Treasure of Devotion

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata-Worldwide, 14 June 2020, part 5

Are there any questions from anybody?

Question: How should we preach in the West? How to approach people here?

Do not tell about so many rules and regulations, do not give too complicated things. Try to tell what you know. Tell them about the chanting of the Holy Name. Show it also by your own example—be honest, be humble, give respect to others, give love and affection to others. Tell them what is our real destination—back to God, back to home, this here is not our real home. Tell them like this. Your home is Goloka Vrindavan, we have come from there and we must go back there. How will you go there? Only through chanting the Holy Name and service to devotees.

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

And,

জীবে দয়া, নামে রুচি, বৈষ্ণব সেবা ।
ইহা বহি সনাতন নাহি আর ধর্ম্ম ॥

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva
iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

"Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion."

You must be kind to jiva souls. Give them much love and affection, and tell them everything gradually. Do not hesitate, tell it to them. Tell properly what their real life is. This is not our life—we can leave this body at any time. Also, we and our body are not the same. We must tell it. We and our body are not the same. This is the main thing. We are atma, and atma always wants to serve Paramatma, atma is a part of Paramatma. Paramatma and atma exist in every body in this world, and at any time we can get any body in any life. We always keep changing our bodies—just as we change our clothes, we also always change our bodies. You can tell these things to them, step by step, and you can eventually convince them. They will ask some questions, you can read Srimad Bhagavad-gita and explain some slokas to them.

দৈবী হ্যেষা গুণময়ী মম মায়া দুরত্যয়া ।
মামেব যে প্রপদ্যন্তে মায়ামেতাং তরন্তি তে ॥

daivi hy esa gunamayi, mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te

"My alluring, 'trimodal,' illusory potency is practically insurmountable. However, those who take shelter in Me can overcome this powerful obstacle."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

You can explain some slokas like these to them, and they can easily understand it. They should read our books. Distribute some of our small books to them like Home Comfort, Original Source. Original Source is Gurudev's book, it is very small, but very nice things are written in it. You can distribute this book. It is a very nice book. You can give this Original Source book to them, and they can easily understand it.

Actually, everybody will leave their body, what is the problem? Everybody will die one day, but you have got this human body, so what is your duty? They must understand that. What is your duty? Tell them that they do not use this human body in the proper way. We are not meant to live like cats and dogs. What is the difference between a human body and a cat's or a dog's body? Cats and dogs sleep, eat, and enjoy, and we do the same things with this human body, but this is not our duty. We have got so many facilities—eyes, mouth, ears, etc. What will we do with them? Will we only eat and hear nonsense things? No. We will chant the Holy Name, we will hear Hari-katha, we will see Deities, we will bow ourselves down at Gurudev's lotus feet, at the Lord's lotus feet. This is what we are meant to do. Tell it to them, and they will be happy to hear it, they will feel much peace. Always give them some good advice, always show them a good mood and good advice that is given in Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

Are there any other questions?

Question: Could you please explain the first verse of the ninth chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita?

The first sloka is very easy. The Lord Himself says,

idam tu te guhyatamam, pravaksamy anasuyave
jnanam vijnana-sahitam, yaj jnatva moksyase 'subhat

The Supreme Lord said: I now reveal to you, who are without envy, this most hidden treasure of knowledge of pure devotion, with direct realization of Me, knowing which you will be liberated from inauspiciousness-from all that is opposed to devotion.

Sri Bhagavan, the Lord Himself, told, "My kirtan is very sacred, it is the highest thing. To understand it, it is necessary to have pure devotion. If you hear it with pure devotion, you will get liberation from this material world."

"The Supreme Lord said: I now reveal to you, who are without envy, the most hidden treasure of knowledge (these are very hidden things, guhyatama) of pure devotion, with direct realisation of Me, knowing which you will be liberated from inauspiciousness, from all that is opposed to devotion."

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