(2/9) Gaudiya Vaishnavs' Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, morning class
Sri Nityananda-Trayodasi, 7 February 2020, part 2
Translated from Bengali

We are so fortunate! You cannot practise Krishna consciousness just by some little fortune—if you are to practise Krishna consciousness, it is necessary to have great fortune. Genuine Krishna consciousness means living in strict adherence to Sri Guru, serving Sri Guru and Vaishnavs and pleasing them; it means timely doing whatever service Gurudev requires. Gurudev does not always say what service he wants us to do, but if you can understand what is required, then it is service to Gurudev (Guru-seva).

Gurudev is a close associate of Srimati Radharani. I heard you were singing this morning:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is considered to be the Lord Himself by all scriptures and sadhus and who is also the Lord's beloved devotee."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

Sri Guru is the Lord Himself, and Sri Guru is also the dearmost associate of the Lord (Srimati Radharani). Sri Guru is non-different from Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, who is the embodiment of shelter (asraya-vigraha). We sing: "Asraya laiya bhaje tare krsna nahi tyaje ara saba mare akarane (আশ্রয় লইয়া ভজে তারে কৃষ্ণ নাহি ত্যজে আর সব মরে অকারণে)—Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in Him. All others simply die in vain" (Prarthana, Srila Narottam Das Thakur). Taking shelter of Gurudev and surrendering to him, we should come to Gurudev and listen about the glories of the Lord not with the hope to get something but out of love. We should serve out of love—not because we will get some sukriti, not because we want to get something, not because we think, "If I do not serve the Lord, the Lord will consider it a sin, an offence." Gaudiya Vaishnavs and the Vaishnavs of Sri Rupanuga Sampradaya worship and serve the Lord out of love. Vraja gopis serve Krishna out of love. What is the main practice of Gaudiya Vaishnavs? Their spiritual life (bhajan) is centred at the meditation on the holy lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.

মাতল হরিজন কীর্ত্তন-রঙ্গে ।
পূজল রাগপথ গৌরব-ভঙ্গে ॥

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

"From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline."

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad)

Ecstatic devotees of the Lord chant real kirtan, and we must keep this path of spontaneous devotion on our heads. Imitators (sahajiya) show this path openly, but Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur says that at least sahajiyas are better than mayavadis—at least they believe that God has a form, whereas mayavadis say that Krishna has no form...

[His Divine Grace notices that some people are lying down and sleeping in the background of the nat mandir.] Why are people lying down now?

বিভাবরী-শেষ আলোক-প্রবেশ
নিদ্রা ছাড়ি' উঠ জীব ।
বল হরি হরি মুকুন্দ মুরারি
রাম কৃষ্ণ হয়গ্রীব ॥

vibhavari sesa aloka pravesa
nidra chhadi' utha jiva
bala hari hari mukunda murari
rama krsna hayagriva

O souls! The night has ended and the light has come. Awake and arise! Chant 'Hari! Hari!' The Supreme Lord Krishna is the bestower of liberation, the enemy of the demon Mura, and Sri Radha's lover. He appears as Hayagriva, the horse-headed Avatar.

People cannot sit and listen to Hari-katha—there is Hari-katha going on, and they are lying and sleeping comfortably. How long will you sleep on the lap of the witch Maya?

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Value Your Time
2) Gaudiya Vaishnavs' Service
3) Perverted and Transcendental Charm
4) Our Greatest and Only Friends
5) Faith vs Acceptance
6) Pull of Maya
7) Wrong Preoccupation
8) World of Uncertainty
9) Inglorious Life