(12/15) Fruits of Faith

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kalarait (Kolkata), 4 December 2020, part 12
Translated from Bengali

Come to the temple, practise Krishna consciousness and chant the Holy Name. There is no lack of anything. Do you understand it? There is no lack of anything in the family of the Lord. Always chant the Holy Name, it will bring you benefit.

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

'Associate with sadhus, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, listen to Srimad Bhagavatam, reside in Mathura and worship holy Deities with faith.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.124)

It is necessary to have sukriti, I have told you about it before. There are two types of sukriti, ajnata-sukriti (unconscious spiritual merit) and jnata-sukriti (conscious spiritual merit). We must use 'His things for His service' (tad vastu tadiya sevaya, তদ বস্তু তদীয় সেবায়). In many three- or four-storey houses, people plant flowers in their gardens, but those flowers dry up. These plants give birth to flowers, but they are unable to serve the Lord with those flowers: if a plant grows at a non-devotees' house, what can it do? Its fortune is bad. But if a plant grows at a devotees' house, devotees cut its flowers and offer them at the holy feet of Govinda or make garlands and put them on devotees' necks. The flower plant does not realise what is being done with it, but it gets benefit in this way. This is called ajnata-sukriti (unconscious spiritual merit). For example, there are many flowers sold at the market: some flowers go to the sraddha houses (where last rites for the dead are performed), some flowers are put on dead bodies, some flowers are used at weddings or at anna-prasana (অন্নপ্রাশন) ceremonies (when children are given first grains), but some flowers are used for the service to devotees. All things' fortune is not the same.

The result of amassing sukriti is faith (sraddha). There are four types of faith: kamala-sraddha (tender faith), taranga-sraddha (fickle faith), dridha-sraddha (strong faith) and sudridha-sraddha (strongest faith). Tender faith is like a flower that you can barely touch and it immediately falls down. Somebody mocks or criticises you, 'Oh, you have gone to Nabadwip, so you now you walk around wearing Tulasi neckbeads and tilaks! You have become a great sadhu now?' When you hear it, you wipe off tilaks and take off the neckbeads. This is tender faith. If anyone says anything to you, they can say whatever they want, what is the problem? They will say something one day, two days, five days, ten days, and after that, they will not say it anymore ('I am telling him, but he is not saying or doing anything. Leave it.'). It is necessary to tolerate this. That is why we are told that we must be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree.

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi ahankara

'Give up ego and consider yourself lower than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and vile.'

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji anye karabi palana

'Practise tolerance like that of a tree, stop ill-treating others and nurture everyone.'

জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ-সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

'Live without causing anxiety to others; do good unto others forsaking your own happiness.'

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must throw away our own happiness for the sake of others. Sadhus leave their own happiness to give benefit to others. You can see my example also. I could have told the host of this programme, 'No, I cannot come to your house.' Then it means I would not be humble. Even if only two people come there – if only two people come, listen to what I say and get some benefit – I will get some commission from the Lord through that. The Lord will say, 'By telling these things to My two sons, you have helped them practise Krishna consciousness and sent them to Me.' If people keep listening to Hari-katha, they must come to this path. We can find some lost children. The Lord is searching for His lost sons, for the souls like us. If it had not been for Gurudev – if I had not heard his Hari-katha – I would not have been able to leave my job and come to the temple. After hearing this Hari-katha from Gurudev, I gave everything up at Gurudev's feet and came to the temple. So, if you listen and listen to Hari-katha, you will get benefit, too. Then, the Lord will be happy, and I will certainly be happy, too.

It is necessary to have sukriti from previous lives; otherwise, you cannot get anywhere without it. Faith comes from sukriti.

