Vaishnavs' Nature

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar area, second afternoon programme
12 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace starts the evening class by reciting Sri Jaya Dhvani and then chants "Gurudev krpa bindu diya" and "E-bara karuna kara."]

Sri Krishna said in Srimad Bhagavatam: "Acharyam mam vijaniyan. Know Acharya to be non-different from Me." Who is called an acharya? Acharya is the one who both practises and preaches. However, there are many gurus in this world. Mahaprabhu told:

আপনে আচরে কেহ, না করে প্রচার ।
প্রচার করেন কেহ, না করেন আচার ॥
'আচার', 'প্রচার'—নামের করহ 'দুই' কার্য্য ।
তুমি—সর্ব্ব-গুরু, তুমি—জগতের আর্য্য ॥

apane achare keha, na kare prachara
prachara karena keha, na karena achara
'achara', 'prachara',—namera karaha 'dui' karya
tumi—sarva-guru, tumi—jagatera arya

"Some follow rules and regulations but do not preach Krishna consciousness; some preach Krishna consciousness but do not follow rules and regulation. You perform both duties in relation to the Holy Name by your personal behavior and by your preaching, therefore you are the spiritual master of the entire world, you are the most advanced person in the world."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.102-103)

There are gurus who preach but do not follow the rules (they do not follow any rules and regulations but they preach). Some gurus come to you all the time to do kirtan, etc. They sing well (the Supreme Lord and Saraswati gave them a good voice), and they go house to house singing kirtans. What does Bhagavatam say? Somebody reads Bhagavatam for money, somebody chants kirtan for money, somebody speaks Hari-katha for money—if you listen to such things, it brings inauspiciousness to your life and you will be making an offence (Nama-aparadh). There are four kinds of offences: offences to the Holy Name, to service, to the holy places, and also to Vaishnavs. We were just singing:

এইবার করুণা কর বৈষ্ণব গোসাঞি ।
পতিতপাবন তোমা বিনে কেহ নাই ॥

ei-bara karuna kara vaisnava gosai
patita-pavana toma vine keha nai

O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the fallen, without you there is no one.

"Please be merciful to me. There is no one in this world who is as merciful as You are."

কাহার নিকটে গেলে পাপ দূরে যায় ।
এমন দয়াল প্রভু কেবা কোথা পায় ॥

kahara nikate gele papa dure yaya
emana dayala prabhu keba kotha paya

"If anyone comes to you, their sins go away. Where can such a merciful master be found?"

গঙ্গার পরশ হৈলে পশ্চাতে পাবন ।
দর্শনে পবিত্র কর এই তোমার গুণ ॥

gangara-parasa ha-ile paschate pavana
darsane pavitra kara—ei tomara guna

If the Ganges touches someone, he is later purified, but you purify souls simply by seeing them—such is your power.

If you bathe in the Ganges, then you become pure. People become pure by touching the Ganges, but one can become pure just by seeing (getting the darsan of) a Vaishnav. Who is a Vaishnav? One who dresses as a Vaishnav, wears tilaks and neckbeads and chants on beads? Vaishnavs are those who practise Vaishnavism. Always remember this.

Who can chant kirtan? Mahaprabhu said also, "Who has the right to chant kirtan?"

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.239)

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥
বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara
vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana

Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean. Practise tolerance like a tree. Give up vengeance and nurture others.

(Gitavali, Sri Siksastakam Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must give up our own happiness for others' happiness. Those who come to the line of Gaudiya Vaishanvs never think about their own happiness, clothes, an easy life, etc. They have no consciousness of a wife, sons, friends, relatives, et al. Our wealth are devotees of the Lord—they are our real family; they are our greatest wealth and greatest friends. There are thousands and thousands of disciples all over the world (they are my disciples or Gurudev's disciples), but we do not say they are our disciples. When somebody comes to take initiation from me, I feel, "They have come to give mercy to me, that is why they have come to take initiation from me. I am not the one giving mercy." Such humility must be there.

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