(3/10) Relief of Surrender

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama Adhivas, evening
Sri Nrisingha Palli, 22 March 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

We have come here to practise Krishna consciousness. We have not come to this line to pretend. To become a sadhu and to dress as a sadhu are not the same thing. There are many people in this world who only dress as sadhus. I have told you about it. Gurudev also said, ‘Be a sadhu, do not just dress yourselves as one.’ It is very difficult to become a sadhu, but it is very easy to pretend or dress as one. You do not need to tell anyone about service, you must do service.

We have come here for Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. I have heard many times from many devotees that if we do this parikrama, there will be an outbreak of coronavirus, but we believe in ‘Marabi rakhabi, yo ichchha tohara. Whether the Lord kills me or saves me, it is up to Him. If He wants to kill, He will kill, and if He wants to save, He will save’ (Saranagati). Despite coronavirus I did not stop preaching. I have been going house to house to many places, collecting rice, dal and other bhoga, preaching and speaking Hari-katha. Sometimes a police car stopped us, but I spoke to them, explained it to them, and we continued our way. I will speak Hari-katha, I will speak about the Lord despite coronavirus. This is always my mood. This is how, by continuously speaking this Hari-katha to you all, I have brought you here to do Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. So, please try to do this parikrama well. Do not fight with one another about the rooms, food and other small things (‘I have not got a place!’, ‘I have not got a room!’, ‘I have not got this!’, ‘I have not got that!’). How long will you continue sleeping in the lap of the witch Maya?

You know, many think, ‘This is my husband’, ‘This is my son’, ‘This is my child’, and so on. People always think, ‘He is mine’ and obstruct their husband’s or son’s coming to this path. They think, ‘My husband belongs to me. I will enjoy with him.’ You may enjoy with a body, but you cannot enjoy with the person – the person can leave you and come here (the Lord can take him away from you). I always tell you that our parents have given us these bodies, but they have not given us that who we are. Those who know, or have studied, some science can understand this. Even in science, they call parents ‘a biological father’ and ‘a biological mother’. These biological parents give us these bodies, they put some genes in our blood (if you check your blood group, you will see that you have your father’s and mother’s blood mixed in you). But, although they have given us these bodies, they have not given us that who we are.

We have come here to serve the Lord, but we have fallen into illusory bondage and forgotten about it. We have been oblivious to it since time immemorial, but sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs come to us out of great mercy:

তব নিজ-জন, কোন মহাজনে,
পাঠাইয়া দিলে তুমি ॥
দয়া করি মোরে, পতিত দেখিয়া,
কহিল আমারে গিয়া ।

tava nija-jana, kona mahajane,
pathaiya dile tumi
daya kari more, patita dekhiya,
kahila amare giya

‘I have fallen into this vile material world, but You have sent a great soul, Your associate, to me. Seeing me so fallen, he took pity on me and came to me and said…’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

So, I am praying to you all: please do not obstruct those who want to practise Krishna consciousness. I have tested so many people. I have brought so many people to the temple so that they can take shelter in gurudev, but then I see that many wives take their husbands as objects of enjoyment and in the end their husbands leave them (they leave this world). The Lord says, ‘Do you think that you are going to enjoy My property?’ He takes the soul away and throws the body at them. What will you do with the body? A few hours after death it starts to stink! You think so much about this body (its skin, nose, ears, and so on), but this is only a body. The inner substance, the life force, is given by the Lord. The Lord gives it of His own accord and He can take it away of His own accord, too. So, you must not obstruct those who want to serve the Lord. When somebody has got back this fortune to serve the Lord, you must never obstruct such people. The Lord cannot tolerate this. If you do this, the Lord will teach you a good lesson.

This is Krishna consciousness. You must understand that you and your body are not one and the same thing.

— : • : —

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Parikrama Adhvias: Forsake Your Happiness
2) Parikrama Adhvias: Fixed In Service
3) Relief of Surrender
4) Our Eternal Campaign
5) 'May You Always Remain In This Line'
6) Know the Relationship
7) Devotional Attachment
8) Seva Bhumi
9) Follow Vaishnavs' Example
10) Live a Sheltered Service Life