(7/22) Come to Krishna's Family

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bolpur, noon, 20 January 2019, part 7
Translated from Bengali

So, who are we? We are souls, but what we have forgotten is that we are eternal servants of the Lord.

'কৃষ্ণ-নিত্যদাস'—জীব তাহা ভুলি' গেল ।
এই দোষে মায়া তার গলায় বান্ধিল ॥

'krsna-nitya-dasa'—jiva taha bhuli' gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bandhila

'The jiva soul forgot that it is an eternal servant of Krishna. Because of this mistake, illusion threw its ropes around the soul's neck.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.24)

How does Maya throw her ropes around our necks? She plunges us into three-fold miseries. There are three kinds of sufferings: adhidaivik (আধিদৈবিক, miseries caused by the nature or gods), adhibhautik (আধিভৌতিক) (miseries caused by your own body or mind) and adhyatmik (আধ্যাত্মিক, miseries caused by other souls).

Adhibhautik-jvala (আধিভৌতিক-জ্বালা) are miseries caused by other souls created by the Lord. For example, to take rice or flour, we cut the rice or wheat plants; when we eat cabbage, cauliflower, kochu sak (কচু শাক) or lau sak (লাউ শাক), we kill these plants and cook them. Sadhus say that even those who eat vegetarian food commit the sin of killing other living entities – just as outside people who eat fish and meat commit the sin of killing living entities, vegetarians do the same. Both commit some action that will bring about a reaction. You have studied science, and you know the famous law of Newton that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Even when we drink water, there are so many living entities in that water that get killed. Even when we breathe, we kill many living entities. When you walk on the street, so many ants and other insects get killed under your feet (and if you drive a car, even more are killed). What is the way out? How can we avoid reaction for all these sins that we commit day after day? The only solution that there can be is given by Bhagavatam. Kariya Krsnera samsara chhadi' anachara (করিয়া কৃষ্ণের সংসার ছাড়ি' অনাচার) – you must live in Krishna's family and give up all unwanted, unfavourable habits.

You must live in Krishna's family. We do not prohibit you to go to work, but what you must give up is karma, selfish life. You think, 'Oh, Maharaj has told to give up material life, but how will I maintain my family if I leave work?' or you think, 'Oh, I do farming, and if I do not plant and cultivate the land, what will I eat?' This is not the point. Somebody asked me the other day, 'Maharaj, when we grow potato, we use some chemicals to get rid of insects and many insects die as the result...' I told them, 'You are a devotee of Krishna, do you not offer bhog to the Lord every day and take prasad? Then when you grow wheat, mustard, potato, rice, you use it all in Lord Govinda's service, and if you do not kill those insects, you will not get any harvest or the harvest will not be good, then how will you serve Govinda? If you kill insects for the Lord, then there is no offence for you.' The Lord says in Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 'Everything that is created in this world is created for My pleasure, not for you!' Suppose you plant a mango tree at home. You may have planted the tree, but you must not think that you will eat that mango or your wife, children or grandchildren will eat it. You can plant a tree, you can take care of the tree, but you are not the master of that tree – it is the Lord who gives it life, so He is the owner of the tree and its fruit. You plant rice and think you will get a certain amount of rice when the harvest time comes, but it may not happen – if the Lord wishes so, all 'your' rice can be spoilt.

[A very old devotee's phone rings.] Do you at your age have a mobile phone? My, my! Do you know Krishna's mobile phone number? Do you know what His mobile phone is? His flute. You can see your phone is calling you, but Krishna calls all His cows with His flute...

So, what problem is there for you if you use your life to serve Krishna's family? What problem is there? Do you think that if you turn your family into Krishna's family, then Krishna will take away all your family members? If you make your family Krishna-centred, you will get relief from all sins. We do not want anything from you. I do not want a single cent from you. There is only one thing I am begging from you as alms: 'Krsna bala, sange chala, ei matra bhiksa chai (কৃষ্ণ বল, সঙ্গে চল, এই মাত্র ভিক্ষা চাই). I am begging you for one thing only – come with Me and chant the Holy Name of Krishna!'

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Course of Life
2) Special Arrangement for Kali-Yuga
3) Beyond Religious Bigotry
4) Innermost Desires
5) Fortune, Faith and Frauds
6) Think about Your Real Self
7) Come to Krishna's Family
8) Seek Out Eternal Shelter
9) Proper Surrender
10) Misdirected Worship
11) Deepest Faith
12) Beyond Illusory World
13) Turn Home
14) Gross and Subtle Cheating
15) Watch for Milestones
16) Come Home with Me
17) All That Glitters Is Not Gold
18) Do Not Cheat Yourself
19) Soul's Plight
20) Eternal Transformations
21) Origin of Hinduism
22) Pig's Life, God's Life, Devotee's Life