(10/14) 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. A long time after that, through Gurudev, Srila Prabhupad’s desire was finally fulfilled here, in Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s dham.

When we were on the parikrama today, a lady recognised me and came up to me to offer her obeisance. I had bought some bamboo from her for fifty rupees when I came to Ekachakra for the first time. I remember it was a Sunday because it was prohibited to cut bamboo on Sundays. I explained everything to that lady, spoke some Hari-katha to her and brought her to this path. This is how I managed to bring bamboo to our land (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 seller 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 Pandav’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!’), and the man withdrew the case. Then, 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 had been completed in just one year. Having seen the building, Gurudev could leave peacefully. At that time, the temple and the nat-mandir had not even been started yet – and Gurudev left this world…

Anyway, much has happened. This is a long history.

I always say that 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 Taraknath Sivji Maharaj’s mercy, he cancelled his plan and went to Nabadwip instead. You can come and stay there. There are facilities here in Ekachakra, too. We have a temple in Nrisingha Palli and in Bankura district, 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. He told him, ‘You are a senior preacher, you should be preaching Prabhupad’s teachings, 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, I will leave my family and come back to the temple.’ So, Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave him sannyas. Later, Srila Goswami Maharaj established Gaura-Nityananda’s temple at Sri Nandan Acharya Bhavan. Near his temple, there is also Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusundan Maharaj’s temple. Srila Madhusudan Maharaj always did parikrama together with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. He was one of the devotees who brought our Gurudev to Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math from Nadanghat in 1947. Srila Bhakti Vivriti Puri Maharaj (at that time, his name was Nrisinghananda Brahmachari) was there too – he spoke Hari-katha, and after Gurudev heard it, he came to the Math.

So, who will come, how one will come and through whom one will come to the temple, who has it written in his destiny and who does not – nobody can say this. Therefore, I am praying to you all – you have taken initiation from a guru (yesterday also many people 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 their wealth; those who have a body should serve with their bodies; those who have a mind should serve with their minds; those who have life in them should serve with their lives. Whatever your capacity is, whatever your qualification is, everyone must serve their guru with that capacity.

Actually, we have no qualification: ‘Yogyata vichare kichhu nahi pai, tomara karuna sara ( যোগ্যতা বিচারে কিছু নাহি পাই, তোমার করুণা সার)! When I examine myself, I find no qualification within me – your mercy is everything.’ How can we get that mercy? Gurudev has given you service, but you neglect that service and slack in that service. If gurudev says, ‘Sit here,’ then this is what service is, but the problem is that we go in another direction – our minds carry on going wherever they fancy…

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Free Yourself From Deceit
2) Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere
3) Chastity In Preaching
4) Cry, Pray, and Serve
5) Service: Labour of Love
6) Service: Adherence and Attachment
7) Forging Fortune
8) Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service
9) Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam
10) Keep Yourself On Track
11) Are You Getting Off?
12) Gentle Clean Hearts
13) Do Not Give Up
14) False Attachments