(6/16) Orphaned and Blind

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Temple inauguration programme, Hooghly
26 January 2020, noon, part 6
Translated from Bengali

ঠাকুর বৈষ্ণবগণ করি এই নিবেদন
মো বড় অধম দুরাচার ।
দারুণ-সংসার-নিধি তাহে ডুবাইল বিধি
কেশে ধরি' মোরে কর পার ॥

thakura vaisnava-gana kari ei nivedana
mo bada adhama durachara
daruna-samsara-nidhi tahe dubaila vidhi
kese dhari' more kara para

"O Vaishnav Thakurs! I am offering this prayer to you. I am very fallen and vile. Providence has dunked me into the fathomless ocean of material existence! Please catch me by the hair and help me get across it!

বিধি বড় বলবান্ না শুনে ধরম জ্ঞান
সদাই করম-পাশে বান্ধে ।
না দেখি তারণ লেশ যত দেখি সব ক্লেশ
অনাথ কাতরে তেঁই কান্দে ॥

vidhi bada balavan na sune dharama-jnana
sadai karama-pase bandhe
na dekhi tarana lesa yata dekhi saba klesa
anatha katare tei kande

"Providence is very strong—I do not listen to what is right and what is wrong, and I am always tied to my previous karma. Not seeing a trace of hope to get relief (wherever I look, I see only misery), this orphan is crying in distress."

কাম, ক্রোধ, লোভ, মোহ, মদ, অভিমান সহ
আপন আপন স্থানে টানে ।

kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, abhimana saha
apana apana sthane tane

"Lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and ego pull me each in their own direction."

Why does it say here, "This orphan is crying in distress" (anatha katare tei kande; অনাথ কাতরে তেঁই কান্দে)? Does it mean somebody has lost their parents? Devotees do not call their biological parents 'parents'—they know that Krishna is our father, and Krishna is our mother. "This orphan is crying in distress"—it is necessary to understand the meaning of these words.

You have read Srimad Bhagavad-gita. There is one sloka there:

শ্রেয়ান্ স্বধর্ম্মো বিগুণঃ পরধর্ম্মাৎ স্বনুষ্ঠিতাৎ ।
স্বধর্ম্মে নিধনং শ্রেয়ঃ পরধর্ম্মো ভয়াবহঃ

sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah, para-dharmat svanusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah, para-dharmo bhayavahah

Even if it is imperfect, it is better to do one's duty according to one's own nature, than to do another's well. Even death in the discharge of one's own duty is better, for to perform another's is dangerous.

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 3.35)

Some interpret "para-dharmo bhayavahah" ("following others' religions is dangerous") as meaning that if a brahman follows ksatriyas' religion, he is following another religion (not his)—if Hindus become Christians or Christians become Hindu, then they also follow another religion (not theirs). People say that if a Muslim becomes a Hindu or a Hindu becomes a Muslim, then the person is following another religion, and they say that according to Srimad Bhagavad-gita, if somebody changes their religion and follows another religion, it is very dangerous. This is how people interpret this verse, but this is not the actual meaning. It is necessary to see the gist. What is the religion of the soul? The religion of the soul is service to the Supreme Lord. Dharma, religion, means sending everything to the Lord, and if the jiva soul does not understand this and becomes attached to material life and some sons and other family members, that is called "another religion". So, Srimad Bhagavad-gita says it is very dangerous to follow any other religion. The religion of the soul is to serve the Lord. Those who deny this are fools—if we foolishly think that our duty is to take care of our family, children and so on, then we fall in a very dangerous position (para-dharmo bhayavahah).

It is said in the kirtan that we are singing:

কাম, ক্রোধ, লোভ, মোহ, মদ, অভিমান সহ
আপন আপন স্থানে টানে ।

kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, abhimana saha
apana apana sthane tane

"Lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and ego pull me each in their own direction."

In English, there is a saying, "Mercy is above justice." You can see in India also, someone can be sentenced to execution, but if the criminal appeals to the Supreme Court and begs for forgiveness, the Supreme Court can pardon the criminal, then execution can be called off at the very last moment. By judgement, the person must be hanged, but if the court rules to show mercy, then the criminal can be released. I heard this expression yesterday, and I have remembered it, it is very beautiful. When I hear something beautiful, I keep it inside.

There was a case when a boy killed his own parents, and he wrote a letter of appeal, saying, "I have become an orphan now, please forgive me." This is one kind of orphan, but we say that we are orphans for another reason. We are all orphans because we have all forgotten the Lord. We cannot call out to the Lord! We are not getting the Lord! We cannot serve the Lord! We cannot connect with the Lord! That is why we say, "This orphan is crying in distress" (anatha katare tei kande; অনাথ কাতরে তেঁই কান্দে). We are orphans, and we are not able to serve the Lord no matter what we do. We think, "Oh, I have done so much," but no, do not live under such illusions! "I have become a devotee, I have taken initiation"—if such pride is born in your mind, it is bad.

