Clear Your Path

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

[Noise in the nat mandir.]

Who is talking so much? Why are you talking here? Are you sitting in the nat madir telling stories to each other? Lying in bed and telling stories?? There is Hari-katha taking place here, is it a place for chatting?

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Do you ever think that you can leave this world at this very moment? That is why it is said,

হরে কৃষ্ণ নাম জপ অবিরাম
যে কই দিন আছে ত প্রাণ

hare krsna nama japa abhiram
ye kai dina dehe achhe ta prana

"Incessantly chant the Holy Name of 'Hare Krishna' for as long as you have life in this body."

It is necessary to always chant the Holy Name, to chant Krishna-kirtan. You are worrying about your money, food, clothes, gossips at every moment passing your whole life like that.

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!"

You always gossip, always engage in idle, inauspicious talks (prajalpa). It acts against devotion. There are six obstacles—atyahara, prayascha, prajalpa, niyamagraha, laulancha, jana-sangancha (eating too much, hoarding, talking nonsense, superficial attachment to rules and regulations, greed, associating with nondevotees). They are thorns, or obstacles, on the path of devotion. Atyahara means eating much; prayascha means accumulating much; prajalpa means talking a lot and talking nonsens; niyamagraha means to do what opposes devotion; laulancha means material greed; and jana-sanganch means keeping material association. All these things are written in the calendar.

We sing every day,

ছয় বেগ দমি' ছয় দোষ শোধি
ছয় গুণ দেহ দাসে ।
ছয় সৎসঙ্গ দেহ হে আমারে
বসেছি সঙ্গের আশে ॥

chhaya vega dami' chhaya dosa sodhi'
chhaya guna deha' dase
chhaya sat-sanga deha' he amare
basechhi sangera ase

"Subjugate the six urges, rectify the six defects, and bestow the six good qualities upon this servant. Grant me the six kinds of good association. I have sat at your feet, desiring that association."

It is necessary to control the six urges, it is necessary to correct the six defects in yourself, and it is necessary to keep good association. It is necessary to keep enthusiasm for Hari-katha, for the Lord's service. All these things are written very beautifully. If you do not read about it, if you do not follow it, you will not get any result. You were just now singing in a kirtan,

ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভাব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"[Surrender means] engaging only in the activities that are favourable to devotion and rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

"Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode."

It is necessary to reject all that is against devotion, that is unfavourable to devotion, in other words, the obstacles, or thorns, on the path of devotion, or deception in the name of devotion. Devotion and anti-devotion cannot go together at the same time—if you drink both milk and liquor, you will not get any benefit.

I heard that people in Basirhat like to say, "We are doing mina-seva [fish service]!" It made me laugh. Instead of worshipping the Lord, they are eating food themselves. What does the Lord eat? We sang in the Dasavatara Stotram just now, "Kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare." It is the first verse of the stotram. It says that the Lord assumes the form of a fish (mina), and people enjoy eating fish... Here also 50% of people eat fish. They think, "I can do anything I want," but doing anything you want does not work here. Do you understand? You must accept what is favourable to devotion and you must reject what is unfavourable to devotion.

You think if you do not eat meat and fish, you will not manage. Where I come from, they say, "Oh, I eat fish and eggs, but I have given up meat!" This is their Krishna consciousness—they wear neckbeads, put tilaks, etc. They do everything, but they eat fish and eggs. But neither Mahaprabhu, nor the scriptures teach this. There is no such siddhanta.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Listen to the audio or download (1.6 Mb, 4 min)