(3/5) Read and Apply In Your Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, evening class, 10 July 2020, part 3
Translated from Bengali

Coming to this world, sadhus go door to door preaching about the Lord by hook or by crook. Nityananda Prabhu distributed His mercy even when He was beaten! Madhai threw a piece of clay pot at Him, but Nityananda Prabhu rescued Jagai and Madhai. Even though they were sinners, Jagai and Madhai were not offenders of Vaishnavs. Offence to a Vaishnav is a very serious thing. We can fall down at any moment because of Vaishnav-aparadh. It is said:

হরিস্থানে অপরাধে তারে হরিনাম ।
তোমাস্থানে অপরাধে নাহিক এড়ান ॥

hari-sthane aparadhe tare harinama
toma-sthane aparadhe nahiko edana

'If one commits an offence at the feet of Lord Hari, he can be forgiven if he chants the Holy Name. But if one offends you, there is no salvation for him.'

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

If you make an offence to the Lord, Vaishnavs can protect you, but if you make an offence to those Vaishnavs, who is there in this world to protect you then? You must always remember this. I have written about these things very nicely in this book (Guidance 4), read it carefully. I have written it for you to read. You cannot hear my Hari-katha all the time in person, but I have written everything very nicely in this book. You can get it and read it.

[His Divine Grace is reading from Guidance 4, chapter 'Sri Gurudev is the center of the disciple's heart'.]

'Sri Gurudev is the only shelter for a disciple. Those who have become disciples live in complete adherence to their guru. If one retains independence, they cannot be called a 'disciple' – they can take the mantra, they can take initiation, but if they do not accept the guidance, or disciplining, of Sri Gurudev, they cannot be called a real disciple. Gurudev has a vast wealth. Those who are born into his lineage, can get the right for his wealth. When one is born into a king's family, one becomes a prince. In the same way, when one is born into Gurudev's family or lineage, they become his disciple, or child. Gurudev's wealth is not temples, buildings, houses, money; his wealth is faith, devotion and love.'

[Faith means believing, and devotion means unconditional surrender, not surrender with shopkeeper mentality. When you come to a shop, you bargain with the shopkeeper stating your condition, 'I will buy it for this price.' The relationship between Sri Guru and the disciple is not like that. Just as there is a natural relationship between a father and a son, between a husband and a wife – this relationship is not based on money.]

'When one is born into his family, one gets the right for all this priceless spiritual wealth. If you want to keep away from the service of such Gurudev, it means your fortune is very bad. If you feel any lack of faith towards Gurudev, then the door to the domain of devotion will be closed for you because if Gurudev is unhappy with you, then there is no way Sri Sri Gaurasundar will forgive you. When Jagai and Madhai hit Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Sri Gaurasundar called His Sudarsan-chakra, but Srila Nityananda Prabhu forgave them and pacified Sri Gaurasundar. It is not so easy to understand Gurudev. You can understand small things, but it is difficult to understand Gurudev—he is grand, he is great.

'Gurudev and a Vaisnav is not one and the same, just as a father is not the same as an uncle. If something happens to the son, if he dies, the father becomes devastated, he feels agonising pain, but the uncle or a neighbour may feel only a little pain.

'If you run down the path of devotion at a very high speed, you can meet an accident and all your ten-year's practice will be destroyed. A car can be going at a very high speed, but if it meets an accident on the road, it will be crushed to pieces. Similarly, it is very difficult to progress on the path of devotion—it is very easy to go down the hill, but it is difficult to go uphill. It takes so much time to go up, but you can go down within a moment.

'Srila Prabhupad used to say, "You have been given a ticket to Delhi, but before reaching Delhi you get off in Bardhaman." This is your loss. People want to practise Krishna consciousness, but when they do not get the result, they get injured. You leave your home and come here, but if you cannot get love and devotion, if you cannot serve properly, then your life passes in vain.

'Gurudev can save his disciple from fire. It is difficult to understand how and when one does service, but if a disciple comes across some thorns, this is very distressing. Vaisnava-aparadha is a great hindrance on the path of devotion. Do I recognise who is a Vaisnav and who is not? Therefore, if you behave inappropriately with Vaisnavs, you will face thorns on the path of devotion. What is there left if you commit an offence at the feet of Gurudev? Your devotional life will burn to ashes.'

Have you heard it? If you read it, you can appreciate how beautiful these things are. Read this book carefully, slowly, it will be good. And after you read it, try to apply it in your life.

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

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