The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Sydney, Australia, on April 19, 2002 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 82)

 

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: So many thanks to Raghunātha prabhu and his whole family. They have arranged everything for us, from mahā-prasādam to everything. He has arranged a very good place here. He has arranged prasādam three times a day, and the preparations are very sweet and delicious. But why have we assembled here? He should speak two words. Why have we assembled here? Only to take prasādam and to sleep? Or is there any other reason we are here?

Devotee: We are here to develop in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

(A devotee says that we have been suffering in this material world for millions of births. Now Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja has come to take us back to the spiritual world.)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Thank you. First of all, I am offering my daṇḍavat praṇāma at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. And the same to my śikṣā-guru, nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.

Svāmījī was very pleased with me. Only through the special mercy of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, my śikṣā-guru, very easily, I am preaching over the whole world. I have travelled about fourteen or fifteen times around the whole world, the whole globe. And he is so merciful that he has sent so many qualified devotees to help me in all respects. Whatever I am doing, I think I am not doing it, but he is doing everything. I am only his representative. What I am doing is due to him, his causeless mercy.

You know that on his last day, he told me to put him into samādhi with my own hand. And he ordered me, “You should help my devotees.” That is why I am going here and there. Also, wherever I went, I saw — in the middle of forests, on mountains, in oceans, everywhere I saw his glory. Everyone is assembled due to him. How marvellous are the books he published! He translated all our authentic books. Why did he suffer so much for this? There is one thing.

In this world, we want to be happy — everyone, from top to bottom. Even pigs, hogs, demigods, creepers, and trees — the worms in stool — everyone wants happiness. But this is Kali-yuga, the Iron Age, in which, without reason, we fear, and out of fear, we quarrel amongst ourselves. We want to be happy, but we never become happy — never and never — because the process we follow to achieve it is wrong. Who wants happiness? Who? You and I.

Who are you? Try to realise this. You have come to this world for this reason: to realise who you are, who created this world and why. You have not come here to marry, make children, support and nourish them, make them qualified, and then die. We have not come for these things. You are human, but if you do not realise who you are, then you are more wretched than animals, hogs and pigs.

Why do you fear? Who do you fear? You should realise that you are not this body, never and never. This body is composed of the five material elements, and one day all these elements will return to their original roots. Air will go to air, earth to earth, sky to sky, water to water, fire to fire. This material body is made of only these things. It will grow old. You cannot do anything about that. And one day, you will leave this body. You are walking, but your feet are not walking. This body is like a dead body (inert). If the soul is there, then we can walk, we can smell, we can hear, we can do anything. But if the soul is gone, the body decomposes. It is cremated or buried in the earth. Why do you fear?

Kṛṣṇa has told these things at the beginning of the Gītā. You should remember these things. The body, being made of five elements, is mortal. It won’t last forever. The soul is eternal. No one can cut it. Wind cannot touch it; fire cannot touch it.

nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā (2.23)

[“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.”]

acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam
akledyo ’śoṣya eva ca
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur
acalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā (2.24)

[“This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.”]

This body is mortal. We are part and parcel of God, the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Why do you fear? Who do you fear? The ātmā is eternal; so no one can kill you. No one can touch you. Not even fire, water, or anything can touch you. You should realise this. You are the eternal ātmā, a part and parcel of God, the Supreme Lord, and that Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa. What did you bring with you when you were born into this world?

Devotee: When we came into this world and we took our birth, the baby’s hands were closed like closed fists. Then, when one leaves the body, what happens? Automatically, the hands are opened. So, when we came, we left empty-handed. Thereby, we wasted our lives.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What did you bring with you when you took birth in this world? Nothing. And whatever you have collected, you cannot take with you from this world, nothing, nothing. You cannot even take your body with you. Why do you fear? Who do you fear? Whatever you have collected in this world — from top to bottom, from the beginning of your life to the end of your life, whatever you have collected — you should realise that you cannot take it with you.

Can you take anything with you when you die? Can a doctor perhaps take anything with him? Can an engineer, a scientist, or the president of America perhaps take something with them when they leave their bodies? Why do you fear? Who do you fear if the ātmā (soul) is eternal? Whatever you collect with this body, it will be left behind in this world. Why do you fear? Will you lose anything? Have you brought anything with you from your birth? No, you have brought nothing with you, and you cannot take anything with you when you leave this body.

