(1/2) Initiating Sacred Connection

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata, 23 December 2020, part 1

Dandavat.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

I am very happy if you want to practise and preach Krishna consciousness. I know that you met with Srila Gurudev many years ago, so Krishna has brought you in this way with the help of His Divine Grace's association. Therefore, I am fortunate that I can help you to practise Krishna consciousness. It is my happiness.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

'Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.151)

We keep coming to this world and going, taking birth and dying, and after that we have got a human body. We have actually got a human body many times before, too, but when somebody wants to preach and practise, Krishna arranges a perfect time for them to become connected with holy association and a perfect, pure devotees.

Your spiritual life does not end at only taking initiation. After taking initiation, you need to practise much and engage in various activities. My material doctor told me one thing, 'You have diabetes. Diabetes is like a chair: I am only one leg of that chair, but the other three legs are up to you. It means that if you want to control your diabetes, you must take medicine properly, control your food, your diet and also do exercise. These three things are necessary.' So, if you want to get some mercy from your guru, it is not enough to only receive the initiation – getting mercy means you must join the service to our society. You must surrender with your heart, mind, bodily, with everything, to the guidance of your guru (to the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master).

Therefore, it is necessary to practise sravanam and kirtanam: chant the Holy Name and listen to Hari-katha. Always follow the guidance of your guru. This is what is necessary for our spiritual life. Practise sravanam and kirtanam and always engage yourself in service. These are the main things. The other things, such as the four rules and regulations, are external. These rules include avoiding non-veg food (meat, fish, onion, garlic), fasting on ekadasi, avoiding gambling, smoking, drinking alcohol, illegal sex, and not to be too much attached to your wife and material things. I think that you know all these rules and regulations, so it is not a problem.

The problem is that if you only receive the beads and after that forget everything, forget to keep connection with your guru, that is not good for your practising life. Always keep connection. There so many things in this scientific age: mobile phones, internet, zoom, youtube, facebook, etc. There are many things in this world. There is also a Bhagavata book (grantha-bhagavat) and there are Bhagavata devotees (bhakta-bhagavat). Read spiritual literature, read our temple's books. We have many books, many audio and video lectures of our guru-varga: Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and our Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. I have also composed some books; read those books, too, it is good for you.

These are the main things for practising life. Do you understand what I am saying?

Devotee: Yes, I understand, Maharaj, very clearly. Dandavat.

Thank you. I do not know good English, but I am speaking simple English, so it is easy to understand it.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Initiating Sacred Connection
2) Take This Name