Happy Life

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

Many say, "Oh, I have no money, I will commit suicide!" I went to a house once where the son in the family had taken his life. What happens when one commits suicide? Do you think they get relief? They do not. They suffer even more after they die like this. They do not get another body for fourteen days, but how much they suffer during these fourteen days! They roam around in the sky. They can neither stay on the ground nor go to heaven or hell. They stay suspended in the air. When fourteen days pass, they get another body. So, you will not get peace by doing this.

You can see California's example: they have so much money! When they have children, the child is born today, and they get ten cars as gifts! They have so much money. Yet why do so many people commit suicide in California? They do not have happiness and peace. So, there is no question that if you have money, you will have peace. Similarly, you make a fancy room for yourself in a big house, you marble the floors, do everything, but if there is no peace in that room, you cannot call it home. Material life is also like that: if there is no genuine service to the Lord in your life, if there is no practice of Krishna consciousness, you cannot call such life happy—it is called griha-medhi (material attachment to the house).

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)

This is what a real home is. When you practise Krishna consciousness, when you serve the Lord every day, eternally, then your home becomes Goloka Vrindavan. Only offering some flowers or a garland will not do. You must cook and offer bhog to the Lord every day without fail. If it is meal time and you give me ten garlands, will my stomach be full? If I am hungry and you give me something to eat, then my stomach will be full. It is the same with the Lord. When it comes to midday, you must feet the Lord. This is how you must practise Krishna consciousness. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given such a great thing!

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য-দয়া করহ বিচার ।
বিচার করিলে চিত্তে পাবে চমৎকার ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara
vichara karile chitte pabe chamatkara

"If you consider the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, you will be wonder-struck to realise it."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.15)

People say, "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, bharyam dehi, yasam dehi: make me rich, make me clever, make me beautiful, give me a good wife, make me famous." Yet what did Mahaprabhu say?

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

ধন জন আর কবিতা সুন্দরী
বলিব না চাহি দেহ-সুখকরী ।
জন্মে জন্মে দাও ওহে গৌরহরি
অহৈতুকী ভক্তি চরণে তোমার ॥

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,
baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari
janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!
ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

(Saranagati)

We pray, "Please give me causeless devotion!" You cannot get the Lord through any material activities, knowledge, or mystic practices. If you want to get the Lord, you must have devotion. How will devotion come? Devotion comes from the association of devotees ("bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-sangena parijayate, ভক্তিস্তু ভগবদ্ভক্তসঙ্গেন পরিজায়তে"). Who must you associate with? Not with those who are bad association. Bad association means those who do not practise even one of the nine devotion practices: sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam, pada-sevanam—hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, serving the Lord's lotus feet, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, self-submission, and offering obeisance. Yet if somebody practises at least one of these practices, their association is good.

There is a total of sixty-four kinds of devotion. The nine practices I have just told about are the main of those sixty-four practices; and among these nine main practices, there are five that are the most important practices, and among those five most important practices, there are two that are the highest: that is sravan (hearing) and kirtan (chanting).

তার মধ্যে সর্ব্বশ্রেষ্ঠ নাম-সঙ্কীর্ত্তন ।
নিরপরাধে নাম লৈলে পায় প্রেমধন ॥

tara madhye sarva-srestha nama-sankirtana
niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana

"Of the practising processes, the best is Nama-sankirtan. If you chant the Holy Name without offence, you will get the wealth of divine love."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.71)

If you chant the Holy Name without offence, you will get the transcendental love for Lord Krishna. It is necessary to chant the Holy Name without offence. Wherever you stay, always chant the Holy Name: "Grhe thako, vane thako, sada 'Hari' bole dako (গৃহে থাক, বনে থাক সদা 'হরি' বলে ডাক), whether you stay in a house or in a forest, always call out the Holy Name." When you are happy, you forget the Lord, and when you get into hospital, then you call out to the Lord, but before that you do not call the Lord. That is why, you must not forget the Lord, no matter whether you are happy or sad: "Sukhe duhkhe bhule nako vadane Harinam koro re (সুখে দুঃখে ভুলো নাক, বদনে হরিনাম কর রে ): in happiness or sadness, never forget it, always chant the Holy Name."

So, this is what I wanted to say. It is time to finish now. Offer the bhog and give everyone prasad. I will be at the temple in the evening, everyone can come. No invitation is necessary to come to the lecture. Everybody can come. You have my standing invitation—always come for the class. [To the hosts of the programme:] If it is not possible to give prasad to everyone, you can give everyone some fruit. What is the problem? It is prasad too. Nobody says you must give rice, luchi and a full meal to everyone. If not possible, you can give everyone some fruit, it is also prasad.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

[His Divine Grace chants Hari Haraye Nama Krsna and recites Jaya Dhavani, completing the noon programme.]

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