(7) Become a Servant

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching in Basirhat, noon programme,
13 December 2020, part 7

One time, somebody asked me, 'If Paramatma is situated in everybody's heart, and it is the duty of every soul to serve Paramatma, then why do we need to go to Goloka Vrindavan if Paramatma is here? If Krishna is there, Paramatma has no job there, so why must we go to Goloka?' You must remember the answer to this question. We are all parts and parcels of Krishna: we are anu-chaitanya (small consciousness), and Krishna is brihat-chaitanya (great consciousness). We must know who we are. If we do not know our own identity, we will not achieve anything. When I asked a man today what his name was, he replied, 'I am Goldar', I told him, 'Say "Das" (servant)! You are a das!' They think, 'Oh, if everybody calls me "das", then nobody will recognise me, but if they call me "Goldar", then everybody will know me!' You do not need to worry about this! The Lord will certainly know you! If you can become His servant (das), the Lord will bring you to Himself, but if you call yourself Goldar, the Lord will not recognise you. Become a servant (das), not a Goldar, then the Lord will know you. Remember this.

'কৃষ্ণ-নিত্যদাস'—জীব তাহা ভুলি' গেল ।
এই দোষে মায়া তার গলায় বান্ধিল ॥

'krsna-nitya-dasa'—jiva taha bhuli' gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bandhila

'The jiva soul forgot that it is an eternal servant of Krishna. Because of this mistake, illusion threw its ropes around the soul's neck.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.24)

Because we forget that we are eternal servants of the Lord, we fall into illusion (Maya's clutches) and think, 'I am so-and-so Maharaj', 'I am so-and-so Goldar', 'I am so-and-so Kaviraj', 'I am so-and-so Mandal', 'I am so-and-so Haldar', 'I am so-and-so Biswas', 'I am so-and-so Sarkar'. We do not know who we are! Our identity is an eternal servant!

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)

This is the identity we must know.

[His Divine Grace notices crowds flocking in.] See? It is one o'clock, so everyone has now come for prasad. What will you say? Are you all hungry for spiritual life (bhajan) or for food (bhojan)? I printed Srila Prabhupad's article in one of our books. I will read it to you and finish after that.

Do you know what is written in Srimad Bhagavatam?

শ্রোতব্যাদীনি রাজেন্দ্র নৃণাং সন্তি সহস্রশঃ ।
অপশ্যতামাত্মতত্ত্বং গৃহেষু গৃহমেধিনাম্ ॥

srotavyadini rajendra
nrnam santi sahasrasah
apasyatam atma-tattvam
grhesu grha-medhinam

"Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 2.1.2)

If somebody becomes detached or apathetic to their home (they do not know what to do or how to live) and can understand their identity, they can become exclusively dedicated to sravan and kirtan. But those who do not know their identity will ask thousands of questions. People here have so many questions, 'How can I earn money?', 'How will I take care of my family?', 'How can my children live a good life?', 'This is my home, my wealth – what will become of it?'

Suta Goswami heard the advice that Sukadev Goswami gave to Pariksit Maharaj, and it was then recorded as Bhagavatam:

শ্রীমদ্ভাগবতং পুরাণমমলং যদ্বৈষ্ণবানাং প্রিয়ং
যস্মিন্ পারমহংস্যমেকমমলং জ্ঞানং পরং গীয়তে ।
তত্র জ্ঞানবিরাগভক্তিসহিতং নৈষ্কর্ম্ম্যমাবিষ্কৃতং
তচ্ছৃণ্বন্ সুপঠন্ বিচারণপরো ভক্ত্যাবিমুচ্যেন্নরঃ ॥

srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tach chhrnvan su-pathan vicharana-paro bhaktya vimuchyen narah

Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana. It is most dear to the Vaishnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahamsas. This Bhagavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all material work, together with the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation and devotion. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Srimad Bhagavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 12.13.18)

Narad Goswami chastised Vedavyas very much. He told him, 'You have done so many things, but it is all abominable! You have done wrong. Everybody has faith in you, so give them something that will truly bring them benefit.'

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 22.2 Mb
Length: 43 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Spiritual Sincerity and Chastity
2) Half-Hen Ill Logic
3) Purpose of Birth
4) Transform Your Life Inside and Outside
5) Run behind Krishna
6) Power of Kirtan
7) Become a Servant
8) Beg for Spiritual Life