(16/16) Save Yourself

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 16
Translated from Bengali

Wake up early tomorrow. There will be some Hari-katha and kirtans here; and at 9 o’clock, we will go out on the parikrama. Please do not be late, come quickly. After the parikrama, we will come here, speak some Hari-katha again, and then there will be prasad. Try to fast tomorrow. If you skip one meal, it is not a problem. If somebody has health problems, they can eat; other than that, please fast. It is my prayer to you all that you may always come for the dham parikrama – come for the parikrama of Sri Nabadwip Dham, Sri Ekachakra Dham, Sri Vrindavan Dham and Sri Puri Dham.

I see that so many people have come to Sri Ekachakra Dham this time. Gurudev scolded me, ‘You have made such a big nat-mandir, where will you get so many people to fill it?’ Now you can see that there is actually no place. We have made so many rooms, but even that is not enough – people still sleep in the nat-mandir; and there are 25–30 people staying in each of the rooms. What to do? You have to rough it for one–two days…

সংসার সংসার করি মিছে গেল কাল ।
লাভ না হইল কিছু ঘটিল জঞ্জাল ॥

samsara samsara kari michhe gela kala
labha na haila kichhu ghatila janjala

‘I have wasted all my time on material life and family and have got nothing but garbage as the result.’

কিসের সংসার এই, ছায়াবাজী প্রায় ।
ইহাতে মমতা করি বৃথা দিন যায় ॥

kisera samsara ei, chhayabaji praya
ihate mamata kari vrtha dina yaya

‘What kind of life is this? It is only a trick, a show. I have wasted time taking this world and the people around me in it as my own.’

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 pass in useless work and nights are wasted on sleep. It never occurs to me that death is there, waiting right next to me.’

(Sri Kalyan-Kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

আর কবে নিতাইচাঁদ করুণা করিবে ।
সংসার-বাসনা মোর কবে তুচ্ছ হ’বে ॥

ara kabe nitai-chand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchchha ha’be

‘When will Nitaichand give me His mercy? When will my material desires lose their appeal and become trifle?’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

কবে নিত্যানন্দ, মোরে করি’ দয়া,
ছাড়াইবে মোর বিষয়ের মায়া ।

kabe nityananda, more kari’ daya,
chhadaibe mora visayera maya

‘When will Nityananda be merciful to me and make me leave all material attachment?’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

‘When will Sri Nityananda Prabhu give His mercy to me? When will I be free from material illusion?’ How can I save myself from this ocean of material existence? I keep coming to this material world, ever engrossed in eating, sleeping, fearing and breeding. Days are passing in vain…

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 pass in useless work and nights are wasted on sleep. It never occurs to me that death is there, waiting right next to me.’

(Sri Kalyan-Kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

জীবন অনিত্য জানহ সার,
তাহে নানাবিধ বিপদ ভার
নামাশ্রয় করি’ যতনে তুমি,
থাকহ আপন কাজে ॥

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari’ yatane tumi,
thakaha apana kaje

‘You must know the main truth that this life is not eternal and full of various dangers. Carry on your life but try your best to take shelter in the Holy Name.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Please live as members of Krishna’s family. You must practise Krishna consciousness giving up all bad practices and embracing Krishna’s family. You are uselessly wasting your time. When will we listen to what our guru says? When will gurudev bestow mercy on us? When will we be able to serve gurudev properly? When will we engage in service all day and night? When will we be able to only serve the Lord the whole day? Make sure that not a single day is wasted – make sure that not a single day passes without service to the Lord. Eating, sleeping, and so on – these things will always be there, and the more you do these things, the more they will increase in your lives. I always tell you, ‘Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Always serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

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 village talks, do not speak about village news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour from others, give all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna and serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236–237)

If you want to practise Krishna consciousness all the time, you have to give up the whims and lust of your tongues. Your tongues keep you bound in this material world.

