19810915 Bhagavad-gītā 14.20

(Disclaimer: The following is a machine-generated transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. It will be reviewed and verified against the original audio soon.)

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 15, 1981 – in Boston, USA. The lecture begins with a reading from Bhagavad-gītā 14.20.

Now the bhagavad gītā as it is. Text 20 gunan idhan oditya trin dehi. Gunan etan otitya trin dehi deha samut bhavan janma mityu jaradukhaya vimukto mitamasnute. Translation By His Divine grace AC Bhaktived Vedānta Swami Prabhupāda when the embodied being is able to transcend these modes, he can become free from birth, death or old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life. Translation when the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life. How can one purport, how can one stay in the transcendental position even in this body? In full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is explained in this verse. The Sanskrit word dehi means embodied.

Although one is within this material body, by his advancement in spiritual knowledge he can be free from the influence of the modes of nature. He can enjoy the happiness of spiritual life even in this body because after leaving this body he is certainly going to the spiritual sky. But even in this body he can enjoy spiritual happiness. In other words, devotional service and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the sign of liberation from this material entanglement and this will be explained in the 18th chapter. When one is freed from the influence of the modes of nature, he enters into devotional service. RLA Prabhupāda explained that the three modes of material nature Some people are in mode of ignorance and passion and those who are in ignorance and passion generally they are atheists. They don’t believe in God.

If they believe in God then they see God simply as an order supplier, give us this day our daily bread simply to provide what is coming anyway by his mercy. But they are asking as an order supplier those who are in the mode of goodness. They want to merge into the impersonal Brahman to become transcendental to the three modes that is possible for the devotee. The devotee is transcendental to these three modes, therefore does not want, does not disbelieve in Kṛṣṇa. Neither wants material happiness, neither wants liberation. The pure devotee simply wants. That he may eternally be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Doesn’t want anything else. Just like. When Ramachandra after the battlefield after the battle with Ravana Śrī Lanka, he asked Hanuman, what do you want? You take one boon from me. You take liberation, I want to give you liberation.

Hanuman told him, my Lord, I don’t want anything which will come between my eternal relationship as your servant and you as my master. I don’t want any boon if it will come in the way of that relationship. This is the wonderful quality of KA’s devotional service. That the devotees, they become completely absorbed in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. When Lord Caitanya Mahpragu showed his Mah Prakash, His form as the supreme personality of Godhead for 21 hours continuously, sometimes in kīrtana, Lord Caitanya would be chanting in Kīrtana. And suddenly he would become overwhelmed. And he might assume the form of the Lord which is his incarnation or his original form as Kṛṣṇa. But then after a few moments he would come back to his servitorship consciousness.

Just like once there was a Shiva Bhakta who started to chant prayers to Lord Shiva very devotedly, very purely on the dim dum and dancing around. And so when Lord Chaitanya heard that he became overwhelmed in the mood. Lord Shiva is a partial expansion of him. And he said, I am Lord Shiva. And he took on the shape of Lord Shiva, the form of Lord Shiva. And he jumped up on the shoulders of that Shiva Bhakta who started to dance around with him. I don’t know exactly what Bhajani was chanting but. And that was going on for some time. And then Lord Caitanya came into external consciousness and then reverted to his Chaitanya form. And then came off and then gave him some food. So like that, sometimes Lord Chaitanyanya would come into a mood and then it come out.

But in this particular Mahaprakash 21 hours he maintained the mood as supreme personality of God. And he didn’t come out of it. This is very unusual. Therefore it’s glorified as in Mahabrakash. So there he also called Muradi Gupta. And he revealed that Muradagupta was Hanuman. In his previous births. Remember that Lord Caitanya told Maragupta, you should worship Lord Kṛṣṇa. You should become a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Tried the whole night to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa. And when Lord Chaitanya came the next morning, saw he was crying. He said, what’s the matter? He said, I am thinking that I should commit suicide. Why? Because I am not able to carry out your instruction. Therefore what is the use of living? Your instruction should never be disobeyed. What is that? The whole night I am trying simply to think of Kṛṣṇa.

