Granth Raj 18.7.
21
This is in continuation of the
earlier mail transcribing the
lecture given by our beloved
Guru Maharaj in Abu Dhabi
in June 2009. Maharaj was
telling that in order to
transfer the attachment
from the material body to
the transcendence, two
things have to be
understood about the
material world. This is all
temporary. So what should
be our perception and
approach? This is full of
miseries. So how to get rid
of these miseries? The first
point regarding the
temporary and destructive
nature (nashvaram) of the
material world was seen in
the previous mail. We shall
now see the second point:
The three fold miseries of
our material existence are
1) Misery arising out of
body and mind, 2) Misery
caused by other living
entities and 3) Miseries
caused by the demigods.
Srimad Bhagavatam which
is non-different from
Krishna, is giving the way
out of these miseries. In
Srimad Bhagavatam verse
7.15.24, Narada Muni says
to Maharaj Yudhishtir,
kṛpayā bhūtajaṁ duḥkhaṁ
daivaṁ jahyāt samādhinā
ātmajaṁ yoga-vīryeṇa
nidrāṁ sattva-niṣevayā By
good behaviour and
freedom from envy one
should counteract sufferings
due to other living entities,
by meditation in trance one
should counteract sufferings
due to providence, and by
practicing hatha-yoga,
pranaayaama and so forth
one should counteract
sufferings due to the body
and mind. Similarly, by
developing the mode of
goodness, especially in
regard to eating, one should
conquer sleep. Miseries
arising out of body and
mind (ātmajaṁ) :- We
cannot get rid of the
miseries arising out of our
body . There is only one
way to get rid of it and that
is Yoga viryena. By yogic
exercises. We may not be
able to do all the exercises,
but walking is the best
exercise. If it is possible
don’t take too much
medicine. There is no
mention of medicine in
Srimad Bhagavatam.
Lifelong chronic diseases
may require some
medicines. By taking too
many medicines the
reddishness of the body will
go and the muscles become
stiffened. We can see so
many people neither living
nor dying and they are just
breathing, and lacs of
rupees are spent on them.
The best yoga which can
cure us is Bhakthi yoga.
The holy names should
always be on our tongues. It
is a Rām bhāṅ upāya. The
misery can be tolerated with
Bhakti yoga. For miseries
arising out of the mind the
best weapon is to neglect. If
the mind tells something
other than Krishna, you
neglect. Miseries arising out
of other living entities:- For
those who always
remember the Lord, the
protection ( kavacha) of the
Lord is always there. The
other living entities will also
change and will not cause
any difficulty to us. Miseries
arising out of demigods:-
These miseries are beyond
our control . Suppose
suddenly there is an
earthquake, what can we
do? daivam jahyāt
samādhina- We have to just
chant the Hare Krishna
maha mantra. If we are to
be saved, we will be saved
or otherwise we will die
remembering the Lord and
go back to Him. Our goal is
one and that is to go back
to Godhead and be
engaged in His service. If
this is the goal, we have to
get rid of other things
slowly. The situation of our
life is very beautifully
described in Srimad
Bhagavatam 10.20.37,
naivāvidan kṣīyamāṇaṁ
jalaṁ gādha-jale-carāḥ
yathāyur anv-ahaṁ
kṣayyaṁ narā mūḍhāḥ
kuṭumbinaḥ The fish
swimming in the
increasingly shallow water
did not at all understand
that the water was
diminishing, just as foolish
family men cannot see how
the time they have left to
live is diminishing with
every passing day. This is
our life. We cannot stay
here. We cannot be proud
of anything. We don’t have
any relationships here. Our
only relationship is with
Krishna. This is eternal. To
recognise the eternal
person, we have to
endeavour every day. For
this - sthiratha is required
(stead fastness). Austerity
is required. We should not
look for the returns. We
have this day in our hand.
Whatever work we do for
our maintenance, that has
to be done very nicely.
Fruitive results will come,
but it has to be offered to
Krishna. Then sthirathaa
will come. With Krishna
money becomes Lakshmi or
otherwise she becomes
Durga. Then money is
spent on drinking and other
sinful activities. Our
shastras are very practical
and how can we not get
attracted to it? Why are we
running after the fruits?
Krishna is acintyāḥ –
inconceivable. Srimad
Ramayan declares –
Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā. If
we cannot think of Him, how
can we touch Him? There is
so much deception going on
about the anaamayam
padam – Supreme
Destination. Srimad
Bhagavatam warns us
through this verse – 7.5.31,
na te viduh svaartha-gatim
hi vishnum / duraashayaa
ye bahir-artha-maaninah
andhaa yathaandhair
upaniyamaanaas / te ’pisha-
tantryaam uru-daamni
baddhaah Persons who are
strongly entrapped by the
consciousness of enjoying
material life, and who have
therefore accepted as their
leader or guru, a similar
blind man attached to
external sense objects,
cannot understand that the
goal of life is to return
home, back to Godhead,
and engage in the service
of Lord Vishnu. As blind
men guided by another
blind man miss the right
path and fall into a ditch,
materially attached men led
by another materially
attached man are bound by
the ropes of fruitive labor,
which are made of very
strong cords, and they
continue again and again in
materialistic life, suffering
the threefold miseries.
Please come to Srimad
Bhagavatam and the
address of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is
there. We require the
authority of the shastras.
We do not know our father
and our authority is our
mother. In the same way
the shastras are our
authority. The Supreme
abode of the Lord is very
wonderfully described in
Srimad Bhagavatam
10.27.4. The description of
the same shall be posted in
the subsequent mail,
Krishna willing. Thank you
very much. Yours in service
of Srila Prabhupada and
Srila Gurudeva,
Vaijayantimala devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
