(7/13) Uncover Yourself

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata-Worldwide, 21 June 2020, part 7

Question: Before we begin preaching at the temple, should we recite some verse, such as:

ওঁ অজ্ঞানতিমিরান্ধস্য জ্ঞানাঞ্জনশলাকয়া ।
চক্ষুরুন্মিলিতং যেন তস্মৈ শ্রীগুরবে নমঃ ॥

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
chaksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

'I offer my obeisance unto Sri Gurudev, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, applying the salve of divine knowledge on my eyes.'

We are always covered by the illusory environment:

দৈবী হ্যেষা গুণময়ী মম মায়া দুরত্যয়া ।
মামেব যে প্রপদ্যন্তে মায়ামেতাং তরন্তি তে ॥

daivi hy esa gunamayi, mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te

"My alluring, 'trimodal,' illusory potency is practically insurmountable. However, those who take shelter in Me can overcome this powerful obstacle."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

We are always swimming, always attacked by the illusory environment. Our soul (I, you and everybody else) is covered by the illusory environment, but when we get some good association, we realise that we and our body are not the same. We are jiva souls, and our bodies are made of material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), always subject to three-fold miseries (adhibhautik, adhidaivik, adhyatmik, আধিভৌতিক, আধিদৈবিক, আধ্যাত্মিক: miseries caused by others, by the nature and by one's own mind). Every time when we change our bodies, change our lives, our jiva souls go through different bodies as the result of our karma (actions). In this way, we have got different bodies in our previous lives, but by some good fortune we have god this human body now, and we can understand what this body is for, what the real purpose of this body is. This body must be used for the service to the Lord. This is our main preaching.

There is no such rule that you must chant, 'Om ajnana-timirandhasya...' Some chant it, some do not. We have our Guru's pranam mantra, and we can recite that. There are various guru pranam mantras. We always chant,

গুর্ব্বাভীষ্টসুপূরকং গুরুগণৈরাশীষসংভূষিতং
চিন্ত্যাচিন্ত্যসমস্তবেদনিপুণং শ্রীরূপপন্থানুগম্ ।
গোবিন্দাভিধমুজ্জ্বলং বরতনুং ভক্ত্যন্বিতং সুন্দরং
বন্দে বিশ্বগুরুঞ্চ দিব্যভগবৎ-প্রম্­ণো হি বীজপ্রদম্ ॥

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

'I offer my obeisance to him who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev's associates; who is expert in all conceivable and inconceivable aspects of Vedic knowledge; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as "Govinda" (Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj); whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.'

And the we chant,

দেবং দেব্যতনুং সুছন্দবদনং বালার্কচেলাঞ্চিতং
সান্দ্রানন্দপুরং সদেকবরণং বৈরাগ্য-বিদ্যাম্বুধিম্ ।
শ্রীসিদ্ধান্তনিধিং সুভক্তিলসিতং সারস্বতানাম্বরং
বন্দে তং শুভদং মদেকশরণং ন্যাসীশ্বরং শ্রীধরম্ ॥

devam divya-tanum suchhanda-vadanam balarka-chelanchitam
sandrananda-puram sad-eka-varanam vairagya-vidyambudhim
sri-siddhanta-nidhim subhakti-lasitam sarasvatanam varam
vande tam subhadam mad-eka-saranam nyasisvaram sridharam

'I worship Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the bestower of all auspiciousness, my only shelter and the master of all renunciates. He is my Lord who possesses a transcendental form, whose face expression is very grave, who is clad in the holy clothes the colour of the newly risen sun. He is an abode of intense joy; the only genuine master whom one can accept and surrender to; and an ocean of divine knowledge of renunciation. He is a repository of holy scriptural teachings and pastimes of the highest devotion and a great follower of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad.'

If you have time, you can recite them. It depends on whether or not you have time. Sometimes, you have only five minutes to speak, but if you take four minutes to recite all pranam mantras, then you will have only one minute to tell the main lecture, the most important things. For example, sometimes, there is a big programme going on, and some sannyas has five minutes to give a lecture, but they start reciting slowly all the long pranam mantras – their time runs out, but they only recite the pranam mantras. So, ultimately, it depends on how much time you have. It is not like you have to chant 'Om ajnana-timirandhasya...' There is no certain rule.

Question: What to do when a lot of ego is coming?

It is a problem. Ego is a disease, and you must take medicine. Ego always causes problems. Ego is the root cause of a fall-down. That is why you must leave your ego. You must think that you are tiny, like an ant or a fly. By practising and practising you must leave your ego. Sometimes, the temple manager or the temple president become proud and always chastise others. Ego is the main problem. Ego is like a wall. The sun is rising, but no sunlight comes through because there is a wall blocking it, so you remain in the dark. Ego is like a wall, you must break this wall.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 43.9 Mb
Length: 80 min
Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Our Line Is Nothing
2) Mandakini Dhara
3) Spiritual Safety
4) Ignore and Avoid Misconception
5) Practise and Keep Faith
6) Family Consciousness
7) Uncover Yourself
8) Opportunity to Serve
9) Live in Seva-Kunja
10) On Astrology
11) Be Sharp
12) Sincere, Keen and Humble
13) Observing Gundicha Marjan