(6/15) Stepping over Liberation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kalarait (Kolkata), 4 December 2020, part 6
Translated from Bengali

What do we say when we come to the Lord? 'Make me rich (dhanam dehi)', 'Make me clever (vidyam dehi)', 'Make me beautiful (rupam dehi)', 'Give me a good wife (bharyam dehi)', 'Make me a great poet (kavitam sundarim dehi)'. We want money, cars, houses, but what did Mahaprabhu say?

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

'I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could serve You life after life.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.29)

নাহি মাগি দেহ-সুখ, বিদ্যা, ধন, জন ॥
নাহি মাগি স্বর্গ, আর মোক্ষ নাহি মাগি ।
না করি প্রার্থনা কোন বিভূতির লাগি’ ॥

nahi magi deha-sukha, vidya, dhana, jana
nahi magi svarga ara moksa nahi magi
na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi

'I do not pray for bodily pleasure, learning, wealth, or followers. I do not pray for heaven, I do not pray for liberation, and I do not pray for any supernatural powers.'

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We do not want heaven because we know that if we go to heaven, we will have to come back once our pious merit finishes. So, we do not want to go to heaven, neither do we want to attain liberation. There are four types of liberation: sayujya (merging with Brahman), sarupya (having the same body as the Lord), salokya (residing at the same planet as the Lord), samipya (being an associate of the Lord), sarsti (having the same opulences as the Lord). I can tell you one example to explain what liberation is like.

Suppose there is some straw floating down a canal or a river. At night, some dew builds up on the straw, and a drop of that dew will look around and think, 'Oh, I am so small, but this here is a great ocean! There is so much water all around me, but I am so tiny! If only I could become as big as this ocean!' Soon, the drop of dew falls into the water. Is it possible to find its existence in that water? It will not even be able to find itself there. Before, it could feel that it was a drop of dew, but once it falls into water, it disappears. So, the Lord is brihad-chaitanya (great consciousness), and if you merge into the Lord (attain syujya, sarupya, salokya or samipya), you will lose your existence. But devotees say, 'We put our foot on the head of Mukti Devi (Goddess Liberation) and, going over her, enter the world of devotion (bhakti)!'

Therefore, we do not wish to attain liberation. Devotees always want, 'Wherever we may be, whatever situation we may find ourselves in, we only pray to have devotion to You, O Lord.'

কীট জন্ম হউ যথা তুয়া দাস
বহির্ম্মুখ ব্রহ্মজন্মে নাহি আশ

kita janma hau yatha tuya dasa,
bahir-mukha brahma-janma nahi asa

'May I be born even as an insect, as long as I can be Your servant – I have no wish to be born as Brahma, averse to You.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Even if I become an insect or a spider, I do not mind it as long as I can be Your menial servant – as long as I can serve You birth after birth.' This is what devotion is.

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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