(1) Immerse Yourself Into Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Siliguri, 30 April 2019, evening, part 1
Translated from Bengali

What is it to you what others are doing? If you do something, you will be the gainer. If others cheat or do not do something, that is their problem. Always remember this. If somebody does not want to do service or did not do some service, that is their matter.

Why do we chant the Holy Name? We chant the Holy Name to take part in the service of the Lord. If we can chant the Holy Name and at some point get a chance to join the Lord's service, that is our greatest benefit and attainment. If you practise just one of the sixty-four limbs of devotion, you can get the result of practising all the sixty-four limbs. You think that spiritual life is only chanting the Holy Name on the beads, but it is not so. When you chant kirtan together with devotees, that is also chanting the Holy Name. When you cook, that is also chanting the Holy Name. When you cut vegetables, wash the dishes or make garlands for the Deities, that is also chanting the Holy Name. Remember this.

You must remember the meaning of the kirtans you chant. You chant 'Sri-guru-charana-padma', 'Ohe Vaisnava Thakura', 'Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu daya more kare', about Nityananda Prabhu – all these kirtans are related to God. If you chant it realising this, then it will be chanting the Holy Name. Sometimes, people say, 'Oh, I do not have time to chant on my beads, but I chant the kirtans.' Chanting kirtans is also chanting the Holy Name. If you come to listen to Srimad Bhagavatam reading or if you give a class on Srimad Bhagavatam, that is also chanting the Holy Name. That is why it is said, ‘Bhagavata pada Vaisnavera sthane, ekanta asraya kara Chaitanya-charane (ভাগবত পড় বৈষ্ণবের স্থানে, একান্ত আশ্রয় কর চৈতন্য-চরণে). Read Bhagavatam under the guidance of a Vaishnav and take exclusive shelter at the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’ (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.5.131). You must read Bhagavatam in the association of Vaishnavs and you must take exclusive shelter at the holy feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Always remember this; always keep this in your thoughts.

We will chant a few kirtans now, after that I will speak Hari-katha. I have brought many new books with us. Read them. Many new books have come out: the third volume of Upadesh, Sri Puri Dham Mahatmya. Read them. The more you read, the more you will know. The books that are published from our Math contain very nice things – if you read them, you can learn a lot about God. This is how you can always keep good association.

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