So, try to realise who you are. This is the main thing. If you want to be happy in this world, the first thing is this. Go to the Bhagavad-gītā and hear this divya-sandeśa (transcendental message). You are not a pig, a hog, a monkey, or a donkey, always involved in sense gratification, and also helping others in this regard. What will you have at the end of your life by living like animals? What will you gain? Nothing, nothing, nothing. You can only be happy through the process that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Purāṇas, and other books have given. That message can save you. And by following that, you can be happy forever.

So, once upon a time, about five thousand years ago, some Indian sādhus — very high class of realised and perfect sādhus — they assembled and they were thinking, “What to do? The Iron Age of quarrel is coming.” In this age, without reason, your wife will quarrel with you. Your husband will quarrel with you. Brothers will kill each other. This is Kali-yuga. In this age, life is very short.

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya
kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ
mandāḥ sumanda-matayo
manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.10)

[“O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.”]

Manda-bhāgyā — bad fortune. Someone is doing good things, but so much suffering is coming. You are working all day and night, yet you are sinking in the ocean of debt. Your wife is struggling; you are struggling; your daughters and sons are struggling. The whole family is struggling.

And still, you are not happy. You want more and more. You have no time to think about, “Who am I? How can I be happy?” You are constantly engaged with these material things. If any disease or anything comes, you go to doctors and this and that and this and that, but you have no time for spiritual life. The ṛṣis asked Sūta Gosvāmī:

bhūrīṇi bhūri-karmāṇi
śrotavyāni vibhāgaśaḥ
ataḥ sādho ’tra yat sāraṁ
samuddhṛtya manīṣayā
brūhi bhadrāya bhūtānām
yenātmā suprasīdati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.11)

[“There are many varieties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of study in their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, that by such instruction their hearts may be fully satisfied.”]

“Yenātmā suprasīdati — how will our ātmā be happy?” Not this material body. This body will die. There is no question of this body being happy. But yet, we are totally engaged in this body. How can we be happy? Even doctors, scientists, and others, though they are helping others, still face many problems. They must die; they must grow old. Yet, they still have the false ego, “We are helping others.”

So, the sages inquired as to how the soul can be happy, not this body. Then Sūta Gosvāmī became very happy, very, very happy, and told them, “Thanks to you for reminding me of the glories of the Lord of Lords, Kṛṣṇa. I am happy to answer you now. If anyone wants to be happy, they should follow this teaching.” What is that?

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6)

[“The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.”]

Devotee: The meaning of this verse is that the supreme religion for all living entities is to cultivate unbroken, unalloyed devotional service unto the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, who is beyond the perception of body, mind, words and intelligence. The flow or current of this devotional service should be like a stream of honey when poured from a jar — a constant, unbroken stream.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I have told this to you so many times, but for newcomers, I am now telling all these things again. I have told you all what the aim and object of our life is: the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa Conjugal, Gaura-Nityānanda Prabhu. I have told you about rāgānugā-bhakti and vaidhī-bhakti. I have told you about the Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda and other things. I will now have to explain something to newcomers. And for you also. When I am out of your sight, you become very weak. Don’t be weak. I am always with you. Kṛṣṇa is always with you, always and always, so don’t be weak. Try to follow this.

Now, I am explaining the essence of this śloka. What is the meaning of puṁsāṁ? Puṁsāṁ means ‘For all the living beings,’ whether they are creepers, trees, insects, demigods, up to Brahmā, and all humans. The only parama-dharma (supreme religion), which is one without a second, is to serve the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is parama-dharma. There are so many dharmas (religions) in this world. We think, “She is my wife, he is my husband, these are my children, brothers, cousins, relatives, my native people, and we have some responsibilities to them.” But this is not called the supreme dharma. These are only like worldly things. They are not parama-dharma.

To save this mortal body in any way is also not parama-dharma. It is only sāṁsārika dharma, worldly dharma, temporary dharma. This is not parama-dharma. What you are doing — making so many schools, colleges, hospitals, so many things to save others, to help others and yourself also — this is not parama-dharma. A doctor who helps others will die sooner than others. They will have blood pressure in their bodies, only thinking, “Others, others, others, others,” not thinking about themselves. Thus, very soon, they will have high blood pressure and so many diseases, and no one can help them.

All of these things are relative, temporary dharmas. All these worldly dharmas are related to this body, not to the soul. But the parama-dharma is to serve whom we have not seen (Adhokṣaja, who is beyond the material senses). We have only heard about Him. Through some logic, we can realise something about Him. Where has this world come from? Who made our intelligence? Who made our hearts? Who made our eyes? Who gave us this beautiful body? He also managed a very high-class association for us.

