Align Your Words, Mind and Deeds

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Betur, 22 January 2020
Translated from Bengali

...When the time of exams comes, then it is revealed whether you have studied the whole year or not. In the same way, when the time comes, you will be tested to see whether you have been practising Krishna consciousness or not.

[Addressing a devotee] I am not telling this only to you, it is applicable to everyone. I told you to chant one kirtan, but you could not do it. When we were chanting a prayer to Vaishnav Thakur, you could not chant it either. We generally tell everyone to chant five kirtans: Guru vandana, Pancha-tattva's vandana, Vaishnav vandana, Nityananda's vandana and Mahaprabhu's vandana, after that you can chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and any other kirtans. If you can chant more kirtans, you can do so, but you must know minimum five kirtans. Chant five kirtans in the morning and five kirtans in the evening.

The tune is the same in the morning and in the evening, and even if you cannot chant with the proper tune, it is not a problem because the Lord does not want to hear your tune—the Lord wants to see, "Is My devotee chanting My kirtan with heart and soul or not?" When everyone chants all together, the Lord will see whether everyone is calling out to Him with all their hearts, whether everyone is calling out to Vaishnav Thakur with all their hearts or not. This is not singing songs. You pray, "O Vaishnav Thakur! Please bestow your mercy on me! I am running behind you (dhaitava pachhe pachhe)." You have just said that you are running behind, but then you actually go first. You must not be a hypocrite or duplicitous. When you say something, you must do it also. Your words and your actions must be aligned. "I am running behind you" means you must run behind—you must always go behind Vaishnavs. It means you must live following their guidance.

[Addressing a devotee] Prabhu, please chant a kirtan, 'Nitai-pada-kamala', now. You can read from the book and chant, it is not a problem. The main thing is that you must chant kirtan—you can chant from memory and try to understand it, or you can chant reading the book and try to understand it.

...We become deha-rami (দেহারামী; devoted to bodily pleasures), but we must find happiness in the service of the Lord: "Tomara sevaya yata haya duhkha, seo ta' parama sukha (তোমার সেবায় যত হয় দুঃখ, সেও ত' পরম সুখ)—whatever unhappiness comes through Your service is also a source of great happiness for me" (Saranagati). So much struggle may come, so much danger and so many obstacles may come, but no matter what comes, I will leave all my shame, shyness, fear and everything else and engage myself in the service of the Lord. Always remember this. If you cannot understand this, you will not be able to get anywhere.

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

"My days pass in useless work and nights are wasted on sleep. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting and waiting right next to me"

(Sri Kalyan-Kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

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