(4/11) Meaning of Discipleship

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

It will not do to only speak about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu with your mouths.

“গোরার আমি, গোরার আমি” মুখে বলিলে নাহি চলে ।
গোরার আচার, গোরার বিচার লইলে ফল ফলে ॥

‘gorara ami, gorara ami’ mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara laile phala phale

‘Just saying, “I am Gora’s! I am Gora’s!” will not do. Only when you follow Gora’s practice and Gora’s conception will you get the proper result.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

Only if you follow Gora’s practice and conception can you get some result.

লোক দেখান গোরা ভজা তিলক মাত্র ধরি ।
গোপনেতে অত্যাচার গোরা ধরে চুরি ॥

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari’
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

‘You put on tilaks and show the whole world that you serve Gora, but secretly you do outrageous things. Gora will catch you out, thief (hypocrite)!’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.7, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

Many of us are like that. We dress as sadhus, but it is very difficult to actually become a sadhu. I myself also say that I have not been able to become a sadhu, but I know that if I speak again and again about all these things, then I will become good one day. If I speak again and again about all these things, then I can make myself pure and fit for the service of the Lord.

‘Yar hate khai, tar hate khai—yar tar hate khai na (যার হাতে খাই, তার হাতে খাই, যার তার হাতে খাই না).’ Krishna says that He does not take food from anyone and everyone – He eats from the hand of those whose hand He wishes to eat from. The Lord does not accept service or offerings from anyone and everyone.

ভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু লুটিপুটি খায় ।
অভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু উলটি নাহি চায় ॥

bhaktera jinisa prabhu lutiputi khaya
abhaktera jinisa prabhu ulti nahi chaya

‘The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it to Him, but He does not want to take anything from a non-devotee.’

(Based on Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.9.185)

The Lord does not want to take anything from non-devotees (those who have no devotion). He does not accept raj-bhoga (opulent royal food), but if you feed the Lord with some simple rice and fire-roasted eggplant with love and affection, extracting and smearing mellows of deep love from your hearts, He will accept it. Even if you only fry a green chilli or a dry red chilli, He will take it and enjoy it more than any raj-bhoga, but you must offer it with affection, care and love.

You are householders, so you know how to serve your husbands, wives and children. When you serve someone, you must serve with heart and soul. When you love someone, you must love with heart and soul. In the same way, you must love the Lord with your whole heart and soul, you must love the Lord’s temple with your whole heart and soul. Some think, ‘I have come here, I have got a room, and when I go away, I will just leave the room as it is, in a mess.’ This is not right. You have come to the holy abode of your Lord, the holy abode of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and if you go away leaving the room dirty, you will be making an offence. If you think that those who are staying in the dham will take care of everything, and you can just come, stay here like a madman and go away, leaving everything dirty, this is not right. People smoke bidi and cigarettes in the rooms – this is nothing but offence.

Remember well what I am telling you. Everybody comes, chants kirtan with raised arms, but how many people have been able to come to this line? How many people have been able to become disciples?

Many people come to take the mantra, but how many of them become disciples? At some point, I even gave up and said, ‘I will not give any more initiations!’ because people take initiation and do not practise anything after that, do not keep any connection with their guru, do not keep any relationship with their guru, never think about service to their guru. Gurudev said that there are three kinds of people: guru-bhogi, guru-tyagi and guru-sevi. Some want to use their guru and their guru’s things – they use their guru’s property for enjoyment (they are called guru-bhogi). Some want to serve their guru – they use everything, all property, all materials in the service to their guru (they are called guru-sevi). And those who do not listen to their guru are called guru-tyagi – they do not respect, do not follow what their guru and Vaishnavs say.

Therefore, I am praying to you all: you have all taken initiation, taken the mantra, but it is necessary to become a disciple. Every single one of you must become a disciple, every single one of you must take part in service. You have come to Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s house, and when you come here, you must utilise yourselves for service. There are so many services here. You can sweep, you can wash the dishes, you can clean the temple. If everybody sits down to take prasad, then who will distribute prasad? I cannot bring hired people to do that. This is not right. You can understand it yourselves. This is not some marriage venue or an entertainment place. This is a festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu! You must come to this festival and engage yourselves in service.

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

‘You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you.’

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

It is first necessary to surrender. I heard in the morning from upstairs (I was very busy and could not come downstairs) that you were singing:

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
‘অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ’—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥
ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভাব-বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥
ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
‘avasya raksibe krsna’—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara
sad-anga saranagati haibe yanhara
tanhara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

‘(1) Humility, (2) self-submission, (3) accepting that the Lord is your maintainer, (4) keeping faith that “Krishna will certainly protect”, (5) engaging only in what is favourable to devotion, (6) rejecting what is unfavourable to devotion. Lord Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender to Him in these six ways.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Saranagati is the gist of devotion. Until and unless you become surrendered, you will not get any result or real benefit.

— : • : —

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Length: 67 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Supremely Worshippable Day
2) Do Not Pass Your Life in Vain
3) Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
4) Meaning of Discipleship
5) Ask Yourself, "Am I Practising?"
6) Become Pure
7) Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?
8) How and When?
9) Scattered Heart
10) Learn the Truth
11) What Do You Need?