(3/7) Accommodating Heart

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata—Worldwide, 10 January 2021, part 3

Now accommodation in Nrisingha Palli is not a problem for devotees: it is not necessary to go to a hotel or stay in anybody else’s house anymore. A very nice building (‘Sri Bhakti Sundar Angan’) is coming out now on the land.

Actually, some devotees (mostly foreign devotees) are helping us to make the construction, otherwise how could I be doing it? Even though I left the mul-math (main temple) of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, all the devotees are with me, they are giving their mercy to me, that is why I am able to do something for them.

How did Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math appear? When Gurudev went abroad, many foreign devotees gave him money for the Centenary Building, the two guesthouses at the Govinda Kunda, the prasadam hall. They gave much money to Gurudev and for the temple, but now they cannot even stay there… It is giving me very much pain. Not only that, those asuras (demons) even beat them! That is why I am trying to make new arrangements now. Every year devotees come for Gaura Purnima, Ekachakra Festival, Gurudev’s Vyasa Puja, and I am thinking that I must do something for them, I must arrange their accommodation – and it is happening by the will, by the desire of Gurudev.

Today is the disappearance day of Sripad Bhakti Bhudev Shrauti Maharaj, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and tomorrow is the disappearance day of two associates of Nityananda Prabhu, Srila Mahesh Pandit and Srila Uddharan Datta. We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned there, we can at least give ‘jay’ to them – that also brings some good sukriti, some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees’ names early in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all devotees.

Question: We hear that Mahaprabhu experienced His greatest spiritual ecstasy when He was a sannyasi in Jagannath Puri, but we also hear that devotees do not like to remember Mahaprabhu as a sannyasi. Why is that so? Should not devotees be happy that Mahaprabhu is experiencing much more ecstasy when He is a sannyasi than in His married life?

It is not the question of married life. Nabadwip-basis (residents of Nabadwip) do not want to see Mahaprabhu leave Nabadwip and take sannyas. It is a matter of feeling separation from Mahaprabhu. Nabadwip-basis always think, ‘Mahaprabhu must stay as He is! We do not want Him to take sannyas and leave Nabadwip!’ Mahaprabhu rejected Nabadwip and accepted Puri, but Nabadwip-basis do not want that. Before, they used to neglect and criticise Mahaprabhu, even all the brahmans also criticised Him, but after Mahaprabhu left, they understood their mistake and they were very sad because of that.

It actually has nothing to do with Mahaprabhu’s married life. Mahaprabhu took Vishnupriya Devi and Laksmi Priya Devi as His sakti for His pastimes (lila). If you mix the married life of us, ordinary householder people, and the pastimes of Mahaprabhu, it is not good. Some think, ‘Oh, Mahaprabhu got married, and everybody accepts it, so I will get married, too!’

You must understand how much Vishnupriya Devi sacrificed in her life. Vishnupriya Devi made a huge sacrifice for us because if she had not given up Mahaprabhu, how would we have known about Mahaprabhu’s Radha-bhav, separation pastimes in Gambhira?

Everybody understood that. Jagadananda Pandit, Nityananda Prabhu and others knew who Mahaprabhu was – they knew He is the Lord Himself. Although Mahaprabhu is the Lord Himself, He comes in this Kali-yuga to practise and preach, so He had to show everyone practising life. If He had stayed with His wife, who would have listened to Him? Nobody. They used to say, ‘Oh, He is a householder, and I am also a householder, why must I listen to Him?’ That is why Mahaprabhu decided, ‘I have to leave My family life and take sannyas.’ This is how He showed practising life. Moreover, when He left Vishnupriya Devi, He sang and cried at that time,

আমি যাই মনে করি
যাইতে নাহি পারি
আমি যাইব সাধনে পারিব কেমনে
মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায়

ami yai yai mane kari
yaite nahi pari
ami yaibo sadhane paribo kemane
maha-maya pichhanete dhaya

‘I am thinking, “I will leave! I will leave!” but I cannot! How will I manage to leave when maha-maya is always running behind Me?’

Mahaprabhu would say like this…

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Good Mind, Good Heart
2) Uninterrupted Service Life
3) Accommodating Heart
4) Material Affection
5) Coming Before Deities
6) Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur and Sri Vakreshwar Pandit
7) Best Turn In Life