Neither Cry nor Laugh

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Bengali class
10 October 2015, part 6

There are many examples in this world—Bharat Maharaj gave up his mother, Prahlad Maharaj gave up his father. Many ask, "Did Bali Maharaj give up his Guru?" Yes, he did. There are many who come to the Guru for want of money and other things—but you must ask yourself first, "Do you love yourself or your Guru more? Do you love the Lord or yourself more?" Examine yourself.

Guru Maharaj said that sometimes there were so many problems that he was not able to tolerate it and wanted to run away to the USA and stay there. When I said I did not understand what he meant, he said I would understand it later. I am remembering now that when I returned from Australia, Gurudev was in Kolkata at that time, he told me to come close and, grasping my hand, asked me, "So many problems will come, will you run away?" I said, "No, Guru Maharaj. As long as I have a drop of blood in this body, I will not run away."

Some time ago, I went to Ekachakra, and got the news that somebody had sent some gundas to kill me. I felt neither sad nor happy—it's neither something awful nor exciting. Everyone has to die one day, so what is it to me? I neither cry nor laugh.

Such is the mood of Vaishnavs—there is never any sadness or grief. Happiness, unhappiness, grief, separation, joy—everything is the same. A few days ago I got the news that one of my godbrothers had hung himself. He was not a very good person, and the person who told it to me seemed happy. I asked him, "Does this make you happy? Why does this come to your mind? He may be my friend or my enemy, but he was Gurudev's disciple, he took initiation, chanted the Holy Name."

Several days ago, it was ekadasi, a group of devotees went to the ocean in Venezuela. You know that many people come to the ocean in Puri, pay obeisance to the ocean and swim in it. The ocean is a maha-tirtha (a great place of pilgrimage), but people go there and every year somebody breaks their legs or drowns there, only this year I think it did not happen. We must not go to the ocean for our own enjoyment. Anyhow, devotees went there to swim and one of them drowned.

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We do not have the fortune that Pariksit Maharaj had—he was very fortunate and got a seven-days' notice that he would leave his body. Khatvanga Maharaj got a forty-eight-minutes' notice, but we do not even know if we will die in seven minutes. If we were to know that we are going to die in seven minutes, we could give up everything and think about the Lord, but we do not have that kind of fortune. We can leave this body at any moment, and only the Lord can give us the solution to this problem. We must surrender to His lotus feet.

নিজের পোষণ কভু না ভাবিব
রহিব ভাবের ভরে ।

nijera posana, kabhu na bhaviba,
rahiba bhavera bhare

"I will never think about my own maintenance; I will always remain within the shelter of loving attachment for You."

(Saranagati, 19)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur writes this in the kirtan "Sarvasva tomara charane sampiya." In the morning, we also sing the kirtan,

জীব জাগ, জীব জাগ, গোরাচাঁদ বলে ।
কত নিদ্রা যাও মায়া-পিশাচীর কোলে ॥

jiva jaga, jiva jaga, gorachanda bale
kata nidra yao maya-pisachira kole

Sri Gorachand says, "O souls, awake! O souls, awake! How much longer will you sleep in the lap of the witch Maya?"

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says this for our sake—how long will you sleep in the lap of the witch Maya? How long will you choke and struggle in the waters of maya?

(michhe) mayara bese, yachchha bhese,
khachchha habudubu bhai

Brother, you are swimming in maya for nothing, sometimes coming up to surface, sometimes choking and struggling.

radha-krsna bol bol bolore sabai

Say, "Hare Krishna"! Say, "Hare Krishna"! All of you, say it!

— : • : —

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