(10) Devotees' Inner Wealth

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Hapaniya Dham, Vyasa Puja Mahotsav
22 October 2019, morning, part 10
Translated from Bengali

অনাদি করম-ফলে, পড়ি’ ভবার্ণব-জলে,
তরিবারে না দেখি উপায় ।
এ-বিষয় হলাহলে, দিবানিশি হিয়া জ্বলে,
মন কভু সুখ নাহি পায় ॥

anadi karama-phale, padi’ bhavarnava-jale,
taribare na dekhi upaya
e-visaya halahale, diva-nisi hiya jvale,
mana kabhu sukha nahi paya

'I fell into the ocean of material existence as the result of my own actions and have lived in it since time immemorial. I do not see how to get out of it. The deadly poison of this material world is tormenting my heart day and night; nothing makes my mind happy.'

আশা-পাশ শত শত, ক্লশ দেয় অবিরত,
প্রবৃত্তি-ঊর্ম্মির তাহে খেলা ।

asa-pasa sata sata, klesa deya avirata,
pravrtti-urmira tahe khela

'I am constantly surrounded with pain and misery on all sides, with waves of impulsive desires playing in it.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

The more we wish for something, the more frustrated we become. You think, 'Oh, I wish I had fifty rupees.' But do you feel happy when you get these fifty rupees? You are not, because you start thinking, 'Oh, I wish I had a hundred rupees.' Even when you become big and get ten million rupees, you will start thinking, 'I need ten million rupees more!' You do not feel happy. Suppose you have no house. After some time, you anyhow manage to build a two-storey house, but it does not make you happy because you start thinking, 'Oh, I wish I had the third floor.' You had no house, you had no electricity, but when you make a house, when you get electricity and air conditioning, it still does not make you happy. This is what is called 'asa-pasa sata sata, klesa deya avirata pravrtti-urmira tahe khela – I am constantly surrounded with pain and misery on all sides, with waves of impulsive desires playing in it.'

কাম-ক্রোধ-আদি ছয়, বাটপাড়ে দেয় ভয়,
অবসান হৈল আসি’ বেলা ॥

kama-krodha-adi chhaya, batapade deya bhaya,
avasana haila asi’ bela

'I am harassed by the six highway robbers (lust, anger, etc.). And now my time has come to an end.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Lust, anger, etc. are highway robbers. What do highway robber do? They make sudden attacks and take away your things.

জ্ঞান-কর্ম্ম ঠগ দুই, মোরে প্রতারিয়া লই’,
অবশেষে ফেলে সিন্ধু জলে ।
এ হেন সময়ে বন্ধু, তুমি কৃষ্ণ কৃপাসিন্ধু,
কৃপা করি’ তোল মোরে বলে ॥

jnana-karma thaga dui, more pratariya lai’,
avasese phele sindhu jale
e hena samaye bandhu, tumi krsna krpa-sindhu,
krpa kari’ tola more bale

'Material life and knowledge, these two thugs, took advantage of me, and I ended up getting thrown out into this ocean. It was at this time that You, my friend Krishna, an ocean of mercy, took pity on me and quickly pulled me out.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Materialists and knowledge-seekers are thugs! They come and take advantage of us. What are we to do now? We can only cry, 'Krishna, You are my only friend, You are an ocean of mercy. Please get me out of here!

...There was Durga Puja a while ago, then there was Laksmi Puja recently, and soon Kali Puja is coming. What are people going to say? 'Make me rich (dhanam dehi)', 'Give me knowledge (vidyam dehi)', 'Make me beautiful (rupam dehi)', 'Give me a good wife (bharyam dehi)'. But what we say is just the opposite (it is there in the fourth kirtan of Siksastakam):

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

'I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could serve You life after life.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.29)

'I do not want wealth, I do not want any followers or friends, I do not want a beautiful wife – I do not want anything in this world. What do I want? I only want to have causeless devotion to Your holy lotus feet, O Lord!'

প্রভু ! তব পদযুগে মোর নিবেদন ।
নাহি মাগি দেহ-সুখ, বিদ্যা, ধন, জন ॥
নাহি মাগি স্বর্গ, আর মোক্ষ নাহি মাগি ।
না করি প্রার্থনা কোন বিভূতির লাগি’ ॥

prabhu! tava pada-yuge mora nivedana
nahi magi deha-sukha, vidya, dhana, jana
nahi magi svarga, ara moksa nahi magi
na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi'

'O Lord, I am submitting this appeal at Your feet: I do not pray for any bodily pleasures, knowledge, wealth or companions. I do not pray for heaven or liberation, neither do I pray for any godly opulence or powers.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'I do not want to go to heaven because I know that if I go to heaven, I will have to come back from there. Neither do I pray for liberation or any special powers.'

