(6/6) Keep and Protect Relationship

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly district,
25 February 2019, noon, part 6
Translated from Bengali

We are attached to this material world, but this attachment must be connected to the Lord:

আসক্তিরহিত, সম্বন্ধসহিত,
বিষয়সমূহ সকলি মাধব ॥

asakti-rahita, sambandha-sahita,
visaya-samuha sakali madhava

'When you are free from material attachment and establish relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself.'

('Vaishnav ke?', Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

When you see everything in relation to Lord Madhav, you will not have any material attachment. We must leave all material attachment.

আর কবে নিতাইচাঁদ করুণা করিবে ।
সংসার-বাসনা মোর কবে তুচ্ছ হ'বে ॥

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

'When will Nitaichad give me His mercy? When will my material desires lose their appeal and become trifle?'

(Prarthana, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

'When will Nityananda bestow His mercy upon me and make me realise that all material desires have no value? When will all my material desires go away?' We must always realise this within our hearts – if we do that, then we can understand that we have made some progress in our spiritual lives. Otherwise, we will remain averse to Lord Krishna and we will have to keep coming to this world again and again.

We have not come to this world to take or achieve anything. What have we come here for? Our Gurupadpadma is here, and if we can practise Krishna consciousness wherever he is, then we will get supreme benefit. Therefore, it is my prayer to you all that you may always think about Nitai and Gaura. Always pray at the holy feet of Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga Mahaprabhu. It will bring you great benefit: you will not have to keep coming to this material world again and again, you will not have to keep coming and suffering.

There is no guarantee that you will get this human birth again – depending on the results of our actions, we may get another birth. We suffered so much in our mothers' wombs, and if we do not practise Krishna consciousness, if we do not practise spiritual life, then when our souls leave these bodies, they will have to suffer even more.

আসক্তিরহিত, সম্বন্ধসহিত,
বিষয়সমূহ সকলি মাধব ॥

asakti-rahita, sambandha-sahita,
visaya-samuha sakali madhava

'When you are free from material attachment and establish relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself.'

('Vaishnav ke?', Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

We must always leave attachment – all attachment must be gone. We must have no attachment to anything in this world, but, at the same time, we must keep relationship – this relationship must be with Gurudev, with God. We must understand and protect this consciousness within us. It is our duty to keep and protect our relationship with God.

You can keep the Lord's things in your homes. There is no difference for devotees whether they enter a household or a temple life (whether they live as householders or as temple residents). If one is a devotee, it does not matter whether he or she is a householder, a brahmachari or a sannyasi. When devotees build a house and enter that home, they do not do it for themselves – they make a house to worship the Lord and they also arrange a place for the Lord's servitors to stay. When people build their homes, they often do not make any room for the Lord, but it is necessary to arrange some place for the Lord. You must realise, 'I will worship the Lord, I will offer bhog to the Lord every day, I will take prasad, and so on.' You can have a thatched-roof house or a tiled-roof house – whatever house you have, you must worship and serve the Lord there eternally, every day without fail. 'Ye dina grha bhajana dekhi grhete goloka bhaya (যে দিন গৃহে ভজন দেখি গৃহেতে গোলোক ভায়). Any day there is devotional service at home, I see Goloka manifest itself in it.'

Where is Goloka? Wherever somebody is talking about the Lord, wherever somebody serves the Lord every day – wherever there is spiritual life pratised – that house is Goloka. We must always remember this. Never forget this.

The problem is that we forget the Lord and become masters (managers). We think, 'I earn money', 'I procure income'. But if this kind of mood comes to you, you are in danger. If you lose the faith that there is God above you – if such faith and dependance leaves your mind – then various diseases, sorrows, illnesses and external enemies (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy) will attack you. But if you realise, 'There is somebody above me, and He is taking care of me, He is providing everything,' then no external enemy can ever attack you. Always remember this. If you say, 'I do this', 'I built this house', 'I work', 'I do this', 'I earn money', 'I cook', 'I eat', 'I wear', 'I do everything – the Lord has nothing to do with it,' then various suffering (enemies) will come to attack you. Anger comes, ego comes, pride comes. First, desires come, from desires comes anger, from anger comes greed and greed destroys everything. 'Greed is a sin, and sin is death.' If you do not remember these things, you will never get any good result in your life. Never forget that there is God above you, that God arranges everything. Always keep this faith in your heart, then you will be able to reach the highest destination and get the highest benefit.

