19901208 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.6.24

The following is the lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on Dec 8, 1990 in Ipoh, Malaysia. The class begins with reading from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 1, Chapter 6 Verse 24.

(Śloka with repetition)

matir mayi nibaddhey
na vipadyeta karhicit
   prajā-sarga-nirodhe ’pi
smṛtiś ca mad-anugrahāt

 

Synonyms (with repetition):-

matiḥ — intelligence; mayi — devoted to Me; nibaddhā — engaged; iyam — this; na — never; vipadyeta — separate; karhicit — at any time; prajā — living beings; sarga — at the time of creation; nirodhe — also at the time of annihilation; api — even; smṛtiḥ — remembrance; ca — and; mat — Mine; anugrahāt — by the mercy of.

Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla Abhaya Charanaravinda Bhaktivedānta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda kī

Devotees: Jaya!

Translation: Intelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of creation, as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy.

Purport: Devotional service rendered to the Personality of Godhead never goes in vain. Since the Personality of Godhead is eternal, intelligence applied in His service or anything done in His relation is also permanent. In the Bhagavad-Gītā it is said that such transcendental service rendered unto the Personality of Godhead accumulates birth after birth, and when the devotee is fully matured, the total service counted together makes him eligible to enter into the association of the Personality of Godhead. Such accumulation of God’s service is never vanquished, but increases till fully matured.

Thus, ends the Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda Purport text 24-chapter 6 canto 1 of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the matter of the conversation between Nārada and Vyāsadeva,here Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Gaura Mandira, Malaysia 8^th of Dec,1990, Five Hundred and Fourth year of our Lord Caitanya, second half of Lord Brahmā, 27^th Kali Yuga, this day of Brahmā.

So, translation again: Intelligence engaged in my devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of creation as well as annihilation. Your remembrance will continue by my mercy.

Oṁ Tat Sat!

This word is spoken by Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa. He is invisibly speaking to Nārada Muni. When Nārada Muni, was a small boy who was engaged in meditation after his mother was killed by a snake bite. He became orphan. He took the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa and meditating on the Lord, he had a vision of Kṛṣṇa, to see Kṛṣṇa but then Kṛṣṇa disappeared. Then he was feeling very frustrated and separation of the Lord.

So, the word spoke these words of wisdom to Nārada in his previous birth, his last birth and in previous verse it also says that Lord Kṛṣṇa said “Oh virtuous one, you only have once seen my person. This is just to increase your desire for me because more you hanker for me, the more you will be freed from all material desires”. By the service of the absolute truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in me. Consequently, He goes on to become my associate in the Transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material world.

Sometimes we see that the mood the devotee, joins the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and after few days of devotional service they become very enthusiastic. Their consciousness becomes very fixed in devotional service. It seems that they are devotees for a long time, any time we have seen this happen.

Here the Lord explains that even a few days of devotional service, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in the lord, which will go on growing until one goes back to the spiritual world.

Another important point made in the verse today, is that in the purport Prabhupāda explains that the devotional service you offer to the Lord accumulates birth after birth. When the devotee is fully matured, the total service is counted together makes him eligible to enter the association of Personality of Godhead.

Nowadays in America and some other countries also, they have frequent flyer bonus as many flights as you take, you get some credit. When you have enough miles accumulated you get the free tickets. So, the devotional service is something like that. Every birth whatever devotional service you do that stays in your account. When you get enough money, enough credit, they get free ticket Back to Home, Back to Godhead. [Devotees Haribol]

Nitāi-Gaura Premānande

Devotees: Hari Hari Bol!

So, knowing that forever and also if we know that if we were actually able to give full concentration in this life time, then even after end of this life time we can go back home, Back to Godhead. We don’t have to wait many, many lives.

Most people don’t concentrate so much on devotional service. Knowingly and unknowingly, they engage in Devotional service and gradually this builds up but actually during this life time we should give maximum concentration. Somehow or another we have the consciousness about Kṛṣṇa. It’s kind of first heard, not being a common wealth country we did not know about the cricket before. Now we are coming and seeing all the cricket games. So, some ideas come.

When a person is on the pitch, on the bat as many hits as he makes. He can stay there as long as he has not bowled out. So, they can make 100, it’s called a century. So this much I have learnt. Done.

