(10/15) Our Near and Dear

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bokaro, 3 December 2019, evening, part 10
Translated from Bengali

Do you realise how dear and near Gaura-hari is to us? He will never leave us (He is not somebody who is with us only for some time). To help us down the path towards auspiciousness, He comes to this world and tells us about the life in Hari-katha and Hari-kirtan. Jagad-Guru Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, our Gurupadpadma tirelessly spoke Hari-katha, without taking any rest.

The soul can feel the greatest happiness only through devotion, nothing else. I have told you also that at the beginning of Kali-yuga sixty thousand rishis were about to finish their great fire sacrifice that they had been doing in Naimisaranya for a thousand years to attain Vishnu-loka. Despite it, they still felt dissatisfied at heart. At the end of that sacrifice, Vedavyas's disciple and Romaharsan Muni's son Suta Goswami came to Naimisaranya.

Born in a brahman family, Suta Goswami was expert in all scriptures, and he was also present when Sri Sukadev Goswami was speaking Bhagavatam to Pariksit Maharaj. Pariksit Maharaj had heard that he had only seven days left to live, so he wanted to know what he should do during this time. What would we do in his place? We would worry about our money and property and who should inherit it. When many sages came to Pariksit Maharaj to advise him, they also recommended to bequeath his kingdom to his heir, to distribute his wealth among the family, and so on. Only when Sukadev Goswami came there and spoke Srimad Bhagavatam was Pariksit Maharaj's problem truly resolved. And Suta Goswami was present there and heard it, too.

Later, when Sri Suta Goswamipad spoke to the sixty thousand rishis at Naimisaranya, he explained to them that people in Kali-yuga can be rescued by chanting the Holy Name in the shelter of a bona fide guru.

স বৈ পুংসাং পরো ধর্ম্মো যতো ভক্তিরধোক্ষজে ।
অহৈতুক্যপ্রতিহতা যয়াত্মা সুপ্রসীদতি ॥

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati

'The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendental Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.'

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.7)

By serving the Lord, by chanting the Lord's Holy Name in the shelter of a bona fide guru, the soul can attain the highest benefit.

জীবে দয়া নামে রুচি বৈষ্ণব সেবা ।
ইহা বহি সনাতন নাহি আর ধর্ম্ম ॥

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva
iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

‘Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name happily and serve Vaishnavs. Sanatan, except for this, there is no other religion.’

Always remember this.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥
মালী হঞা করে সেই বীজ আরোপণ ।
শ্রবণ-কীর্ত্তন-জলে করয়ে সেচন ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

‘Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna. As gardeners, they must plant that seed and water it with practising: hearing and chanting.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.151–152)

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 35 Mb
Length: 72 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Divine Arrangement
2) Embrace Higher Life
3) Beyond Body Consciousness
4) Come Back Home
5) Material and Spiritual Urges
6) Seek Good Association
7) Scattered Hearts
8) Spiritual Interest
9) Result of Mercy and Association
10) Our Near and Dear
11) Do Not Lose Focus
12) Greatest Internal Obstacle
13) Main Priority
14) Clean Your Ears
15) Root of Devotion