There is only one hope Sri Nama Prabhu

[Paramananda das]

dear Vaisnavas

Please accept my humble obaisences'

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

In this material world everyone is so attracted and proud of these bodies made of nasty ingredients, covered by some skin we think these body are beautiful,even a snake admires his own body if he sees his reflection and thinks:What a handsome devil".

Nalakuvera and Manigriva also thought so ,and they where so proud of their bodily beauty and wealth they dared be naked in the presence of the great devotee Narada Muni.He stated:

SB 10.10.7: Seeing the two sons of the demigods naked and intoxicated by opulence and false prestige, Devarṣi Nārada, in order to show them special mercy, desired to give them a special curse. Thus he spoke as follows.

SB 10.10.8: Nārada Muni said: Among all the attractions of material enjoyment, the attraction of riches bewilders one's intelligence more than having beautiful bodily features, taking birth in an aristocratic family, and being learned. When one is uneducated but falsely puffed up by wealth, the result is that one engages his wealth in enjoying wine, women and gambling.

SB 10.10.9: Unable to control their senses, rascals who are falsely proud of their riches or their birth in aristocratic families are so cruel that to maintain their perishable bodies, which they think will never grow old or die, they kill poor animals without mercy. Sometimes they kill animals merely to enjoy an excursion.

SB 10.10.10: While living one may be proud of one's body, thinking oneself a very big man, minister, president or even demigod, but whatever one may be, after death this body will turn either into worms, into stool or into ashes. If one kills poor animals to satisfy the temporary whims of this body, one does not know that he will suffer in his next birth, for such a sinful miscreant must go to hell and suffer the results of his actions.

SB 10.10.11: While alive, does this body belong to its employer, to the self, to the father, the mother, or the mother's father? Does it belong to the person who takes it away by force, to the slave master who purchases it, or to the sons who burn it in the fire? Or, if the body is not burned, does it belong to the dogs that eat it? Among the many possible claimants, who is the rightful claimant? Not to ascertain this but instead to maintain the body by sinful activities is not good.

SB 10.10.12: This body, after all, is produced by the unmanifested nature and again annihilated and merged in the natural elements. Therefore, it is the common property of everyone. Under the circumstances, who but a rascal claims this property as his own and while maintaining it commits such sinful activities as killing animals just to satisfy his whims? Unless one is a rascal, one cannot commit such sinful activities.

SB 10.10.13: Atheistic fools and rascals who are very much proud of wealth fail to see things as they are. Therefore, returning them to poverty is the proper ointment for their eyes so they may see things as they are. At least a poverty-stricken man can realize how painful poverty is, and therefore he will not want others to be in a painful condition like his own.

SB 10.10.14: By seeing their faces, one whose body has been pricked by pins can understand the pain of others who are pinpricked. Realizing that this pain is the same for everyone, he does not want others to suffer in this way. But one who has never been pricked by pins cannot understand this pain.

SB 10.10.15: A poverty-stricken man must automatically undergo austerities and penances because he does not have the wealth to possess anything. Thus his false prestige is vanquished. Always in need of food, shelter and clothing, he must be satisfied with what is obtained by the mercy of providence. Undergoing such compulsory austerities is good for him because this purifies him and completely frees him from false ego.

SB 10.10.16: Always hungry, longing for sufficient food, a poverty-stricken man gradually becomes weaker and weaker. Having no extra potency, his senses are automatically pacified. A poverty-stricken man, therefore, is unable to perform harmful, envious activities. In other words, such a man automatically gains the results of the austerities and penances adopted voluntarily by saintly persons.

SB 10.10.17: Saintly persons may freely associate with those who are poverty-stricken, but not with those who are rich. A poverty-stricken man, by association with saintly persons, very soon becomes uninterested in material desires, and the dirty things within the core of his heart are cleansed away.

SB 10.10.18: Saintly persons [sādhus] think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. They have no other interest. Why should people neglect the association of such exalted spiritual personalities and try to associate with materialists, taking shelter of nondevotees, most of whom are proud and rich?

SB 10.10.19: Therefore, since these two persons, drunk with the liquor named Vāruṇī, or Mādhvī, and unable to control their senses, have been blinded by the pride of celestial opulence and have become attached to women, I shall relieve them of their false prestige.

SB 10.10.20-22: These two young men, Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, are by fortune the sons of the great demigod Kuvera, but because of false prestige and madness after drinking liquor, they are so fallen that they are naked but cannot understand that they are. Therefore, because they are living like trees (for trees are naked but are not conscious), these two young men should receive the bodies of trees. This will be proper punishment. Nonetheless, after they become trees and until they are released, by my mercy they will have remembrance of their past sinful activities. Moreover, by my special favor, after the expiry of one hundred years by the measurement of the demigods, they will be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, face to face, and thus revive their real position as devotees.