শরীর অবিদ্যা-জাল, জড়েন্দ্রিয় তাহে কাল,
জীবে ফেলে বিষয়-সাগরে ।
তার মধ্যে জিহ্বা অতি, লোভময় সুদুর্ম্মতি,
তা’কে জেতা কঠিন সংসারে ॥

sarira avidya-jala, jadendriya tahe kala,
jive phele visaya-sagare
tara madhye jihva ati, lobha-maya sudurmati,
ta’ke jeta kathina samsare

‘This body is a net of ignorance, and the material senses are the cause of its ruin because they throw the soul into the ocean of material life. Among all senses, the tongue is extremely greedy and wicked; it is very difficult to conquer it in the material world.’

কৃষ্ণ বড় দয়াময়, করিবারে জিহ্বা জয়,
স্বপ্রসাদ অন্ন দিল ভাই ।
সেই অন্নামৃত পাও, রাধাকৃষ্ণ গুণ গাও,
প্রমে ডাক চৈতন্য নিতাই ॥

krsna bada daya-maya, karibare jihva jaya,
svaprasada anna dila bhai
sei annamrta pao, radha-krsna guna gao,
preme daka chaitanya-nitai

‘Brother, Lord Krishna is very merciful: to conquer the tongue, He has given us His food remnants! Take this nectarean food, sing the glories of Radha-Krishna and call out to Chaitanya and Nitai with love!’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

When will Nitaichand bestow His mercy on us, enabling us to do this?…

All these things that I am telling you are not just for the three days that you are here. The jiva soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. You go home and forget it, that is why I keep telling you about it, again and again, again and again. I went house to house inviting you to this festival in Ekachakra:

কয় বার এলি কয় বার গেলি
তবু তত্ত্ব না শিখিলি ।
নিজের মাথা নিজে খাইলি
এ দোষ দিবি কারে ভাই ?

kaya bara eli kaya bara geli
tabu tattva na sikhili
nijer matha nije khaili
e dosa dibe kare bhai?

‘Coming and going, coming and going, you never learnt anything! You have been eating your own brain – who will you blame for this, brother?’

Who will you blame after that? You are your own friends, and you are your own enemies. We have no enemies in this world – we are our own enemies. If we cannot subdue the enemy within us (if we cannot subdue lust, anger, greed, illusion, etc.), what will become of us? There are ten senses: pancha-karmendriya (instruments of actions – feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth), pancha-jnanendriya (instruments of acquiring knowledge – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), and there is also mind, intelligence, and ego. If you regularly chant kirtans and listen to Hari-katha, then one day you will be able to concentrate your minds on the eternal conscious plane and service to the Lord. We must throw everything – our bodies, minds, hearts, egos – at the lotus feet of the Lord.

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

‘Devotees submit their entire being when they take initiation. At this time, Krishna accepts them as His very own.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.192)

Many make a mistake and live by karma-kanda (engaging in material life and seeking material benefits). Such people turn the Lord into a bribe-taker or their menial servant. ‘Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, bharyam dehi, yasam dehi: make me rich, make me clever, make me beautiful, give me a good wife, make me famous.’ People want all these things, but Mahaprabhu said:

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

‘O Supreme Lord (Master of the Universe, Jagadiswar)! I do not desire any wealth (religion, money or material desires), any followers (wife, sons, servants or maidservants) or material knowledge (beautiful poetry). My only prayer is that I may birth after birth have pure devotion to You, devoid of seeking any result.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.29)

Gurudev has made all arrangements for us. Just now somebody has called me, asking, ‘Will there be Nabadwip Dham parikrama?’ Of course, there will be Nabadwip Dham parikrama! I will not stop it, no matter what. Why must parikrama be stopped? You must all come for the parikrama. You can see so many people sitting here, and nobody is even wearing masks. Corona must have fled. If you get Nitai’s mercy (karuna), you will not get any corona.

I did not stop even during the pandemic – I still went everywhere. Trains and buses did not run for nine months, but my car went everywhere. I went everywhere to speak Hari-katha. Nobody stopped me.

