurudev and about Gurudev. I am not like them. I am not like everybody. Everybody can be what they like, but if somebody calls Gurudev a liar, if somebody says bad things about Gurudev, if they leave the temple and then somebody brings them back, how can I talk to them? How can I even see their faces? I would rather stay in a jungle or under some tree; it is much better. I do not want to tolerate such behaviour. I do not need all this. I do not need to eat nice things. I can stay in a jungle and eat herbs – I do not need to go there to eat paneer rasa.

What is home? If a husband and a wife can live happily together in a house, if they see eye to eye, that is home. But if a husband and a wife always fight, if there are always dangers and problems, if they cannot see each others' faces, if the husband stays in one room and the wife stays in another room, and if the husband goes out early in the morning and drinks the whole day and the wife sits at home and waits for him to come back – is that home? Can there be any peace or happiness at such home? This can never be called a home. This is a foul-smelling toilet, not a home.

We are here now, and even if we have only one hundred or ten people here, it is well and good. Still, you can see that the nat-mandir is actually full today. Today is an ekadasi day, and many wondered how we can have a festival on an ekadasi day, but you can see how many people have come.

Therefore, whether we eat or starve, whether we eat simple forest herbs or whatever else, we will not mix with wrong people.

অন্য-অভিলাষ ছাড়ি’, জ্ঞান-কর্মম্ম পরিহরি’,
কায় মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণ সেবা, না পূজিব দেবীদেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya-abhilasa chhadi', jnana-karma parihari',
kaya mane kariba bhajan
sadhu-sange krsna seva, na pujiba devi-deva,
ei bhakti parama karana

'I will serve the Lord with my body and mind, giving up all other desires and pursuits of material benefit and knowledge. I will serve Lord Krishna in sadhus' association without worshipping any gods or goddesses – this is the ultimate way to attain devotion.'

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

We must give up bad association. Bad association is yosit-sanga (lit. 'female association'), but it does not mean only those who mix with women – yosit-sanga means materialists who always think about money, about material things, who are attached to their home instead of the temple, who see the temple's property as objects of their own enjoyment. Such people become guru-bhogi (exploit their guru) and guru-tyagi (reject their guru). When you take initiation, you must do it to serve your guru, not to turn him into your servant. Even if you have to stay in a shelter or some thatched room, that is well and good.

If we can spend our lives in this way, we will get supreme benefit.

Today is ekadasi, and it is past one o'clock already, so let us offer puspanjali and the arati now. I will not keep you any longer. We will speak again in the evening.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.

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Length: 70 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) The Worst Day
2) Poisonous Trees Within and Without
3) Undistorted Line