Where does attachment to the body and the world lead a person? / Why do sorrows come? Understand this way to be free from them!

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj — To hear the full talk, watch the video above.

Full Discourse

वृंदावनेश्वरी तव पदारविंदम प्रेमा मकरंद रसो पूर्णम हृद पितम मधुपते स्मरता मुगम निर्वाय परम शीतल माया निर्वापय परम शीतल माशया परम सच्चिदानंद घन प्रेमंद स्वरूप नवनित निकुंज महामहिम परम पावन श्री वृंदावन धाम श्री वृंदावन धाम के लाडलेले युगल चंद्र प्राण आराध्य श्री प्रिया प्रीतम जो समस्त हित परिककर निज परिककर उपासक की वृत्ति को आकर्षित करके संसार को सत्य भाषित कराना अनुभव कराना यह माया की प्रबलता है।
O Vrindavaneshwari, your lotus feet, full of the nectar of love and rasa... supremely sat-chit-ananda form, dense with prema, the butter-like blessed bower... Shri Vrindavan Dham... the beloved youth Yugal Chandra, the life-breath, worthy of worship, Shri Priya Pritam who attracts the devotee's mind with all of their divine play to make the world seem true and give the experience of it — this is the power of maya.

Listen with great attention. When our intellect is gripped by maya, then our own body, others' bodies, various kinds of pleasures, behaviors produced through bodies, what is favorable and what is unfavorable — all of this seems true.

Through this power we are caught in this wheel of birth and death. Through this power we are experiencing countless sorrows and delusory pleasures. Even though undeserving, those are greatly blessed who have received satsang and have firmly decided through their intellect that this world is given only for liberation. In the heart of everyone here, whether insentient or conscious, the one Supreme Lord resides, and whatever service and resources we have received, whatever intellect and strength we have been given, we shall serve our household, our family, our society, seeing them all as the form of God. We shall not commit any sin. We shall ceaselessly chant naam. It is through this alone that you will achieve that progress which you have not been able to attain in infinite, infinite births.

You have obtained all these things countless times before. Various pleasures, positions, wealth, luxuries — you have obtained these in many births. But you have not yet obtained that one thing which, once obtained, leaves nothing else left to achieve. Shripad Prabodhananda Ji Maharaj is saying:

The touchstone has fallen before you with your own hands; in your own home it lies ready for your taking, yet you roam about gathering glass.

Vrindavan Dham is this supreme, infinitely glorious place, filled with all divine abundance, granting all desires, bestowing the nectar of prema.

If through the grace of Ladli Ji you have been blessed to come here, to have her darshan, to spend some time here, then do not let this blessing go to waste. To let it go to waste means that the divinity which should awaken in our life will awaken — indeed, because we have come to Vrindavan Dham, received satsang, and Ladli Lal has shown grace to us, then if we do not walk the right path now, Shripad says: having received the touchstone through grace itself, having obtained the touchstone, we threw it away and went to gather glass.

If you have received satsang and have not firmly decided through your intellect upon the true object, have not done bhajan, have not practiced correct conduct, then it means you have obtained the touchstone but you have rejected it. So what are you gathering? Glass. That is, abandoning bhajan, abandoning God's shelter, taking shelter in worldly desires, committing sin — it is as if we are rejecting the touchstone. The touchstone is the naam, the touchstone is the Dham. Goswami Ji says:

I have obtained the naam, the four-fold touchstone; oh, what great grace has come to me! I have obtained the name Radha; now I shall not forget — Radha, Radha, Radha.

We are being very careless. Such carelessness there is.

You see, in satsang we are constantly describing the glory of naam, the power of taking shelter in the Dham, the effect of satsang. But we are not training our minds to contemplate and meditate on that naam at every moment. We completely forget naam for hours and there is no regret, and we call ourselves renunciates, seekers, devotees, Vaishnavas. Consider for yourselves — what is Vaishnava-hood?

Smaranam param vyakula — even the slightest forgetting of the Beloved Lord should become unbearable.

Only then does the divinity of life shine forth. If you cannot give importance to naam, then the importance of desire will not disappear. Countless kinds of pleasures, ambitions, desires, longings will continue to burn your heart.

Durvāsanā mama sadvā parikarsati — Evil desires always torment me.

These evil desires constantly pull us and make us commit sin. If you want to escape being pulled, there is the mighty power of naam, which subdues even the Lord. Then:

Ye kamadi dosh rahitam kur mansam — Make your mind free from desire and other defects.

All this power is in naam. Shripad is saying: If you have rejected the grace that has been given to you, then understand this — you have abandoned the wishing tree and the touchstone and are seeking to fulfill your desires from lowly people.

He is saying something very sobering. Listen — you are a fragment of the Divine. You have been given a human birth to take God's shelter. Even an animal cannot take God's shelter. An animal cannot perform new karma. You have the capacity to perform excellent actions, to surrender to God, to become liberated, to become a devotee, to become a lover, to immerse your life in supreme bliss.

Dheyo praptavat, hee kuyo — Only your intellect is turning you away from the goal, from what you truly need. For many births it has been distancing you from your supreme beloved, your ultimate Lord.

If this keeps happening — how long will you keep running at the command of this wicked intellect? Pay attention. How long will you keep running at the command of this wicked intellect? "There is happiness in this. There is happiness in this. There is happiness in this." Oh, if there were happiness in the world, we would have found it by now in many births. We would have attained it long ago. Or at least in this very birth we would have found contentment somewhere, but no — the wave of desire has come, thirst has come, there is no peace anywhere. That peace comes only when we take God's shelter, when we chant the naam of the Lord, when we abandon sin. Only then will it be attained.

Shri Bhagvan says in the Gita that if you earn only for yourself—this is a very important matter to understand. If you remain engaged only in the comforts of your body and pleasures, you do not serve the gurus, you do not serve the revered ones, and your only intent is to nourish your own desires. Then Bhagvan says that whoever acts this way is a thief, and he will be punished. This has been discussed publicly before, and you should understand it as absolute truth.

