In Search of Hidden Treasure

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vaishnav Seva Programme, Bangaon,
31 January 2021, part 1

Today, by the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma, we are here. It is a very auspicious day, a day of Vaishnav seva. Today is also the appearance day of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Prabhu and the disappearance day of Srila Ramachandra Kaviraj. There are six goswamis, and Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami is one of them. Therefore, today, on the invitation of Sri Malini Devi Dasi, we have all gathered here in this village to speak about some Bhagavad-katha.

By our great fortune, sadhus, our Guru, and Vaishnavs come here. Without a great fortune you cannot come and meet with these sadhus, Gurus, and Vaishnavs. You can hear all kinds of things in this world—there are so many talks, so many discussions, so much criticism going on in this world, but there is a dire scarcity of Bhagavad-katha (narrations about the Lord). There is a dire scarcity of devotees who would speak and hear this Bhagavad-katha.

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

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

"It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people's houses, although they have no personal business there."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 8.39)

These great souls—devotees of Lord Krishna, devotees of the Supreme Lord, devotees of Sri Guru—come to people's houses to help us, to bring us some benefit.

করিতেছ উপকার যাতে পর উপকার
লভে জীব শ্রীকৃষ্ণ-সেবায়

karitechchha upakara yate para upakara
labhe jiva sri-krsna-sevaya

"You are giving great benefit by helping other souls get service of Lord Krishna."

Devotees render such help to others that as a result of that help, the conditioned jiva souls who are situated within the bondage of illusory environment can take part in the service of Lord Krishna.

Many people help in many ways—they give others money, they give others blankets, etc. However, what is the food and the necessity of the soul? Many can give you food for your body—dal, rice, vegetables, etc. Yesterday, they gave five kg rice, people are happy; if they do not give anything, people will chastise; if they give too much rice, it will rot and be wasted, and if they give less, people will abuse them, and so on. Yet the gift that devotees, the gift that Mahaprabhu gave to this world, the gift that our guru-varga has given is an extremely hidden treasure! Hearing the news of this hidden treasure, people from all over the world (you can see that there are Mexican, Venezuelan, Colombian, American devotees in front of me here) come to this land of India to find it.

The people of this country always want to go abroad in search for dollars, euros, and wealth—they wander around looking for dollars; but people from all those covetable countries come to this country to search for the wealth that is kept within India. As it is said, there is always some darkness underneath a candlelight. In the same way, we live in India, but we dismiss and throw away that very wealth that is right here in our own country. We do not search for that priceless wealth. We only live in fear, thinking always about eating, sleeping, and enjoying. In this way, we spend our entire lives. We have got this human birth, but we are dismissing its value. We never think about the meaning of this birth—we do not seek what this life is for, how to fulfil its meaning, etc. We only worry about the same things that even animals eat, about the things that even animals look for—eating, sleeping, etc. If people live in the same way as animals, then there is no difference between humans and animals.

আহার-নিদ্রা-ভয়-মৈথুনং চ
সামান্যম এতৎ পশুভির নরাণাম ।
ধর্ম্মো হি তেষাম অধিকো বিশেষো
ধর্ম্মেণ হীনাঃ পশুভিঃ সমানাঃ ॥

ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam cha
samanyam etat pasubhir naranam
dharmo hi tesam adhiko viseso
dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah

"Eating, sleeping, sex, and defence—these four principles are common to both human beings and animals. The distinction between human life and animal life is that a man can search after God but an animal cannot. Therefore a man without that urge for searching after God is no better than an animal."

It is said in the scriptures that people who live without any religious principles (without any dharma) are equal to animals. This is how we have become like animals—we always live worrying about eating, sleeping, fearing, and how to procreate, but we do not look for that which is real.

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