(14/14) False Attachments

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 14
Translated from Bengali

In Sri Bhakti Raksak Hari-kathamrita, Srila Guru Maharaj tells one nice story.

Once, there were two sadhus sitting on the bank of the Ganges in Haridwar. You must have seen how fast the current is in Haridwar – the river is not deep, you can see the stones, but the current is very fast. Suddenly, one sadhu says to the other one, ‘Look, there is a blanket floating over there!’ They thought it would be nice to take it out, dry it and use it at night. So, one of them jumped into the river to get the blanket, but when he caught it, he realised that this ‘blanket’ was a bear! The bear was struggling in the water, going down the current, and could not get out, so when it saw a man, it grasped onto him trying to save its life. The sadhu and the bear started fighting in the water. The sadhu who stayed on the bank saw the first sadhu struggling in the water and cried to him, ‘Hey, leave the blanket! Leave it!’ The first sadhu replied, ‘I have left the blanket, but the blanket is not leaving me!’

So, we want to leave the material life, but the material life does not want to leave us. It is not so easy to practise Krishna consciousness. These days, be it a brahmachari or a sannyasi, everybody keeps in touch with their home and thinks about material things, about their material family houses. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami was sent 400 rupees (coins) from his house, and he would arrange vaishnav-seva with that money, but Mahaprabhu did not like it. He said that pratistha was coming to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu because of that. All the Vaishnavs thought and spoke among each other, ‘When will Raghunath make vaishnav-seva again? When will I get some pranami?’ Mahaprabhu said that it was not good. When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu understood it, he sent a message to his house saying, ‘Do not send any money to me again! I do not need it.’

বিষয়ীর অন্ন খাইলে মলিন হয় মন ।
মলিন মন হৈলে, নহে কৃষ্ণ-নাম গ্রহণ ॥

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe krsna-nama grahana

‘If you eat food that comes from materialistic people, it will contaminate your mind. And if your mind becomes contaminated, you will not be able to chant the Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.278)

After that, he did not take money from anyone. But these days, you see that sannyasis keep in touch with their previous homes… I had not given any news to my family for fourteen years, and they had even made my sraddha ceremony, offered pindu and did all the other rites, thinking that I was dead. Very good! So what? I am still alive. In Gurudev’s time also, there was someone who did not know much and would say, ‘Astottara-sata-sri nitya-lila pravistha [“who has entered his eternal pastimes”]…’ When Gurudev heard it, he said jokingly, ‘Hey, I am alive! I am alive! I am not nitya-lila pravistha! I am still alive!’ That is why Gurudev said sadly, ‘That is my family… The person has taken sannyas but he does not understand the meaning of nitya-lila pravistha…’

[His Divine Grace then chants ‘Hari Haraye Nama Krsna’ and recites ‘Sri Jaya Dhavani’, concluding the evening class.]

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Language: Bengali

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