No Other Shelter

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar Temple, evening class,
11 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

This kirtan 'Ke yabi ke yabi re bhai' is written by Govinda Das, who also wrote the 'Bhajahu re mana' kirtan.

There were two brothers in Katwa, Krishna Das and Govinda Das, who were as different as chalk and cheese. One of them worshipped Krishna, and the other one worshipped Kali. In the garden near their house, Govinda Das grew many flowers that he used for the worship of their Deities. One day, Krishna Das thought to himself, "If I had a flower garden like that, I could also offer them to the Lord." The next day, when Govinda Das went to offer some flowers to Mother Kali. When he was going to place some flowers in Mother Kali's hand (they put flowers at her feet and in her hand), Kali suddenly moved her hand away. Govinda Das was amazed, "What is this?!" That same day in the evening, he saw a dream: Kali came to him and said, "These flowers in the garden are not for me. They are for my Lord, Krishna, so they should be used for His worship." After that, Govinda Das wrote this kirtan 'Bhajahu re mana':

ভজহুঁ রে মন শ্রীনন্দ-নন্দন
অভয়-চরণারবিন্দ রে ।

bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana
abhaya-charanaravinda re

"O mind, serve the son of Nanda's lotus feet, which make one fearless."

এ ধন যৌবন পুত্র পরিজন
ইথে কি আছে পরতীতি রে ।
কমল দল জল, জীবন টলমল
ভজহুঁ হরিপদ নিতি রে ॥

e dhana, yauvana, putra, parijana
ithe ki achhe paratiti re
kamala-dala-jala jivana talamala
(ei achhe ei nai jivana talamala)
bhajahu hari-pada niti re

What is there in having wealth, youth, sons, and family? Life is tottering like water on a lotus petal (it is here, and then it is gone). O mind, serve the Lord's feet.

He wrote such a beautiful kirtan!

Therefore, if you worship the Lord, all worship of demigods is automatically accomplished...

Everybody reaps what they sow. That is why I said:

দিনের মধ্যে আবল-তাবল
কত পচাল পাড়িতে পর
তার মধ্যে কিন্তু তুমি একবার
গোবিন্দ বলে আর কথা বলিব না

dinera madhye abala-tabala
kata pachala parite para
tara madhye kintu tumi ekbara
govinda bale, ara katha baliba na

"All day you talk all kinds of nonsense, how much idle talk you engage in! But find time amidst all that to chant the Name of Govinda, do not talk about other things!"

We talk so much! "O mind! Worship Sri Nandanandan! Serve Lord Sri Nanda-nandan (the Son of Nanda Maharaj)!" We must serve Yasoda-nandan Krishna—without service to Him, we cannot have any spiritual benefit. We were singing just now:

কে যাবি কে যাবি ভাই ভবসিন্ধু পার ।
ধন্য কলিযুগে রে চৈতন্য অবতার ॥

ke yabi ke yabi bhai bhava-sindhu para
dhanya kali-yuge re chaitanya-avatara

Brother, who will cross? Who will cross this ocean of material existence? Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appears in this fortunate Kali-yuga!

We are very fortunate to have been born in this Kali-yuga because the Lord Himself appears as Gaura Hari in this age.

হরিনামের তরীখানি শ্রীগুরুকাণ্ডারী ।
সংকীর্ত্তনকেরোয়াল দু'বাহু পসারি ॥

hari-namera tarikhani sri-guru-kandari
sankirtana-keroyala du'bahu pasari

The Lord's Names are the ferryboat, Sri Guru is the captain, and the arms raised in the sankirtan are the oars.

The Holy Name is the oars, and Gurudev is the captain—if you surrender to Gurudev, you will be taken to the Lord. This age is blessed because Gaura Hari appears in it: we have no other way or shelter except Him.

We are finishing here for today. The bhoga has already been offered, so everybody can take prasad.

[His Divine Grace then chants 'Hari Haraye Nama Krsna' and then suddenly says, "Chant with me for some time more," after which he continues to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. At the end, His Divine Grace recites Sri Jaya Dhvani and concludes the class.]

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