Qualities in Vaishnav Domain

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

কবে আমি ছাড়িব এ বিষয়াভিমান ।
কবে বিষ্ণুজনে আমি করিব সম্মান ॥

kabe ami chhadiba e visayabhimana
kabe visnu-jane ami kariba sammana

When will I give up this mundane ego? When will I honour the Lord's devotees?

When will I be able to give honour to devotees? When it comes to Vaishnavs, there is no question of someone being small or big, this is not external, material world where people judge who is whose disciple, where people think that you must pay obeisance only to those who are older. However, these considerations have no place in this line, in this domain. Rather, it is the contrary—even if one's son takes sannyas, the father pays obeisance to his son. We pay obeisance to devotees according to their qualification (not age, etc.). Here, everybody calls each other "Prabhu." Some say, "I am this Maharaj's disciple," they chant kirtans, show their emotion, pride of being a disciple of a big guru, "My guru is much bigger than yours!" Such mood is untoward in this domain. There is no question of somebody being big or small. A Vaishnav can be a small boy or a small girl also. If a small girl pleases Krishna, if a small boy can serve the Lord, then I offer obeisance to them; they are worshippable for me. This is the rule of this domain.

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, Antya-lila, 6.239)

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean.

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

Practise tolerance like a tree. Stop ill-treating others, instead nurture them.

জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ-সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

Do not trouble others for your own upkeep, and forget your own happiness in the course of helping others.

There should not be such things (ego, ill-treating others, giving anxiety to others, etc.) in this domain.

Everybody has different kind of devotion, and everybody should be given honour. Radharani serves Krishna most of all, and Lalita, Visakha serve Radharani most of all, that is why their names come first. Radharani is much younger than many others, but what is the problem with being small? She worships Krishna most of all, that is why She is Krishna's dearmost. Also, among those who serve Radharani, Lalita and Visakha are the highest. Therefore, there is no consideration of who is younger or who is older.

In the outer world, people look at one's age, people judge one's qualification based on external qualification. We sometimes see that a young thirty-year-old man can pass IES, IPS, they become SB, SD, DM, etc. On the other hand, there are some born into a great family, some who have great qualifications, but they end up working like ordinary people—as a postman, for example. We like to claim, "I have done so much more than others," but here qualification is earned through service—those who serve the Lord more, who keep faith in their Guru and give respect to their Guru, reach the Lord sooner. We sing in the kirtan,

সকলে সম্মান করিতে শকতি
দেহ' নাথ ! যথাযথ ।
তবে ত' গাইব হরিনাম সুখে
অপরাধ হবে হত ॥

sakale sammana karite sakati,
deha natha! yatha yatha
tabe ta' gaiba hari-nama sukhe,
aparadha habe hata

"O master! Give me the ability to befittingly honour everyone. Then I will sing the Lord's Name happily, and all my offences will be eradicated."

We sing, "O Lord, please give me power to give respect to everyone," but we do not know how to give honour to others—we always keep trying to get honour for ourselves instead. Always remember this. The more of a Vaishnavs one is, the more humility one has. How can you recognise a Vaishnav? The more humility one has, the bigger a Vaishnav they are. Humility means "I do not know anything," it means one does not care when somebody says something about them...

Anyhow, I will not take more of your time today, I am finishing here.

— : • : —

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