SB 11.23.22 – Focusing on our gifts makes us receptive towards the supreme gift

Transcript

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shreemadbhagavatam 11.23.22 labdha janma amarprathyam manushyam tad vichagratham hudanagritye svartham nanty antya shubhangatim labdha janma amarprathyam so here described by the avanti brahmana that manushyam that the human form is actually amarprathyam amar refers to devatas even they prathyam even they pray to get the human form because in the human form is the opportunity to get liberated from material existence the universe is like a 14-story building with seven stories above the surface and seven stories below the ground in the basement so the way to come out of the building is by coming to the seventh story so like that even the devatas who are in the higher planetary systems if they want to become liberated they have to come to the earthly planetary system otherwise they have to wait till the end of the lifetime of brahma and if they keep doing it gradually they get elevated to brahmanloka and then they can go back so it’s a long tedious process so the human form is so fortunate that even the devatas are praying for this for gaining this human form labdha janma amarprathyam and within that now brahmana avanti brahmana is actually turning inwards and is recognizing it’s my own fault also what have i done in the manushyam dvija-agriyatam actually i got birth dvija-agriyatam dvija is brahman agriyatam agriyatam is first so i got birth in a first-class brahman family but what did i do but i did not honor that opportunity or i neglected that opportunity and swartham for petty material things actually swartham the word swartham is used negatively selfishness but swartham can also be used positively in the sense of what is our true self-interest what is the true true self-interest for us that is devotion to Vishnu so one neglects one’s swartham gnanti yanti ashubham gatim so gnanti one destroys the opportunity this opportunity for fulfilling our enlightened self-interest our best interest and ashubham gatim instead of gaining liberation when we don’t capitalize the opportunity of the human form for practicing devotional service then the urges for pleasure drag us down into sinful actions and eventually into miserable destinations so all of us may not have been born in brahmin families but we have got something which is more precious than a brahmin birth that is the opportunity to practice devotional service all of us have human form and all of us have the holy name of krishna and that is a treasure that is far greater than even the brahmin birth and if we neglect this treasure as we often do when we let our mind wander lackadaisically during our prayers and meditation sessions then we are neglecting the supreme fortune and propelling ourselves towards misfortune because with the pressures of materialism coming from all sides in Kali Yuga and with our own conditionings if we don’t have a solid connection with Krishna through strong sadhana then we will be dragged down and we will ruin ourselves so why because of a little negligence should we lose a great fortune and quote misfortune by remembering that labdha janma amar prartham generally greed makes us see what we don’t have and gratitude enables us to see what we have and the difference between greed and gratitude is primarily a matter of intelligently choosing one’s focus so by looking instead of looking at all the material things that we don’t have as greed wants us to do we focus on all the things that we have materially and all the more so all the more things or we focus on the things gifts that we have spiritually and there are few things that can pacify and prepare the mind for becoming devotionally receptive towards Krishna as much as gratitude so even if we don’t have the feeling of gratitude if we can just intellectually contemplate and assimilate the concept of gratitude that will also make us much more receptive to get the gift of the holy name to accept the gift of the holy name and from that gift attain the supreme gift of Krishna brain which will be granted us eternal happiness