Never Too Early, Never Too Late

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening class
5 February 2020, part 5
Translated from Bengali

The people in our country worship Krishna for three reasons. You know, when you have small children (you all had small children, now most of them have grown up and got married, but you can remember what it was like when they were small)—when you were bringing your children up, when you took them on your lap, when you taught them everything—did you do all this hoping to get something in return? No. You brought them up with love. You always carry your baby around and keep your baby on your lap until one-two years old—out of love. You know, when a cow has a calf, you can make the cow go anywhere you want by putting the calf in front of it—the cow will follow the calf wherever you take it; otherwise, you can even beat the cow, but it will not budge. In the same way, if we serve the Lord's devotees—if you run behind the Lord's devotees—then the Lord Himself will run behind you to serve you! You will not have to run behind the Lord, the Lord Himself will run behind you to catch you—if you can serve devotees properly. However, you cannot serve devotees without being a devotee yourself. First become a devotee, then serve devotees. Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Among a thousand Vaishnavs, there is only one devotee of Krishna." Wearing tilaks and chanting the Holy Name does not make one a Vaishnav...

[His Divine Grace is distracted and notes:] Why do you suddenly have a headache? Are you not feeling well? This is what happens when you grow old. Everyone will get old, and everyone will have problems. "Vardhakye ekhana upaya-vihina ta'te dina akinchana (বার্দ্ধক্যে এখন উপায় বিহীন তা'তে দীন অকিঞ্চন): now aged, devoid of any means of deliverance, I am poor and worthless." We say, "How can I practise Krishna consciousness now? I will practise when I am old." Those who say or think in this way are cheating the Lord. You think you will practise when you are old, but by the end of your life, all the results of your past actions will be always on your mind—you will always think about what you have done before. To go from one place to another or just to get up from the floor, you will need another person's help—somebody will have to pull you. And you think you will practise spiritual life when you are old?? Your legs will be weak, your head will pain, your back will pain, etc.. When you are sick and have no health, will you like listening to Hari-katha? You will not like practising Krishna consciousness, you will not like listening to anything. Your memory and other powers will also decline. I once asked somebody, "Can you not chant the Holy Name?" The man said, "I cannot—when I chant on the beads, my hand is paining." I told him, "Then chant with your mouth." Then, he said, "My mouth pains too." If you cannot sit on the floor, you can sit on a chair and chant. But you sit and think of your bygone days, "I used to be so strong, I used to work with a hammer, but now I cannot even lift a hammer!" When you become old, you will be thinking in this way...

বৃদ্ধকাল আওল, সব সুখ ভাগল,
পীড়াবশে হইনু কাতর ।

vrddha-kala aola, saba sukha bhagala,
pida-vase ha-inu katara

"Then old age came, and all happiness fled. Subjugated by disease, I became distressed."

(Saranagati, 6.3)

At the same time, you can get the Lord even when you are old—if you can truly submit yourself to the Lord, with heart and soul. Deceit, duplicity are very bad things. You must not be duplicitous or deceitful. I told you before—if you pour water into a pot with holes, all water will come out. If we cannot control our faults (prajalpa, etc.), then no matter how much we practise, everything will go out.

— : • : —

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