Just as most see it necessary, so where are we now. We are in human birth; we are in good consciousness. We are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because frivolous kind of example but just trying to bring it very easy understandable parameters. We here in a human form of life, we have association with devotees. Now is the chance we have to score as much as we can of devotional credit. We can’t say what our next birth will be?

Once we are over devotional service, where our material desires going to take us, Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick! Yes, because we heard yesterday “The Teaching of Kapila Muni to Devahūti” that if the person gets bad association, if he gets very materialistic people and then he falls into the sense gratification and he can dive down to him. That alternative is also there. Someone could get him somehow isolate from the devotees and get him to bad association, leave the path so that there is no credit’s being made.

You see the stalwart devotees somehow become careless, may became offensive. This morning we read, how the brother of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, he was a devotee of Lord Caitanya, but he didn’t have faith in Nityānanda Prabhu. So as a result, he became an offender of Nityānanda Prabhū and he became offender of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu’s devotee Mineketana Rāmadāsa. Mineketana Rāmadāsa became so angry with Śyāma Dāsa, he broke his transcendental flute and Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja's brother fell down from his position of spiritual life. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja instructed his brother he shouldn’t be offensive against Lord Nityānanda.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma – Gaura-Nitāi they come together. If you just take one, not the other, it’s offensive. You have to take both, understand their transcendental position. When the guru try to influence Balarāma by criticizing Kṛṣṇa. Thinking by dividing the two brothers you get Balarāma then we wannables of Kṛṣṇa will be able to fight and defeat Kṛṣṇa. This was their idea, the politics. They don’t realize the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Who Kṛṣṇa was, who Balarāma was? When they said all this that when Balarāma, was somehow, very nice to them. When they criticized Kṛṣṇa, he blasted them. How are you speaking against Kṛṣṇa?

So, the devas and Brahmā, Śiva, Indra they all taking the dust of His lotus feet. All the leaders of the planets and the universe are taking the lotus feet dust of Kṛṣṇa on their head. I am also simply taking His lotus feet dust on my head. How you can you speak against Him? 

So, we cannot, similarly Balarāma appeared as Lakṣmaṇa in Rāma Līlā and Kṛṣṇa appeared as Rāmacandra, Vāsudeva came as Rāma and Sankarṣaṇa came as Lakṣmaṇa. So always they are together.

We think we can separate Nitāi and Gaura, we will fall down. So, this brother of Kṛṣṇa Das Kavirāja who had a Kṛṣṇa temple in his house, who was devoted to Lord Caitanya, because he became offender to Lord Nityānanda. He fell down. He became materialistic, and of course you have to watch very careful against the offences.

The spiritual life according to all the great sages, it is sharp like a razor’s edge. The point is that when someone is shaving; they have to be very attentive because little slip, they can cut themselves. While doing our spiritual life, we have to be very careful, very attentive, follow the principles very minutely because little mistake and we could create some havoc in our progress. 

So, while we are having the opportunity of devotional service, we should take advantage and try to perform as much devotional service as selfless and pure manner as possible. Very simple point, there is another saying, make the “Hay when the Sun Shines”.

For those who are not farmers, does not have much meaning. When you are cutting rice in the field, you get two products- one is the rice and second is the hay. Hay is used to feed the cows, use the straw for the cows but hay is to be stored; it has to be completely dry. So, in order to make hey you have to dry it in the sun. First, we used that for making the sense gratification.

When you are young, enjoy your life things like that. That’s the normal idea that people get when they say make hay when sun shines but actually comes to making hey, it’s a practical point. When sun is there, you have to dry your rice straw, your wheat straw so that you can make hay from it, for the cows. We say in spiritual sense we don’t want sense gratification. We want to gratify Kṛṣṇa’s senses.

We want to accumulate Kṛṣṇa’s mercy points by engaging in devotional service. So, while we are getting this opportunity we should do as much as we can and if we can accumulate enough credit. We can go back to Kṛṣṇa in this lifetime. Why should we delay? We don’t know, when we are going to get another opportunity.

So sometimes also in scriptures there is a special bonus like month of Kārtika, someone becomes vegetarian they get 100 times the benefit. If you do any devotional service you get 100 times the benefit.

I asked Prabhupāda once that so during the month of Dāmodara, what devotee should do something special. Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote me back that for those devotees for living, this is specially; He gave example like in a supermarket sometimes they have special sale, promotion. In order to attract new customers, regular customers are always coming anyway. So, promotion is to attract new customers, those who are part time customers, Casual customers, get them to come. Regular customers are coming anyway.

