What Do You Need?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

Those who are averse to the service to Lord Krishna are called "griha-vrata" or "griha-medhi" (lit. "vowed to their house" or "house-minded"). Such persons, attached to their homes, can never develop attachment to Krishna. When talking about his father, Sri Prahlad Maharaj expressed his judgement,

শ্রবণং কীর্ত্তনং বিষ্ণোঃ স্মরণং পাদসেবনম্ ।
অর্চ্চনং বন্দনং দাস্যং সখ্যমাত্মনিবেদনম্ ॥
ইতি পুংসার্পিতা বিষ্ণৌ ভক্তিশ্চেন্নবলক্ষণা ।
ক্রিয়েত ভগবত্যদ্ধা তন্মন্যেঽধীতমুত্তমম্ ॥

sravanam kirttanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam
arccanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam
iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana
kriyeta bhagavaty addha tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

Prahlada Maharaj said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental Holy Name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Visnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Krishna through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.23-24)

When Prahlad Maharaj's father asked him what good teaching he had learnt at school? What is the highest in this world? What have you learnt? In reply to that, Sri Prahlad Maharaj spoke this sloka.

Those who desire the highest benefit need only one thing—the shelter of Sri Nabadwip Dham; their duty is to take shelter at the holy lotus feet Sri Gaura Nityananda; their duty is to serve Their Name, holy dham, and desire. Nabadwip consists of nine islands, and it is the highest place for practising the nine kinds of devotions (nava-vidha bhakti). Those who leave strict adherence to their Guru and Vaishnavs and become materialists pursuing knowledge and sensual pleasures, do not serve the transcendental Lord.

আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্নাবমন্যেত কর্হিচিৎ ।
ন মর্ত্ত্যবুদ্ধ্যাসূয়েত সর্ব্বদেবময়ো গুরুঃ ॥

acharyam mam vijaniyan, navamanyeta karhichit
na martya buddhyasuyeta, sarva deva-mayo guruh

(Sri Krishna said to Uddhava:) "You should know the bona fide spiritual master as My very Self. Gurudeva is the embodiment of all the gods. Never dishonour him or find fault in him by ascribing any mundane conception of place, time and circumstances to him."

This sloka's judgement does not enter such people's heads; they only think within the terms of material intelligence perceiving Guru as a mere mortal. They see, "Guru passes stool just like me, Guru does everything just like me." Those who are vowed to their house are always busy with trifle worldly knowledge that is perceived by their senses. (This is what is written here, and I am telling you the same thing.) That is why, Guru Maharaj always says, "If you want to get great things, you must leave small matters." If you want to get something valuable, you have to throw away fake things. You can remember the story of Jivan Chakravarti (his name later became Jivananda Goswami).

Jivan Chakravarti came running to Vrindavan for the sake of his daughter, but in the end he threw away a touchstone and chanted the Holy Name. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami left his angel-like beautiful wife and immense wealth and accepted the path of chanting the Holy Name taking shelter of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Nabadwip Dham. Unless you receive the blessing and mercy of Sri Rupa Raghunath, you cannot understand or know Nityananda Prabhu. We need the mecy of Sri Rupa Raghunath. Without their mercy we cannot know Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu or anyone else. We need the mercy of Vaishnavs.

Srila Prabhupad says that it is necessary to give up all attachment to your house and become a proper grihastha. You must follow the example of Srivas Prabhu. What did Srivas Pandit do? He gave up even begging for alms. He used to collect alms, but because he is a householder, people criticised him committing offences, that is why Mahaprabhu ordered him not to beg any more. This is how Srivas Pandit gave up begging and took the sole vow of chanting the Holy Name. He chanted the Holy Name the whole day and everything (food, etc.) was supplied to him on its own. One day, Mahaprabhu came to him and said, "Srivas, from tomorrow you must not go begging. People criticise you and make offences thinking you beg to maintain your family and life comfortably." Srivas Pandit listened to Mahaprabhu and gave up begging but said at first, "One clap, two clap, three clap. I will see one day, I will see two days, and on the third day I will jump into the Ganges." Mahaprabhu replied, "Oh, so this is how much faith you have? Even if Laksmi Devi herself has to come from Vaikuntha and beg, you must not go begging to people's houses." After that, Mahaprabhu sent a lot of people with all sorts of wealth and ingredients to Srivas Pandit.

When a prostitute named Laksmihira was sent to Haridas Thakur, by the influence of the Holy Name (by hearing Haridas Thakur's kirtan) she became a great Vaishnavi. She left everything and started serving Tulasi Devi and the Holy Name—people would bring food to her, and she knew no want.

Look at all these examples, and look at ourselves—they leave everything and live by chanting the Holy Name knowing no lack of anything, but we always lack everything... Sri Govinda Gosh writes, "Bhajahu re mana Sri Nanda-nandana. O mind, worship the Son of Sri Nanda Maharaj!"

All right, I will tell you more later. We will finish at this for now.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

[His Divine Grace retires to prepare for the parikrama of Sri Ekachakra Dham.]

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