Eternal Stumbling Block

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vrindavan Dham, evening class
31 October 2019, translated from Bengali, part 2

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)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, all the worldwide acharyas, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all devotees and all of you praying for your mercy to this low soul.

It is Kartik month, niyom-seva month now, as well as Damodar-vrata. It is the most favourite, the dearmost month of Kirtika-nandini (Srimati Radharani) and the Lord. That is why we have come here and have completed the panchakroshi parikrama of Sri Vrindavan.

Actually, Gurudev said, "I do not know about you, but I personally have no capacity to have the darshan."

অন্ধীভূত চক্ষু যার বিষয ধূলিতে ।
কিরূপে সে পাইবে পরতত্ত্ব দেখিতে ॥

andhibhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite
ki rupe se paibe para-tattva dekhite

"Our eyes have become blind by the dust of visaya, the material world—how can we see the transcendental world?"

Our eyes have become blinded by the dust of material world—then you can think yourself how can we get the darshan of the transcendental abode, transcendental paraphernalia? Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "For as long as we have attraction to this material world, for as long as we have attraction for material things, for as long as our hearts remain unclean, the conception of Sri Rupa-Raghunath will never be able to enter our ears." Then, if you want Sri Rupa-Raghunath's conception to enter into your ears, you must listen to and always speak about the glories of the Lord, Srila Rupa Goswami, and Vaishnavs. Suppose you fall ill and have fever in your body—if somebody gives you some nice food at this time, you will not get any taste of it, everything will taste bitter. In the same way, as long as we have pancha-roga within us [avidya (ignorance), asmita (false identification), raga (misdirected love), dvesa (aversion to anything that goes against one's enjoyment), and abhinivesa (being unable to give up unfavourable habits)], we will never feel happy to hear Hari-katha or chant Hari-kirtan.

That is why Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur sings,

কবে নিত্যানন্দ মোরে করি' দয়া ।
ছাড়াইবে মোর বিষয়ের মায়া ॥

kabe nityananda more kari' daya
chhadaibe mora visayera maya

"When will Nityananda be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"

আর কবে নিতাইচাঁদ করুণা করিবে ।
সংসার-বাসনা মোর কবে তুচ্ছ হ'বে ॥

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become insignificant?"

Living in Vrindavan or Mathura and pretending to live in Vrindavan or Mathura is not the same thing. Mathura or Vrindavan is not a place for doing business, it is not a place for enjoyment. This is a place of service. If you want to stay here to serve, if you have service mood, then you have the right to stay here. We must not come to Vrindavan to always think about ourselves. We must throw away our own interest, we must throw away our own happiness—and always serve our Guru, Vaishnavs and the Lord. It is not so easy to stay in Vrindavan. If you are to live in Vrindavan, you must give up your own interest, your own happiness, you must leave the pleasure of your own senses far away and always worry how to please the Guru and Vaishnavs and how to please the Lord.

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