নিজ কর্ম্ম-গুণ-দোষে যে যে জন্ম পাই ।
জন্মে জন্মে যেন তব নাম গুণ গাই ॥

nija karma-guna-dose ye ye janma pai
janme janme yena tava nama guna gai

'Whatever birth I get as the result of my actions and good or bad qualities, may I life after life sing Your Names and glories.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Whatever birth I get because of my previous actions, may I only be able to chant Your glories birth after birth.'

এইমাত্র আশা মম তোমার চরণে ।
অহৈতুকী-ভক্তি হৃদে জাগে অনুক্ষণে ॥

ei-matra asa mama tomara charane
ahaituki-bhakti hrde jage anuksane

'This is my only aspiration and prayer at Your holy feet: may causeless devotion to You awaken in my heart at every moment.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'I am praying to You that I may always have devotion to You.'

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, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'I am attached to my house, my money, my wife, my children, but I wish that I had the same kind of attachment to You, O Lord!' We ourselves eat a plate full of rice, but for the Lord we give only air. One glass of water and some air. We think, 'Oh, the Lord is so small, He cannot eat much,' so we give only a small bowl to the Lord, but we make sure that we eat well...

বিপদে সম্পদে তাহা থাকুক সমভাবে ।
দিনে দিনে বৃদ্ধি হউক নামের প্রভাবে ॥

vipade sampade taha thakuk sama-bhave
dine dine vrddhi hauk’ namera prabhave

'May that love remain unswerving in bad times and good times and increase day by day, by the influence of Your Names.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Even if I face some trouble, even if I am living happily, even if I have money, even if I have no money – may all this be the same to me. Even if some money comes to me, I will use it for the Lord.' When people get into hospital, they start to cry to God, 'O Lord! Please save me!' or they start begging doctors, 'Please save my husband!', 'Please save my son!' but the doctors say, 'Do not ask me, I have no power. Ask God.' Then you think of calling out to the Lord.

পশুপক্ষী হয়ে থাকি স্বর্গে বা নিরয়ে ।
তব ভক্তি রহু ভক্তিবিনোদ-হৃদয়ে ॥

pasu-paksi haye thaki svarge va niraye
tava bhakti rahu bhaktivinoda-hrdaye

'Even if I am born as a beast or a bird, in heaven or hell, may devotion to You remain in the Bhaktivinod’s heart.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You must chant all these kirtans!

হইলেও সর্ব্বগুণে গুণী মহাশয় ।
প্রতিষ্ঠাশা ছাড়ি’ কর অমানী হৃদয় ॥

haileo sarva-gune guni mahasaya
pratisthasa chhadi’ kara amani hrdaya

'Even if you become a great soul, enriched with all qualities, make your heart humble giving up desire for prestige.'

কৃষ্ণ-অধিষ্ঠান সর্ব্বজীবে জানি’ সদা ।
করবি সম্মান সবে আদরে সর্ব্বদা ॥

krsna-adhisthana sarva-jive jani’ sada
karabi samana sabe adare sarvada

'Knowing that Krishna is always present within all living entities, always treat everyone with affection.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

The Lord is present within all living entities, so you cannot kill anybody or anything. It is necessary to give honour to everybody and treat everybody with affection.

দৈন্য, দয়া, অন্যে মান, প্রতিষ্ঠা বর্জ্জন ।
চারিগুণে গুণী হই’ করহ কীর্ত্তন ॥

dainya, daya, anye mana, pratistha varjana
chari-gune guni hai’ karaha kirtana

'Humility, compassion, honouring others and giving up your own prestige – become enriched with these four qualities and chant the Lord’s Holy Name and glories.'

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must be humble, we must give honour to others and we must leave pratistha (hankering for name and fame).

Read or chant these kirtans and read their meaning, you will get benefit. We are sitting now in front of Sri Sri Radha-Gopinath, so let us chant some kirtan in glorification of Gopinath. But, first, we shall chant Srila Prabhupad's kirtan.

[His Divine Grace chants 'Sujanarvuda radhita pada yugam'. In the middle of the kirtan, sadhus arrive from Mayapur. His Divine Grace stops kirtan and tells the devotees.] We are going on a short parikrama now. It is only two–five minutes to walk. We will first go to the temple of Lord Siva where Srila Param Guru Maharaj used to come, and after that we will go to Santi Sarovar – it is named in honour of Shanti Devi, a person who was related to Param Guru Maharaj. Let us go now.

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