(4/15) Make Yourself Qualified

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kolkata, preaching programme,
16 January 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari’
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

‘Bestowing mercy on jiva souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You know who Sri Krishna Chaitanya is. He is Krishna who came before, in Dvapar-yuga, and who came as Gauranga Mahaprabhu (Nimai, Vishvambhar) now, in Kali-yuga. After Gauranga Mahaprabhu took sannyas from Sri Keshav Bharati, His name became Sri Krishna Chaitanya. Supreme Lord Krishna appears in Kali-yuga to bestow His mercy on all jiva souls (sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari’), to rescue such lowly and fallen souls as ourselves, and when He comes, He does not come alone: He comes in this age with all the associates with whom He performed His pastimes in Dvapar-yuga (svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari), to relish His magnanimous pastimes. In Dvapar-yuga, the Lord relishes His sweet amorous pastimes (madhurya-rasa, or madhurya-lila), but in Kali-yuga, He relishes the pastimes of magnanimity (audarya-rasa, or audarya-lila).

অত্যন্ত দুর্ল্লভ প্রম করিবারে দান ।
শিখায় শরণাগতি ভকতের প্রাণ ॥

atyanta durlabha prema karibare dana
sikhaya saranagati bhakatera prana

‘To distribute the rarest form of divine love, He teaches surrender, which is the life and soul of devotees.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

He comes to distribute the rarest form of transcendental love that even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma aspire for and wait to attain, and He comes to give it liberally, going door to door. He taught everyone surrender. If you read Mahaprabhu’s Siksastakam, you will find there:

চেতোদর্পণ-মার্জ্জনং ভব-মহাদাবাগ্নি-নির্ব্বাপণং
শ্রয়ঃকৈরব-চন্দ্রিকা-বিতরণং বিদ্যাবধূ-জীবনম্ ।
আনন্দাম্বুধি-বর্দ্ধনং প্রতিপদং পূর্ণামৃতাস্বাদনং
সর্ব্বাত্ম-স্নপনং পরং বিজয়তে শ্রীকৃষ্ণসঙ্কীর্ত্তনম্ ॥

cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-mahadavagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam

‘Sri Krishna-sankirtan cleanses the mirror of the consciousness and extinguishes the forest fire of material existence; it is a white-lotus moon emanating rays of mercy and preparing one for the life in paramour love for the Lord; it expands the ocean of ecstasy, allows to taste the highest nectar at every moment and purifies the entire self.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.20.12)

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘Those who are humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, who give honour to others without desiring any honour for themselves can always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.17.31, 3.6.239)

Mahaprabhu taught everyone to be humble and tolerant and to give honour to others. It is necessary to be very humble.

দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
‘অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ’—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
‘avasya raksibe krsna’—visvasa palana

[Limbs of surrender] ‘Humility, self-submission, accepting that the Lord is your maintainer, keeping faith that “Krishna will certainly protect.”’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি’ অহঙ্কার ॥

trnadhika hina dina akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi’ ahankara

‘You must always leave ego and consider yourself to be more lowly than a blade of grass, poor, destitute and wretched.’

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastaka, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

It is necessary to be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. This is how Mahaprabhu distributed the Holy Name in this world. At the same time, He said, ‘Who has the right to chant the Holy Name in this Kali-yuga? Those who have become lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree and who have learnt to give honour to others. Those who have these qualities can chant the Holy Name and can also distribute the Holy Name to others. Nobody else can.’

We must be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree, and we must give honour to others.

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Length: 120 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Where Does the Lord Stay?
2) Mahaprabhu's Advent and Gift
3) Coming Out of Maya
4) Make Yourself Qualified
5) Six Limbs of Surrender
6) Sincere and Deep Prayer
7) Lend Me Your Heart
8) Follow the Footsteps of Great Souls
9) Suspicion Leads to Suspension
10) Only One Question
11) We Are Neither Enjoyers, Nor Renouncers
12) False Ego's Folly
13) Be Sincere and Studious
14) Remembering Mahaprabhu's Sannyas
15) Way Out