Ideal Service Mood

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata-Worldwide, 2 August 2020, part 7

Question: There is a preaching centre in our city, but someone else is trying to start programmes in a different place...

That is good!

Question [continues]: Is that OK?

Yes, that is OK, otherwise how will you make devotees? How will you send your message (Mahaprabhu's message), how will you distribute it without preaching? You can make programmes house to house, door to door. You are all like postmen appointed by Gurudev, and you must send the message from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu everywhere—distribute it door to door, house to house. To do that, you must make programmes—through these programmes you can distribute Mahaprabhu's message.

Question [continues]: What I mean is that there are already established programmes from our Math and some other devotee starts sending invitations to different missions and tries to establish something separate from the main preaching centre...

Actually, you must establish the conception of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, the conception of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. In this world, there are so many various kinds of conceptions, and there are all sorts of misconceptions prominent all over the world. However, you must establish the conception that Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math stands for, the real conception that Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave our Guru Maharaj the responsibility to guard—the Rupanuga line, the Rupanuga Sampradaya conception. You must establish this conception in various places, through every programme...

Question: How can I develop real attachment to chanting the Holy Name?

Real attachment will come when there is less Nama-aparadh. When we chant the maha-mantra, we actually always chant Nama-aparadhas—we do not chant the pure Name. So, if you make less Nama-aparadh, if you can chant without Nama-aparadh, then attachment for the pure Holy Name will come. It comes through service—"Sevon mukhe kaha Krsna Nam (সেবোন্মুখে কহে কৃষ্ণনাম): chant the Holy Name with your mouth when you are doing service." When you are cooking, when you are making a dress for the Deities, when you are serving, chant the Holy Name at that time. Chant and chant, then attachment will come. When you have a baby, you give the baby some name, and if you call the baby by that name, if you call, call, and call, then eventually your child will come and ask, "Mom, what has happened?" So, when you are chanting the Holy Name, it means you are calling or chanting Krishna's Name, Radha-Krishna's Name—when you chant, chant, chant, when you chant Their Name more and more, then one day Radha-Krishna will respond to your calling. Then, attachment will come.

Question: Tomorrow is Sri Balaram Prabhu's appearance day. Is there anything in particular that we can cook for this day?

You can cook whatever you have, there are so many things you can make. Balaram always likes buttermilk. You have been to Gokula Dham and you have seen that there, Balaram always has a glass of buttermilk in His hand. In the Dauji Temple also. He also always likes misri (rock sugar), makhon (butter), rabri, laddu. But some things may be very difficult to get abroad. You can make whatever you cook, whatever you like. Also, Gurudev is non-different from Baladev, so you can cook what Gurudev likes. For example, Gurudev liked mashed potato with a lot of chili in it [boiled potato is mashed with shallow-fried red chillis together with the oil, some salt, and (optional) a little fried jeera]. He always took it. It is small pieces of mashed potato and really a lot of red chilli in it.

Question: We were reading Guidance 4, and it is said there that devotees sometimes do service, but they enjoy themselves more than the service they are doing. At the same time, you also say that when we do genuine service, we will develop some taste, we will feel some pleasure doing it. So, I am confused how we can differentiate between real ruchi and enjoyment in service?

When ruchi (transcendental taste) for service comes to you, you will neither be able to avoid the service, nor will you be able to leave that service. Ruchi is followed by asakti, attachment. Attachment comes through service. Gurudev also says that everybody does some service, but very few people have attachment for their service. Everybody has some material attachment, but not everybody has proper attachment for the service to the Lord. This attachment is not the same. "Sraddha-anusari bhakti-adhikari (শ্রদ্ধা-অনুসারী ভক্তি-অধিকারী): the quality of devotion depends faith." (Cc, 2.22.64)" If you have a real faith, then you can claim that you have devotion. We never say that we have devotion—we have little faith and, likewise, we have little devotion. When you get some pleasure in your heart through service, then no matter how much disturbance comes, nothing will be able to stop you—you will still feel more and more enthusiasm, more and more attachment to your service, you will feel enjoyment through that service. "Tomara sevaya yata haya duhkha, seo ta' parama sukha (তোমার সেবায় যত হয় দুঃখ, সেও ত' পরম সুখ)—All the distress I encounter in Your service is also my greatest happiness." Whatever sadness, whatever unhappiness comes to you through service, that is your happiness. That is happiness. Problems will come and they will not let you relax—when problems always come, you will get more and more energy. I have given the example also—when two dogs started their journey from Dum Dum to Nabadwip, they thought it would take them seven days to reach Nabadwip, but because they faced so much disturbance on the way, they did not get any time to rest and had to keep running ahead, so they actually reached Nabadwip within twenty-four hours, within one day instead of seven. So, if you can do your service in this way, it will be good for you.

Dandavat.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.

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