Watch the Road

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

If you do not understand what Krishna consciousness is—if you do not follow the proper line, what happens? If a train derails, what happens? It falls over. So, if we go off track—if we stop following the line of devotion—we too will fall over into a hole. We must follow the proper line that is described by the Bhagavatam.

কৃষ্ণবর্ণং ত্বিষাঽকৃষ্ণং সাঙ্গোপাঙ্গাস্ত্রপার্ষদম্ ।
যজ্ঞৈঃ সঙ্কীর্ত্তনপ্রায়ৈর্যজন্তি হি সুমেধসঃ ॥

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"Those of sharp intellect will worship Krishna who appears with a non-black bodily hue, who is armed and surrounded by His associates and servants, and who always chants the Holy Names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)

This means that Krishna steals Radharani's colour and mood and appears in this Kali-yuga as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. We always say, "Krishna, Krishna," but the worship of Radha Krishna is the highest thing.

মাতল হরিজন কীর্ত্তন-রঙ্গে ।
পূজল রাগপথ গৌরব-ভঙ্গে ॥

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

"From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline."

If you step into raga-marga first, then the seed of your devotional creeper will be destroyed.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper."

মালী হঞা করে সেই বীজ আরোপণ ।
শ্রবণ-কীর্ত্তন-জলে করয়ে সেচন ॥

mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

"As a gardener, they must plant that seed and water it with practising: hearing and chanting."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151-152)

You can nourish the seed by watering it with sravan (hearing) and kirtan (chanting, practising); however, if you pour too much water, the seed will rot and die—this is what sahajiyas do: they pour too much water, and their devotion becomes destroyed. There is no devotion in sahajiya (imitation), it is all chhala-bhakti (pretence of devotion).

suddha bhakta-palana suska-jnana-tadana,
chhala-bhakti-dusana-rama

[Gauranga Mahaprabhu] is the maintainer of the pure devotees and the dispeller of dry knowledge. He is the eradicator of pseudo-devotion and the reservoir of all pleasure.

We must know the proper line of Krishna consciousness.

Therefore, it is said in the kirtan we were singing that Mahaprabhu comes together with His associates. Next question is how can we get the Lord?

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥
ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord's guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me', engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

(Saranagati, 1)

It is necessary to have humility, surrender.

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

We think that initiation is just taking the beads—I have got the mantra, so I have taken initiation. No! It is necessary to surrender yourself. Initiation (diksa) means divine knowledge (divya-jnan). Do we have divine knowledge? We have so much material knowledge, but do we have divine knowledge? Many people have taken initiation, many people have much material knowledge, but how many people actually have divine knowledge?

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

What is initiation? It means surrendering everything—leaving both enjoyment (bhoga-tyaga) and renunciation (tyaga-tyaga). How do you renounce renunciation? For example, you are following Ekadasi and thinking, "I will get this result," or you are practising Krishna consciousness thinking, "I am practising because I will get this result." We must leave such thoughts. Do not do something in the hope of getting something in return. The hope "I will get something" means lust. Devotees never want anything. Genuine devotees want only one thing—they want love for the Lord. They always think, "How can I please the Lord?"...

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