(4) Worse Than Death

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching programme in Kinkarbati
Translated into English from Bengali
26 February 2020, part 4

I always say that in this world, there are many pranami-taking and pranam-taking gurus (gurus who take your money and obeisances). Such gurus impose a tax on their disciples. There are many such tax-taking gurus. But the number of genuine spiritual masters is very small.

Be it a karmi-guri, a jnani-guru or a yogi-guru, these gurus last only until you achieve perfection (siddhi, or samadhi). After that, you will not even look at your guru. You can see the example of common teachers. Suppose somebody studies at primary school and later becomes a great person. Will they think about their primary school teachers later in their life? They will not. They will not even remember them. I cannot even remember who taught me at high school or college – I forgot it. But when it comes to a spiritual guru, he remains your guru life after life. If you one day accept the teachings about the Lord, if you one day listen attentively about the Lord from the mouth of a spiritual master, it will bring the result in this or future life. For example, you may hear something today, but even if it does not give anything now, it will bring the result in one of the future lives. Do you understand what I am saying? You must remember these things.

If you do not understand these things properly, if you do not listen to these things, it means you have other desires. If you do not listen to what your Guru tells you, your material desires will grow. You will get money, wealth, cars, but as your material attachment and attraction grows more and more, you will one day be removed from spiritual life and Krishna consciousness.

I will tell you something amazing. There was one devotee who was a big sadhu in the past, but in the end he actually forgot the mantra and the Lord! He now lives a material life and takes a good care of his family, and he is proud that his son has grown to be a good boy. Mahaprabhu told Raghunath Das Goswami:

মর্কট-বৈরাগ্য না কর লোক দেখাঞা ।
যথাযোগ্য বিষয় ভুঞ্জ' অনাসক্ত হঞা ॥
অন্তরে নিষ্ঠা কর, বাহ্যে লোক-ব্যবহার ।
অচিরাৎ কৃষ্ণ তোমায় করিবে উদ্ধার ॥

markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja' anasakta hana
antare nistha kara, bahye loka-vyavahara
achirat krsna tomaya karibe uddhara

"Do not show your false renunciation to people. Serve accepting material things, but without attachment. Be fixed internally, and behave like everyone else externally. Krishna will rescue you soon."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.16.238-239)

Raghunath Das Goswami went back to his home and behaved like everybody externally and remained fixed on the Lord internally. His father thought, 'Oh, the boy is very good now! He is taking interest in his family.' But Raghunath thought, 'What they are thinking is death! It is better to die than to live like that.'

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Become Good Listener
2) Eternal Engagement
3) Serve Intently
4) Worse Than Death
5) Increase Your Devotion
6) Real Substance of Devotion
7) Shameful
8) Exclusive Self-Realisation
9) Keep Your Focus Straight