I began telling you about the four types of faith. The second type of faith is fickle faith (taranga-sraddha). When there is a festival at the temple, many people come there, but once the festival is over, everybody leaves and goes to what they call their 'homes' (they think, 'This is home there'). Do you know what Srila Prabhupad said? When the parikrama finished and everybody was leaving home, Srila Prabhupad said to them, 'Do not cheat me. Do not forget me.' Srila Sridhar Maharaj was present at that time, and he thought, 'What is Prabhupad saying? Why is he saying, "Do not cheat me"?' Srila Prabhupad explained, 'You came to the temple, stayed here for several days, and you have entered a relationship with me, but when you go to Maya, do not forget this relationship that you have with me! Do not forget me! Do not cheat me. Please practise Krishna consciousness.' This is what Srila Prabhupad said. When you go to your houses, when you go back to your material bondage, practise Krishna consciousness, serve the Lord. On another occasion, Srila Prabhupad said, 'I have not come here to waste your rice. I have come only to help a couple of people. If a couple of people listen to Hari-katha and get some benefit, this is what I come for.'

Next is strong faith (dridha-sraddha). It means that your faith has become deeper, more condensed and you gradually start to think about the Lord more. And the strongest faith (sudridha-sraddha) means that even if they beat me, if they cut me, if they tell me anything, I do not leave my Lord, I do not stop chanting the Holy Name. Haridas Thakur was beaten at twenty-two marketplaces, but even then the did not stop chanting the Holy Name. 'I will never leave the Holy Name! Do anything you want to me, say anything you want to me.' The guards who were beating Haridas said in the end, 'Prabhu, please give us your mercy.' In Muslim tradition, if they bury a dead body, the person will go to heaven, so the guards threw Haridas Thakur in the Ganges and informed their chief about it. Haridas Thakur floated down the river and came to Phuliya. He never left the Holy Name. There was one woman in Russia during the communist government. Because she chanted the Holy Name, the military put her into jail. She was pregnant at that time, and when the baby was born in prison. One of the men put his leg on the child's chest and said, 'Stop chanting! Do you want your chanting or do you want your child?'

'I choose the Holy Name.'

'Then, your child will die.'

'Let it die then. It will die one day anyway, but I will chant Hare Krishna loudly, and when the child hears it, it will come to an auspicious place.'

We must have this kind of strongest faith. The result of faith is sadhu-sanga (association of saints), then bhajana-kriya (practising: doing kirtan as we are doing here, speaking Hari-katha), then anartha-nivritti (all unwanted elements will go away), then nistha (constancy, sincerity). Sincerity means, 'I will keep doing what I am doing no matter what. I practise Krishna consciousness every day, I chant the Holy Name every day, and I will never stop it.' After that, asakti (attachment) will come – you will not want to stop practising, stop serving, you will not like it. Once you get taste, you will not be able to leave it. Those who have once got taste for the service to the Lord, who have felt this kind of happiness, can never leave the Lord's service. After that comes prema (divine love), bhava (divine emotion) and maha-bhava (intense divine emotion).

আদৌশ্রদ্ধা ততঃ সাধুসঙ্গোঽথ ভজনক্রিয়া ।
ততোঽনর্থনিবৃত্তিঃ স্যাৎ ততো নিষ্ঠা রুচিস্ততঃ ॥
অথাসক্তিস্ততো ভাবস্ততঃ প্রেমাভ্যুদঞ্চতি ।
সাধকানাময়ং প্রেম্ণঃ প্রাদুর্ভাবে ভবেৎ ক্রমঃ ॥

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha ruchis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudanchati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

'First, there is faith; then, saintly association and practising life. After that, unwanted habits gradually go away, spiritual life becomes stable, and spiritual taste comes. Then comes attachment, feeling and finally transcendental love. This is how love for the Lord comes to those who practise Krishna consciousness.'

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.4.15-16)

This is how faith grows higher and higher. When a jiva's faith grows strong, Maya will leave it and goes away. Where there is light, there can be no darkness. Where there is Krishna, Maya has no right to be there. Wherever there is Hari-katha, Maya goes far away from that place.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Demolish Wall of Ego
2) Live in Hari-Katha
3) Do Not Waste Time
4) Waiting—Not Wanting
5) Focus on the Lord
6) Stepping over Liberation
7) Beyond Karma-Misra Bhakti
8) Evading Maya's World
9) Descend of Scriptures
10) Please Come Home!
11) Do Not Live Like Outside People
12) Fruits of faith
13) Pure Sankirtan in Pure Association
14) Covet All, Lose All
15) Kali-Yuga Brahmans