(1/5) Love for Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, evening class, 11 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.

A bad day is not a cloudy day. A bad day is a day without Hari-katha. For us, a bad day is when we cannot hear about the Lord. Many days are passing, but we cannot remember the Lord. We must make sure that not a single day passes without remembering the Lord and that we may serve the Lord every single day.

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

"My days pass in useless work and nights are wasted on sleep. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting and waiting right next to me."

(Sri Kalyan-Kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We do not know when we will have to leave this life, but it must come one day. We have got some time now to hear and speak about the glories of the Lord. It is necessary to be eager to serve.

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

"May I have the same affection and attraction to your feet that I now have for material things."

(Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We are attached to many material things, but we must pray to have this kind of attachment to the Lord and our Gurudev. We must always remember this. If you are attached to material things, material world and family, you cannot get the Lord. You must gradually, step by step become detached from this material world and everything in it. Always be detached. Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu wrote one sloka:

অন্যাভিলাষিতা-শূন্যং জ্ঞান-কর্ম্মাদ্যনাবৃতম্ ।
আনুকূল্যেন কৃষ্ণানুশীলনং ভক্তিরুত্তমা ॥

anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama

'The highest devotion is that which satisfies Lord Krishna, free from the coverings of any pursuits, such as action or knowledge.'

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.1.11)

We must give up all other desires. Give up any and every other desire except for the service to the Lord. You must always only aspire to serve the Lord. You worry, 'How will I live? What will I eat? Who will look after me when I grow old?' Why must such thoughts come to your mind? You are not scared to commit sins for your own enjoyment (nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari, নিজ সুখ লাগি' পাপে নাহি ডরি; Saranagati). If you always think about your self (What will I eat? What will I wear? What will happen with the house?), then where is your faith in the Lord? When a father becomes old, he worries, 'Oh, I have given everything to my children, but they are not taking care of me.' Those who are surrendered to the Lord never think about such things because they know that the Lord will do everything and the Lord will take care of everything.

অন্য অভিলাষ ছাড়ি, জ্ঞান কর্ম্ম পরিহরি,
কায়মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণসেবা, না পূজিব দেবী-দেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya abhilasa chhadi, jnana karma parihari
kaya-mane kariba bhajana
sadhu-sange krsna-seva, na pujiba devi-deva
ei bhakti parama karana

"The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krsna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods."

(Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Serve the Lord focusing your body and mind. We must serve Lord Krishna in the association of sadhus, but it does not mean that we will dis others – we will offer our obeisances to others, we will give them respect. We must always be careful with our association because if your association becomes bad, it destroy everything. Always keep good association. If you keep good association, you will become good; and if you keep bad association, you will become bad, too. For example, if you mix with gundas (thugs), you will become a gunda yourself; and if you mix with a good person, you will become good, too.

Always submit everything at the holy feet of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs. There is Lord, there is Guru and Vaishnavs above us, and we must leave everything up to them. We will do our service every day – whether they accept it or not, it is their matter – we will continue doing it every day. Always remember this. The result of service is more service – the more service you do, the more service you will get (service will be coming to you, and you will be getting bigger and bigger services). When Gurudev gives me some service responsibility, I must bear this responsibility and do the service I have been told to do. When you do service, you can often make some offences, but a surrendered soul has no offence – if you are a surrendered soul, the Lord will forgive all your offences and engage you again in service.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Love for Service
2) Practise and Preach
3) Remember Your Nitya Svarup
4) Life in Remembrance
5) Priorities in Life