(1) Our Predicament

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Hooghly district,
26 February 2019, evening, part 1
Translated from Bengali

জলজা নবলক্ষাণি স্থাবরা লক্ষবিংশতি
কৃময়োরুদ্রসঙ্খকাঃ পক্ষিণাং দশলক্ষনম্
ত্রিংশললক্ষাণি পশবঃ চতুরলক্ষাণি মানুষাঃ

jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah chatur-laksani manusah

'There are 900,000 aquatic species; 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities (trees, plants, etc.); 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles; 1,000,000 species of birds; 3,000,000 species of beasts; and 400,000 species of humans.'

(Padma Purana, Vishnu Purana)

We have travelled through 8,400,000 species. We were born eight million times as various hills, mountains, trees, insects, beasts, birds, creepers and grass, as all kinds of species living in water. We have crossed all these thousands and thousands of births, and we have also been born as humans 400,000 times: we were born in various countries as Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, even in such wild places as Garo, Khasi and Naga. After all that, we have got this human birth. What is the purpose of this human birth? Why did we get this birth? It is necessary to know this.

Do you know what Maharaj said to me? He said, 'I came here with you in 2009. Ten years have passed, but the people at this house have still not been able to come to the proper path to practise Krishna consciousness!' I keep coming here, I keep thinking about them, but they cannot understand anything – they do not realise why they have got this human birth. The scriptures (Srimad Bhagavatam and others) tell us so many things, but if we cannot live our lives following what the scriptures tell us, then we will not be successful in our lives. One day, we will be lamenting, 'I have not been able to serve and worship Lord Krishna!'

দুর্ল্লভ মানব জন্ম লভিয়া সংসারে ।
কৃষ্ণ না ভজিনু দুঃখ কহিব কাহারে ॥

durlabha manava-janma labhiya samsare
krsna na bhajinu—duhkha kahiba kahare?

'I have got a very rare human life in this world, but I have not worshipped Lord Krishna. Whom will I tell about my misery?'

সংসার সংসার ক'রে মিছে গেল কাল ।
লাভ না হইল কিছু ঘটিল জঞ্জাল ॥

'samsara' 'samsara' kari' michhe gela kala
labha na ha-ila kichhu, ghatila janjala

'Time has passed as I have been busy with my material life, and the result is nothing—only garbage.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We have been so busy living our material lives – from the moment we are born, we become very busy with our material lives, and we have no time to call out to the Lord, to think about the Lord, we do not even think about worshipping God. That is our misfortune.

We are very unfortunate because even though we have got this rare human life, we waste it and the day will come when we will lament, 'I had a human birth, but I did not worship the Lord!' We will again have to go back to living as goats, cows, sheep, cats and all other species. That is why it is said, 'I have got a very rare human life in this world, but I have not worshipped Lord Krishna. Whom will I tell about my misery?'

Your waste all your time on material life and material family, but how long are you going to be in this world? How many lives you have already crossed? How many millions of families have you had? You have had 400,000 human families – wherever in the world you were born, in whichever caste or religion it may be, you have always had a family. Now you are born here in this Bharata-bhumi, on the holy land of India, but, bound by the illusory environment, all you know is your material life.

The problem is that we cannot give up attachment to this material world. But we have to accept it that one day we have to leave all these houses, great buildings, marbled rooms and everything else and go away. Where will all that be? Everything will stay behind. We came empty-handed and we will leave empty-handed – we cannot take anything with us. Then why be so attached? Why do you have to sit amidst all this material stool? If you have children, yes, you have to look after them, but while you are doing it, you should be living in Krishna's family (your life should be centred around the Lord), you must practise Krishna consciousness. If you do that, then the Lord will take care of all your needs.

I come here every year, and you think that I come for your rice, dal, money or potato. This is what you think, but this is not why I come. I come here so that you all can practise Krishna consciousness.

— : • : —

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