The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Miami, Florida, on May 7, 2006

 

(Because of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja’s health, the opportunity was not there for every devotee to have an individual personal darśana with him in his quarters. Therefore, on Sunday morning, May 7th at about 10:30, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja entered the beautifully decorated temple room at the Inverrary Hotel and Resort and held a darśana there for all. All the devotees present now could personally meet with him.

When Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja first arrived, the devotees were sitting in groups according to their respective cities. In this way, each city’s group would have the opportunity to ask their questions. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja first spoke to the entire audience:)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: We have begun our Navadvīpa project. Perhaps you know that it will be better than our Govardhana project – with a big hall, beautiful temple, library, charitable dispensary, free school and many other facilities. There will also be guest rooms where you can stay.

It is a very big project; so I want your help. If you can, please donate something to make this project successful. I am very happy, especially that Śrīpāda Kīrtanānanda prabhu has come. So many sannyāsīs have come, and devotees have come from remote places – like Śrīpāda Puru Prabhu and his family. I am very happy to meet you all.

I want you to preach my mission, just as the disciples of parama-pūjyapāda Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja preached. His disciples preached everywhere and distributed his books. I also want you to preach everywhere through books. Distribute his books and my books. Go to airports, seaports, schools, colleges, street-to-street, house-to-house – and broadcast the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Chant harināma and be happy.

But one thing – you must give proper respect to your superiors. You must certainly do this. Don’t criticize any Vaiṣṇava. Give proper honour, even to those who are not qualified, but are chanting the holy name. Don’t criticize. In this way, try to follow:

tṛṇād api su-nīcena
taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

(Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, verse 3)

[“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”]

Be humble – more so than a blade of grass. Be tolerant – more so than a tree. If you throw a stone at the tree, it will reciprocate by giving you sweet fruits. The trees don’t ask for water, or anything, for themselves. They serve all others by their bark, juice, shade, fruits, flowers and leaves. Everything they have is for others.

Vaiṣṇavas should be like that. Don’t desire your praise; rather, as others are qualified, give them honour. In this way, preach my mission as the disciples of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja preached. They preached everywhere. In a couple of years, the whole world knew, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. How wonderful this is!

He translated so many books. He established preaching centres amid oceans, in the middle of forests and everywhere else. Try to do this; by this you will be happy and others will be happy.

I have come to meet you all. My blessings are always with you.

If you have any questions, you can ask.

Parameśvarī dāsī: Gurudeva, please accept my humble obeisances. Daṇḍavats. I just wanted to ask you, are the same sinful reactions that are in the foodstuffs on Ekādaśī also there on the incarnations’ appearance days? Sometimes we break at noon.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: On Ekādaśī, and the birthdays of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, on Rāma-navamī and so on, we should not take grains. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has arranged this. If anyone does a very little effort, he will benefit so much. It is not very difficult. You can take yoghurt, milk and juice, and so many fruits, vegetables and other preparations. It is not difficult. Try to follow that.

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: You also mentioned that sometimes we break at mid-day. On Rāma-navamī we fast all day, and on days that we break at noon, we do not break with grains. We break a full fast and take Ekādaśī preparations at midday.

Vrajanātha dāsa: Gurudeva, she is asking if the same sin is in the food on the appearance days of viṣṇu-tattva and Ekādaśī.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yes, the sins are also there.

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: Now, whoever has offerings can come with their offerings and offer them to Śrīla Gurudeva.

(Many devotees stood up and formed a line that extended around the huge temple room to the hallway door so that they could meet with him, introduce new people to him, offer him gifts and speak with him. As the devotees approached him, most of them wept. They begged his blessings to serve him better, to progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to develop a taste for chanting, and some begged for initiation. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja mercifully gave his blessings for the fulfilment of all their requests.

Seeing this, all the rest of the devotees, who had previously been sitting, waiting to ask questions or just wanting to have some verbal exchanges, also entered the line. You would have had to be there, to appreciate what occurred. We have recorded some of those exchanges herein:)

Indulekhā dāsī (from New York): I need to know, when I am with your books and going around showing them to people, what should my mood be? What should my mood be with the people whom I am giving books and talking to?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: This is welfare work. You can think, “I am doing welfare for them. They should be happy by reading these books.” You are helping them.

Indulekhā dāsī: If I make some laḍḍu or burfi, can I give it to them?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Oh yes, yes.

Indulekhā dāsī: That is what we are starting to do now. We are going on harināma saṅkīrtana, and distributing books and prasādam.

. . .

Sugata dāsa: I’m Sugata dāsa. It’s so good to see you. I want to thank you so much for continuing to travel, despite your advanced age. You are helping us so much. You taught us about compassion by the way you treated so many devotees who were having problems. You gave us so much mercy. I appreciate your exemplary qualities of compassion and forgiveness towards others. It is hard to understand just how forgiving you are!

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I have so much affection for you. I remember you.

Sugata dāsa: Yes, but all the devotees are seeing how you are treating them with so much compassion. It’s a great inspiration. Thank you so much.

. . .

Devotee: This is Bhakta Danny. He has been in Iskcon for about 20 years and never got initiated. He is feeling the desire to get initiated by you, but he feels he should read your books more first. Do you think he is ready? You know his soul inside.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: You should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Can you chant? Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Follow Vaiṣṇava etiquette. Don’t take onions or garlic, and go on with your practices.

Bhakta Danny: This is my wife and brother-in-law.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Thank you. My blessings to you.

(The next morning at 6.30 am, Bhakta Danny went with his wife to Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja’s quarters, and both participated in their full initiation ceremony.)

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)