(9/12) Seat Sankirtan In Your Hearts

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bhanjipur, 1 December 2019, evening, part 9
Translated from Bengali

Sankirtan should be chanted among those whose faith in God has awakened at least to some extent. It should be chanted together with those who are fixed in practising spiritual life and who have taste for it. When kirtan of pure devotees is attended by those who have faith, such pure devotees infuse the power of Krishna into their listeners' hearts, through kirtan. Such devotees may not wear a brahman thread, tilaks, neck beads, etc. – genuine sankirtan does not have anything to do with one's particular appearance or clothes. One can wear any clothes, but he can be empowered by Krishna. Such singers of kirtan are always surrounded by many people – they do not practise Krishna consciousness alone in seclusion, and they do not chant kirtan with drug addicts. Those who chant the Holy Name together with many pure, pious, eminent, clean people, are proper performers of sankirtan – they are truly empowered by Krishna. Thus, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur awakened the result of Krishna-kirtan in the hearts of many people.

sankirtana haite papa-samsara-nasana
chitta-suddhi, sarva-bhakti-sadhana-udgama

'By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart and awaken all varieties of devotional service.'

krsna-premodgama, premamrta-asvadana
krsna-prapti, sevamrta-samudre majjana

'The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.12-14)

Pure chanting of the Holy Name cleanses the mirror of the heart. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur himself practised Krishna consciousness and radiated light. It is not that he left and everything has become quiet. He made sure that after his disappearance the world would remain as lit up as it was during his manifest pastimes. Therefore, the current of pure devotion that he introduced remains flowing even now. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur kept this current going, and it brought joy to Sri Shyamasundar, to Sri Gaurasundar, to the Supreme Lord, to Madan-mohan. That is why his name is Bhaktivinod Thakur (he who gives joy to Bhakti Devi). His current never becomes extinct; the current of his mercy remains flowing even today. His kirtan, like a firework rocket, swooshes up into the sky and, producing a loud sound, showers a never-expiring light upon the earth; but his kirtan does not produce a sudden flash and then fades out like it happens with ordinary fireworks. When people light fireworks, the rocket goes up in the sky, flashes in the sky and then dies away, but Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's kirtan is not like that. He practised Krishna consciousness himself and distributed it to others, and the current of the pure devotion that he introduced remains flowing to this day. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur kept this current going: by his wish and inspiration, Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur made this current faster and stronger. Such was the desire of Sri Sri Gaurasundar.

There are many great souls now, and they will always be there, but it is very rare to come across the great souls who come to establish the current of sankirtan. If there is no connection with Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur’s mercy, then no matter how much you beat the drums there will not be any Hari-sankirtan. There are so many newspapers being published, so many lectures and kirtans are being held, but all this does not awaken divine love for Lord Sri Krishna. If the power of Krishna appears somewhere, it can be realised by the result of such chanting or lecture. If you come in touch with it but still cannot see it, cannot hear it, then your fortune is very bad – you have no appreciation for reality. If you cannot enjoy the sight of the sunrise, it means you are blind. This is a matter of malice, grudge, envy or jealousy – not devotion.

adyapiha sei lila kare gaura-raya
kona kona bhagyavana dekhibare paya

'Gaura Ray continues performing His pastimes, and those who are fortunate can see it.'

This line has one special distinction. Sri Gaurasundar sent Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur to remove all opposing propensities that throw thorns, obstacles, difficulties, and misconceptions on the path of devotion. He not only removed all thorns on the path of devotion, he also cleansed the mirrors of the hearts of fortunate souls and made pure devotion arise there. The current of Bhaktivinod (bhaktivinod-dhara) flows within the current of Sri Gaurasundar, there is no higher current than that of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

Kirtan, sankirtan, and maha-sankirtan are not one and the same. This realisation does not come to those whose consciousness has not awakened. Kirtans are sung in many places, but not all kirtans are the same. A festival (utsav), a great festival (maha-utsav) and a grand festival (maha-maha-utsav) are not one and the same. In some places, there is kirtan, in some places sankirtan, and in some places maha-sankirtan. However, maha-maha-sankirtan is very rare. 'Kona kona bhagyavana dekhibare paya. Those who are fortunate can see it.' If your heart is dirty or you are blind with material interests, how will you be able to see anything transcendental? People are deprived of the grand festival (maha-maha-utsav) of Hari-sankirtan. If you have an open mind, if your heart is clean, and if you do not have enmity or hostility, then all this will clearly appear before your eyes – maha-sankirtan will be resounding in your ears, and you will realise what a beautiful kirtan devotees do and how much joy they do it with.

The maha-sankirtan, the maha-parikrama and the maha-archan that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has brought to this world are continuing to this day. Great gurus are those who worship the Lord together with others and who bestow benefit on many people as a result of their great worship. They give great benefit to so many jiva souls. This is the distinction of this current. Those who appear in this line perform maha-sankirtan, maha-archan, and maha-parikrama. You can circumambulate the holy abode of Sri Gaura on your own relying on your qualification, it maybe parikrama, but if you join Sri Gaura Dham parikrama, Sri Vraja Dham parikrama or Sri Ksetra Dham parikrama together with thousands of people that installs Sri Shyamasundar in everybody's hearts, so many more people can get benefit. By doing so, great auspiciousness and supreme benefit flows to many houses, spreading the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Guru Maharaj and Gurudev. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur appeared in this line, and he protected it through Nama-sankirtan. If you want to come and take shelter in this line, leaving aside all other thoughts and hesitation, you must give place to the Lord in your hearts.

You must remove all your worries and thoughts and give the Lord place in your hearts. Money, other people, father, mother, material things, etc. – you must take everything out of your hearts and seat devotees, devotion and the Lord there. That is what is called practising Krishna consciousness. If we want to practise Krishna consciousness with our bodies, minds, and speech, then we must throw away all material desires from our hearts and give sankirtan place to sit there instead. Those who want to engage in practising Krishna consciousness will be given place here, but there is no place here for those who do not want to practise Krishna consciousness. If you follow Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur’s line, you will be taken to Vaikuntha – if you heart and soul take complete shelter in this line, you will be sheltered and taken care of.

asraya laiya bhaje, tare krsna nahi tyaje
ara saba mare akaraṇa

'Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in Him. All others simply die in vain.'

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

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Length: 69 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) A Life of Imperfection
2) Open Your Door to Mercy
3) Eternal Focus
4) Harinam: Devotees' Heartbeat
5) Humans' Advantage
6) Call Out to Gaura-Nitai
7) Repent and Revolt
8) Gift of Sankirtan
9) Seat Sankirtan In Your Hearts
10) Survive and Thrive
11) Service Life—Joyful Life
12) All Walk, No Talk