Detach and Immerse Yourself

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, 10 February 2021, part 4

You must accept everything that comes, do not recoil at anything. Obstacles and danger can come: there are things that are unfavourable to devotional life, and you cannot do both what is favourable and what is unfavourable. You sing every morning:

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥
ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"Humility, self-submission, taking the Lord as your guardian, keeping the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me', engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

(Saranagati, 1, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

However, what happens is that you do what is favourable and at the same time you do what is unfavourable. Talking village talk, listening to village news. Even material textbooks say, "Ku-boliba na, ku-dekhiba na, ku-suniba na (কুবলিব না, কুদেখিব না, কুশুনিব না)—do not say bad things, do not see bad things, do not hear bad things." I have eyes, but I will not see bad things. Many things can come to you—you go down the street and so many things are said around you, but you must not listen to it. Do not say bad things, do not see bad things, do not hear bad things. Mahaprabhu told Srila Raghunath Das Goswami:

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

If you want to eat nice things, if you want to wear nice clothes, you cannot practise Krishna consciousness in this way. You can see my example. Today, I have gone to 120 houses. 80-90 in the morning, and about 30 in the afternoon. My feet are hurting now, and my legs were hurting last night, but I still went today. Anyway, it is good to walk for health. I do not get time to walk, so I am always happy to walk—be it during the parikrama or during the collection. If I sit all the time in the room and do not move, it is not good.

Therefore, we must practise the nine kinds of devotion. We must not gossip or hear gossips. We must serve Radha and Krishna within our mind. You must always remember this. Always think about this. This is my prayer to you all. Practise Krishna consciousness in this way.

Always keep yourself engaged in spiritual practice. This is your house here. This is the house of the Lord, so everyone must come. This is not some man's property here—this is the property of the Lord. This temple is the property of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Madan-Mohan.

As I was saying just now, criticising and gossiping about others is unfavourable to devotion. You chant the Holy Name and at the same time you also talk all kinds of other inauspicious things. This is not right. You cannot do both at the same time—if you do, you will be removed from spiritual life and the Lord's service. There are offences to the holy dham, offences to the Holy Name, offences to service, offences to Vaishnavs.

This here is Tarakeshwar Dham, the place of Lord Siva. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur came here. You are staying in this holy dham, but "Dhama-basi jane, pranati kariya, magiba krpara lesa? When will I bow down before a Dham basi and beg from them a drop of mercy?" You must not give any trouble to anyone. Always remember this, always think about this, and practise Krishna consciousness in this way.

[His Divine Grace then chants kirtans before resuming the class.]

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