(4/7) Great Mercy for Great Hearts

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening festival class
Sri Nityananda-Trayodasi, 7 February 2020, part 4
Translated from Bengali

Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is unlimited.

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য-দয়া করহ বিচার ।
বিচার করিলে চিত্তে পাবে চমৎকার ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara
vichara karile chitte pabe chamatkara

"If you consider the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, you will be wonder-struck to realise it."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.8.15)

What He gave to this world cannot be found anywhere else. Even in Vaikuntha, there is only formal Deity worship—yogis reside there, always immersed in meditation, and everybody considers themselves performers of great deeds. But the Lord says, "Narada, I do not stay in yogis' hearts, I do not stay in Vaikuntha. Where do I stay? I stay where My devotees talk about Me—I stay wherever My glories and qualities are being discussed. I stay in devotees' hearts."

ভক্তের হৃদয়ে সদা গোবিন্দ-বিশ্রাম ।
গোবিন্দ কহেন—মম বৈষ্ণব পরাণ ॥

bhaktera hrdaye sada govinda-visrama
govinda kahena—mama vaisnava parana

Govinda always rests in the hearts of His devotees. Govinda says, "Vaishnavs are My life and soul."

We always pray for the mercy of such Vaishnavs—we pray that devotees and Vaishnavs will bestow their mercy on us. But if we consider ourselves Vaishnavs, if we call ourselves "masters" (prabhu), then our position is the worst and most deplorable. "I have become a brahmachari", "I have become a sannyasi", "I have become a great devotee." I have told you many times that one does not become a disciple just by taking the mantra. Many take initiation and receive the mantra, but you cannot be called a disciple until and unless you exclusively follow the order of your Gurudev and serve Sri Hari, Guru and Vaishnavs. People like to take the name of their Guru and say, "I am a disciple of so-and-so Guru," but they do not live following their Guru's instruction. Gurudev is the Lord's representative, so he knows what the Lord wants and what the soul wants. The food of the soul is not rice and vegetables. Rice is the food for the body, but the food for the soul are narrations about the Lord (Bhagavat-katha, Hari-katha). The soul always wants to serve Paramatma. What does Paramatma need? What does the Lord need? The soul knows it. By constantly hearing Hari-katha, the soul will run towards the Lord and come closer to the Lord.

Therefore, preach about the Lord without any fear. Preach about Nityananda Prabhu and His glories in this world! We are always busy talking about ourselves. We are always blowing our own horn (নিজের ঢোল নিজেই পিটাই). "I have done this", "I have done that", "I have taken initiation", "I have done so many things!" You have gained so much, but you have not even gained control over your own self—you have not even been able to know your own self! You still identify yourself with this body! This consciousness of self-identification with the body has not left you yet! Then how can we chant the Holy Name? Whatever we chant is Nama-aparadha (offence to the Holy Name) and Vaishnav-aparadha (offence to Vaishnavs). No matter how much we chant, we mostly chant offences because if you chant even the shadow of the Holy Name (Namabhasa), you will become liberated. But if only we chanted the Holy Name just once! If only tears fell from your eyes just once as we chant the Lord's Name and remember the Lord; if only we cried in separation from the Lord in our hearts; if only our very soul and heart cried for the Lord, burning with the desire to come to Him...

That is why we are told that it is necessary to have service mood—it is necessary to have enthusiasm and strong desire. Whatever you do, you must do it with enthusiasm (utsaha, উৎসাহ) and eagerness (agraha, আগ্রহ); otherwise, you will not get any result. It is necessary to try. If we do not try, we will not be able to get mercy.

One person told me today, "If I get your mercy, I will get everything." I replied, "I can give you mercy, but your heart is full of so many other things—there is so much dirt accumulated there. Where will you keep this mercy if I give it to you? You have other desires in your heart, how will you keep mercy, tell me?" You say all the time, "Please give me mercy," but these are just some words you learn by heart and keep repeating. "Gurudev, please give me your mercy", "Gurudev, please give me your mercy"—but do you really want mercy? Ask yourself this. Do you really want your Guru's blessing? Or do you just say it externally, with your mouth only?

The truth is that you cannot leave your ego. You are proud of your wealth, you are proud of your knowledge, you are proud of your family and friends. I told you yesterday that if we carry a fifty-kg sack of rice on our heads and come into a nice A/C room, we will not feel happy because of this heavy load pressing on our heads. But if we pay obeisances to our Guru and Vaishnavs, then we will be relieved from this load. So, if you are proud of your wealth, knowledge and other things, you will not achieve anything. "I can sing kirtans well", "I can give nice lectures", "I am good at collecting", "I am good at this", "I am good at that", "I have this qualification", "I have that qualification"—if this kind of mood comes to you, you cannot become a Vaishnav. What are the symptoms of a Vaishnav? The more Vaishnav qualities one has, the more humble and compassionate they are—the more lowly the person considers themselves to be. Vaishnavs are humble, they are more tolerant than a tree, and they give honour to others.

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 39.1 Mb
Length: 82 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Sinful Souls' Scrape
2) Two Unexpected Questions
3) Do Not Lose This Pull
4) Great Mercy for Great Hearts
5) Kali-Yuga Servants
6) Why Have You Come?
7) Practise and Pray