Sādhana

The urge of the belly is a disturbance. The requirement of the stomach is to eat for the maintenance of the life and mitigation of hunger. Those who are thirsty for devotional service should maintain their life by moderate eating. Those who endeavour to overeat are called gluttons. One of the qualities of devotees is mita-bhuk, eating what is necessary. By eating less, the body remains healthy and does not disturb one’s devotional service. Those who have no strength to tolerate the urge of the stomach are always greedy to eat.

Fearing this plague is the mentality of a non-Vaiṣṇava. Look brothers! What can this plague do to you? What real harm can the plague do by ending this useless life? If you desire some benefit, learn a lesson from the plague. If you are caught by the plague, then your life is over. Imagine where your wealth and happiness will go! Therefore, without wasting your time uselessly, constantly and sincerely chant hari-nāma with devotion. Then billions of plagues cannot do anything to you.

Without bhāva, sādhanā is merely beast-like labour, because through that, cultivation of devotion does not occur.

During sādhana, the body, mind and ātmā of the jīva are each properly engaged in their respective functions. If the process is not performed in this way, then it cannot be said that sādhana has been done correctly. Therefore, when the word ‘sādhana’ is mentioned, it is well known that both bhāva and prema are also alluded to.

Every Ekādaśī, we should consider how much advancement in our bhajana we have made since the last Ekādaśī. If it is seen that we have made no advancement, or there has been some deterioration, we should understand that bad association is the cause and we should endeavour to give that up.

If someone possessing a body becomes detached and desires to renounce it, then the opposite of detachment will arise. If a person imprisoned by the king escapes before the appropriate time, then it can be said that he deserves further punishment. Therefore, a Vaiṣṇava should take care in passing his allotted time by resorting to patience.

The primary service to Bhagavān is prema, because those who serve tāmasika forms out of fear, hatred and lust, distance themselves from serenity. Although Bhagavān manifests in some form to accompany them, even in hell, without prema, they cannot attain auspiciousness.

Apātre dīyate dānaṁ tad dānaṁ tāmasaṁ viduḥ (giving alms to an unqualified person is an action in the mode of ignorance) – following this statement of Bhagavān, one should give alms to all qualified persons.