(8/11) Spiritual Sepsis

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bhanjipur, preaching programme
12 November 2019, evening, part 8
Translated from Bengali

Those who will come will come – we do not want any prestige or popularity. If you give one simple flower garland, this is sufficient – it is not necessary to arrange so many things. If there is Hari-katha, that is kirtan, and if the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is chanted, then the function is completed. Wherever sadhus go, that place becomes automatically pure. Devotees have come here from various places and countries around the world – they come to listen to Hari-katha; that is sufficient to ensure the success of your function. Outside people arrange rituals and do many things, but Vaishnavs' world is different.

Reciting big mantras in front of the Deities, making elaborate decorations, and so on – this is all external. Mantras should be within your hearts! Otherwise, externally you offer prostrate obeisances and recite prayers, but internally you give shelter to Kali – how does that work? Devotion must come from the heart. Your worship and adoration should come from devotion.

The mind and the senses live in the external world, but the soul lives in the internal world. Your senses (eyes, nose, ears, tongue, skin) see and judge the external world. Suppose, you see a beautiful girl somewhere on the street. Even if you close your eyes, you will still see her, and later that girl's image will keep coming to your mind even if she is not present before you anymore. So, the mind and the senses live in the external world, but the soul lives in the internal world.

People never think about their souls and about the benefit of their souls – they only think about their bodies: 'What will I eat?', 'What will I wear?', 'Where will I sleep?', 'Where will I stay?' Thinking about all this, people spend their whole lives worrying about their bodies. What will you do with such fools? Who will understand this? Who will you tell it to? If you tell somebody, 'You are a fool,' they will say, 'You are a fool yourself.' Everybody thinks, 'We are good, and you are all fools.' Srila Prabhupad used harsh words when he scolded such people. But I cannot do it...

So, we were singing:

পরম করুণ, পহুঁ দুই জন,
নিতাই গৌরচন্দ্র ।
সব অবতার- সার শিরোমণি,
কেবল আনন্দ কন্দ ॥১॥

parama karuna, pahu dui jana,
nitai gaura-chandra
saba avatara- sara siromani,
kevala ananda kanda [1]

'Nitai and Gaurachandra are two most merciful Lords. They are the best crest-jewels of all incarnations and the root of pure happiness.'

What kind of happiness is mentioned here? Our great happiness is that Nitai-Gauranga came in this Kali-yuga. If you chant Krishna's Name, you can commit offences, but there are no offences if you chant Nitai-Gaura's Names. So, only chant, 'Hari bol! Dayal Nitai!' Say with me now, 'Nitai-Gaura! Nitai-Gaura! Nitai-Gaura!' Nityananda and Gauranga are the great givers of the divine love for the Lord.

ভজ ভজ ভাই, চৈতন্য-নিতাই,
সুদৃঢ় বিশ্বাস করি’ ।
বিষয় ছাড়িয়া, সে রসে মজিয়া,
মুখে বল হরি হরি ॥২॥

bhaja bhaja bhai, chaitanya-nitai,
sudrdha visvasa kari’
visaya chhadiya, se rase majiya,
mukhe bala hari hari [2]
(gramya-katha parihari, mukhe bala gaura hari)

'Brother, serve, serve Chaitanya and Nitai with the strongest faith! Leave aside all material things and, immersing yourself into this nectar, chant out loud, "Hari! Hari!" [Leave all material talks, and only chant Gaura-hari's Name!]'

Mahaprabhu told us not to talk about material things. The Lord has given you mouths, but you use your mouths to talk about anything and everything. You enjoy the light and the wind. You breathe all the time, but where does the air you breathe in and out come from? Who has created it and who has given it to you? Did any of your relatives give it to you? In a way, yes, – your supreme relative, the Lord, has given it to you. You breathe, you enjoy the sunlight, the moonlight, the water – without water, you cannot grow anything, there would be no food. Who has given you all this? The Lord. You enjoy the Lord's things, but you forget Him. You have got these mouths to speak about Him; you have got these ears to hear about Him, but instead you only listen to all kinds of nonsense and talk all kinds of nonsense. Everything has become septic (infected with poison).

We do not listen about the Lord, we do not chant the Lord's glories, but this is what we have got our ears and mouths for... When your souls leave these bodies, you will not be able to speak – your legs and hands will not move, your eyes will not see anything, your ears will not hear anything. Have you ever thought about what will become of your souls? You are only thinking about food, sleep and clothes. You worry only about petty things, and because of that you cannot attain any great things.

Why cannot people take initiation? Why cannot they come to the temple? Why cannot they accept sadhu-sanga? Because of one simple weakness – they cannot give up meat and fish, onion and garlic, gambling and intoxication; they cannot accept the prohibition to mix with other women except one's lawful wife. This is how people live. Gambling, intoxication, illegal mixing and slaughter are the four places of Kali. Because you cannot give up these petty things, you cannot come to this line. You live only thinking about eating, sleeping, defending and breeding.

