(6/13) Free Mercy, Exclusive Rights

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 23 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace continues chanting ‘Gurudev, bada krpa kara’]

অমানী মানদ, হইলে কীর্ত্তনে,
অধিকার দিবে তুমি ।
তোমার চরণে, নিষ্কপটে আমি,
কাঁদিয়া লুটিব ভূমি ॥

amani manada, haile kirtane,
adhikara dibe tumi
tomara charane, niskapate ami,
kandiya lutiba bhumi

‘If I become free from the desire for honour and learn to give honour to others, you will give me the right to chant your kirtan. Rolling on the ground, I shall earnestly cry at your holy feet.’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

When will I be given the right to chant kirtan? When I become free from desire for honour and when I learn to give honour to others. I told you yesterday also – who has the right to chant kirtan?

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি’ অহঙ্কার ॥
বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি’ অন্যে করবি পালন ॥
জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-উপকারে নিজ সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

trnadhika hina dina akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi’ ahankara
vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji’ anye karabi palana
jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija sukha pasaribe

‘You must always leave ego and consider yourself to be more lowly than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and wretched. You must practise tolerance like that of a tree and nurture others giving up vengeance. You must live without causing anxiety to others and do good unto others forsaking your own happiness.’

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastaka Giti, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Those who have these qualities have the right to chant kirtan. These verses are written in the Siksastaka songs as purport to Mahaprabhu’s sloka:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree and who gives honour to others without desiring it for themselves is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

Read the Siksastaka kirtans, you will like what is written there.

It is said in the kirtan we are singing, ‘Tomara charane niskapate ami kandiya lutiba bhumi. Rolling on the ground, I shall earnestly cry at your holy feet. Prabhu! O Vaishnav Thakur! I will always stay at your holy feet.’ We do not do or say this to impress others. It is necessary to say this from your heart. ‘I am your foot dust.’ What does it mean to become foot dust? It means to place the dust from the holy feet of Vaishnavs on our heads. This is so beautiful!

দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর

doyal vaisnav thakur, doyal vaisnav thakur
doyal vaisnav thakur, doyal vaisnav thakur

[His Divine Grace then chants ‘Akrodha paramananda Nityananda Raya’ and ‘Yadi Gaura na haite.’]

Have you heard what Sri Vasu Ghosh is saying in this kirtan?

যদি গৌর না হ’ত, তবে কি হইত,
কেমনে ধরিতাম দে ।
রাধার মহিমা, প্রম-রসসীমা,
জগতে জানাত কে ? ॥

yadi gaura na ha’ta, tabe ki haita,
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima,
jagate janata ke?

‘If Gaura had not come, what would have happened? How would we have lived? Who would have revealed to the world Radha’s glory and the acme of Her ecstatic divine love?’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

This glory of Srimati Radharani is not found anywhere in Srimad Bhagavatam. Do you know why? Vyasadev and Sukadev thought, ‘The glory of Sri Radha is so high that somebody like me has no capacity to speak about it with this mouth.’ That is why there is not even a single mention of Srimati Radharani in Srimad Bhagavatam. This is such a high topic, but devotees go to Vrindavan, put tilaks, hang a cloth on their necks and go about saying, ‘Jay Radhe!’ Mahaprabhu said, ‘Mukhe bale ra-ra-ra, dui nayane bahe dhara (মুখে বলে রা-রা-রা- দুই নয়নে বহে ধারা).’ The Lord Himself could only say ‘Ra-Ra-Ra’ and torrents of tears would flow from His eyes. Those who behold Srimati Radharani cannot even pronounce Her Name! They keep saying ‘Ra-Ra-Ra.’ Even Mahaprabhu could not pronounce Her Name! He only cried and said, ‘Ra-Ra-Ra…’ He is Radha-Krishna’s combined form, but even He could not utter Her Name.

Krishna took Srimati Radharani’s heart and halo, and what remained of Her was taken by Gadadhar Pandit (that is why he is called Sri Radha’s incarnation).