But no matter how hard I try, simply Ram’s thought is coming in my mind. So because I cannot fulfill your instruction now I want to commit suicide. I want to jump in the Ganges and finish my life for this offensive nature of mine. Then Lord Caitanya embraced him and said, you are the real Ram Bhakta. So later he revealed to that actually he was Hanuman. And in front of everyone he took his Hanuman form. Lord Caitanya took the form as Ram. So even in this lifetime in one can taste the nectar. And the devotees, they already are establishing themselves in relationship with the Lord. So these devotees either fully developed or developing, they are nothing to do with these three modes of material nature referred to hearing. They have nothing to do with it. They are transcendental.

Three modes are dealing with goodness, passion and ignorance. But directly with the Lord. That is transcendent. Even Shankaracharya admitted Nārāyaṇam Parobyaktaat. Different devotees of Lord Caitanya, they had different qualities. Some devotees excelled in a particular service to the Lord or in a particular quality. And they showed that in a prime example, just like Rūpa and Sanātana, they showed the quality of humility. They’re very humble actually. Rupin Sanatan, they were the prime ministers for the Hussein Shah. Of course, everyone knows the Shah of Iran was deposed few years ago. So India also had a few shahs because the Persians had conquered India about 1200 years ago and it was under Mogul rule, at least parts of it. So the northern part, northeastern part of Bengal was under the control of the Shah, the Sultan Hussein Shah Nawab.

Hussein Shah Nawab is like emperor and Muslim jargon. So the Hussein Shah was very powerful. Actually Śrīla Prabhupda explained that during the Mohammedan rule, India really didn’t go under such a cultural revolution. It more or less stayed the same. Naturally there was some effect. But because the Muslim rulers went to India, lived india, married Indian Queensland, kept their fortunes india and became Indian rulers, they weren’t taking anything out of India. They were. They were commissioning artisans to make so many beautiful buildings like Taj Mahal and others. Of course there’s a controversy whether it was made by Muhammadan or Hindu. But anyway, so many beautiful buildings, so many wonderful clothings.

Even Śrīla Prabhupāda was commenting that how under the Mohammedan rule in Moshidabad which was the capital Murshidabad and Malda was the capital of this Hussain Shah and other shahs in that Mogul dynasty before the British came, that they were able to make such a fine muslin cloth that when you put it on the grass at nighttime in the morning when the dew fell, you couldn’t see the cloth. It would just appear as some dew on top. You couldn’t distinguish what was dew and where was the cloth. So expert were they in hand looming in those days, so much so that the princess of the emperor came wearing one of those cloths and the emperor had to turn his face away because she appeared to be without any cloth, naked. That was how fine the cloth was.

And not that it was loosely stitched, very tight stitched, but so fine thread they were able to make. When the British came, they cut off the thumbs of those artisans because they were competing with their textile factories in England. There are many cut thumbs in Shantipur and other places. From this massacre in the night they sent their troops to cut off the thumbs of all the weavers because they were putting their too much competition with the British cloth manufacturing. So in those days there was a very high culture. But that culture, whatever was there was within India, it wasn’t going outside, wasn’t being exported. While the British, whatever, they made a law that no British here can own land india. They have to ship everything back to England. So, so therefore there was so much gold, jewelry, everything was all sent to England.

In this way, India was more or less drained of the opulence that it once had. So that’s why there was a bigger change in the 200 years of British rule than there was under the thousand years of Mohammedan rule. So the Hussein Shah was very wealthy ruler who had alliances around India, but he wouldn’t manage the whole kingdom. He would left the whole management to these two brothers, Roop and Sanatan. He even gave them Muslim names, the RUP and Sanatan. Sometimes we think that, well, they actually became Mohammedan or they became very fallen that because in the Chaitanya, Charit, Amita, they speak like that. But actually if you study their history, they were always very devout devotees. Maybe for occupational sake they assume some customs or some titles.

But if you actually analyze their activities even from their very heritage, actually Roopa and Sanātana, they were seven generations before their great, great seven generation grandfather was an emperor in the state of Karnataka, South India, the kingdom of Karnataka. And from there was a gradual migration and they came up in their conquering, they came up to Naihati. And Naihati he became from Kshatriya, one of the third descendants before became a Brāhmaṇa. He became a Brāhmaṇa. And his children they went from Naihati over to Jesor district in what’s now Bangladesh. And from there Roop and Sanatan, they ended up in Ramakili, which was just a few kilometers from the big palace and fort of the Hussein Shah. So they had their own court as the prime minister, but their residential house. They created a type of a new Vrindavan. In effect, they dug.