Those for the full-time devotees, every month of the year they are doing full time devotional service. There is no question of increasing or anything. It is said they are fixed up in devotional service but those who are not full time engaging in devotional service, this is the special opportunity to give them a boost and to attract also the new customers.

So, if one observes Janmāṣṭami, Ratha-yātrā, if one observes Gaura Pūrṇimā, all these festivals, Ekādaśī, Dāmodara māsa, Kārtika māsa, October, November all these are the opportunities to get more credit in spiritual life.

If one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra attentively before tulasī or Deities gets many times more benefit, than just chanting otherwise. So special opportunities are given to someone, to get more benefit. If we understand that even if we are not able to finish up in this life time, even if we think we are not able to completely dedicate in this life time, still we should do as much devotional service as we can. Because this will be stay to our credit. If we can’t finish in this life time we will get a second chance. This is not existing in any other.

It’s like flying credit you get credit even in next life, it carries over. You keep on accumulating credit birth after birth. Then when one is very fortunate, they get the mercy of taking a shelter, initiation from a bona fide Spiritual Master. And then their spiritual life is refined, engage in devotional service purely. Then they can easily accumulate maximum credit with Kṛṣṇa to go home, Back to Godhead.

Everyone whether they are part time or full time, in the house or in the āśrama (gṛhe thāko, vane thāko, sadā 'hari' bole' dako, sukhe duḥkhe bhulo nā'ko) everybody should be chanting and be practicing, getting as much as spiritual credit as possible. This spiritual credit has a name it is called sukṛti. Sukṛti is opposite of aparādha (offence). It’s different from puṇya. Puṇya and pāpa, pious and sin are due to material influence.

One gets puṇya by doing some material good work, building a road, planting a tree by the side of a road, digging a well, giving a daughter in charity or marriage, building a hospital. Any kind of welfare activity may be puṇya. Worshipping deva or devī these are also pious activities, they will return one to the material world and give one result of happiness by sense gratification. Good birth, Good Education, Good Appearance and Wealth these are the results of previous pious activities. Lack of these are due to sinful activities, no wealth, No Good Looks, No Education, and No Good Birth these are due to the sinful activities. So these puṇya and pāpa have separate, like a current account, going in and out all the time.

Every time you get some material happiness your puṇya is knocked down. Every time you get some suffering your pāpa account goes down. Every time you do some sinful activity you putting in your pāpa account, your sinful account. Every time you do some pious activity you are putting it in your puṇya account. This is the constant current account going in and out but your “sukṛti” account is the account about the Devotional service. This is in the higher other way. This is a fix deposit. That thing is only going in, nothing comes out of that account except devotional service.

This is total separate situation than puṇya. The only way you can destroy your sukṛti is by committing offenses which can either cover up the sukṛti or can take out from it. Spiritual offenses like offending a pure Vaiṣṇava, can destroy one’s sukṛti but even sinful activity does not destroy sukṛti. Sukṛti will stay even if someone is a murderor or anything, they may also get opportunity to come back to devotional service if they have sukṛti. If they don’t, they have to suffer the karmic reaction none the less. If they do, there is a chance for devotional service. Also you wipe up pāpa and wipe up puṇya very quickly so that one can be free from material entanglement and open the door to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa.

So, such an accumulation of God service is never vanquished but increases to fully matured. So devotional service is so effective, within a few days it can have an effect. Within a moment we could achieve perfection.

When Parīkṣit Mahārāja was leaving his body, asked the sages what he should do? At that time they advised him different things, there were actually a kind of discussion going on and nobody could agree because Mahārāja Parīkṣit had only seven days to live. So, if you want to do that mystic yoga meditation, hardly you can learn the āsanas in seven days. It may take seven years to learn āsanas.

If you want to do the karma-kāṇda, that is also a long-term process; all these is a long-term process but the bhakti-yoga the immediate plus long term. Immediate result is there. So, there was no bhakti-yogis are speaking.

True bhakti-yogīs were there Nārada and Vyāsa Deva, they were just waiting for Śukadeva to come. They didn’t speak anything. Śukadeva Gosvāmī came and everybody stood up. Then Parīkṣit Mahārāja could understand he is very respectful person, sage. All the sages were respecting Him.

