Discipline Yourself (1)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
20 February 2018, Kolkata, part 9

Many say, "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, varyam dehi (give me wealth, give me knowledge, make me beautiful, give me a good wife), etc." but what did Mahaprabhu say?

ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।
মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want followers, I do not want beautiful women, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

Bhaktivinod Thakur also sings:

ধন জন আর কবিতা সুন্দরী
বলিব না চাহি দেহ-সুখকরী ।
জন্মে জন্মে দাও ওহে গৌরহরি
অহৈতুকী ভক্তি চরণে তোমার ॥

dhana jana ara, kavita-sundari,
baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari
janme janme dao, ohe gaurahari!
ahaituki bhakti charane tomara

"When will I declare that I do not desire wealth, followers, erudition, beautiful women, or any other bodily pleasure? O Gaurahari! Birth after birth, please give me unconditional devotion to Your feet."

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"I do not want any dhana, jana, kavita for my enjoyment—I do not want anything for my enjoyment. Krishna is the enjoyer, and my only prayer is I want some devotion."

If you want to get Krishna, how is it possible to get Him? Through devotion. Not through any karma, not through any yoga or anything else—you will get Krishna only through devotion. And how will devotion come? "Bhakta-sangena parijayate" (ভক্তসঙ্গেন পরিজায়তে; Brhan-naradiya Purana). Devotion comes through the association of devotees. Does devotees' association mean it is necessary to sleep together with devotees, eat from the same plate with devotees or always sit with devotees? No! You must listen to Hari-katha, Krishna-katha from devotees—you must listen to pure katha, not gramya-katha (idle talks, gossips).

We sing in one of the songs, "Chhaya vega dami' chhaya dosa sodhi'—subjugate the six urges, rectify the six defects." What are the six urges? Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu said,

বাচো বেগং মনসঃ ক্রোধবেগং
জিহ্বাবেগমুদরোপস্থবেগম্ ।
এতান্ বেগান্ যো বিষহেত ধীরঃ
সর্বামপীমাং পৃথিবীং স শিষাৎ ॥

vacho vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

"A sober person who can tolerate (1) the urge to speak, (2) the mind's demands, (3) the actions of anger and the urges of the (4) tongue, (5) belly and (6) genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world."

(Sri Upadesamrta, 1)

You know this all.

Vacho vegam means you must control your mouth. If you waste your energy on talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, talking nonsense, then you will not get energy to chant the Holy Name. If you walk ten kilometres, you legs will be sore and you will not be able to do even Tulasi parikrama after that. It is the same thing—if you talk, talk, talk, talk, if your eyes go here and there, your mind goes here and there, then you cannot fully give your mind to your Guru.

Mana-vegam, krodha-vegam—you should not use words that will give others some anxiety, makes others feel anxious. Do not talk like this.

Udara-vegam means, for example, you take so much prasadam at noon time that you cannot eat anything in the evening; or somebody gives you fifty mangoes and you eat all of it in one go; or somebody gives you a whole bunch of bananas and you eat all of it. This is not good. Always control your tongue, control your mouth, control your udar (belly, stomach).

There are also chhaya dosa (six faults)—atyahara, prayascha (eating or talking too much, accumulating too much), etc. If you think, "I want this, I want this, I want this, I want this," Krishna will become crazy—you say you want Krishna, but then you start saying, "I want this, I want this," then Krishna becomes crazy and runs away from you because you are always asking for something.

কাম-ক্রোধ আদি ছয় বাটপাড়ে দেয় ভয়
অবসান হৈল আসি বেলা

kama-krodha-adi chaya batapare deya bhaya
avasana haila asi bela

"I am attacked by the six highway robbers lead by kama and krodha, and my life is coming to its end..."

("Anadi karama-phale" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

• Download (1.2 Mb)