A Long Journey

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 7

We have wondered throughout 8,400,000 species. It means we have been born 8,400,000 times. It is written in the scriptures, especially in Srimad Bhagavatam. Vishnu Purana says,

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 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities, such as trees and plants. There are also 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species."

(Padma Purana)

Remember this. We have been born 900,000 times in water—there are so many living entities in water! You can see so many kinds fish. If you watch TV sometimes, you can see how many species live in water. 2,000,000 times as trees, grass, mountains, etc. There are so many species on earth—so many bugs, spiders, fish, dolphins, crocodiles. We have been born as all kinds of insects 1,100,000 times. You can see so many birds flying in the sky—we have been born 1,000,000 times as birds. Finally, we have been born 3,000,000 times as beasts, and 400,000 times as human beings. Not only that, you have been born here in India. There are countries where people eat human meat. You may have heard that here in India also, there are Andaman Islands where cannibals live. When some foreigner tried to go there, the police prohibited the man to go there; the man still went there, and the local people on the island ate him! They took the man's clothes and things, and ate the man himself! The government forbids to go there, but if somebody still goes there following their own whim, what can you do? Not only that, there are also plants that eat humans! They grow in some forests—such plants have some power to attract humans, and when somebody comes close, they eat the person!

When you think of Africa, you think Africa is a bad place, but Gurudev has many disciples in South Africa, and I also have some disciples there. There are two-four temples there. You think Africa is just a jungle, but besides the jungle there are also good people there. There are many disciples of Math there...

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