(1/7) Understanding Religion of Kali-Yuga

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking to devotees worldwide,
30 November 2020, part 1

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.
Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay.
All the assembled devotees ki jay.
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay.
Saparsada Sriman Mahaprabhu ki jay.
Sri Purusottam Ksetra ki jay.
Sri Puri Dham ki jay.
Baladev Subhadra Jagannathjiu ki jay.
All the worldwide devotees ki jay.
All the assembled sannyasi-vrinda ki jay.

I am offering my obeisance to all the assembled distinguished guests and speakers. Actually, I am very unqualified to speak in front of you because I am a very fallen soul and have no quality or qualification. Still, by the mercy of my Guru and Vaishnavs, I will try to mention some things. It is only possible for me to say something if Gurudev's desire and will is there and by the mercy of Lord Krishna and His devotees. Therefore, I am paying my full obeisance to you all. You have invited me to join this virtual meeting dedicated to Lord Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, Sri Jagannath Ratha-yatra as well as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His connection with Sri Jagannath Dham (Puri Dham). I will try to say a few words only by the mercy of Gurudev and his devotees.

So, today is Rasa Purnima. This day is celebrated in many places, that is why I said that I could give another class on this day. But at present it is very difficult to understand this movement of Krishna consciousness or the divinity of Lord Jagannath and Mahaprabhu. Who is able to understand it? It is very rare to find this kinds of soul who will listen to the conception of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu properly. In this Age of Kali, it is very rare to find or understand the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His love and affection.

You all know these verses from chapter four of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, dedicated to jnana-yoga (path of knowledge):

যদা যদা হি ধর্ম্মস্য গ্লানির্ভবতি ভারত ।
অভ্যুত্থানমধর্ম্মস্য তদাত্মানং সৃজাম্যহম্ ॥

yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya, tadatmanam srjamy aham

O Bharata, whenever there is a decline of religion and an uprising of irreligion, I personally make My advent.

পরিত্রাণায় সাধূনাং বিনাশায় চ দুষ্কৃতাম্ ।
ধর্ম্মসংস্থাপনার্থায় সম্ভবামি যুগে যুগে ॥

paritranaya sadhunam, vinasaya cha duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya, sambhavami yuge yuge

I appear age after age to deliver the saintly devotees, vanquish the miscreants, and firmly establish true religion.

জন্ম কর্ম্ম চ মে দিব্যমেবং যো বেত্তি তত্ত্বতঃ ।
ত্যক্ত্বা দেহং পুনর্জম্ম নৈতি মামেতি সোঽর্জ্জুন ॥

janma karma cha me divyam, evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma, naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

O Arjuna, one who comes to know thus the truth of My pastimes of divine birth and activities, does not undergo rebirth. After giving up this body, he attains Me. (My grace is revealed to him as My personal transcendental joyful potency, hladini-sakti. His heart is melted in divine love and he attains My eternal devotional service.)

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.7–9)

My command of the English language is not good, but I will try to explain something to you. 'O Bharata, whenever there is a decline of religion and an uprising of irreligion, I personally make My advent. I appear age after age to deliver the saintly devotees, vanquish the miscreants, and firmly establish true religion.' Lord Krishna told Arjuna, 'One who comes to know thus the truth of My pastimes of divine birth and activities, does not undergo rebirth. After giving up this body, he attains Me. (My grace is revealed to him as My personal transcendental joyful potency, hladini-sakti. His heart is melted in divine love and he attains My eternal devotional service.)'

I do not know how many persons know this, but actually in this Age of Kali, Lord Sri Krishna took Radharani's heart and halo and became Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Lord Gauranga). So, as we always say, Mahaprabhu is a combined form of Lord Krishna and Radharani. His Name is Gauranga, and after He took sannyas in Bengal, from Keshav Bharati, He was given the brahmachari name Sri Krishna Chaitanya. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached extensively and distributed His own Name because

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)

This Holy Name is this:

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

In this Age of Kali, we can quickly reach very remote places all over the world through various scientific means such as the internet, email, mobile phones and television. Gurudev told that if it is possible to reach various remote places through sound and ether, why cannot we then reach Goloka Vrindavan (Lord Krishna's place, the place where we all came from) through the medium of the transcendental sound vibration (sabda-taranga)?

To achieve this, we must first know ourselves. What is our identification? We should understand that we are not this body: we are not sannyasis, brahmacharis, PhDs or any other bodily identifications.

জীবের 'স্বরূপ' হয়—কৃষ্ণের 'নিত্যদাস' ।
কৃষ্ণের 'তটস্থা-শক্তি', 'ভেদাভেদ-প্রকাশ' ॥

jivera 'svarupa' haya—krsnera 'nitya-dasa'
krsnera 'tatastha-sakti' 'bhedabheda-prakasa'

'By its intrinsic nature, the soul is an eternal servant of Krishna; souls come from the marginal energy of Krishna and are simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.20.108)

We are eternal servants of the Lord, but we have forgotten that. We have forgotten our identification due to the activities of Maya and the illusory environment. Who am I? It is very important to understand this. We come from the Lord, and we must come back to the Lord. If we get liberation, we will merge with Him, but if we get proper devotion, we can come back to our real home. Back to home, back to Godhead.

We are Krishna's friends and eternal servants, and Krishna has lost us. We are swimming now in the sea of births and deaths. Passing so much time, we have finally got a human body. We have much better senses and facilities than other species. So, why cannot we reach our proper goal, our proper place? If we chant this Holy Name properly, without offence, we can go to our real home.

This is the religion of Kali-yuga. This is the religion of the jiva soul. Sadhu-sanga (good association), jive daya (compassion to other souls), Name ruchi (taste for the Holy Name) and vaishnava-seva (service to devotees). You must get the taste for chanting the Holy Name. If you can chant this Holy Name as a sincere seeker, with chastity, you will get to your real home. But why must we follow this procedure? Why is it necessary? That is the question...

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Length: 49 min
Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Understanding Religion of Kali-Yuga
2) Who Is Mahaprabhu?
3) Understanding Lord Jagannath
4) Mahaprabhu's Mystic Pastimes
5) Small Service, Great Heart
6) Love and Appreciate Mahaprabhu's Gift
7) Highest Devotion