(9) Month of Internal Churning

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Hapaniya Dham, Vyasa Puja Mahotsav
22 October 2019, morning, part 9
Translated from Bengali

You are very fortune to have come today to this holy place, Hapaniya, where Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj made his advent. It is great fortune to be able to come here. The Deities of Sri Sri Radha-Gopinath installed here are small, but you can remember Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami's Deity of Sri Radha-Ramansundar in Vrindavan – the Deity is also small, but the temple is great. His power is actually unlimited. Sri Radha-Ramansundar appeared from a salagram sila: Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami served the Lord in such a way that as the result of his service Sri Radha-Ramansundar manifested Himself.

It is the pure month of Kartik, it is the month of niyom-seva. This is not time for gossiping and talking about this and that – this is the month for chanting kirtan only. We must not be jealous of others or vindictive. You have heard it chanted in one of the kirtans:

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

'You must practise tolerance like that of a tree and nurture others giving up vengeance.'

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

Even if somebody treats us bad, we must not treat this person bad in return.

জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ-সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

'You must live without causing anxiety to others and do good unto others forsaking your own happiness.'

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

Do you understand the meaning of this kirtan? Sometimes, people chant kirtans, but they do not understand their meaning... We must not trouble others for our needs (food, clothes, and so on). We must live without causing anxiety to others and do good unto others forsaking your own happiness.

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

'You must always leave ego and consider yourself to be more lowly than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and wretched.'

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

When brahmacharis go house to house, householders will say, 'Oh, if it was not for our money, no sadhus or sannyasis would be able to survive.' At other times, they can even chase you out, kick you out. What is it to you? If it happens, it will increase your tolerance, and you will learn to become humbler than a blade of grass. If you come to tell Hari-katha to somebody but they swear you in reply, you must continue speaking and tell even more Hari-katha to them. Come and speak Hari-katha again and again. Do not think, 'Oh, this man has told me bad things, so I will not go to him again, I will keep away from him.' No. You must come and try to explain things to him again and again.

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

'You must always leave ego and consider yourself to be more lowly than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and wretched.'

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

'You must practise tolerance like that of a tree and nurture others giving up vengeance.'

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

The quality of our forgiveness should be like that of a tree. When a tree grows a branch, you come and cut the branch, but then the tree grows another branch, and when it is a very hot day, the tree gives you shelter under that branch – forgiving you for what you have done, the tree gives you shelter. We must be as forgiving as trees. We must not treat others bad, even if they treat us bad.

You chant during the Kartik month:

শ্রীকৃষ্ণ-বিরহ আর সহিতে না পারি ।
পরাণ ছাড়িতে আর দিন দুই চারি ॥

sri-krsna-viraha ara sahite na pari
parana chhadite ara dina dui chari

'I cannot tolerate this separation from Sri Krishna anymore. A few more days and I will give up my life.'

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

Do you know what the main distinctive quality of Gaudiya Vaishnavs is? Which mood do they consider the highest? Madhura-rasa, and mathura-viraha in particular. Do you understand the meaning of 'mathura-viraha'? When Krishna left Vrindavan and went to Mathura, Vraja gopis, Radharani, Nanda Maharaj, Mother Yasoda and others were all consumed by separation – that kind of separation is what we worship. We must offer millions of obeisances to those who experience such separation. Always remember this.

You must chant these kirtans and understand their meaning. We were chanting these Siksastakam kirtans, but if you do not understand their meaning, you will not feel any taste or desire to chant.

শূন্য ধরাতল, চৌদিকে দেখিয়ে,
পরাণ উদাস হয় ।
কি করি, কি করি, স্থির নাহি হয়,
জীবন নাহিক রয় ॥

sunya dhara-tala, chaudike dekhiye,
parana udasa haya
ki kari, ki kari, sthira nahi haya,
jivana nahika raya

'When I glance all around me, I feel the world is empty – my heart has become indifferent to everything. What am I to do? What am I to do? I cannot calm down. My life is leaving me…'

ব্রজবাসিগণ, মোর প্রাণ রাখ,
দেখাও শ্রীরাধানাথে ।
ভকতিবিনোদ, মিনতি মানিয়া,
লও হে তাহারে সাথে ॥

vraja-basi-gana, mora prana rakha,
dekhao sri-radha-nathe
bhakativinoda, minati maniya,
lao he tahare sathe

'O residents of Vraja! Please save my life: show me the Lord of Sri Radha! Satisfying this humble plea of Bhaktivinod, please take him along with you.'

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

'O Vraja-basis, please save my life! Please show me Radhanath! He has left us and went away! I cannot see Him anymore... Please let me see Him just once!' This kind of mood must come to us, but why is it not coming? The answer is also there – in the sixth kirtan:

অপরাধ-ফলে মম, চিত্ত-ভেল বজ্রসম,
তুয়া নামে না লভে বিকার ।
হতাশ হইয়া, হরি, তব নাম উচ্চ করি,
বড় দুঃখে ডাকি বারবার ॥

aparadha-phale mama, chitta-bhela vajra-sama,
tuya name na labhe vikara
hatasa haiya, hari, tava nama uchcha kari,
bada duhkhe daki bara-bara

'As the result of my offences, my heart has become as hard as a thunderbolt, and I do not feel any spiritual transformation when chanting Your Names. Frustrated, I am very sadly calling out to You, taking Your Name again and again.'

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

These things do not touch us – no tears come from our eyes. Why? Why are we so hard-hearted? Because we have been committing offences life after life, and our hearts have become as hard as a thunderbolt. Now we feel very sad and keep calling out to the Lord...

— : • : —

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