Based on Lecture given by Śrīla Prabhupāda in Māyāpur (April 8, 1975)
jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor mama manda-mater gatī
mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau rādhā-madana-mohanau
Translation: Glory to the all-merciful Rādhā and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything to me. [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.15]
In our conditioned state we have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is our conditional life. Like the son of a rich man loitering in a street without knowing who his father is, we are rotting in this material world, identifying ourselves with the body and being subjected to the stringent laws of material nature. Kṛṣṇa is full in all opulences: richness, strength, influence, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. He asked us to abandon everything and surrender to Him. But influenced by māyā we do not accept.
So the author says manda-mati. manda means slow. We are very slow in spiritual progress. We think spiritual cultivation is meant for old age. But what is the guarantee that we will live the next moment. Everyone is nearing death at every moment. Why should we wait for old age? At any moment death may come. So one should be tūrṇaṁ yateta anu-mṛtyu pateta yāvad. One should endeavor so dexterously to complete one’s Krishna consciousness before death comes.
Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, kaumāram ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. He advises to start from childhood. In our temples, even children take part in chanting and dancing. They attend the classes. They may not understand anything. But it is not a waste of time. Though one may not understand anything, just hearing the words uttered by a Vaiṣṇava will be effective. The vibration is surcharged with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ [SB 1.2.17]. Simply hearing will do. Simply by hearing one will become pious. From the very beginning of our life, we should try to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is not optional. It is compulsory.
This Bhāratavarṣa is meant for cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unfortunately, the present leaders are misleading people. In the Bhāratavarṣa, Bengal is the most important place, and in Bengal, the district Nadia is most important place, because Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared there. This is the statement of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. We should take full advantage of this opportunity.
We should understand that we are lame. We cannot go fast. But by the mercy of guru, even a lame man can go fast and he can even cross over a mountain. mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim yat kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam. One has to follow the instructions of the spiritual master. The material conditions cannot check the progress of a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. ahaituky apratihatā. Simply follow the instructions of the spiritual master. If we follow the rules and regulations, then there will be no impediment.
Always chant and hear. Do not waste time. Even a moment of our life cannot be returned even if we pay millions of dollars. This is the instruction of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great moral instructor. āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. But people waste their time unnecessarily. They do not know that the real business is spiritual advancement of life. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says avyartha-kālatvaṁ nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ, vivikta deva deśa sevitam. He recommended that one should always be anxious to see that not a moment is spoiled. That is advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A devotee should always think, 'Whether my time is passed uselessly?' " Then he will make advancement.
Social Plugin