Feeling Hungry?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bankura Anniversary Festival,
26 January 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

There are four kinds of sadhu-ninda (offences to the saints). For example, we may judge somebody based on their caste—we may say, "He comes from a low caste." Sometimes, somebody does something wrong, and we go around telling everyone about it. The person who makes the mistake commits an offence, but those who speak about it are committing an even greater offence. The person made a mistake once, but if you go and tell ten people about it, then your offence is ten times bigger.

Another offence is to judge the person's previous bad habits. Suppose somebody used to take alcohol, smoke, or drink tea (many people have the habit to drink tea at home), but when they take initiation, they give up these habits. If you say, "Oh look at him, he used to smoke/drink tea/etc. and now he has become a sadhu!" Many of us used to eat pork, beef, but now we are chanting the Holy Name. It is an offence to bring this past up and criticise the person about that. When somebody has become a surrendered soul, it is an offence to look at their past.

[His Divine Grace notices that there are not so many people, and asks one of the temple devotees:] Where are people? Have you not invited anyone? When are they coming? Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote an article about poor people—do people come begging for food (bhojan) or for Krishna consciousness (bhajan)?

One time, there was an annual festival at Gaudiya Math, and many preachers of exclusive true religion, exemplary sannyasis and brahmacharis came to the temple from all over India. Many respectable gentlemen and ladies also came to the festival, aspiring to hear about the nectarian devotion to the Lord. Everyone who was present was enriched with sankirtan. There was Hari-katha heard everywhere, and everyone's heart was jubilant to hear it. Even some common people walking down the street came also to the temple. Many somehow lost their way and found themselves at the temple. At that time, one person asked, "Listen, mate, when are they giving food for the beggars here?" Srila Prabhupad says:

I was completely at a loss hearing this question. I looked around, I looked within my heart, and tried to reason with it. O mind, tell the truth, what kind of beggar are you? What do you lack? Do you need money? Do you need cars? Do you need wealth? Do you need women? Do you need followers and friends? Do you need beauty? Do you need any merits? You are mistaken. Our mind may feel it lacks all this—those who do not possess beauty think, "If I were beautiful, it would be good," those who do not have money think, "If I had money, it would be good," those who do not have a wife think, "If I had a wife, it would be good." O mind, have you come to this world just to satisfy your senses? Do you have hunger only for these vile, trivial things? Do you feel you only lack enjoyment and pleasure? Do you feel you need money, cars, houses, etc.? You have attached yourself to these things, and now you consider yourself a beggar. Is that not so? 'When will they be distributing food for beggars?' We offer many various things during the worship, but in the meantime our tongues are greedy and we think, "When will I eat well? If I go to this festival, I can eat well." Is that what you are thinking? When will this averse taste go away and you become healthy again? If you keep eating sour things, your teeth will start aching. You are looking for a sweet amla (Indian gooseberry, very sour), but you only get a sour taste. Your attempts to do away with your poverty are all in vain. Tell your mind—you do not need all this! You have enjoyed so much, you have experienced all sorts of happiness, you have done so many bad things, but you do not need all this! What have you come to the temple for? If you were hungry for food, why come to the temple—you could get food on the street! Even dogs, cows, goats, cats have something to eat. Have you come to the temple just for food? When you must give medicine to a child, the child will not eat it so easily because it is bitter, so you need to sugarcoat it or put that medicine inside a sweetball, and when you do that, do you think the sweetball is the main thing here? No, the real substance is hidden within. You have come here, to a great place of pilgrimage where nectar from the holy lotus mouth of Sriman Mahaprabhu is being distributed. Become a beggar for this kind of nectar! Come, mind! I am telling to you, come. Do not come as a beggar for food (bhojan), come as a beggar for Krishna consciousness (bhajan). Come and stealthily place the holy dust from the lotus feet of great devotees on your head.

ভক্তপাদধূলি আর ভক্তপাদ-জল ।
ভক্তভুক্ত-শেষ তিন সাধনের বল ॥

bhakta-pada-dhuli ara bhakta-pada-jala
bhakta-bhukta-sesa—ei tina sadhanera bala

"The dust of the devotees' feet, the water that has washed the devotees' feet, and the devotees' food remnants—honouring these gives one strength to engage in spiritual practice of Krishna consciousness."

Srila Prabhupad wrote such beautiful words! Who will understand it?

— : • : —

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

• Listen to the audio or download (3.6 Mb, 9 min)