Sreyo-Katha

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Evening class, Sri Nrisingha Palli
7 March 2020, part 1, translated from Bengali

Today, we have done the parikrama of Sri Koladwip, aparadh-bhanjan-pat, Sri Gupta Govardhan in a very beautiful way. You have got to hear many things today, you have heard about Sri Vishnupriya Devi. Not so much was actually said, but you should buy the book Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala, there are many more things written there. When we come to different places, sometimes we cannot stay there for so long, and we also need to speak in different languages, but you can take this book and read it every day at home. You can study and learn in this way. You only need to have a desire to learn.

People like to buy big-big volumes of Bhagavad-gita, big-big volumes Bhagavatam, etc. and I can remember one incident in this relation. When I first joined the Mission and was a brahmachari, Gurudev sent me to a festival at Pujyapad Sri Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj's Math (it was his appearance day festival). Gurudev gave me some books written by our Param Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj (I do not remember now which books they were, perhaps Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, or Search for Sri Krishna Reality the Beautiful, or Loving Search for the Lost Servant)—Gurudev told me to give these books to Pujyapad Srila Puri Maharaj. I came and told him, "My Gurudev has sent me to give you these books written by our Param Gurudev, please kindly accept them." Then, Puri Maharaj took Srila Sridhar Maharaj's book on his head and said, "Your Gurudev goes to great pains to print all these books, but how many people read them? People end up using books to make paper bags for chanachur..." And what he said is the truth. There were many books kept at our Math, but they threw some books into the Govinda Kunda—one of our devotees went there and took something out.

These books are written and printed with so much effort and struggle. We cannot always remember everything, but when you have time, instead of gossiping and talking nonsense, if you study, it will be good for you. When you come here, you spend a few days listening to classes, chanting kirtans, listening to Hari-katha, and when you go back home you watch TV and series every evening. Men, women, everyone sits together and listen to material talks. Bad or good, people listen to everything. Our problem is that we do not want to hear Hari-katha. Even if somebody is not speaking clearly or is speaking in another language, we do not like it. If you do not like it, you must make it so that you like it. If the medicine tastes bitter, you still have to take it (you know that it will cure your disease, so you take it even if you do not like it). So, if you do not feel like listening to Hari-katha or do not like to listen to it, you must still listen to it. Sravan is not preyo-katha—it is sreyo-katha. Preyo-katha means something that gives satisfaction to the speaker and the listener, it is meant to please the audience. But that is not the real thing. Sreyo-katha is something else. Sreyo-katha is when you hear something and that brings benefit to your soul and at the same time it also pleases the Lord.

We must listen to devotional talks. We should not like to listen to different poets, singers, etc. If somebody comes in front of the Lord and recites mundane poetry, etc., such people are guru-aparadhi. Anyhow, try to proceed always remembering these things. If you listen to all sorts of sahajiya kirtans, to some hired singers, to lila-kirtan, pala-kirtan, poets and mundane songs, it is wrong. It is necessary to have nistha (sincere attachment, firmness) towards devotional talks. If there is no Bhagavat-katha in some place, then you will be simply pouring water uselessly and end up killing your devotional seed. Like, people wake up and start pouring water on Tulasi Devi—you know that the Tulasi tree here at the temple died in this way. People like to show off they have so much devotion, "Look, I am watering Tulasi tree!" But instead of nurturing and serving Tulasi Devi, you are killing her.

Anyhow, what I want to say is that there are two types of katha—sreyo-katha and preyo-katha. Do not listen to what pleases your mind; listen to what gives benefit to your soul and pleases the Lord. Water, rice, vegetables are food for the body, and Hari-katha is food for the soul—the Lord is pleased through that. Always remember this. Always listen to Hari-katha—the talks about the Lord and His devotees. The Lord Himself says, "I am more pleased when I hear the glories of My dear devotees." When somebody glorifies Srimati Radharani in front of Krishna, Krishna is even more pleased with that. If we glorify Sri Vishnupriya Devi, it gives pleasure to Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Always remember this. We sing in one of the kirtans,

বৈষ্ণবের গুণ-গান করিলে জীবের ত্রাণ
শুনিয়াছি সাধুগুরুমুখে

vaisnavera guna-gana karile jivera trana
suniyachhi sadhu-guru-mukhe

"Singing the glories of the Vaishnavs rescues and protects the jiva soul. I heard this from the mouth of sadhus and my Guru."

We must always glorify Vaishnavs.

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