19910610 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.1.25-26

The following is the lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 10th, 1991 in Zurich Switzerland. The class begins with reading from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 5th Canto, chapter one, verse 25 and 26.

 

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskritya
naraṁ chaiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīm vyāsam
tato jayam udīrayet

mūkaṁ karoti vachalam paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kripa tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurum dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya īśvaram

 

The beginning of childhood, they were very conversant with the highest perfection, known as the paramahaṁsa-āśrama. 

The previous verse didn’t have a purport so did we read that yesterday?

Translation (text twenty-five): The ten sons of Mahārāja Priyavrata were named Āgnīdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabāhu, Mahāvīra, Hiraṇyaretā, Ghṛtapṛṣṭha, Savana, Medhātithi, Vītihotra and Kavi. These are also names of Agni, the fire-god.

Translation: Three among these ten — namely Kavi, Mahāvīra and Savana — lived in complete celibacy. Thus trained in brahmacārī life from the beginning of childhood, they were very conversant with the highest perfection, known as the paramahaṁsa-āśrama.

Purport: The word ūrdhva-retasaḥ in this verse is very significant. Ūrdhva-retaḥ refers to one who can control sex life and who instead of wasting semen by discharging it can use this most important substance accumulated in the body to enrich the brain. One who can completely control sex life is able to work wonderfully with his brain, especially in remembering. Thus, students who simply hear Vedic instructions once from their teacher could remember them verbatim without needing to read books, which therefore did not exist in former times.

Another significant word is arbha-bhāvāt, which means “from very childhood.” Another meaning is “from being very affectionate to children.” In other words, paramahaṁsa life is dedicated for the benefit of others. Just as a father sacrifices many things out of affection for his son, great saintly persons sacrifice all kinds of bodily comforts for the benefit of human society. In this connection there is a verse concerning the six gosvāmīs:

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

 bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau

Because of their compassion for the poor fallen souls, the six gosvāmīs gave up their exalted positions as ministers and took vows as mendicants. Thus minimizing their bodily wants as far as possible, they each accepted only a loincloth and a begging bowl. Thus they remained in Vṛndāvana to execute the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by compiling and publishing various Vaiṣṇava literatures.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport text 25 and 26 chapter 1, canto 5 of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the mater of the activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata spoken with Śrī  Śrī  Gaura-Nitāi, Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā mandira in Zurich Switzerland sixth day of November in a 550 year of Lord Śrī  Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā  Swami: So Śrīla Prabhupāda is referring to some of the paramahaṁsas and other direct disciplic succession namely the six gosvāmīs. Who have taken up the paramahaṁsa-āśrama in order to benedict the condition souls to further the saṅkīrtana movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura wrote a bhajana or poem when he stated that, “Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the supreme personality of Godhead come down to distribute the saṅkīrtana movement in that He has various energies ‘’sāṅgopāṅgāstrapārśadaṁ’’. His many energies in the form of different devotees who are assisting Him in His saṅkīrtana movement.

So, some of these confidential servitors are engaged in writing transcendental literatures like Rūpa and Sanātana gosvāmīs. And others are engaged in distributing these literatures like Śrīnivas Ācārya and others. So, both are confidential servitors of the Lord” this is quoted in the Bhakti Ratnākara, or may be the Narottama Vilāsa one of those two literatures.

So this confidential service of writing down the literatures is very important in the Kali-yuga. For the very reason that wasn’t important to write down literatures in previous ages because in previous ages people were so controlled, they have very sharp memories. They didn’t need books they will just hear one time what the guru said and that would be embedded, permanently embedded in brain.

And Prabhupāda gave example that in the beginning of this century there was a case during British rule where two Englishmen were having a fight and argument and one person was killed or something and there was no witness. So, what really happened except one sādhu was there, who didn’t speak English. So, they called him into the court and he said, I don’t know what they said because I don’t know English but I can remember the vibrations that were coming from their mouth. And like a tape recorder he repeated exactly what they said.

Prabhupāda said, that’s the kind of memory they use to have these great saintly paramahaṁsas. If even we know the language we can’t remember. So, it was the answer, of course that’s still very rare because those were very great, I mean yogīs. Those who are practicing celibacy from childhood, practicing their paramahaṁsa platform of the renounce order or practicing that level of brahmacārī.  or they could get that type of memory that is used to that was called description (laughing) whatever there is a special word for that everything that they hear they remember “śrutadhara.”

