Keep Yourself On Track

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

Srila Prabhupad left this world on 1 January, 1937, and so many days later, his desire was fulfilled here, in Sri Nityananda Prabhu's dham, through Gurudev.

When we were on the parikrama today, a lady recognised me and came up to me to pay obeisance. I bought bamboo from her for fifty rupees when I had just come to Ekachakra for the first time. I remember it was a Sunday, and it is prohibited to cut bamboo on Sundays, but I explained everything to that lady, I spoke some Hari-katha to her and brought her to this path, and in this way I managed to bring bamboo (I gave her fifty rupees because she had to pay a worker to cut it). With that bamboo and some tin sheets that I had got before, I made a small hut at the place where the generator is kept now. Soon after that, we made a festival, and then some bamboo man filed a case against me claiming that I had taken his land. I told him, "Why will I take your land? Our temple's land is to this side of the road." Before, there was no road here—I made the road leading to the Pancha Pandava's place nearby (before that, there were fields all around it). Santosh Prabhu from Nadanghat knew a man who used to be the PM in Siuri, Birbhum District. When that bamboo man filed a case, I spoke to the ex-PM and he agreed to fight the case. He spoke to the man who had filed the case, "What is this? You are filing a case against a sadhu? Stop it!" The man withdrew the case, and after Gaura Purnima I started the construction works here. I bought the land in 2008, and in 2009 Gurudev saw that the four-storey building was completed in just one year. Gurudev saw the building and could leave peacefully. At that time, the temple and the nat mandir had not even been started—Gurudev left this world...

Anyway, much has happened, there is so much history. That is why, I always tell you—if any of you wants to stay in the holy dham, come. We have temples in many dhams—there is a temple in Tarakeshwar, in the dham of Lord Siva, where Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur received Sivji Maharaj's mercy (he was thinking to go to Vrindavan, but having received the mercy of Taraknath Sivji Maharaj, he then cancelled his plan and went to Nabadwip instead). We have a temple there, you can come and stay there. There are facilities here in Ekachakra also. We have a temple in Nrisingha Palli also, in Bankura district also, where Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to bring Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj back. After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Goswami Maharaj was very sad and pained: he went back to his family and got married. Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to his house to bring him back, saying, "You are a senior preacher, you should be preaching Prabhupad's teaching, but instead you are sitting here at home with your family. Who will preach Prabhupad's teaching then?" Srila Goswami Maharaj replied, "If you give me sannyas, then I will leave my family and come back to the temple." Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave him sannyas. Later, Srila Goswami Maharaj established Gaura Nityananda's temple at Sri Nandan Acharya Bhavan. Near his temple is also Srila Madhusundan Maharaj's temple. Srila Madhusudan Maharaj always did parikrama together with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. When devotee brought our Gurudev from Nadanghat in 1947, Srila Madhusudan Maharaj was also there at that time. Srila Vaibhav Puri Maharaj (at that time, his name was Nrisigha Brahmachari) was there too—he spoke Hari-katha, hearing which Gurudev came to the Math.

So, who comes, how and through whom one comes to the temple, who has it written in his destiny, nobody can say this. Therefore, I am praying to you all—you have taken initiation from a Guru (yesterday also many took initiation), but do not think that you take initiation and that is it, you have got everything. It is not like that. You are only admitted to a school. Please always practise when you go to your homes, always try to serve your Guru. Those who have wealth should serve with wealth; those who have a body should serve with their body; those who have a mind should serve with their mind; those who have life in them should serve with their life. Whatever your capacity is, whatever your qualification is, everyone must serve your Guru in that capacity.

Actually, we have no qualification: "Yogyata vichare kichu nahi pai—tomara koruna-sara (যোগ্যতা বিচারে কিছু নাহি পাই তোমার করুণা সার)! If you judge my qualifications, you will find I have no qualification, your mercy is everything." How can we get that mercy? Gurudev has given you service, but you are neglecting that service, you are slacking in that service. Gurudev says, "Sit here," then this is what service is, but we go in another direction—our mind carries on going wherever it fancies...

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