Acquire Transcendental Vision

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Uluberia, evening programme
18 January 2020, part 2
Translated from Bengali

You must always remember what I have said, if you have been able to hear it. "Asat-sanga sada tyaga chhada anya gita-raga (অসৎ-সঙ্গ সদা ত্যাগ, ছাড় অন্য গীতরাগ)—give up bad association, do not listen to the material songs and music" (Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 15) The word "raga" here does not mean getting angry (raga)—it means listening to various songs and music (gita, raga, ragini, hired kirtans).

You arrange for asta-prahar kirtan at home, you hire kirtan singers, you listen to outside kirtans, and you associate with people who follow other conceptions, but this is not good. When the evening comes, you ring the bell, offer some incense and flowers and blow the conch, thinking that this is it, your spiritual practice is done. It is impossible! It cannot be so and will never be so.

Until and unless you take shelter of a bona fide guru and your Guru shows you the transcendental vision, you will continue living pleasing the whims of your mind, and this life can never be called Krishna consciousness. It is necessary to serve your Guru and Vaishnavs in strict, chaste adherence to your Guru.

I have come here not only for this annual festival. I have come here to bring you all for Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama—I want you all to come to Nabadwip every year. For those who have just come and do not know anything, do not understand anything, cannot do anything, it is necessary to make Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama every year. For those who have come slightly forward in their spiritual lives, there is Purushottam Ksetra parikrama, and if somebody has progressed further in their spiritual life, there is Vraja Mandal parikrama for them. Remember this. We do Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama during four-five days every year, starting from the ekadasi day or from the dvadasi day, as last year.

We do the parikrama during four-five days and only dance and sing, or I come here just for one day to chant some kirtan and take prasad, but it is not so simple. Taking prasad is also Krishna consciousness, but Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that if, when you take prasad, you think, "Oh, he did not give me fried aubergine (begun bhaja), but he gave it to him!" then this is not honouring prasad—it is only eating aubergine. You must remember this.

I know that when people take prasad, they like to ask the person who distributes prasad to scoop paneer out and give it to them. If you do this, it means you take paneer—you are not taking prasad. Always remember these things. Those who distribute prasad must also think about it. If they do not get on well with somebody or have had a fight with somebody, they will distribute prasad to everyone nicely and when it comes to that person whom they do not like, they will think, "I do not like him, so I will not give nice things to him!" This is wrong! It is necessary to distribute prasad properly. You must always think, "How can I serve?"

Many also say, "I do not like this service. I will do that service." No, it will not do. If you do this, it will be karma. Service mean when your Guru tells you to do something, you must do it with your body, mind and speech, always remembering Gurudev's words. When you give somebody service, many say, "Oh, I do not like doing this!" and many will also complain, "Oh, I have been giving so many lectures, I have spoken so much Hari-katha, I have done so many things, but Gurudev is not giving me sannyas, Gurudev is not making me in charge of any temple!" They think, "I like spending money and being in charge, but Gurudev does not make me the guardian of the temple!" Some do not like to go begging, some do not like to some services, but this mood is not Krishna consciousness. If you live following the whims of your mind, it is not spiritual life. If you can take the order of your Guru and Vaishnavs on your head and practise Krishna consciousness following their order, then you will get a good result.

You can even be sitting on some wet ground, but that is tirtha, that is a holy place because a Vaishnav is there. A holy place is wherever there is a Vaishnav (yatha Vaisnava tatha tirtha; Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur). Remember this. Wherever there is Hari-katha, that place is Goloka Vrindavan. When there are talks about the Lord, when there is glorification of the Lord, when there is bhoga cooked for the Lord and offered to the Lord, this is a holy place—this place is Vrindavan!

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি ।
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ॥

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi
grhete goloka bhaya

"Any day there is devotional service at home, I see Goloka manifest itself in it."

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

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Language: Bengali