When we think of Vrindavan, of course, we think of the seven main temples. But in those days those seven main temples were constructed by Rupin Sanatan later. So in those days there wasn’t in the big temples, but in Vedas and the Purāṇas, the Kundas are mentioned. Rādhā Kunda, Shyamakunda, Lalitā Kunda, Bisaka Kunda, Nitra Kunda, the eight main Sakhis and then Raharani, nine kundas. So they dug nine kundas including also Shamakunda and they had Rādhā Madanmohan deities. And every day in their court they would hear the Bhāgavatam discussed by great Brahmanas. And actually especially india, but everywhere but india we have a lot of ants. If you just put some sugar down, you know how the ants make a beeline towards the sugar after some time. Here are most of the living creatures in the city are dead probably, except for cockroaches.

But in Māyāpur, it’s forbidden to eat in any of the rooms. Because even if you drop one little piece of something in the room, within no time you will see coming down the wall somewhere out of the window, somehow they have their radar and they find it. And then, you know, there you see one whole stream and they’re taking it apart and then lifting it on their heads and going. So practically speaking, the pandits from Navatvik, they were going up in one stream to Ram Kheli, to Rupin Sanatan. How is it possible that in the middle of the Mughal rule under the Saha, the Shah Nawab Hussain, that Nabadweep could be the seat of all the learned pundits? Did you ever wonder, Brahmanas don’t take any employment? Brahmanas only receive bigshot donation from students, disciples, admirers, others devotees. They don’t take any salary.

So how is it that such a millions of scholars are all being maintained in Nabudweep? How are they getting this facility? All Hindu scholars, not Muslim scholars, all Vedic scholars. Because they were all going up and Rupin Sanatan as a prime minister were giving profuse donations to them. Because of that royal patronage. Therefore Navadipus is growing and growing. The father of Śrīnivas Acharya. He once told Śrīnivas, it’s recorded how he went with his Guru, you know, Amunacharya or someone, forget Yadananda and who had went up to Ram Kili to see Rupin Sanātana. And so when he went up with him, he was young, much younger. Then he saw there was Rupin Sanatan sitting in their asanas and around they had so many pandits, they were reading the Bhāgavatam and so many people were coming from Nabadip.

They were coming up and they were saying, we want to do this, so we have this plan or requesting something during the Bhāgavatam class. They said, all right, give him something, give him. And they were just going. And he just saw that this whole Dharma Sabha like a religious conference was going on. And this type of atmosphere they were managing the whole country, People were coming in and being tried and this and that. And then in every. Instead of, instead of the custom, you know, one may think that, well, in the intervals between the political intrigues and the other things that there will be the dancing girls. But here, no, there’s the Bhāgavatam class, non stop Bhāgavatam class. In between there might be a few. So that Chaitanya Das, he had a very vivid recollection of how great Rufin Sanatan were.

So when Lord Caitanya Mahd he went up to Ram Kili with his Kīrtana party and when Rupin Sanatan heard that he had come, then they went to see him. And when they went to see him from a great distance, they put straw in their mouth as a sign of humility. And they fell down and paid their prostrated obeisances. Dandavat Dhandavat means to fall like a stick just flat on the ground, paying our obeisances. And Lord Chaitanu is saying, come, come. We are already fallen. We cannot come close. We are already fallen. We are in the employ of the Jawana, the meat eaters. The Lord Chet said, you are breaking my heart. Your humility is breaking my heart. Just come here. And he forced and grabbed and embraced him. So this rubens anathana, Why is their humility breaking out?

Because he knew that they were very attached to Kṛṣṇa and that they were giving so much charity and maintaining so many Vaishnavas and Brahmanas, keeping the culture light. Still they were seeing themselves very fallen. Plus, of course Chaitanya knew their eternal position and their eternal devotion. That actually they were eternal associates of the Lord they showed and that kingdom was so well run that the Husain Shah was very strong, sad when he lost him. When they finally gave up Caitanya Mahprabhu gave up the service of the Husein Shah, joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Vrindavana to excavate the pastime places of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his associates, the Hussain Shah was very hardly hit.

