Pride and Devotion

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Chira-dahi danda-mahotsav in Sripat Panihati Dham
Kolkata-Worldwide, 4 June 2020, part 4

Does anyone have any other questions?

Question: If some pride comes that I have become a very good mridanga player, I can do very good puja, or maybe I am a good preacher—is that kind of pride good?

That kind of pride is also not good, but somebody can respect it. Why will pride come? If somebody is proud, "I sing kirtans well!", "I can give proper class!"—this is pride. I am nothing, I cannot do anything, I am simple and I am foot dust of devotees. Sometimes, when somebody took sannyas, Gurudev would say to them, "Today you are becoming a servant of everybody." But we think, "I have become a sannyasi, and now all the brahmacharis and householders will serve me!"—this kind of ego comes. We are not able to do anything.

Everybody has some ego—I know how to play the mridanga properly, I know so many good songs, I know so many good lectures, I know so much siddhanta, I have become a big pandit. This is a symptom of falldown.

Question: How did Nityananda Prabhu call Chaitanyadev to the celebration at Panihati?

Nityananda Prabhu called Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when Raghunath Das Goswami was making the festival, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu must come. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came there to see the festival, but only those who are fortunate souls could see that. Our eyes are full of dust,

অপ্রাকৃত বস্তু নহে প্রাকৃত-গোচর ।
বেদ-পুরাণেতে এই কহে নিরন্তর ॥

aprakrta vastu nahe prakrta-gochara
veda-puranete ei kahe nirantara

"Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Puranas."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 9.195)

When our heart becomes clean (nirmal chitta), when our eyes become clean, then we can see everything. Because our eyes are too much full of dust of maya, we cannot see proper things.

When you offer bhog, you also remember Gurudev, remember Krishna, remember Gaura Nitai, remember the Lord, and you do the offering—and They also must come and take that offering that you are giving with heart and soul. When you give something with heart, Krishna takes it. Give an offering with Tulasi leaves and after that you can take that prasadam—this is called prasad-seva.

প্রসাদ-সেবা করিতে হয়
সকল প্রপঞ্চ জয়

prasada-seva karite haya,
sakala prapancha-jaya

"By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions."

(Saranagati, 31.5, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

If we take prasadam, the five diseases can be removed from us—avidya (ignorance), asmita (false identification), raga (misdirected love), dvesa (aversion to anything that goes against one's enjoyment), and abhinivesa (being unable to give up unfavourable habits).

Are there any other questions?

Question: What is devotion?

What is devotion? Have you not read books? The answer to this question is there.

Devotion means attachment, a very strong attachment to proper things. What devotion do you mean? Devotion to Krishna or devotion to your family, devotion to your child, devotion to your mother, devotion to your husband, devotion to your Guru? Krishna-bhakti (devotion to Lord Krishna) is love and affection for Krishna consciousness.

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

Devotion means having a strongest faith that Krishna will protect me, that Krishna will take care of me, that Krishna is taking care of me. You can read about it in Saranagati. It means having a strongest faith that if you worship Krishna, all worship is done—if you worship devotees of Krishna, all kinds of worship are automatically done.

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