(1/8) My Soul's Well-Being

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme
Translated into English from Bengali
20 February 2020, part 1

You have had an opportunity to nicely hear and chant some glorification of the Supreme Lord for several days. Today also, we have assembled to glorify the Supreme Lord. It is not always that we get to hear about the Lord because we are always busy thinking about our bodies. If we think about the benefit of our souls and about the Lord, then supreme benefit must come to us. What brings benefit to the soul? Only mercy to jivas, chanting the Holy Name and service to Vaishnavs (jive daya, Name ruchi, Vaishnava-seva). Mahaprabhu told Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu that apart from this, there is no other religion:

জীবে দয়া, নামে রুচি, বৈষ্ণব সেবা ।
ইহা বহি সনাতন নাহি আর ধর্ম্ম ॥

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva
iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

'Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion.'

We must be kind to jivas. How can we show this kindness? It means that we must tell about the Lord to the jivas who have turned away from the Lord and do not know anything about the glories of the Lord, or about the Lord. I have asked you before to try to bring at least one person a year to this line. Each of us must think, 'How can I bring them to this path?' We have taken shelter in this path – we have come to Gurudev's shelter – and we have got an opportunity to chant the Holy Name, but we must not only eat ourselves but also feed others. We use the opportunity ourselves and should try to extend this opportunity to others also. Each of you should try to bring at least one person to this line – try to tell others about Krishna.

[Clamour.] What you talking so much? We must not speak any village talks (engage in idle, material talks).

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236-237)

Never indulge in village talks.

You all know how Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj lived their lives. We must look at their examples and learn from them. You all know how they dedicated, surrendered their lives and how they worshipped the Lord, considering their material bodies trifle. They lived in a very austere way. Their service mood was so high – they would always be busy with their service. There was one Vaishnav who would always bring water from the Ganges for his Gurudev, and because he served so much, he developed a deep sore on his head, and worms lived in it, but he neither stopped bringing water nor did he tell about it to his Gurudev. There was also another devotee called Vasudev Vipra. His whole body was covered with bad sores that oozed pus. Insects lived in his sores and fed off his flesh, but when any insect fell out of a sore, Vasudev Vipra pick it up and put it back into a sore, thinking, 'This body is getting rotten anyway. If these insects are happy to eat it, let them do so.' When we were doing the parikrama of South India, we went to the house of this Vasudev Vipra. So, great devotees do not worry about their life – they know this material body of blood and flesh will be gone one day, so what is the use worrying about it so much? But can we be like that? We cannot. We cannot tolerate any austerities or pain. We always try to ensure happiness for our bodies.

দেহ-গেহ-কলত্রাদি-চিন্তা অবিরত ।
জাগিছে হৃদয়ে মোর বুদ্ধি করি’ হত ॥

deha-geha-kalatradi-chinta avirata
jagichhe hrdaye mora buddhi kari hata

"Constant thoughts of my body, home, wife and other things arise in my heart and ruin my intelligence."

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We always worry about this body – about the body that will be gone in a few days; we do not think about the well-being of our souls...

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Length: 44 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) My Soul's Well-Being
2) Unhealthy Mindset
3) Sincere Faith Does Not Come from Knowledge
4) Best Birth
5) Faith and Determination: Foundation of Krishna Consciousness
6) One-Pointed Life
7) Chanting or Vomiting?
8) Watch Yourself