(1/4) Exclusive Aspiration

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vrindavan Dham parikrama,
1 November 2019, part 1
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace chants 'Thakura vaisnava-gana' and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and then speaks briefly.]

We have come to Sri Gokulananda. This is the place where Sriman Mahaprabhu bestowed seva-adhikar to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu by giving him a gunja-mala and a Sri Govardhan sila. Sri Govardhan sila represents Krishna, and the gunja-mala represents Srimati Radharani...

Srila Narottam Das Thakur described very beautifully how we must pray to Vaishnavs and how we must pray for their mercy in his writings, especially in this kirtan:

কিরূপে পাইব সেবা মুঞি দুরাচার ।
শ্রীগুরু-বৈষ্ণবে রতি না হৈল আমার ॥১॥

ki-rupe paiba seva muni durachara
sri-guru-vaisnave rati na haila amara [1]

I am so vile – how will I ever get service? I have not got any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs!

অশেষ মায়াতে মন মগন হইল ।
বৈষ্ণবেতে লেশমাত্র রতি না জন্মিল ॥২॥

asesa mayate mana magana haila
vaisnavete lesa-matra rati na janmila [2]

My mind is forever engrossed in illusion; not even a trace of attachment to Vaishnavs has developed in me.

বিষয়ে ভুলিয়া অন্ধ হইনু দিবানিশি ।
গলে ফাঁস দিতে ফেরে মায়া সে পিশাচী ॥৩॥

visaye bhuliya andha hainu divanisi
gale phansa dite phere maya se pisachi [3]

Day and night I live in darkness, forgetting myself in material life – this Witch Maya has put a noose round my neck.

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুকৃপা বিনা আর না দেখি উপায় ॥৪॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya
sadhu-krpa bina ara na dekhi upaya [4]

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

অদোষ-দরশি প্রভু পতিত-উদ্ধার ।
এইবার নরোত্তমে করহ নিস্তার ॥৫॥

adosa-darasi prabhu patita-uddhara
ei-bara narottame karaha nistara [5]

O Master, you never see any fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!

[The temple gets crowded with other kirtan parties coming in, so His Divine Grace takes his leave and proceeds to the temple of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath. There, His Divine Grace chants 'Sri Gopinath' kirtan.]

Sri Govinda, Sri Gopinath and Sri Madana-mohan: 'ei tina thakura gaudiyake kariyachhena atmasat (এই তিন ঠাকুর গৌড়ীয়াকে করিয়াছেন আত্মসাৎ). These three Deities have captured the hearts of Gaudiya Vaishnavs' (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.1.19).

[Addressing one of the devotees.] Tell me, who served the Deity of Govinda in Vrindavan?

Devotee: Madhu Pandit.

[Another devotee, a lady, prompts: Sri Rupa Goswami Prabhu.]

Srila Rupa Goswami. Ladies can tell it, but you cannot.

[Addressing another devotee.] Tell me, who served Madan-mohan? [Silence.] Do you not know? You have been staying in Vrindavan for a long time now. Can you not remember? No? This is your offence. To remove it, you must distribute prasad to everybody today. Srila Sanatan Goswami served Sri Madan-mohan. And who served Sri Gopinath? [His Divine Grace asks another devotee, the devotee does not give a reply.] Sri Madhu Pandit. You do not know anything... Since you could not reply, you must go and distribute prasad today, too.

[His Divine Grace is approached and requested not to give a class at the temple.] Let us go, they are prohibiting me to speak here...

[After taking prasad, His Divine Grace continues parikrama and takes devotees to Sri Vamsivat.]

Say together with me:

হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে ।
হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

জয় রাধে শ্যাম, জয় রাধে শ্যাম, জয় রাধে শ্যাম
জয় গোপিশ্বর, জয় গোপিশ্বর

jaya radhe syama, jaya radhe syama, jaya radhe syama
jaya gopesvara, jaya gopesvara

We have now come to Sri Vamsivat, it is the place where rasa-lila is going on eternally. There is a special rasa-lila taking place on the rasa-purnima, but apart from that, rasa-lila is taking place here eternally. When Krishna played His flute (vamsi), all the gopis left their husbands, children, left their fear, shyness, shame and came here, to Krishna, at Sri Vamsi Ghat.

If we have time tomorrow, we will go to Belvan. It is across the Yamuna. There, you can see Mahalaksmi sitting head in hands, crying because she could not enter the rasa-lila place. Although she could not enter there, Sivji Maharaj could.

One day, Sivji Maharaj came to Parvati Devi and asked her,

'Parvati, can you dress me as a gopi? I want to join Krishna's rasa-lila!'

'You do? But one does not become a gopi just by dressing as one,' Parvati Devi replied.

From her reply, we can also understand that one does not become a sadhu just by dressing as one...

'Then what should I do? Sivji Maharaj asked.

'You must submit yourself to gopis. If you can become their submissive, chaste devotee, then you will be able to enter Krishna's rasa-lila. Krishna is the only male in the world – there are no other males. So, if you are to enter there, you have to become a submissive maidservant of His gopis.'

'All right, I accept it. Please bless me so that I can become an exclusive maidservant of gopis.'

Then, Parvati Devi dressed Lord Siva as a gopi, and Lord Siva came to the place of rasa-lila. Vraja-gopis did not recognise him, but Krishna did, so He came to Sivji Maharaj and started chatting with him very excitedly and affectionately right in front of all the gopis. Sivji Maharaj is Lord Krishna's devotee, so the Lord was happy to sit and talk to him. But seeing this, Srimati Radharani and all the gopis became angry. They talked among each other, 'Who is this new gopi? We have not seen her before! She has just come, but Krishna has taken her to the side and is talking to her so nicely.' Then, Radharani said, 'On top of that, He is calling her Gopeswar (the master of gopis)! What is this? I am Gopeswari (the mistress of gopis)! Where has this new chief gopi come from?' She became angry and, sulking, went away to Man Sarovar.

Can Krishna stay without Radha? He saw Her leave and thought, 'How can we dance and sing without Her?' He told gopis, 'Bring Her back.' But the gopis were angry, so they caught the new gopi and then realised who it was. They started chasing him away, 'What?! How can you have come here? Get out! Get out!' Then Krishna interfered, 'Leave him alone. He has come, so let him be. He will not stay here, he will stay nearby.' This is how Gopeswar Mahadev Lord Siva is still present here, staying close by.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Exclusive Aspiration
2) Midnight Flutter
3) Hurry Up, Lala Babu!
4) Concluding Parikrama Day