(3/8) Sincere Faith Does Not Come from Knowledge

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme
Translated into English from Bengali
20 February 2020, part 3

There is Mahaprabhu's Siksastakam that expresses the gist of Mahaprabhu's line. We must always remember it and never ask the Lord for any things trifle. Actually, it is not necessary to ask the Lord for anything because the Lord gives everything in abundance without being asked, but when He gives us something, we forget Him. When Sudama Vipra came back from Dvaraka, he could not recognise his own home. He had such a strong attraction to Krishna and such a strong desire to serve Krishna that it did not waver even when he saw how Krishna lived and behaved with His wife. But in our case, as long as we have much money, houses, wives and so on, we will always remain forgetful of Krishna. We spend our whole days engrossed in the life with our wives, sons, brothers, friends, relatives, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. We waste our time. Nine days have passed now: there are twenty-four hours in one day, sixty minutes in one hour and sixty seconds in one minute. How many minutes, how many seconds have passed during these nine days? These days will never come back.

To know the Lord, it is necessary to have sukriti. If you have sukriti from your previous lifetimes (there is jnata sukriti, conscious spiritual merit, and ajnata sukriti, unconscious spiritual merit), you can get sadhu-sanga. As the result of sadhu-sanga, you can develop faith, and as the result of faith, you will again engage in sadhu-sanga. Sukriti gives faith and eagerness. It is necessary to have eagerness for sadhu-sanga. You should be eager, 'There is a class and kirtan here today! Gurudev has come!' but some think, 'Oh, I am sleepy. I will not go out today...' This is how one slackens in their service.

Many have taken initiation and have been following this line for a long time, so I do not need to do any service. Have I not told you that becoming a disciple means getting enrolled to a school? Even those who have attained perfection must practise spiritual life. If a sannyasi thinks, 'I have taken sannyas, so I know everything. There is nothing more left for me to know,' he is wrong. What did Brahma say? 'He knows, so let him know, but I do not know the Lord.' Brahma is a disciple of Lord Krishna, he creates the entire world, but he says, 'If somebody says that they know Krishna, they may know Him, but I do not know Him.'

You know that Vyasadev Goswami composed Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata and many other scriptures, but Sivji Maharaj told about him, 'Aham vedmi, Suka vetti, Vyasa vetti na vetti va. I know it, Sukadev Goswami knows it, but Vyasadev may or may not know it.' He who composed Bhagavatam may or may not know it! But he whom he bestowed his mercy on (Sukadev Goswami) knows it. Our Param Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) also often told about our Gurudev (Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj), 'I have seen it many times that he knows more than me.'

In our case, it is not necessary to know or understand so much: if we have faith in the Lord, if we have an unwavering faith in and devotion for our Gurudev, then we do not need to know so much. It is not necessary to cultivate knowledge and scholarship. Mahaprabhu also showed this. There was a maid called Duhkhi at the house of Srivas Pandit. She would bring water to the house every day, but when she was told that Mahaprabhu would come and it was necessary to bring water for His bathing (abhisekh), she became excited. Dukhi did not know how to read or write, she had no education, she did not know anything (she only did some menial housework for Srivas Pandit), but hearing that the Lord would come and that she would bring water for Him, she cried all the time as she was bringing water. Mahaprabhu asked her, 'Why are you crying when carrying water to the house?' She explained, 'I am crying for joy. I bring water every day, but today my Lord will use it for bathing. There is no greater joy for me than this.' Mahaprabhu asked her, 'What is your name?' She replied, 'Dukhi [unhappy].' And Mahaprabhu said, 'No. From today, your name is Sukhi [happy].' Mahaprabhu bestowed His mercy on her in this way.

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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