(6/9) Pull of Maya

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, morning class
Sri Nityananda-Trayodasi, 7 February 2020, part 6
Translated from Bengali

We have become averse to Lord Krishna since the time immemorial, but if, having got this human birth, we do not take advantage of this opportunity, then, when this life finishes, everything will fall behind—you will not be able to speak anymore, everything will stop. If you can utilise your soul in the service of the Lord, then there is some benefit.

There are many kinds of service. Having opened many temples, our Guru-varga has given us many opportunities for service, but what of that? Are you able to stay without illusory bondage? You only come for festivals and chant, "Hari bol! Hari bol!" So many people in this world have no place to stay, and they cry and hanker for money, but our Guru and Vaishnavs have opened these temples—there are so many facilities for those who genuinely want to practise spiritual life, who want to stay at the temple out of love for the Lord.

The other day, a man from Jharikhand took beads. He is very poor, but his son (he works as a builder, carpenter) also came to this path and took initiation. When Bhajahari Prabhu was not here, they stayed here and worshipped the Deities. They are very fortunate to worship Deities every day. We only worship for one day—we chant only for a day; after that, we go away and, becoming bound by material desires, forget everything. We cannot give our entire life to the service of the Lord. We cannot submit everything at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Many of us keep some desires inside; we have no faith. "If I leave this material world and come to the temple, my wife will cry and weep, my sons and daughters will become orphaned, who will look after them?" If you come, you will only keep thinking about this. It is not easy for us to leave the world of Maya and come here. Maya will keep pulling you in the other direction. You cannot conquer Maya unless you get sadhus' and Sri Guru's mercy. If we live following what sadhus, Sri Guru and Vaishnavs say, then we can overcome Maya.

মায়ারে করিয়া জয় ছাড়ান না যায় ।
সাধুর-গুরুর কৃপা বিনা না দেখি উপায় ॥

mayare kariya jaya chhadana na yaya
sadhur-gurur krpa bina na dekhi upaya

"You cannot conquer illusory environment and become released from it. I see no other way to get relief except by the mercy of saints and Guru."

(Prarthana, Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

If we want to overcome Maya, we need the mercy of sadhus and Sri Guru. There is no other way for us. Maya will always pull us back. When Mahaprabhu left taking sannyas , He said, "Ami yai yai mane kari, yaite nahi pari—maha-maya pichanete dhaya! (আমি যাই যাই মনে করি, আমি যাইতে না পারি—মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায় !) I have decided that I will leave, but I cannot! I want to leave this material world, but Maya is always running behind Me!" Ami yaibo sadhane paribe kemane, maha-maya pichanete dhaya (আমি যাইব সাধনে পারিবে কেমনে মহামায়া পিছনেতে ধায় !) I want to go to practise spiritual life, but how can I? Maha-maya always runs behind Me!"

When a sannyasi asked for Nityananda Prabhu as alms, His parents, Padmavati Devi and Hadai Pandit, could not let him leave empty-handed, so they had to hand their dear son to him. How fortunate they are! In our country, there are so many parents, but do they give their sons to the temple, tell me? Give your children to the temple, let them serve the Lord. How many wives will tell their husbands, "Go and serve at the temple"? Those who can make this kind of sacrifice—those who can give their husband, wife, son or daughter for the service of the Lord—get so much sukriti. So many people leave this world becoming liberated—those who do fire sacrifice and other rites can go to heaven, but Gurudev said when a family member serves the Lord, eleven generations become rescued and go to the transcendental abode of the Lord.

You are attached to your home and property—wheat, rice, cows, etc.—and cannot come to the temple, but there is so much property at the temples of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs, and we do not feel attached and affectionate towards that (we cannot see it as our own, as something dear to us).

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

"May I have the same love and attraction to Your holy feet that I now have for material things."

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We cannot do that... Do you understand it?

বিষয়ে যে প্রীতি এবে আছয়ে আমার ।
সেই মত প্রীতি হউক চরণে তোমার ॥

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

"May I have the same love and attraction to Your holy feet that I now have for material things."

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

You are attached and affectionate towards your wife, sons, daughters, land, house, etc. but this kind of love must come towards the holy lotus feet of the Lord, then you will engage in service—by listening and listening about the Lord, you will develop attachment and love for Lord Krishna, and when that happens, your soul will always run after the service of Lord Krishna.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Value Your Time
2) Gaudiya Vaishnavs' Service
3) Perverted and Transcendental Charm
4) Our Greatest and Only Friends
5) Faith vs Acceptance
6) Pull of Maya
7) Wrong Preoccupation
8) World of Uncertainty
9) Inglorious Life