(7/7) Sweetness in Bitterness

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja, Nrisingha Palli
14 December 2019, morning, part 7
Translated from Bengali

So, our Srila Gurudev appeared on this day ninety years ago in Bamunpara. Many of you know it and have been to Bamunpara. He had a difficult childhood because his father passed away when he was very young, so he had to provide for the family as the eldest son. He would chant lila-kirtans and work for a doctor. We often heard him hum songs to himself. One day, I was sitting with him, and he began to sing a dasa-kusi kirtan (দশকুশি কীর্ত্তন) very sweetly and softly. He sang:

আমি যাই যাই মনে করি, যাইতে নাহি পারি,
মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায়
আমি যাইব সাধনে, পারিব কেমনে,
আমার মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায়

ami yai yai mane kari, yaite nahi pari,
maha-maya pichhanete dhaya
ami yaiba sadhane, pariba kemane,
amara maha-maya pichhanete dhaya

‘I am thinking, “I will leave! I will leave!” but I cannot! How will I manage to leave when maha-maya is always running behind Me?’

I asked Gurudev, 'Where is this kirtan from?' and he explained, 'This is dasa-kusi (দশকুশি). Nimai decided to take sannyas, and the day before that, when He was going to bed, as He was taking off His ankle bells, He sang it sitting in front of Vishnupriya Devi.'

আমি যাই যাই মনে করি, যাইতে নাহি পারি,
মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায়
আমি যাইব সাধনে, পারিব কেমনে,
আমার মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায়

ami yai yai mane kari, yaite nahi pari,
maha-maya pichhanete dhaya
ami yaiba sadhane, pariba kemane,
amara maha-maya pichhanete dhaya

‘I am thinking, “I will leave! I will leave!” but I cannot! How will I manage to leave when maha-maya is always running behind Me?’

Guru Maharaj sang it...

We must always keep Krishna consciousness tight in our hearts. Mahaprabhu personally called Kalanidra Devi to make Vishnupriya Devi sleep to be able to leave. When Kalanidra came, Vishnupriya Devi fell into a very deep sleep. Guru Maharaj continued singing:

প্রভুর নূপুর কেনে বাজলি না রে
আমার প্রভুর যাইবার কালে
আবার নূপুর কেনে বাজলি না রে

prabhura nupura kene bajali na re
amara prabhura yaibara kale
abara nupura kene bajile na re

'Why are My Lord's ankle bells not tinkling anymore! When My Lord left, His ankle bells did not tinkle anymore...'

Vishnupriya Devi struck her forehead as she sang this... This is a song of separation. There is much more happiness and irresistible attraction in separation. This can also be seen at the time when Krishna left Vrindavan and went to Dvaraka. When I was telling you about guru-tattva, I mentioned that Kuruksetra is the place where the highest devotion to the guru can be seen.

When everybody came to bath in Brahma Kunda at Kuruksetra during the sun eclipse, Krishna also came there in His chariot. He came dressed as a king, surrounded by soldiers, ministers and much royal opulence. In the meantime, Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaj along with cowherd boys and girls from Vraja came there, too, hoping to meet with Krishna. When they saw Krishna, they started to cry, 'This is not our Krishna! He is not wearing His cowherd attire, He is not wearing His peacock feather, He is not carrying His flute.' They started pulling Krishna with them, making Him change into His cowherd clothes again... This is where Ratha-yatra comes from. When Lord Jagannath goes to the Gundicha temple, He is taken from Nilachal (Dvaraka) to Sundarachal (Vrindavan). What guru-seva is there? Vraja gopis are pulling Krishna back to Vrindavan to serve Him there.

When we went to Kuruksetra this year, by mistake we came to Sairik Kunda. When I came there, I felt that something was not right, and I somehow did not like being there. Then, I asked somebody if it was Brahma Kunda, and it turned out that it was not Brahma Kunda – it was Sairik Kunda. This is the place where Duryodhan was hiding out of fear. When he lost the battle, he dove into the pond to hide. Arjuna found him and thought, 'What a coward! He is hiding in the water!' I had been to Kuruksetra before, but I did not walk around so much – I only went there to see the real things. Apart from Brahma Kunda, we visited Bhisma-sarasajya (where Bhisma lay after being slain and before he passed away) and the place where Krishna taught Gita to Arjun – it is the place where Srimad Bhagavad-gita originated from and where Sanjay also heard it through his mystic power. We spoke about Srimad Bhagavad-gita there.

If you go to all these places with sadhus, then you can see and hear all these things, otherwise you will not see or understand anything. That is why it is important to visit holy places in the association of devotees – if you go there with devotees, then you will get everything.

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)

Chant the Holy Name in sadhus' association!

Time is going fast. Many come with a return ticket, and as soon as the festival is over, they run back home. They are unhappy, 'Oh, I have to sleep on the cold ground.' But when these bodies are gone, what will become of them then? Have you ever thought of that? Once you leave your bodies, they will start rotting – they will be taken to the crematorium and burnt. You worry so much about your bodies – 'Oh, I am cold', 'Oh, I cannot do this', 'Oh, I want to do this.' Eating, sleeping, fearing and breeding – the more you do these things, the more you will want to do them.

What time is it? Oh, it is already past nine! Let us finish fast then.

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

Those who are fasting should fast, and if anybody cannot fast, you can go over there and take some muri and dal. If you skip one meal, you are not going to die, so fast if you can.

— : • : —

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Length: 50 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Take Advantage of This Day
2) Leave False Hopes
3) Seva-Vigraha
4) Rules of Love
5) Science of Devotion
6) Do Not Take This Birth for Granted
7) Sweetness in Bitterness