(2/8) Busy Lives

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme, 18 April 2019, part 2
Translated from Bengali

We must chant the Holy Name in the association of saints.

সাধুসঙ্গে কৃষ্ণনামে—এই মাত্র চাই ।
সংসার জিনিতে আর কোন বস্তু নাই ॥

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

'I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of sadhus. There is no other way to conquer this material world.'

অসাধুসঙ্গে ভাই কৃষ্ণনাম নাহি হয় ।
নামাক্ষর বাহিরায় বটে তবু নাম কভু নয় ॥

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

'Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does.'

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13, 7.1)

Without good association, you can chant what will sound like 'Hare Krishna' but it will not be the Holy Name. It is said in the scriptures:

হরে কৃষ্ণ নাম জপ অবিরাম
যে কই দিন আছে ত প্রাণ

hare krsna nama japa abhiram
ye kai dina dehe achhe ta prana

'Incessantly chant the Holy Name of "Hare Krishna" for as long as you have life in this body.'

Because we have life in this body, we can speak, we can move, we can walk – the Lord has given us so many facilities, and we take and enjoy them. We enjoy the Lord's sunlight, wind, air, water, and so on. The Lord has arranged for the Sun to give light, for the rain to fall to nourish crops, for the wind to blow, for the oxygen so that we could breathe. We do so many things in our lives, we go to so many places – the Lord has arranged and made everything possible for us. Despite that, we still want more and more. We should be content with whatever we get, with whatever we need to get by, not more than that. If I can satisfy my thirst with a glass of water, what is the use for me to think about a whole ocean of water.

Our main focus in life should be kindness to others (jive daya), attachment to chanting the Holy Name (Name ruchi) and service to Vaishnavs (vaisnava-seva). Being kind to others means that we should bring to this path the souls who have turned away from the Lord and are going in the wrong way (the path of Maya). There are people in this world who dress as gurus and take people down the wrong way. Such people cheat themselves and cheat others.

We must always think about our guru, about Vaishnavs and about the Lord because it is not possible to get anything without their mercy. If we can always associate with sadhus and get benefit in this way, we can come to the Lord. We turned away from the Lord and have been living in aversion to Him since time immemorial. We have crossed so many births: goats, cows, sheep, cats, snakes, frogs, dogs, pigs. How many times we were born before! You can see all these species living their miserable lives... The problem is that even when you get this precious human birth you simply waste it.

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.'

কিসের সংসার এই, ছায়াবাজী প্রায় ।
ইহাতে মমতা করি' বৃথা দিন যায় ॥

kisera samsara ei chhayabaji praya
ihate mamata kari vrtha dina yaya

'What sort of world is this? It is only a trick, a show. While I affectionately take it as my own, days pass by in vain.'

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.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We never think that we can die this very moment. We always think, 'I still have time, I still have many years to live! I will do so many things!' but in fact nobody knows when we will have to leave this body. Our bodies are given to us by our biological parents – if you compare your blood to the blood of your parents, you will see that it is the same blood; but our parents did not create us. Where do we come from? We are souls. When we leave these bodies, the bodies will be taken to a crematorium on the bank of the Ganges and burnt there; but that which we are (our souls) will get another body according to our past actions: as you sow, so you reap.

The main thing is that we have got this human body to chant the Lord's Names and glories, to serve the Lord. That is why it is said, 'Sevonmukhe kaha Krsna Nam (সেবোন্মুখে কহে কৃষ্ণনাম). Chant the Holy Name with service mood.' You think that you do not have time to chant the Holy Name – many of you come up with all kinds of excuses. People have two hands (hat, হাত), but there is one more hand – excuses (ajuhat, অজুহাত). You say that you have no time to chant the Holy Name, but you can sit fifteen minutes in the bathroom to pass stool – then sit there and chant the Holy Name. What is the problem? What problem can there be?

You are always thinking about your bodies: How will I live? What will I eat? What will I wear? What will happen? You only keep worrying and worrying about their bodies, but you can lose this body at any moment – even if it is ten years later or fifty years later, you will still have to leave it. You always worry, 'What will I do?', 'Where will I eat?', 'Where will I sleep?', 'Where will I live?' You always think about your temporary, perishable bodies. This is how this world is. But nobody actually thinks about their own interest. Nobody thinks about themselves, about their souls and about their souls' benefit...

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 20 Mb
Length: 42 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Life in Hari-Kirtan
2) Busy Lives
3) Your Responsibility
4) No Shortcuts
5) Sacrifice to Thrive
6) No Double Standards
7) Selfless Devotion
8) Serve with Heart and Soul