You might say, "We earn—what right does anyone else have?" But if you earn and keep that money hidden from the Indian government without declaring it, then you are a thief. Your money will be confiscated and you will be punished. Similarly, this body, this inner consciousness, this intellect, these external materials—all are given by God. The family you have been given, serve them with devotion to God.

You have not been given human form to enjoy for yourself, but for liberation. While consuming things according to proper dharma, serve your family. And whenever an opportunity to serve society comes, do not hold back. Through wealth, through intellect, through strength—whatever the Lord has given you, you do not need to search for service. Whatever service naturally comes before you, if you do not do it and only act for yourself, then such a person is a thief. He will receive government punishment. Just as the Indian government has various agencies that will find out and imprison you, similarly our God has Agni deva, Vayu deva, the earth, and many divine powers that can destroy you. Fire will consume your possessions, fire will consume your body, and you will burn alive. Why? Because you have committed sinful acts. The body you received, the materials you received—they were given for liberation, not for you to become an enjoyer and claim ownership. You have no right over government property, nor do you have possession of this body. Permission has been given to perform proper actions with it. If you do improper things, you will be punished.

Shri Bhagvan says, O Arjun, through yajna and righteous living, one destroys all sins. Those who do not fulfill their duty—this is the essence of all scriptures. Completely fulfill the duty you have been given. You do not need to separately flee, thinking you will abandon the world. It is impossible. Where will you go? You will remain in the world. Even if you go to a cave, the world is still there, because the world dwells in your heart. The external world does not distract as much as the world within your heart distracts. In your inner consciousness, in the entire space of your mind, the world of countless births is filled. Even if you have gone to solitude in a cave, if there is turmoil inside, it is not considered true solitude.

Here God is ordering: perform your dutiful actions while protecting the rights of others. For example, if your parents have grown old, there is the service of their body. You must serve them and protect their rights. They may speak harsh words to you. They may disrespect you. That is their right. Similarly, if we fulfill whatever duty comes to the entire family and society without seeking their favor, praise, or respect, this alone will destroy all your sins. This is God's word. Kilviṣh means offense, sin, impurity. He has not adopted a new sadhana. Service came with devotion to God, and he performed it selflessly. My Lord dwells in this person's heart. He does not see what that person does to him or what their duty is. The seeker sees—even in such circumstances, what is my duty? He becomes free from all sins.

If it is not so, if one acts only for fulfilling one's desires, disrespecting the revered ones, sustaining only oneself and nourishing the senses and desires, and exploiting others—then such sinful people only consume sin. For this reason, those sinful people receive great punishment. This is what Shri Krishna Chandra, the Lord of all worlds, the supreme God, the world teacher, is saying—he who does not fulfill his duty and engages in sinful conduct.

See, until you do bhajan, your intellect will not be able to decide that you are committing sin. If someone speaks wrongly to you, anger will arise. Your intellect is impure. Therefore you think—what sin am I committing? I am earning, eating, sustaining my family—am I committing any sin? So you tell the government, "I earned, I did business. It is my money. It is money from my hard work. Am I committing any sin?" Will anyone listen to you? You did not declare it. You kept it stolen. Now you will be punished. Your money will be confiscated.

So with this body and all materials, you have been given freedom. You can do the worst things and the best things. The worst deeds bear very bad fruit. The best deeds bear very good fruit. What do you want? This is your freedom in human form. You will not be stopped. You are engaging in sinful conduct. You will absolutely not be stopped. That same one who gave you strength—when you walk the path of falsehood, that power gives you strength. The power within you—when you walk the path of good conduct, that same power gives you strength. You have received power. Now whether you use it for bad or good is your freedom. You will receive the result.

So those who engage in sinful conduct—what is called sinful conduct? Understand this correctly. Sinful conduct does not have one particular form. It is acting against dharma, acting against the injunctions of scripture, and going against the goal of life. The goal of life is service to society, service to the nation, service to family, service to God, and spending life while doing naam jap.

If you are not doing this, then you are doing nothing at all. You will be considered a criminal. Because God has graciously given you human life for the attainment of God. This supreme birth has been obtained for liberation. It has not been given merely for indulgences. Those living beings who are turned away from God face great hardship. How will you know if you are turned away from God? How will you recognize it? Listen: these living beings turned away from God merely desire the pleasures of the senses.

Listen carefully. "Let me see this, let me smell this, let me touch this, let me enjoy this, let me eat this, let me wear this, let me move about in this way, such luxury"—this is the only cycle that keeps turning. Whatever I desire, how will it be obtained? It will be obtained through wealth. So how will wealth be obtained? Now, however it can be obtained. This is the inner inclination of a sinful person turned away from God. These people wander only with the desire for pleasure. That is, their inner thoughts and outward actions have only to do with sensory pleasure. They have no knowledge of self-happiness, divine happiness, or eternal happiness.

They endure the greatest hardships to obtain wealth, and they accumulate wealth for the sake of objects of enjoyment. The reason is their dull intellect. They have forgotten their true nature and have taken this perishable body as their real self. Because of ego regarding this body, they consider its relations as their own. They consider relations, home, field, wealth, and possessions as theirs, and they consider them permanent, as if they were eternal. It will all remain this way because the intellect is turned away from God.

Whatever you gather in this world by enduring the greatest hardships, there will come a time when Death, the Lord, will destroy everything. Nothing will go with you. But because of dull intellect, this sign does not sink in: childhood has passed, youth has come, and that too is passing toward old age. The stage beyond that is called death. They do not understand this. In this world, the living being grasps at whichever body it is born into. It says "I" and searches for happiness in that body. Even the ant strives to fill its belly. Even the ant is afraid for its comfort—do something slightly threatening and it will run away in fear.

