(8/8) Where Will You Run?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Radhastami, evening, Siliguri
6 September 2019, part 8
Translated from Bengali

You have strength now, you have good legs, so go for parikrama. One day you will not be able to walk so well anymore or you will be stuck at home with your grandchildren – at that time, even if you want to, you will not be able to go for parikrama. Is what I am saying right or wrong? The saddest thing is that when we have strength and have an opportunity to do dham-parikrama, we lose this chance. When we were young, we enjoyed and had much fun, but now old age has come and we cannot enjoy anymore. You must dry rice paddy when there is sun (strike iron when it is hot). The problem is that 'you know the value of your teeth only when they are gone' (দাঁত থাকতে দাঁতের মর্যাদা বোঝে না). Therefore, it is my prayer to you all: practise Krishna consciousness while you have time. You think, 'I will practise spiritual life when I get old. Now I can eat everything, so I want to enjoy, but if I take initiation, who will I be able to live without my favourite ilish [fish] fried in mustard oil! How can I take initiation?'

জিহ্বার লালসে যেই ইতি-উতি ধায় ।
শিশ্নোদরপরায়ণ সে কৃষ্ণ নাহি পায় ॥

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

'One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.227)

Only because of the cravings of our tongues, we cannot give up small things to attain great things. You can come to the Lord, you can reach the abode of the Lord! Or do you want to be born as cows, goats, sheep, cats? You think, 'Well, let us wait and see. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I can see about it later. I have good teeth now, so I want to chew paan and eat nice things.' Some people also chew tabacco and smoke, they live doing wrong things... People gamble, mix with women. These things are prohibited by the scriptures, but we live our lives, finishing our allotted time, in this way...

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)

Nobody knows when you are going to die – day by day, moment by moment your lives are passing, coming to an end. Brother, where will you run? Lord Yama is always there breathing down your neck.

জীবন অনিত্য জানহ সার
তাহে নানাবিধ বিপদ-ভার ।

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara

'Know that the main thing is that life is temporary and filled with all sorts of danger.'

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

This life is not eternal! You can leave at any time. You have time now, so do not delay – practise Krishna consciousness now. Chant the Lord's Name (say, 'Hari!') now! Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says, 'It is my request to you – let the nectar of the Holy Name take over you just once (eka-bara nama-rase mata re)!' Brother, chant the Lord's Name just once! Sriman Nityananda Prabhu told Jagai and Madhai, 'Brothers, say "Hari" just once! You have hit Me, you have drawn My blood, but I do not care, just say "Hari" with your mouths!' He rescued fallen, lowly souls like that, and Sri Gurupadpadma is non-different from Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Radharani...

You must continue serving the Lord remembering him. This is the prayer I am submitting at your holy feet. Whether you are happy or unhappy, always chant the Holy Name of the Lord. No matter what obstacles, dangers or difficulties come, no matter how much suffering and pain comes in our lives, may we never forget Krishna-kirtan; may we never become removed from service to the Lord, from chanting His glories. May we never stop chanting His glories.

When we forget to chant the Lord's glories and practise spiritual life (practise kirtan), when we forget to listen about the Lord, then all kinds of things from our external environment will pounce at us and we will not be able to do anything. It will be too late. Then you will lament, 'What have I done?!' You have got this human birth, but if you waste it, you will have to again roam around and become born so many times – you will have to be born millions of times again with no end in sight.

You can see flies, mosquitoes, cats and dogs live very dirty lives, eating dirty things. You pass stool, and pigs and dogs come and eat it. You have cooked nice paneer rasa today, but if you tell a pig, 'Here, have some!' the pig will not eat it, and if you bring it a bucket of stool, it will be very happy, 'Oh, I have got such a good meal!' Srila Guru Maharaj said that when we were born as pigs, cats or tigers, we ate so much. For example, when we were born as elephants, we ate so many banana trees; when we were born as pigs, we ate so many heaps of stool. Now we are born as humans and think that our hunger can be satisfied with just a hundred grams of rice. It never will because the more you eat, sleep, fear and procreate, the more you will want to do it.

Sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs have given you a very nice solution to this kind of life, but in order to take advantage of their solution – to get those great things – it is necessary to give small things. That is why we come and tell you all: practise Krishna consciousness. What is said in the scriptures, what is told by Vedavyas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and even what Lord Krishna told Arjuna, it is all said for our benefit, but we forget it. Covered by Maya, we become cheated out of service to Lord Krishna and end up spending our lives roaming everywhere, doing all kinds of nonsense. Our Gurupadpadma gives us guidance as to how we can escape this illusory environment and engage ourselves in the service of the Lord, and thus attain the highest benefit. We must understand it.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

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Size: 34 Mb
Length: 70 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Auspicious Life – Auspicious Deeds
2) Mercy Is the Master Key
3) Soul's Estrangement
4) Guru's Potent Proximity
5) Guru Is All-In-All
6) 'Jay Gurudev!'
7) Great Things Come from Great Mercy
8) Where Will You Run?