(5/8) Sincere Worship

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Mejhiari, evening, 20 April 2019, part 5
Translated from Bengali

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

'Devotees submit their entire being when they take initiation. At this time, Krishna accepts them as His very own.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.192)

In this Age of Kali, there are kali-gurus (demoniac teachers), kaulik-gurus (ancestral teachers), laukik-gurus (family teachers), yogi-gurus (teachers of mystic powers), karmi-gurus (teachers of material gain), jnani-gurus (teachers of material knowledge) – you can find many such gurus in this world – but there are very few paramarthik-gurus (spiritual teachers). Even though such gurus are very rare, they can rescue the whole universe. Never forget this.

We must always practise Krishna consciousness – we must serve and worship the Lord; if we do not do this, we have no other way, no other solution. It is said in the scriptures:

হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

'Chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name – there is no other way, no other way, no other way.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.76)

There is no other way in the Age of Kali except for chanting the Holy Name. The Holy Name is the only method how you can come to the Lord. If you can chant the Holy Names of the Lord without offences, you can attain the wealth of divine love for the Lord: 'Niraparadhe Nama laile pabe Krsna-prema-dhana (নিরপরাধে নাম লৈলে পায় প্রেমধন)' (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.71). It is necessary to chant without offences, then you can reach this highest attainment.

The problem is how many people can recognise Sriman Nityananda Prabhu? Who can recognise Sriman Gauranga Mahaprabhu? Nobody... Only those who have mercy can understand Them.

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।
গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

'Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.'

লোক দেখান গোরা ভজা তিলক মাত্র ধরি ।
গোপনেতে অত্যাচার গোরা ধরে চুরি ॥

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

'You put on tilaks and show the whole world that you serve Gora, but secretly you do outrageous things. Gora will catch you, thief (hypocrite)!'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6–7)

You must not worship Gora only to show off in front of others or to impress others.We must always live following all the rules and regulations properly. You have been to our temple in Tarakeshwar, so you know the programme. After the Deities are installed, you must have mangal-arati every morning, bhoga-arati at noon and sandhya-arati in the evening. Offer bhoga to the Deities five times a day. This should be our life – our meditation and the entire focus of our thoughts.

You must plant Tulasi at your homes and do Tulasi parikrama every day. Tulasi is the Mistress of Vrindavan – just seeing her or touching her destroys all your sins. Even if you cook fifty-six grain offerings and thirty-six vegetable offerings, the Lord will not accept any of them without Tulasi. In Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says, 'If a devotee worships Me by offering Me a single drop of Ganges water and a Tulasi leaf, I cannot repay My debt to them. The only way for Me to repay them is to give Myself to them.' So, the Lord does not want much more than just some Ganges water and Tulasi leaves. You do not have to worry about getting anything expensive or extraordinary. The Lord is the proprietor of everything in this world, but because of our pride and ego we pretend to be the proprietors: 'This is my house', 'This is my car', 'My money'. We live in the world of 'me' and 'mine', that is why we cannot understand anything.

Say with me: 'Hare Krishna!' What is wrong? Do you have no strength in your throat? If there is a fight, you shout and yell bad names with full strength...

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Call the Lord loudly. When you call your children at home, you yell out their names – you should call out to the Lord in the same way, loudly, then the Lord will hear your call. If you call your son or daughter in your mind, do you think they will hear your call? Of course, they will not. You have to call them nicely. Likewise, you must call the Lord loudly, too. Calling Him in your mind, mentally, will not work.

You have heard me chant some kirtans earlier. We chanted guru-vandana, Pancha-tattva-vandana, vaishnav-vandana, Nityananda's vandana, Mahaprabhu's vandana, Radha-Krishna's vandana. This is how you start from prayers to the guru and, gradually, come step by step all the way to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. You cannot worship Gauranga bypassing the guru: 'Guru bade Gauranga bhaje, sei papi raurave pade majhe (গুরু বাদে গৌরাঙ্গ ভজে সেই পাপী রৌরবে পড়ি মজে): the sinner who worships Gauranga without the guru will fall into a terrible hell.' Many try to worship Gauranga without a guru, but such 'worship' is useless, it cannot bring you any benefit in this world. Such people only come and go, passing their lives in vain.

কয় বার এলি কয় বার গেলি
তবু তত্ত্ব না শিখিলি ।
নিজের মাথা নিজে খাইলি
এ দোষ দিবি কারে ভাই ?

kaya bara eli kaya bara geli
tabu tattva na sikhili
nijer matha nije khaili
e-dosa dibe kare bhai?

'Coming and going, coming and going, and never learnt anything. You have been eating your own brain, who will you blame now, brother?'

Who will you blame? You are your own friend, and you are your own enemy.

[His Divine Grace chants 'Gaya Gora madhura svare'.]

gaya gora madhura svare
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [1]

Gora sings sweetly: ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.’

grhe thaka, vane thaka, sada ‘hari’ bale’ daka
sukhe duhkhe bhulo naka, vadane harinama kara re [2]

Whether you live at home or in a forest, always call out to the Supreme Lord. In happiness and in sadness, do not forget it: loudly chant the Lord’s Names.

maya-jale baddha ha’ye, achha michhe kaja la’ye
ekhana-o chetana peye, radha-madhava-nama bala re [3]

Bound in Maya’s net, you waste your time on useless work. While you are still conscious, chant Radha-Madhav’s Names!

jivana haila sesa, na bhajile hrsikesa
bhaktivinod-upadesa, eka-bara nama-rase mata re [4]

Your life has come to an end, but you have not served Lord Hrishikesh. Here is Bhaktivinod’s advice: let the nectar of the Holy Name take over you just once.

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Length: 62 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Arise from Oblivion
2) Embrace Conscious Living
3) Our Misery-Fraught Slumber
4) Unhealthy Condition
5) Sincere Worship
6) Troubled Souls
7) Turn Yourself into Servant
8) Whom Will You Tell?