Every living being seeks to protect the body and enjoy extensively through it. That is, they hope to live and search for happiness in perishable enjoyments. They never think that this body has been given to them only for a limited time. "Look at what seems real. I am the body. And I can do this. I have enjoyed, I can enjoy." This is the only mathematics that keeps running inside. They are enchanted by such a strange illusion of God that they search for happiness in hellish enjoyments. These openings of the body are doors of excrement. Inside, it is all filled with excrement and filthy things.

Human life is supreme for only one reason: Radha Radha Radha and the fulfillment of one's duties. Now, whichever birth they take, they consider the enjoyments there as nectar. Just as the dung beetle—for it, dung is nectar. The drain insect—for it, that is happiness. They never want to give up the pleasures there or those bodies. Whatever birth they go to—see, your own people become so attached to this body. This foolishness is especially awakened in humans. They do everything for the body. They were given the body for their liberation, but they misused that intellect and fell. Now they have become so attached to female form, male form, to son, home, animals, wealth, relatives, and family relations, that they have forgotten that I must go from here, and go alone.

They consider themselves fortunate in these desires and relationships and are so joyful. A son was born—they celebrate greatly. And when the son grew up, he did not do bhajan. He accumulated wealth through unrighteous conduct, so they either threw him out of the house or subjected him to special punishment and suffering. Now they are attached to him and cry for him. They still cannot see the way, that God exists. Once, God graciously gave me knowledge, but I got trapped. Today my eyes have opened—I have none. Now let me take refuge in God. But no, they remain attached to them, worrying about them, crying and burning for their company.

If they make a request to anyone, it is only that they keep them, that they provide for them. They do not remember that Vishwambhar—God, who sustains all the world, gave me the opportunity to attain God, and I forgot. Okay, no one loves me. Then God was merciful and I found the path of surrendering to God. It is not like that. Desires grow so much that even though the age has become old, still they keep increasing the tendency toward sinful conduct to enjoy those same pleasures. They do not think that my time has passed, death is coming next. Let me do some spiritual practice—chant the name of God, take refuge in God, go to God's abode, serve the bhaktas of God, keep their company. Even if there is a little effort in that, they keep thinking of sin and keep committing sin.

That is exactly how it is. As long as there is no refuge in God, these senses and this mind keep trampling them, whatever the condition of the body may be. They consider the pleasure of enjoyment demonstrated in solitude by those who sell their body for money as the supreme happiness. They keep destroying themselves. This is scripture. The tendencies running within you—the great ones have written about. Their mind gets so caught up in the sweet words of small children that they cannot realize: I must now do bhajan free from attachment. Now the senses and mind get so caught that even though their family causes them pain.

He speaks harsh words. He gets humiliated. But because of attachment, he likes to remain stuck in it. There is no way to liberation. The whole world considers this happiness and that thought keeps going on. Such a man bound to the body doesn't hesitate at all in violence, adultery, and theft. He makes such efforts through these means to nourish his family and gain the family's affection—and as a result, he gets terrible hell. He remains in that same house, burning in attachment to his family, scorned and humiliated.

Whatever he gets, he eats it and wastes his time. Again and again that man tries so that I may receive love, but the world doesn't give it. Greed and lust—all these increase. Due to bad fortune, none of his efforts succeed. He cries, he worries, he has particular attachment to his family, and yet through them he is disrespected. Then he heaves long sighs. If only someone would help me. When his helpless condition is seen this way, neither his wife nor his son nor any relative or family member loves him.

What is his need? Like an old ox—the farmer doesn't love him. When he was plowing, they would give him good food mixed with supplements, fresh green fodder. But when he became old, no longer fit to plow, do you know what fodder they give him? Whatever the village animals leave uneaten, that's what's thrown at him—let him eat, let him survive, let him not die—because now he's no longer useful. So it's said that just as he formerly received love, now he doesn't receive it—he cries for that love. But like a miserly farmer neglecting the old ox, relatives, family, everyone ignores him. He thinks, if only someone would come and talk to me. But no one talks to him. Yet still God doesn't come to his mind. This is misery—for him who doesn't fulfill his duty, who earns money through sin, who turns away from God.

Even then God doesn't come to his mind. Having earned for their whole life, for those very people who disrespect him and cause him pain—this is karma. We blame the son, we blame the daughter-in-law, we blame the family. This is your karma. Your karma sits in their mind and later punishes you. "My son is doing this." What was your duty? For your son—from childhood, if you had taught him the teachings of dharma and scripture, if you had put him on the righteous path, if you had shown him the way to a pure mind—you never did this. But your own mind wasn't pure either. It was caught in desires and various traps of attachment, so you will receive that punishment.

Due to old age, his appearance deteriorates. He suffers greatly. There are people who spend their whole life just so the body doesn't become ugly. They use such remedies, surgeries and all—yet now there's no redness left in the cheeks at all. Still, they put color on top. Because we want to preserve our appearance—but this appearance will turn to dust. It is made of the five elements. It is no eternal form of truth and consciousness. Be conscious of reality and let go of attachment to it. What a base body it is, if there is no bhajan! In summer sometimes from sweat—here and there such stench. The lower parts are places of stench.

What beauty is there in it? The skin is a little smooth—and you're proud looking at that. That is not your form. It is created by maya. One day it will perish. That is why his appearance deteriorates due to old age. The body becomes diseased. The digestive system becomes weak. There is no vigor at all. Food is not digesting. And the desires remain the same as before. Now the burning he experiences—only his own heart knows it. Look at this—he cannot enjoy even while trying to enjoy. There is a strong desire to enjoy. Desires for various kinds of pleasures. The digestive fire has become weak.

Now his appearance has deteriorated. The body has no strength. There is no capacity left to accomplish anything. He sits burning. Lying on his deathbed at home, receiving scraps given in humiliation by wife and children and others. Joy comes from walking the true path. It comes from living with dharma. It comes from taking refuge in God. It comes from naam jap. Not from sin, not from attachment and possession. When the time of death comes near, terrible suffering arises within him. Janmat marat dukha dukha hoi. His own people have died many times before, but maya plays such a game that it makes them forget.