Svāmījī came here from India, from very far away. He did not come for money or for worldly things. Why did Svāmījī come? Why did Kṛṣṇa descend from the spiritual world to this miserable material world? Why? Why am I coming here? In India, I can earn two pieces of bread and water without any problem, very easily. But why am I coming? To beg something from you? Can you give me anything? You cannot provide me with anything. But I may give you so many things that will help you be happy in this world if you follow my teachings.

My teachings are the same as the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Gītā, the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, and the Purāṇas. Svāmījī gave these same teachings, but after his departure, all the devotees became so weak. They left this process, and now some of them have committed suicide. Some of them have completely given up on this process and have become very weak. But some of them are now hearing from me, and they are coming in this line.

Puṁsāṁ — this parama-dharma is for all living beings. There is only one parama-dharma. God is one without a second. We can call Him by so many names; no harm. We can call Him God, brahma, Paramātmā, Jagannātha, Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, so many names, but He is one. Thus, our religion is also one. Parama-dharma is one without a second. What is the supreme religion? Love and affection for that God — only this. If we have love and affection for Him with a very fixed relationship towards Him, then He will descend here to this world and accept that relationship.

You know He descended to this world and became a baby boy to Mother Yaśodā. He creates all the worlds in a second and demolishes them all in a second. He is sarvajña (all-knowing), omnipotent, omniscient, all-powerful. But yet, in the lap of Yaśodā, He cannot turn over. He knows nothing, just like an ignorant boy. Why? To accept the loving services of His devotees. So, if you call Him with a relationship that the guru gives to you, then very soon, with that thick relationship, if you call Him, He will come to you because you love Him. If you love Him sincerely, then He is bound to come to you. Then, He will take you with Him to Goloka Vṛndāvana, where there is no birth, death, sorrow, or suffering. None of these things are there.

You should realise that we are all like refugees here in this world. We have done something wrong, and that is why we are here. Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of love and affection. He attracts all, and that is why His name is Kṛṣṇa. Why is He also called Rāma? Because He is everywhere in this world, in the hearts of all living beings.

ramante yogino ’nante
satyānande cid-ātmani
iti rāma-padenāsau
paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 9.29)

[“The Supreme Absolute Truth is called Rāma because the transcendentalists take pleasure in the unlimited true pleasure of spiritual existence.”]

He is everywhere. I think that He knows what you don’t even know yourself. He knows everything. But the guru gives some processes to follow, which have been explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Gītā, the Vedas, and the Upaniṣads.

Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje — now we cannot see Kṛṣṇa, but from where has this world come? In the first chapter of the Bible, it is written, “God created man in His own image.” God, G-O-D: G-generator, O-operator, and D-destructor. He made man in His own image. If He has no image, no shape, no form, no qualities, no mercy, nothing, then what is the need of that bogus God? We don’t believe in a God who is not even powerful enough to have a form. Without a form, then He can have no mercy, nothing.

Also, in the Koran, it has been written: “Inallah kalaka mein suratihi — Khoda (or Allah) has created human bodies similar to His own form.” The same thing has been written. If He has no suratha, no form, then how could He have created so many forms? If He has no shape, no form, no mercy, nothing, then how could He have created this world with so many forms? Kṛṣṇa has a beautiful form. What form is that? He is holding a flute in His hands. He is wearing a beautiful peacock feather on His head. His form is so beautiful that it can attract anyone. He can also be everywhere at the same time — everywhere. Sometimes, He becomes ignorant, only to accept service from His devotees. This is parama-dharma.

Ahaitukī — what is the meaning of ahaitukī? Unconditional. That devotional service is unconditional. Your love for Kṛṣṇa should be how? Without any cause. There must be some cause, but that cause is transcendental. What cause is that? Only for His service and pleasure. The gopīs never knew anything. All the Vrajavāsīs never wanted anything in return for serving Him, never. For this, Rūpa Gosvāmī has said:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvrtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ
bhaktir uttamā

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11)

[“The cultivation of activities which are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in other words, the uninterrupted flow of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavors of the body, mind and speech, and through the expressions of various spiritual sentiments (bhāvas), which is not covered by jñāna (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service.”]

There is one thing you should know. You know Bharata, the brother of Lord Rāmacandra. Anyhow, his father Daśaratha and mother Kaikeyī ordered Rāma to go to the forest for fourteen years and that Bharata should be the king instead of Rāmacandra. At that time, Bharata was not present there. He was with his maternal uncle. Rāma followed the order of His father and mother and left Ayodhyā with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā.

When Bharata returned to Ayodhyā, he saw that everything was like a desert. Ayodhyā was not as he had seen it before. He thought, “Where is father?”

