Sri Gaura Purnima Address (2)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Spoken on Sri Gaura Purnima day
Sri Nrisingha Palli, 28 March 2021, part 2

You have taken initiation, but this is not sufficient—you must now take care of the devotional seed properly. It is necessary to practise sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, pada-sevanam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam (hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, serving the Lord's lotus feet, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, offering obeisance, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, and self-submission). Sravan and kirtan are the main practices. Listen to lectures, buy some books from the temple, take Vaishnav calendars, and come to festivals from time to time, keep connection through mobile phone, etc. In this age, you can keep connection with your Guru through mobile phone and other technology. Call from time to time, ask, "How are you?" etc. This is necessary to maintain a relationship. Suppose you have a daughter, you live with her for twenty years at your home, then you get her married—if you do not care after that, if you do not call or visit her to get news from her, if you do not bother to know whether her husband is beating her or taking care of her properly—then all relationship will be gone. When you enter a relationship with somebody, you must maintain connection with them, you must keep in touch. If you do not keep in touch with some relative for one-five years, if you do not hear anything from them, then all the relationship will be gone. So, when you take initiation from your Guru, you enter a relationship with him, and you must maintain that relationship, you must keep in touch with him. You will get a father, mother, daughter, son, wife, husband, etc. in every birth, but you will not get a guru in every birth. So, fortunately for you, you have taken initiation from a guru, and you must keep this connection properly after that. Ultimately, it depends on your faith. There are four types of faith—kamala-sraddha, taranga-sraddha, drdha-sraddha, sudrdha-sraddha (soft lotus-like faith, wave-like faith, strong faith and the strongest faith). Those who have the strongest faith have the strongest devotion (sraddha-anusare haya bhakti-adhikari, your devotion depends on how strong your faith is).

There are many types of sahajiya gurus in this world. You come to them, take initiation, and then these gurus will come to you once a year saying, "Give me some money (pranami)." This the relationship you get, but the relationship between a bona fide Guru and a disciple is not like that. You can easily get a kaulik guru, laukik guru (ancestral, common gurus), and many other kinds of guru in this world, but it is very rare to find a paramarthik guru (a truly spiritual guru). If a guru cannot rescue you from the deathly world of birth and death, he is not a guru. If a father cannot bring his son to the path of devotion, he is no fit to be called a father.

গুরুর্ন স স্যাৎ স্বজনো ন স স্যাৎ,
পিতা ন স স্যাজ্জননী ন সা স্যাৎ ।
দৈবং ন তৎ স্যান্ন পতিশ্চ স স্যান্ন,
মোচয়েদ্ যঃ সমুপেতমৃত্যুম্ ॥

gurur na sa syat svajano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis cha sa syan
na mochayed yah samupeta-mrtyam

"It is not your guru, it is not your family, it is not your father, it is not your mother, it is not your god, it is not your husband if that person cannot save you from the world of birth and death."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 5.5.18)

If a woman, a wife, cannot bring you to the path of devotion, you must not even touch the water that comes from her hand.

Sriman Mahaprabhu's line is Srila Rupa Goswami's line. Sriman Mahaprabhu's conception comes only through Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Narottam Das Thakur, Shyamananda Prabhu, et.al. and it then comes to our Gaudiya sampradaya, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. This is the perfect line, this is the proper line—any other line is bogus!

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur also arranged Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, like we have had here, and after the parikrama all the devotees were looking for him, "Oh, I want to give some pranami to Gurudev before I leave," but Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was very sad thinking, "They come, chant, and dance for seven days, they stay here with Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Maheswar, Vyasadev, Sukadev, and many others, but after that they leave everything and jump back into the ocean of illusory environment!" When the devotees found him, they saw Srila Prabhupad was crying! Srila Prabhupad told thim, "You are going away, but you must not forget me! Do not cheat me!"...

