(12/13) Preparing for Festival

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, evening, part 12

It is Gurudev's festival tomorrow. Many came to me and said they wanted to take initiation, but I told them that I would give them initiation another day. Tomorrow is my Gurudev's appearance day, and it is time to serve him. We serve gurudev every day (we try as far as possible), but tomorrow is a special day, my gurudev's appearance day. Before I would make very much effort to make this festival, and this year too, I have tried very hard, as before, to make this festival nicely. I am praying to gurudev that the festival goes well tomorrow. As for those who want to take initiation, they should stay one more day after tomorrow.

If you stay here for two-three days or longer, I have no objections. Stay for two more days, I will give Hari-katha every evening. What is the problem? I am not going to tell you, 'You must leave now! The festival is over, so go back.' I have never chased anyone out, and I will not do it now. You can stay here for two–four days, and even if you stay here your whole life, I do not mind it at all. The problem is that nobody stays. I have told you many times to stay – we have so many temples, and there are temples being built in many places now. We are building all these temples so that you can do service, but neither ladies nor gents come. You are only always busy with your family lives...

সংসার সংসার ক'রে মিছে গেল কাল ।
লাভ না হইল কিছু ঘটিল জঞ্জাল ॥

'samsara' 'samsara' kari' michhe gela kala
labha na ha-ila kichhu, ghatila janjala

'Time has passed as I have been busy with my material life, and the result is nothing—only garbage.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Even at the end of your life, until the very last drop, you will worry about your family life... Even when you die, your wife will think, 'He has died fast, it is good! Now I will get half of his pension.' I can often see that people have such desires. This is how the world is. This world is all about 'I want' and 'I get'. Everyone always wants to get something in return, 'I will do this, and in return I will get that.' Nobody wants to do anything selflessly. This land is going to Rasatal [the lowest plane of hell]... It is Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and dangers. We do not understand anything except our own interest – we always only think about our own happiness. Think about this...

I will let you all go a little earlier today because if I keep you here long, it will take you time to take prasad. I am praying to the Lord that the place for taking prasad will be expanded by the Gaura Purnima time. I am trying to do it. I am arranging for another place nearby to take prasad. It will be very nice for you all. I have been thinking about how to arrange it.

I could not get any land nearby, so I had to make a guesthouse a little far from the temple. It is not actually that far. We had to rent places, arrange with this house, that house, and devotees had to struggle so much during the Gaura Purnima time. If we build seventy or seventy-five rooms, then nobody will have to struggle. So, even if it is a little far from the temple, what is the problem? We always walk past that place when we come out for the parikrama [nobody will miss the parikrama]. It is cold now, so many think unhappily, 'Oh, it is so far to walk,' but when all four floors are finished and everything is completed nicely, you will have nothing to worry about.

I bought that land in June this year, and I started the construction immediately. So, it has been only six months – the first floor is completed, and now they are putting marble on the second floor. The plastering has already finished. I think that I will finish the construction by Gaura Purnima so that you all do not need to struggle. I will also make another guesthouse next to the nat-mandir for the Indian elderly mother-devotees who cannot walk far. The foreign devotees can stay in the new guesthouse, I will give them two floors, and the Indian devotees can stay here. Foreign devotees like to stay together and a little far – they do not like the sound of the microphones. In any case, there is no disadvantage for anyone, so please stay peacefully, do not worry about anything.

— : • : —

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Length: 129 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Spiritual Conscience
2) Trust the Lord
3) Service Is Not a Chore
4) May You Live Clean Life
5) Four Biggest Hurdles
6) Internal Meaning of Initiation
7) Amidst What Are You Sitting?
8) Karma-Misra Bhakti
9) Beyond Jnana-Misra Bhakti
10) Indomitable Power of Mercy
11) Learn to Behave as Sadhu
12) Preparing for Festival
13) External and Internal Opulence