(10/13) Lacking Spirituality

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Singur (West Bengal), 5 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

[After chanting kirtans, His Divine Grace resumes the class.]

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

‘The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill – all it takes is mercy from gurudev.’

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First, I am offering my full obeisance at the reddish soles of the lotus feet of my Divine Master, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, aspiring to serve him; after that, I am offering my full obeisance to all the assembled guru-varga, godbrothers, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees and all the devotees. I am offering my obeisance at your holy feet, praying for your mercy to this lowly soul.

You have heard today some glorification of the Lord. Please listen attentively.

[Much clamour and noisy commotion in the audience.]

দিনের মধ্যে আবল-তাবল
কত পচাল পাড়িতে পর
তার মধ্যে কিন্তু তুমি একবার
গোবিন্দ বলিতে নারা

dinera madhye abala-tabala
kata pachala padite para
tara madhye ki ek-bara
govinda balite nara

‘How much nonsense you can talk every day! How many idle talks you have! Can you not say the Name of Govinda even once?’

গ্রাম্যকথা না শুনিবে, গ্রাম্যবার্ত্তা না কহিবে ।
ভাল না খাইবে আর ভাল না পরিবে ॥
অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল'বে ।
ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la’be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

‘Do not listen to village talks, do not speak about village news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour from others, give all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna and serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236–237)

Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur says, ‘O mind, what kind of pauper are you? Do you need bhojan (food) or bhajan (Krishna consciousness)?’ Now is the time for prasad, and so many more people have come. You have come to this world to indulge your material senses, have you not? This is not what we have not come to this world for!

ভজিব বলিয়া এসে সংসার ভিতরে ।
ভুলিয়া রহিলে তুমি অবিদ্যার ভরে ॥

bhajiba baliya ese samsara bhitare
bhuliya rahile tumi avidyara bhare

‘Forgetting that you came to this world saying, “I will serve You,” you carried on living in ignorance.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We came to this world promising that we would serve the Lord, but we have forgotten everything because of our ignorance. I have told you before that we must accept what is favourable to devotion and we must give up what is unfavourable. There are talks about the Lord going on here, but you are disrupting it. Those who obstruct discourses about the Lord and the service to the Lord are offenders at the holy lotus feet of the Lord. You are making an offence to Him about whom we are talking (who we are glorifying). You have got a mouth to speak about the Lord, but instead of speaking about the Lord, you only know to speak about yourself. Satisfying the whims of your mind is not spiritual life. Living a spiritual life means following your guru, following Vaishnavs – it means serving them and satisfying them.

ছাড়িয়া বৈষ্ণব-সেবা নিস্তার পায়েছে কেবা ।

chhadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payechhe keba

‘You cannot get relief without service to Vaishnavs.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

How can it possible to get relief without service to Vaishnavs? Our religion is jive daya (kindness to all living entities), Name ruchi (taste for chanting the Holy Name), vaisnava-seva (service to devotees). We must serve Vaishnavs. If we cannot serve the Lord, our guru and Vaishnavs, we will not be able to save ourselves from this illusory environment.

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুকৃপা বিনা আর না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya
sadhu-krpa bina ara na dekhi upaya

‘It is impossible to conquer illusory environment and break free from it. I see no other way to get relief except by sadhus’ mercy.’

(Prarthana, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Unless we can get the mercy of our guru and sadhus, we cannot overcome this illusory world.

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 52 Mb
Length: 108 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Honouring Hari-Prasad
2) Exclusive Path
3) Lord's Messenger
4) 'Managing' Your Life
5) Internal Purity
6) Pray To Be One-Pointed
7) Mahaprabhu's Gift
8) At Vaishnavs' Mercy
9) Spiritual Deposit
10) Lacking Spirituality
11) About Srila Lochan Das Thakur
12) Leave Separate Interests
13) Muddled Minds