(3/6) Greatest Wealth, Ornament, and Aspiration

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Singur, noon programme
14 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

Let us sing one more kirtan in glorification of Vaishnavs.

ঠাকুর বৈষ্ণব পদ, অবনীর সুসম্পদ,
শুন ভাই হঞা এক মন ।
আশ্রয় লইয়া ভজে, তারে কৃষ্ণ নাহি ত্যজে,
আর সব মরে অকারণ ॥১॥

thakura vaisnava pada, avanira susampada,
suna bhai hana eka mana
asraya laiya bhaje, tare krsna nahi tyaje,
ara saba mare akarane [1]

‘The holy feet of Vaishnav Thakur are the greatest wealth on earth. Brother, listen one-pointedly to this. Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in His devotees and serve them; everyone else simply dies in vain.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

It says here ‘taking shelter and serving (worshipping)’ – it means that it is necessary to take shelter at the holy lotus feet of a guru. If you send your letter to the Lord, you will not get any reply, but if you send your letter to your guru (who is the dearmost of the Lord, Srimati Radharani), then you will get a reply. First, you must become a servant of Vaishnavs (vaisnav-das), then you can become a servant of your guru (guru-das), and then only can you become a servant of Krishna (Krishna-das). I have told you today about the qualities of Vaishnavs. The meaning here is that if you do not become a surrendered soul – if you do not take shelter at the holy lotus feet of a guru – you live your life in vain.

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

‘I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all scriptures to be no doubt the Supreme Lord Himself, and considered to be such by pious souls, but who is also no doubt the Lord’s dear associate.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

The guru is the Lord Himself, the Supreme Lord Himself! Krishna told Uddhav Maharaj, ‘Uddhav! Know that the acharya is non-different from Me. The acharya is My personal manifestation.’ Krishna said this Himself. Just as Nityananda Prabhu is a non-different form of Gaura, and Balaram is a non-different form of Krishna, so is gurudev also a non-different form of the Lord. The body of the Lord is one, but He manifests Himself in two forms for His pastimes: for example, Krishna and Balaram (Baladev or Balabhadra; They are one and the same; you can also call Him Haladhar, the Bearer of the Plough). You can remember also how Nityananda Prabhu broke Mahaprabhu’s danda. Why did He break it? Because He thought, ‘This danda is I Myself – why must My Lord carry Me?’ [All paraphernalia of the Lord is manifestation of Nityananda Prabhu, or Baladev.]

So, it is said here that you must take shelter in Vaishnavs and worship them. Who is the giver of shelter? Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu, or gurudev, is ashraya-vigraha (worshippable embodiment of shelter), and the Lord is visaya-vigraha (worshippable embodiment of the object of worship).

বৈষ্ণব চরণ-জল, প্রমভক্তি দিতে বল,
আর কেহ নহে বলবন্ত ।
বৈষ্ণব-চরণ-রেণু, মস্তকে ভূষণ বিনু,
আর নাহি ভূষণের অন্ত ॥২॥

vaisnava charana-jala, prema-bhakti dite bala,
ara keha nahe balavanta
vaisnava-charana-renu, mastake bhusana binu,
ara nahi bhusanera anta [2]

‘The water that has washed the holy feet of a Vaishnav has the power to give transcendental love; nobody else has such power. If your head is not decorated with the dust from the holy feet of a Vaishnav, there is no value in any other ornaments.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

I remember something I heard from Gurudev. You can often see sadhus who wear turbans. It says here that no ornament can decorate your head except if you decorate it with the dust from the holy lotus feet of Vaishnavs. You think that you will wear a turban and look beautiful, but if you can just put some dust from the holy feet of Vaishnavs on your heads, you do not need any other ornaments. Gurudev said this. You can see in many Gaudiya temples that sadhus wear turbans, the same as Rama Krishna Paramahamsa or Swami Vivekananda did. Some think that if they wear a turban, they become a sadhu. Some also walk around showing off their danda. But if you hit them, they start swearing – they will not say ‘Hare Krishna’ then. That is why, ‘If your head is not decorated with the dust from the holy lotus feet of Vaishnavs, there is no value in any other ornaments.’

Gurudev said that somebody can be chanting Hare Krishna so much all the time, but if you hit them in the stomach, they will cry, ‘Oh ma! Oh pa!’ They will not chant ‘Hare Krishna’ anymore. When you always chant ‘Hare Krishna’, then only ‘Hare Krishna’ will come out of your mouth, and if that is not happening, then you are only chanting nama-aparadha.

বৈষ্ণব-চরণ-রেণু, মস্তকে ভূষণ বিনু,
আর নাহি ভূষণের অন্ত ॥২॥

vaisnava-charana-renu, mastake bhusana binu,
ara nahi bhusanera anta [2]

‘If your head is not decorated with the dust from the holy feet of a Vaishnav, there is no value in any other ornaments.’