Speak about the Lord with your mouths! The Lord will ask you one day, 'I have given you a mouth to speak about Me, but you only spoke about yourself (about your food, clothes and sleep). Why?' People are always fighting over these trifle things. I see this also when it comes to taking prasad. If you do not put paneer-rasam on somebody's plate, they will get angry, 'Why did you not give me any paneer?!' If you think, 'Oh, I have not got any paneer,' then you are only taking paneer, you are not taking prasad. When fried eggplant is distributed, they do not give any to you, and you think, 'Oh, they did not give me fried eggplant, but others have got it.' Then you are eating eggplant, you are not taking prasad. Remember this. You must honour prasad (it should be prasad-seva).

So, we were singing, 'Leave material talks and only chant the Lord's Names.' Mahaprabhu also told Srila Raghunath Das Goswami:

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la’be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

‘Do not listen to village talks, do not speak about village news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour from others, give all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna and serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236–237)

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।
গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

‘gorara ami, gorara ami’ mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara laile phala phale

‘Just saying, “I am Gora’s! I am Gora’s!” will not do. Only when you follow Gora’s practice and Gora’s conception will you get the proper result.’

লোক দেখান গোরা ভজা তিলক মাত্র ধরি ।
গোপনেতে অত্যাচার গোরা ধরে চুরি ॥

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari’
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

‘You put on tilaks and show the whole world that you serve Gora, but secretly you do outrageous things. Gora will catch you out, thief (hypocrite)!’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6–7, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

Follow Gora's teachings, then you will get the result! Remember this.

দেখ ওরে ভাই, ত্রিভুবনে নাই,
এমন দয়াল দাতা ।

dekha ore bhai, tribhuvane nai,
emana dayala data
[emana dayala ke va achhe]
[nitayar gaurer mata, emana dayala ke va achhe]
mar' kheye nama prema yachhe, emana dayala ke va achhe]
[emana dayala data]

'Look, brother, in all the three worlds there is no other benefactor as merciful as They are. [Is there anyone as merciful as He is? Even when He was beaten, He bestowed divine love for the Holy Name! Is there anyone as merciful as He is? He is such a merciful benefactor!]'

Can there be anybody as merciful as They are? Madhai beat Nityananda, and Mahaprabhu was very angry with him – He wanted to kill him with His Sudarshan chakra – but Nityananda Prabhu protected and saved Madhai. He gave him His own shelter and then threw him at Mahaprabhu's feet. Is there anybody as merciful as Him? They beat Him, but He only said, 'Say Lord's Krishna's Name just once! Say "Hari bol" just once!' Nityananda is guru-tattva. Is there anybody as merciful as He is? 'Hena Nitai bine bhai, Radha-Krsna paite nai. It is not possible to come to Radha-Krishna without this Nitai.' Without Nityananda, without service to Sri Gurupadpadma, even if you reach Radha-Krishna you will not get anything.

হেন নিতাই বিনে ভাই, রাধাকৃষ্ণ পাইতে নাই,
দৃঢ় করি ধর নিতাইর পায় ॥

hena nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna paite nai,
drdha kari dhara nitaira paya

'Brother, it is not possible to come to Radha-Krishna without this Nitai. Firmly grasp Nitai’s feet!'

You must serve Nitai! You must clasp onto Him firmly. Remember this.

পশুপাখী ঝুরে, পাষাণ বিদরে,
শুনি’ যার গুণ-গাথা ॥৩॥

pasu-pakhi jhure, pasana vidare,
suni’ yara guna-gatha [3]

'Look, brother, in all the three worlds there is no other benefactor as merciful as They are. Even birds and animals begin to shed tears and stones melt just by hearing about Their glories.'

Once you start talking about Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu, you can talk the whole day. When Mahaprabhu chanted kirtan, even deer and tigers forgot themselves. Usually tigers eat deer, and if a deer sees a tiger, it flees, but when Mahaprabhu was walking through the forest, tigers and deer embraced each other and walked side by side. Who can be as merciful as He is? He is the most merciful Lord. Stealing Radharani's heart and halo, the Supreme Lord comes as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, a combined form of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. Even when birds and beasts heard about Him, they started chanting kirtan. But we are so hard-hearted and sinful that we cannot even think about Nityananda and Gauranga.

সংসারে মজিয়া, রহিলি পড়িয়া,
সে পদে নহিল আশ ।
আপন করম, ভুঞ্জায় শমন,
কহয়ে লোচন দাস ॥৪॥

samsare majiya, rahili padiya,
se pade nahila asa
apana karama, bhunjaya samana,
kahaye lochana dasa [4]

Lochan Das says, ‘Drowning in material life, I have been living as a fallen wretch never aspiring to come to Their feet. Now I am being punished for my own actions.’

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Spend, Serve and Succeed
2) What Is What, Who Is Who
3) Shameless Servants
4) Material and Spiritual Desires
5) 'Kidnap Me'
6) Distraction Leads to Destruction
7) Lost and Found
8) Spiritual Sepsis
9) Eternal Parikrama Life
10) Settle in Mathura
11) Mahaprabhu's Advent