Joining Lord's Pastimes

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar area, evening programme
13 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

This happened more than 500 years ago. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Nimai) was only three and a half years old, a sannyasi came to His house and asked Sachi Mata (Nimai's mother), "Mother, can you give me some alms?" Sachi Mata replied, "Yes, I can, but you have come late (prasad finished). Still, it is not good when somebody comes and leaves like this. Please stay—you can cook yourself and take prasad." So, the brahman stayed and cooked for the noon offering.

When the brahman was going to offer the bhog to the Deities, Nimai suddenly came and ate it from the plate. The brahman chased Him away, "Hey, You naughty boy! Go away, go!" Hearing the brahman shout, Jagannath Misra, Nimai's father, came and asked, "What has happened?"

"I was going to offer the bhog to the Deities, but your son has come and eaten it!" explained the brahman.

"He has never done this before." Jagannath Misra was surprised. "Is this what He did today? Do not worry, I will watch Him. Please cook again."

The brahman cooked again. It was late afternoon, so he came to the Deities and prayed, "O Lord, please forgive me, it is an offence—Your noon bhoga has not been offered yet." He offered the bhog again, and Nimai came again! His father was guarding the door, but anyhow Nimai came again! "Oh You naughty boy! You again?!" Jagannath Misra heard the brahman shout again and came into the room, "What is it?" The brahman said, "Look, here He is again! Where has He come from?!"

Jagannath Misra chased Nimai away, and Nimai ran to a neighbour's house. He was trembling with fear for His father and told the lady at that house to lock the door ("Father will beat Me!").

Anyhow, the evening was coming, and the Deities had not been offered bhoga yet. Everybody was very upset. Then, Visvarup, Nimai's elder brother, came. He was surprised to see everyone in this state.

"Why is everyone so sad?" he asked. "What has happened at home?"

"Who is he?" asked the brahman.

"This is my elder son, his name is Visvarup," explained Jagannath Misra.

"Oh, such a beautiful boy—he looks like Visvarup (the Lord), and his name is also Visvarup!"

Visvarup asked again what had happened, and the brahman said, "Your brother is very naughty! I have tried to offer the bhog twice already, but He keeps coming and taking the Deities' offering!"

"All right, I am His elder brother and He is afraid of me. Do not worry, I am at home, I will see to it that He does not disturb again," said Visvarup.

So, the brahman cooked again. It was evening already by then. When he was going to bring the bhog, he was scared that Nimai would come again because he had already cooked twice and he had not been able to offer the bhog. So, before taking the bhog to the Deities again, the brahman looked around to see where Nimai was and to make sure He would not come. He saw Visvarup sitting by the door and Nimai sleeping on the lap of His mother. Sachi Mata was also asleep. The brahman was pleased, "Very good! Now everything is peaceful! He will not come this time. He has not eaten the whole day, so He is sleeping now. Very good."

Then, he went to offer the bhog. He closed his eyes and started reciting the mantras, praying, "O Lord, I have made so much offence, I could not feed You at noon and in the afternoon. I am giving You this so late at night. Please forgive my offence." After he recited all the mantras and said all the prayers, he opened his eyes and saw that Nimai was again there—He had cleaned the plate!

"You again?!" exclaimed the brahman.

Then, Nimai spoke, "Listen, sadhu! Why do you keep chasing Me away? I have not eaten the whole day, and you keep calling and chasing Me away! Then, you again call Me and again chase Me out! What kind of spiritual regulation is that? Is that what sadhus do?"

"Why would I call You?!" said the sadhu, puzzled. "I was calling the Lord! Why would I call You?"

"Oh, you have been calling the Lord, not Me?" said Nimai.

Then, He showed His six-armed form to the brahman: "This is who I was in Satya-yuga; this is who I was in Dvapar-yuga; this is who I was in Treta-yuga; and in this Kali, I come as Gauranga." Seeing this form, the brahman fell in obeisance at the Lord's feet and quickly ran away from there. After a while, everyone started looking for him, "What is this? This sadhu went to offer the bhog, where has he gone now?" Visvarup went out to search for him, but nobody could find him again. During that darshan of the Lord, the brahman told Nimai, "Whoever You are, I am offering my obeisance to You," and Nimai ordered him, "I have shown you My form from all the yugas today, but you must not tell anyone about it." That is why he left from there.

There are so many pastimes like this. Even if I speak the whole day, there is no end. If you come to Nabadwip, we will sit and talk about all this all day long. There are many pastimes of Mahaprabhu. You must buy the book Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala and read it. You must study, you must keep the association of sadhus, and practise Krishna consciousness. We were just singing this kirtan:

জীবন হইল শেষ, না ভজিলে হৃষীকেশ ।
ভক্তিবিনোদ-উপদেশ, একবার নামরসে মাত রে

jivana ha-ila sesa na bhajile hrsikesa
bhaktivinod-upadesa ek-bar nam-rase mata re

"Your life is ending, but you have not served Hrsikes. Bhaktivinod advises, 'Once relish the Name's nectar.'"

When the call comes, you will have to leave, but how will you leave? To cross the river, you must take a ferry, but if you have not earned the fare, how will you cross then? You must acquire the fare, and you do not acquire it with any money or material wealth! You can only acquire it with devotion. You cannot get the Lord with money or material wealth. Do you understand it? You cannot get the Lord through any material activities, knowledge, or esoteric practices. If you want to get the Lord, you must have devotion. How does devotion come? Devotion from the association of devotees. If you associate with devotees, you will get devotion. There are nine kinds of devotion—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). You must practise these kinds of devotion, and you will get the Lord.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

Call out to the Lord in this way...

[His Divine Grace then chants 'Hari Haraye Nama Krsna,' recites 'Jaya Dhvani,' and concludes the evening programme.]

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