So they showed such a humility that actually no one can compare with the humility because just because Rūpa Goswami had taken the employment, he wouldn’t also go into the Jagannath Purī temple. He just stayed out with Haridas Thakur for seven generations. They’re in the family of kings and Brahmanas. Their whole life is filled with so much. Because they accepted employment from a Muhammadan, they considered themselves as outcasts, very lowly. So Lord Shaytan, he didn’t consider them. That was their own humility. He considered them on the highest transcendental level.

When Sanātana Goswami had escaped from the Hussein Shah’s prison house and somehow crossed over the mountains and finally reached Banaras and when Chaitanya Mahāprabhu saw him and embraced him, Śrīla Prabhupāda explained in Gorakhpur this pastime how Bhakti, how Sanātana Goswami was sitting there and how Lord Caitanya Mahu hearing it was him, saw him and how when they met, how Lord Caitanya forcibly just embraced him. And Rla Prabhupāda explained how that was exactly in the mood, just as like just as when the Gopīs meet with Kṛṣṇa, that type of joy. When Śrīla Prabhupāda was explaining that right in the middle of that explanation, as soon as he said this is the same mood as Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs, he became stunned. And for 1012 minutes he didn’t say anything, completely choked up. Then he just said, start to Kīrtana.

The tape is available in the middle of the lecture. So actually the external form of the devotee doesn’t impede the flow of the devotion. It’s not that because we have material bodies, therefore we cannot engage in pure devotional service even in this body or that we cannot taste nectar in this body, we can experience transcendental bliss in this body. We can transcend the three modes of material nature in this body and we can engage purely in Kṛṣṇa service even in this body. Although this body, no doubt it’s an obstacle, it’s a bad bargain because it has these difficulties. Birth Death, old age, disease. In spite of that, this slok in the Bhagavad Gītā is confirming to us that we can enjoy nectar in this life by transcending the three modes. How do we transcend the three modes? By performing Bhakti Yoga, Devotional service.

Devotional service to Kṛṣṇa immediately uplifts us above these three modes. It’s not very difficult. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Giya, Shriya Sudrasata, Vaishyas, Vaishya SATA Sudras, that business, women, businessmen, workers, everyone, even those who are considered to be less eligible for spiritual understanding or less inclined for spiritual understanding. They can also transcend the three modes of material nature. By taking shelter at his lotus feet, Raghuna Daska Swami, he showed the quality of austerity. He was so austere that no one can compare with his level of austerity. Just as much as Rupert was so humble, he was so austere. Actually, Raghunath Das was a son of a great landlord. In those days, a landlord india would be an earl or a duke. In England there was the kings and their royal family princes. And then there would be subordinate kings.

There’d be an emperor, subordinate kings who are also royalty. And then under them there would be landlords who would have so many serfs who would pay rent to use the land and they would collect the rent. And they were like little kings in their own right. They had their own armies. They had, I would imagine a similar like earl or duke or something like that. But they just called them landlords. Jamindar. So Raghunath Das’s father was one of these tax collector landlords for the Shah. So he was a multi millionaire. He had all facility to enjoy it. But as soon as heard about Chaitanya Mahabhara’s movement, he simply wanted to go away and join the movement.

(Side B of the Cassette)

And request him to take him away. This was after he tried to escape many times from his parents house. Escape means that he’d run off to join Caitanya Mahpravut to join the Sankirtan movement. And his father would send out the soldiers and capture him, bind him up, lock him in a room, wouldn’t let him out. His father was also a devotee. But generally even india, the devotees, nobody likes that their son should become a Sanyasi or fully renounced person. They wanted like Daksha, you should perform some religious activity, some spiritual life. And you should also maintain your material status quo. Both should be there, Even the same system as today. One very nice family. They used to come to the temple all the time. Every Sunday feast life members have the sun coming. Son was chanting Japa 16 rounds, reading the book.

