Deficiency in Practice

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata—Worldwide, 17 January 2021, part 7

Are there any questions from anyone today?

Question: I have been reading about the holy places in Ekachakra Dham and I have two questions. Is Bankaray also a son of Srimati Padmavati and Hadai Pandit?

No, Bankaray is Krishna.

Question: There is a place at Janu Kunda where a dome is showing, is it Bankaray's samadhi?

No, it is not correct. Bankaray disappeared there. He was playing there and after that He disappeared at that pond. Actually, Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Balaram, and Krishna and Balaram are inseparable—wherever Balaram is, Krishna is always there. Once, some village people noticed that a boy was playing with Nityananda Prabhu at the pond, but later only Nityananda Prabhu came from that place, and the boy disappeared. Many years later, Jahnava Devi went to the Yamuna River in Ekachakra Dham and she found two Deities there. This is how she got Bankaray Krishna's Deity. So, Bankaray is not a son of Padmavati Devi and Hadai Pandit. In another way, you can say He is their son because even in the pastimes of Krishna and Balaram, both Balaram and Krishna called Mother Yasoda "mother." "Ek-i dehe dui rupa"—Their body is actually one, but They expand themselves into two different forms. Such is the relation between Gaura-Nitai and Krishna-Balaram. So, in one way, you can say that about Bankaray, but Bankaray does not actually come from mother Padmavati. Bankaray came when many years later Jahnava Devi found the Deities of Krishna and Balaram.

Are there any other questions?

Question: How can I develop affection for devotees?

You can develop affection through practising Krishna consciousness. Everybody in this world are sons of nectar (amrtasya putra). We all belong to one family, to the family of Krishna. You have affection for your mother, father, and you should feel the same affection towards all devotees because they are also your family, as much as your parents are. You should not see any difference between your parents, etc. and all the other devotees.

...You are very fortunate because you got the association of devotees. You are now in this zoom meeting and you are getting association of so many devotees. It is very nice to see you, I am very happy. You are a very fortunate soul because you have come to this programme from very far away. You can join again and again, and if you have any questions about Krishna consciousness, you can ask them.

...Who can avoid death? Death is not just death of this body—death means you leave this family and go to another family life, and next life you will again face death. It is necessary to overcome this kind of death—not just the death of this body, but the life of repeated births and deaths. We do not want to face this. We can overcome this situation, but we need to practise properly—we must serve devotees, we must preach for devotees, we can give some message to the devotees. These are the main things. Practise very nicely. Krishna is always with you, I also always think about you. Do not worry.

Question: If some devotee who wants to leave the temple asks me to help them leave the temple, should I support them?

You can give them some advice, explain to them that it is not necessary to move out of the temple, they can speak to the senior devotees also. You can ask the leader or the temple manager in your area. It is necessary to consult with senior devotees in such cases.

Question: How can I identify whether I am ready to take the second initiation?

It is not necessary for you to identify that. The guru is always the one who will identify whether you are ready or not. Your Guru can understand that.

If you want to engage in puja and cooking services more, or if you want to learn puja, cooking, etc., if you have this desire, then you can take second initiation. If you only show you have taken the second initiation but after that do not practise properly, it is not good. After you take the second initiation, you must recite the gayatri mantras every day, you should do some cooking and puja services. This is what the second initiation is mainly necessary for. If you feel, "I should do some puja, I should offer bhoga to the Deities on my altar," then it is necessary to take the second initiation.

Taking the second initiation or taking sannyas only for the sake of taking it is meaningless. It is meaningless if you take sannyas and do not preach—if you instead always think about your health, always think about your own things, etc. Sannyas means always preaching. This is the main service of a sannyasi. Even brahmacharis should also always take this position—they must be determined to preach Krishna consciousness. Even householder devotees who have taken the second initiation, must first learn to do puja themselves and then teach others also how to do it. It is very important. I have seen so many devotees who have taken the second initiation, but one-two, five, etc. years pass and they cannot even remember the gayatri mantras, they have not learnt how to do puja, they cannot even say the Jay Dhvani. There are so many deficiencies in devotees. It is necessary to learn and practise.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

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