(4/4) Are You on the Right Path?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly District
Translated into English from Bengali
23 February 2020, part 4

We must follow the proper line. We go sightseeing, we go here, we go there, but this will take us nowhere. You can see many buses going down the street – there are buses that go to Bardhaman, Kolkata, Assam and there are buses that go to Nabadwip. You must take the bus that goes to Nabadwip. Similarly, many trains start off from the Howrah station. Some trains go to Kumbhamela; some, to Bengalore; some, to Kashmiri; and there are also trains that go to Vrindavan. You must find the train that goes to Vrindavan and get on it. You go sightseeing, see some bus and, thinking that it looks very nice, jump on it, but that bus will take you only up to Kashi (Benares). You can reach only up to bhukti (enjoyment), mukti (liberation) and various siddhis (coveted perfections), but you will not reach bhakti (devotion).

You cannot come to God through any karma (material activities) or yoga (mystic practices). You must have seen how hard people practise yoga, but if you chant the Holy Name just once, you will get the result of performing ten million fire sacrifices. But this must be the genuine Holy Name.

You must not rush to become a devotee of Krishna at once. First, you must become a devotee of Radharani, Gauranga, and only then can you become a devotee of Krishna. Therefore:

অপরাধশূন্য হয়ে লহ কৃষ্ণ-নাম ।
অচিরাৎ তুমি পাবে কৃষ্ণ-প্রেম-ধন ॥

aparadha-sunya haye laha krsna-nama
achirat tumi pabe krsna-prema-dhana

'Chant the Holy Name of Krishna without offence and you will quickly get the treasure of divine love to Krishna.'

You must chant the Holy Name without offences, then you will quickly get the treasure of the divine love for Krishna. If you are to get this treasure, you must take shelter of sadhu-sanga (association of saints).

সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণনামে—এই মাত্র চাই ।

সংসার জিনিতে আর কোন বস্তু নাই ॥

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

'I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of sadhus. There is no other way to conquer this material world.'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

অসাধুসঙ্গে ভাই কৃষ্ণনাম নাহি হয় ।

নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয় ॥

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

'Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does.'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

The Holy Name can never be chanted in unholy association.

I will chant one–two kirtans now and finish after that. [His Divine Grace proceeds to chant the evening kirtans.]

— : • : —

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Awaken!
2) Think About Yourself
3) Walk the Walk
4) Are You on the Right Path?