Mind and Heart: Be Careful

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 22 February 2015

We want to conquer the whole world, but we cannot even conquer ourselves—there are so many enemies inside us that are obstacles to the devotional activities. Lust, anger, greed, and so on—we have so many material things within, and they are pulling us, taking us each their own way. That is why if we get good association, sadhu-sanga, it will gradually give some solution to these problems, otherwise slowly, slowly they will only increase. If a material desire is coming to your heart, you must finish it at the beginning, otherwise day by day it will increase and you will fall down, you will leave your spiritual life. We must be always careful.

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুর-গুরুর কৃপা বিনা না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya,
sadhur-gurur krpa vina na dekhi upaya,

"It is not possible to conquer maya by illusory environment (by engaging in maya), but it is only possible to get relief by the mercy of Guru, Vaishnav."

Without the mercy of the Guru, Vaishnavs, Bhagavan, you cannot conquer maya.

We have twenty-four hours' time, but these twenty-four hours are Krishna's time, not ours. If even for a moment you think of something that is not related to Krishna—if your mind goes to another place—that is bad for you. Always think about the Lord, think about your Guru, think about Krishna.

Who is my friend? Who is my enemy? I am my own friend, and I am my own enemy. If I cannot give benefit to myself, who is going to give it to me? You must do good for yourself, and for that you must come one step towards the Lord, and Krishna will come ten steps towards you, but you must make the first step. Continue your practising life in this way and you will eventually succeed in your spiritual life.

তোমার সেবায় যত হয় দুঃখ, সেও ত' পরম সুখ, tomara sevaya yata haya duhkha, seo ta' parama sukha (Saranagati, 16.4): so much unhappiness and so many problems will come through your service—it is impossible to harmonise with everybody, so some problem must come—but do not leave your service at that time. Do you understand? Try to be attached to your service.

Gurudev would always say that everybody is doing some service, but only a few people have attachment to their service. Attachment to the service, seva-asakti (সেবা-আসক্তি), is good and it is necessary to have it. If you have attachment to your service, then you will be happy, you will always be glad, and you will think, "I want to do more, I want to do more..." Such mood will come. If, however, you have material desires in your heart—if have the desire for liberation, the desire for enjoyment, or exploitation in your heart, then you will not get happiness. You will be doing something, but happiness will not come to your mind because of these desires in your heart. Mahaprabhu said,

ভুক্তি-মুক্তি আদি-বাঞ্ছা যদি মনে হয় ।
সাধন করিলেও প্রেম উৎপন্ন না হয় ॥

bhukti-mukti adi-vancha yadi mane haya
sadhana karileo prema utpanna na haya

"If you have material desires, if you want liberation, enjoyment, some mystic powers, and so on, then even if you practise all life, or life after life, prem, divine love, will not come."

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.175

We get proud and want to enjoy, but who is the actual enjoyer? Krishna is the enjoyer. We are not the enjoyers. In the same way, we cannot renounce anything. Whose property are you going to renounce? Nothing is yours, so you cannot leave what is others'. Everything is Krishna's property, and everything is for service to Krishna. Some think they are bhogi (an enjoyer), some think they are tyagi (a renunciate), but you can be neither an enjoyer nor a renouncer. That is why it is said, "ভোগ ত্যাগ, ত্যাগ ত্যাগ, bhog tyag, tyag tyag: renounce enjoyment and renounce renouncing." We must understand this clearly.

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