Like the many pains suffered in this very body have been forgotten. The wind element in the body becomes disturbed. The airways fill with wind that gives him terrible suffering. Phlegm becomes blocked. Great pain comes. When the time for his life-breath to leave arrives, there is a rattling in his throat. He cannot breathe properly because phlegm is blocking the arteries and channels. No one is loving him. Lying on the bed, seeing with his eyes, he thinks: if only someone would tell me the truth, if only someone would give me real love. This is the truth you see—in life he never remembered God. So terrible yamdoots come to take him. Just the sight of them causes such fear that excrement and urine escape—so fearful they are. He who spent his life using his senses only for his own nourishment, exploiting others—he looks around at everyone. No love, no savior, no relief from suffering. And the beating by the yamdoots is terrible. They extract the soul from the body. And there is a torture body—as there is a gross body, subtle body, and causal body. So a punishment body is given to endure suffering. Like when you get jail, you cannot wear your own clothes—the jail has different clothes. So this body won't be given. The sin belongs to this body. Now you must suffer. The body you receive is called the torture body. People think: here the body has been left behind, so where is hell?

Where will punishment be given? The tormented body is put into him. Now the fearsome, wrathful yamdoots, two of them, cause him pain. Terrifying dread—just as here when one commits theft and such things it takes hold of a person. When one is caught in our government department and beaten, then they know. If I had not done this, I would not receive this punishment today. Again and again he loses consciousness. But in the tormented body, you cannot remain unconscious nor can you die. In the gross physical body, if you are cut, you die. If you are shot, you die. If you drink poison, you die. But in the tormented body, you cannot remain unconscious and you cannot die. The yamdoots put him in the tormented body and beat him greatly, cause him great terror, bind a rope around his neck, and take him on a long journey to yamlok. As the Lord said in the Bhagavad Gita, if one commits such sins then they are sinners, and such sinners are punished. The yamdoots repeatedly cause him pain. In the tormented body his limbs shake with trembling. On the path, all the animals whose flesh he ate here assume a terrible form and tear at his flesh.

This arrangement happens on the path. If he never fed anyone. If he never gave anyone water. If he caused suffering to others, then he receives terrible suffering on the path. At that time he remembers his sins—when punishment comes to you, you will remember: I did this, this is the fruit of it. Not a single punishment will be false. But the thing is, even for a small sin, a very great punishment is received. Like here, if you make a mistake for five minutes, you get life imprisonment. He becomes troubled and restless. He is not given water. He is not given anything to eat. The ground below burns like fire and the air carries flames of fire; he is taken through such a path. There is no resting place. The path is scorching hot, there is no strength to place even one step. There they beat him on the back, shower him with blows, filled with terrible anger, crushing him, causing him suffering, they make him walk the path. Here and there, exhausted, he falls. He is about to faint. Then they bring him to consciousness and beat him. Through a painful dark path, the extremely cruel yamdoots strike him with every step and take him to yamlok. The path to yamlok lies 99,000 yojanas to the south below this mortal world. In two or three muhurts they traverse this long path of 99,000 yojanas, driving him, inflicting torment—it is not death. Those who are not describing the hells now are merely describing the journey. He is presented before Yama; the entire account is settled in a second. There you will not have to wait in line for hours. This hell and that hell and another hell, for so long, for so long. There, the one who roasted and ate animals here is put between burning logs and burned. The animal's fate was to writhe for one, two, four, five minutes and die. But his misfortune is that he will not die, and he has a long reckoning. One crime brings lifetime imprisonment; if you roasted and ate even one animal, for how many years you will be roasted, no one knows. Hey, these are all just stories. When you meet it, then you will know if they are just stories. We met a dacoit by the Ganga who showed us and told us: finger broken, nails uprooted like this, everything torn like this, and he told us such pain is inflicted. Maharaj, anyone from the village can endure five beatings a day, but should never commit such a crime, because of what becomes of one upon going to jail. Yes, he has not gone there yet, he has not been welcomed there, that is why you think as you do. What is written is by God, by Sri Krishna; Vyasadeva Jee is writing it. And who is narrating it, settled in absolute truth—Sukhadeva Jee is doing so.

His body is put between burning logs and burned. Those who cut other animals and eat their flesh—they are fed their own flesh piece by piece. This process does not last ten or twenty minutes. His account is for so many years. Now think about it—constantly being cut, piece by piece. And there is only terrible pain, only pain, no death. The vultures of yamlok, whose beaks are hard like thunder, are unleashed. Those who here eat others' flesh, tearing it—their intestines, their eyes, on their bodies—not dying there, snakes, scorpions, large poisonous creatures cause pain to his body, he who caused pain to other creatures here.

Now you are in comfort. That is why we pray to all. Do not eat meat. Do not drink alcohol. Your human body—you are not a demon. You are not a violent animal. His body is cut and chopped into pieces. But he does not die. Then pain, then healed again. Those who here deceive and kill other people, such as giving poison or committing other betrayals, they are crushed to bits under a mountain peak. They do not die. They are locked in a pit of poisonous gas. It is sealed. For how many years, for how long, they are sawed by the mighty elephants of the yamdoots repeatedly.

These tortures in the Tamis, Tamistara and other such hells bring very severe suffering. Those who, whether woman or man, engage here in acts of lust contrary to dharma—there, bodies of the same form, burning in fire, will experience the same: not for minutes or two minutes, but for however many years the order has been given, they will burn the same way. Death will not come. They say this is entertainment here—"Tasma shastra pramanam te"—when you are conscious, this is not a story we are narrating. This is suffering you will have to undergo. Does no one invite cancer or various kinds of diseases? The result of sin comes, is it not? This is the interest. The principal you must still undergo. Just as if you ask why there is interest—when you are caught in wrong conduct, you will be beaten. That is the interest. Then the judge will give you the actual punishment: "Brother, twenty years imprisonment, capital punishment, or the like," and along with it, a fine. Even a small crime—the stick is used. It is like in the village, is it not? When people gamble, then ten or twenty people stand watching. And when the government official arrives, later they catch the gambler, but first they beat the watchers. They say, "We weren't even playing." So why were you watching? Why were you standing there? To witness unrighteous action, to contemplate unrighteous action, to be in any way connected with unrighteous action—the same punishment will be given.

