(4/9) Prasad-Seva

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja Adhivas
Nrisingha Palli, 31 December 2020, morning, part 4

There is no end to the pastimes of the Lord, and it is inconceivable to whom and how the Lord bestows His mercy. Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are oceans of mercy. Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is such that He could even kick one! He kicked Sivananda Sen, and everyone was taken aback, 'What is this? A sadhu is kicking others!' But that was His mercy. After Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy on him, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami became a great Vaishnav; in the end, he stayed at Radha Kunda in Vrindavan. Nityananda Prabhu kept His foot on his head, saying, 'Go now. Your bondage is gone.' Before that, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami had tried to come to Mahaprabhu many times, but every time he was sent back to his home. Mahaprabhu would say, 'Go back to your home, your material bondage has not been removed yet.' You all know that every year we observe chida-dahi mahotsav. This festival of flat rice (chida) and yoghurt (dahi) was originally arranged by Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. Mahaprabhu also bestowed His mercy very liberally.

That is why I am telling that you can get the Lord's mercy by doing even some small, insignificant service. Pariksit Maharaj came to the Lord by listening to Srimad Bhagavatam during seven days. Khatvanga Maharaj reached the Lord by simply remembering the Lord's holy feet for forty-eight minutes. Prahlad Maharaj also attained the Lord by remembering Him. Do you understand what I am saying? We have all these extremely beautiful examples before us. Gurudev is non-different from Nityananda Prabhu, and he is so merciful. He bestows his mercy upon everybody, but the problem is that we cannot keep that mercy.

I have given you mercy, but you must be able to catch and keep that mercy. Gurudev often said, 'I will pour milk, but if you have holes in your glass, how will you keep that milk?' So, if we have no place in our hearts to keep Gurudev's mercy – if our hearts are filled with other things: kanak (money), kamini (women), pratistha (prestige); kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (illusion), mada (madness), matsarya (envy) ; rupa, ras, gandha, sabda, sparsa (desire to enjoy through the senses of sight, taste, smell, sound, touch) – then how will you ever serve the Lord? How will you get mercy? You only say it with your mouth, 'Gurudev, please give me some mercy', 'Gurudev, please give me some mercy', 'Maharaj, please give me some mercy' – you only keep saying, 'Give me some mercy.' You offer some flowers to a photograph, put a garland on a photograph – you serve in this way, but this is external. You must give bhoga to the Lord with love.

I told you yesterday that we are afflicted with five diseases (pancha-roga), but how will these disease go away? The only remedy is prasad-seva. You must serve prasad (honour the holy remnants of the Lord's food). If you eat something without offering bhoga to the Lord, you will be stealing and eating it. Many householders have taken initiation, but they never offer bhoga to the Lord. I tell everyone, even to those who have taken initiation, that they should get photographs of Gurudev and Deities', buy a plate and give to the Lord whatever you can – you can even offer only rice, dal and boiled potato. You do not need to cut a plate full of fruit or make five different preparations. Whatever you have in your house, whatever situation the Lord has arranged for you, make an offering for the Lord as you can. If the Lord wants to eat nice things, He will immediately give you everything. If the Lord wants to take fifty-six preparations from you (chhappanna bhoga), then He will arrange for it to make it possible for you to offer it. But if you have only boiled potato, dal, sak now, then offer that to the Lord. Cook something, put a Tulasi leaf on what you make, chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and offer it to the Lord. When you feed your child, your husband or other relatives at home, do you feed them with any mantra? You do not. Somebody told me, 'Oh, I do not know the mantras to offer bhoga.' What mantras? The mantra for the Lord is saying earnestly within your heart, 'I am fallen, I am lowly, I have no qualification.' Humility is your mantra. 'I am giving You this, O Lord!'

If you honour the Lord's prasad, all material illusion and bondage (prapancha) will go away (prasada-seva karite haya sakala prapancha-jaya; প্রসাদ-সেবা করিতে হয় সকল প্রপঞ্চ জয়). 'Prapancha' means the five diseases (pancha-roga). It is necessary to practise prasad-seva.

I have seen in many houses that people cook every day, not offering anything to the Lord, but the rule is that you must offer bhoga five times a day or at least four times. When you wake up in the morning, you have some tea with biscuits, is that not so? But you do not give anything to the Lord. This is not how things are done. Wake up early in the morning, offer balya-bhoga to the Lord. Turn your house into a temple! Srila Prabhupad said, 'You are making so many temples everywhere, but you must make a temple in every person's heart!' You do not make a temple only at the time when you offer bhoga to the Lord...

People say that they cannot offer bhoga, giving various excuses ('Oh, my grandchildren are asleep, I cannot disturb them!'). No! These are all excuses. People have two hands (hata), but there is one more hand that is much longer and that is excuses (ajuhata). We make up excuses to stay away from the Lord's service. Do not do this. Offer bhoga to the Lord and take His prasad.

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)

Offer whatever you cook every day, whatever you can get.

ভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু লুটিপুটি খায়
অভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু উলটি নাহি খায়

bhakter jinish prabhu lutiputi khay
abhakter jinish prabhu ulti nahi khay

'The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it, but the Lord does not want to take anything from a non-devotee.'

(Based on Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.9.185)

Non-devotees cannot even give anything to the Lord...

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Length: 61 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Surrender Yourself
2) Be Genuine
3) Deity Is Not a Doll
4) Prasad-Seva
5) Nimai's Mercy to Devotees
6) Remember Lord's Mercy
7) What Are We At?
8) Imperishable Truths
9) Do Not Serve Misconception