(5/8) Choice Is Yours

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme
Translated into English from Bengali
17 February 2020, part 5

The Supreme Lord told Narad Goswami, "I do not live in Vaikuntha. I do no live in the hearts of yogis. I am present wherever My devotees chant My glories and converse about Me. I do not stay where I am not glorified. I do not stay where there is gossiping, criticising, discussing others, bad talks, nonsense talks or any other talks. I only stay where My devotees speak about Me." Always remember this.

দিনের মধ্যে আবল-তাবল
কত পচাল পাড়িতে পর
তার মধ্যে কি একবার
গোবিন্দ বলিতে নার ?!

dinera madhye abala-tabala
kata pachala padite para
tara madhye ki eka-bara
govinda balite nara ?!

"How much nonsense you can talk every day! How many idle talks you have! Can you not say the Name of Govinda even once?"

Am I this body? Am I and this body one and the same thing? Where will you go when you have to leave this body one day? When you work, you can receive promotion, and there is also such a thing as demotion. You have been wandering throughout 8,400,000 species, crossing all kinds of births (cows, goats, sheep, dogs and many other species), and having received promotion, you have now got this human birth, but will you receive a human birth again if you do not live as a human?

You do not think about the Lord; you think that you will do that when you grow old. This is all cheating—those who say this cheat the Lord. When you grow old, you will not be able to climb the stairs (you will need to get another person to help you). When you take prasad, your back will pain, your legs will pain. Somebody will not hear anything, somebody will not see anything. At this time, everyone will be busy fussing over you, and when your health is not good, how will you chant the Holy Name? How will you call the Lord? How will you serve the Lord then?

"Vrddha-kala aola, saba sukha bhagala, pida-vase ha-inu katara (বৃদ্ধকাল আওল, সব সুখ ভাগল, পীড়াবশে হইনু কাতর): now old age has come and all happiness has fled—distressed by diseases, I have become miserable" (Saranagati). When you get old and become afflicted with diseases, you will sit with your diseases, unable to do anything. So, all this "I will do when I retire", "I will do when I am older" is a lie. You do not practise Krishna consciousness when you have time, but when the last minute comes, you will be saying "Hari bolo." Your health will be bad, you will not be able to do anything. The Lord knows, "You may have said 'Hari bol' once, but you said it only because you are suffering with pain and feeling miserable and sick. But when you were happy, you forgot Me!"

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur sang, "Sukhe duhkhe bhule nako vadane Harinam koro re (সুখে দুঃখে ভুলো নাক, বদনে হরিনাম কর রে ): in happiness or sadness, never forget it, always chant the Holy Name. Jivana ha-ila sesa, na bhajile hrsikesa (জীবন হইল শেষ, না ভজিলে হৃষীকেশ): your life is ending, but you have not served Lord Hrisikesh." When we had time, we did not practise Krishna consciousness. We laughed, played and ran about—when our blood is hot, we do so many things. But when we leave one day, it will be too late to change anything. "Jivana anitya janaha sara tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara (জীবন অনিত্য জানহ সার তাহে নানাবিধ বিপদ-ভার): life is uncertain—any time danger can come..." What is some one hundred years that you may live compare to the eternity? If you waste this precious time and at the end say that you will practise Krishna consciousness now, it is not possible.

It is necessary to practise Krishna consciousness right now.

We cannot give up small, trifle things, we cannot give up the cravings of our tongues and minds. Your mind says, "Let's go to a liquor shop", "Let's go to a marijuana (hashish or heroin) shop", "Let's sit at a shop and play cards", and you will go and do that. If your mind wants it, you can sit and watch films in the cinema, or if your mind wants it, you can sit at home and watch TV series. But if your minds wants, you can also chant the Holy Name. Which will you do? Will you eat soil or sweets? Think about it and decide for yourself.

Think yourself what you want. After leaving this human birth, you can become demoted and again take birth as snakes, frogs, mosquitoes and moths. You have got this human birth and enjoy it, but you forget why you have got this human birth....

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Bhajana-Siddhi
2) Ignorance Is No Excuse
3) Where There Is No Will There Is No Way
4) Mind Over Matter
5) Choice Is Yours
6) Load of Luggage
7) Caught!
8) Internal Poison