Always Think, Always Hanker

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking online to devotees in Spain
16 September 2019, Kolkata, part 1

How are you, everybody? Is everybody OK? I am OK, everything is fine. No problem. By the mercy of Gurudev, this year a big Radhastami festival was held properly in Siliguri. Then I went to Nabadwip, Mayapur, and Nrisingha Palli—I had some service there. Yesterday I came back to Kolkata.

I heard there was a good festival in London, I was very happy to hear that. There have been many festivals during the past week—Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur appearance day, Srila Haridas Thakur's disappearance niryan-tithi, and others. All festivals were observed properly. Actually, when we make a festival, all devotees come together and there is some ista-gosthi (open-hearted talks), if anyone has any questions or any doubts, etc. they can express it. That is why we make festivals from time to time. Our conception is like that. We must open our door, open our heart, and everybody can get a place in it—we can help those who follow Krishna consciousness, who are eager to properly come to Krishna consciousness.

Actually, every jiva soul is covered by illusory environment—we are controlled by Maya. If we are always controlled by Maya, we cannot prosper, we cannot progress in our spiritual life properly. That is why we must all engage ourselves in proper sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam, pada-sevanam (hearing, chanting, remembering, offering obeisance, engaging in service as a servitor, as a friend, self-submission, serving the lotus feet of the Lord), sadhu-sanga, Nama-sankirtana, Bhagavat-sravan, Mathura-vas, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana (associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith). This is the main thing. We must engage ourselves in studying spiritual books, listening to kirtans, singing kirtans, listening to the class, attending the programmes.

We must always continue our spiritual life. We must use time for the service to the Lord. Time is very short, and time is very valuable. We must remain within the service to Gurudev, the service to the devotees at every moment—we must use ourselves for the service of the Lord at every moment. That is our duty. We must think in this way, and we must continue in this way ourselves—for the service of the Lord.

Always think about it, always hanker. There is a song written by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur:

কবে হবে বল, সে দিন আমার ।
অপরাধ ঘুচি' শুদ্ধ নামে রুচি
কৃপা-বলে হবে হৃদয়ে সঞ্চার ॥
কবে হবে বল, সে দিন আমার ।

kabe ha'be bala se dina amara
(amara) aparadha ghuchi', suddha name ruchi,
krpa-bale ha'be hrdaye sanchara
kabe ha'be bala se dina amara

"Please tell me, when will that day be mine when my offences will be dispelled and taste for the pure Name will be infused within my heart by the power of mercy? Please tell me, when will that day be mine?"

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

The main thing for us is that we must use ourselves for the service of the Lord.

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