(8/13) Krishna Conscious Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 23 February 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

You should read what the sixty-four limbs of devotion (bhaktyanga) are. As I have just said, the main practices are:

সাধুসঙ্গ, নামকীর্ত্তন, ভাগবতশ্রবণ ।
মথুরাবাস, শ্রীমূর্ত্তির শ্রদ্ধায় সেবন ॥

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

‘Associate with sadhus, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, listen to Srimad Bhagavatam, reside in Mathura and worship holy Deities with faith.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.124)

There is also nava-vidha bhakti, nine kinds of devotion: sravanam (listening about the Lord), kirtanam (chanting the Lord’s Name and glories), smaranam (remembering the Lord), archanam (worshipping the Lord’s Deity), vandanam (offering obeisances and prayers to the Lord), dasyam (serving the Lord as a servant), sakhyam (serving the Lord as a friend), atma-nivedanam (submitting yourself to the Lord), pada-sevanam (serving the Lord’s lotus feet).

First, sukriti must come. You cannot come to this line without sukriti accumulated from previous births. Sukriti means using ‘His things for His service’ (tad vastu tadiya sevaya; তদ বস্তু তদীয় সেবায়): using the Lord’s things for the Lord’s service. If you plant a flower tree, you must pick the flowers and offer them at the lotus feet of Govinda or make garlands from the flowers and offer them onto Govinda’s neck. In this way, the flower tree can get some benefit. This is how it works. His things for His service. Everything that is created in this world exists for the Lord’s enjoyment, but out of pride we try to use all things in our own service.

We are alive in this world at the expense of killing so many jivas (souls). Each day we live, we live by killing other living entities. We eat rice, dal, vegetables, we drink water – there are living entities even in water. The only way out of this exploitive life is to turn your whole life into a Krishna-conscious life. You must make your lives Krishna-centred. ‘Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi’ anachara (করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার). Leave your sinful behaviour and dedicate your life to Krishna.’ It means that you can cook, you can work in the field, you can run your businesses, you can go to work, you can do everything, but do it for the Lord.

If you eat something without offering it first to the Lord, it is stealing and you will be committing a sin. Do you understand it? That is why it is said, ‘Prasada-seva karite haya, sakala prapancha jaya (প্রসাদ-সেবা করিতে হয় সকল প্রপঞ্চ জয়). The entire material world can be conquered by honouring the Lord’s prasad’ (Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur). You must honour (serve) prasad, then all diseases will go away. There are five material diseases: avidya (ignorance), asmita (false identification), raga (misdirected love), dvesa (aversion to anything that goes against one’s enjoyment) and abhinivesa (being unable to give up unfavourable habits). If you honour prasad properly, all these diseases will go away. Do not eat paneer rasa [tasty food]. Take prasad. Do you understand what it means? Eating paneer rasa is not taking prasad. If you eat something and think it is paneer rasa, this is not prasad-seva.

Anyhow, you have been listening to all these things from me for many years. Today I will speak about the glories of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu…

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) This Is Not a Playground
2) Wrong Worries
3) Pure Identity
4) Worshipful Devotion
5) Meaning of Discipleship
6) Free Mercy, Exclusive Rights
7) Path of Devotion
8) Krishna Conscious Life
9) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (1)
10) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (2)
11) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (3)
12) Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (4)
13) Clean Mood