(3) March On

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Nrisingha Palli, 2 November 2020, part 3
Translated from Bengali

We have not come to this world for material things and material enjoyment. The Lord has sent us to this world to serve the Lord.

We hear about the transcendental world from Gurudev, and we must search for that world. Where must we go to find it? In spiritual language, we call that world Goloka Vrindavan. In that spiritual world, if you come to a banana tree and ask it for a mango, it will give you a mango, and if you ask a pawpaw tree for a banana, it will give it to you. That world is our real home, and we must enter that world. This material world cannot compare to the spiritual world. Goloka Vrindavan is a completely different world. If we learn the teachings of a guru from that world, if we get an order from the guru from that world, serve following that order and reach that world, we will get the highest benefit. There is no other way except this process.

Many people serve the Lord without a guru. If you cut the root of a tree and keep watering the tree, the tree's leaves will still dry. No matter how much water you pour, if the root is not there, it is useless. If we stop our service to the guru, we will have nothing left in our lives.

We have come to this battlefield, and we must fight against Maya (illusory environment). We are fighters. Taking drums and karatals and chanting the Holy Name, we must fight against Maya. If you run away from this battlefield, you will have to surrender to Maya. We cannot do that. We will surrender only to Krishna and Gurudev. We will never surrender to Maya. For example, Pakistan and China are India's enemies; if we surrender to Pakistan or China, we will be captured and arrested. Here too, if we surrender ourselves to Maya, Maya will capture us. She will make us her slaves, and we will serve her.

কৃষ্ণ যদি ছুটে ভক্তে ভুক্তি মুক্তি দিয়া ।
কভু ভক্তি না দেন রাখেন লুকাইয়া ॥

krsna yadi chhute bhakte bhukti mukti diya
kabhu prema-bhakti na dena rakhena lukaiya

'If devotees aspire for enjoyment or liberation, Krishna hides the knowledge about pure devotion from them and dismisses them, giving them enjoyment or liberation.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.8.18)

If we ask Krishna for enjoyment or liberation instead of devotion, Lord Krishna will give us what we want and make us forget Him. He will keep devotion hidden and never give it to you – He will give us everything else instead. We must always remember this.

Our only duty in this life is to serve. There is no lack of service at a temple. There are many different kinds of services. If you can do some service, it is good for you. If you want to do service, service will always come to you. If you want to play football, the football will always come to you, and if somebody always runs away from the football, the football will not come to them. The main thing is that you must want to play. In other words, the main thing is that you must want to serve the Lord, you must have service enthusiasm. Deep desire, longing, or passion, for service (seva-spriha, সেবা-স্পৃহা) is very important.

ভুক্তি-মুক্তিস্পৃহা-বিহীন যে ভক্ত ।
লভইতে তাঁ'ক সঙ্গ অনুরক্ত ॥

bhukti-mukti-sprha bihina ye bhakta
labhaite tan'ka sanga anurakta

'I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must always stay free from any desires for enjoyment or liberation. We are only thinking, 'How can I survive?', 'How will I live?', 'How can I stay well?' We always think about ourselves. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote: we are not afraid to commit any sin for our own enjoyment (nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari, নিজ সুখ লাগি' পাপে নাহি ডরি). Wasted by laziness and sleep, we have no desire to do anything good and mostly do what is bad (nidralasya hata sukarye virata akarya udyogi, নিদ্রলস্য-হত সুকার্য্যে বিরত অকার্য্যে উদ্যোগী).

নিদ্রালস্য-হত, সুকার্য্যে বিরত,
অকার্য্যে উদ্যোগী আমি ।
প্রতিষ্ঠা লাগিয়া, শাঠ্য আচরণ,
লোভহত সদা কামী ॥

nidralasya hata, sukarye virata,
akarye udyogi ami
pratistha lagiya, sathya-acharana,
lobha-hata sada kami

'Ruined by laziness and sleep, I am averse to doing anything good and eager to do nothing. I behave crooked desiring prestige. I am ruined by greed and always want something.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote this song.

আমার জীবন, সদা পাপে রত,
নাহিক পুণ্যের লেশ ।
পরেরে উদ্বেগ, দিয়াছি যে কত,
দিয়াছি জীবেরে ক্লেশ ॥১॥

amara jivana, sada pape rata,
nahika punyera lesa
parere udvega, diyachhi ye kata,
diyachhi jivere klesa [1]

'My life is always engrossed in sin. There is not a trace of piety in it. I have been giving others so much anxiety and pain.'

নিজ সুখ লাগি', পাপে নাহি ডরি',
দয়াহীন স্বার্থপর ।
পর সুখে দুঃখী, সদা মিথ্যাভাষী,
পরদুঃখ সুখকর ॥২॥

nija sukha lagi', pape nahi dari',
daya-hina svartha-para
para-sukhe duhkhi, sada mithya-bhasi,
para-duhkha sukha-kara [2]

'I am not afraid to engage in sinful activities for the sake of my own happiness. I am merciless and selfish. I always lie—I feel unhappy to see others happy, and I feel happy to see others sad.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We feel happy to see others unhappy, and when we see somebody happy, we feel jealous, hateful.

অশেষ কামনা, হৃদি মাঝে মোর,
ক্রোধী দম্ভপরায়ণ ।
মদমত্ত সদা, বিষয়ে মোহিত,
হিংসা-গর্ব্ব বিভূষণ ॥৩॥

asesa kamana, hrdi majhe mora,
krodhi, dambha-parayana
mada-matta sada, visaye mohita,
himsa-garva vibhusana [3]

'My heart is filled with endless desires. Angry, arrogant and vain, I am always intoxicated and engrossed in the material world. I am adorned with pride and envy.'

নিদ্রালস্য-হত, সুকার্য্যে বিরত,
অকার্য্যে উদ্যোগী আমি ।
প্রতিষ্ঠা লাগিয়া, শাঠ্য আচরণ,
লোভহত সদা কামী ॥৪॥

nidralasya hata, sukarye virata,
akarye udyogi ami
pratistha lagiya, sathya-acharana,
lobha-hata sada kami [4]

'Ruined by laziness and sleep, I am averse to doing anything good and eager to do nothing. I behave crooked desiring prestige. I am ruined by greed and always want something.'

এহেন দুর্জ্জন, সজ্জন-বর্জ্জিত,
অপরাধী নিরন্তর ।
শুভকার্য্যশূন্য, সদানর্থমনা,
নানা দুঃখে জর জর ॥৫॥

e hena durjana, sajjana-varjita,
aparadhi nirantara
subha-karya-sunya, sadanartha-manah,
nana-duhkhe jara jara [5]

'Such a bad person as I is shunned by good souls—I am a constant offender. I do not do anything good—instead, I am always filled with inauspiciousness. I am racked by various miseries.'

বার্দ্ধক্যে এখন, উপায়-বিহীন,
তা'তে দীন অকিঞ্চন ।
ভকতিবিনোদ, প্রভুর চরণে,
করে দুঃখ নিবেদন ॥৬॥

vardhakye ekhana, upaya-vihina,
ta'te dina akinchana bhakati-vinoda, prabhura charane,
kare duhkha nivedana [6]

'Old and having no way out now, having thus become poor and materially destitute, Bhaktivinod humbly submits his sorrow at the holy feet of the Lord.'

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We must always, always think about it.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Search Out the Source
2) Unique Gift to the World
3) March On
4) Intense Service Life
5) Patience, Faith and Affection