You must feel, "I have come this line of devotion, I am very happy, and I must serve more—I must chant the Holy Name more, I must chant kirtan more, I must practise more, I must do so many more things!" However, if you get a little bit and stop after that, you will not get far like this. If you take initiation and think, "I have got everything, I have understood everything," you will become too comfortable.

নিদ্রলস্য-হত সুকার্য্যে বিরত
অকার্য্যে উদ্যোগী আমি
প্রতিষ্ঠা লাগিয়া শাঠ্য-আচরণ
লোভ-হত সদা কামী ।
এ হেন দুর্জ্জন সজ্জন-বর্জ্জিত
অপরাধী নিরন্তর ॥

nidralasya hata sukarya
virata akarya udyogi ami
pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana
lobha-hata sada kami
e hena durjana sajjana-varjita
aparadhi nirantara

"Ruined by laziness and sleep, I am averse to doing anything good and eager to do nothing. I behave crooked desiring prestige. I am ruined by greed and always want something. Such a bad person as I is shunned by good souls—I am a constant offender."

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Actually, those who get comfortable and stop practising, stop going forward always make offences. You must always feel you are extremely poor, extremely destitute: "I do not know anything, I do not understand anything, I have no qualification. I do not know anything! I may have come to this line of devotion, but I do not know anything. I have not learnt anything, I have not been able to understand anything."

You must practise every day! You cannot succeed without practice. You hear the Holy Name today for one day, you hear kirtan today for one day and chant some Holy Name, but when you go back to your home, you forget everything. It will not do! You must serve eternally, every single day—you must serve the Lord every day, you must chant the Holy Name every day. You must practise Krishna consciousness eternally. Never forget this.

কাম, ক্রোধ, লোভ, মোহ, মদ, অভিমান সহ
আপন আপন স্থানে টানে ।
ঐছন আমার মন ফিরে যেন অন্ধজন
সুপথ বিপথ নাহি জানে ॥

kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, abhimana saha
apana apana sthane tane
aichhana amara mana phire yena andha jana
supatha vipatha nahi jane

"Lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and ego pull me each in their own direction. Such is my mind—it wanders like a blind man, not knowing which is the right way and which is the wrong way."

The letters of the scriptures are non-different from the Lord, and sadhus come to tell about such scriptures. Genuine sadhus never speak about anything except scriptures—they always speak showing evidence from the scriptures. They never speak about their own ideas (manufactured by their own minds). It says in this kirtan that we are singing, "I have been doing what my mind tells me to do." If you write whatever comes to your mind, if you compose poems writing whatever comes to your mind, this is nothing. All the great scientists, poets and singers of this world are nothing. People play the harmonium and the karatals, blow the conch, ring the bell and call this kirtan, but the kirtan of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs is not like that. When Sri Guru and Vaishnavs chant kirtan, it makes the Lord happy. However, when outside people or some hired singers come to sing, they sing kirtans to gratify their own senses and the senses of other outside people, but neither the Lord nor Vaishanvs can ever feel pleased with that. Therefore, you must always listen to what comes from the holy mouth of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs (guru-mukha-padma vakya)—this is what Hari-katha is. It may not be kirtan (actual singing), but when they say something, it is also kirtan. Everything else is just singing songs. Songs and kirtan is not the same! When people sing songs, they please their senses and the senses of other people, but the Lord does not become pleased or happy through that. You must remember this.

Our mind is naughty—we go in whichever way our mind pulls us, but our mind is blind. If a blind man wants to cross the street, he needs help—when somebody comes to help him, then he can cross the street. Our minds are blind—they do not know which is the right way and which is the wrong way, where there is danger and where it is safe, which is a good path and which is a bad path, but if a Vaishnav comes and, changing our mind, throws it at the holy feet of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs, then this is the true path.

ঐছন আমার মন ফিরে যেন অন্ধজন
সুপথ বিপথ নাহি জানে ॥

aichhana amara mana phire yena andha jana
supatha vipatha nahi jane

"Such is my mind—it wanders like a blind man, not knowing which is the right way and which is the wrong way."

না লইনু সৎ মত অসতে মজিল চিত
তুয়া পায়ে না করিনু আশ ।
নরোত্তম দাসে কয় দেখি শুনি লাগে ভয়
তরাইয়া লহ নিজ পাশ ॥

na la-inu sat mata asate majila chita
tuya paye na karinu asa
narottama dase kaya dekhi' suni' lage bhaya
taraiya laha nija pasa

"Failing to embrace a pure life, my heart is always drowning in falsehood. I do not even hope to attain your feet. Narottam Das is crying and saying, 'Seeing and hearing all this, I am afraid. Please rescue me and keep me by your side.'"

[Finishing this kirtan, His Divine Grace then chants 'Nitai-pada-kamala' and continues the class.]

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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