(12/13) Embracing Controlled Life

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, 10 February 2021, part 12

We have made such a big building, but how many Bengali people have service? How many Bengalis come and serve here? When the police catches you, you give money to the police, and when you get into hospital, you give money to doctors, but when it comes to the Lord, you do not want to think about any service. People always think about their own enjoyment and pleasure. They always search, ’How can I enjoy?’ That is why the souls of this world are suffering so much. I come to everyone and say, ‘Come to the temple, do some service’ – I have been coming here for so long, but how many people have come to this line? Materially, they may have everything, but they do not come to this line…

I asked **, ‘Why are you breaking your own arm?’

দীক্ষাকালে ভক্ত করে আত্মসমর্পণ ।
সেইকালে কৃষ্ণ তারে করে আত্মসম ॥

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

‘Devotees submit their entire being when they take initiation. At this time, Krishna accepts them as His very own.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.192)

‘When you took initiation, you gave your body, mind, heart, everything to your gurudev’s lotus feet. If you do not use this body for your gurudev’s service, then come and stay here at least for some time.’ He says, ‘I have no time, I have to see to the potato.’ The Lord has arranged everything in such a way that he has now been sitting without work for three months, but he still wants to continue sitting like this.

When you take initiation, you give your bodies to your guru and promise that you will use your bodies, minds, souls, everything to serve the Lord. So, when gurudev tells you to do some service or to go somewhere, you must do that. If you do not do it – if you keep saying that you have no time or make other excuses – then one day this opportunity will be gone. That is why I am telling you all: surrender everything (your bodies, minds, hearts, everything) to gurudev, and, whichever way gurudev will use it, it is his matter – you must only follow your gurudev’s order.

One time, Srila Sanatan Goswami wanted to commit suicide, but Mahaprabhu told him, ‘Do you have no shame? How can you want to destroy My things?! This body is not yours! You have given this body to Me, and I will do so many things with this body – I will write scriptures, I will serve Vaishnavs, I will rescue all the holy places with this body, but you are going to destroy it by committing suicide! Do you have no shame?’ So, these bodies, your whole lives and minds – everything is meant for the Lord. All living entities in this world exist for the Lord, but because we are proud, we do not use everything properly – we use everything for other purposes. People do not understand this. One day you will die and you will regret that you could not spend even one day using your bodies for the service of Lord Govinda.

Radharani serves and worships (aradhya) the Lord the most, that is how She got Her name Radharani. But what do we do? As soon as we feel unwell, we do not want to do anything. I have been to many houses, and I have seen how people live. Everybody is busy with their own lives – their health is not good, they cannot walk, they cannot see, cannot hear. They cannot practise Krishna consciousness…

শরীর অবিদ্যা-জাল, জড়েন্দ্রিয় তাহে কাল,
জীবে ফেলে বিষয়-সাগরে ।

sarira avidya-jala, jadendriya tahe kala,
jive phele visaya-sagare

‘This body is a net of ignorance, and the material senses are the cause of its ruin because they throw the soul into the ocean of material life.’

(Sri Gitavali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Our tongues throw us into the ocean of material existence – we cannot control them. We cannot reach great things because of some small, trivial matters. In general, people want to eat nice food, wear nice clothes and enjoy in various ways, but the reason why they cannot come to this path is actually one: they cannot control their tongues. There is nothing else to it. But the soul does not want all this. Material gurus say, ‘Eat whatever pleases your soul,’ but the soul’s duty is to serve Paramatma, the Supersoul. The soul is part and parcel of the Lord – can it ever want to eat fish and meat? Never.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 44 Mb
Length: 92 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Always Practise Devotion
2) Pure Devotional Life (1)
3) Pure Devotional Life (2)
4) Detach and Immerse Yourself
5) Earn Qualification
6) Humble Heartfelt Plea
7) Quality and Qualification
8) Devotional Depth
9) Surrender and Practise
10) Cut Off Material Attachment
11) Bogus Kirtan – Bogus Devotion
12) Embracing Controlled Life
13) Start From Tongue