(10/10) Non-Sectarian Conception

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Siliguri, evening, 7 September 2019, part 10
Translated from Bengali

53) Question: What does association give?

Answer: Sadhu-sanga is the main feature of the human beings practising Krishna consciousness, and under the influence of sadhu-sanga the soul becomes gradually intensely drawn to the service of the Lord. This is the most important engagement of a human being, but we are unfortunate because, deprived of such association, we are spending our life in vain. As a result, all kinds of other works occupy the place of service to the Lord.

Read this book nicely. It is necessary to read this carefully. Do you understand?

63) Question: Who looks for faults in Vaishnav?

Answer: Those who practise Krishna consciousness never look for faults in Vaishnavs. When you become averse to devotees, you inevitably fall down.

62) Question: What opposes Krishna consciousness?

Answer: If you do not practise Krishna consciousness, you become a materialist. The house where Krishna consciousness is practised constantly is compared to Vaikuntha. One must serve the temple – not accept service from the temple. One must make his house a temple – not transform a temple into one's house.

But now people mostly turn temples into their houses, but if we were to tell this to them, will they listen? Who will listen to Mahaprabhu's teachings that we must be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than trees?

70) Question: How can one live in Mathura?

Answer: If you want to enjoy and imitate living in Mathura, this this is not living in Mathura.

Pretending to live in a holy place with the desire to enjoy is not what living in a holy place is.

68) Question: Why is Mathura greater than Vaikuntha?

Answer: Vaikuntha does not appear in this world. Vaikuntha always protects its own independent religion, or system, and is always present in the transcendental world. However, there is also Vaikuntha that is magnanimous and distributes the highest mercy – it manifests now by extending its own independent potency within the material world to reveal the appearance pastimes of Lord Krishna to the condition souls. This is called Mathura Vaikuntha, and this is the distinction.

72) Question: Who is a guru?

Answer: A guru is the one who serves the Supreme Being who is worshipped exclusively by all gurus.

73) Question: Some say that Kali, Krishna, Ganes, et al. are one and the same – is this true?

Answer: Kali, Krishna, et al. are not the same. One is jagat (world), and the other is Jagannath (master of the world). People cannot conceive of transcendental Jagannath through their material senses. If people consider the Supreme Controller Bhagavan Vishnu and His expansions to be one or equal, it means that they are atheists. Padma Purana says, 'If somebody considers a worshippable Deity to be stone; the guru and Vaishnavs, mortal humans; Vaishnavs, a social class; the water that washed the feet of Vishnu and Vaishnavs, ordinary water; all-powerful mantra of Lord Vishnu's Name, words; and Supreme Lord Vishnu, on equal footing with demigods – such persons are residents of hell.' There is an expression in Vaishnava Tantra that says, 'One who thinks that Brahma, Rudra, and demigods are the same as Vishnu are atheists.' Many refer to mortal conditioned souls obsessed with money, women and fame as Krishna, Narayan, Hari, Vishnu, Lord, God, guru, etc. – all such people are atheists.

81) Question: What is the purpose of this body?

Answer: Srila Prabhupad said, 'We will not stay in this world for long. If you use your body for chanting the glories of the Lord until its demise, this is the purpose of this body.'

82) Question: What do intimate devotees hanker for?

Answer: Srila Prabhupad said, 'Intimate, or the highest, devotees have no other hankering except for servitude to rupanugas (followers of Sri Rupa).'

83) Question: What is the highest religion of the jiva soul?

Answer: Srila Prabhupad said, 'Our highest religion is to serve the Vraja-vasis afflicted by the pain of separation from Krishna when He left for Mathura.'

84) Question: 'As many faiths, so many paths' – all arguments of both karmi schools and Bhagavatam school finish at this. Is this right?

Answer: 'As many faiths, so many paths' is a saying of implicitly atheistic, extremist, non-devotional, uninquisitive, impersonalist concocted religious sects meant to gratify common people and their minds.

85) Question: Can serving people or serving the mind and body of the jiva soul be considered service to the Lord?

Answer: Calling service to the body of a conditioned soul service to the Lord is extremely atheistic. Service to the transcendental Lord is completely different from this. Exclusive service to a devotee of the transcendental Lord or a great Vaishnav inspires one to serve the Supreme Lord, but if you serve the mind or the body if a conditioned soul, it will only make you forget the Lord.

89) Question: People say Vaishnavism is sectarian and liberal and Hinduism is non-secratian and universal?

Answer: Vaishnavism always rejects bad association (i.e. desires of selfish religiosity, wealth, material desires and liberation) and is always favourable to accepting good association (i.e. making transcendental Lord Krishna happy). Good association (sat-sanga) means aural reception. Religion of the soul is a fully developed path of aural reception of knowledge from the authorities. Vaishnavism is a religion of the soul (atma-dharma, or jaiva-dharma).

90) Question: Is it devotion to imagine some idol of a God, offering Him flowers, Tulasi, ring the bell, recite verses in His praise and sit in front of Him and do japa, meditate?

Answer: The Lord is transcendental, i.e. He defies all perceived knowledge of the jiva soul and freely dispenses eternal regulations and His own dominion of religion. This transcendental form of the Supreme Lord is perceived through transcendental senses. Therefore, making a show of imagining some deity according to one's liking to worship it with flowers, Tulasi, etc. or to ring a bell in front of it is not devotion – it is enjoyment. There are so many kinds of implicit enjoyment in the market that are promoted as devotion.

These are such beautiful things. My feeling is that I always want to read it more and more. I told you yesterday about the role of food in religion. We are told to chant the Holy Name, then why worry about food also? It is written here:

97) Question: What does food have to do with religion?

Answer: Devotees are always surrendered – their every step, every practice and conception, every breath is a favourable practice for the satisfaction of the transcendental Lord. They never think like impersonalist non-devotees, 'I like some food and will eat it', 'I will enjoy and imagine that I am making a sacrificial offering to God.' Devotees maintain their lives by honouring all the food remnants of Krishna as appropriate. 'The Lord is offered betel nut, etc. but we are not qualified to take it' – many think in this way and, having offered it their respect with folded palms, keep it to the side. Like dogs, surrendered servants take the food remnants of the highest devotees of Krishna and live their lives in a way that is favourable to Krishna consciousness.

Read all this.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Harinam-sankirtan ki jay.

When you give class, read this book every day. Hari bol... If any of you are coming with us to Vrindavan, tell me the names today. I am leaving for Nabadwip tomorrow in the morning...

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 45 Mb
Length: 93 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Guru: Repository of Divine Love
2) Genuine Practising Life
3) Unconditional Service of Conditioned Souls
4) Be Kind
5) Fundamental Questions
6) Becoming a Devotee
7) Meaning of Spirituality
8) Solution to Internal Debates
9) Soul's Needs
10) Non-Sectarian Conception