(7) Spiritual Submission

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Krishna Janmastami, Tarakeswar
23 August 2019, evening, part 7
Translated from Bengali

I pray to the Lord that you may always remember Krishna, always think about Krishna. Much has been said today – even if we speak the whole day and night, it is not enough to say everything. It is 9:25 p.m. now. You can chant some kirtan now...

অসাধুসঙ্গে ভাই কৃষ্ণনাম নাহি হয় ।
নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয় ॥

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

‘Brother, the Name of Krishna cannot be chanted in bad association: it may certainly sound like the letters of the Name, but it can never be the Name proper.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1, Srila Jagadananda Pandit)

If you want to chant the Holy Name of the Lord, you must associate with sadhus.

‘সাধুসঙ্গ’, ‘সাধুসঙ্গ’—সর্ব্বশাস্ত্রে কয় ।
লবমাত্র সাধুসঙ্গে সর্ব্বসিদ্ধি হয় ॥

‘sadhu-sanga’ ‘sadhu-sanga’—sarva sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

‘All scriptures keep saying: “Good association”, “Good association.” You can attain all perfection even just by a drop of good, saintly association.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.54)

You must always practise Krishna consciousness in the association of saints.

There are many pastimes of Lord Krishna. Thousands and thousands of them. I told you yesterday about the yajna-patnis and about Bali Maharaj giving three steps of land to Lord Vamandev. Appearing as a dwarf brahman, the Lord came the place where Bali Maharaj was performing a fire sacrifice and asked Bali Maharaj for three steps of land. The Lord has no want of anything, but He said humbly, 'I do not need much land, I am a small brahman with small feet, so if you can give Me a piece of land that measures My three steps, that will do.' Bali Maharaj promised to give it, but his guru Sukracharya tried to stop him. With His two steps, Lord Vamandev made took the whole universe (hell, heaven and earth). He still had one more step to make, so He told Bali Maharaj,

'Bali, keep your word! Where shall I put My last step? Give Me one more step of land.'

'Prabhu, but I have nothing else left. What else can I give you?' Bali Maharaj replied.

'No, you have! Think carefully.'

'No, Prabhu, You have made two steps and taken everything. I have nothing else left.'

Then, Bali Maharaj's wife Vindhyavali whispered into his ear,

'Can you not remember it? You have given everything, but have you given yourself?'

This is called atma-samarpan (self-submission). I have told you earlier today about Krishna stealing gopis' clothes. This is what surrender is about – giving your whole self to the Lord. Even our lives are for the Lord. Krishna is our master, our husband (pati), He is our wealth and the very life (dhana-prana). He is the master of the whole world (jagat-pati) – He is not only the master of this world, but He is the master of all worlds, of the entire creation.

Krishna says, 'I am a celibate (brahmachari)!' He has so many thousands of girlfriends, but He is a celibate! Do you understand what this means? This is not a matter of lust (kama). The relationship Krishna has with all His girlfriends is pure divine love devoid of any lust (niskama-prema) – there is no scent of lust in it. One time, somebody asked Krishna, 'Brother, You have so many gopis, can You give one to me?' Krishna replied, 'Yes, you can take a gopi in whose house I do not live.' The man went house to house, to each and every gopi, and saw that there was Krishna at each house – there was not a single house where there was no Krishna. This is niskama-prema. Who will understand these things? In this world, people take Krishna-lila in a different way, that is why we speak more about Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu.

In Kali-yuga, most people have a rotten intelligence – there are very few people who have a good intelligence. You do not see so many good people in this world; there is always jealousy and envy. People cannot stand seeing somebody living a good life. Even if you do not do anything to anybody, people will still gossip about you and criticise you. In this age, people always suffer from lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion..

কাম, ক্রোধ, লোভ, মোহ, মদ, অভিমান সহ
আপন আপন স্থানে টানে ।
ঐছন আমার মন ফিরে যেন অন্ধজন
সুপথ বিপথ নাহি জানে ॥

kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, abhimana saha
apana apana sthane tane
aichana amara mana phire yena andha jana
supatha vipatha nahi jane

'Lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and ego tear me apart, pulling me each in a different direction; so, my mind wanders like a blind man who cannot tell the right way from the wrong way.'

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

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