Devotion Is Not a Show

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
speaking online to devotees in São Paulo, Brazil
22 September 2019, Kolkata, part 5

কৃষ্ণভক্ত সঙ্গবিনা অন্য সঙ্গে রত ।
জনসঙ্গী কুবিষয়বিলাসে বিব্রত ॥
নানা স্থানে ভ্রমে যেই নিজ স্বার্থ তরে ।
লৌল্যপর ভক্তিহীন সংজ্ঞা দেয় নরে ॥

krsna-bhakta sanga-vina anya sange rata
jana-sangi ku-visaya-vilase vivrata
nana sthane bhrame yei nija svartha tare
laulyapara bhakti-hina samjna deya nare

"Those who love to keep the company of anyone other than devotees of Krishna are always busy enjoying gross material life and called jana-sangi (socialisers). Those who travel various places for their own interest have no devotion and are called laulya-para (fickle-minded)."

Going so many places for your own interest is not bhakti, devotion. This is called your own interest and that is asat sanga (bad association). You must always have bhakti-sadhana-utsaha—always take interest in your service. You must show interest for your Gurudev's message, you must show interest for the service of devotees.

It is also necessary to have a strong faith (drdha visvas) that Krishna will protect us, that Krishna will take care of us. We do not want to be like Ekalavya who gave his finger to his guru. We do not show that we are great devotees. Ekalavya shows, "I am a great personality! My Guru has asked me for guru-daksin, and I am giving him my finger!" Everyone can say that Ekalavya is so great, but Sriman Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupad show us that Ekalavya actually had a jealous mood—he wanted to be the highest disciple of Dronacharya. That is not bhakti (devotion). If he had bhakti (devotion), Krishna would not have killed him—Krishna always kills demons (asuras).

Sriman Mahaprabhu says that you cannot recognise a devotee based on one's external look, clothes, or anything else. We sometimes hear somebody say, "Oh, he is doing so much tapasya (austerity)!"; demons also do so much tapasya—even more than demigods (is that correct or not?)—but they are not devotees. Being a devotee is something else. Krishna always protects His devotee, Krishna cannot kill His devotee. Do you understand? These are the main things.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Download (0.9 Mb)