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----- Nothing Belongs to Us - 5/6 -----

 

 

 

 

Nothing Belongs to Us - 5/6

 

(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)



HERE ENDS YOUR

SpiritualQuest

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Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This mail is in continuation of the transcription series "Nothing Belongs to Us" - based on the Bhagavatam class given by our beloved spiritual master HDG Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia in 1992. In previous offerings we could see how Gurudev enlightened us on

a) The importance of being prepared for death.
b) How even our own body is not under our control - but is working purely by the mercy of Lord.
c) How even though we are in precarious situation, we foolishly want to enjoy and are not even ready to accept the help of acaryas who are trying to deliver us.
d) The importance of studying scriptures and about the 5 items which are explained in Gita.

We heard from Maharaj about the first two (Ishvara and jiva) out of the five items in previous offering. Now let us continue to hear more nectar from Maharaj.

"There is no other sect on this planet which describes God, the form of Ishvara. Christianity says -"Love God". But they don't know what God is and how to love. Who is God is also not known to them. Then how to love? If you have to love someone you should know about the person to love. But they don't know the form of the person. But our scriptures give us details about Ishvara and Jiva. The third thing that is being very nicely described is the planet (Prakrti) on which we are staying. Nature of this planet, how it is formed, from where it is coming, what are its movements, how it is guided, who is guiding it and why is He guiding it, how long is its life - everything is minutely described in the pages of Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.

The next item, fourth item that is decribed is eternal time. Eternal time is the weapon by which the Lord is controlling all of us. Many times we foolishly say - "I don't care for the Lord. I don't think He is here." But the man who says like that is ageing. The time has effect on everyone including that person. tasye tasye jano nunam - All the living entities indeed don't know the great strength of time. We were 2 or 3 year old child. Then we were in youth and now in 30s and 40s and later we are heading towards the end of the body. Who is doing this? It is kaala - "eternal time" and you don't want to change. You want to be young always. But we can't do it. Who likes to be old? The most hated thing is old age. When our hair starts growing grey, we try to cut it here and there. Then eventually we have to shave off the whole head as whole thing becomes white. By rubbing your hair with some chemical or cutting it, can you stop old age? This is how we hate old age but it still comes because of the force of time.

kaala manovibhalino vaayor iva ghanaa vali. Vaayu means air and ghanaavali means mass of clouds. The mass of clouds hanging in the sky, don't know that they are driven by the force of wind. Similarly we are also driven unknowingly, continuously by the force of time. And this kaala is very nicely described in the pages of Bhagavad Gita. And the fifth thing described in Gita is karma - our own activities. Because we are controlled by kaala and because we are in contact with prakrti, we have to perform our activities. There is no way that we can stop these activities. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita verse 3.5

na hi kashcit kshanam api / jaatu tishtaty akarma-krt
kaaryate hy avashah karma / sarvah prakrti-jair gunaih


"Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment."

We cannot be silent even for a single moment. Always we are doing some work. Even while resting, heart is pumping blood continuously. The activities of the body are going on continuously. When you are at home, you would have seen. One moment we go upstairs. Then come down, enter kitchen, go here and there, try to clear the table, see the garden etc. Then when we don't hear the instructions of the Lord, we perform the most abominable actions. Some of them are very sinful activities. Some activities don't produce any material reaction at all. Such activities are also nicely described in Gita. Before we go to those verses, I would like all of you to by-heart these four verses from Bhagavad Gita - 10th Chapters verses 8,9,10 an 11. These are known as chaturshloki Bhagavad Gita. From these 4 verse the whole Bhagavad Gita is born. The essence of Gita is summarised in these four verses. All of you should learn these verses. One thing we should remember is that we should take great interest in these matters. If we don't take interest, then we will destroy the younger generation.

We were in Holland last month and met some Indian people whose ancestors had gone from Bihar in India to Surinam in South Africa. Surinam is Dutch colony and so they came to Holland. There are thousands of Indian families and they speak Hindi. But you will not be able to recognise the children as Indians - They are so much degraded after two generations. Then they came to London and saw our activities in the temple and requested us to open a center in Holland. Now fortunately we have been able to open a center in Holland and atleast 25 families have become vegetarians. They are taking interest and so many nice programs are going on. These activities help our younger generation. By telling them they won't take interest. You must show them by your practice. They may not follow it until when we are in this planet. But after we leave they will remember how father and mother were behaving. If you love your children, then this is the way to love. If you keep money for them, they will not be safe. Who knows when the value of money will go down? There was a bank BCC in Western countries. People had deposited millions of pounds in it and one day the bank was bankrupt and was closed. People were struggling hard to get even 10% of what they had deposited. This is result of money. So money will not make our children happy. But these scriptures will make them happy. Habit of coming to the temple and listening Krishna katha and reading the books will keep them safe. So if you really love your children, please be serious about these things. Hare Krishna."

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi.


 

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.

 

 

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