(4/5) Works of Maya

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, evening, 13 April 2019, part 4
Translated from Bengali

You can understand yourselves what result vaishnav-aparadhas lead to.

হরিস্থানে অপরাধে তারে হরিনাম ।
তোমাস্থানে অপরাধে নাহিক এড়ান ॥

hari-sthane aparadhe tare hari-nama
toma-sthane aparadhe nahika edana

‘If somebody offends the Lord, the Lord’s Name delivers them; but if somebody offends you, it is impossible to get away with it.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

If you make an offence to the Lord, Vaishnavs can forgive you for that; but if you commit an offence at Vaishnavs' holy feet, then even the Lord says, 'I am not able to forgive that.' To remove such an offence, you must ask the Vaishnav forgiveness, and they will forgive you. Therefore, you must always pray at the holy feet of your guru, Vaishnavs and the Lord, 'O Lord, O Vaishnavs, please forgive my offences.'

'আমি ত' বৈষ্ণব', এ বুদ্ধি হইলে
অমানী না হ'ব আমি ।

‘ami ta vaisnava’, e buddhi haile,
amani na ha’ba ami

‘If I think, “I am a Vaishnav,” then I will never stop desiring honour.’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

'I have become a Vaishnav', 'I have understood a lot', 'I know everything' – may such thoughts never come to us. We must always think, 'I want to serve Vaishnavs.' We must serve devotees. Always remember this; never forget it.

One lady took initiation recently, where is she now?

Devotee: She is at the Math in Kalna.

No, she left quite a while ago now. She left with her husband. If that is the case, it is all right. She came here, we gave her service, but instead of doing service, she only always thought about money. She even called me and asked, 'Please give me some job. I need money!' She told me that her husband was very bad, and I told her to bring him to the temple to meet with me. When I saw her husband, I saw that he wanted his wife to come back home. I told her, 'He came to take you home, go with him. What can you do? Come again at the parikrama time. Come with him and do the parikrama together.' When the man later came and actually asked for initiation, I recognised him and asked him where his wife was. I thought she had gone home to look after her children and husband, but he said that she had left and was staying with her relatives. She did not come for the parikrama. She came to our Kalna temple, stayed there one night and left the next day. What service will she do? She is only thinking about money. She does not chant the Holy Name, she does not do anything. At first, I gave her some service, but later I saw that she had gone crazy – she kept thinking, 'Where can I find money? Where can I find money?' If she ever comes, she can come for a festival. It is not necessary to be scared that she will steal something. My only fear is that such ladies can come and steal my brahmacharis. Many people say that boys corrupt girls, but there are also girls who corrupt boys... There are girls who eye even sannyasis – they always look for a vacancy. My words are very harsh, but such is Maya...

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুকৃপা বিনা আর না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya
sadhu-krpa bina ara na dekhi upaya

‘It is impossible to conquer illusory environment and break free from it. I see no other way to get relief except by sadhus’ mercy.’

(Prarthana, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Before It Is Too Late
2) Know Your Place
3) Know Your Eternal Place
4) Works of Maya
5) Have Heart for Service