You have all heard many times....

You have all heard many times that we should worship God and Guru continuously. Even so, we fail to do this. Why? We forget that we may or may not live to see the next moment. No one knows when this body will be taken away. This doesn’t only affect souls under Maya – even God realized Saints must leave their bodies when their time is up. Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya left this world at the age of thirty-two. A Saint may leave his body at will and go to the divine abode, but he still has to go. One may go via a pushpak viman, a celestial vehicle, or one may be dragged off while being beaten by the servants of Yamaraj – but everyone must go. This point we have forgotten. If we were to remember this continuously, we would always remember God and Guru.

Wherever your mind is attached at the time of death is what you will attain after death (Chandogya Upanishad, 3/14/1). If your mind is in the world at the time of your death, after death you will attain the world. This is why if we remember every moment that death could be imminent, we won’t waste time or be careless.

When a child takes a test in high school to qualify for a B.A. or M.A. program, as the time draws closer for the test, the child thinks, “Now only 10 days are left!” He drinks tea and stays awake studying. He is not being careless. Now only five days are left, and now it is taking place tomorrow! He thinks, “I have to stay up all night reviewing what I studied!” Someone may comment to another student, “You haven’t studied at all since July.” He says, “I have already studied a lot. What’s the rush?” He thinks this because he is careless.

So if we were to always think that we may or may not live to see the next moment, then we will remain ever-vigilant. We won’t waste time or be careless. If you have some free time in which you have nothing special to do, then remember God. Take Radhey name. If you don’t do this, it means you are not thinking about death, and that is why you also don’t think of God and Guru. Therefore, keep all three in your awareness.

Hari guru aru mauta Govinda Radhey,

teenon ko ik kshana bhi na bhula dey.