(2/9) Disciple's Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vaishnav Seva Programme, Kolkata,
29 January 2021, part 2

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)

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the reddish soles of the lotus feet of my Divine Master Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy and aspiring for his service; after that, I am offering my full obeisance to all assembled guru-varga, godbrothers, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees and all the devotees. I am offering my obeisance at your holy feet and praying for your mercy to this lowly soul.

Today is the day of the last rites for Sripad Manoranjan Prabhu’s mother. [Clamour in the background.] ‘Sevonmukhe kaha Krsna Nama. Do service with your hands and chant, “Krishna, Krishna” with your mouths.’

দিনের মধ্যে আবল-তাবল
কত পচাল পাড়িতে পর
তার মধ্যে কিন্তু তুমি একবার
গোবিন্দ বলিতে নারা

dinera madhye abala-tabala
kata pachala padite para
tara madhye tumi ki ekbara
govinda balite nara

‘How much nonsense you can talk every day! How many idle talks you have! Can you not say the Name of Govinda even once?’

How much we yak every day! We talk all sorts of nonsense and cannot even once take the Name of Govinda! We talk so much! We only think about money and food, we only think about our own happiness – we do not think about service to the Lord. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur said:

নিজ সুখ লাগি’, পাপে নাহি ডরি’,
দয়াহীন স্বার্থপর ।
পর সুখে দুঃখী, সদা মিথ্যাভাষী,
পরদুঃখ সুখকর ॥

nija sukha lagi’, pape nahi dari’,
daya-hina svartha-para
para-sukhe duhkhi, sada mithya-bhasi,
para-duhkha sukha-kara

‘I am not afraid to commit sins for my own happiness. I am merciless and selfish. I always lie. I feel unhappy to see others happy, and I feel happy to see others sad.’

অশেষ কামনা, হৃদি মাঝে মোর,
ক্রাধী দম্ভপরায়ণ ।
মদমত্ত সদা, বিষয়ে মোহিত,
হিংসা-গর্ব্ব বিভূষণ ॥

asesa kamana, hrdi majhe mora,
krodhi dambha-parayana
mada-matta sada, visaye mohita,
himsa-garba vibhusana

‘My heart is filled with endless desires. Angry and hypocritical, I am always intoxicated, mad and engrossed in the material world. Pride and envy are my ornaments.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We do not have the mood or inclination to engage ourselves in service the whole day. ‘Now aged, we have become afflicted with the five-fold diseases (avidya, asmita, raga, dvesa, abhinivesa: ignorance, false identification, misdirected love, aversion to anything that goes against one’s enjoyment, being unable to give up unfavourable habits).’ How will we practise Krishna consciousness? If we think that we have become Vaishnavs, how will we serve Vaishnavs then?

'আমি ত' বৈষ্ণব', এ বুদ্ধি হইলে
অমানী না হ'ব আমি ।

‘ami ta vaisnava’, e buddhi haile,
amani na ha’ba ami

‘If I think, “I am a Vaishnav,” then I will never stop desiring honour.’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

If I think, ‘I have become a Vaishnav,’ I will not be able to give honour to others. Who has the right to chant the Holy Name? Who can chant the Holy Name? Mahaprabhu said:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘Those who are humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, who give honour to others without desiring any honour for themselves can always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি’ অহঙ্কার ॥
বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি’ অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

trnadhika hina dina akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi’ ahankara
vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji’ anye karabi palana

‘Give up ego and always consider yourself lower than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and wretched. You must practise tolerance like that of a tree and nurture others giving up vengeance.’

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastaka, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree.

জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ সুখ পাসরিবে ॥
দৈন্য, দয়া, অন্যে মান, প্রতিষ্ঠা বর্জ্জন ।
চারিগুণে গুণী হই’ করহ কীর্ত্তন ॥

jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija sukha pasaribe
dainya, daya, anye mana, pratistha varjana
chari-gune guni hai’ karaha kirtana

‘You must live without causing anxiety to others and do good unto others forsaking your own happiness. Humility, compassion, honouring others and giving up your own prestige – become enriched with these four qualities and chant the Lord’s Holy Name and glories.’

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastaka Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You must be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, then only can you earn the right and qualification to chant the Holy Name. We must learn to be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, and we must learn to give honour to others. We pray to gurudev:

সকলে সম্মান, করিতে শকতি,
দেহ নাথ যথাযথ ।
তবে ত’ গাইব, হরিনাম সুখে,
অপরাধ হবে হত ॥

sakale sammana, karite sakati,
deha natha yatha-yatha
tabe ta’ gaiba, hari-nama sukhe,
aparadha habe hata

‘Master! Give me the strength to give everyone appropriate honour, then I will happily chant the Holy Name and all my offences will be destroyed.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

As you practise and practise Krishna consciousness, as you serve more and more, your ego will go away.

There are some sampradayas that say that you must first become devotees of Krishna: they will give you a mala and say, ‘Now you have become a Krishna-bhakta (devotee of Krishna),’ but Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, ‘Among a thousand Vaishnavs, there may be only one devotee of Krishna.’ We say that we must first become devotees of Gauranga. If you first become devotees of Krishna, where does that take you?

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ ভজন তব অকারণে গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

‘If you did not become devoted to the worship of Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna was in vain.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

It is necessary to first worship Gauranga. Moreover, ‘Nitaiyer karuna habe Vraje Radha-Krsna pabe. When you get Nitai’s mercy, you will reach Radha-Krishna in Vraja.’ What can you get without the mercy of Nitai, without the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma?

Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said: If you send a letter to the Lord, will you get a reply? Do you know the mobile number of the Lord? How many digits is His number? You know many phone numbers, but do you know Krishna’s phone number? We have no right, no qualification to know it, but we know our Gurupadpadma, our gurudev. If you send a letter to gurudev, you can get news about Krishna. What do you say to that? If you send a letter to gurudev, you can get news about Krishna – you can hear back from Krishna. Unless you send your letter to gurudev, you cannot get any news from Krishna. We must first send our letter to the guru. We must keep in touch with gurudev. If you do not keep in touch with your guru, what do we hope to attain then? Many of us have taken initiation, and many of us think that when you take initiation, this is it, but it is not so. In his last days, Gurudev asked me, ‘Maharaj, you have been going village to village, and you have brought so many people to me. Many have taken initiation from me, but can you say how many have actually become disciples?’ One does not become a disciple just by taking the mantra. I wrote about this in Guidance 4, you can read about it there. One does not become a disciple just by taking the mantra.

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Vaishnav Rites
2) Disciple's Life
3) Sincere Spiritual Life
4) Eternal Servants
5) The Answer Is One
6) "Give Me These Alms"
7) Remembering Haridas Thakur
8) Poverty of Mind
9) "Come, Dear Mind, Come"