Parikrama: More Than Pilgrimage (4)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Evening class, Sri Nrisingha Palli
3 March 2020, part 5, translated from Bengali

This is your own house. This is not my wealth and property. This is your own home. You must stay here as at your home, serve prasadam to others as you do at your own home, prepare and cook as you do in your own home, help and serve. Service mood means always thinking, "When will I be able to do some service?" Think about it. This is Devapalli—if you even sweep here, if you wash the dishes here, how fortunate it is. All demigods reside here. Sriman Nityananda Prabhu did this parikrama with Srila Jiva Goswami, and we will now do this parikrama all together. What a great joy this is! We do not know whether we will be alive to do this parikrama next year or not.

Just yesterday (I told about it yesterday in the evening) my friend from Malaysia at whose house I stayed for so many days, passed away all of a sudden. He did not have any disease, he was not sick or anything—he was lying down, suddenly some cough came and as he coughed he died. I had spoken to him just a few days before that, he told, "Maharaj, I cannot go for Nabadwip Dham, but I will try to come later." Many also cannot come in winter because it is too cold, so many wanted to come when it gets warm, he also told me that, but we do not know when we have to leave this world. However, you all have come here despite all the difficulties for four-seven days, you are fortunate.

We always worry about our bodies, "Where will I stay? What will I eat? Where will I sleep?" But one day this body will be burnt. Have you thought about that? You always worry where you will sleep, what you will eat, etc. but you do not think about the benefit of your soul. How can you bring benefit to your own self? Sadhus think about the benefit of the soul. The Lord always thinks about your soul's benefit, "How can your soul be benefitted? How can you get spiritual benefit?" Remember this. You must try to realise this.

Start walking, start your journey—the Lord's house has so many wonderful properties, you must go there. It is necessary to start practising now. If you come suddenly once a year and when you go back home you forget everything, this will not do. I go to different houses all the time—I go wherever you call me, and I keep on telling everyone the same thing: I keeping on calling everyone for this Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Despite some difficulties with facilities, you can come and do this parikrama under guidance of Guru and Vaishnavs—this is the greatest, the highest benefit in our lives.

It is especially true about Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Srila Prabhupad says that Nabadwip Dham parikrama is especially good for newcomers, Sri Ksetra Mandal is for those who have progressed on a little, and Sri Vraja Mandal is for those who have attained the highest level. Therefore, this Nabadwip Dham parikrama is necessary for all of us. We do not know anything, do not understand anything in this path of devotion, but we can only try to get some devotion.

Because you have all come here, I am staying here for seven days. I was just thinking the other day, I have been coming here for many years, but how many days have I stayed here over the past year? I counted it and it turns out that I have come here only five times, it means I stayed here only for five days over the past year. I always go to different places—sometimes to Siliguri, sometimes to Bardhaman, sometimes to Bakura, sometimes to Midnapore, sometimes to Hooghly, Tarakeshwar, Ekachakra, Ganga Sagar, Vrindavan, Puri, South India, and so on. This is how the whole year passes. Then, I was thinking that because you are all here, I am staying here for so long (for seven days). After this festival, I will again have to go to different places. Soon I will be going to different places inviting everyone for Puri Dham parikrama. We will go to Puri for Ratha-yatra. Then, there is Vrindavan parikrama in Kartik, I will be going and inviting everyone again. Then, it will be Ekachakra Dham parikrama, I will be going house to house inviting, "Come to Ekachakra. There is Ekachakra Dham parikrama soon, please come." After Ekachakra, I hardly stay one day in Kolkata—I usually come there in the evening and the next day I have to go out again. Therefore, because you are all here, I come here and stay here. Wherever you are, I will come there. I always stay wherever devotees are. Always think about it.

Always remember that I am your own, that I am your extremely close relative. Gurudev's property is not some great buildings, temples, etc. Gurudev's wealth is love, devotion, prema. This is what Gurudev's mercy is. If you have these things, then you will be always able to do this dham parikrama, you will be always able to progress on the path of devotion...

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