(1/8) Gurudev's Great Mercy

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Basirhat, 17 December 2020, noon, part 1
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace chants kirtan.]

গুরুদেব!
বড় কৃপা করি’, গৌড়বন-মাঝে
গোদ্রুমে দিয়াছ স্থান ।
আজ্ঞা দিল মোরে, এই ব্রজে বসি’,
হরিনাম কর গান ॥১॥

gurudeva!
bada krpa kari', gauda-vana-majhe
godrume diyachha sthana
ajna dila more, ei vraje vasi',
harinama kara gana [1]

'Gurudev! Bestowing great mercy on me, you have given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip amidst the forests of Gauda. You ordered me: "Reside in this non-different-from-Vraja abode and chant the Lord's Name."'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur sang this kirtan. He says, 'Gurudev, you have given me much mercy: you have given me a place in Gaura-mandal, on the island of Godrum.' I also say to Gurudev, 'I have left the jal-mandir in Kolerdanga, but I am still there, in Godrumdwip.' All 330,000,000 demigods reside in Nrisingha Palli, that is why this place is also known as Devapalli. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur stayed nearby, in Svarupganj. He says, 'My Lord, you have ordered me to stay in this non-different-from-Vrindavan abode and chant the Holy Name.'

কিন্তু কবে প্রভো, যোগ্যতা অর্পিবে,
এ দাসেরে দয়া করি’ ।
চিত্ত স্থির হবে, সকল সহিব,
একান্তে ভজিব হরি ॥২॥

kintu kabe prabho, yogyata arpibe,
e dasere daya kari'
chitta sthira habe, sakala sahiba,
ekante bhajiba hari [2]

'But when, O Master, will you mercifully grant this servant the qualification to do this? Then my heart will become steadfast, I will tolerate everything, and I will serve the Lord sincerely'.

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'Bestowing a great mercy on me, you have given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip amidst the forests of Gauda and ordered me to chant the Holy Name. My Lord, when will you grant me the qualification to do that?' Can anyone say what the qualification to chant the Holy Name is? You are chanting the Holy Name, but do you know the qualification for chanting? Who has the right to chant the Holy Name? Three things are necessary: be humble, tolerant and give honour to others. These are Mahaprabhu's directives. Who has the ability to chant the Holy Name? Those who have the power of tolerance. When you cut a tree, it does not say anything – even when you cut it, it does not say anything.

When we went to Kurmaksetra, we spoke about Vasudev Vipra. Vasudev Vipra had leprosy: insects would eat his flesh and fall from the sores on his body, but he would pick them up and put them back into the sores. 'This body will be burnt anyway, so if they feel happy to eat it, let them eat it.' How much pain he tolerated! When insects bite, it is painful...

'When will I have the qualification to chant the glories of the Lord? When will I become humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree? When will I be able to give honour to others? When will I have this qualification?' You must always chant kirtan and pray to gurudev:

সকলে সম্মান করিতে শকতি
দেহ' নাথ ! যথাযথ ।
তবে ত' গাইব হরিনাম সুখে
অপরাধ হবে হত ॥

sakale sammana karite sakati,
deha natha! yatha yatha
tabe ta' gaiba hari-nama sukhe,
aparadha habe hata

'O Master! Please give me strength to give proper honour to everyone, then I will happily chant the Holy Name and all my offences will be destroyed.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Next, it is said in the kirtan we are singing, 'When will my mind become still?' Our minds always go this way, that way. When we start chanting the Holy Name, our minds wander off. You can be chanting the Holy Name on the beads and thinking at this time, 'When will my daughter get married? Where can I find a good son-in-law?' So, 'When will my mind become peaceful? When will I tolerate everything and exclusively serve the Lord?'

This is a very beautiful kirtan, prayer to gurudev. I have not learnt it by heart, that is why I always want to sing it to remember it. I know two guru-kirtans by heart: 'Gurudev, krpa bindu diya' and 'Sri-guru-charana-padma', but I must see the book to chant this kirtan ('Gurudev, bada krpa kari'). I try to chant it every day, but it is not always possible.

শৈশব-যৌবনে, জড়সুখ-সঙ্গে,
অভ্যাস হইল মন্দ ।

saisava-yauvane, jada-sukha-sange,
abhyasa haila manda

'In my childhood and youth, I always indulged in material happiness and I have become habituated to bad things.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'In my childhood and youth, I always indulged in material happiness and I have become habituated to bad things.' This is natural. When we were small children, we had not come to this line; and even when we grew up and were young, we also had not been able to come. When we were young, we mixed with bad association, and as the result we acquired bad habits. We do not want to practise Krishna consciousness. We only think about money, wealth, cars, houses, alcohol, and so on. Because we got bad association, we acquired bad habits. That is why, if you practise spiritual life properly from a young age, it is very good. If, on the other hand, I mix with bad association in my youth, my habits will be very bad. What Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says is the truth.

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Length: 74 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Gurudev's Great Mercy
2) Thwarted At the End
3) Unfavourable Urges and Thorns
4) Five Diseases
5) Live as Servant
6) Pure and Foul Ego
7) Worshipping Prasad
8) Guru-Varga's Hidden Treasure