(3/12) Your Chance

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bakultala, noon class, 7 April 2019, part 3
Translated from Bengali

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

'Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.151)

Suppose I have a piece of land. If I put a seed (rice, wheat or potato) in the soil without first cultivating (ploughing) it, will the seed grow? Nothing except weeds will grow. I must plough, level and prepare the land first, then I must put the seed. Once the seed sprouts, it is necessary to water it, then the plant will grow. (In spiritual life, this water is sravan and kirtan: listening about the Lord and chanting the Lord's Names and glories). At the same time, I must be careful not to overwater it because if I pour too much water on the sprout, it will rot and die. This is what sahajiyas do. They pour too much water. Without discretion, they think about Radha and Krishna and Their love and intimate pastimes. In other words, they practise things that they have no right to practise. So, when you pour too much water, what to speak of having any actual devotion – your very sprout is destroyed. What they do is not devotion. It is actually worship of Maya, illusion. When there are rules, you must follow these rules.

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

'Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.19.151)

As you have been travelling throughout the universe, you have now got this human birth. This is not a small matter. You can see how many insects, bugs, flies, plants, trees – all these souls are born in these bodies. We were born as trees thousands and thousands of times, but this was not the end – we keep getting more births. Even when we are born in this human body, we still do not leave the desire for material life. Leaving material life does not mean you must leave your family and run away from home to live somewhere in a jungle. You can be living in a jungle, but you will be still thinking about material life, about family life. Is this living in a jungle? Some people suffer a lot in their family life, so they leave home and come to live at the temple in a holy place, but as they live at the temple, they keep thinking about their children and wives – is this living in a holy place? Only your body is there, but your mind is with your wives. Is this not so? So, what we must do is that we can stay in our families, but we must think about the Lord. 'Grhe thako, vane thako, sada Hari bole dako (গৃহে থাক, বনে থাক সদা 'হরি' বলে ডাক). Whether you stay in a house or in a forest, always call out the Holy Name.' Live in your family, but 'free from material attachment and establishing relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself.'

আসক্তিরহিত সম্বন্ধসহিত ।
বিষয়সমূহ সকলি মাধব ॥

asakti-rahita, sambandha-sahita,
visaya-samuha sakali madhava

'When you are free from material attachment and establish relationship with the Lord, then you will see that everything around you is Lord Madhav Himself.'

('Vaishnav ke?' Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

You must have no attachment, you must have a relationship with the Lord, and you must realise that everything belongs to the Lord and everything is meant for the Lord.

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Length: 97 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Check Yourself
2) Spiritual Purity
3) Your Chance
4) Happy Existence
5) Look for Service, Not Excuses
6) Short Time, Short Life
7) Maya's Domain
8) Genuine Connection
9) Thoughtful Existence
10) Mature Vision
11) Places to Be Avoided
12) Do Not Be Afraid to Give