(1) Our Happiness and Mission

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly district,
1 March 2019, evening, part 1
Translated from Bengali

...This Hari-katha will not enter our ears until and unless we develop earnest desire towards the Lord, until and unless we become interested in the Lord.

I have been coming to this area for many years now. I first visited this house, and after that gradually, one by one, more devotees came to take shelter at the holy feet of our Sri Gurupadpadma, of the Lord, of Nityananda Prabhu. They received the Holy Name and experience the happiness of chanting the Holy Name. Now you can see that their children are also chanting the Holy Name.

This Holy Name is not just some words, it is not like the worship of all the demigods or doing some pious work or activities. Chanting the Holy Name is the same as associating with the Lord Himself; comparing it to anything else is a sin. This Holy Name belongs to a very high plane. The Holy Name that is chanted at this house is not an ordinary matter. '"Gaudiya" pathao ghare ghare': Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur sent Gaudiya Vaishnavs to bring to the holy feet of the Lord the souls who turned away from Him. This is the very purpose of this Sri Nabadwip Dham Pracharani Sobha.

Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama is coming soon. My Guru Maharaj sent me to preach about this parikrama house to house, and I continue carrying out his order to this day, going house to house, village to village, district to district, preaching about Sri Nabadwip Dham. I am trying to preach about the Lord, I am trying to tell people about the Lord, about that which is the most important in our lives, about that which you have forgotten, because of which you are now suffering the agony of the threefold miseries caused by your bodies, the environment and other souls. We must know how we can get relief from this suffering.

First of all, we must know and understand who we are. We are not these bodies. We are souls.

জীবের 'স্বরূপ' হয়—কৃষ্ণের 'নিত্যদাস' ।
কৃষ্ণের 'তটস্থা-শক্তি', 'ভেদাভেদ-প্রকাশ' ॥

jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’
krsnera ‘tatastha-sakti’ ‘bhedabheda-prakasa’

‘By its intrinsic nature, the soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. Souls come from the marginal energy of Krishna and are simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.20.108)

This is the most valuable and important knowledge for us in our lives. You think that you know everything, but there is no question of knowing everything – first you must know who you are. In other words, you must realise that this body was given to you by your parents, but they did not give you that which you are – they did not create your soul or give you life. Remember this. Who we are, what we are made of – this innate nature of ours has a relationship with God.

Although we are parts and parcels of God, we will not get a letter from God directly. If we want to hear from the Lord, we must seek His associates in this world.

তব নিজ-জন, কোন মহাজনে,
পাঠাইয়া দিলে তুমি ॥

tava nija-jana, kona mahajane,
pathaiya dile tumi

‘You have sent a great soul, Your associate, to me.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Non-different from the Lord Himself, such associates come to this world as gurus to rescue fallen, lowly souls. They go house to house, urging everyone just like Mahaprabhu did:

জীব জাগ জীব জাগ গোরাচাঁদ বলে ।
কত নিদ্রা যাও মায়া পিশাচীর কোলে ॥

jiva jaga jiva jaga gorachanda bale
kata nidra yao maya-pisachira kole

‘“Wake up, soul! Wake up, soul!” says Gorachad (Golden Moon). “How long are you going to sleep in the lap of this witch Maya?”’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

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