(5/5) Search for Your Original Home

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bhagavanpur, 8 December 2020, noon, part 5
Translated from Bengali

One time, Nityananda Prabhu cursed Sivananda Sen. He said, 'May Sivananda Sen's two sons die!' Hearing this, Sivananda Sen's wife began to cry, 'Oh no! The sadhu has uttered such a horrible curse!' But when Sivananda Sen heard about it, he said, 'This is not a curse! It is a blessing!' Sivananda Sen took all offence, all fault on his head. He told Nityananda Prabhu, 'Prabhu, it is all my fault!' It was time to have a meal, and everybody was hungry. When Sivananda Sen paid his obeisance to Nityananda Prabhu and told Him, 'It is all my fault,' Nityananda Prabhu kicked him! Seeing this, Sivananda Sen's nephew Srikanta became angry that his uncle was treated in that way and quickly went to Mahaprabhu to complain. Mahaprabhu is omniscient, He knows everything, but He thought, 'Oh, Srikanta has come to say something. Let Me see what he has to say.' But by the influence of Mahaprabhu, Srikanta could not say anything. But what did Sivananda Sen do then? He got up and began to dance! 'I have been practising Krishna consciousness for so long, and today I have got such a beautiful result! My Lord, my Master has kicked me today! There is no greater benefit for me than this!'

So, please always practise Krishna consciousness. This is your only duty. I am telling you all: if you do not want to suffer from birth, old age, disease and death, then practise Krishna consciousness. Gurudev has a small book called In the Search of the Original Source. What is that original source? You have a house here. It may be a bad house, a good house, but you think that it is your house. Suppose you go to the city and rent there some place for four months. After four months, you rent another place for three months; then you move again and rent another place for five months. When you keep changing houses like this, you will one day think, 'If I had my own home, even if it is just some thatched room, it would be better than to live like this.' In the same way, we too have our original home, our original house. Where is it? You will say, 'Oh, my home is in Midnapore', 'His home is in London', 'His home is in America', but these are not our real homes! Our real home is in Goloka Vrindavan, and this is where we must go.

There are fourteen worlds in this universe: Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya; Atal, Vital, Sutal, Talatal, Mahatal, Rasatal, Patal. You know this. Both hell and heaven are parts of these fourteen planets. Beyond these fourteen planes is Vaikuntha (spiritual world): Viraja, Pravyoma and Goloka Vrindavan. The Lord eternally lives in Goloka Vrindavan, this is His home. We have all come from there. We live in Midnapore today, but tomorrow we will be born as a dog in Russia or a Muslim in Pakistan. There is no guarantee that it will not happen. We do not know where we will go next. 'Kothay chhilam, hetay elam, kothay yabo bhavi nai (কোথায় ছিলাম, হেথায় এলাম, কোথায় যাব ভাবি নাই): I do not know where I was, where I have come and where I will go.' We must go back to our homes. Back to God, back to home. Please come back to the Lord, come back to your home! Search for your own home.

If we are to return to the Lord, we must accept Mahaprabhu's teachings: the Harinama maha-mantra.

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)

There is no other way in Kali-yuga except chanting the Holy Name. To chant the Holy Name, it is necessary to take shelter of a genuine guru. When people come to take initiation, we prohibit them to do four things. Gambling (cards, dice, chess, etc.), intoxication (alcohol, drugs, smoking, even tea – tea is not offered to the Lord, so it must not be taken).

প্রসাদ-সেবা করিতে হয়
সকল প্রপঞ্চ জয়

prasada-seva karite haya,
sakala prapancha-jaya

'By honouring the Lord's prasad I conquer all worldly illusions.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We sing this every ekadasi in this kirtan:

শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু
ভজন-অনুকূল ।
ভকত-সেবা পরম-সিদ্ধি
প্রেমলতিকার মূল ॥

suddha-bhakata-charana-renu
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva parama-siddhi
prema-latikara mula

'The dust of pure devotees' feet is favourable to devotion. Serving the devotees is the supreme fulfilment and the root of the creeper of divine love.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Service to devotees is the root of the creeper of divine love. What did Lord Krishna say Himself? 'Those who say that they are devotees of Krishna are not My devotee, but those who say they are devotees of My devotee are My true devotees.' Mahaprabhu also said, 'I am a menial servant of a servant of a servant of a servant's servant.' We are menial servants of the Lord, but having forgotten Him, we have now fallen into material bondage. But sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs come to help us.

মহান্ত-স্বভাব এই তারিতে পামর ।
নিজ-কার্য্য নাহি তবু যান তার ঘর ॥

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara
nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

'The innate nature of great souls is to deliver vile, fallen souls: great souls never come to their homes for any personal purpose.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.8.39)

They do not come to others' houses for their own interest; they come to rescue jiva souls and take them for the service of the Lord. So, serve the Lord in this way. You do not have to suffer from birth, old age, disease and death. Come back to the Lord, come back to your own home.

I will not take more of your time. I am asking you all for forgiveness and also inviting you all to our temples. Please come.

বাঞ্ছাকল্পতরুভ্যশ্চ কৃপাসিন্ধুভ্য এব চ ।
পতিতানাং পাবনেভ্যো বৈষ্ণবেভ্যো নমো নমঃ ॥

vanchha-kalpatarubhyas cha krpa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

'Again and again I offer my obeisance unto the Supreme Lord's devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy, and wish-fulfilling trees.'

Hari bol.

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Size: 11 Mb
Length: 27 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Refine Your Destination
2) Devotional Clothes or Devotional Heart?
3) Inside and Outside
4) Beauty of Kirtan
5) Search for Your Original Home