(10/13) Lacking or Slacking?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bankura Temple Anniversary Festival,
26 January 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

Anyhow, much has been already said today – I have told you about Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami and how Sri Radha-Raman appeared in this world through his service. When He appeared, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu, Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu and many other Vaishnavs came and arranged a Vaishnav festival.

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 thoughts of Me and worship Me in every way.’

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 9.22)

The Lord says, ‘When someone has no other thoughts or worries and surrenders to Me alone, I take care of all their necessities, including even their food.’ The Lord is the master of everything, but we have forgotten Him, as the result of which we are suffering in this world from the threefold miseries.

When Mahaprabhu went to Gaya and saw His guru for the first time, He said:

সংসার-সমুদ্র হৈতে উদ্ধারহ মোরে ।
এই আমি দেহ সমর্পিলাঙ তোমারে ॥

‘samsara-samudra haite uddharaha more
ei ami deha samarpilana tomare’

‘Please rescue Me from this ocean of material existence! I am surrendering Myself to you.’

(Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 1.17.54)

‘Please rescue Me from this ocean of material existence! I have surrendered My mind, heart, soul, everything to you.’ We also sing in one of the kirtans:

কবে শ্রীচৈতন্য মোরে করিবেন দয়া ।
কবে আমি পাইব বৈষ্ণব-পদছায়া ॥

kabe sri chaitanya more karibena daya
kabe ami paiba vaisnava-pada-chhaya

‘When will Sri Chaitanya (my chaitya-guru) be merciful to me? When will I come in the shade of Vaishnavs’ feet?’

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 give honour to the Lord’s devotees?’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We think that we need so many things, that we lack so many things, so we leave the temple and go to stay at home. Rich people become proud, ‘I do not need anything, I am rich! I have so many things! There is no lack of anything in my life.’ What is this? Do you think you can take anything with you? You will have to leave everything in this world…

Rich people earn millions, and they give only one rupee to the Lord. I have told you before – gurudev knows everything, he knows what one does or does not do. He can understand everything, and it is not like gurudev will always accept your faulty service. You go to the market and steal some money from what was given to you for the bhoga, or you were sent to the market, but you do not want to go (you want to do something else instead) – you think that because you are in Govardhan, nobody will know it if you do not go to the market. You may not go or you may steal, but how many days do you think gurudev will tolerate your faulty service? Why does service go away? When you ask, ‘Why did I lose my service?’ the answer is only one – you must think, ‘It is my own fault. I have made some offence to service, that is why the Lord has taken this service from me.’ Take the calendar books and read them – there are thirty-two kinds of seva-aparadha (offences to service) and ten kinds of offences to the Holy Name.

— : • : —

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Length: 108 min
Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Remembering Guru-Varga
2) Sacrifice For Preaching
3) Loving Interactions
4) A Hole In Surrender
5) Have a Heart For the Temple
6) Power of Service
7) Origin of Bhagavatam (1)
8) Origin of Bhagavatam (2)
9) Origin of Bhagavatam (3)
10) Lacking or Slacking?
11) Feeling Hungry?
12) Main Target
13) Determination and Surrender