One More Year Passed

His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
31 December 2010

2010 is going to finish today at midnight. Only four hours are left, and one more year will be gone...

জীবন অনিত্য জানহ সার
তাহে নানাবিধ বিপদ-ভার ।
নামাশ্রয় করি' যতনে তুমি
থাকহ আপন কাজে ॥

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

'Udila aruna' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

Life is very uncertain, temporary—we do not know when this life will be gone.

ভজহুঁ রে মন শ্রীনন্দ-নন্দন
অভয়-চরণারবিন্দ রে ।
শীত আতপ বাত বরিষণ
এ দিন যামিনী জাগি রে ॥

bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana
abhaya-charanaravinda re
sita atapa vata varisana
e dina yamini jagi re

"O mind, serve the son of Nanda's lotus feet, which make one fearless. Day and night I remain awake, suffering from the heat and the cold, the wind and the rain."

Above and below: 'Bhajahu re mana' by Srila Govinda Das Kaviraj

এই আছে এই নাই জীবন টলমল
ভজহুঁ হরিপদ নিতি রে

jivana talamala ei achhe ei nai
bhajahu hari-pada niti re

Life is shaky—it is here now, and then it is gone. Serve the Lord's feet!

হরি হরি ! বিফলে জনম গোঙাইনু ।
মনুষ্যজনম পাইয়া রাধাকৃষ্ণ না ভজিয়া
জানিয়া শুনিয়া বিষ খাইনু ॥

hari hari! viphale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya radha-krsna na bhajiya
janiya suniya visa khainu [1]

O Lord! My life has passed uselessly. I attained a human birth, but I did not serve Radha and Krishna. Knowingly I drank poison.

Above and below: 'Hari Hari viphale' by Srila Narottam Das Thakur.

Everybody knows that, but still they do not worship—it is the same as taking poison.

গোলোকের প্রেমধন হরিনাম-সঙ্কীর্ত্তন
রতি না জন্মিল কেন তায় ।
সংসার-বিষানলে দিবানিশি হিয়া জ্বলে
জুড়াইতে না কৈনু উপায় ॥

golokera prema-dhana hari-nama-sankirtana
rati na janmila kena taya
samsara-visanale diva-nisi hiya jvale
judaite na kainu upaya [2]

This is glorification of the Holy Name. "Hari-nama-sankirtan comes from Goloka Vrindavan, and it is its very wealth, but I do not have any taste, any attachment to that... I always suffer so much in my family life, and I cannot find any relief, or solution."

ব্রজেন্দ্রনন্দন যেই শচীসুত হৈল সেই
বলরাম হইল নিতাই ।
দীনহীন যত ছিল হরিনামে উদ্ধারিল
তার সাক্ষী জগাই মাধাই ॥

vrajendra-nandana yei sachi-suta haila sei
balarama ha-ila nitai
dina-hina yata chhila hari-name uddharila
tara saksi jagai madhai [3]

He who is known as Vrajendra Nandan, Vraja Kumar, who is Lord Krishna Himself, came as Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Sachi Suta, the son of Sachi Mata; and Balaram appeared as Nityananda Prabhu. How did they rescue the souls through the Holy Name? Jagai and Madhai are the witness to that.

হাহা প্রভু নন্দসুত বৃষভানুসুতাযুত
করুণা করহ এইবার ।
নরোত্তমদাস কয় না ঠেলিহ রাঙ্গা পায়
তোমা বিনে কে আছে আমার ॥

ha ha prabhu nanda-suta vrsabhanu-suta-yuta
karuna karaha ei-bara
narottama-dasa kaya na theliha ranga paya
toma vine ke achhe amara? [4]

Narottam Das Thakur is praying to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, asking the Lord, "Please, give me some mercy, please allow me to take some shelter at Your lotus feet. Do not reject me. Please accept me." Narottam Das Thakur cries and sings, "Prabhu, You are my only hope, without You there is nothing, no one. My hope is only You—I can depend only upon You."

অন্য অভিলাষ ছাড়ি, জ্ঞান কর্ম্ম পরিহরি,
কায়মনে করিব ভজন ।
সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণসেবা, না পূজিব দেবীদেবা,
এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥

anya-abhilasa chhadi jnana karma parihari
kaya mane kariba bhajana
sadhu-sange krsna-seva na pujiba devi-deva
ei bhakti parama-karana

The topmost process of devotional service is to worship the Lord with body and mind, giving up desires for fruitive activities and mental speculation. One should serve Lord Krishna in the association of devotees without worshipping any demigods.

Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 13

If you do something for the Lord but do not get good association, proper guidance, then it will not be proper service, this is why it is said "sadhu-sange Krsna-seva" (serve Krishna in association of devotees).

Some also worship so many demigods, but we must follow our Guru-parampara line and follow the way they serve, the instruction they give:

মহাজনের যেই পথ, তাতে হবে অনুরত,

mahajanera yei patha, tate habe anurata

Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 14

And:

মহাজনো যেন গতঃ স পন্থাঃ

mahajano yena gatah sa panthah

Mahabharat

সাধন-স্মরণ লীলা, ইহাতে না কর হেলা,

sadhana-smarana-lila ihate na kara hela

Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 14

Do not neglect, or avoid your sadhan, practising, and smaran, remembering.

অসৎ-সঙ্গ সদা ত্যাগ, ছাড় অন্য গীতরাগ,
কর্ম্মী জ্ঞানী পরিহরি দূরে ।
কেবল ভকত-সঙ্গ, প্রেমকথা রস রঙ্গ,
লীলাকথা ব্রজরসপুরে ॥

asat-sanga sada tyaga chhada anya gita-raga
karmi jnani parihari dure
kevala bhakata-sanga prema-katha-rasa-ranga
lila-katha braja-rasa-pure

Sri Prema-bhakti-chandrika, 15

Avoid dishonest association, take association of devotees. Association means consulting, talking about Krishna consciousness, about your service, spiritual life—not about material things.

Avoid yogis, nyasis, karmis, jnanis (pursuers of mystic powers, renunciation, material benefit, or knowledge)—reject all this, and only worship Girivaradhari, worship your Guru, the Lord. This is what is necessary.

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