So finally he decided that I want to be a preacher. Soon as he told that to his parents, Soon as he told to his parents that I want to be a preacher of this Kṛṣṇa Conscious movement, fully dedicate myself to helping others, they completely blew up. You have been brainwashed, you have been fooled. These people are no good. The very people, they brought him to the movement. But as soon as he decided I want to be a full time devotee. What about your education? What about your degree? What about says? Well, I want to study the Bhagavad Gītā. He’s studying bio something. Then the mother and father, they came over and they grabbed one of our sannyasis, started accosting him. You people, what are you doing? Ruining my son. So parents are very attached. Even india. Even the Hindus are attached.

If their son wants to become a monk or they’re fully dedicated person, they also they object. I personally saw in Rla Prabhupāda’s room, one mother rolling on the ground crying, my son. Tell my son he must come back with me. Prabhupāda was completely Śrīla Prabhupāda was completely oblivious. She’s rolling on the ground crying. And she said, what can I do? He said, your son is free to go. I don’t hold him back. If you want to go, he can go. But I can’t tell him to go. Since he’s taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. How can I order him to leave Ka? If he doesn’t want to stay, he’s free to go. You talk to him. Do you want to go? He said, no, what can I do? Now they’re very favorable. But then there was a big heart crusher. So Raghunathas.

He also had devoted parents up to the point that they didn’t want him to be full time devotee. Probably because I didn’t think he was really serious or something. That’s an idea like that. So he tried dozen times to escape. Every time he was captured, brought back, tied up, it was a very no longer even amusing. It was quite distressful situation. So he directly had the opportunity to approach Nithyananda. But he thought, well, Nithyananda. Nithyananda is, you know, Avadut. He doesn’t strictly follow any rules or regulations in the ordinary way. He always is completely in ecstasy. So in his ecstasy, sometimes he acts like a little child. Sometimes he acts very soberly. He’s different because he gets in the mood sometimes as a little cowherd boy. Sometime he won’t eat any food. They have to spoon feed him.

He’s just in the mood of a little boy. Sometimes he jumps in the Ganges and swims across the other side and plays with the kids and jumps up. And then sometimes he’s giving a lecture before thousands of people. He goes into different moods. So in that way, Lord Jitananda, some people, they kind of categorized him as little eccentric to say the least. The devotees knew him as Avadhut. That actually, just as Lord Caitanya had to close doors and he went into different Bhavas, Nithyananda didn’t really pay attention if the door was open or closed. Wherever he was, if he felt some transcendental ecstasy as a little cowherd boy with Kṛṣṇa, then he would be in that mood. If he felt some other mood as Nishingha brought whatever, he just didn’t really care where he was or who was looking.

Lord Caitanya sometimes would have to tell him, listen, Nityānanda, you can’t do these things in public. People don’t understand. Actually he was showing that the Lord is independent of any type of social custom. And all these things. Lord Caitanya, for preaching sake, he was maintaining in public some degree of decorum. So Nithyananda was also showing that actually it’s not necessary. The Lord is really not governed by any dakoram. So he would have bells on his legs and he would be dancing sometimes different. So anyway, somehow Raghunathas was avoiding Nityānanda. He thought that directly. I will ask Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. So he approached directly Lord Chetan and he said, well, your case would have to be recommended to me by Nithyananda more or less that was the indication without directly saying it in so many words. That was more or less the indication.

Anyway, he told them that you he gave him the system how he could maintain his material life and be Kṛṣṇa conscious at the same time. He said, don’t always try to escape. Then you just create more tense situation. Rather you go along with your material duties and keep your mind always fixed on Kṛṣṇa. In this way you will find that people they won’t obstruct you. No one minds if you worship Kṛṣṇa a little bit just because you want to worship 10%. Naturally the people are objecting. So he followed that policy and other advices that Lord Caitanya gave. And actually the so to speak, the heat let up the pressure on him. So then he was even able to break to get be allowed to go.