The construction workers at first ran away, but I told them to come back quickly and finish the works. It is necessary to finish the devotees’ quarters. Everything happened in Nabadwip (Nrisingha Palli) by the mercy of Gurudev. I left Nabadwip, but I did not stop the parikrama: I made a temple in Nrisingha Palli and started doing parikrama from there. And there are many rooms there now. Everything is arranged now, there are no problems. During the lockdown, another hundred rooms were built there. If ten people stay in each room, one thousand people can easily come. If the Lord keeps me alive, then another fifty rooms can be built. If my service is needed, then He will keep me alive, and if the Lord wants to take me, He will take me. ‘Janma-mrtyu-biye tin Vidhatar niye (জন্ম মৃত্যু বিয়ে তিন বিধাতার নিয়ে).’ There are three things – janma means birth, mrityu means death, and biye means marriage. These three things are not in anybody’s hands, they are only in the hands of the Lord (they come through the Lord). If the Lord needs me for His service, He will keep me alive. Otherwise, I can get corona and die, I can get diarrhoea and die, or I can get cancer and die. It is impossible to stop this. ‘Marabi rakhabi, yo ichchha tohara (মারবি রাখবি, যো ইচ্ছা তোহারা). Whether You save me or kill me, it is up to You.’ If He wants to kill you, He will kill; and if He wants to protect you, He will protect. Because we have little faith in this, we feel scared.

'শ্রদ্ধা' শব্দে—বিস্বাস কহে সুদৃঢ় নিশ্চয় ।
কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ব্বকর্ম্ম কৃত হয় ॥

‘sraddha’-sabde visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

‘Sraddha is a firm, determined faith that by serving Krishna all actions are accomplished.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.62)

You will have no debt – no debt to your fathers, no debt to your mothers, no debt to any rishis (sages) or demigods; you will become crazy. When will I become crazy?…

One time, Sachi Mata used cooling oil to calm Mahaprabhu when He showed some heated behaviour, but Srivas Pandit said, ‘Didi! What am I to say to you? This oil that you are applying will not help Him! I know why He has become crazy, and I, too, want to become crazy like Him!’ Mahaprabhu became crazy out of separation from Krishna.

You have heard songs of separation sung by Srimati Radharani…

বাঁশির কোন লাজ নাই, দিবানিশি ডাকে-তাই,
আমি যত দূরে যাই, বাঁশি বলে এস রাই, কেন যে সময় বুঝে না ।
ও মরা কেন মরে না ।

vamsira kona laja nai, divanise dake-tai,
ami yata dure yai, vamsi bale esa rai,
kena ye samaya bujhe na
o mora keno more na?

‘The Flute has no shame! It only keeps on calling Me day and night. No matter how far I go, the Flute keeps calling Me, “Come, Rai.” Why does it not understand? It is a dead thing, but why does it not die?’

This is Srimati Radharani’s lamentation… And in Krishna-lila, Krishna says in separation from Radharani, ‘O Subal! My mind is burning in agony, what kind of lila is this? I have become mad for Her!’

That is why Srivas Pandit told Sri Sachi Mata, ‘I, too, want to become crazy like Him.’

[His Divine Grace sings ‘Kabe habe bala se dina amara’ and ‘Hari haraye Nama Krsna’ and recites the Jaya Dhvani, concluding the evening class.]

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Length: 156 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Sri Ekachakra Temple
2) Parental Sacrifice
3) Full Service Sway
4) Life in Kirtan
5) Please Give These Alms
6) Remembering Glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu
7) Sri Sivananda Sen's Mercy
8) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Eccentricity
9) Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's Gratitude
10) Unblemished Nitai
11) Sri Nityananda's Supreme Mercy
12) Our Only Wealth and Shelter
13) Mahaprabhu's Private Order
14) Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign
15) Humility and Deep Faith
16) Save Yourself