Be very careful. Human life is for caution. Bhagwan Kapil Dev says, "Mother, these people who say that this itself is hell and heaven—this is the interest. The principal, you must still undergo it. Do not think of this as false. The virtuous soul goes to heaven as the virtuous soul, and the sinful soul goes to hell. You will have to undergo it. You have done the action. This punishment is certain. Yes, it is false only for those who have girded their loins for the attainment of Bhagwan—for them, neither hell nor heaven. 'Na brahma-bhana lokam punaravartanam, Arjun'—that path is different. If you have done actions—sin and virtue—then you must undergo them."

After exhausting both, you must take birth again. Therefore, be conscious. In this way, Mother, that life, after undergoing suffering, is then impelled towards birth. Therefore, be careful. This family is the form of Bhagwan. Serve it with detachment. Earn money for its service free from adharma. Even if you eat only bread and salt, contemplate Bhagwan. The family will be happy. You will be happy. You will have an excellent destiny. Now, when the sins have been destroyed by hell, some remain—the accumulated karma that is stored—in that it is again accumulated. Now it is impelled towards taking birth.

When Bhagwan's grace comes, the jiva is impelled to take a human birth. Give it this opportunity. Then by Bhagwan's inspiration, through the rain, the jiva comes into the grain. That very grain, going into the womb of the mother and father, then becomes blood and so on. Then from the union of the parents, the virility in the man and the menstrual fluid in the woman—when it comes time for that jiva to take birth, if it is to be wasted in that much itself or go elsewhere, it will be wasted. If it is to take birth according to the law, then in one night coming together, it becomes like a small bubble.

Then in ten days in the mother's womb, its form becomes like a berry. Then after that, its muscle tissues begin to grow. In one month, the head appears. First a mass of flesh—in two months, the hands, feet and other limbs begin to emerge. In three months, nails, hair, bone, skin, and the signs of female and male, and other openings appear. In four months, the seven tissues including flesh appear. The vessels, nerves, blood circulation—in the fifth month it begins to feel hunger and thirst. In the sixth month of the womb, it becomes wrapped in membrane, moving about in the mother's right side of the womb.

Now it experiences terrible suffering. Hunger, thirst, and where it is, that is a pit of feces and urine. The rectum and bladder are there in the middle of it, with its skull. Coiled in such a way, at that time the mother craves sour, astringent food, because she too is suffering punishment. When she eats such things, there is terrible burning in the body. Just as a worm writhes about, so it writhes in the midst of that pit of feces and urine, like a worm. Experiencing terrible suffering—Vini mutra yograte sanjatu jantuh sambhave bhari klaesh ko prapt hotat hai—the living being experiences great suffering.

Now the skin is delicate, so the small worms there that digest food cause suffering to its body. It faints again and again from terrible anguish in the mother's womb. The mother will crave bitter, spicy, hot, salty, dry, sour things, because she must experience punishment. These things she will crave. Now there is pain in her body, her heart is burning. We have all come through this suffering. Wrapped in the mother's womb—great sorrow. Belly, back, neck—coiled in such a way, like a bird confined in a cage, so dependent, so much suffering. Just a little movement, and the mother feels some pleasure. She moves, but the jiva is in terrible pain, in suffering, helpless. At this very time, Bhagwan's grace comes upon every jiva. First there was grace in taking a human birth. Now grace has come.

Bhagwan Kapil Dev says, "O Mother, Devi, from Bhagwan's inspiration, the faculty of memory awakened within her. Now hundreds of births of sinful karma came to her remembrance. It became restless in the womb. 'Oh, I have made many mistakes. I have made many mistakes.' Now its breath is being choked. Terrible anguish and constant remembrance. In the previous birth I did this. In that birth I did this, did that, did that, did that—restless. When the seventh month begins, this faculty of memory awakens. Knowledge has sprouted within it, because it is a part of Bhagwan. But the suffering within, the foul state within, is not letting it have any peace.

In the seventh dhatu, that fragment of God bound in the gross body becomes extremely frightened. When it remembers hundreds of births and its hands are bound - unable even to fold its hands in prayer from its heart - it calls out to God. God has given it knowledge and power, so now it says: Lord, have mercy once, pull me out of this hell. Mother's womb - Lord, although you have shown me the way, my greatest fault lies in this, because I have transgressed your command and in every birth, whenever you gave me a human body, I committed sins. Attached to the body, I acted against you. This punishment is befitting for me, but Lord, I have no helper except you. Soham Brajam Sharanam, Hato Bhayam - now you alone can save me, who is filled with fear.

You alone can protect me. Lord, I take refuge at your lotus feet. Although inside mother's body I am suffering terribly, I am bound - I am fettered. But Lord, this is my fault. O all-pervading consciousness, supreme self, have mercy on us once. Pull me out once from this hell that is mother's womb. Lord, if I escape even once, I will go and perform such worship that I never have to enter another mother's womb. O supreme person filled with knowledge power, your maya has destroyed my self-awareness.

My memory of who I am - destroyed. This time I won't let it be destroyed. Just have mercy. Master, you are very compassionate. Just as the generous Lord gave this knowledge to me, the child in the womb. Lord, may this knowledge remain. Let it not be destroyed somehow. Master, I can never repay this great mercy of yours. You gave me understanding. You gave me the memory of hundreds of births - that I committed so many wrong deeds. Now I won't do wrong deeds. Lord, although the animals and birds of this world may be foolish, now I know the truth.

