(3) Serve With Care

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Siliguri, 30 April 2019, evening, part 3
Translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

‘The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill – all it takes is mercy from gurudev.’

(Bhavartha Dipika)

[Clamour] Can you not hold it anymore? Why are you talking?

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la’be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

‘Do not listen to village talks, do not speak about village news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour from others, give all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna and serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236–237)

You chant this kirtan on the ekadasi days:

শুদ্ধ ভকত- চরণ-রেণু,
ভজন-অনুকূল ।
ভকত-সেবা, পরম সিদ্ধি,
প্রমলতিকার মূল ॥

suddha-bhakata-charana-renu,
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva, parama-siddhi,
prema-latikara mula

‘Pure devotees’ foot dust is favourable to devotion. Serving devotees is the supreme fulfilment and the root of the creeper of divine love.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must serve pure devotees (suddha-bhaktas). You must not only sing about it. You sing about service to pure devotees, but you do not serve pure devotees.

মাধব-তিথি, ভক্তি জননী,
যতনে পালন করি ।
কৃষ্ণবসতি, বসতি বলি’,
পরম আদরে বরি ॥

madhava-tithi, bhakti janani,
yatane palana kari
krsna-vasati, vasati bali’,
parama adare bari

‘I carefully observe all holy days related to Lord Madhav – such days are mothers of devotion. With much affection, I take Krishna’s holy abode as a place of my own residence.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Ekadasi days (tithi) are called Madhava-tithi (days of the Lord) – such days are the mother of devotion (give birth to devotion). So, Ekadasi Tithi is Bhakti Devi's mother. The only duty of a human being is to practise spiritual life (practise Krishna consciousness). Every living entity must take part in the service of the Lord and observe ekadasi.

Before Gaura Purnima, I visited rice mills. At one mill, they told me, 'Will you have some tea and biscuits?' We do not drink tea, and that day was also ekadasi (so, no biscuits). I asked the man, 'It is ekadasi today. Are you not fasting?' The man replied, 'I am not a widow, am I?' and then I told him, 'Are you saying that I am a widow??' They think that only widows must follow ekadasi. This is not written anywhere in the scriptures. People are afraid, 'If I fast on ekadasi, my wife will die, and my in-laws and children will suffer.' They actually forbid their daughters-in-law to fast on ekadasi. But it is said in the sciptures that we must observe ekadasi with great care and attention. On such days we must only serve pure devotees.

Not a single day in householders' lives must pass without vaishnav-seva and chanting the Holy Name. Therefore, we must always serve Vaishnavs (devotees). You will not get any result without service to devotees. Always serve devotees. If you serve devotees, it will make the Lord happy. If you try to serve the Lord, He will not be as happy as when you serve His devotee.

You have heard what Sivji Maharaj told Parvati Devi. Parvati Devi asked him, 'Whose worship is the highest?' At first, Sivji Maharaj said that the worship of Lord Vishnu is the highest. He told the truth, but Parvati was upset to hear it, thinking, 'I serve Siva, I do not serve Vishnu...' Then, Lord Siva told her, 'What you are doing is right, Parvati. The worship of Lord Vishnu is the highest, but higher than even that is the worship of Lord Vishnu's devotee.'

আরাধনানাং সর্ব্বেষাং বিষ্ণোরারাধনং পরম্ ।
তস্মাৎ পরতরং দেবি তদীয়ানাং সমর্চ্চনম্ ॥

aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarchanam

'Of all types of worship, the worship of Lord Vishnu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Vishnu is the worship of His devotee, a Vaishnav.'

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur writes:

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

‘May I have the same kind of love for Your holy feet as I now have for this material world.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

These words come from Srimad Bhagavatam: he wrote this kirtan based on what Srimad Bhagavatam says.

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