So, they asked Him, when one is about to die, What is his duty and what is the Duty of Everyone?  He explained he has seven days to live. How can he attain perfection in 7 days? That time Śukadeva Gosvāmi replied seven days a long time. There is no difficulty in achieving perfection in seven days.

When Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga could achieve perfection in one moment, by rendering Devotional. Service. So in this way Mahārāja Parīkṣit could able to render devotional service and in seven days He could achieve complete perfection. Of course, it should be understood Mahārāja Parīkṣit had larger sukṛti in his previous life otherwise he couldn’t have been born as a grandson of Arjuna. He couldn’t have seen Kṛṣṇa in the womb. All these things couldn’t’ have happened. He had performed some sukṛti in his previous life.

One may very quickly get very big balance of spiritual credit, by the mercy of devotees. I mentioned how Śrīla Prabhupāda in Kumbha Mela, told one devotee I have made you a good fortune. With the Spiritual Master Blessings one can also became advanced very quickly. So Srila Prabhupāda, he has made everyone good fortune. Coming from all over the world, here He also comes, to Malaysia. Planting the seed of devotional service and giving opportunity to practice this Transcendental process.

Normally in this material world if you render service for someone, you think that you owed something by the person you served. Say you are working for a company; then you want get your salary an exchange for your service. If you are providing a service like Doctor, Lawyer, professional then you should be paid for your services that you have given. So, rendering service is normally the person who is serving then he is owed something but spiritual life being opposite of material life.

Actually, by rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, we become more indebted to Kṛṣṇa in one sense. We are actually benefitted by servicing Kṛṣṇa directly. That service itself is a supreme benefit. Of course, lord Kṛṣṇa plays that part also, that He is grateful all you doing Devotional services, what do you want in exchange but the devotees understand the real purport of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. They know that the service itself is greater than anything else, that Kṛṣṇa will give.

The Pure Devotional Service produces the purest devotional service, produces love of Kṛṣṇa where we can serve Kṛṣṇa in pure love. If we turn our devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, to get material benediction. It’s not very wise.

So many great souls offered blessings by Kṛṣṇa but instead they decided not to accept anything but the lord’s service. Anything that separates them from the service of the Lord they weren’t interested. So liberated souls, they have already achieved perfection. There is nothing more to get credit for. They are already out of cycle of Birth and Death. So why they are rendering Devotional Service.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

So thousands and thousands of Lakṣmī’s, millions on the spiritual world, they are all liberated souls. They have nothing to do with material conditioning, but they are worshipping Kṛṣṇa, Govinda by sweeping the touch stones in Vaikuṇṭha. They are engaged in Lord’s service. This service is a transcendental feature. That is very esoteric, very mysterious and very few people understand about rendering devotional service. So, few people in material world have got this consciousness about Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa says even few days if someone renders devotional service; their intelligence becomes fixed in transcendence, fixed in Me. That means that in whole world very few people render even few days of service to Kṛṣṇa.

Generally, people don’t render any direct service without motive to Kṛṣṇa. Even the most religious rituals are not rendered as a devotional service but with some other purpose as a ritual. So therefore, Prabhupāda has given us devotional service is the most gradual.

So Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, he was blessed by Nityānanda Prabhu after chastising his brother. That night Nityānanda Prabhu appeared to him in his sleep. Nityānanda came to him with a red stick in his hand, bumblebee flying all over to nectar from his body and his flower garland. Lord was most beautifully decorated and most beautiful to behold.

Lord Nityānanda ordered to Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja to go to Vṛndāvana and you will achieve all perfection. So, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja said I always told this past time because I want to give people understanding of the mercy of Lord Nityānanda on this most fallen soul. He said I am more fallen soul than Jagāi and Madhāi, more sinful and I am more insignificant than Indra Gopa bug.  He presented himself in such a way, someone as sinful as me only need mercy of Lord Nityānanda could deliver. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja went to Vṛndāvana, there he wrote Caitanya-caritāmṛta and won the appreciation of all the Vaiṣṇavas of the world, it is a beautiful work. In order to go to Vṛndāvana when he woke up, he found it was sunrise, immediately packed his things and went off to Vṛndāvana, he didn’t hesitate. There he met Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rūpa, Sanātana Gosvāmī, all six gosvāmīs, other Vaiṣṇavas. Then he got instructions to write about Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, because Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja was serving the Vaiṣṇavas and he stuck to his principles. When his brother offending Nityānanda he didn’t become sentimental, he is my brother I should not say anything. He blasphemed his brother how could you say such a thing. This is very foolish of you. That’s a lord gave his mercy to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja.