Because after they saw, well, now he’s a normal boy, got him married, you know, his nice wife and everything’s going on all right. So they were pretty confident that now he’s firmly a messed here in the family situation. So then he went to meet Lord Nithyanandan and he fell down at Lord Nithyananda’s lotus feet and offered his prayers. Nithyananda said, aha, you try to jump over the Guru and go directly to Gaurāṅga. Lord Nithyananda is an original spiritual master. He’s a spiritual master. Tattoo of spiritual master in Chaitanya Leela that one has to go through the spiritual master to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Get the mercy of Lord Nithyananda directly. If one thinks I can approach Kṛṣṇa or I can approach Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, this is not the correct understanding. One has to go through a devotee. Even Kṛṣṇa confirmed this in Bhāgavata.

He told, I believe it was Uddhava that person, Uddhava Arjuna, that person who says he is my devotee, he’s not my real devotee, but the person who says he is the devotee of my who is the devotee of my devotee. He is my devotee. So Raghunathas fell down at the feet of Nitinon and prayed forgiveness, said, yes, I have committed a great offense. Please have your mercy on me. So Lord Nitin Israel, I am going to punish you. I am going to punish you. Are you ready to take the punishment the Danda? He said, yes, whatever punishment you give, he says, I punish you. You must feed all of the devotees with Cheera yogurt fruits. One feast. This is your punishment. So Raghunathas thought this is a very wonderful thing because he was a multimillionaire.

So he went and bought cartloads and cartloads of yogurt of this chira chipped rice, kheer condensed milk koi as popped rice. Just like there’s popped corn, they also pop rice. Popped rice and puffed rice is different. Puffed rice is round. Puffed rice is popped. It’s broken open so it’s very big. But if you put it in water it becomes. It soaks up the water. The puffies, puffed rice float in the water. They don’t absorb it so readily as the pap rice which is known as koi khoi is so light. That’s where that story comes from. Proverbs says urae khoi govindaayanamo. You know that story? There’s a man was walking with a big basket of koi popped rice on his head. And suddenly the wind came along and blew all the koi up in the.

So when it hits the ground naturally it will get all dirty popcorn. If you dump it in the dust, it’s useless. So the pop rice was up in the air, blown by the wind. Then he said pop rice blown in the air. I offer you to go vinda with my respectful obeisances. Because once it hits the ground it’s unofferable. It was still in the air. So he offered it because no longer was it useful to him. It’s used as an example when someone something is useless then they offer. Here you take. Just like sometimes when some devotee is completely fed up with a particular service or a particular temple or engagement or something and there’s no hope, he’s already given the ultimatum. Then they call up the next temple and say listen, I got someone for you.

You know, I mean, it’s really hard pressed for us but we want to really help you out. That’s technically known as offering the puppies that were blown in the. So that puffy though is very nice when you take it with condensed milk here. So all this plus so many fruit and other wonderful preparations Raghunath does, he provided. And there was a big festival which of course you have all read in the Chaitanya nature. That festival is still being observed today. We have been going to it for the past four or five years. And when I first went four or five years ago, Prabhupāda personally went himself to Shantibur twice. Said that he wants to have a temple there right at the place where Lord Nithyananda and Caitanya Mahprabhu took that Shira and Doi.

We’re still negotiating for the past three and a half, four years for the land. But actually we may even get it because it’s all tied up in some legal complication which we’re unsorting now. Things take a long time india. So when we first went there was about 20,000 people. And this past three years after that, now there’s about 200,000 people coming. And we distribute prashadam from ISKCON Food Relief. This year there was no ISKCON Food Relief. So I personally donated some money as well as the Calcutta temple just to keep it going to 50,000 people at least. Chira and doi. And we bring our own Nittaigoy deities which were from the birthplace of Lord Nithyananda. And from the Śrī path of Śrīnivasacharya we bring our Nittaigord deities.

Some years we bring the boat down and on the boat we prepare the chira on doi and we make a very grand offering. I have described that sometimes that festival is itself a very wonderful thing. People are very enthusiastic. Everyone, all 200,000 people are singing and dancing Hare Kṛṣṇa, chanting, taking the chira and doi just for this much Mahaprasad. They will go wild. When we send out one pot of Mahaprashad with the devotee, go out and distribute it. I remember the first time we sent a person out. All you could see was the pot was in the air and it was a million hands went for that pot. And then gradually the pot sunk and the devotee disappeared. Five minutes later the devotee crawled out from the legs of the people. No shirt and just his dodi on. But not violent, but very. Just very enthusiastic.

