(4/14) Pivotal Difference

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly district,
26 February 2019, noon, part 4
Translated from Bengali

Think about this.

We live in this world every single day, and in order to be able to do that we kill thousands and thousands of living entities. Every day. Is killing other souls every day not a sin? We breathe in and out the whole day, and so many living entities enter our bodies with each breath we make and die inside our bodies – none of them survive. We drink water, and so many living entities enter our bodies with that water and die inside us. We eat rice, and to eat it we kill so many rice paddy plants. What to speak of outside people, they are even worse – they kill goats, chickens, sheep, cats, etc. Still, even sadhus eat cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, gourd and other plants – do they not hurt and make other souls suffer, too? Even when you drink milk, the cow that the milk comes from also ate grass – the cow pinches and bites grass, and the grass can also feel that pain. So, we are all partaking of a sinful life. We are all submerged into sin. This is explained and described in Srimad Bhagavatam.

So, what is the solution to such a sinful life? How can we avoid the reaction for all these sins? It is described very nicely in Srimad Bhagavad-gita. If you read it on your own, you may not understand its meaning properly. But what you must understand is that everything that is created in this world is created for the pleasure of the Lord. You come to cut some plant thinking that you are cutting it for yourselves (to eat it yourselves), but you must not do that. Do you live only to eat? Many people are like that. But do you live to eat or do you live to serve God? We must live with the purpose to serve God. Why does the Lord keep us alive? To serve Him. So, when we cut some vegetable and take some rice, we cook it and then offer it for Lord Govinda's pleasure (bhog) – we use all these things in His service. If you can do that, then there is no sin in doing it because you are not doing anything for yourselves.

You must serve the Lord every single day, eternally. You offer bhog to the Deities and arrange for a day-long kirtan at home one day – God eats your offering, and the rest 364 days of the year you eat everything yourselves – it does not work like that. Just as we eat every day, we must also feed the Lord every day. Do you understand this? You must feed the Lord every day. You must serve the Lord every single day – you must chant kirtan of the Lord (chant the glories and the Holy Names of the Lord) every single day, you must listen about the Lord every single day.

I told you yesterday – how can you get out of this material world? You keep coming and going. One time, you are born in a cow's family. Another time, you are born in a goat's family. After that, you are born in a cat's family, a snake's family, a frog's family, a fish's family, a dog's family, a pig's family, a mosquito's family, and so on. Coming and going in this way, you finally have got a human birth, but if you waste this lifetime, you will have to go back to all those other species. You have got the highest, the most precious birth now. You think that now that you are born as a human, that is the end, but if you get this human birth but do not think about God, do not understand God – if you do not do what you are supposed to do having got this human birth – then you will have to be demoted and be born again and again as all those lower species.

Your life revolves around eating, sleeping, fearing and procreating, but even dogs and goats live like this. I have just told you that dogs roam the streets in search of food, and the people in our country, and all over the world also, roam the streets in search of food and money, worrying, 'Where can I find some money? How can I earn some money? When will I be paid?' So, what is the difference between us and animals then? Somebody sleeps in a shabby house, somebody sleeps in a five-storey mansion – both sleep in the same way. A street dog has no house, so it sleeps on the street. Some dogs sleep all day and start roaming around at night. Yesterday when I was in the car, there was a dog lying on the street, and even when we blew the horn, it did not budge. When you stop the car, get out of the car and come to chase it, then only does it move away. You can understand how leisurely dogs relax and sleep! Even street dogs enjoy their sleep. Eating, sleeping, fearing and procreating. Even dogs procreate and increase their families – they, too, have children. Even pigs have children. They do the same thing as we. What is the difference then? We eat, sleep, fear for our lives and procreate, and animals do the same thing. We are busy with our material lives and families, and animals are also busy with the same things. What is the difference then? The difference appears when and if we practise Krishna consciousness – if we try to know and serve God. If we think about higher things, about God, then there will be difference between us and animals. It is necessary to remember this. Do not ever forget this.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Bound and Benumbed
2) Within and Without
3) Think about Your Actual Self
4) Pivotal Difference
5) Forget Me Not
6) Antidote to Material Life
7) Mixing in Adulteration
8) Wholesome Life
9) Devoured by Darkness
10) Spiritual Power
11) Depths of Devotion
12) Guard Your Spiritual Purity
13) Focus on Lord's Happiness
14) Pure Devotees' Pure Hankering