(3/5) Appeal of Spiritual World

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Midnapore, 8 December 2020, evening, part 3
Translated from Bengali

I wrote what I am telling you all today in Guidance, Volume 4. It is written at the back of this book:

'Sri Gurudev is the only shelter for a disciple. Those who have become disciples live in complete adherence to their guru. If one retains independence [if one lives doing whatever they want], they cannot be called a "disciple"—they can take the mantra, they can take initiation, but if they do not accept guidance or disciplining of Sri Gurudev, they cannot be called a real disciple. Gurudev has a vast wealth. Those who are born into his lineage, can get the right for his wealth. Gurudev's wealth is not temples, buildings, houses, money; his wealth is faith, devotion and love.

'What happens after initiation? It is necessary to practise hearing and chanting, worship Deities and do service. You must serve with love, affection, extracting loving devotion from your very heart. You must always think about what makes Him happy. You must be anxious to make Him happy and always be alert and conscious of His happiness. Sacrifice your selfish interests for His happiness, serve for His happiness.

'Sannyasis always sit amidst fire blazing on all four sides. This fire is Hari-katha, kirtan, service to the Lord, and service to the guru. You must progress in your practising life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service ablaze.'

You can take initiation, you can take the mantra, but it does not mean that you have become a disciple. A disciple is one who can digest disciplining, or chastisement: it means that when Gurudev says something, you must accept it to a T.

There are two smalls books that are made from Guru Maharaj's lectures. If you read these books, you can learn something. In one book, Guru Maharaj gave a very nice lecture about Bhagavatam in English, and I have now translated it into Bengali. The other book is also very nice, it is a lecture that Guru Maharaj gave when he was abroad, in Mexico, addressing thousands of people:

'You are all my spiritual relatives, assembled here today for hearing something from me about Krishna consciousness. I humbly pay my respects to you all because you have given me this opportunity to speak about my Lord Sri Krishna and His associates. I want to do good for you, good for myself, and good for the world. I have some experience. I am an old man, and I stayed many years with my Guru Maharaj, who was vastly learned in Vedic knowledge and ultimately a siddha-mahapurusa—a perfect, liberated soul. His affection, mercy, well wishes, and desire have given me something. I feel it, and I cannot deny it. I may be a very low-class person, but how can I deny the gift of my Gurudev? I am a very tiny and insignificant jiva-soul, nothing else; this is my identity. But if I give all of you the gift of my Lord Krishna and my Guru Maharaj—the little ecstasy that I have got—if I give to your holy ear the sound vibration that is coming down from the transcendental world, you must be benefitted, and I shall also be benefitted. Krishna will bless me, and my Guru Maharaj will be satisfied that I shall have done something in this world.

'Actually we are all spiritual entities, and because we are part and parcel of our Lord, our home is eternally existing in the transcendental abode of the Lord. You have heard of the Upanisads, Vedas, Vedanta, and the other scriptures which were revealed in India in written form five thousand years ago. Previously, this knowledge existed as sruti-mantram, spoken words, and it was transmitted by rsis and munis to their disciples through sruti-mantram. At that time there were no books. Vedavyas has very mercifully given us the written form of sruti-mantram: the Veda. He divided the Veda (sruti) into four parts: Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. He also composed the corollary literatures (smrti) like the Mahabharata, which is called the fifth Veda. The gist of the Vedas can also be found in the hundreds of Upanisads he wrote. The great rsis, Vedic research scholars, have also presented the Vedic knowledge in the Puranas. Thus, through the great rsis, this transcendental knowledge is being revealed in this mundane world, and when necessary, from time to time, an incarnation of the Lord manifests by whose divine mercy we get a connection with that transcendental knowledge.'

Guru Maharaj said it very nicely. What do we want in this world? We want eternity. If I stay in a rented house, there can be some problem after two or six months. I go to stay in another house, and after a few months I realise that I do not like it there. Eventually, I will think, 'I wish I could stay in my own place. Even if it is only a tiny thatched room, it is still better.' In the same way, we keep coming to this world. Somebody is born in America, somebody is born as a Muslim in Pakistan, somebody is born in India; sometimes we are born as a dog, sometimes we are born as a goat, sheep, cat. I was just speaking about it earlier today:

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 roam this world in this way...

