Crossing Over Material Existence

In my young days, I woke up early to study Sanskrit. Early morning was the only time when I could study because I was engaged with many services all day. So, I had to get up early. This is how the habit to wake up early has come to me, and now I feel that four or five hours of sleep is sufficient for me.

It would be very good if we could develop habits in favour of our service lives. For example, the morning arati started at four o'clock every day. I would come to Srila Guru Maharaj's room at 3:30 a.m. every day, and if the pujari was even a little late, Srila Guru Maharaj would tell me, 'Go and ring the bell. It is four o'clock already.' This is how Guru Maharaj taught us.

An idle mind is the devil's workshop. When devotees chant Hare Krishna and start dozing off (if they chant and sleep), it is very bad. They are practising, no doubt, but which way and what are they practising? Chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is not a dead matter. There are some minimal rules and regulations, that is, we must chant without offences. Sleeping and chanting is one kind of offence to Harinam. If we do it, it means that we do not chant properly.

When we chant, we should pray to Lord Krishna, 'Please appear in my heart.' Both Nama (the Name) and Nami (the bearer of the Name, Krishna) are transcendental and non-different from one another, so we must pray to Harinam, and that prayer must be perfect, otherwise we cannot chant Harinam properly. We may not be able to chant properly, but we should try heart and soul, then one day it can become genuine chanting and Krishna must appear in our hearts. But if we do not try, then Krishna has many other things to do – He has many other devotees to meet with – why will He appear in my heart?

Mahaprabhu inaugurated congregational chanting. For example, if I talk with you, if I chant with you, then you will follow me and I will follow you – both you and I will be benefitted, and also our minds will not wander off in another direction. But if I am alone, then my mind will immediately wander off. If I do some service together with others, it will bring me more benefit than if I serve alone. For example, I can be cleaning my room but thinking about my wife, or I am cleaning my room and thinking about my husband, about my son, daughter or other relatives. But if I serve together with other Vaishnavs, then our joint work will take on a transcendental form – it may not be really transcendental but it will go towards the transcendental way. That is why association is always necessary for the conditioned soul.

I am very happy when devotees come from many corners of this mundane world. I think that the vibration of the transcendental world also comes together with the devotees, to enliven us. When I see devotees present here, I feel very enthusiastic.

This is how my whole life has passed, either in the association of Srila Guru Maharaj or devotees. We are always trying to continue non-stop. Many things can come in our lives, and many things are also coming, but our programme must not stop.

bhumau skhalitapadanam, bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam, tvam eva saranam prabho

"For those who have stumbled and fallen upon the ground, that very ground is the only support by which they can arise once again. Likewise, for those who have offended You, O Lord, You alone are their only refuge."

When a baby tries to walk, he sometimes falls down on the ground, but he does not give up – taking the help of that same ground, he again tries to get up and walk again. As he gets more strength, he is able to walk little by little, and day by day he will grow and begin to run a hundred meters, two hundred meters, five hundred meters, and so on. Our position is also like that. We live in this mundane world, so we have to take some help from it; otherwise, we cannot run because our bodies are now mundane bodies, our feelings are now mundane feelings, and everything we see is also mundane. Despite that, we keep searching for the spirit (the soul) and the transcendental potency. This is how we must proceed.

Sometimes it may be not so easy to proceed because many disturbances come up. Disturbances must come – a whole big jungle of disturbances will come – but we must pass everything. There is an example given in Srimad Bhagavad-gita. There is a very dangerous river which the Pancha Pandavas crossed over because they depended upon Krishna, the helmsman of their boat. This verse is not included in all versions of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, but I put it there in Srila Guru Maharaj's Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

bhisma-drona-tata jayadratha-jala gandhara-nilotpala
salya-grahavati krpena vahani karnena vela-kula
asvatthama-vikarna-ghora-makara duryodhanavartini
sottirna khalu pandavai rana-nadi kaivartakah kesavah

'One bank is Bhisma, the other Dronacharya; Jayadratha is the water; the sons of Gandhari, the blue lotus flower; Salya, the crocodile; Krpa, the waves; Karna, the shore; Asvatthama, Vikarna and company, the fearful sharks; Duryodhana, the whirlpool; and Kesava is the boatman of this river of the battle that was crossed by the Pandavas.'

The Pancha Pandavas easily crossed over that river by the mercy and with the help of Krishna. Bhisma and Drona are compared to both banks of the river, Jayadrath is like the water, the sons of Gandhari are blue lotus flowers, Salya and others are like crocodiles and sharks that can immediately cut your legs, Duryodhana is like a whirlpool that can drown you in a second... I cannot express it properly in English, but the idea is that there was very much disturbance, but the Pandavas crossed over that river with Krishna's help.

So, if we keep ourselves engaged in service, then we will feel less disturbance. At the same time, there is disturbance even in service, too. If our guardian is clever and perfect, then we can easily cross over all disturbances and difficulties and we will have no problem.

 — : • : — 

<<< Back to the main page

Other discourses by His Divine Grace:

• Our Logo
• Chayoa ("A Wish")
• Appearance of Sri Gaura
• The Wonderful Nature of the Vaisnava
• Sripad Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj
• A Miracle and Wealth of Our Mission
• Sripad Rishabdev Prabhu: A Miracle Personality
• Sri Gaurahari Bhakti Sampad Prabhu
• About Sripad Saurindranath Bhakti Varidhi Mahodaya
• On the Appearance Day of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur
• Sri Ramananda Ray Prabhu
• The Greatest Gift of Sri Vedavyas
• A Separation Day
• Mahaprabhu's Directives
• "Do Not Despair"
• The Pain of Broken Hearts
• Sincerity and Chastity
• "Merry Christmas"
• Curb Your Curiosity
• Crossing Over Material Existence
• Bound by Affection
• Attachment to the Conception

Many more books and publications are available in the Library