No calamities in those. Sometimes the people get so they actually still today are standing, literally they’re waist deep in water. And take. It’s that crowded. There’s not much room and the whole place is packed. Even they’re in the water up to their waist taking this prashad. And that’s what it was like 500 years ago. So finally Raghunath Das, he got the permission from Nithyananda to head out to Vrindavana and do course. He went to Vrindavan and joined Rupin Sanātana. And at that time, although he was a millionaire in his household life he became so austere. No, we cannot imitate him. Neither should we try to imitate him. He was feeling that I am so fallen That I shouldn’t take the regular prasad. I am depriving someone. So he was simply taking the prasad which everyone left, he was taking.

Then he saw one day he came a little late. He saw that animals were coming and eating that prasad. So then he thought, well, I am depriving the animals. So then he would allow the animals to come and eat whatever they would. And then sometimes there’d be a piece of big clump of rice with some rotten or little decaying portion on the outside. So they would smell it and go away. He’d go and take that, break it open and take out the good rice from the center and only eat that. But even then he was finding that he felt he was depressed. So finally when they washed the rice pots, there was a few rice and the drain was there. He was just picking out those and eating it. The Prashad, the food offered to the Lord. So like this, he was so austere.

He would offer. Every day we chant 16 rounds, 25,000. He would also. He would chant not only names but he had a fixed number of times. He would pay his obeisances. I don’t know the exact number but he would pay so many times his obeisances every day, minimum. So the Lord, he found out of course about this. And Lord Caitanya, when he was in Vrindavan. Then he said, oh, what is that? Vndavan or wherever this was. He saw Raghunath was just taking. Collecting that prasad. And he said, oh, what do you have there? Raghunath immediately stood back. Lord Chaitanya ran up. You have Prashad. Give me some of your Prashad. No, no, no. This is not suitable for you. And then Lord Chaitanya is chasing him. No, no. Give me that Prashad. Why you are depriving me. No, no.

This is not suitable for you. I cannot offer this to you. And they say, but lord Chaitani is 7ft tall. Very hard to escape from him. So he caught up to Raghunath and by force pulled out of his hand that prashad. And then he ate it. This is the best prashad I ever had. Wonderful Kṛṣṇa prasada. So in this way Lord Caitanya showed different examples of austerity in devotional service. Humility in devotional service. Poverty in devotional service. Opulence in devotional service. Learning in devotional service. Simplicity in devotional service. Through different of his devotees. Each devotee was showing some different qualities. All of them were on the transcendental platform. Some were Eating lots of prasadam. Some were eating from the dream. But all of their consciousness was on the transcendental platform. They were all deeply attached to Kṛṣṇa.

And by Lord Caitanya’s mercy in the different situation, they were able to completely fix themselves. In lord shaytan israel. Of course, Those who were taking very nice prasada that they weren’t going out of their way to get. But it was coming of its own accord, so they weren’t rejecting it. Advaita Gosai, his wife, was such a nice cook. They would invite Lord Caitanya Maharu over and Lord Caitanya Nityānanda. Sometimes they would sit down and take the Prasharam. This would give great joy to Sītā Devī. This is the perfection of Bihasta. Life is when they can call great Vaishnavas and feed them Prashadam. Still today, any Indian family, the first thing they always say, please come to my home and take Prashana. Always they ask if anyone has ever made friends with any. Any devotee ever made friends with an Indian family.

I am sure they must have experienced. Unless of course they’re not. If they’re vegetarian, definitely they will always ask, please come and take Prashad. They considered that Śrīla Prabhupāda actually Brahmananda Maharaj, he explained he was in Kenya. There he said if someone becomes a life member and he’s actually following these principles, that we can accept the invitation for Prashad. Everyday people lined up to become life members and to feed for what Prasad and Prabhupāda was saying. Simply by eating, we’re preaching. So that was also the custom then. Not only a custom, but that was actually their joy. They could see that the sadhus are very well fed and the Vedas, they were feeling very happy. And the Vedas say that Kṛṣṇa, he’s more pleased. When he is fed through the mouths of the Brahmanas Navaishnavas. So this devotional service is something really wonderful.

