Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-March.26
Sensuous Pleasures are neither Real nor Lasting
Howsoever great a man may be in this world, there is always something wanting in his life. We may occasionally come across a person who asserts that his life lacks nothing, but even so he has the anxious desire that the status quo should be undisturbed; which means that he is not really happy. There may also be a person engrossed in sensuous pleasures or pursuits who appears to be carefree. A drunken person may not care whether he is naked or clothed, may even defy or challenge the king, but only so long as he is under intoxication.
Sensuous pleasures depend on transient sensuous objects that may leave us some day; or our senses may become weak; or we may die. And who will enjoy such pleasures if he is conscious of death, which is bound to claim him some day?
That abundance of 'pleasurable' things makes for abundant pleasure is an obvious misconception. Real happiness is that which is everlasting. It can only be found with God, who is Himself eternal. Sensuous pleasure is available to beast as well as to man. What, then, distinguishes man from beast? It is the faculty which enables man to think on the fundamentals of life, such as what he really is, and what the purpose of his life is. In everyday, worldly matters we think of gains and losses; but they pertain to a world which is itself impermanent; how can such thinking lead us to the truth?
We do not try and learn to be contented in the situation in which God has placed us, and crave for 'better' circumstances which, we imagine, will make us happy. Even our devoutness to God and submission to saints is, overtly or covertly, for some worldly objective. Isn't such devotion or submission an attempt to exploit God or a saint for a mundane purpose? Even superstitions we twist and interpret to suit our wish and convenience. For instance, if a cat crosses the path we turn back, interpreting it as God's premonition that our mission will not succeed; but if one wife dies, the husband does not interpret this as God's hint but begins to think of marrying again! In short, to secure worldly pleasures is our aim, and we exert ourselves only for that purpose. Truly, a man who does not introspect on his experiences in worldly life can never become wise.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-March.25
Live Worldly Life Solely as a Matter of Duty
A confirmed smoker once fell ill and went to a doctor. "I will faithfully follow your prescription," he said, "on condition that I will not be asked to give up smoking." The doctor was very tactful; he agreed, but prescribed that a certain pill should be held in the mouth when smoking. The pill counteracted the harmful effects of tobacco. We can similarly counteract the baneful effects of worldly life if we banish from the mind the notion that this kind of life will give us true happiness. Thereby, our attachment to it will gradually diminish, and we shall continue with worldly life, but purely as a matter of duty.
Persons leading a worldly life have a peculiar nature; they dislike being told the truth. As a matter of fact, people happen to meet each other in life as a family or friends and foes, simply coming together for a limited time and purpose, like co-passengers in a railway train. A family is made up of a number of persons; each of them has a 'self' which he wants to please; how, then, can any single one of them obtain happiness according to his own ideas?
Go about your life with the firm conviction that true contentment is with God alone. In business the motive is to earn profit; if there is no profit, the business is not worthwhile. Contentment is the profit we seek from worldly life; if this profit is not obtained, where is the sense in devoting oneself to such life?
If asked- to pin-point the cause of his lack of contentment, no one will be able to do so. This means, conversely, that contentment really does not depend on any external cause or condition. And yet, we find that we are not happy with what we have; on the other hand, even if we get what we want, we do not realise happiness. Everyone knows fully well, from his own experience, that worldly life does not, cannot, yield contentment and joy; and yet, people do not behave as they ought to; city dwellers out of pride, village folk out of ignorance.
We must consider how we can obtain divine love and contentment while still participating in worldly life. Love for the body will automatically shrink and so, as a consequence, will love for all that is related to it, if we live in the divine name.
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