His widowed mother said, “He has passed away.”

“Where are Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa? Where is Sītā?”

“Oh, they have gone to the forest.”

“Why?”

“Only for you. I asked my husband that Bharata should be the king, and Rāma should go to the forest for fourteen years, and they went.”

“Oh, you are not my mother. You are a demon in the shape of my mother. I cannot tolerate this, but I cannot kill you. Rāma may be unhappy if I kill you.” Then, taking all the Ayodhyāvāsīs (subjects of Ayodhyā) with him, he went to see his brother at Citrakūṭa. He was praying to his mother, Kauśalyā, “Rāma cannot disobey your order. Please tell Him that He should return to Ayodhyā and He should be the king of Ayodhyā.”

Mother Kauśalyā told him, “I cannot order Him to do so because what He does, He does according to dharma (religion). So how can I tell Him to do this? He is Maryādā-puruṣottama (the establisher of religion). He is always on the right path, so I cannot order Him to return.”

Then he went to Guru Vasiṣṭha, “You are Guru. Rāma must obey you. You should order Him He should return to Ayodhyā and be the king.”

But Vasiṣṭha also refused, “I cannot tell Him to do this. But if you yourself are prepared to go to the forest on His behalf, then I may tell Him that He should return.”

“Oh, I am very happy. I am prepared to go to the forest on His behalf, so that He can return to Ayodhyā.”

“But I will have to see. I cannot tell Him now.” Then he went to Mahārāja Janaka and the mother of Sītā. He went to everyone and prayed, “I want Rāma to return to the kingdom, and He should be the king. I must be His servant.”

Mahārāja Janaka convened a council, and in that council, he prayed to his Gurudeva. All the subjects of Ayodhyā, all the mothers, Vasiṣṭha, and all the ṛṣis were there. They all agreed, “Janaka Mahārāja should be the president of this assembly, and whatever you decide, we are bound to follow.” Then King Janaka asked Rāma, “If I decide, will you follow my order?”

“Yes.”

Bharata also replied, “I will follow.”

Then Mahārāja Janaka went into a trance, did praṇāma to his Gurudeva, and said, “The love and affection of Bharata is like the ocean, bottomless and endless. And Rāma is like the Himalayas, like Mt. Everest. He is always a religious person. He cannot give up religion. He has no desire for any worldly gain. But prema has no rules or regulations like this. Rāma has to obey certain orders, but prema attracts anyone at once. I think Bharata has so much love and affection for his brother, so Bharata is the winner. Rāma must fulfil the desire of Bharata. But there is one thing you should know. What is love and affection?”

“You want your brother to return and take the kingdom. You are thinking, ‘I must be happy and thus by serving Him, I will be very happy.’ You are always pointing only to your own happiness. Understand? You are seeing your own happiness, that when He is the king and you serve Him, then you will be happy. But you never thought about what would please Rāma. Please go to Rāma and ask Rāma, ‘How will You be pleased? What to do?’ ”

Then Bharata went to Rāma, and now he knew what love and affection was. Like the gopīs, they are authorities on love and affection. Now, Bharata knew what love was. He said, “Until now, I was only thinking of my own happiness, that when Rāma returns and He is king, then I will be very happy by serving Him. But until now, I have never thought about Rāma, ‘What will be His condition, how He will be happy?’ Gurudeva, you have opened my eyes.”

Then, Bharata went and fell flat at the lotus feet of Rāma and said, “Brother, now I want to know, how will You be happy?”

Rāma told him, “I am defeated, and you are the winner. You want me to be the king of Ayodhyā, so I have taken the kingdom of Ayodhyā. Now I am the king of Ayodhyā. But I would like you to be my representative and manage everything in Ayodhyā. Then, after fourteen years, I will return to the kingdom. I am the king, and as My representative, return and manage everything.”

Then Bharata returned, carrying the sandals of Rāma on his head, thinking, “These sandals are the emperor of Ayodhyā, not me.” This is love and affection. This is our goal, our only goal, this love and affection. Always think, “How can Kṛṣṇa be happy? How can we serve Kṛṣṇa?” I think that I have said so many times that the love of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa is the highest. This is our goal. The gopīs never thought of their self-gain by serving Kṛṣṇa, never and never.

Kṛṣṇa once told the gopīs, “I want to give you something because you are serving Me. What can I donate to you?”

