Not a Game

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Translated from Bengali, part 2
9 February 2018, Hooghly District

Gurudev said all the time: everybody does some service, but how many have attachment to their service? How many have seva-pravrtti (service mood), seva-vrtti (service engagement)? Gurudev always said that everybody is doing some service, but only very small percent has attachment to their own service. Everybody has some attachment, but nobody has all attachment to their service.

We must be serious about our spiritual matters, spiritual life. It is not a play, it is not childish games. You must be serious about your spiritual life. That is the main thing. Whatever you do, you must do it seriously. For example, if somebody studies something, they have some aim in life, "I will be a scientist," "I will be a lawyer," "I will be a judge," "I will be a big personality." There must always be some aim in life. Just as a boat cannot run without the helmsman, in the same way life cannot run without an aim. Gurudev always said that everybody is doing some service, but it is very rare to get somebody who is attached to their service, who has sincerity. Sincerity is very rare, what to speak of chastity—chastity is very far. First it is necessary to have sincerity, nistha, then attachment (asakti)—attachment is necessary—then taste (ruchi). There are nine principle devotional practices, and everybody must have strong attachment to their service. Not everybody is attached to their service, as a result they cannot prosper in their spiritual life or their material life. You must understand it.

When I was coming here, a railway gate was closed and the cars on both sides could not pass it. I was thinking how much sincerity the man who closes and opens the gate must have. So many lives depend on his hand—if a train is coming and he keeps the gate open, many people will die, then you can understand how careful he must be. What will happen if a train is coming but he falls asleep and forgets to close the gate? The man must do his service properly, and he must be always alert.

I was also remembering how a few years ago terrorists attacked the American Centre in Park Street, Kolkata. They were so careless. The terrorists attacked when the workers were changing their duty shift. The shift changed at 6 o'clock—the next shift was coming and the previous shift was leaving—suddenly two terrorists attacked the American Centre at that time. Many policemen, many military men died. How? The terrorists knew that when they were changing shifts, everybody's attention was loose—those who were leaving were tired, and those who were coming were still adjusting and settling. We must be alert at every moment in our spiritual life—maya can attack at any time.

Maya is always alert, and you must also be always alert. Maya is always alert, "As soon as I get a hole, I will attack that jiva soul." Maya is always searching for this opportunity. As soon as somebody becomes detached from their seva, maya attacks them. As the jiva soul is going closer to the Lord, maya pulls them from behind and throws them into her net, but just as when fish gets caught into a net, it splashes and tries so hard to get out, we too must try in the same way not to fall into the net of maya. Maya is always alert and always waits to catch us and take us away from the service of the Lord. When you come to this path of chanting the Holy Name, whatever obstacles and dangers you encounter are all maya.

You can see thousands of people everywhere in this world—thousands get off the train at Howrah, at Sheldah station, get off the airplane, etc. The other day I was driving through Tollygunge bypass road and saw hundreds of cars. I was thinking we were going to some place for the service of the Lord, but those people were going pursuing their own business. You can see how busy the Kolkata roads are at twelve or six o'clock. How busy people are for their own food, for their own clothes, for their own sense-gratification, for their own enjoyment and happiness. The whole day, from early morning to sunset, they spent in worries—they have no time to think about anything, they do not even think that they must keep some time to think about the Lord. I was sitting in the car and kept thinking about it time and time again these people of the illusory world fall into the illusory bondage and they are so busy all the time, they have no time for anything.

On the train, you have time to have some tea, you have time to read a newspaper, to chat with others, but once you get off the train you can see how busy everybody gets. You can die at any time, this life can end at any second, but people do not think about it. Sadhus approach them, "Please take this book for ten-fifty rupees. Read it, you will get benefit," but they say, "I have no time to read. I have no time at all!" You can see how maya attacks them, how these souls live within the bondage of maya. Sadhus and acharyas always think about them...

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