This is the meaning of sentimental, when we do something, mixing our material responsibilities with our spiritual duties. We are attached to some material idea that obstacle falls on our spiritual progress.

So out of attachment to his brother he would not have talked to him. He might not have got that mercy but because he did his duty, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness which is when you hear an offensive statement, you should instruct that person. If you can and defeat him. If you can’t do that, then you should die.  By not killing yourself, just by exposing to flames like satī, if you can do that. If you can’t do that, which is very rare, then you leave the place.

So Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja first thing he did, he immediately blasphemed his brother, he startled him saying what he was doing was completely wrong. So, by doing that he got the mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and lord Chaitanya. So, it is important that at the appropriate time do the proper things. Therefore, we need to learn what to do at all time.  It’s not very complicated but it’s vital information on Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we act accordingly, according to time, place and circumstances. Then we will be secured in our devotional service so take advantage of this and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa always.

Carefully engage in your devotional service without separation or deviation and certainly you will be successful very quickly.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Any questions?

Devotee: what is Ajñāta sukṛti. How do you explain this?

Jayapatākā Swami: Ajñāta sukṛti is where somebody does devotional service even though they don’t know that is devotional service.

Say you give prasādam to someone, that person may be just out, some yātrā going by, some Chinese person standing on the road does not know anything about devotional service, but he just gives them out prasādam, He eats it, without knowing that it may be a spiritual food. For example, in the purāṇas there was some lamp, ghee wick was there, and it was going down and down. It was about to go out, so the ghee light becomes a small blue flicker, so it was that point it was sputtering. The light just starts to sputter, just the last sputter and the light become very small. Just a little small beam of light so the mouse came up to suck the ghee from the cotton wick. He came up and touched with his nose that cotton. This pushed the wick little forward so then flame could get a chance to burn from the wick. So, flame started up, the mouse got scared and ran off. So, the ghee wick was just having to be in front of the temple. The mouse was stuck in the temple, on the base of the Altar. So, some devotee was there trying to see the deities but it was very dark and the light lit up the deity. So that was considered that mouse (Nitāi-Gaura kī jaya!) had offered one ārati to the lord. So in next life he got elevated to some ṛsī. Liberation or some muktī. This is all ajñāta-sukṛti, mouse wasn’t going there for a spiritual purpose. He is going there to eat the ghee. But somehow, he did a service to Kṛṣṇa. So, they can get the puṇya or they get the sukṛti.

There is a famous story of one hunter. He killed one deer and so that tiger or dog don’t eat, he tied it up on the tree. Blood was dripping down, Śivalinga was under that tree. That blood was dripping on the Śivalinga. It was the hottest day of the year, very hot, Jyeṣṭha mass. One of these hot months so Śiva became very pleased that he was very hot there and somebody is putting cool liquid on his head. He came out and gave blessing to the hunter. Hunter does not know anything he just put his deer there. So that type of ajñāta unknowing he did some sevā. So that type of unknowing someone does they also get benefit for that.

So, devotees by chanting, I met many people who had became devotee. When I was a small child, I was with mother and father, walking on the street I saw a kīrtana party, chanting and I asked what is that, my parents said something... it depends what parents say. I like that, but they pulled me out.

Some people they saw the kīrtana, why these crazy guys, what they are doing. Stood there and watch the kīrtana. How long they are standing there chanting on the street but they are still listening the kirtan, so they are getting ajñāta-sukṛti.

That’s why Prabhupāda said when you distribute someone a book, most people they have zero account, no sukṛti. But devotee maybe they pick up the book and read one line, say “what is this” they pick up one line, it says those who renders unreserved, uninterrupted, favorable, devotional service to unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa who carried a chakra in his hands.  

But he read that much, sukṛti account went up, somehow later on he get drawn back. It says that just by little service that now puts him in the orbit for that much credit in account, will give him another chance again to get and put more credit. So, devotees by giving prasāda, they actually beginning people spiritualize, Haridāsa Ṭhākura said when Muslim say haram, one word for haram, they are getting ajñāta-sukṛti. They are chanting the name with nāmābhāsa, accidentally chanting of the name.

