(1/6) Krishna-Centred Renunciation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme, 1 January 2020, part 1
Translated from Bengali

Some preach, saying, 'Become a devotee of Krishna!' but before you become a devotee of Krishna, first become a devotee of Krishna's devotees. We preach, 'Become a devotee of Gauranga,' 'Become a devotee of Nityananda Prabhu', 'Become a devotee of Krishna's servants', 'Become a devotee, a servant of Vaishnavs.' First become a servant of Vaishnavs, then a servant of the guru, after that you can think of becoming a servant of Krishna. Lord Krishna Himself said, 'If you say that you are My devotee, you are not My devotee. But if you are a servant of My devotees, then you are My devotee.' That is why we must serve Vaishnavs, we must have faith in Vaishnavs and give honour to them. At the same time, we never think that we are Vaishnavs ourselves. '"Ami ta vaisnava" e buddhi haile amani na ha'ba ami ('আমি ত বৈষ্ণব' এ বুদ্ধি হইলে অমানী না হ'ব আমি). If I think, "I am a Vaishnav," then I will never stop expecting honour from others.'

We pray, 'Ami sakti-buddhi-hina, ami ati dina, koro more atmasatha (আমি শক্তিবুদ্ধিহীন আমি অতি দীন কর মোরে আত্মসাথ): I have no energy, I do not have any power or intelligence. Please hijack me!' We pray to be hijacked! Sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs come to our homes to hijack us. Do they come to hijack your money, wealth, houses, cars and great buildings? No. They come to hijack you. They want to hijack you and, after detaching you from Maya (illusory environment), they use you for the service of Radha-Govinda. Detaching you from illusory bondage, they allow you to enter Radha-Govinda's family. They want to make everyone members of Krishna's family.

Actually, we are all members of Krishna's family. We belong to one family. Somebody may live now in South 24 Parganas; some, in North 24 Parganas; some, in Pakistan; some, in London, but we come from the same family, from the same Father. Everybody has the same blood in their bodies. Even when you cut a tree, it also ooze blood. Everybody has some blood, and everybody has the same blood because we all come from the same place. We all have the same Father. 'Krsna mata, krsna pita, krsna prana dhana (কৃষ্ণ মাতা, কৃষ্ণ পিতা, কৃষ্ণ প্রাণ ধন). Krishna is my mother, Krishna is my father, Krishna is the very wealth of my being.'

We must serve Krishna... If you send your letter directly to Lord Krishna, you will not get a reply, but if you send your letter to the guru, you will get a reply. The guru is Krishna's representative – Krishna comes in the form of the guru. Krishna says in Bhagavatam, 'Acharyam mam vijaniyan (আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্): know the acharya to be non-different from Me.'

We have been averse to the Lord since time immemorial, but think about it! You wake up in the morning, and from the morning until deep night you struggle so much. What for? Just to eat well, to sleep well and to dress well. We want to live in a nice house, sleep on a nice bed, and so on. Because we have all these desires, we cannot leave small things and, therefore, cannot get something big.

I am not saying that you must leave your house and go live in the jungle. This is false renunciation. There is phalgu-vairagya (false renunciation) and yukta-vairagya (proper renunciation). We are told by Srila Rupa Goswamipad to practise yukta-vairagya. It means, 'Grhe thako, vane thako, sada Hari bole dako (গৃহে থাক, বনে থাক সদা 'হরি' বলে ডাক): whether you live in a house or in a forest, always call out the Holy Name.'

কি শয়নে, কি ভোজনে, কিবা জাগরণে ।
অহর্নিশ চিন্ত কৃষ্ণ, বলহ বদনে ॥

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane
aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

'Whether you are sleeping, eating or waking up, incessantly think about Krishna and chant the Name of Krishna with your mouth.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.28.28)

Remember this. 'Grhe thako, vane thako, sada Hari bole dako (গৃহে থাক, বনে থাক সদা 'হরি' বলে ডাক): whether you live in a house or in a forest, always call out the Holy Name.' 'Ye dina grha bhajana dekhi grhete goloka bhaya (যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায়). On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.' If there is Krishna consciousness practised in some house, that house is Goloka Vrindavan. You must serve the Lord every day at your home. Whatever family you have, you must transform everything into a Krishna-centred family.

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Length: 36 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Krishna-Centred Renunciation
2) Live for Guru
3) His World, His Will
4) Escaping Foreign Land
5) Non-Sectarian and Non-Liberal
6) Adjust Your Faith and Priority