I am a fragment of you, the embodiment of knowledge. Now I will practice equanimity, self-discipline and rules and attain you. I will free myself. Lord, I'm afraid. I am praying to escape from this terrible suffering. But Lord, I'm very afraid that if I go out, then your maya will make me forget. This knowledge that has come - I have absolutely no desire to go out. But I can't stay here either. Lord, have mercy. As soon as I come out into the body, ego and pride become strong. As a result, then it's the same again - attachment to wife, children, home, family, need for wealth, enjoyment of pleasures, and then the same cycle of the world begins turning again.

Therefore I take refuge at your feet. Give me such knowledge that I never take birth in this world again. Lord Kapil Dev says: Mother, now in those 9-10 months, so much knowledge is revealed within that soul that it prays to God. In the womb, then by God's command, through the breath of labor, it comes out into this world. Just coming out is very painful. It must emerge through the mother's urinary passage. That's why it's said: perform such worship that you become free from mother's debt. The only way to be free from mother's debt is through attaining God alone.

Living at home, consider your mother and father as God and serve them while chanting the name. May they also be blessed. It's very difficult for you to be free from mother's debt. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told his mother: Mother, this is the command of Krishna. Therefore, I am becoming detached and working for the welfare of the world - otherwise I can never be free from you. Even if I made my own skin into a lamp, still I cannot be free from you. Mother, how much pain the mother suffers when the child is born. Even nowadays, look - the surgical procedure, the cutting open of her abdomen. And nowadays how children are born - children don't even understand the respect their mother and father deserve.

Now as soon as he comes out, all that knowledge is gone - what God had given. Now he cries. Where, where? Where did that knowledge go? Where did that bliss go? Where did that memory go? Here people say: beat the drum, a boy has been born or a girl has been born! He forgot. That memory is gone. Struggling in his own waste and mother's blood and such filthy substances. All the knowledge from the womb is destroyed. And opposite circumstances develop. Body consciousness, body attachment. Now he cries loudly. He's not crying for that reason. He's crying for this reason.

Where is that knowledge? Where is that memory that was just there? How much bliss was in that memory? He's come out. Those people who don't understand the real meaning of this crying are very happy. A boy has been born, we have a child. Now there's nothing in him that can negate adversity. Everything is there within him. It's very ancient. All knowledge is there. Just like a small child - no one has given him any education yet. But when he brings his mouth to nurse, then he drinks. Meaning he is practiced from before. If so, then terrified - meaning he is practiced from before.

He becomes pleased with affection. Meaning he is practiced from before. This is not his first birth. Now gradually his stage begins to increase. In childhood, in dirt and filth, when small creatures - mosquitoes - bite him. Now he doesn't have the ability to brush them away. Whatever suffering comes to him in childhood - he has no power to prevent it. There's itching in the body but no ability to scratch. No ability to get up. No ability to turn over. Urination needs - in such a state, in such circumstances - mother has served us.

[Throat-clearing sound] Shame should befall those young people who speak harsh words to their parents, who disrespect their mother, who throw them out of the house or send them to such places. Old age homes. Ah, how much suffering did mother endure for you, how much service did she provide? A child's skin is very delicate. Whatever creature bites that tender skin causes particular suffering. The knowledge from the womb has been destroyed. Now when childhood came, then it began again—playing with toys. Growing a bit older, playing with friends. Youth arrived and the fierce dance of lust began. Then that path of ruin. God is speaking with great caution. If you are not cautious, this sinful conduct will bring you complete ruin. This human body was not given for destruction.

It was given for liberation. We all are here for enjoyment. But this is strange illusion. Memory is not there. Think—if you were put in a pit and it was filled completely like that, how would you survive? Not even a moment would be bearable there amid feces and urine, yet we stayed there. In the mother's womb we stayed. Maya has destroyed the memory. If that memory awakens, one becomes terrified. How many times have we died; the fear of death should drive one toward God, but maya's function is to cause forgetfulness. God recited the entire Bhagavad Gita to Arjun. So what did he gain? "The destruction of delusion has come from the recovery of memory." What does bhakti provide? Memory. Why are you being told this? Understand with caution. Who are you? Why did you come? What are you doing? What have you enjoyed? What are you enjoying? What will you have to enjoy? For caution, this is God's grace—that the pure discourse of God is available to hear. Therefore the scriptures testify.

At this time when youth has come, one won't listen to anyone. This is a tempestuous state. At this time, if anyone takes shelter of God, then it is fine. If one doesn't take shelter of God, then no one can remain within bounds. The burning of desire will help.

Sinful conduct begins again. Unknowingly increasing in desires. If desire is thwarted, one becomes angry and even commits violence. Now the same sins occur again—the ones that brought his ruin. And he had come making a promise to God: "Just once, free us from this hell-like womb. I will worship you continuously." Now as the body grows, ego increases. Desire increases. Anger increases. Then he adorns himself again and again for his own destruction. The same lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, envy—the same actions again.

Due to corrupted intellect, made of five elements and perishable, in a body constantly changing, he becomes proud, saying "I." Now again his sequence: youth passes. Then old age comes. Then the same suffering. Then he dies. Then he is born in other species. All kinds of terrible suffering; karma keeps giving to him. Karma brings all kinds of suffering. He remains thus caught in the cycle of samsara, wandering.

When God shows grace, He gives the association of saints. This is the path of salvation for the disciples once more. God gives the company of saints to one upon whom He has shown special grace. Now what happens? He goes to the company of saints, but as mere entertainment. "Come, one should listen for an hour or half an hour." Once heard, but the tongue and sense organs are attached to these two enjoyments: association with worldly people, worldly sights, worldly talk, worldly thoughts. These are what should be abandoned for satsang.

He doesn't abandon these. Then he doesn't get the benefit of satsang. Then he follows the same path again as before. Then he goes to hellish species again. Because of whose company our good thoughts, that we heard in satsang, the enthusiasm to practice that teaching—that enthusiasm is destroyed. We should not associate with such people. We should not see such sights. We should not eat such food. Restraint of speech, compassion in the heart, this conviction of intellect that happiness is in God alone—he doesn't maintain all these. Yet he comes to listen to satsang. "If a wicked one does good, he gets good; but association does not destroy stained nature without devotion."

