“Association: Benefit or Pleasure?” Srila B. N. Acharya Maharaj. 25 June 2001. Russia, Saint Petersburg, Lakhta

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Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj

Association: Benefit or Pleasure?

_{(25 June 2001. Russia, Saint Petersburg, Lakhta)}

_{https://www.scsmathinternational.com/guidance/2001/010625-AssociationBenefitOrPleasure.php}

We are very fortunate today because we have got some association of the Vaishnavs and the devotees of Sriman Mahaprabhu. This kind of opportunity does not actually come every day, so we are very glad that we have got the association of all Guru-varga, all the devotees of Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani, and Sriman Mahaprabhu, as well as our godbrothers and godsisters.

So, first I am paying dandavat to my Gurupadpadma, who is nondifferent from Nityananda Prabhu—Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; to all my Guru-varga, as well as all the devotees, godbrothers and godsisters. I am also paying dandavat to all those fortunate souls who have come here and joined this programme.

Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur always said that there is preyo (প্রেয়) and there is sreyo (শ্রেয়). Preyo is what your mind chooses for itself, what makes your mind happy. For example, you see somebody perform a dance here, and you think, “Oh, what a good dance!” It is a pleasure for your mind, but it is actually not useful for your transcendental life. That is called preyo. And sreyo is something that is useful, or beneficial, to your transcendental life—your mind may not necessarily be pleased to hear it, but if you hear such things, it will actually give benefit to your life.

I think you are very fortunate souls because you are all waiting to hearing Vaishnavs’ Hari-katha. Chaitanya-charitamrita said,

ঈশ্বরের কৃপা-লেশ হয় ত’ যাহারে ।
সেই ত’ ঈশ্বর-তত্ত্ব জানিবারে পারে ॥

īśvarera kṛpā-leśa haya ta’ yāhāre
sei ta’ īśvara-tattva jānibāre pare

“Only those who receive even a trace of the Lord’s mercy, can understand the Lord” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 6.83).

Only those who have previous sukriti—who has got mercy from Krishna, from Gurudev, from Chaitanyadev—can learn, can teach, can hear this type of Hari-katha from the Vaishnavs.

Actually, we do not know where our house is,

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

“Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper” (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 19.151).

We have been born here many times—we do not know what our address is, we have lost our address. Who is a fortunate soul? It is the soul who has got the association of Guru and Vaishnav, and having got that association the fortunate souls gets the seed of devotion.

You know that our Gurupadpadma has actually come here to distribute the devotional seed—to everybody, all fallen souls. If somebody is a sincere seeker, if somebody has some sincerity, humility, some tolerance, and above all if somebody has desire, then our Gurupadpadma will distribute that seed to them. First it is necessary to have desire—if you have desire, then you will get mercy from the Guru and Vaishnavs...

You know that our Mission’s name is Chaitanya Saraswata Math, and the Founder Acharya is Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Before Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur disappeared, Srila Sridhar Maharaj got some special mercy from him:

Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was showing his illness lila, and at that time he ordered Srila Sridhar Maharaj, “I want to hear the song ‘Sri Rupa Manjari pada.’” There was somebody there who had a good voice, and he started to sing the song, but Prabhupad got angry, “I do not want his voice! I do not want to hear his tune. I want to hear this song from Srila Sridhar Maharaj.”

After Srila Prabhupad’s disappearance, Param Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, went to the birthplace of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu to ask Nityananda Prabhu for His mercy. At that time, Srila Sridhar Maharaj did not want to make any disciples, but when he came to Nityananda Prabhu’s house and asked Him for mercy, Nityananda Prabhu said to him, “You are asking Me for mercy, but you yourself have so much wealth. You must distribute it first.” From that day, Srila Sridhar Maharaj decided, “I have to take disciples...” It was 1941–1942.

When our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj) joined the temple, he was seventeen years old at that time, and just seven days after he came Srila Sridhar Maharaj already decided, “I have got my successor—he will be the successor and continue this temple.” And our Guru Maharaj, Srila Govinda Maharaj, has been serving his Gurudev heart and soul.

Why did he actually come here to Russia? His health was not good, and before coming here he was very sick, but he said, “My Russian devotees are very dear to me, they love me and I cannot ignore that, I cannot ignore this program. I must go there—even if I die, it is not a problem. I will serve Krishna, even if my life goes, if my body goes, it is not a problem—I must go to Russia.” And he said to me also, “Please come with me.” And we came. (I came out of India for the first time.)

So, Srila Guru Maharaj is coming tomorrow and from tomorrow he will give his association to you all. This time will not come for everybody, so you should come, do not lose this opportunity. Also, more sannyasis are coming soon to give their association to you all. You must all come and join these programmes.

Actually, we do not know the value of things, we are like babies. When you give some medicine to a baby, the baby does not understand, “If I take this medicine, it will cure me, and my health will be better.” The baby can take the medicine one time, but if it is bitter, it will not take it again—the parents will have to give the medicine with some sweet...