The gopīs told Him, “We want to serve You more.” What can Kṛṣṇa do? They serve Kṛṣṇa without any self-gain. Sometimes they are in māna (a sulky mood). Why? To please Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes they become so sulky that if Kṛṣṇa is coming, they will turn their faces away from Him, not talk to Him at all. Then they will tell their maidservant, “Tell that black one to return. He should not come to me.” Why? Only to please Kṛṣṇa. Everything they do is only to please. They decorate themselves only to please Kṛṣṇa. They become angry only to please Him. They serve Kṛṣṇa. They are also the guru of Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇera sahāya, guru, bāndhava, preyasī
gopikā hayena priyā śiṣyā, sakhī dāsī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.210)

[“The gopīs are the helpers, teachers, friends, wives, dear disciples, confidantes and serving maids of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”]

The gopīs are His servants, gurus, helpers, ministers, advisors, generals, and everything of Kṛṣṇa. We cannot even imagine. Having this object of our life, we want love and affection for Kṛṣṇa like the gopīs have. How can it be attained? By becoming the maidservants of the gopīs, like Rūpa Mañjarī and others, we can have that love. But how is this possible?

Some people think, “We know something, and we have read the Gītā, Bhāgavatam, Rāmāyaṇa, Purāṇas and the Vedas, so there is no need for a mediator (guru). Why accept a guru? This is bogus. We will directly serve Kṛṣṇa because He knows everything. We will give everything to Kṛṣṇa and surrender to Him as it has been told in the Gītā.” But you cannot follow like this. You cannot follow that process. Kṛṣṇa has given Himself totally into the hands of His devotees, those who love Kṛṣṇa. They are the authority on love for Kṛṣṇa. The embodiment of the mercy of Kṛṣṇa is Gurudeva.

yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

Svetasvatara Upaniṣad (6.23)

[“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of the Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”]

All the scriptures say that you should serve your Gurudeva, not less than Kṛṣṇa. Then all the conclusive truths, love and affection, and everything will be manifested in your heart. A guru has practised. He knows the process. You want to read, but if you are not going to an authority or a teacher, then you cannot do anything. You must follow the process. There is a need for a guru. The expert who can give Kṛṣṇa from his heart to others is a guru. We must adopt the process.

Kṛṣṇa gave all His teachings to Arjuna in the Gītā, and Arjuna followed. Arjuna is a transcendental associate of Kṛṣṇa, so, really, He has told all these things for us.

sarvopaniṣado gāvo
dogdhā gopāla-nandanaḥ
pārtho vatsaḥ su-dhīr bhoktā
dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat

Gītā-māhātmya (6)

[“This Gītopaniṣad, Bhagavad-gītā, the essence of all the Upaniṣads, is just like a cow, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gītā.”]

Kṛṣṇa has given all these things in the Gītā to Arjuna, who is His eternal associate. Upon hearing all this, Arjuna became worried. “Why is He saying this to me? I am His friend, and He is telling me, ‘Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.’ This is an external thing. Kṛṣṇa thinks that I am not surrendered? I am His friend. We both take our meals from the same plate.” Kṛṣṇa is serving Arjuna and even his horses. He is carrying out the orders of Arjuna. He is a high-class associate of Kṛṣṇa.

But Arjuna is thinking, “Now He is telling me only to be surrendered? Śaraṇāgati is not even bhakti. It is only the doorway of bhakti.” So, all these things in the Gītā are for us. We should try to follow.

Time is over. My doctor told me not to speak anymore. But still, I am speaking something because you have come from very far away to hear me. One day, I will have to leave this body — why worry? There is nothing to worry about, nothing. I never worry about this. I know that death is what? Only to have new, new bodies. So why fear death? There is nothing to fear. What will we lose by dying? Nothing, nothing will be lost if this life is gone. So, if we want to be happy, we should follow the process that has been explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 17.21)

[“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realisation than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”]

There is no other way to attain happiness, never and never. Three times it has been told, “Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma.” Very easily, you can chant. You may be anything — a doctor, scientist, president, or normal person — no harm. You can chant in the morning, while cooking, or while doing anything:

Govinda Dāmodara Mādhaveti
Govinda Dāmodara Mādhaveti

Govinda Dāmodara Mādhaveti
Govinda Dāmodara Mādhaveti

Don’t think, “He is my brother, father, sister, mother,” but think, “They have come from God. They are children of God, so I must love them.” Then you can serve them because they are all the eternal servants of God. You can help each other with this idea. But don’t be attached. Only perform some duty to them in this way. Don’t be attached to anyone or anything in this world. Only be attached to Kṛṣṇa and always chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in, Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo and / or Bhaktiart.net

Unless indicated otherwise, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)