Where Will You Run?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Disappearance day of Srila Govinda Maharaj
Siliguri, evening class, 24 April 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

এই আছে এই নাই জীবন টলমল
ভজহুঁ হরিপদ নিতি রে

kamala-dala-jala jivana talamala
(ei achhe ei nai jivana talamala)
bhajahu hari-pada niti re [3]

Life is shaky—it is here now, and then it is gone. Serve the Lord's feet! O mind, serve the Lord's feet.

When water falls on a leaf, it totters on the leaf ready to fall at any moment—our life is also like that. We can leave this world at any moment. Money, wealth, cars, houses, family, relatives, friends—we will all have to leave everything.

smasane sarira mama padiya rahibe
vihanga-patanga taya vihara karibe

My body will be laid to rest at the crematorium. There birds and insects will enjoy it.

This body will be burnt at the cremation ghat. You know, there is one devotee who was sitting, eating and talking to others and suddenly he died. I was in Bardhaman that day, collecting rice at rice mills. Sripad Vishnu Maharaj called me at ten-eleven o'clock and told the news. I went to the programme there, took prasadam, and then left... When people get old, they sometimes get so weak that they cannot even eat...

বৃদ্ধকাল আওল, সব সুখ ভাগল,
পীড়াবশে হইনু কাতর ।

vrddha-kala aola, saba sukha bhagala,
pida-vase ha-inu katara

"Then old age came, and all happiness fled. Subjugated by disease, I became distressed."

(Saranagati, 6.3)

When old age comes, all happiness goes away. We jump all around as long as we are young, but health gradually goes down. We have got this human birth, and if you cannot keep it properly, then it is very sad. Those who serve the Lord are very fortunate.

অল্প ভাগ্যে সেবা নাহি হয়
কোটি জন্ম থাকলে ভাগ্য
বিষয় ছেড়ে হয় বৈরাগ্য

alpa-bhagye seva nahi haya
koti janma thakle bhagya
visaya chhede haya vairagya

"Service does not come by just a little fortune. Only after ten million births of good fortune, can you leave this material world behind."

You are getting this opportunity to serve the Lord by a great fortune. If somebody does not understand it, it is very sad.

You must all come for Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Some come with a return ticket to immediately go back to their home, this is very sad... This is like birds who go out in the morning, fly everywhere during the day, and in the evening again return to their tree. One devotee came for the festival from so far, but he left the next day. He could have stayed for a few days at least. What is there to be afraid of? If you are to die one day, nobody can prevent that. Where will you run? "There is no place for you to run to, brother—Yamaraj is always behind you." The only way to remove this fear of death is to practise Krishna consciousness, to serve the Lord. The scriptures say that a guru who cannot save you from the deathly material existence cannot be a guru. So, what is there to be afraid? You are born, then one day you must die. Everybody's day is already written, and nobody can prevent that from happening. That is why, always:

কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণ-কৃষ্ণনাম-কীর্ত্তনং
রাম-রাম-গান-রম্য-দিব্য-ছন্দ-নর্ত্তনম্ ।
যত্র তত্র কৃষ্ণনাম-দান-লোক-নিস্তরং
প্রেম-ধাম-দেবমেব নৌমি গৌর-সুন্দরম্ ॥

krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-krsna-nama-kirtanam
rama-rama-gana-ramya-divya chhanda-nartanam
yatra-tatra-krsna-nama-dana-loka-nistaram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

Later, the Supreme Lord travelled to the holy places of pilgrimage in South India with the clever intention of delivering the fallen souls. Appearing as a beautiful young renunciate, He distributed the sweet Names of the Lord, singing: "Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna he," as He strolled down the different pathways, entered temples, and visited homesteads during the sacred pilgrimage. Infused with an inconceivable type of divine inspiration, the Lord freely chanted "Rama Rama" and joyfully danced with the most charming gestures. Irrespective of time or personal qualification, the assembled bystanders were delivered by the Lord, who inspired them to chant Krishna's Holy Names. I offer my obeisances to that beautiful Golden Lord, Gauranga Sundar, the divine form of Krishna prema.

(Prema-dhama-deva Stotram, 22)

"Yatra-tatra-krsna-nama-dana-loka-nistaram. Anyone and everybody is liberally delivered by the gift of Krishna's Holy Name."

You must all come to the temple. Keep in touch. This is your temple. You can also go to different temples—spend ten days in Nrisingha Palli, ten days in Tarakeshwar, ten days in Ekachakra, ten days in Ganga Sagar. Nobody will mind it. You can spend one-two or four-six months travelling like this. Everybody is so much attached to their houses, children, etc. If you want to leave your house even for some time, your children will start crying and will not let you go... In this case, you have a temple here in Siliguri, you can serve here. Stay here, serve at the temple. Nobody forbids it—stay here, do service, this is not a problem. I am not saying you must all go to Nrisingha Palli. You can stay here and serve here. As long as you are alive, engage yourself in the service of the Lord. One day everybody has to die. You have pain in your back, legs, etc. This pain will always be there, but it is our mind that is sick, not our bodies. If you keep your mind right, then everything will be all right. "Asustha hoya mora mana, asustha nay mora sarira (অসুস্থ হয় মোর মন, অসুস্থ নয় মোর শরীর): my mind is sick, my body is not sick." The problem is that our mind is sick...

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