(6/9) "Give Me These Alms"

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vaishnav Seva Programme, Kolkata,
29 January 2021, part 6

Practise Krishna consciousness properly. I have only one prayer to you all. I am a beggar, so I have come to you all to beg some alms. This is what I am begging from you:

You are all Vaishnav Thakurs – please always give me your mercy, please cry to the Lord for me.

বৈষ্ণবের আবেদনে কৃষ্ণ দয়াময় ।
এ হেন পামর প্রতি হবেন সদয় ॥

vaisnavera avedane krsna dayamaya
e hena pamara prati habena sadaya

‘Hearing Vaishnav Thakur’s appeal, merciful Lord Krishna will take pity on this wretched sinner.’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Please give me your mercy so that I can serve Vaishnavs birth after birth. This is my prayer, and this is what I am begging you all for. I am a beggar, and beggars always beg for alms. I am begging you all for such alms that I may have devotion to the Lord and serve Vaishnavs in this world.

There is one more thing I want to beg you for. ‘Krsna bala, sange chala, ei matra bhiksa chai (কৃষ্ণ বল, সঙ্গে চল, এই মাত্র ভিক্ষা চাই). I am begging you for one thing only: come with us and chant “Krishna”!’ Please chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

I am asking you all to please not leave Krishna consciousness no matter what dangers or obstacles may come. Guru Maharaj often said: when we were elephants, we ate so many trees (we enjoyed so much), so why are we still running after material things? Gurudev gave one more example. You can see this mobile phone here – it works through the medium of ether, and you can even talk to somebody in America with its help. Somebody called me today from America – it was morning here, and it was the evening of the previous day for them. How great the distance is – thousands and thousands of miles! America is on the other end of the globe, but through the medium of sound, we can talk to somebody even on the other end of the globe. So, in the same way, when we chant kirtan and pronounce the sound of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, why cannot we reach the Lord through this medium (provided we chant it without offences)? Why cannot we, tell me?

Once, somebody asked me, ‘You said yesterday that when Sukadev Goswami came out of his mother’s womb, he ran away, but our children cannot even walk until two years old. How can that be then?’ I replied, ‘You can see calves – when they are born, they start running after one hour. How can that be?’ What is the point answering such questions? Somebody else asked me, ‘Maharaj, what should I say when people ask me why I wear tilaks?’ I said, ‘When somebody asks you, “Why do you wear tilaks?” you should answer, “Why are you not wearing tilaks?”’ That is the question. If they do not understand anything, if they cannot understand the glory of the Lord, then you can just tell them, ‘Why are you not wearing tilaks?’

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Length: 74 min
Language: English

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"