(1) Be Wise

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bhanjipur, 2 December 2019, noon, part 1
Translated from Bengali

We are present here, at the festival arranged at this house, to listen and speak about the Lord. Where is the Lord (Hari kothay, হরি কোথায়)? In Hari-katha (Hari-kathay, হরি-কথায়). In which forest (kon vane, কোন বনে) does the Lord stay? In listening about Him (sra-vane, শ্রবনে). In other words, you can understand and come to the Lord by listening about Him.

সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণনামে—এই মাত্র চাই ।
সংসার জিনিতে আর কোন বস্তু নাই ॥

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

‘I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of sadhus. There is no other way to conquer this material world.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

If we can spend every moment (even when we lie down, even when we are on the bus, on the train or in the car), every day, our whole lives, only chanting the Holy Name of the Lord in the association of the Lord's devotees, we can get supreme benefit.

I will chant a few kirtans now, and after that I will speak some Hari-katha. Everybody is busy with their material lives and work their whole lives. Where is the time to call out to the Lord in their lives? Where is the time to know God? Where is the time to listen about God? Everybody is only always thinking about their stomaches, about their bodies. We always work so hard to please our bodies (our minds, intelligence and egos), but what we cannot realise is that when we close our eyes, we will have to leave everything behind – we cannot take anything with us. One day we will have to leave this world, and we must think where we will go after that, what our situation will be like. This is what we have got this human birth for. We must think about these things. We never got this chance before in any other birth, neither will we ever get this chance again in the future. We have got these human births now, and if we can take proper advantage of it, then we will get supreme benefit. What is the meaning of human life? Harinam-sankirtan (congregational chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord). If we can surrender to the Lord and listen to and chant His Holy Names, then we will get a good opportunity in the future as well; otherwise, as you sow, so you reap – you will have to reap the result of your own actions.

So, let me start by chanting the guru-parampara kirtan.

krsna haite chatur-mukha, hana krsna-sevonmukha,
brahma haite naradera mati
narada haite vyasa, madhva kahe vyasa-dasa,
purnaprajna padmanabha gati [1]

'Through Lord Krishna, Lord Brahma became disposed towards Krishna’s service. Then, through Lord Brahma, Narad Goswami developed devotional mood. After Narad Goswami, the line continues through Srila Vyasadev and then through his servant Srila Madhvacharya, who is also known as Purnaprajna and who is the refuge of his disciple Sri Padmanabha Tirtha.'

nrhari madhava-vamse, aksobhya paramahamse,
sisya bali angikara kare
aksobhyera sisya jaya- tirtha name parichaya,
tanra dasye jnanasindhu tare [2]

'Madhvacharya accepted Nrihari, Madhava and paramahamsa Aksobhya as his disciples (they succeeded him, one after another). After that, the line continues through Aksobhya’s disciple Jayatirtha and then through his servant Jnanasindhu on account of his service mood.'

tanha haite dayanidhi, tanra dasa vidyanidhi,
rajendra haila tanha haite
tanhara kinkara jaya- dharma name parichaya,
parampara jana bhala-mate [3]

'After Jnanasindhu comes Dayanidhi and then Dayanidhi’s servant Vidyanidhi. After Vidyanidhi comes Rajendra and then Rajendra’s servant Jayadharma. You should know this disciplic succession well.'

jayadharma-dasye khyati, sri-purusottama-yati,
tan’ha’te brahmanya-tirtha suri
vyasa-tirtha tanra dasa, laksmipati vyasa-dasa,
tanha haite madhavendra puri [4]

'After that comes Sri Purusottam, Jayadharma’s renowned servant. After him comes learned Brahmanya Tirtha, followed by his servant Vyasa Tirtha. After that comes Vyasa Tirtha’s servant Laksmipati, followed by Sri Madhavendra Puri.'

madhavendra puri-bara, sisya-bara sri-isvara,
nityananda, sri-advaita vibhu
isvara-purike dhanya, karilena sri-chaitanya,
jagad-guru gaura mahaprabhu [5]

'The great disciples of illustrious Madhavendra Puri are Sri Isvar Puri, Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Omnipresent Lord Sri Advaita. Jagad-Guru Sri Chaitanya (Gaura) Mahaprabhu blessed Isvar Puri (by accepting him as His guru).'

mahaprabhu sri-chaitanya, radha-krsna nahe anya,
rupanuga janera jivana
visvambhara priyankara, sri-svarupa-damodara,
sri-gosvami rupa-sanatana [6]

'Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than Sri Sri Radha-Krishna and is the very life of Rupanuga followers. Visvambhar’s dearest associates are Sri Svarup Damodar, Sri Rupa Goswami and Sri Sanatan Goswami.'

rupa-priya mahajana, jiva-raghunatha hana,
tanra priya kavi krsna-dasa
krsna-dasa-priya-bara, narottama sevapara,
yanra pada visvanatha-asa [7]

'Sri Rupa’s dear associates are the great souls Sri Jiva and Sri Raghunath, and their dear follower is the poet Sri Krishna Das. Sri Krishna Das’s dearmost servitor is the devotee Sri Narottam, whose holy feet are aspired after by Sri Visvanath.'

visvanatha bhakta-satha, baladeva jagannatha,
tanra priya sri-bhaktivinoda
mahabhagavata-bara, sri-gaura-kisora-bara,
hari-bhajanete yanra moda [8]

'After Visvanath Chakravarti comes his associate devotee Baladev Vidyabhusan. After that, the line continues through Sri Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, his dear associate Sri Bhaktivinod Thakur and the great maha-bhagavata soul Sri Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj, who delights in his service to the Lord.'

tadanuga-mahajana, sri-krsna-kirtana-dhana,
yeba dila puri jaga-kama
sri-varsabhanavi-bara, sada sevya sevapara,
tanhara dayita-dasa nama [9]

'The line then continues through Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj’s exclusive follower Sri Dayita Das (Srila Saraswati Thakur), who fulfilled everyone’s yearning by granting the wealth of Sri Krishna-kirtan to this world. A dear servitor of Sri Varsabhanavi (Sri Radhika), he is an eternal object of service and an eternal servitor of the Lord.'

tad-abhinna deha-divya, svarupa-rupa-raghu-jivya,
sada sevya yanra pada-padma
su-siddhanta murti-dhara, sri-sridhara guru-bara,
rupanuga-sadhu-sreya sadma [10]

'Non-different from Sri Svarup Damodar, Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Raghunath Das Goswami and Sri Jiva Goswami is Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj – a great guru, whose holy lotus feet are served eternally, who is a worshippable embodiment of the highest devotional conception, and an abode of benediction for all saints in the line of Sri Rupa.'

tanra priya mano ʹbhista, sthapane sada-sachesta,
bhakti-sundara sri-govinda nama
tanra priya manonita, achara-prachare rata,
bhakti-nirmala sri-acharya nama [11]

'Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s dearest associate, who always strives to fulfil his cherished desires, is Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. And Srila Govinda Maharaj’s dearest chosen successor, who is devoted to practising and preaching Krishna consciousness, is Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.'

ei parampara dhana, sabe gaura-nija-jana,
tandera uchchhiste mora kama [12]

'I yearn for the merciful remnants of all these dear associates of Gaura, who are the very wealth of this disciplic succession.'

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