Someone who’s actually on the transcendental platform, someone on the material platform will not be able to understand that he’s on the transcendental platform. The symptoms are variegated material you can pick out. He’s good, he’s passionate, he’s ignorant. But transcendental platform, you see, there’s hard. The nomenclature is simple, you can pick out he’s very attached to Kṛṣṇa. Other symptoms don’t even count. If that deep transcendental service and attraction and devotional service is established for Kṛṣṇa, then the other paraphernalia or Facade or style doesn’t actually make any difference. Just like Judas theory was emperor of the world, great devotee. And Sudhamavipra was a humble poor Brāhmaṇa. A kupja was a hunchback. Different type of devotees. All of them were accepted by Lord Kṛṣṇa. According to their devotion, not according to their material situation, according to their devotion.

So we can take opportunity in this human life to become fully established in our devotional service. That is the Samum Bonham. That is the highest goal, that is the perfection. And then we can taste nectar in this life. Just as Rla Prabhupāda said can enjoy nectar even in this life. Thank you very much. Are there any questions?

When people were reaching for the pot.

Of food, were they reaching for it because they had nothing to eat or.

Because it was special spiritual food?

Because it was special spiritual food, they were only taking this much. There was a big pot of food being given out in big quantity that they could have taken for their hunger. These are all people, very nicely dressed, clean clothes. They’re not the starving, you know, beggars in the street. They are devotees. They wanted because they knew that was a special offered prashada. And even it was being given out after the prashadam first had a high percentage of yogurt. Then gradually it became little diluted. Finally in the end they’re requesting. Even if some who didn’t get, they felt very sad that I couldn’t get. Just like a communion. They’re saying just to even give just a cheer up. So we gave out, just soaked a plain cheer up without any sugar, without any yogurt, without anything.

And even that they’re taking and touching to their head and respecting. Thank you. That’s a good question. People might misunderstand. That Jeera is such a thing. People won’t go mad this chipped rice. They won’t go mad for hunger for that. I have also seen people who are very hungry run after a devotee who had a big basket of purī fried cakes. That was under a different circumstance. But this preparation, you can only eat a little bit anyway. It’s not a meal, it’s like a snack, like a breakfast. It’s actually the original breakfast they make from this same shaped rice. They cook it in sand and they make Rice Krispies. This Rice Krispies they have been making for thousands of years. The modern cereals that you buy, they’re all coming from the Vedic age. Originally that one can see the same roots. Any other questions?

We get it. If Someone even takes a little bit of his own and performs any kind of devotional service that he’s guaranteed him by in his next life.

Yes.

So does that mean that he doesn’t have to go to the hellish plants when he leaves this body? He doesn’t go to the hellish plants. He not taken by the. He just automatically goes into a room of a human form?

Possibly. It depends on his activity after taking Prashad. Taking Prashad frees one from contamination. But like Prabhupāda said, Hati Snaan. You know Hati Snaan, elephant bath. Go in and scrub with the. Like an elephant, they scrub in the water and they come out and then they take with their trunk some dust and they go throw it all over their body. You can see in Assam and North Bengal where they have plenty of elephants and they bathe and when they come out they take with their trunk. Even around Calcutta sometimes in the circus you see them bathe them. They like to bathe very thoroughly. Then they take a dirt and throw it all over themselves. So like this, someone takes Prashad or something, he gets purified, but then again they take some dirt and throw it over.

Still, Unless one actually commits offenses against Vaishnavas or something, there’s every chance that he can again take it. That he will take human birth only under some exceptional case where he. Anyway, hell is not really. Hell is just a short thing. You know, hell is like concentration camp for a while and then you come right back to your birth. It can also just go in a very short time and then one’s given a birth accordingly in a particular, specific planet, a specific family. So there might be some exception. I mean, if someone thinks, well, I have taken Prashad now I will just go on, you know, with a very diabolical mentality. Then of course he may find himself guilty of certain type offenses, sinning on the strength of taking Prashad or something. And then he will not be.

I shouldn’t be surprised if he does find himself in hell. But for an innocent person who’s taken Prashad and is just absorbed in the mode of passion.