The Ball Is in Your Court

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 22 February 2015

We are not following proper Krishna consciousness. Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur used to say, "You are coming here for the Gaura Purnima festival, but did you come with a return ticket or did you come forever?" He always asked it—you can see how affectionately he spoke to the devotees. When you come to your Guru, do not buy the return ticket, but you are all buying the return ticket... What is the return ticket? Going to maya, the illusory environment.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj made Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and sent Gurudev all over the world where he cultivated the land and put the seeds, now those seeds are growing and we are that taking that fruit every day and become happy.

Gurudev gave his life for the service to his Guru. He said, "My business is talking," and I saw when he was talking he would sometimes choke and cough with blood, but he did not stop talking. How much life he was giving! He always thought about Nityananda Prabhu:

I remember when Gurudev was going for an operation, he said it was a big and very difficult operation, and I was very sad to see him being taken to the operation theatre, with his clothes changed, etc., but he was smiling: I was crying and feeling so unhappy, but Gurudev was smiling and singing "Nitai-pada-kamala koti chandra susitala."

One day, you will leave this material body, and you do not know where you will be posted. "As you sow so you reap." So, we should understand what Gurudev left us here for. Not only me or them—everybody. He left everybody to preach about the movement, to glorify him, and glorify Chaitanya Saraswat Math. You must spread these glories all over the world, you must give benefit to others, that is the main thing. If you eat yourself, you are selfish; but if you share with others, it will be good for you, as well as good for them. That is called jive daya (being merciful to other souls). You chant the Holy Name, but you should engage others in chanting too.

Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj said: "Why do we eat? Why is it necessary to eat? Because you are hungry? No. It is necessary to eat for service—for service you need to put something into your stomach, not for hunger." Very nice. "What are we alive for? To die to live."

Anyhow, by hook or by crook, we must practise Krishna consciousness. If you remember Krishna's face, Gurudev's face at the time of death, it will be a good luck for you. If you do not practise, chanting will not come to your mouth at the time of death because there will be so much difficulty—you will not want to leave this body, but forcefully it will be taken away from you, and you will be afraid and struggle so much. However, if at that time you remember chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra, remember Krishna's Name, you will be very fortunate and it will not be necessary to take birth and death again. This kind of fortune should come...

চারী-মধ্যে হয় বহুত 'কর্ম্মনিষ্ঠ' ।
কোটি-কর্ম্মনিষ্ঠ-মধ্যে হয় 'জ্ঞানী' শ্রেষ্ঠ ॥
কোটিজ্ঞানী-মধ্যে হয় একজন 'মুক্ত' ।
কোটিমুক্ত-মধ্যে 'দুর্ল্লভ' এক কৃষ্ণ-ভক্ত ॥

koti-madhye haya bahuta 'karmanistha'
koti-karmanistha-madhye haya 'jnani' srestha
koti-jnani-madhye haya eka-jana 'mukta'
koti-mukta-madhye 'durlabha' eka krsna-bhakta

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.147-8

"Out of ten million people, workers, one is wise; out of ten million wise men, one is a liberated soul; and out of ten million liberated souls one is Krishna's devotee." It is very rare—but if you follow properly, you can be a proper devotee. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur wrote:

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara

"You must be lower than grass, must leave your ego and pride, and give honour to others."

বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥

vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana

"Practise the tolerance of a tree. Do not ill-treat others, but nurture them."

If people do something wrong, please forgive them. To err is human, nobody is perfect, so if somebody makes a mistake, please forgive them. Gurudev says that if somebody asks for forgiveness, and the other person cannot forgive them, then they are not a Vaishnav. When Chapal Gopal went to Srivas Pandit and asked for forgiveness, Srivas Pandit forgave him—that is a great Vaishnav...

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