(4/7) Seek Devotion

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Uluberia, 19 December 2020, noon, part 4
Translated from Bengali

বৈষ্ণবের গুণ-গান করিলে জীবের ত্রাণ
শুনিয়াছি সাধুগুরুমুখে

vaisnavera guna-gana karile jivera trana
suniyachhi sadhu-guru-mukhe

'Singing the glories of the Vaishnavs rescues and protects the jiva soul—I heard this from the mouth of sadhus and my guru.'

(Acharya-vandana)

All the devotees have come for Krishna consciousness and to hear about the Lord. Why should we chant the Holy Name? Why should we practise Krishna consciousness? Why is it necessary to worship the Lord? We must always know this.

Everybody has to leave this world. Everyone, including myself, will have to leave this world one day. But having got this human birth, we must understand its meaning or purpose. What for have we got this human birth? This is what we must know.

জলজা নবলক্ষাণি স্থাবরা লক্ষবিংশতি
কৃময়োরুদ্রসঙ্খকাঃ পক্ষিণাং দশলক্ষনম্
ত্রিংশললক্ষাণি পশবঃ চতুরলক্ষাণি মানুষাঃ

jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah chatur-laksani manusah

'There are 900,000 aquatic species; 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities (trees, plants, etc.); 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles; 1,000,000 species of birds; 3,000,000 species of beasts; and 400,000 species of humans.'

(Padma Purana, Vishnu Purana)

We have been born 900,000 times in water. We were born 2,000,000 times as various non-moving species (trees, plants, hills and mountains). We were born 1,100,000 times as insects, bugs, snakes. We lived 1,000,000 times as birds roaming the sky. We were born 3,000,000 times as cows, goats, cats, sheep and pigs. And we were born 400,000 times as humans.

ভারত-ভূমিতে হৈল মনুষ্য-জন্ম যার ।
জন্ম সার্থক করি' কর পর-উপকার ॥

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

'One who has taken birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of this birth by bringing benefit to others.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.9.41)

The meaning of this life is to bring benefit to others. This benefit to others means jive daya (জীবে দয়া)): mercy to the souls. Jive daya (জীবে দয়া), Name ruchi (নামে রুচি), vaishnava-seva (বৈষ্ণব-সেবা): mercy to the souls, taste for the Holy Name and service to Vaishnavs. This is our duty.

When Srivas Pandit went begging, people criticised him, saying, 'He is a householder, so he is begging to maintain his family.' That is why Mahaprabhu told him, 'From tomorrow you will not go begging!'

'What are You saying, Prabhu?' Srivas Pandit replied. 'You told me to hold kirtans at my home every day, and so many devotees come every evening. I must give them some prasad, how can I let them go with empty stomaches? They come and chant kirtan for a long time, I must give them prasad.'

'I do not know how you will manage all this, but My order is that you will not go begging again.'

When people criticised Srivas Pandit, it brought inauspiciousness to their lives because they made offences; that is why Mahaprabhu prohibited him to go begging.

Then, Srivas Pandit replied, 'One – clap, two – clap, three – clap! I will fast one day, two days, and on the third day, when I cannot fast any longer, I will jump into the Ganges [commit suicide].'

'Srivas! Is this how much faith you have? Even if Laksmi Devi, the spouse of Lord Narayan, who is the master of all wealth and riches in the universe, has to come down from Vaikuntha to go begging, you will not have to go begging ever again.'

It is necessary to have this kind of faith.

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

'Sraddha is a firm, determined faith that by serving Krishna all actions are accomplished.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.62)

Faith is the main thing. If we lose faith in our guru and devotees, then our devotion will gradually decrease. You cannot buy devotion at the market or with any amount of money. You can buy many things, but you cannot get the Lord throgh anything except devotion. What must you do to have devotion? Devotion comes from devotion: you must live in the association of devotees (bhakta-sanga), saints (sadhu-sanga). How many hours do you spend associating with devotees and how many hours do you spend associating (interacting) with the material world?

When Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj (the guru of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur) came to Nabadwip from Vrindavan, he first slept at a public toilet where outside people pass stool and urine. One time, somebody asked him, 'Babaji Maharaj, do you not feel the stench? When we walk past this place, we have to hold our noses – how can you sleep here?' Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj replied, 'This stench of stool and urine can be tolerated, but it is impossible to tolerate the stench of materialists.' Materialists always think, 'My money', 'My car', 'My house', 'My wealth' – they always live intoxicated with the material world; the stench of such people is very bad. We must not associate with them – we must not live with such people. The problem is that we are always intoxicated with the material world...

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Size: 28.8 Mb
Length: 68 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Last Rites
2) Gist of Fire Sacrifice
3) Remembering Departure of Haridas Thakur
4) Seek Devotion
5) Nought in a Knot
6) Knowledge of Relationship
7) Worshipful Mood