A ship for plying over
So nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. So we have to study the Vedic literature very carefully, following the footsteps of Gosvamis. Not only chanting. This is also required, krsnot-kirtana-gana. But this is meant, if you simply go on chanting without reading books, that is also good. Especially in this age, because nobody has got power to study books. Education is very less, so still, one who is able, they should consider all this. We have given in English translation. So many important books, you study, and chant this Hare Krsna mantra like this, and that is the following the footsteps of Gosvamis. Acaryopasana. We have to worship the acaryas. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, for making advancement in spiritual life, acaryopasana. So this is acaryopasana, by reading their books, nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau. Why studying so many books? For the sake of establishing real religious life.Sad-dharma. There are two kinds of dharmas, religious, religions: pravrtti-marga, nivrtti-marga. Pravrtti-marga means materialism, and nivrtti-marga means spiritualism. Pravrtti means because we had intention to enjoy this material world, therefore we have given this material body by the energy of Krsna, prakrtehkriyamanani [Bg. 3.27], by the…, for associating with this material world. We are spirit soul. We have been given this chance to associate with the material world, this material, which is called… So there is still the rules and regulation. You associate, you enjoy this material world under this instruction, then you'll not be fallen. You'll not be implicated. That's sastra. Sastra gives you codes. Just like when I immigrated in this land, they gave me one paper, welcome, and some immigration rules. That is sastra. Similarly, the Vedas means the rules and regulation which following they'll very happily live in this material world. Material world is not required by me or you. We are spirit soul. We have no business in the material world. Just like we are living entities of the land. We have no business with the water. But if anyone wants to cross over the sea, he must have a well-built ship to cross over. Similarly, we spirit souls we have no business in this material world, but because we wanted to enjoy it, leaving the association of Krsna, we have been given this ship, this body, to ply over this material ocean. So if you know how to ply the ship over the ocean there is no, I mean to say, fear of being drowned. If you have got a good captain of the ship and the ship is well built, then you'll have no danger. So the captain, he is the spiritual master, and this body is a very good ship. This is, these are the examples given. We have to cross over this material ocean. So we must have a captain and good ship, and favorable air. If the air is favorable, suppose you're going to the western side, and if the wind is blowing toward western side, it will automatically push your boat or ship. It will be favorable. If you go against the wind, it is difficult. So you have got a very good ship — this human form of body — and the captain is the spiritual master, and the favorable wind blowing, the instruction of the sastras. So taking this opportunity, if you cross over this material ocean, then there is no difficulty. So we should take opportunity of this body, of the instruction of Krsna, Bhagavad-gita, and the spiritual master, then very easily we cross over.
