(11/14) Are You Getting Off?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

Srila Sridhar Maharaj said very nicely, ‘Start the fire, and the wind will come automatically. Even if your boat is sinking, keep on rowing – do not leave the boat.’ Gurudev is the captain of the boat, the helmsman. We sing in one of the kirtans (‘Ke yabi ke yabi re bhai’):

হরিনামের তরীখানি শ্রীগুরুকাণ্ডারী ।
সংকীর্ত্তনকেরোয়াল দু’বাহু পসারি ॥৩॥

harinamera tarikhani sri-guru-kandari
sankirtana-keroyala du’bahu pasari [3]

The Holy Name is the boat, the guru is the captain, and the oars are two upraised arms in sankirtan.

(Srila Lochan Das Thakur)

So, if you can stay in the boat that gurudev drives, you will be able to reach the destination where that boat is going. But if you jump off this boat, you will never be able to take it again. Gurudev has got you a ticket to Vrindavan, but instead you get off half way to Vrindavan and go to Kashi. You must understand what I am saying. Gurudev has given you a ticket to Vrindavan, but you get off in Kashi! Or you come to the Howrah station to go to Vrindavan but do not look carefully to see which train is going to Vrindavan – you just get on a random train that looks pretty, and it turns out that the train is going to Mumbai or some other place, not to Vrindavan! It is necessary to understand these things. You must not take any other train – you must get on the train that gurudev is taking you in. You must go with your guru.

Many people like to travel to various places, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj calls it ‘eye-exercise’. People disregard what gurudev says and go for leisure walks or travel around. For example, I know some people come here and go to Tarapith. This is what is called, ‘Jay Ma Kali kara maine dhara’ (জয় মা কালী কর মাইনে ধর; a joking rhyme, ‘Say, “Glory to Mother Kali!” and get your salary’). [Devotees laugh out loud.] What do ‘devotees’ do there? They all take ganja; not only that, the ‘sadhus’ there actually eat from dead people’s skulls! I have seen it with my own eyes when I was passing the place. Can a sane person do that? One time, my karatals got stolen there. I was sad because we were going on a parikrama, but we had no karatals now. I went to the town to buy some karatals. Suddenly, an old lady came up to me and said, ‘I have two pairs of karatals! Do you want to buy them?’ I said, ‘Yes, all right. How much are they?’ I gave her four hundred rupees, and when I looked at the karatals, I saw that those were my karatals that had been stolen!

People come to the temple to practise Krishna consciousness, but when it comes to the winter time and you give them a hundred-rupee blanket, they run away with that blanket! Where will they run from their fate? What is a blanket to me? I started from scratch, with nothing in my hand, and I had no problem. This year I see that nobody has complained so far that their mobile phones or other things have got lost. I have told you to be careful with your mobile phones, gold chains and other valuables.

You know, one time, I told one man to come for Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, but he did not join us. He said, ‘What is the point going for a parikrama? I can just bath in the Ganges!’ We sing in one of the kirtans:

গঙ্গার পরশ হৈলে পশ্চাতে পাবন ।
দর্শনে পবিত্র কর এই তোমার গুণ ॥

gangara parasa haile paschate pavana
darsane pavitra kara ei tomara guna

‘After touching the Ganges, one can eventually attain salvation, but your quality is such that one can be purified just by seeing you.’

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

One becomes pure just by getting the darshan of a Vaishnav, but that man says he will bath in the Ganges!

Once, a Muslim man approached another man and asked him to give him something, addressing him as ‘mesho’ (মেসো, ‘the husband of my mother’s sister’). The man was surprised, but the Muslim man said, ‘Yes! You are my mesho! Can you not recognise me?’ The man believed him and gave him what he had asked for. After that, he went to take a bath in the Ganges. When he came out, he went around shouting, ‘Whose mesho am I? Whose mesho am I? Who took the things from me saying I was his mesho?’ [His Divine Grace laughs.]

So, we must understand what devotion to the guru is. If you want to receive gurudev’s mercy, you must ‘take birth’ in his family. What does it mean to be born in gurudev’s family, or to be part of gurudev’s lineage? It means taking shelter in gurudev and serving gurudev. Gurudev’s wealth is not his temples, great buildings or other things. Gurudev’s wealth is divine love. If you can get this kind of wealth, then there will be nothing else left to be attained. What is the use of all the temples and buildings? If you have money, you can make them, and if you do not have money, you do not need all that. Srila Jagadananda Pandit wrote that if anyone comes to the temple, you must give them prasad with affection, and if you have no prasad, you must serve them sweet words and affection. Give affection and sweet words.

— : • : —

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

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 50 Mb
Length: 104 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Free Yourself From Deceit
2) Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere
3) Chastity In Preaching
4) Cry, Pray, and Serve
5) Service: Labour of Love
6) Service: Adherence and Attachment
7) Forging Fortune
8) Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service
9) Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam
10) Keep Yourself On Track
11) Are You Getting Off?
12) Gentle Clean Hearts
13) Do Not Give Up
14) False Attachments