(1/10) Chaste Submission Is Key

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance festival, Tarakeshwar
16 April 2019, evening, part 1
Translated from Bengali

We have all observed today the holy disappearance day of our Gurupadpadma – our dearmost friend, the dearmost person in our lives – Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. In the morning, we offered special puspanjali (flower offering) and arati. Overall, the festival went very nicely. Today is the dvadasi day, but the ekadasi-tithi fell on today's day, so we only took some anukalpa today. Tomorrow, everybody can break the fast in the morning as usual (we have made all the arrangements for everybody to take prasad), and then, at noon, there will be a maha-mahotsav.

We are gathered here today by the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma, by the mercy of Vaishnavs, by the mercy of all the assembled sannyasis. It is impossible to ever get service to the Lord without gurudev's mercy. If we do not serve Vaishnavs and devotees and if we do not live in strict adherence to our guru, it is not possible to do any service. First, we must understand that it is impossible to serve your guru without submission to him. We must always remember this. It is impossible to serve your guru or the Lord without submission to him.

I have told you many times, Guru bade Gauranga bhaje, sei papi raurave pade majhe: the sinner who worships Gauranga without the Guru will fall into a terrible hell.' We must do what gurudev wants, what makes gurudev happy. 'Satisfying the whims of your mind is a show of service, it is not service proper (nijera manera kheyala khusi-mato bhajana abhinaya, bhajana bale na; নিজের মনের খেয়াল খুশিমতো ভজন অভিনয়, ভজন বলে না).'

I always tell you about Srila Prabhupad's words where this is expressed very nicely. I printed this quote at the beginning of our recently reprinted Gaudiya Gitanjali books. What is his message (bhakti-siddhanta-vani)? No matter how many holy places you visit, no matter how many pilgrimages you make, no matter how much you practise the sixty-four devotional practices, no matter how much kirtan you chant, no matter how many Holy Names you chant, if you have no submission (anugatya, chaste adherence) to your guru – if you cannot live following what your guru says – you will not get anything. I think that this is the most important advice that we all must follow to a T. I have seen many devotees and many things happening during all these many years, and there is only one thing we really need. We may or may not know anything, we may or may not understand anything – it is not necessary to be scholars or to do anything big – the only thing we must remember is that we must practise spiritual life in submission to our gurudev. It is not possible to attain anything without adherence to your guru. Do not cross your guru's word. Even if your guru says that the sun rises in the west, you must accept and believe it. This is the example that Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila Govinda Maharaj) gave.

If you hear what your guru says and have some doubt about it or if you have any doubt about your guru, you will not make it. In Sriman Mahaprabhu's time, many doubted Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. One time, a brahman came to Mahaprabhu from Nabadwip and told something about Nityananda Prabhu; in reply to that, Mahaprabhu said:

মদিরা যবনী যাদি নিত্যানন্দ ধরে ।
তথাপি ব্রহ্মার বন্দ্য কহিল তোমারে ॥

madira yavani yadi nityananda dhare
tathapi brahmara vandya kahila tomare

'Even if Nityananda Prabhu comes drunk with a Muslim lady by His side, He is always worshippable for Lord Brahma.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 3.6.123)

'Even if Nityananda catches and brings along a drunk Muslim girl, Lord Brahma will still offer his obeisance to Him.' This is what Mahaprabhu said about Nityananda Prabhu. You can find this explained in depth in Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, you can get this book and read it. The brahman did not appreciate Nityananda Prabhu's behaviour and practices – Nityananda Prabhu did not have any home, so He would sometimes eat at this house, sometimes at that house, sometimes He would wear one kind of clothes, another time another kind of clothes, sometimes He would wear bangles, sometimes garlands, etc. He was very random in His appearance and behaviour. Nityananda Prabhu is avadhut, He is beyond any rules or regulations. 'Avadhut' means one who bestows mercy upon the fallen, and it also means one who does not bother to follow any rules or regulations of vidhi-marga. You must remember that 'avadhut' means one who bestows mercy upon the lowly and fallen souls. So, Nityananda Prabhu is very merciful, and Sri Gurupadpadma is non-different from Nityananda Prabhu. He, too, is extremely merciful.

I am a fallen, lowly soul, I have no quality or qualification, but Gurudev allowed me to come to him and gave me the right to serve him, to serve the Lord. I have got the right to serve Gurudev, and this is only possible through submission to Gurudev (anugatya). I never crossed his word. Come what may, I have always tried to listen to what Gurudev said and to follow that.

— : • : —

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Chaste Submission Is Key
2) Busy Yourself with Service
3) Value of Chastity
4) Plan Your Journey
5) Avoid Religious Hypocrisy
6) Fight for Your Aspiration
7) Guru's Care
8) Learning the Ropes
9) Run behind the Lord
10) Gurudev's Abundant Blessing