(1/5) Kirtan-Seva

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, evening class, 10 July 2020, part 1
Translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of my Divine Master Om Vishnupad Jagad-guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy and aspiring to serve him; after that, I am offering my full obeisance to all the assembled guru-varga, all my godbrothers, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees and all the devotees. I am offering my obeisance at your holy feet and praying for your mercy to this lowly soul.

The Lord has created such a situation for us externally that we are staying now in our rooms. All places are closed now. But still, we have got this opportunity now to hear about the Lord. We are often busy with our work, family and material life, but by the wish of the Lord, all external work is stopped now. We must not waste this opportunity – we must practise Krishna consciousness. This life must not pass in anaratha (undesirable, unspiritual things). That is why even amidst this situation, we take advantage of the scientific progress and meet every Sunday evening online. All the devotees around the world join those programmes, but Bengali devotees do not get this opportunity because they cannot connect to those programmes. Anyhow, we have got this opportunity to speak and hear about the Lord now.

'Kirtana-prabhave, smarana haibe (কীর্ত্তন-প্রভাবে স্মরণ হইবে). Chanting the Holy Name (kirtan) arouses remembrance (smaran)' (Vaishnav Ke?) It is possible to serve the Lord through kirtan. That is why it is important to always remember kirtan-seva (service through kirtan: chanting the Holy Name and practising Krishna consciousness). You can get the Lord through kirtan! You can chant kirtan all day long, no matter whether you are sitting, eat, lying down or doing anything else.

প্রভু কহে,–"কহিলাঙ এই মহামন্ত্র ।
ইহা জপ' গিয়া সবে করিয়া নির্ব্বন্ধ" ॥

prabhu kahe–kahilan ei maha-mantra
iha japa' giya sabe kariya nirbandha

'Always chant the Holy Name—there is no obstruction, no binding, you can chant this Holy Name at any time.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.23.77)

'At any time' means that there are no rules or regulations as to when you can chant the Holy Name.

ইহা হৈতে সর্ব্ব-সিদ্ধি হইবে সবার
সর্ব্বক্ষণ বল' ইথে বিধি নাহি আর

iha haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabara
sarva-ksana bala ithe vidhi nahi ara

'By doing this, you will attain success in all respects. There is no other rule but to chant it at every moment.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.23.78)

কি শয়নে, কি ভোজনে, কিবা জাগরণে ।
অহর্নিশ চিন্ত কৃষ্ণ, বলহ বদনে ॥

ki sayane, ki bhojane, kiba jagarane
aharnisa chinta krsna, balaha vadane

'Whether you are sleeping, eating or waking up, incessantly think about Krishna and chant the Name of Krishna with your mouth.'

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.28.28)

হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

'Chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name – there is no other way, no other way, no other way.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.76)

There is no other path in this Kali-yuga except for chanting the Holy Name. There is a total of sixty-four limbs of devotional practices, and among them, there are nine main practices. Among these nine practices, five are the most important:

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

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

'Sadhus' association, chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, listening to Srimad Bhagavatam, residing in Mathura and worshipping Deities with faith.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.124)

The Deity manifests itself within devotees' hearts. Therefore, it is necessary to first establish the Deity in your heart. In this way, Sri Madan-mohan appeared from the heart of Srila Sanatan Goswami, Govinda came to the heart of Srila Rupa Goswami, and Sri Radha-Raman came to the heart of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami. The Lord appears in the form of a Deity through the hearts of His beloved devotees.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Kirtan-Seva
2) Beyond Surface Understanding
3) Read and Apply In Your Life
4) Be a Disciple
5) Deities' Pastimes