It is said about Sriman Mahaprabhu's mercy,

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য-দয়া করহ বিচার ।
বিচার করিলে চিত্তে পাবে চমৎকার ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara
vichara karile chitte pabe chamatkara

"If you consider the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, you will be wonder-struck to realise it."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.15)

And this Mahaprabhu said,

পৃথিবীতে যত আছে নগরাদি গ্রাম ।
সর্ব্বত্র প্রচার হইবে মোর নাম ॥

prthivite yata achhe nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

"My Name will be spread in every town and village of the world."

This is what Mahaprabhu said, but who is preaching now all over the world? Mahaprabhu first sent Srila Sanatan Goswami and Srila Rupa Goswami to preach in Vrindavan area. As for Mahaprabhu Himself, He came to this world for two reasons—one is the main reason, and one is a hidden reason. First of all, Mahaprabhu wanted to give His own Name (to preach Krishna's Name) in this world, and another reason is that He came as a devotee taking on Srimati Radharani's heart and halo.

যদি গৌর না হ'ত তবে কি হইত
কেমনে ধরিতাম দে ।
রাধার মহিমা প্রেমরস-সীমা
জগতে জানাত কে ? ॥

yadi gaura na ha'ta tabe ki ha-ita
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima
jagate janata ke?

"If Gaura had not come, then what would have happened? How would we have maintained our lives? Who would have revealed to the world Radha's glory and the extremes of Her ecstatic divine love?"

(Srila Vasudev Ghosh Thakur)

If Mahaprabhu had not come, who would have been able to understand Srimati Radharani and preach about Her? Her name is not mentioned anywhere in Srimad Bhagavatam, so how would the world have known about Her then? That is why, Krishna Himself comes to this world as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, a combined form of Sri Sri Radha Krishna—taking the heart and halo of Srimati Radharani, Krishna becomes Gauranga Mahaprabhu and He comes to express in this world Sri Radha's heart and halo, the feelings of Srimati Radharani. The Lord comes to taste and relish Her mood. Along with Him, there were also Svarup Damodar and Raya Ramananda, who are Lalita and Visakha. In their company, Mahaprabhu revealed Srimati Radharani's form in this world—He showed how much separation She feels from Lord Krishna.

বরজ-যুবতী ভাবের ভকতি
শকতি হইত কার ?

varaja-yuvati bhavera bhakati
sakati ha-ita kara?

Who would have the great expertise needed to enter into the sweetness of sweet Vrindavan? Who would have any qualification for the Vraja-gopis' ecstatic devotion?

Who can understand these things? Who has the power to preach about all this? Who can feel these things? Only Mahaprabhu can, and He comes to this world and shows this mood to the entire world.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur are Nayana Manjari and Guna Manjari, they too come to this world to preach this conception of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur made so many disciples in this world—in his time, so many digpals, great acharyas who were like pillars of the Mission, appeared in this line. Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Goswami Maharaj, and so many other pillars came at that time—they all preached Mahaprabhu's line. Before Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj's demise, he told all foreign devotees, "You can go to Srila Sridhar Maharaj after I leave." Following his instruction, many foreign devotees came to take shelter at the lotus feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Srila Sridhar Maharaj said at that time that he could not manage the foreign devotees and gave all responsibility for them to our Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Later, our Gurudev, Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, preached all over the world in twenty-five world tours and he brought so many great souls to this Mission who are now preaching for Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. For this reason, I consider myself a very fortunate soul because I have got not only such a great and bona fide Guru, but I am also fortunate to have got so many well-wishers and good friends who are helping me preach about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

I am also very happy with all the Indian devotees—everybody has helped this Nabadwip Dham parikrama in so many ways, they have come to make this festival and helped in so many ways. I do not need you to only come and give money, wealth, etc.—if you come and help this Nabadwip Dham parikrama with your heart and soul, that is my greatest happiness.

Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol!

...I would like finish here and start the kirtan. Srila Sridhar Maharaj would always sing some particular verses from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita on this day, and later Gurudev would also sing them every year after the class on Sri Gaura Purnima. In his lifetime, he ordered me to chant these verses too at every Gaura Purnima, so I would like to start now.

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