(3/15) Do Not Waste Time

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kalarait (Kolkata), 4 December 2020, part 3
Translated from Bengali

What is the nature of this soul? Its nature is to always change bodies – it leaves one body and takes on another one. We get one body today and another body tomorrow. That is why it is said in the scriptures:

জলজা নবলক্ষাণি স্থাবরা লক্ষবিংশতি
কৃময়োরুদ্রসঙ্খকাঃ পক্ষিণাং দশলক্ষনম্
ত্রিংশললক্ষাণি পশবঃ চতুরলক্ষাণি মানুষাঃ

jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah chatur-laksani manusah

'There are 900,000 aquatic species; 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities (trees, plants, etc.); 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles; 1,000,000 species of birds; 3,000,000 species of beasts; and 400,000 species of humans.'

(Padma Purana, Vishnu Purana)

We were born 900,000 times in water as various species of fish, frogs and so on, 2,000,000 times as various trees, plants, mountains and hills, 1,100,000 times as insects, snakes and other similar species, 1,100,000 times as birds, 3,000,000 times as animals and 400,000 times as humans. Even as humans, we have been born in different countries – sometimes in Pakistan, sometimes in Bagladesh, sometimes in Russia, sometimes in London, sometimes in Garo, Khasi or Naga. In Nagaland, people eat raw meat and even dogs' and cats' meat. Their favourite food is dogs' meat. In China also, people eat fried cockroaches...

Why have we come to you?

মহান্ত-স্বভাব এই তারিতে পামর ।
নিজ-কার্য্য নাহি তবু যান তার ঘর ॥

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara
nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

'The innate nature of great souls is to deliver vile, fallen souls: great souls never come to their homes for any personal purpose.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.8.39)

We do not come to you for any personal purpose. We come because Gurudev has given us his order. Mahaprabhu also ordered:

পৃথিবীতে যত আছে নগরাদি গ্রাম ।
সর্ব্বত্র প্রচার হইবে মোর নাম ॥

prthivite yata achhe nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

'My Name will be spread in every town and village of the world.'

Mahaprabhu said this, and those who actually preach it – who preach Mahaprabhu's Name in this world – are the greatest benefactors in the world. It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam:

তব কথামৃতং তপ্তজীবনং
কবিভিরীড়িতং কল্মষাপহম্ ।
শ্রবণমঙ্গলং শ্রীমদাততং
ভুবি গৃণন্তি তে ভূরিদা জনাঃ ॥

tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad-atatam
bhuvi grnanti te bhurida janah

'My Dear, bestowing the greatest fortune that is attained after so many births, exalted souls come to this world and live here by singing and spreading Your nectarean glories that are life and soul for those suffering in this material world being devoid of Your divine love; that are the gist of all poets' songs; that are the destroyer of all sins; that benefit anyone who hears them; and that possess universal attraction.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.14.13)

Who is the greatest donor, or benefactor, in this world? Those who donate a million rupees? No. The greatest donors are those who distribute the nectar of Hari-katha in this world. Krishna Himself says, 'Those who preach about Me in this world are the greatest donors.'

That is why, by the order of Gurudev and mercy of all Vaishnavs, we go house to house, we go to all the places that the Lord has visited. Hari-katha bestows benefit. Sravan (hearing) means 'sreyo-yog-van': it is that by hearing which you can get benefit; it is that by hearing which you can come to your own home (if you properly practise what you have heard in your life). You call this place your home, but this is not your home. You have come here leaving behind many such 'homes'. When you were a dog, you also had some shelter. When you were a bird, you also had some nest. When you were a pig, you had some shelter. When you were a cow, you also lived in some cowshed. But now you have been born as a human and call this place your home. This life is not eternal!

দিন যায় মিছা কাজে নিশা নিদ্রাবশে ।
নাহি ভাবি মরণ নিকটে আছে বসে ॥

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

'My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.'

(Sri Kalyan-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

We labour the whole day and night and never think we can die at any moment. We work and work, thinking, 'This is my house', 'This is my room', 'This is my family', 'How will my household carry on?' We work so hard day and night always thinking how to protect and save this body. We are so busy that we do not get time to chant the Holy Name of the Lord, what to speak of serving the Lord. We have got this body from the Lord, but we do not have time for Him. People think that a boy and a girl get married and have a child, that is how a child is born – this is how we get a human body.

ভারত-ভূমিতে হৈল মনুষ্য-জন্ম যার ।
জন্ম সার্থক করি' কর পর-উপকার ॥

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

'One who has taken birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of this birth by bringing benefit to others.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.9.41)

What does it mean to bring benefit to others? Does it mean giving money, cars, houses to others? It is cold today, so you give somebody a blanket, but after a few days, that blanket will get torn and the person will want another blanket. Their greed will not be satiated. Giving benefit to others means giving that by getting which all desires become fulfilled, by seeing which you will not want to see anything else, by hearing which you will not want to hear anything else. This greatest gift is the Lord for whom we are all born.

I have told you just now that we have got this human birth in India having crossed 8,400,000 species. We have no idea how many times we have been born before, but we have got this birth now. We have not got it only to eat, sleep, fear and breed. Everybody does this. Even a dog on the street gets food – much or little, but it finds food to eat. We all eat, we all sleep, we all make a house for ourselves because we are afraid of something or because we do not want to feel cold, and we all breed creating children to extend our family. You give birth to children, but there is no guarantee that these children will even feed and clothe you in your old age. It is debatable that they will even look after you. You are only wasting your time... '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' (Saranagati). '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 old age has come, and all your happiness is gone. Guru Maharaj told one story, you will laugh to hear it. There was one man who did Kali-puja at home and sacrificed a goat every year, but one year he did not offer a goat. Guru Maharaj said, 'Do you know why? Because the old man who gave the goat does not have any teeth now!' Do you understand what it means? That man thought, 'I cannot eat meat now, so why must I sacrifice a goat?' We are also like that. We get old and cannot do much.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Demolish Wall of Ego
2) Live in Hari-Katha
3) Do Not Waste Time
4) Waiting—Not Wanting
5) Focus on the Lord
6) Stepping over Liberation
7) Beyond Karma-Misra Bhakti
8) Evading Maya's World
9) Descend of Scriptures
10) Please Come Home!
11) Do Not Live Like Outside People
12) Fruits of faith
13) Pure Sankirtan in Pure Association
14) Covet All, Lose All
15) Kali-Yuga Brahmans