All right, it is late now. The bhog must have been offered already. You can give the garlands to everybody [Later, during the kirtan, His Divine Grace remarks, 'Do not give garlands to women and children.'] now and we will chant a few kirtans. We are going to have another programme tonight, you can come there if you can. If you have any questions, you can ask after the kirtan.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

[His Divine Grace chants 'Kabe habe bala se dina amara'.]

কবে হবে বল, সে দিন আমার ।
(আমার) অপরাধ ঘুচি’, শুদ্ধ নামে রুচি,
কৃপা-বলে হবে হৃদয়ে সঞ্চার ॥১॥

kabe habe bala, se dina amara
(amara) aparadha ghuchi', suddha name ruchi,
krpa-bale habe hrdaye sanchara [1]

'Tell me, when will that day be mine? When, by mercy, will my offences go away? When will I get taste for the pure Holy Name?'

তৃণাধিক হীন, কবে নিজে মানি,
সহিষ্ণু তা-গুণ হৃদয়েতে আনি’ ।
সকলে মানদ, আপনি অমানী,
হয়ে আস্বাদিব নাম-রস-সার ॥২॥

trnadhika hina, kabe nije mani,
sahisnuta-guna hrdayete ani'
sakale manada, apani amani,
haye asvadiba nama-rasa-sara [2]

'When will I feel lower than a blade of grass, when will I bring the quality of tolerance to my heart, become eager to honour everyone without any desire for honour from anyone and relish the essence of the Name's nectar?'

ধন জন আর, কবিতা সুন্দরী,
বলিব না চাহি দেহ-সুখকরী ।
জন্মে জন্মে দাও, ওহে গৌরহরি,
অহৈতুকী ভক্তি চরণে তোমার ॥৩॥

dhana jana ara, kavita sundari,
baliba na chahi deha-sukha-kari
janme janme dao, ohe gaura-hari,
ahaituki bhakti charane tomara [3]

'When will I say that I do not want any wealth, friends, family, poetic gift or any other sources of bodily happiness? O Gaura-hari! Please let me have unconditional devotion to Your holy feet birth after birth!'

(কবে) করিতে শ্রীকৃষ্ণ- নাম উচ্চারণ,
পুলকিত দেহ গদগদ বচন ।
বৈবর্ণ্য-বেপথু, হবে সংঘটন,
নিরন্তর নেত্রে ব’বে অশ্রুধার ॥৪॥

(kabe) karite sri-krsna- nama uchcharana,
pulakita deha gadagada vachana
vaivarnya-vepathu, habe samghatana,
nirantara netre ba'be asrudhara [4]

'When will my hair stand on end, my voice falter, my complexion turn pale, my body tremble, and tears pour incessantly from my eyes as I loudly chant the Holy Name of Lord Sri Krishna?'

কবে নবদ্বীপে, সুরধুনী-তটে,
'গৌর-নিত্যানন্দ' বলি' নিষ্কপটে ।
নাচিয়া গাইয়া, বেড়াইব ছুটে,
বাতুলের প্রায় ছাড়িয়া বিচার ॥৫॥

kabe navadvipe, suradhuni-tate,
'gaura-nityananda' bali' niskapate
nachiya gaiya, bedaiba chhute,
batulera praya chhadiya vichara [5]

'When will I wander along the banks of the Ganges in Nabadwip, calling out with all sincerity, "Gaura-Nityananda!", dancing, singing and running about without any thinking, as though mad?'

কবে নিত্যানন্দ, মোরে করি’ দয়া,
ছাড়াইবে মোর বিষয়ের মায়া ।
দিয়া মোরে নিজ- চরণের ছায়া,
নামের হাটেতে দিবে অধিকার ॥৬॥

kabe nityananda, more kari' daya,
chhadaibe mora visayera maya
diya more nija- charanera chhaya,
namera hatete dibe adhikara [6]

'When will Nityananda be merciful to me and make me leave all material attachment? When will He place me in the shade of His lotus feet and grant me a place at the marketplace of the Name?'

কিনিব লুটিব, হরি-নাম-রস,
নাম-রসে মাতি’ হইব বিবশ ।
রসের রসিক- চরণ-পরশ,
করিয়া মজিব রসে অনিবার ॥৭॥

kiniba lutiba, hari-nama-rasa,
nama-rase mati' haiba vivasa
rasera rasika- charana-parasa,
kariya majiba rase anibara [7]

'When will I buy and jubilantly scatter around the nectar of the Lord's Name? When will I become intoxicated and swoon with that nectar? When will I, coming in touch with the lotus feet of those who relish it, dive into that nectar again and again?'

