Kirtan-Yajna

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 9, translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the lotus feet of my Divine Master Om Vishnupad Jagad-guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy and aspiring to serve him; after that, I am offering my full obeisance to the guru-varga, godbrothers, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, and all the devotees. I am offering my obeisance at your holy feet and praying for your mercy to this low soul.

যস্য প্রসাদাদ্ভগবৎ-প্রসাদো
যস্যাপ্রসাদান্ন গতিঃ কুতোঽপি ।
ধ্যায়ং স্তুবংস্তস্য যশস্ত্রিসন্ধ্যং
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado
yasyaprasadat na gatih kuto 'pi
dhyayam stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, praising and meditating upon his glory at the three junctions of the day. By his grace, one gains the Lord's grace. Without his grace, one has no shelter anywhere."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, 8)

Without the mercy of Sri Guru, there is no other way. Without the mercy of Sri Guru, we can never get out of this prison of the illusory environment. Getting mercy means getting service. Do you know how Gurudev gives his mercy? Gurudev bestows his mercy when he gives you the right for some service (seva-adhikar)—he gives you the responsibility, "Do this service at the temple."

I have told you earlier that you cannot just take initiation and go home. You must practise sravan and kirtan. I tell this to everyone. I have printed small kirtan books. Chant five kirtans every morning and five kirtans every evening. If somebody cannot leave home and come to the temple—if somebody has completely fallen into material bondage and cry all the time because of two rupees, some food and clothes—then they should at least chant five kirtans every morning and five kirtans every evening. It does not take much time: it takes about fifteen minutes to chant five kirtans. Pray to Sri Guru (give 'jay' to Gurudev and the guru-varga), pray to Vaishnavs, etc. Always do this. Chant prayers (vandana) to the Guru, prayers to Pancha Tattva, prayers to Vaishnavs, prayers to Nityananda Prabhu, and prayers to Mahaprabhu. Chant in this way every morning and every evening. Mahaprabhu becomes pleased through kirtan-yajna; kirtan-yajna is the method of worshipping Mahaprabhu. I wrote about it Guidance 4. You can offer two flowers, you can offer arati, you can give some incense, but if you chant kirtan extolling Mahaprabhu's glories (mahima-kirtan), Mahaprabhu is more pleased with that. Mahima-kirtan means you chant the kirtan about the glorification of the Lord. If you chant about Gurudev, this is Guru-vandana; if you chant prayers to Vaishnavs, that is Vaishnav-vandana, and so on. It is necessary to chant kirtans every day. If you come to Gurudev one time and say, "Gurudev, please give me your mercy," this will not do. You must glorify Gurudev (chant his kirtan) every day. You eat every day, you put on clothes every day, you eat every day, you go to the bathroom every day, and in the same way, you must also chant kirtan every day. If you chant kirtans with the kirtan books every day, you will remember them by heart. Chant kirtans every single day. Wake up in the morning, take a shower, worship the Lord, and then chant kirtans. You must give 5-15 minutes every day.

Time is passing and you are spending your whole life on material life, and the Lord understands, "You do not give me the time of day, how can I then look after you, how will I provide for you? If you do not provide for Me (if you do not pray to Me, if you do not chant My glories and qualities), why will I provide for you?" A wife has a religion, a brahmachari has a religion, a sannyasi has a religion, a ksatriya has a religion, but what do scriptures say? What is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita?

সর্ব্বধর্ম্মান্ পরিত্যজ্য মামেকং শরণং ব্রজ ।
অহং ত্বাং সর্ব্বপাপেভ্যো মোক্ষয়িষ্যামি মা শুচঃ ॥

sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo, moksayisyami ma suchah

"Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, do not despair."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

"Leave all religions and surrender to Me, I will look after you." The Lord Himself says this. "I will look after you, do not worry about anything. I will rescue you from all your sins." If you take shelter at the holy feet of the Lord, all your sins will be removed. Not only that:

অনন্যাশ্চিন্তয়ন্তো মাং যে জনাঃ পর্য্যুপাসতে ।
তেষাং নিত্যাভিযুক্তানাং যোগক্ষেমং বহাম্যহম্ ॥

ananyas chintayanto mam, ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam, yoga-ksemam vahamy aham

"I bear the responsibility of acquiring and protecting the necessities of My fully dependent devotees who are always absorbed in thought of Me, and who worship Me in every way."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 9.22)

If one surrenders to Me and does not think about anything else, I will even bring food right to their house! Moreover, the Lord also says:

অপি চেৎ সুদুরাচারো ভজতে মামনন্যভাক্ ।
সাধুরেব স মন্তব্যঃ সম্যগ্ব্যবসিতো হি সঃ ॥

api chet suduracharo, bhajate mam ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah, samyag vyavasito hi sah

"If even a very sinful person serves Me exclusively with devotion, he should be regarded as saintly, for his resolve is perfect."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 9.30)

"No matter how many sins you have committed (even if you stole, killed, etc.), if you give up everything to Me and surrender to Me, then I will relieve you from all the sins and engage you in My service."

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