Yes, he behaves according to his nature. This satsang, do you know? This that is being done and heard—the Lord is exceedingly pleased with discourse and hearing. When the compassionate, merciful Raghu comes, then one obtains the company of saints. Great is the fortune that your feet have come this way. Great is the fortune that you have protected yourself from sleep, sitting in satsang. Not in this time of deep sleep. One who doesn't sleep the whole night gets sleep at this time, comes in brahma muhurta. He destroys all his virtues by associating with these wicked people. There are many kinds of bad company.

One is bad company of internal thoughts. One is bad company of external sights. One is bad company of external people. Beware. Those who would separate you from the path of truth—avoid such people. Avoid such sights. Avoid such talk. Avoid such thoughts, from internal thoughts. He becomes most pitiable and becomes a plaything of lust. A plaything of lust, danced around as it wishes. Restless, deluded, seeing himself as body, by associating with lustful people, he destroys himself. Because the soul receives severe suffering from bad company.

The bondage that comes from bad company—such bondage is not found anywhere else. Bad company filled with lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, envy: wherever you sit, dirty talk, showing dirty sights, seeing dirty sights, willfully thinking of dirty deeds—all this is the cause of great ruin. That's why sometimes in private they say that it is a matter of concern. The matter of protecting our character is no longer a concern. The shreds of character are being torn in the intellect. Behaving according to one's whims—this is becoming our freedom. Dear one, you are not able to see.

Lust and anger are keeping you enslaved. You would be free only if you subdued the senses and mind, freed yourself from defects, or enjoyed those very pleasures in accordance with dharma. This is the rule set down in our scriptures. Look at the strange maya of the Lord—someone comes with a promise to do bhagavat worship, but these conquering defects have destroyed that promise. Now you will say, "If the defects come from God's power, then God has given me that power too." Very well. For instance, in speech: speak gently, speak truth, speak Radhe Radhe, discourse upon the Lord—see, your welfare will be accomplished. In seeing: why do you see with lust? See with bhagavat consciousness. You have been given hands: do good deeds, serve the virtuous—why do you do evil? Whatever capacity you have, put it to good. But no—you cannot do good, you will do evil. Then afterward you say, "God made it, so what can I do?" The Lord is explaining that everything created has an order—be ready for its rule.

A person who wants to attain God in this very life, who wants to attain my nearness through the influence of my service, or who wants to become free through knowledge of the Self and the non-self—such a person should not associate with whoever creates such defiled thoughts.

तजो रे मन हरि विमुखन को संग / जाके संग कुमति मति उपजय करत भजन में भंग
O mind, abandon the company of those turned away from Hari, for in such company impure intellect arises and obstructs worship.

जाके प्रिय राम वैदेही तज ताह कोटि बैरी / यद्यपि परम स्नेही
One who abandons beloved Ram and Sita becomes an enemy a million times over, even if supremely affectionate.

One who does not keep this caution has the open gates of hell.

काम क्रोधा तथा लोभा तस्मा देत तजेत
Lust, anger, and greed—therefore one should abandon these.

The Lord is saying: if you are overcome by lust and cast a defiled, perverted gaze upon others' mothers and sisters, you have already received complete certification for hell.

Harming the worthy in anger, or causing suffering to others through word, mind, and deed—the journey to hell is certain. Greed: defrauding and exploiting others out of greed for wealth, earning money through unrighteous conduct—this is another form of hell. What amplifies all three is arrogance and pride. This maya created by the Lord produces delusion in those who are not sheltered in God, those not doing naam jap. Understand this clearly: if you want to be saved, to reach bliss, to be free from the suffering of birth and death, then remember the Lord, meditate on the Lord, take shelter in the Lord, and perform all duties. If you become attached to any body, your meditation will be corrupted.

That very meditation will lead to your downfall. Living among everyone is not the cause of downfall. Your wrong meditation is the cause of downfall. If your meditation is devotional, then in this world, just as the lotus emerges from water, remains in the water yet stays completely unattached—similarly, living in family, in society, among millions and billions, you would be a liberated sage. If following God's command you do naam jap, the senses and mind, while engaging with righteous objects, will attain God. This is the deluding nature of God's maya.

Love for wealth, children, home, wife, husband—this is what maya entangles you with. So should we not love? Brother, do love, and love more. But keep no selfishness whatsoever. Do it with bhagavat consciousness. The supremely pure Lord dwells in everyone's heart. When you love with God consciousness, the ego, attachment, and passion that create karma and bondage are destroyed. If you have not seen the Lord, this perishable body will be destroyed at any moment, and your meditation being attachment, you will face downfall.

In one story, there was a very wealthy and respected disciple of Pujya Radha Baba. He came to satsang once or twice, but never did naam jap in Baba's presence or took shelter in bhagavat consciousness. Near Baba's place, a dog had given birth to puppies. Baba's gaze fell upon them. With his divine vision, Baba saw and said to the merchant, "You will have to be reborn as that house dog. You will have affection for the house, you will become a lizard and cling to it." This is attachment that leads to downfall. But if you practice that very attachment with bhagavat consciousness, that approach grants liberation. Because the Lord is in all. Truly understand: unknowingly you are loving only the Lord. Because you don't know the Lord, you know the body; you see the form before you and love the body. But when the Lord departs, the body is destroyed. From this it is proved that you were not loving the body. Rather, those whom you were loving, you did not acknowledge them, you did not know them. You loved the body and acknowledged the body. And it is bound to be destroyed—it is being destroyed every moment. Its ultimate result is destruction. Wake up! Perform all duties with bhagavat consciousness, do naam jap—this will liberate you.