SB 10.10.23: Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Having thus spoken, the great saint Devarṣi Nārada returned to his āśrama, known as Nārāyaṇa-āśrama, and Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva became twin arjuna trees.



Srila Prabhupada mentioned in a lecture how even the GBC has to be carefully or they can become a sudra , due to offences, just like when Yamaharaja offende Manduka Muni who cursed him to become a sudra.Gaura Govinda Swami once stated in a Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Potomac:"Sometimes the TP thinks he has become Krishna and starts throwing devotees out of the temple ,even for no good reason ."This happened very shortly after that, this person was so attached to his wife, he thought all other (devotees) men was attracted to her, eventually he left while pocketing lots of money.This is all due to maya.



Queen Kunti has prayed SB 1.8.26:

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir

edhamāna-madaḥ pumān

naivārhaty abhidhātuḿ vai

tvām akiñcana-gocaram





My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.



Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has prayed:



(1)

ruper gauraba keno bhai
anitya e kalebar, kabhu nahe sthiratar,
samana aile kichu nai
e anga sitala ho'be, ankhi spanda-hina ro'be,
citar agune ho'be chai

TRANSLATION

Oh mind, my dear friend, why is your bodily beauty such an object of your proud vanity? This body is temporary, and there is no certainty whatsoever of permanence. After Yamaraja has paid his visit and taken your soul away, this body will then become cold. The eyes will remain motionless, and in the fiery funeral pyre it will simply turn into ashes.

Verse 2

(2)

je saundarya hero, darpanete nirantar,
sva-sibar hoibe bhojana
je bastre adara koro', jeba abarana para',
kotha saba rohibe takhan?

TRANSLATION

Mind, you repeatedly behold the lovely handsomeness of this face, which is your favorite object of constant vanity. It will simply become delicious food for dogs and jackals. At that time, where will you keep all the decorative ornaments and valuable clothes which you hold in such high esteem?

Verse 3

(3)

dara suta bandhu sabe, smasane tomare lo'be,
dagdha kori' grhete asibe
tumi ka'r, ke tomar, ebe bujhi' dekho sar,
deho-nasa abasya ghatibe

TRANSLATION

Your beloved wife, sons and friends will take you to the crematorium, and after burning you they will simply return to their homes. You belong to whom? And who belongs to you? Now just try to grasp the essential significance of all this. That is, the destruction of this temporary body will definitely come to pass.

Verse 4

(4)

su-nitya-sambala cao, hari-guna sada gao,
hari-nama japaha sadai
ku-tarka chadiya mana, koro' krishna aradhana,
binoder asroy tahai

TRANSLATION

My dear mind, if you really want the eternal, auspicious way of life, then just sing aloud the glories of the Lord always and everywhere. Also, one should certainly chant Harinama japa at all times. Abandoning all useless arguments, just worship Krishna, for such worship is the only shelter of Bhaktivinoda.



(1)

mane re, dhana-mada nitanta asar
dhana jana bitta jata, e deher anugata,
deho gele se sakala char

TRANSLATION

Oh my dear mind, you are greatly intoxicated by your wealth and possessions, but just let me tell you that it is completely useless. When this body is gone, then your wealth, followers, property as well as everything else that depends on this body will be good for nothing at all.

Verse 2

(2)

vidyar jateka cesta, cikitsaka upadesta,
keho deho rakhibare nare
ajapa hoile sesa, deha-matra abasesa,
jiva nahi thakena adhare

TRANSLATION

Despite all the vast medical knowledge and dexterous efforts of the doctor by the side of the deathbed, one will never be able to keep this temporary body. When the life airs expire, the only thing which will be left behind is the gross body, for the soul cannot remain trapped within such a dead container for very long.

Verse 3

(3)

dhane jadi prana dita, dhani raja na marita,
dharamar hoito ravana
dhane nahi rakhe deho, deho gele nahe keho,
ataeva ki koribe dhana?

TRANSLATION

If wealth had the power to prolong life, then a rich king would never have to die. The demon named Ravana also thought that he possessed deathlessness, until he was finally killed by Lord Rama. Thus we see that no one to date has ever been able to keep his body by spending any amount of money, for no one can prevent his body from dying. Therefore what is the use of your riches?

Verse 4

(4)

jadi thake bahu dhana, nije ho'be akincana,
vaisnaver koro upakar
jive doya anuksana, radha-krishna-aradhana,
koro sada ho'ye sadacar

TRANSLATION

Dear mind, if you have any excess wealth, then just become humble and use that wealth to do something beneficial for the service of the Vaishnavas. Constantly showing compassion to all souls, worship Radha-Krishna and always make your standard of behavior clean, saintly and virtuous.



These are important lessons to be learned in the month of Kartika.

your servant

Payonidhi das