Seva Bhumi

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama Adhivas, evening
Sri Nrisingha Palli, 22 March 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

As I have told you, today is adhivas. Devotees can serve in many ways. Many think, "I have no money, what service can I do?" But there are so many opportunities. Guru, Vaishnavs arrange so many ways in which one can serve, but you are not taking advantage of these arrangements. Gurudev opened so many temples, you can stay at the temple and serve the Lord, but no...

Some came to help but then they left ten days ago and now they are fighting for rooms. Why leave then? You could stay here, take prasadam, do some service, help me. Those who are staying at the temples are helping so much—I saw that even small girls carry thirty-fifty kg sacks on their heads (they were helping to unload a car). I feel pain to see this. Last night a car came with bhoga and many boys and girls were unloading sacks with rice, potato, and dal. This is service. Nobody says that everyone must serve with money—those who have money can serve with money, those who do not have money can collect or serve with their hands. Those who wash the dishes also do serice; those who cook also do service; those who prepare rooms also do service; those who distribute prasadam also do service; those who cut vegetables also do service. We cannot hire some outside people to do everything. You can hire people to do kirtans (to sing or to play the mridanga and kartals), you can hire people to do the puja, but what does that give? If you hire people to do this, it gives no benefit. Hired people cannot chant kirtans. So, try to participate in service. Would you like it if some hired outside people distribute prasadam to you? We must do everything ourselves, we must help with different services. We are going for the parikrama tomorrow, but then you can help the day after tomorrow to cut the vegetables, etc. Try to help, otherwise if you do not help there will not be such a big festival. The Lord is giving you service...

So, 'adhivas' means 'Bhagavaner nikate vas' (staying near the Lord)—it means participating in the service of the Lord. It can be any service. Just as your devotion depends on your faith, in the same way the service you get also depends on your faith. You can see devotees who came from Nepal, they are very poor people, but they come to do some service. They are poor—they live by practising Krishna consciousness, taking prasadam. I have seen how poorly they live and how much they struggle to raise the children in the family, but they cook, offer bhog to the Lord and take prasad. They learn how to cook Bengali way and also learn Bengali language... It is good. I have heard that about twenty more devotees are coming from Nepal tomorrow...

Devotees also call from different countries, they ask how they can serve, etc. Everybody can take part in service. This is seva-bhumi (land of service). Wherever you go, wherever you stay, you must serve the Lord eternally (daily, non-stop).

যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি ।
গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায় ॥

ye dina grhe bhajana dekhi
grhete goloka bhaya

On the days when I see devotional service taking place in my home, I feel that Goloka has manifested there.

('Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Where is Goloka? Do you understand?...

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