(2/6) Nurture Exclusive Desire

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

জিহ্বার লালসে যেই ইতি-উতি ধায় ।
শিশ্নোদরপরায়ণ সে কৃষ্ণ নাহি পায় ॥

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

‘Those who, subservient to their tongues, run here and there and are devoted to satisfying their genitals and bellies cannot attain Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.227)

To stop this constant nagging of the tongue, we always chant before taking prasad,

মহাপ্রসাদে গোবিন্দে নাম-ব্রহ্মণি বৈষ্ণবে ।
স্বল্পপুণ্যবতাং রাজন্ বিশ্বাসো নৈব জায়তে ॥

mahaprasade govinde nama-brahmani vaisnave
svalpa-punya-vatam rajan visvaso naiva jayate

‘O King, one whose fortune is meagre never develops strong faith in mahaprasad, Govinda, the Holy Name or Vaishnavs.’

(Mahabharata)

শরীর অবিদ্যা-জাল, জড়েন্দ্রিয় তাহে কাল,
জীবে ফেলে বিষয়-সাগরে ।
তার মধ্যে জিহ্বা অতি, লোভময় সুদুর্ম্মতি,
তা’কে জেতা কঠিন সংসারে ॥

sarira avidya-jala, jadendriya tahe kala,
jive phele visaya-sagare
tara madhye jihva ati, lobha-maya sudurmati,
ta’ke jeta kathina samsare

‘This body is a net of ignorance, and the material senses are the cause of its ruin because they throw the soul into the ocean of material life. Among all senses, the tongue is extremely greedy and wicked; it is very difficult to conquer it in the material world.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

The material senses include the five karmendriya (instruments – feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth), the five jnanendriya (senses through which knowledge is acquired – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) and also mind, intelligence and ego. Can you control all these senses? For example, our eyes always go in a wrong direction… We cannot control our senses, but how is it possible to do it? Why do our scriptures say that we must not eat fish, meat, onion, garlic, masoor dal and other things? Because these things excite senses and make them strong. That is why scriptures say that we must take sattvik food (food in the mode of goodness). Our senses always become excited – if they become very strong and we feel too much lust, anger, greed, illusion, and so on, we will be removed from Krishna consciousness. Many say, ‘What is the problem if I eat onion or garlic?’ Onion and garlic are very strong – those who ate it before know it. We cannot eat it; otherwise, we will be removed from Krishna consciousness.

That is why Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur explains that accepting what is favourable to devotion and rejecting what is unfavourable to devotion are parts of the six-limb surrender. ‘Anukulyasya samkalpah, pratikulya vivarjjanam. Accept what is favourable, reject what is unfavourable’ (Vaisnava-tantra). Srila Narottam Das Thakur also writes very beautifully:

অন্য-অভিলাষ ছাড়ি’, জ্ঞান-কর্ম্ম পরিহরি’,
কায় মনে করিব ভজন ।

anya-abhilasa chhadi’, jnana-karma parihari’,
kaya mane kariba bhajana

‘Serve the Lord with your body and mind, giving up all other desires and the pursuit of material benefit and knowledge.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

There is ananya-abhilasa (exclusive desire), and there is anya-abhilasa (other desires). Ananya-abhilasa means ‘I do not know anything or anyone except Krishna. I have submitted my mind, life, speech – everything I have – at Krishna’s lotus feet. I do not know anything except the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, I do not understand anything except Krishna, I do not give my mind to anything except Krishna.’

Lord Sri Krishna assumes ten kinds of forms. For example, there are many people who like to go to Ayodhya – they compare Rama to Krishna and give preference to Rama. There is even a group that always chants, ‘Rama, Rama.’ But Lord Rama, just as Lord Baladev, is only one of the avatars. Rama is the Lord, but He is not the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is Vamanadev, Varahadev and many other incarnations – They are all Lords, but They are not Supreme Personalities of Godhead. The Lord assumes these forms (Nrisinghadev, Varahadev, Baladev, Mina-sarira, Parasurama, Buddha, and so on) to perform and enjoy His pastimes, and He assumes all these forms for a particular purpose in each age (mostly to slay demons). For examples, Lord Rama defeated Ravana. There was this necessity in Treta-yuga, so the Lord assumed the form of Lord Rama to fulfil His purpose. Similarly, Lord Varahadev assumed the form of a boar to slay Hiranyaksa. Srimad Bhagavatam describes all these pastimes very beautifully. So, the Lord comes to this world again and again assuming various forms of incarnation, or avatar. But there is avatar (incarnation), and there is avatari (the source of all incarnations). Mahaprabhu is avatari. We sing in one of the kirtans also, ‘Avatara sara Gora avatara. Gora’s incarnation is the quintessence of all incarnations.’

ঈশ্বরঃ পরমঃ কৃষ্ণঃ সচ্চিদানন্দবিগ্রহঃ ।
অনাদিরাদির্গোবিন্দঃ সর্ব্বকারণকারণম্ ॥

isvarah paramah krsnah sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam

‘Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.’

(Sri Brahma-samhita, 5.1)

He is the cause of all causes. Everything happens by His will – everything in this world is created by His will, and so many gods and goddesses work following His desire. Nothing can exist or function without Him, and we are told to take shelter at His lotus feet. In this Age of Kali, the Lord takes the heart and halo of Srimati Radharani and comes assuming the form of Golden Lord, Sri Gauranga. And He does not come alone. He comes with His alter ego, Lord Nityananda Prabhu…

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Length: 54 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Clear Your Path
2) Nurture Exclusive Desire
3) Sri Ekachakra Dham: Our Fortune To Be Here
4) Forging Your Destiny
5) Extreme Mercy
6) About Nityananda Prabhu