Where Does the Lord Stay?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata, preaching programme,
16 January 2021, part 1
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)

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa-kula-churamani Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Nitai Gaurachandra ki jay
Akar Math-raj Sri Chaitanya Math ki jay
Mayapur Yogapith ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
Tandiya sakha Math samuha ki jay
Sri Mather sevak vrinda, bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Ananta-koti Vaishnav vrinda ki jay
Sri Gaudiya Acharya vrinda ki jay
Tridandi-pad-gan ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Nityananda Prabhu ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Mahaprabhu ki jay
Bhakta-prabara Prahlad Maharaj ki jay
Suddha-bhakti-vighnar-vinasankari Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay
Sri Sada-Siva Gangadhar, Giriraj Govardhan ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Samagata sannyasi-vrinda, brahmachari-vrinda, bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Samagata matri-mandali, bhakta-mandali ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura-bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams cha
sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunath-anvitam tam sa-jivam
sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krsna-chaitanya-devam
sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams cha

'I worship the holy lotus feet of my initiating and instructing Sri Guru as well as all predecessor gurus, all Vaishnavs, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami, their dear associates Raghunath and Jiva, Advaita Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Krishna Chaitanyadev along with all His near and dear ones, and Sri Radha–Krishna along with Their associates headed by Lalita and Visakha'.

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
chaksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

'I offer my obeisance unto Sri Gurudev, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, applying the kajal of divine knowledge on my eyes.'

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

'I offer my obeisance to him who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev's associates; who is expert in all conceivable and inconceivable aspects of Vedic knowledge; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as “Govinda” (Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj); whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord'.

devam divya-tanum suchhanda-vadanam balarka-chelanchitam
sandrananda-puram sad-eka-varanam vairagya-vidyambudhim
sri-siddhanta-nidhim subhakti-lasitam sarasvatanam varam
vande tam subhadam mad-eka-saranam nyasisvaram sridharam

'I worship Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the bestower of all auspiciousness, my only shelter and the master of all renunciates. He is my Lord who possesses a transcendental form, whose face expression is very grave, who is clad in the holy clothes the colour of the newly risen sun. He is an abode of intense joy; the only genuine master whom one can accept and surrender to; and an ocean of divine knowledge of renunciation. He is a repository of holy scriptural teachings and pastimes of the highest devotion and a great follower of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad'.

vanchha-kalpatarubhyas cha krpa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

'Again and again I offer obeisances to the Supreme Lord's devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy and wish-fulfilling trees'.

vrndayai tulasi-devyai priyayai kesavasya cha
krsna-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namah

'Again and again I offer obeisances to Vrinda Devi (Tulasi Devi), who is very dear to Lord Kesava, who bestows devotion to Krishna and is known as Satyavati'.

atha natva mantra-gurun gurun bhagavatarthadan
vyasan jagad-gurun natva tato jayam udirayet

'Before reciting scriptures that can conquer material world, let us offer obeisances to our initiating Guru, to the Guru who teaches us the meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam, to Sri Vyasadev and all gurus in the universe'.

jayah sa-parikara sri-sri-guru-gauranga-gandharva-
govindasundar-padapadmanam jayastu

'All glory to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva-Govindasundar and all Their associates'.

vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau

'I worship Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunath Das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami'.

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura-bhakta-vrnda
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

We came here last year, and now, more than one year later, we are present here again to speak about the Lord. We are assembled here today to hear and speak about the Lord. Where (kothay) does Lord Hari stay (হরি কোথায়)? In Hari-katha (হরিকথায়). In which forest (van) does Lord Hari stay (কোন বনে হরি থাকেন)? In Hari-sravan (হরি-শ্রবণে). You can find Lord Hari in sravan (when you hear about Him). The Lord becomes pleased when you listen and speak about Him, and especially when you worship Nitai and Gauranga, who perform Their magnanimous pastimes in Kali-yuga, through sankirtan. When you worship Gaura and Nitai through sankirtan, the Lord becomes the most pleased. Remember this. Gaura and Nitai are worshipped through sankirtan, and this sankirtan must be genuine:

অসাধুসঙ্গে ভাই কৃষ্ণনাম নাহি হয় ।

নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয় ॥

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

'সাধুসঙ্গ', 'সাধুসঙ্গ'—সর্ব্বশাস্ত্রে কয় ।
লবমাত্র সাধুসঙ্গে সর্ব্বসিদ্ধি হয় ॥

'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga'—sarva sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi haya

'All scriptures keep saying, "Good association", "Good association". You can attain all perfection even just by a drop of good, saintly association'.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.54)

It is necessary to chant the Holy Name in holy association.

There are sixty-four limbs of devotion, and among them these five are the main:

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

You must keep holy association, you must chant the Holy Name, you must listen to Srimad Bhagavatam, you must live in Mathura, and you must worship Deities with faith. Where is Mathura? Mathura is the place where the Lord appeared, but wherever discussions about the Lord take place, this is Vrindavan. Wherever devotees speak about the Lord, wherever there is eternal, daily service to the Lord, this place is non-different from Vrindavan.

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি ।
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ॥

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi
grhete goloka bhaya

'On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there'.

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

When there is practise of Krishna consciousness and worship of the Lord going on in the house, when there is eternal daily service going on in the house, that house is Goloka Vrindavan. These are Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's words.

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি ।
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ॥

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi
grhete goloka bhaya

On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

— : • : —

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

• Download / listen to the full class
(52.2 Mb, 2 hr 05 min | Bengali)