'We are all parts and parcels of the Lord, therefore we are spiritual relatives. But here in the mundane world we are seeing many differences. Some of us are born in India, some in Russia, some in Mexico, Latin America, and so on. In this world there are so many countries and so many completely different languages. But the spirit that is living within everybody, without which the body is useless, is coming from the same place.

When the soul leaves the body, what happens to the body? It decays. Just a few days ago, some man died in his room, and after a few days his body rotted. There was nobody looking after him, so nobody even knows when that man had died. When somebody realised the man was missing, they broke into his house and saw that he was dead. The body was rotten, and there was very bad smell in the house. When some dogs also die in the street, its carcass stinks.

'In our spiritual language, we call this place the spiritual world or the transcendental world. We want eternity, we want love, we want affection, we want mercy and ecstasy. These are our hankerings, but this mundane world cannot successfully give any of these things to us. But in the transcendental world everything is existing eternally in a very beautiful and sweet way.' [You can find some love in this world, but it is temporary and selfish. Real love comes from above, from the spiritual world.]

'Everyone will pass away from this world one day, whether he is poor or rich, rogue or scholar, animal or tree. When we have been born, it is sure we will die. Death will not give any notice to us, "Today is your dying day", or "Today is your birth day". Birth and death are actually beyond our control. Maybe we can extend some time or reduce some time, but when we have been born, we must die. This wave of birth and death is surrounding this world. It is surrounding not only our present planet but the whole universe. Beyond the orbit of this universe many universes also exist.

'This world is always completely filled with quarrel. Everywhere this bad situation will come to be, as it is written in the scriptures. It is the Age of Kali. Kali means quarrel. We cannot avoid it. I may be a very good man, but without cause I may be attacked by violence. Many things happen, and many good men have been killed. So death and birth is beyond our control. I may be protected by so many bodyguards, like John Kennedy, like Martin Luther King Jr, like Indira Gandhi, like so many who were protected by many bodyguards but could not avoid death.

'We are also not secure or satisfied in this world. What do we want here? We want love, affection, charm, beauty, and ecstasy. Ultimately, we want eternity, but in this world it is not possible in any way to get it. Here, what is the form of love, what is the form of beauty, of affection? All are only a shadow or reflection of the transcendental world. As such, here we are playing only within the shadow. All that we are getting is in the form of shadow, and the substance is missing.

'We are eating rice powder mixed with water and thinking we are drinking milk. Actually, when we will get a proper taste of transcendental ecstasy and feel its transcendental form, we will feel that transcendental knowledge is within us, and that our Lord is within us. Then we will understand everything very clearly and easily. That connection is necessary for us.

'In which way may we get it? Our sincere searching tendency can give us that connection. We must want to search.'

One time in America, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj spoke to an Indian scientist who had come to see him. Srila Swami Maharaj said, 'Why have you come to the US?' The man replied, 'I have come to study and to acquire some knowledge. I am doing my PhD.' Srila Swami Maharaj asked him, 'What will you do with your knowledge? Earn dollars? You have come abroad in search of dollars, but I have come to give people the hidden treasure of India. If you stay with me, you can get it, too.' That man became a devotee and later took sannyas. Guru Maharaj told us about it.

'Our sincere searching tendency can give us that connection. We must want to search. If it is possible, why will we not proceed in that line? The research scholars of religion have made many contributions and made that knowledge available. If you come forward sincerely, you will get it. It is so easy to get if you have faith, chastity, and a little good fortune. Without good fortune it is very difficult to get it.'

It is necessary to have faith, chastity, sincerity and good fortune...

— : • : —

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Road to Home Is Paved with Hari-Kirtan
2) 'Wake Up!'
3) Appeal of Spiritual World
4) Search for Reality the Beautiful
5) Faith Is Not Idleness