When the soul faces the fruit of past karma, it attacks the intellect first. Before bad conditions arrive, the intellect is changed. Past karma attacks the intellect. Whose intellect? The intellect of those turned away from God. But if the mind is established in the Self, the intellect fixed in the Supreme, past karma cannot attack the intellect. If it comes to the body, it makes no difference. If our intellect is not corrupted, whether the past karma brings pleasure or pain—if our intellect is fixed in remembrance of the Lord, the supreme consciousness of eternal bliss—you will be saved from being ground in the mill of the world, saved from this mill of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, joy and sorrow, birth and death. The creature is being ground by dualities. The greatest terrible suffering is death. To escape from this—and we have heard all about downfall—there is only one remedy: shelter in Shri Bhagavan. As long as a person does not take shelter in the fearless lotus feet of God, does not surrender, no matter how much wealth they accumulate, no matter how many palaces they build, no matter how many family relationships they establish—they can never escape fear, sorrow, yearning, misery, greed, and death. Believe this: you have nothing. If naam jap is happening and you are sheltered in God, then the peace you will receive, the bliss you will attain—it exists in no state, no position.

When the bhaktas received God's bliss, they spoke of something truly remarkable. They say that small things like Brahma's post do not matter. Such joy came that in that very joy they said: I do not want Brahma's post—it seems pale to me. Indra's post seems pale, and the emperor's throne seems pale. As is written for Swami Ji: the lord of gods, lord of men, lord of worlds—by Radha Vallabh's grace, grass blades appear no different from these. When God's bliss comes, and it is said here that fear, sorrow, longing, desperation, greed, death—these sorrows can never be removed. Not by money, not by houses, not by friends, not by relatives and kinfolk. Therefore, only God's shelter has the power to erase all sorrows. To destroy all inauspiciousness in all worlds, there is naam kirtan—chanting God's name. Do it in your home. If you can spare just 20 minutes in your 24 hours to have your children sit with you and do naam kirtan. Just as people say, someone has cast a spell on our house or put us under an evil eye. Friends, your own deeds have bound you in those chains. There is no such thing—do naam kirtan, where the resonance of God's name fills the place. No obstacle or curse can enter where God's name is chanted.

Where God's name is chanted, no inauspiciousness or obstacle can occur. The truth path is what you should accept. Before, images of God were hung in homes. Beautiful auspicious words were written above the door. Such words of welcome. You know how shoes are hung? As if intelligence will save you with shoes? When an upside-down shoe is hung at the door, it speaks of your nature, your condition. Your home speaks—no one's evil eye will touch it. Friends, how can shoes protect from evil eyes? Someone once asked me about this. They said when we wear horseshoes, will the planet Saturn never attack us? Then shouldn't the horse attain the highest position?

[throat clearing] When someone wears a horseshoe ring... friends, wake up. Take refuge in Hari, take refuge in Hari. God's shelter—understand this clearly. To destroy all inauspiciousness of all worlds and all people, there is only one thing: naam kirtan. Naam Sankirtan destroys all sins. Where naam kirtan happens, look—there was a mansion where many ghosts and spirits lived, like a ruin. When Mira Ji took up the cymbals and did naam kirtan, offered divine worship and praise, all those spirits attained the highest state. If even inauspicious planets are present, their effects become auspicious through naam kirtan.

Many times in the stories of saints, terrifying spirits came to them. They don't come to cause harm—they don't have such power. They come for their own welfare, saying: You are merciful. Through the power of bhajan, have grace on us so we may be freed from the ghost realm. No inauspiciousness can touch your home. If naam kirtan is happening, or if for 10, 20 minutes there is bhagavat discourse—even if four verses are explained or four lines of bhagavat are sung—that house is not a house, it becomes a pilgrimage place, friends. But nowadays when people drink and behave wildly, then obstacles will surely come, because you yourselves have become the obstacle. In villages, before electricity came—there were no such big glass lamps. They had cloth wicks soaked in kerosene, and 10, 20 people would sit listening to the Ramayana.

They would listen to the Bhagavat, purifying their minds. Before, if you walked through the village in the evening, there would be naam kirtan happening in 10, 20 places. Someone would be chanting "Shri Ram, jai Ram, jai jai Ram," someone doing God's naam kirtan. Today, previously when people met in the morning, they would say "Ram Ram, brother, jai Ram Ji." This was a natural process. When meeting someone worthy of respect, one would bow. How pure that was! Today, greetings have become—how do they happen? "Hi, I saw you, I saw you this morning." But before, it was natural: one would say "Ram Ram, brother," speaking God's name twice. Yes, naam kirtan. If you want auspiciousness for yourselves, your families, and your homes to be free of obstacles, then do naam kirtan for 10, 20 minutes. There is no greater music than what God has given us. Radha, Radha—clap like this, do naam kirtan. This is great music, and no training is needed. Sa re ga ma pa dha—these are learned musical notes. Sit together, four of you, and go: "Radha Radha, Naam Sankirtan destroys all sins." Purify your senses, purify your home, purify the minds of your family members, and you will be immersed in supreme bliss. Accept this. Do bhagavat discourse for a while. Nowadays there are devices—the mobile phone. Sit it down as if the saint himself is speaking, and listen with joy. Have your children sit and listen for 10, 20 minutes.

Tell them stories that cultivate restraint, purity, and virtue. Desires naturally arise in their minds from what they hear, what they see, what is spoken. Pay attention. Now your children are seeing the world—impure scenes, a lack of restraint, the same filthy thoughts in their minds, the same filthy talk [throat clearing]—speaking can be nothing but sinful deeds. Then later they cry: our son is like this, our daughter is like this. You have not done your duty. Hunger, thirst, wind, bile, phlegm, cold, [singing sound] heat, rain, birth, death—how many cycles are these? How many streams? Can your mind never rise above dealing with these? A human joins their senses with sense objects—the senses and their objects—and takes this to be life. They turn away from God. The only way to end the cycle of worldly existence is God's shelter—naam jap, naam kirtan, singing bhagavat leela, bhagavat discourse. The rest of the discourse is of Shri Radhavallabh Lal.

This text is taken from automatic (auto-generated) captions of the video — there may be errors in words. For authentic words, please listen to the video.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)