(3/7) Happiness Is Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Evening class, Sri Nrisingha Palli
3 November 2020, part 3
Translated from Bengali

'Chaitanya-chandrera "batula" ke rakhite pare? Who can stop one who is mad for Chaitanya Chandra?' Do you remember who it was said about? Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu. It is possible to practise Krishna consciousness only if you have sincerity (nistha). Whatever you do, you must do it sincerely. If you do service, the result of your service will be getting more service. Service is the vow (vrata) of devotees. You know that we observe niyom-seva vrata, but in the life of devotees, their vow is service. Service is life (prana), service is vow (vrata), service is the rule (niyom). So, for devotees, niyom-seva vrata is service. They do not observe some vow for a few days during the niyom-seva month and do what they like during the rest of the time. It is not like that.

I do not want any happiness, peaceful life or rest. What I want is constant service. Whatever problems come when I try to serve, whatever disturbance comes, I will accept and bear everything.

Many think, 'I had it good at home, but since I have come here, I have had to roam around so much for the sake of two rupees. I worked in the office so much that my pen would go blunt, but I have come here to practise devotion. Why are there so many problems?' Why take so much trouble, suffer so much anxiety for the sake of family life? Anxiety, disturbances, and struggle in the material life is the cause of bondage – it does not bring any benefit to your life. If you can accept all the disturbances, troubles, and misery for the Lord's service, you will get a great benefit – your misery is the price for the Lord's happiness. Seeing the Lord's happiness, the soul becomes even happier. That is its reward.

There are many enjoyers in this Mission. Self-satisfaction goes against devotion. It is necessary to give it up. However, attraction to liberation, desiring peace are fearsome and condemnable. Those who desire peace are devilish; although they look like saintly persons externally. A party of such desirous people wander about looking for trifling things, they stay in seclusion and show renunciation. These are not real saintly persons. They can wear a mask of a saintly person, but inside they seek their own happiness. Therefore, such people are extremely unsaintly. Such people want their own happiness – they come to stay at the temple with their own plans and ideas ('I will do this, that'), or they go to stay alone in a jungle or on the bank of Govinda Kunda ('I will stay alone, nobody will disturb me; I will go begging and eat whatever I collect'). I wrote about it very seriously here, in Guidance 4.

Devotees jump into troubles, and they make the Lord happy amidst all the troubles. If you cannot sleep at night because you are thinking about your service, this is good. I do not want to avoid problems, I do not want peace; I want only service to the holy lotus feet of the Lord. This desire for peace lingers in the hearts of many people – they think that they lived nicely in their families, but when they come to a devotional institution they face so many problems. Those who like to avoid problems, are knowledge-seekers (jnanis). However, this is not the ideal of renounced devotees. Kunti Devi prayed, 'If so much unhappiness comes, let it come – I do not wish to avoid it because when I am amidst unhappiness I remember You more.' 'I do not need unhappiness, I do not need anxiety! I would like to sit, do nothing, and take nice prasad' – whether the Lordships’ service is done or not, that they do not care. Many cannot understand these subtle obstacles on the path of devotion.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Worship Gauranga
2) Keep Your Fire Ablaze
3) Happiness Is Service
4) Make Kirtan Your All-In-All
5) Qualification for Kirtan
6) Sadhus' Surrender
7) You Must Want To Learn