So, but in this age of Kali because the condition souls have got a poor memory. Therefore, Vyāsadeva wrote down the Vedic literature for the benefit of the condition souls. And Lord Caitanya specifically thought to study Kṛṣṇa-sikṣā, when he gave instructions to Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Nityānanda Prabhu

śuno śuno nityānanda, śuno haridas
sarvatra amar ājñā koroho prakāś
prati ghare ghare giyā koro ei bhikṣā
bolo `kṛṣṇa', bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro Kṛṣṇa-siksa

Listen Nityānanda prabhu my dear Nityānanda prabhu, my dear Haridāsa kindly broadcast my order to all the people going from house to house, person to person request them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, worship Kṛṣṇa and study the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa śikṣā, Prabhupāda explained them in specifically Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And those literatures in pursuance of those two, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given other instructions. So these are also written by six Gosvāmīs, Kṛṣṇadāsa kavirāja the author of Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti vilāsa etc.

So, the devotees they are dedicated to broadcasting the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, of Lord Kṛṣṇa because this is the most auspicious presence of the Lord in the age of Kali. Lord in the age of Kali is present as the holy name and He also present as the Bhāgavatam purāṇārko 'dhunoditaḥ that in this age of Kali the Bhāgavatam is like brilliant sun raising to dissipate all the darkness of ignorance.

So, through the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and to the harināma the condition souls in the age of Kali they can see the light, of spiritual wisdom. So the Bhāgavatam is transcendental to all kinds of mundane religious considerations, it goes directly to what is the root of all spiritual teachings. What is pure devotion to the Lord there are many people in different parts of the world who are blindly following one process or another but Bhāgavatam is basis for those who are intelligent. And they have open mind and they want to see what is actually the absolute truth then the Bhāgavatam is giving that type of spiritual knowledge.

Actually, more and more people today they are looking for answers to their questions and their spheres of knowledge. In the modern world whether its science, medicine, technology, weapons, energy so many different fields, there is a big international cooperation going on.

One country wants to know what the other country is thinking, it’s unusual that for the longest time people are not understanding what is the spirituality of other religions. Or other cultures and everybody sticks to just whatever they are born in and doesn’t look any further.

But the Vedas say, “the human being should actually make inquiry into the absolute truth athāto brahma jijñāsā so enquire who am I, who is the absolute truth, what is the absolute truth.”

So, when people are simply looking, I just start to blindly following whatever they are doing without actually understanding. This was described by our previous acharya’s in the story called “Statastha Koopam” you know that story?

Statastha Koopam story centers in one village in India. This the village, in the village there is just one gṛhastha and he has very nice koopam or well. And this well was dug by his great grandfather, who was the leader of the village. And it was famous as the best well in the whole town or district. So, people from far wide come to get that water. But of course now two three generations have passed by. And now that well have become somewhat contaminated, leaves had fallen into the water, one bird had died and fallen into the well it was rotting and floating on the top.

Even one frog was living there but he also died because there were with dead bird it was too much, he couldn’t take it. So he was also floating belly up (Devotees laughing)   The water has become green and you go by you have to hold your nose it was smelling so bad but this gṛhastha he was very faithful to his forefathers. He made, he drank the same water from that well and he made all his family members drink the same water.

When neighbors would tell him that he shouldn’t drink this water it’s gone bad, he would give the same reply every time “Statastha Koopam, this is our father, this is well of my forefathers they drank the water, I will drink the same water, come with me [Guru Mahārāja is shouting] “Statastha Koopam” my forefathers, their well, I must drink it.”

He didn’t consider it at that time, the well water may even be very good. May be therefore he was just sticking with the same well wasn’t the same water but it was the same well. So finally, the municipality they came and saw that the little village authorities said that, this is very bad well so they made order to close it.