কবে জীবে দয়া, হইবে উদয়,
নিজ সুখ ভুলি’ সুদীন-হৃদয় ।
ভকতিবিনোদ, করিয়া বিনয়,
শ্রীআজ্ঞা-টহল করিবে প্রচার ॥৮॥

kabe jive daya, haibe udaya,
nija sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdaya
bhakativinoda, kariya vinaya,
sri-ajna-tahala karibe prachara [8]

'When will compassion for all souls arise in Bhaktivinod? When will he forget his own happiness and wander house to house preaching the divine order with a meek and humble heart?'

This is how you must chant kirtan. Call out to the Lord with your heart and soul. We must always chant kirtan and remember the Lord like that. In this world, 100% people always think about their bodies – only 'What will I eat?', 'What will I wear?', 'How will I sleep?', 'Where shall I make a house?', 'Where shall I live?', 'How will I run the family?', 'How will I have children?', 'How will my children get married?', 'How will my son find a job?' People are always busy with their own lives, but it is necessary to leave some time for the Lord. He is the one who created you and for whom you have come to this world. Your parents only give you your bodies, but they did not give you that which you are. You are souls, but do you ever think about your souls? These bodies will be gone one day – they will fall dead and be taken to the cremation ground – but where will you go at that time? What place will you go to? What body will you get? Have you ever thought about it? This is what sadhus think about.

Every single day we commit innumerable sins. We live at the expense of killing millions of living entities! When we eat rice, gourd, potato or anything else – we kill all these plants. Even when we breathe, so many living entities enter our bodies and die inside them. When we drink, we also kill many living entities that live in that water. We enjoy God's light and air – all these things belong to God, but we enjoy it thinking they are created for our pleasure. The problem is that we forget Lord Krishna who has created this whole world. But if you make your life Krishna-centred, then all your sins will be cleared. For example, when devotees offer bhog to the Lord and serve the Lord every single day, all their actions are transferred to the nirguna plane (beyond the three modes of material nature), and then there is no sin, no reaction. When you make some action, there must be reaction (you have to reap what you sow), but if your action is committed in the nirguna plane, then there will be no reaction. If devotees become disposed to serving the Lord and become free from illusory environment, they live serving the Lord and the Lord's devotees, so when they cut rice paddy, vegetables – whatever they do – they do it for the Lord; there is no sin in their actions.

One man asked me recently in Tarakeshwar, 'When we grow rice and potato, we use some medicine and so many insects die. Are we committing a sin?' I explained to him that if you use that rice or potato for the service to Lord Govinda, then it will not be a sin; but if you think that you are growing potato for yourself ('I will eat it', 'I will sell it and get money for my life'), then it will be a sin. If you do something for the Lord, there is no sin in whatever you do. Srimad Bhagavad-gita also says this. When you give something to the Lord, your action is in the plane of nirguna.

If you give something to the Lord, do you think the Lord will take it away and leave? If you live at home and serve the Lord, do you think the Lord will take the house from you or that you will have no children or grandchildren? If you offer rice to the Lord, do you think the Lord will take away all your rice? He can. He can do everything. I prayed to the Lord the other day, thinking, 'There has been so much heat – if a hailstorm comes, then all the potato harvest will be saved.' And the Lord has saved the harvest [editor's note: there was a hailstorm at night, on the day the class is spoken].

All right, it is time to finish now. Let us chant 'Bhaja bhakata vatsala'. Offer the bhog now. And listen to one more thing. Have you heard about the wives of brahmans (the story is described in Srimad Bhagavatam)? Because they had gone to Krishna, the brahmans rejected them; that is why when chandan is applied on the forehead, ladies must apply it for each other – men must not do this. A man will apply chandan on men, and a lady will apply chandan on ladies. Otherwise, if a man comes and applies a chandan dot on somebody's wife, the husband will object, 'Who gave you the right to put a galrand on my wife and put a dot on her head!? Have you got my permission to do this?!' A fight will start. [His Divine Grace laughs.] That is why when you offer chandan, do not apply it on women's forehead.

All right, it is late now. I would like to finish here.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 25 Mb
Length: 51 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Joining Prabhupad's Mission
2) Starting Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
3) Forgotten Bond
4) Mahaprabhu's Hospitality
5) Kirtan Mood
6) Keep and Protect Relationship