Later, after Krishna had left for Mathura and Dvaraka, gopis came to meet with Krishna at Kuruksetra one day (many of you have visited Kuruksetra, you know where it is). During solar eclipses, people come in throngs to bath in a pond there. So, gopis also came there from Vrindavan on the pretext of bathing, but actually they came to see Krishna. But when they saw Krishna, their minds were not satisfied. They said, ‘Our Krishna and this Krishna are not one and the same! Where is that Krishna who wore a peacock feather and played the flute in the forests of Vrindavan?’ Krishna had come there as a king, surrounded by His soldiers, seated on a royal throne. When gopis met Krishna, they started pulling Him back to Vrindavan, saying, ‘Come with us! We are taking You with us!’ When we come for the Ratha-yatra festival and chant kirtan as the chariots move, what do we say? ‘Hari bolo, Hari bolo, Vrindavane niye cholo! O Lord! O Lord! Come with us to Vrindavan!’ There is Nilachal and Sundarachal – Nilachal is Puri (Kuruksetra, or Dvaraka), and Sundarachal is Gundicha temple (Vrindavan). This is how gopis took Krishna from Kuruksetra to Vrindavan.

Gauranga Mahaprabhu came to show Sri Radha’s mood of union in separation. There is always more pleasure and happiness in separation than in union. Always remember this.

মধুর বৃন্দা, বিপিন-মাধুরী,
প্রবেশ চাতুরী সার ।
বরজ-যুবতী, ভাবের ভকতি,
শকতি হইত কার ?

madhura vrnda, vipina-madhuri,
pravesa chaturi sara
varaja-yuvati, bhavera bhakati,
sakati haita kara?

‘Who would have had the great expertise required to enter into the sweet forests of Vrindavan? Who would have shown the power of Vraja gopis’ ecstatic devotion?’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

These are very beautiful words.

গাও পুনঃ পুনঃ, গৌরাঙ্গের গুণ,
সরল করিয়া মন ।
এ ভব-সাগরে, এমন দয়াল,
না দেখিয়ে একজন ॥

gao punah punah, gaurangera guna,
sarala kariya mana
e bhava-sagare, emana dayala,
na dekhiye eka-jana

‘Sing Gauranga’s glories again and again. Try to be simple-hearted. In the ocean of this material world, no one has ever seen anyone as merciful.’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

There is no one as merciful as He is!

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

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

‘Just consider Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy! If you do, you will feel astonished in your heart.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.8.15)

Nobody in this world has ever given as much mercy as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did. To rescue such low and fallen souls as ourselves, He came to this world performing human pastimes. He went door to door calling out to everyone,

জীব জাগ জীব জাগ গোরাচাঁদ বলে ।
কত নিদ্রা যাও মায়া পিশাচীর কোলে ॥

jiva jaga jiva jaga gorachanda bale
kata nidra yao maya-pisachira kole

‘“Wake up, soul! Wake up, soul!” says Gorachad (Golden Moon). “How long are you going to sleep in the lap of this witch Maya?”’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

‘Do not sleep, O jiva soul! Wake up!’

পিশাচী পাইলে যেন মতিচ্ছন্ন হয় ।
মায়াগ্রস্ত জীবের হয় সে ভাব উদয় ॥

pisachi paile yena matichchhanna haya
maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya

‘Those who are possessed by a ghost become delirious, and the same condition arises in those who are seized by Maya, illusion.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.3, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

As if possessed by a ghost, we talk gibberish, ‘My house, my room, my son, my family.’ We do not understand that we only keep floundering in this ocean of material existence…

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) This Is Not a Playground
2) Wrong Worries
3) Pure Identity
4) Worshipful Devotion
5) Meaning of Discipleship
6) Free Mercy, Exclusive Rights
7) Path of Devotion
8) Krishna Conscious Life
9) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (1)
10) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (2)
11) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (3)
12) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (4)
13) Clean Mood