Here in Malaysia these people are getting larger sukṛti, ajñāta-sukṛti because previously this was, I don’t know the exact history, but I heard that it was conquered by kings of uddhava. So, the language has got many words which are of Sanskrit origin and long time the king, whatever, how the language came, now the part of English and other languages had its introduction in Indonesia, but they have given certain name for the day, they call it as Hari.

So, In English we say Tuesday Wednesday, there name is ..., I don’t know their names, but it is something like Hari. Everything is Hari, Hari means day. Festival days like Hari Rai, in Indonesia there is some mātā-hari. What’s that? Son. They say Hari many times. So, by saying Hari they are getting some ajñāta-sukṛti.

We find people in Malaysia very pious. In South America word for a branch of the tree is called Rāma.

Devotees: Ramo

Jayapatākā Swami: Rama, exactly Rāma, so they are saying Rāma any branch. Branch of the office or any branch of a tree, they call it Rāma.

Devotees: If we appoint somebody to the branch?

Jayapatākā Swami: If we appoint someone to branch it’s going to be Sītā Rāma *laughing*

In fact, we were in Colombia, two bus lanes in the city; one is going east west, one was going south west. One is called Rāma, the other is called Sītā. Sometimes two lines on junction, on board it says Sītā Rāma. [Guru Mahārāja and Devotees laughing]

Devotees: there is a Ramada hotel, restaurant

 Jayapatākā Swami: Ramadan?

 Devotees: Ramadan

Jayapatākā Swami: People get some ajñāta sukṛti, ajñāta sukṛti means little less. If you do consciously you get more. By accidently chanting the names they get liberation, by consciously chanting you get love of Kṛṣṇa. So, they get some kind of partial benefit. Something like a help, not fully as there someone chanting consciously Hare Kṛṣṇa. Something like, any contact with Kṛṣṇa is good, so little bit credit they are getting. Key points are there.

Devotees: Can you explain how a person being sentimental. How does that sentimental issue can damage or utilize it inappropriately.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sentiment in devotional service like we are not impersonal. We have sentiment. when Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja you have seen that example, just freshen your minds, when his brother was offending lord Nityānanda. So he became angry with his brother and started to instruct him. He struck his sentiment why are you insulting Nityānanda, you don’t know who Nityānanda is, he is non-different from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You can’t take one without the other. Why you say you accept Caitanya, but you don’t accept Nityānanda. It’s like guru was saying I accept Balarāma, but don’t accept Kṛṣṇa. They also were demons; you are becoming like a demon. You should not do like that. So that sub-sentiment was there but that sentiment was purposely placed for Nityānanda. Wasn’t that he was not reacting, he was sentimental. If we have sentiment for material, loose sight of our spiritual, for all sentiments, things have to be balance.

We have social duty as being a gṛhastha, society, national duty, these are the duties, but we can’t let these neglect our spiritual duties. So, we call them sentimental if they mix up their material sentiments with the spiritual responsibilities. And they start to think that their material sentiments are equal with the spiritual. That’s what we call sentimental. If somebody insults someone, I can’t do anymore devotional service because you insulted my army, I give up. Things like that, where his sentiment is false pride, or something is considered more important than doing his devotional service. That what Kṛṣṇa says do your devotional service, one has to be equal to fame and infamy.

In praise and in criticism, in all happiness and distress this kind of equilibrium is needed otherwise your mind will become swept away by some sentiment. Identifying false ego with body, anything based on bodily identification we call it as material sentiment. That which is properly identification with this ātmā, that I am serving Kṛṣṇa that is proper sentiment. Thank you very much.

Any last words of wisdom…

Devotees: They are saying Hari Hari but same time they are eating meat….

Jayapatākā Swami: Because those who are eating meat, that slows down their spiritual realization. So, they don’t get immediate benefit because of their diet.

Some credit they may get but of course because they are not born in Vedic culture, there sin is not as great as say someone who is born in Vedic culture, they eat meat, no better. But because they are eating meat, therefore they are slowing down their spiritual immediate realization. so therefore, even though they are saying Hari Hari they are not becoming devotees, but those who are living less contaminated life style, they are chanting Hari Hari, they become devotees right away, very easily. But if those people give up their bad habits, they can also achieve devotional service easily. Or In future birth may be given another opportunity, because they are saying Hari so many times, in next birth they will get chance to Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you.

Prabhupāda Ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Second Level Proofer: Karuṇāpati Keśava das

Second Level Proofed on: 05-Jan-2021