Cry and Pray

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Uluberia, 12 January 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

কবে আমি ছাড়িব এ বিষয়াভিমান ।
কবে বিষ্ণুজনে আমি করিব সম্মান ॥

kabe ami chhadiba e visayabhimana
kabe visnu-jane ami kariba sammana

"When will I give up this mundane ego? When will I honour the Lord's devotees?"

গলবস্ত্র কৃতাঞ্জলি বৈষ্ণব নিকটে ।
দন্তে তৃণ করি দাঁড়াইব নিষ্কপটে ॥

gala-vastra krtanjali vaisnava-nikate
dante trna kari' dandaiba niskapate

"With a cloth around my neck, joined palms, and straw between my teeth, I will sincerely submit myself at the Vaishnav's feet."

What will I do next? I will tell the Vaishnav about my unhappiness. Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that if you send a letter to the Lord, you will not get a reply. Yet if you submit your letter to the Lord's representative, or delegate (Gurudev), then you will get a reply. Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur said that Gurudev is the Lord Himself. Moreover, Krishna Himself told Uddhav Maharaj, "Acharyam mam vijaniyan. Know that the acharya is non-different from Me." Acharya is the one who practises (achar) himself and preaches (prachar), and the Lord says, "Know the acharya to be My own self. He is non-different from me." Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur said:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all the scriptures to be the Lord Himself, and considered to be so by the sadhus, yet is also the Lord's beloved devotee."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, 7)

On the one hand, the Guru is the Lord Himself, and on the other hand, the Guru is the dearmost of the Lord. Who is the dearmost of the Lord? Radharani. Therefore, Gurudev is a form of Radharani in madhura-rasa. Alternatively, in sakhya-rasa or vatsalya-rasa, Gurudev is non-different from Nitai or Balaram. Krishna and Balaram and Gaura and Nitai are two forms of the same body (eke dehe dui rupa): They are one but to perform Their pastimes, They become two). In either case, Gurudev is the Lord Himself, and Gurudev is very dear to the Lord. We must pray to Gurudev: if you send a letter to Gurudev asking about the Lord, he will tell you about the Lord. That is why it is said that it is necessary to make proper enquiry:

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Enquiry must be proper, not any nonsense enquiry. Gurudev is the Lord's close associate. What must you come to tell him? You must come to tell him about your sadness, "My Lord, I cannot practise properly." "Gora pahu na bhajiya mainu": "Not worshipping Gora, I have been merely dying!"

গোরা পহুঁ না ভজিয়া মৈনু ।
প্রেম রতন-ধন হেলায় হারাইনু ॥
বিষয়-বিষম-বিষ সতত খাইনু ।
গৌরকীর্ত্তন রসে মগন না হইনু ॥
কেন বা আছয়ে প্রাণ কি সুখ লাগিয়া ।
নরোত্তমদাস কেন না গেল মরিয়া ॥

gora pahu na bhajiya mainu
prema ratana-dhana helaya harainu
visaya-visama-visa satata khainu
gaura-kirtana rase magana na hainu
keno va achhaye prana ki sukha lagiya
narottama-dasa kena na gela mariya

"I did not worship Gora, I did not care for the jewel treasure of the divine love and have lost the chance. I always took the deathly poison of the material world and have never been attracted to the kirtan of Gaura. Why am I still alive? What joy is there? Oh why didn't Narottam Das just die?..."

We lose the chance to attain the highest transcendental love for the Lord! You must cry and tell this to Gurudev...

— : • : —

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

• Download / listen to the full class
(43.5 Mb, 1 hr 44 min | Bengali)