But he drove them away and said, no no. Finally, they sent a health inspector with police to try to close the well, he took out his shotgun. Oh no, come with me., Statastha Koopam) this is our dharma, this is our religion we must drink this water, this is our forefathers you cannot stop me. [Devotees: laughing]

So finally, his son everyone all sick, stomach ache, skin disease, everyone you know, but he is voicing Statastha Koopam. We must take the same well water so finally his son died, his wife died, he died everyone dead. Statastha Koopam. [Devotees laughing]

So, the previous ācārya’s they explained it, this kind of dogmatic fanaticism, is obviously very self-destructive. May be in a previous generation, some previous guru or some previous process of religion was been very purely practiced. And that time people are getting a lot of spiritual inspiration but it may have been degenerated that succession may have broken or may not be maintaining the purity.

Since not the same water anymore, may be the same name or look like the same form.  But actually, in substances it’s not the same, they have changed the purity. So actually, it should be rejected and a proper spiritual shelter should be taken. And if someone just blindly follows and then they may also suffer the same fate as soon they’ll be spiritually dead. In the world there are so many people that they are just sticking to the, blindly to whatever their forefather did, they never question. But the way it’s being practiced today is not the same way and it is not having the same effect. Instead of having the purifying effect, they are becoming more and more conditioned by material nature.

So, we even in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we don’t want that children would blindly accept Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. We want them to understand Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and even a child they cannot be given initiation as they want it.

So, they are trained in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and if they voluntarily accept that, “Yes I want to be initiated Vaiṣṇava” then they are allowed. But that education is trained, our purity is to be maintained. Purity is the force.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda established certain minimum standards of purity. And we need to maintain. Recently in Māyāpur the Hare Kṛṣṇas, myself and other Māyāpur GBC’s we had to review some of the activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha and we thought that. You know Gauḍīya Maṭha of the time of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura they are chanting sixty-four rounds. There you know, we just have a natural kind of innocent impression that well they are at the highest standard. But when we actually looked into it, we found that hardly anybody is chanting more than four rounds now, and many people don’t chant at all. They don’t have maṅgala-āratīs as such they don’t have regular spiritual programs the way ISKCON does. And even some senior sannyāsīs from the Gauḍīya Maṭha they very honestly said, the ISKCON standard is much higher now.

So, we can see that how just in one generation they allow the standard to decrease so much. So, we have to be very careful that ISKCON standard is maintained and doesn’t decrease. That we maintain the standard that Prabhupāda gave. So that people can always get fresh nectarine water of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness from ISKCON. So that requires a dynamic attention by all the devotees to see that the purity is maintained. You don't want the same situation where the well water gets all done.

Also, once own spiritual life taking the analogy a little step further, we have to also be very careful that our own purity in devotional service is maintained. Sometime we put the same label on our self “I am a devotee”, but our activities may change. We see here in this verse that these three sons of Mahārāja Priyavrata, they maintain to their whole life very strict vows of brahmacārī. And they became highly conversant with the highest perfection of paramahaṁsas.

And other way they maintained the same vows throughout the whole life. Just like when we take initiation, we take vows to follow the four regulative principles and chant sixteen rounds. We have the duty to maintain these vows throughout the whole life.

And māyā will always try to give us some kind of excuse why we don’t have to follow, some kind of reason. But we have to be very careful not to listen to any of these suggestions from māyā. Māyā will try to hamper our faith in the devotees sometimes. And use this as an excuse well this you become an offensive to  devotees and there is no pure devotees and so then I shouldn’t associate with that I can be Kṛṣṇa Consciousness on my own. And then one will be by our self and then māyā has better opportunity to attack us. And pretty soon we get involve in so many other activities and we are reducing our devotional service. And this way our own spiritual purity becomes compromised or hampered. So, it is essential that we very carefully protect the purity of our own spiritual life.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was always overseeing His devotees that they were going to listen to Māyāvadi like Mukunda datta and then He even banished him for some time. That they were as brahmacārī’s they were misbehaving like Choṭā Haridāsa, He also refused to see him.

Lord Caitanya was very strict that devotee should maintain their own purity, that they not slide down from the highest standard. He will deliver the most fallen souls like Jagāi Madhāi but once they took initiation, they took a very serious vow that they won’t commit anymore sinful activities again. And Jagāi Madhāi were very true to their word they didn’t break any principles after taking initiation and in that sense Jagāi Madhāi are much more advancement than many devotees who do not maintain their vows carefully.

