Sukadev Goswami told Pariksit Maharaj that seven days of longevity is enough to achieve perfection. He said, «You have only seven days left to live; do you think it is a short time? It is enough time. What is all-important is the proper use of every second.» What time we have in our hands is uncertain, but we must try our best to properly use every second. This must not be neglected. We should not think, «The future is before me; any time I like, I can engage in the profitable affair of spiritual life.» Not one second should be lost. Longfellow wrote:
Trust no Future howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, — act, in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
The present is at our hand. We don’t know about our future. We must try to use the time at hand to its best advantage. And how will our time be best used? In the association of saints and scriptures. Purity is to be measured by the unit of sacrifice. And not sacrifice to any partial interest, but sacrifice to the whole. The Absolute Whole has been shown to us as the emporium of rasa (Akhila-rasamrta-murti) — the Absolute Good, the Autocrat, the Designer and Destiner of everything we see. Our ideal of sacrifice should be so high that we can give up even the corresponding results of sacrifice. Self-abnegation, or self-surrender, is generally known as atma-nivedanam. However, atma-niksepa is a stronger word for surrender. It means «to throw oneself desperately towards the Infinite». One must be desperate in self-sacrifice. In self-sacrifice, we must be very careful not to aspire for any greater or extended selfishness, but to surrender only to the Centre. Sacrifice is meant for the Centre — Krishna — the all-attractor. In realising that position, we are concerned about two things — transcendental knowledge (sambandha) and the means for reaching the goal (abhidheya). If we realise these correctly, then the fulfilment of the ultimate goal (prayojan) will come automatically. We shall be very conscious about the Centre to whom we are dedicating everything. The object of our fulfilment (sambandha) and our dedication or purity of purpose (abhidheya), these two things are most important. This can be understood from the scriptures and the saints. And if we concern ourselves with the purest end and highest sacrifice, the end will come of itself. We are not to bother for any remuneration. We have only to do our duty, and the remuneration will come. To whom we will dedicate ourselves and what we shall receive — these things should be discussed, thought out, meditated upon, and put into practice. In this way, we must try to live in the infinite. We must always stay engaged in the cultivation of infinite love and infinite beauty as recommended by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.