Know and Love the Lord

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, evening class
1 January 2021, part 1, translated from Bengali

[The festival in honour of our beloved Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj] has taken place today. You have observed this festival properly. I am very happy when we can observe Gurudev's festival properly and beautifully.

I am very pleased that you have come, I am pleased with how you served. Some participated in service, and some have not been able to do some service, but they sat here and listened to Hari-katha. If you just come to hear and speak Hari-katha (sravan, kirtan), I am pleased with that. The Lord will give you mercy through that. I want everyone to get benefit. Actually, I am very happy when someone can nicely join and take part in Gurudev's service and Gurudev's festival.

Observing this holy day, you are present here today. You are thinking, "The festival is now over, Maharaj will tell us to leave." No. The day after tomorrow, on Sunday, is the disappearance day of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. It always falls on this day, two days after Srila Gurudev's appearance day. All of you have the photograph of the guru-parampara at home, but not everyone knows whose photographs are they. When I ask them the names, they cannot say; many cannot give 'jay'. You must learn these things well. If you give 'jay' to our guru-varga every day, it will increase the desire of devotion in your heart. Many cannot give 'jay' to the guru-varga, they cannot pronounce the names properly, they cannot even tell their Guru's name properly. At home, there is a wife, husband, sons, friends—you know everyone's names very well, but you do not know your guru-varga's names properly. Not only that, some cannot even properly chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

So, it is Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's disappearance day the day after tomorrow, and we will observe this day with whoever stays at the temple on this day. I have no objection if you all stay. You have come leaving your homes, so stay here, at the temple for a few days. Take this family as your own.

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

"May I have the same affection and attraction to your feet that I now have for material things."

(Gitavali, 4.5, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Do you understand the meaning? May we love the Lord in the same way that we now love our house, wife, sons, friends, etc. When will this day come? Until and unless this day comes, you will have to keep coming to this material world and material family. Listen to what sadhus say. This is not just something that only I am saying—all sadhus say this. Some say more, some say less, but all sadhus say the same things. The jiva souls have fallen into material bondage, and sadhus come to tell them:

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 in my material life, and I have got nothing—only became burdened."

কিসের সংসার এই, ছায়াবাজী প্রায় ।
ইহাতে মমতা করি' বৃথা দিন যায় ॥

kisera samsara ei chhayabaji praya
ihate mamata kari vrtha dina yaya

"What sort of world is this? It is like a trick, a show. While I affectionately take it as my own, days pass by in vain."

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje, nisa nidra-vase
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe vase

"My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me."

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Listen to the audio or download (1.2 Mb, 2 min)