(1/16) Be Resolute

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Uluberia, 23 April 2019, noon, part 1
Translated from Bengali

'My home', 'My house', 'My son', 'My land', 'My farming', 'My food' – obsessed with all this, we waste our time.

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

'My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Do you think we have time? Do we have time for all this attachment to the family or the material world? How long are you going to be in this world? Twenty years? Thirty years? You have already passed millions of births in this world – these hundred years that you can stay here is nothing.

[Clamour] Can you not sit quietly? Give the garlands later. Give garlands when I tell you to; you do not need to busy yourself with this now. There is a proper time to give them. Have you read Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita? When did Mahaprabhu give garlands? Not even before serving prasad – He would garland devotees after they take prasad. Guru Maharaj also told it very strictly. He said, 'I come to you hungry, but you waste time and give me a garland – must I eat your garland? First give me some water and something to eat, then I will feel at ease, and then you can give me a garland.' Guru Maharaj explained Mahaprabhu's conception in plain Bengali. Devotees come from so far, they have been walking all the way from Nabadwip for many days, they are hungry, so give them some water and something to eat first.

You know, one time we had a programme in Midnapore. Our car could not reach the place, so I had to walk three-four miles (five–seven kilometers) through the fields, struggling to walk on some dry grass (my shoes were finished). When I came to the place, I asked them for a glass of water, but everybody stood in a line to wash my feet. Half an hour passed and no water came. I got angry and left – they do not know what service mood is. They could not give even a glass of water...

Guru Maharaj also gave an example. Suppose I want a singara (samosa), but you think, 'No, I think I should give a sweet instead.' This is not service – it is karma (material activity). You followed your mind instead of doing what I have told you to do. I am telling you to go in one direction, but you are going in another direction. You can do more, it is good, but do not go in another direction. We must always keep our eyes on the destination. We must have firm, unswerving determination (লক্ষ্য স্থির, our goal must be firmly fixed). Without such determination we cannot get anywhere. This determination must be that 'I have got a human birth to serve Lord Govinda.' Our determination must not swerve.

Coming to the Howrah Station, I must take the train that goes to Vrindavan, not any other train. If you do not take time to see which train goes to Vrindavan – you come running to the train station, see many trains standing at the platform and, not being able to find the Vrindavan train, jump on any train you see – you will end up going to Bombay instead of Vrindavan.

Your father has left you immense treasure buried in the ground; you must realise where you must dig to find it. If you dig in the north, in the south, in the west and in all other directions, will you find your treasure there? You must think where to dig. You can dig everywhere without any success, but only if you dig in the east will you find that treasure. In all other places you will find only rupa (eye-enjoyment), rasa (tongue-enjoyemnt), gandha (nose-enjoyment), sabda (ear-enjoyment), sparsa (tactile enjoyment), kanak (money), kamini (women), pratistha (name and fame), kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (illusion), mada (madness) and matsarya (envy).

'"Ami ta vaisnava" e buddhi haile amani na ha'ba ami ('আমি ত বৈষ্ণব' এ বুদ্ধি হইলে অমানী না হ'ব আমি). If I think, "I am a Vaishnav," then I will never stop expecting honour from others.' If you think you have become a devotee, a Vaishnav, then you are in great danger – it means that you are carrying the burden of pratistha which will make your boat sink. We must always think about it.

We must always have firm determination: 'Guru-mukha-padma-vakya, chittete kariya aikya ara na kariha mane asa (গুরুমুখ-পদ্মবাক্য চিত্তেতে করিয়া ঐক্য আর না করিহ মনে আশা). Make the teachings coming from Sri Guru's lotus mouth one with your heart and do not desire anything else.' We must follow what our guru tells us to do. You can travel to all the holy places, you can practise sixty-four limbs of devotion, but what did Srila Prabhupad say about it? I wrote it in our Gaudiya Gitanjali. You can travel to all the holy places, you can practise sixty-four limbs of devotion, but you will get nothing from that unless you live in submission to your guru and Vaishnavs. 'Yatha vaisnav, tatha tirtha – a holy place is wherever there is a Vaishnav present.' Where is a holy place? Even this here is a holy place: Vaishnavs have come here, so it has become a place of pilgrimage.

— : • : —

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Length: 85 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Be Resolute
2) Pillars of Service Mood
3) Tongue's Attachment
4) Tread with Caution
5) Search for Reality
6) The Obstacle Is You
7) Bogus Love, Bogus Claims
8) Core of Devotional Life
9) Love Me, Love My Dog
10) Bad Days Turn Into Bad Life
11) Tottering Life
12) Control Your Mind
13) Devotees' Benevolent Kindness
14) Gift of Vision
15) Seal Your Heart from Maya
16) My Question to You