(6/8) Proper Worship

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি’ ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari’
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

‘Bestowing mercy on jiva souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Sri Krishna Chaitanya means the Supreme Lord. When Nimai Vishvambhar took sannyas, His name became Sri Krishna Chaitanya. ‘Chaitanya’ means Krishna who comes to this world to awaken jiva souls’ consciousness (chetan). To bestow His mercy on living entities, He comes to this world together with His associates (parsada). All the associates who performed their pastimes with Krishna in Dvapar-yuga came in this Kali-yuga with Mahaprabhu.

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a combined form of Sri Sri Radha Krishna – He is Krishna who has taken the heart and halo of Sri Radha. We sing in one of the kirtans:

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ ভজন তব অকারণে গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

‘If you have not become devoted to the worship of Sri Radha, your worship of Krishna has been in vain.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

They are making a festival for Gopal here today, but if you do not worship Srimati Radharani and only keep saying, ‘Gopal, Gopal’, what result will you get? In Mahaprabhu’s time, there was a devotee called Vallabha Bhatta Goswami who always chanted the Name of Gopal and worshipped Gopal. He was very proud of his commentary on Bhagavatam, but he did not respect Sridhar Swami’s commentary. Mahaprabhu said to him:

প্রভু হাসি’ কহে,—“স্বামী না মানে যেই জন ।
বেশ্যার ভিতরে তারে করিয়ে গণন ॥”

prabhu hasi’ kahe,—‘swami na mane yei jana
vesyara bhitare tare kariye ganana’

‘Smiling, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “One who does not accept Swami [Husband] as an authority is considered a prostitute.”’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.7.111)

When the wife does not respect and obey her husband, what do you call such a woman? A prostitute. So, when Vallabha Bhatta Goswami said, ‘My commentary on Bhagavatam is better than Sridhar Swami’s!’ Mahaprabhu replied, ‘If one does not respect Swami [the husband or, in another way, Sridhar Swami], then such a person is like a prostitute.’ After that conversation with Mahaprabhu, Vallabha Bhatta left his worship of Bala Gopal and started to worship Sri Sri Radha Govinda. If you read Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, you can find this pastime described there.

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ ভজন তব অকারণে গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

‘If you have not become devoted to the worship of Sri Radha, your worship of Krishna has been in vain.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must worship Radharani. At the same time, who has taken Radharani’s mood? Who embodies Her mood? Gauranga. Therefore, if we do not worship Gauranga, if we do not worship Nityananda, we can never come to Radharani. ’Nitaiyera karuna habe Vraje Radha-Krsna pabe. If you get Nitai’s mercy, you will come to Radha-Krishna in Vraja.’

The religion of Dvapar-yuga was archan and puja, but the religion of Kali-yuga is Harinam-sankirtan. So, if you do not practise chanting the Holy Name, then what can we say? Nityananda Prabhu is guru-tattva – ‘Guru bade Gauranga bhaje, sei papi raurave padi maje. The sinner who worships Gauranga without the guru falls into a terrible hell.’

রাধা-ভজনে যদি মতি নাহি ভেলা ।
কৃষ্ণ ভজন তব অকারণে গেলা ॥

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

‘If you have not become devoted to the worship of Sri Radha, your worship of Krishna has been in vain.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

It means that we must become devotees of Gauranga. Before you become a devotee of Krishna, you must become a devotee of Gauranga. What does Krishna Himself say? ‘Those who say that they are My devotees are not My devotees. Those who are My devotees’ devotees are My real devotees.’ Identifying Himself with the ego of a devotee (bhakta-abhiman), Mahaprabhu personally said, ‘I am devotees’ devotees’ devotee!’

নাহং বিপ্রো ন চ নরপতির্নাপি বৈশ্যো ন শূদ্রো
নাহং বর্ণী ন চ গৃহপতির্নো বনস্থো যতির্বা ।
কিন্তু প্রোদ্যন্নিখিলপরমানন্দপূর্ণামৃতাব্ধে-
র্গোপীভর্ত্তুঃ পদকমলয়োর্দাসদাসানুদাসঃ ॥

naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na cha grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

‘I am not a brahman, not a ksatriya, not a vaisya, not a sudra; neither am I a brahmachari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself as a servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, who is the beloved of gopis, an ocean of nectar, eternally self-effulgent (self-manifest) and filled with the entire scope of all possible highest ecstasy.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.13.80)

This is how Mahaprabhu worshipped the Lord. Do you understand it?

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Length: 40 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Be Serious
2) Quality Is Not Cheap
3) Tie Your Mind
4) Ask Your Heart
5) Tired of Struggling?
6) Proper Worship
7) Watch the Road
8) Regulated Life