Humility and Dedication

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Nrisingha Palli, 3 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

If you send your letter to the Lord, you will not get a reply from Him just as you do not become a disciple just by taking the mantra. To become a disciple you must follow what your Guru says and you must be able to tolerate his chastisement. Also, you must take initiation from a Guru that belongs to a proper guru-parampara.

I feel I myself have not been able to become a disciple yet and it is my aspiration to always be one: "Sisya tava thakiya sarvada (তাই শিষ্য তব থাকিয়া সর্ব্বদা). I will always remain your disciple." These words are there in one of the kirtans (Krpa kara Vaisnava Thakura). We must feel that everyone in this world is my master, and we must always behave like disciples. Even when somebody comes to take initiation from me, I feel this person is coming to give their mercy to me. This is how initiation must be given. Gurudev must never think, "I will make somebody my disciple." No. He must always think, "This person is coming to give me their mercy." Such humility must be there.

Mercy is followed by service—if you have mercy, you will have service, and if you have no mercy, then you will have no service. It is necessary to remember and practise this.

You must follow ekadasi. Next Monday is ekadasi...

শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু
ভজন-অনুকূল ।
ভকত-সেবা পরম-সিদ্ধি
প্রেমলতিকার মূল ॥

suddha-bhakata-charana-renu
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva parama-siddhi
prema-latikara mula

"The dust of pure devotees' feet is favourable to devotion. Serving the devotees is the supreme fulfilment and the root of the creeper of divine love."

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We must serve pure devotees. Unless you serve pure devotees, you will not get anywhere, you will not get anything.

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি ।
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ॥

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi
grhete goloka bhaya

On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

...When you do service, you have to exert yourself. When I was doing Govinda Kunda, I lost seven kg weight. After I left Nabadwip, I put on weight again... At that time, two-three hundred cars would come every day to take out soil, fifteen tractors were working. So much soil was taken out.

তোমার সেবায় দুঃখ হয় যত,
সেও ত' পরম সুখ ।

tomara sevaya, duhkha haya yata,
seo ta' parama sukha

"All the distress I encounter in Your service is also my greatest happiness."

(Saranagati 16.4)

Whatever unhappiness comes when I serve you, that is my happiness. When you serve the Lord, you have to struggle, you have to exert yourself.

Muri is Bengalis' favourite food—if there is no muri, many will get hungry in the afternoon but they will not say anything. I have seen in Nabadwip that all devotees kept muri in their rooms—they eat muri in the afternoon. Anyway, what is the problem? There is no lack of food. We must always keep some muri in the temple. You can keep some in the storeroom, devotees can take some to their rooms. People are used to eating muri in the afternoon, this is their habit. I also sometimes eat muri in the afternoon. Just yesterday, I took some muri with mustard oil and green chilli. I do not eat outside food—all the chanachur, etc. I do not like that.

Something like that...

শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু
ভজন-অনুকূল ।
ভকত-সেবা পরম-সিদ্ধি
প্রেমলতিকার মূল ॥

suddha-bhakata-charana-renu
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva parama-siddhi
prema-latikara mula

"The dust of pure devotees' feet is favourable to devotion. Serving the devotees is the supreme fulfilment and the root of the creeper of divine love."

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

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