তীর্থজল পবিত্র গুণে, লিখিয়াছে পুরাণে,
সে সব ভক্তির প্রবঞ্চন ।

tirtha-jala pavitra gune, likhiyachhe purane,
se saba bhaktira pravanchana [3]

‘The purifying qualities of the water from holy places is mentioned in the Puranas, but all this is just a way of cheating yourself out of devotion.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

Many people go to holy places and like to bring water from the Ganges or the Yamuna. For example, when they go to Ekachakra, they bring water from the Yamuna that flows there. What does Srila Narottam Das Thakur say here? He is a very great Vaishnav and a very educated person. In those days (five hundred years ago), his education equalled to a B.A. degree. He says, ‘The purifying qualities of the water from holy places is mentioned in Puranas, but all this is just a way of cheating yourself out of devotion.’ No devotion can come through that – you will only drink some water. In other words, you can bring that water, you can take it, but no devotion will come from that. So many people go to holy places, but do they all worship the Lord and practise Krishna consciousness? So many people go here and there in buses, but does even one of them become a devotee? It does not happen. Not even 1% of such tourists become devotees. A thousand people will go to Vrindavan, but not even one of them will practise Krishna consciousness after that. So, this is all nothing but cheating yourselves out of devotion.

বৈষ্ণবের পাদোদক, সম নহে এই সব,
যাতে হয় বাঞ্ছিত পূরণ ॥৩॥

vaisnavera padodaka, sama nahe ei saba,
yate haya vanchhita purana [3]

‘All this can never compare to the water that has washed the holy feet of a Vaishnav, which fulfils all wishes.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

These days everyone thinks that they are Vaishnavs and stretch out their legs to let others wash them. But Mahaprabhu prohibited this! There was only one person whom He allowed to touch His feet. Do you remember his name? It was Kalidas. He had become such a great Vaishnav that he deserved this right. What does ‘right’, or ‘qualification’, mean? He had no wealth, no money, no house, no car, nothing – his only qualification was his humility. He was so humble that when Vaishnavs took prasadam, he did not sit with them. He was invited to take prasadam, but he did not sit with everyone, thinking, ‘I have no right to sit with them. They are big Vaishnavs, and I am so lowly – I have not even become their servant! How can I sit next to them?’ But when all the Vaishnavs threw away their plates in some place, Kalidas would go to that place and lick their discarded plates! He took everyone’s remnants. This is what is called prasad-seva (service to remnants, honouring remnants).

One time, Kalidas went to the house of Jhadu Thakur and gave him a mango, saying, ‘Please take this mango. Use it for the service of the Lord and give me your prasad.’ Jhadu Thakur replied, ‘No, no, you are a respectable Vaishnav. How can I do that? I eat all sorts of things, I do not live a proper life. Keep the mango here, I will have it offered and take prasad.’ Then, first Jhadu Thakur took that mango, then Jhadu Thakur’s wife sucked the stone, and when she finally threw the stone away, Kalidas picked it up and sucked it. Do you understand what kind of Vaishnav he was?

বৈষ্ণব সঙ্গেতে মন, আনন্দিত অনুক্ষণ,
সদা হয় কৃষ্ণ পরসঙ্গ ।
দীন নরোত্তম কান্দে, হিয়া ধৈর্য্য নাহি বান্ধে,
মোর দশা কেন হৈল ভঙ্গ ॥৪॥

vaisnava sangete mana, anandita anuksana,
sada haya krsna para-sanga
dina narottama kande, hiya dhairya nahi bandhe,
mora dasa kena haila bhanga [4]

‘In Vaishnavs’ association, my heart constantly rejoices and I always feel the association of Lord Krishna Himself. Poor Narottam is crying – his heart can no longer endure it. Why has such a calamity come to my life?’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর, দয়াল বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর

doyal vaisnava thakur, doyal vaisnava thakur
vaisnava thakur, doyal vaisnava thakur
doyal vaisnava thakur, doyal vaisnava thakur
vaisnava thakur, doyal vaisnava thakur

I am not telling all these things to you only. I am telling it all to myself also. I myself have not been able to become such a Vaishnav. So, I am saying all this to purify myself. I have many faults – I do not have any good qualities, I am only full of faults – but if I keep telling and telling all this to myself, if I keep chanting these kirtans and talk about all this, then humility will come to me and I will also be able to become like this one day:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা ।
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্ত্তনীয়ঃ সদা হরিঃ ॥

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree and who gives honour to others without desiring it for themselves is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

I always think about this. That is why I am chanting kirtans for my own benefit and purification. I am not telling all these things for you – I am chanting these kirtans for my own purification.

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 39 Mb
Length: 81 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Sincere Surrender
2) Deserve, Then Desire
3) Greatest Wealth, Ornament, and Aspiration
4) Remembering Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (1)
5) Remembering Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (2)
6) The Highest of the Highest