(15/16) Practise Day and Night

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Temple inauguration programme, Hooghly
26 January 2020, noon, part 15
Translated from Bengali

Question: If we must not associate with non-devotees, how will we speak Hari-katha to them?

You can speak Hari-katha to them. What does it mean not to associate with non-devotees? It means we must not mix with them closely. Otherwise, if you understand it literally, it means you will not be able to buy patal or aubergine at the market because the sellers are all non-devotees. We do not prohibit you from talking to others.

Moreover, it is necessary to prepare, or mould, others. We left material life and came to this line, but after that we again go back to the material world and speak about the Lord to people—we come to people's houses to save and take conditioned souls to the Lord. Mixing with people means eating from the same plate, sleeping on the same bed—we cannot do all this. We do not mix with non-devotees so much. It is a waste of time. You go to a tea stall and waste your time telling stories to each other, but if you go there to speak about the Lord, then what to speak of a tea stall, you can even go to a hotel!

Srila Bhakti Hridaya Bon Maharaj once accidentally came to a pros quarter. He was walking one day in Kolkata, doing collection, and he somehow entered a pros quarter. When he realised where he was, he was appalled, "God! Where have I come?! O Lord, please save me!" Anyhow, some prostitutes gave him a few rupees, one rupee each (in those days, one rupee was worth more than now). Srila Bon Maharaj then quickly left that place and returned to Srila Prabhupad (Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur), crying, "Prabhupad, I am finished! I have lost everything!" Srila Prabhupad asked him, "Why are you crying? What has happened?" Srila Bon Maharaj explained where he had been, and Srila Prabhupad said, "So what? You did not go there to satisfy your senses. You did not go there to do any wrong. You went there accidentally to do collection. If those prostitutes give to the Lord one-two rupees that they earn using their bodies, they will get some benefit. So, it is not an offence that you went there." Do you understand this example?

I have told you just now that when somebody speaks about the Lord, the Lord becomes happy, so if we do not speak about the Lord to non-devotees, then we must go to Haridwar and live in a cave. We do not tell anyone to do this. Association (sanga) means attachment. You all know what the world 'association' means. It means being inseparable, thick as thieves with somebody.

কবে আমি ছাড়িব এ বিষয়াভিমান ।
কবে বিষ্ণুজনে আমি করিব সম্মান ॥

kabe ami chhadiba e visayabhimana
kabe visnu-jane ami kariba sammana

When will I give up this mundane ego? When will I honour the Lord's devotees?

Remember this.

Question: Can we read Srimad Bhagavad-gita during the class?

Of course. Read Gita, try to understand and explain its meaning. If you do not understand something, ask about it. Why can you not read it? You should read Gita, and you should understand its meaning. You have heard me explain the "para-dharmo bhayavahah" sloka today. Many explain this verse differently, but Srila Rupa Goswamipad explains it very nicely.

Does anyone else have questions?

My final word is that you must take shelter of a genuine guru and become members of Krishna's family. "Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi' anachara (করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার)—you must make your family Krishna's family and give up all unwanted and unfavourable habits." Gurudev is a member of Krishna's family, so you must come to him.

You are looking for work and so many other things in this world, but Gurudev has opened one factory called Chaitanya Saraswat Math for you all, and there are so many vacancies. Come and take up those jobs. These jobs means service. This is a great service opportunity, so you must all take part in this service, then all your pain and suffering will go away. The more you remain stuck in the material world, the more suffering this material life will give you. You think that you will practise Krishna consciousness when you grow old, and you do not want to practise when you are still young, but when you are old, your back will pain, your bones will pain—you will not be able to walk and do parikrama. When you are sick with many diseases and have no health, do you think you will like chanting the Holy Name of Krishna? I have seen one old lady the other day (she became my disciple some time ago), she told me, "Gurudev, have a look. I have written 100,000 Holy Names." I told her, "What am I to do with this writing? Who told you to write it? Well, all right, you did good—if you are used to writing by hand, then you have got some exercise for your hand." It is necessary to chant the Holy Name with your mouth. Chanting kirtan must come from within your heart.

Guru Maharaj said that people always chant "Hare Krishna", "Hare Krishna", but if you hit them in the stomach, they will cry, "Baba! [Father]", "Ma! [Mother]" I have told you today that if a cat catches a parrot, the parrot will not say "Hare Krishna". Therefore, when you chant kirtan, you must do it with heart. If you do not realise the substance of kirtan deep within your heart, then the Holy Name of Gaura or Hare Krishna will not come out of your mouth.

When you get a phone call, do not say "Hello"—you should say "Hare Krishna, who is speaking, Prabhu?", "Hari bol, Didi, I am listening." The Holy Name of Krishna must always come to your mouth. Whether you are eating, lying down or sitting, you must always chant 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 resting, always chant the Name of Krishna.

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.28.28)

You must think about the Lord incessantly. Always practise Krishna consciousness, day and night. Serve the Lord with all your limbs—serve the Lord with your mind, body, ego. Submit everything you have at the holy lotus feet of the Lord. You must place everything—all your pain, misery, everything—at the holy lotus feet of the Lord. "O Lord! I accept whatever You arrange for me. I have submitted everything at Your feet, and I do not understand anything about pain, misery or anything else. I will tolerate everything, there is no worry, but I only pray not to forget You and not to forget Your service." Always remember this. "Sukhe duhkhe bhule nako vadane Harinam kara re—in happiness or sadness, never forget it, always chant the Holy Name." You must not forget the Lord in happiness and in sadness. You cannot remember about the Lord only when you are miserable, and when you are happy, you forget the Lord, enjoy and have fun.

I saw one time some people going for a picnic in a car. The people were dancing and going, enjoying themselves, but when the car hit a speed hump (children call them "bumpers"), a man flew out of the car and broke his leg. He had to be taken to hospital—now he was crying to the Lord, or rather crying, "Baba!", "Ma!" When people are suffering, they call to the Lord, but when they are happy, they go out for picnics and dance like mad with their arms upraised. When a car accident happens, they are knocked out onto the road, and if another car passes at this time, then it will be "Hari bol" (they kick the bucket). This is our situation. When we are happy, we are careless and do not understand anything. When you are young, your blood is hot, you enjoy, but what happens when you become old and your blood cools?

বার্দ্ধক্যে এখন উপায় বিহীন
তা'তে দীন অকিঞ্চন ।

vardhakye ekhana upaya-vihina
ta'te dina akinchana

"Now aged, I am devoid of any means of deliverance and thus destitute and distressed."

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You must cry for Nityananda Prabhu's holy feet: "I have nothing except Your merciful holy feet!"

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Length: 120 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Opening Temple—Opening Your Eyes
2) Live As a Member of Krishna's Family
3) Meaning of Surrender (1)
4) Meaning of Surrender (2)
5) How to Pray to Vaishnav Thakur
6) Orphaned and Blind
7) Satisfying Lord and Your Soul
8) Trade Secret of Krishna Consciousness
9) Taste for Hari-Katha
10) Eternal Nourishment
11) Align Your Life
12) Two Keys to Success
13) Ekadasi Vrata (1)
14) Ekadasi Vrata (2)
15) Practise Day and Night
16) If You Want, You Can