(9/17) Sadhus' Clothes and Sadhus' Hearts

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bolpur, evening, 19 January 2019, part 9
Translated from Bengali

We are neither enjoyers nor renunciates. Looking at my clothes, you may think, 'Oh, Maharaj is a renounced person.' But I am not a renunciate. Those who live a renounced life are phalgu-vairagis (false renunciates). Such people externally show renunciation to impress others, but internally, they have subtle material desires. That is why it is said that you cannot judge a man by his clothes.

If a householder devotee has surrendered and uses everything for Lord Govinda's service (offers everything to Lord Govinda), following all rules and regulations. It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam that even if one is married, the husband can have a connection with his wife only to procure a child, not more than that. This is what scriptures tells. How many people follow this? If somebody has surrendered everything at the holy feet of Lord Govinda, this person is a genuine sadhu, and this is who should wear sannyasi clothes. Why? For preaching. Because if a householder devotees comes and tries to say anything, nobody will listen to them. That is why sannyasis leave everything and stay at the temple so that people can come to them to hear Hari-katha. This is the only purpose of sannyasi clothes, nothing else. For example, when Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur left his wife and family, he wore only white clothes, and everybody respected him as a sannyasi.

Srila Jagadananda Pandit says in his Sri Prema-vivarta:

গৃহী হউক ত্যাগী হউক ভক্তে ভেদ নাই ।
ভেদ কৈলে কুম্ভীপাক নরকেতে যাই ॥

grhi ha-uka tyagi ha-uka bhakte bheda nai
bheda kaile kumbhipaka narakete yai

'There is no difference between devotees—be they householders or renunciants. If someone makes distinctions between them, they go to the hell of boiling oil (kumbhipaka).'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 17.22)

The main thing is that we must use everything for the service to the Lord. Suppose you plant a mango tree at your house. Because you planted it, you think, 'I will eat mangoes! My wife and children will enjoy mangoes.' No! You may plant a tree, but you cannot give it life (you are not the one who gave life to the tree). The Lord has given the tree its life, so He is the master. Hearing this, somebody may think, 'All right, I will not eat it! Let the mangoes fall and rot.' This is also not right. This is false renunciation. You must take the mango and use it to serve Lord Govinda. After that, you can take prasad or give mangoes to other people. Your goal should be:

করিতেছ উপকার, যাতে পর উপকার,
লভে জীব শ্রীকৃষ্ণ-সেবায়

karitechchha upakara, yate para upakara,
labhe jiva sri-krsna-sevaya

'You are helping others, and through your help, other souls get a chance to serve Lord Krishna.'

(Acharya Vandana)

You are helping others. How? The tree earns some benefit (sukriti) and gets an opportunity to serve the Lord (labhe jiva sri-krsna-sevaya).

Everything that is created in this world is created for the Lord's pleasure. But out of pride, we take everything for ourselves and enjoy it. We could get forget all this pride and use everything in Lord Govinda's service – we could surrender and take shelter at the holy feet of a guru and the Lord and practise Krishna consciousness, but the problem is that we cannot give up small things...

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Self-Realisation
2) Seek Soul's Solace
3) 'Why Am I Suffering?'
4) Relief from Reaction
5) Escaping Life of Sin
6) Highest Attainment
7) Learn to Love Lord
8) From Hell to Heaven and Back
9) Sadhus' Clothes and Sadhus' Hearts
10) Genuine Gurus' Mission
11) Money Does Not Buy Devotion
12) Higher and Highest Devotion
13) Learn the Conception
14) Start Practising Sincerely
15) Make Effort
16) Cure from Material Misery
17) Live for the Lord