(13/13) Educate Yourself

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bandipur, 15 November 2019, evening, part 13
Translated from Bengali

Wherever devotees serve the Lord eternally (every single day, with sincerity and devotion), the Lord comes and stays there. Therefore, you must do mangala-arati every day, you must offer balya-bhoga every day (a small offering early in the morning right after the mangala-arati), you must cook in the morning and at noon and offer bhoga to the Lord, you must offer something in the late afternoon and cook something again in the evening and offer it to the Lord, you must do evening arati, do Tulasi parikrama. If you have time, offer something in the evening and after that go to bed. This is the daily service to the Lord. If you can serve that which is eternal, you will find that which is eternal.

Our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and relatives are all trifle. We are always busy thinking about everybody's interests (we try to satisfy everybody), but we must think about the Lord's interest (we must try to satisfy the Lord). You must be intently focused on the interests of your guru and Vaishnavs. You must serve your guru, not use your guru in your service.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says that Sriman Mahaprabhu gave guidance on both householder life (for those who live in their families) and renounced life (for those who have given up their household life). There are two kinds of renunciation, false renunciation (phalgu-vairagya) and proper renunciation (yukta-vairagya). False renunciation means that you act as a renounced person to impress others. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur sings, 'If I think that I have become a Vaishnav, I will not be able to give honour to others. I will become stricken with pratistha and go to hell.'

‘আমি ত বৈষ্ণব’, এ বুদ্ধি হইলে,
অমানী না হ’ব আমি ।
প্রতিষ্ঠাশা আসি’, হৃদয় দূষিবে,
হইব নিরয়গামী ॥

‘ami ta vaisnava’, e buddhi haile,
amani na ha’ba ami
pratisthasa asi’, hrdaya dusibe,
haiba nirayagami

‘If I think, “I am a Vaishnav”, I will never stop desiring honour – my heart will become polluted with the desire for prestige, and I will end up in hell.’

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Very beautiful words.

গৃহী হউক ত্যাগী হউক ভক্তে ভেদ নাই ।
ভেদ কৈলে কুম্ভীপাক নরকেতে যাই ॥

grhi hauka tyagi hauka bhakte bheda nai
bheda kaile kumbhipaka narakete yai

‘There is no difference between devotees, regardless of whether they are householders or renunciates. Those who discriminate go to the hell of boiling oil.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 17.22, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

Mahaprabhu told householder devotees that they must always avoid offences to the Holy Name, embrace what is favourable to devotion and reject what is unfavourable to devotion.

In the third volume of Guidance, I wrote some questions and answers. I will read you a little from there.

Question: Who is a sadhu?

Answer: If one grows dreadlocks and pretends to be a renunciate or becomes a big grihastha, this is not what is called a sadhu. A sadhu is a person who is constantly absorbed in Krishna consciousness (Hari-katha); a person who is constantly busy with the service of the Lord; a person whose every effort is for Krishna, whose every effort is for the service of the Lord.

The Lord has sent us to this world in a human form, and this world is our examination place. If we can pass this examination, we can come to the Lord. How can we pass this examination? We must study. What does 'study' mean? It means engaging ourselves in sravan (listening about God) and kirtan (chanting the Names and glories of the Lord). Remember this.

Question: What happens if I listen to non-devotional talks?

Answer: If we listen to non-devotional talks or take advice from non-devotees, then we will spend millions of lifetimes in illusory bondage serving every single atom of this material world.

We will never get the Lord like this.

Question: Who can give the Lord?

Answer: Vaishnavs. Those who serve the one undivided Absolute can give the Lord to others.

Question: How can one become a devotee? Does one become a devotee by wearing tilaks and chanting on beads?

Answer: Many people want to become devotees without becoming servants of devotees, without serving devotees. However, it is impossible to become a devotee without becoming a servant of devotees. Many of us are non-devotees, but we think we are devotees. What is my position? I am not a devotee – I cannot constantly serve the Lord.

Sometimes we think that we have become devotees, but have we really? We must serve devotees. This is our duty. If we serve devotees, they will send my service to the Lord. Do not pretend to be a sadhu. It is very easy to dress as a sadhu. It is like putting on a police uniform and saying, 'Oh, I am a policeman!' You put on some sadhu's clothes and say, 'Oh, I am a sadhu!' It is very easy to do this, but it is very hard to actually become a sadhu. Do you understand what I am saying?

Question: What is the reason of our suffering?

Answer: We suffer because we cannot understand who we are – we suffer because we think that we are these bodies of flesh and blood.

Question: What is devotion?

Answer: Those who have even a little realisation of the spiritual world exclusively worship Chaitanya's feet dust – Brahma, Brihaspati, Indra and other demigod in charge of various duties – reject such trifle knowledge like stool and urine. Devotion is objection against enjoyment and liberation.

Always remember these things. Read and study books. You must study hard, then you will get something.

Question: Can anyone be called a disciple?

Answer: If one does not accept punishment with a lowered head (with humility), they cannot be a disciple. Servants of the Lord live in a temple. But not everybody who lives at a temple is a servant – some live in a temple but become turtles. If the residents of the temple (math) give up proper practice and do not follow the proper conception, they turn into turtles (kamath)

Question: Why do I see others' faults?

Answer: If you cannot rectify your own mind, you will look for faults in others. Those who practise Krishna consciousness never look for holes in Vaishnavs.

Question: What is called saintly association? How can I understand who is a sadhu?

Answer: If you imagine that somebody is a sadhu and associate with them, this is not sadhu-sanga. If you associate with non-devotees thinking that they are devotees, you will be in danger.

Question: How can one live in Vrindavan?

Answer: If you want to enjoy and imitate living in Vrindavan, this is not living in Vrindavan. if you think that you will go to Vrindavan and live there happily, eating nicely, sleeping nicely, wearing nice clothes, and so on, then this is not living in Vrindavan. If you come to Vrindavan and live serving, then it is living in Vrindavan.

The time is up now, so let us chant some kirtan and finish for today.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

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Length: 76 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Appreciate Your Fortune
2) Fossil Hearts
3) God Is Great
4) Getting in Touch With God
5) God's Message
6) Higher Purpose in Life
7) Service Is Not Abstract
8) Choose the Right Path
9) Purity Comes From Practice
10) Embrace Eternal Life
11) Search for the Eternal
12) Service Comes from Heart
13) Educate Yourself