(10/12) Survive and Thrive

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Bhanjipur, 1 December 2019, evening, part 10
Translated from Bengali

Always remember these things. Even if we speak the whole day and night, it is not possible to say everything, but the main thing is that it is necessary to practise Krishna consciousness. Live following all rules and regulations. It will do no harm to anybody. Whatever situation you may be in, practise Hari-sankirtan. Chant the Holy Name of the Lord together with devotees. If you join this Harinam-sankirtan, all dirty things will go away from your hearts.

You can see what this world is like now. A few days ago a woman came to see me in Nrisingha Palli. She lives nearby. Her son teaches at a high school (it is a very prestigious position), but what kind of teacher is he? He sold his house, car and all other property; now they live in a rented house, and his mother goes begging. He works as a high-school teacher, what does he do with all his money? He buys lottery tickets and already has a twenty-lakh debt at the market. The lady came to me for advice. She said that her son did not give her any money although he works as a high-school teacher, so he must earn fifty or a hundred thousand rupees a month. Such is the unfortunate situation in their lives. You can earn only two rupees, but use those two rupees for the service of the Lord and live serving the Lord.

You are working so hard, but one day you will close your eyes and everything will be over – everything and everyone you work so hard for will be left behind. You must always remember this.

These days boys drink... They teach at schools but drink alcohol... Some parents send their sons to college to study and become engineers, but when the boys go there, they start taking drugs. This is the educated society; these are the people who bring up children. You all know what they do. There are very few sober, peaceful boys now.

This world is a world of quarrel, Kali-yuga, then you can see for yourselves what this world is like. People do not have respect for anybody, they do not respect their elders. What to speak of their own parents, they do not respect even other elders. I saw in the news yesterday that a nineteen-year-old boy used his school driver to kill his father – for money. His father came from Bihar and worked as a taxi driver, thinking he could provide a better life for his son, but this is how he ended up. These things are happening everywhere... They publish quarterly reports bragging about their achievements, but you can see what these achievements are like...

Still, we must try to survive. We do not want to be prime ministers, chief ministers or any other ministers.

প্রভু ! তব পদযুগে মোর নিবেদন ।
নাহি মাগি দেহ-সুখ, বিদ্যা, ধন, জন ॥
নাহি মাগি স্বর্গ, আর মোক্ষ নাহি মাগি ।
না করি প্রার্থনা কোন বিভূতির লাগি’ ॥

prabhu! tava pada-yuge mora nivedana
nahi magi deha-sukha, vidya, dhana, jana
nahi magi svarga, ara moksa nahi magi
na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi’

‘O Lord! I am submitting this appeal at Your feet: I do not pray for any bodily pleasures, knowledge, wealth or companions. I do not pray for heaven or liberation, neither do I pray for any godly opulence or powers.’

(Sri Gitavali, Sri Siksastaka, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

What is the use of all these riches, knowledge and so-called pleasures?

Have you heard what happened the day before yesterday? A twenty-four-year-old veterinary doctor from Hyderabad was going down the road on her scooter, and four men raped her and then buried her body. This is their happiness. The girl was returning home from work. She called her sister at ten o'clock at night and told her that she had seen a driver and felt scared. After that, she never picked the phone again... The men punctured her scooter's wheels and then took her to a forest where they raped and killed her. After that, they hid her scooter, took her body fifteen miles away and buried it there using a tractor. This is what the world has come to. Parents dote on their children and make sure they get education, hoping that they will become good doctors, but this is how they end up.

This is what this life is like. We do not know when our time comes, nobody will tell us this. Danger can come at any moment. That is why we pray to you all with folded palms: you have got a human birth, do not waste it. If you waste this life, there will be no end of misery and suffering – how many times you will have be born again, how much you will have to suffer? So, give God shelter in your hearts. Call out to the Lord, give the Lord shelter in your hearts. There are many bad things in our hearts, but by the influence of sadhu-sanga and the Holy Name, all dirt, all bad things can be removed. Give place to devotees and devotion in your hearts. If you can do it, you will get supreme benefit. This is the main thing.

— : • : —

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CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

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Length: 69 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) A Life of Imperfection
2) Open Your Door to Mercy
3) Eternal Focus
4) Harinam: Devotees' Heartbeat
5) Humans' Advantage
6) Call Out to Gaura-Nitai
7) Repent and Revolt
8) Gift of Sankirtan
9) Seat Sankirtan In Your Hearts
10) Survive and Thrive
11) Service Life—Joyful Life
12) All Walk, No Talk