So, we have to actually take the good example of Jagāi Mādhāi not bad example before they were devotees but the good example that after they become initiated, they strictly maintained their vows. You see, sometimes for devotees having difficulties then another devotee doesn’t reveal or help that devotee or go to his authorities and try to help that devotee. So now you don’t tell on me and I won’t tell on you kind of attitude. This actually detrimental to the other’s spiritual life. Devotees are taken interest to help the God brothers and God sisters or any other devotee according to the etiquette.

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Ṭhākura told one story in this regard called ‘Tum bhi chup - Hum bhi chup’ you know that one? [Devotees laughing]  That once, there was a night guard in a village and he was protecting all the citizens from being robbed that was his duty.

Serving night, he goes round and he hit stick on the ground tick, tick, tick, tick you know people are known he is on duty. But he had on another side job, he was also a thief [Devotees laughing]  So he would also sometimes steal from the very people he was supposed to be protecting. Then he would take the goods and hide them in little store and see keep then he find some drunk and or some bum walking around just start beating on him some of the things and he said, “I found this person along your house and I found these goods on him are these things yours?” “Oh yes these are my goods they were stolen, oh thank you what a great night guard we have, he always catches the thief.” You see he just got so many innocent bums you see, they all in jail for theft, they are too spaced out on what is going on even.

So, this way he is going on with his business a long time. A lot of theft in that town but they always caught the thief. So, people are now, we have so many thieves but at least they get caught. You see that one thief and he is night guard.

Anyway, so one day that night guard he thought let me, he made a plan to do a theft at the richest man’s house. on that dark moon night. He went in the house and there he was quietly moving, then he turned around at corner and right in front of him was another person, he was a thief. So, then he thought you know arrest this thief but that thief told him ‘tum bhi chup - hum bhi chup.’ Chup means you shut up, I’ll shut up; you don’t tell anybody I won’t tell anybody. You are respectable night guard but get in here what for, you are a thief you think I don’t know; you arrest me put me in jail what does it matter, I will come out after a few months and I will go back to my profession. But you have a respectable position in society and saw your people know you to be you know honest person. If I will reveal that you are actually a thief then you are finished. You lose your salary, lose your position in the society.

So, I won’t say anything you don’t say anything ‘Hum bhi chup - tum bhi chup’ we will split up the goods alright!? So, he made a deal, robed the rich man, divided the goods of course the thief just gave that night guard little bit and took the main things for himself.

So, in this way you will be quite - I will be quite is going on and this is going on a lot in the material world today. It’s going on even in spiritual religious sector. “You don’t reveal my defects I won’t talk about yours”. This kind of even we seen recently in a Times Newsweek, it was mentioned how about two months ago. One Noble peace prize not peace prize but Noble science winner and one other scientist had gone jointly at some experiment. And they made some big breakthrough and later on it was revealed that it was not true that actually but now no one could not figure out why they assigned the experiment when others tried and it didn’t work?

Then one junior scientist said that, the senior scientist who was associated with Noble prize winner cheated on the experiment she just expected some data and rejected others and in this way she’s actually cheating.

They are initially all the scientist stated like why did you tell? You know, this is not the people lose their faith in science. So, they kind of like exhaled this one scientist and she went to Time Newsweek, a real big thing. And then all the other scientists are forced to kind of “come oh yes, well she did a good thing”. But they didn’t like it, that someone was telling the truth.

So, we revealed that actually within science there is lot ‘tum bhi chup hum bhi chup’ going on and that’s what Saraputha pabhu has said that this whole evolutionary research is bogus.  They accept whatever fits with them theory at that time and they reject whatever doesn’t tally. They find bones of human, modern human beings at a 20-million-year level they just figure out must have slipped down from the upper level couldn’t be heard, doesn’t fit with my theory and they just they just refuse to accept it.

But if they actually use the same criteria for accepting and rejecting all other evidences perfectly is acceptable. And it proves that there was modern human beings always. Since millions of years and now of course they gradually putting back the date of what they accept. Now modern day say, modern human beings where existing simultaneously with the so called previous dark age.

Nobody can really say what, because they are not honest. They have pre concise notion and they have accept and reject according somebody tries to find it, there is ‘tum bhi chup hum bhi chup.’ We don’t speak amongst say anything either.

So, this also going on religion, you don’t criticize my religion, I don’t criticize yours. But so many anomalies are going on. So, in our own spiritual life, we are concerned to help others if they’re having difficulty, we try to help them. Otherwise, how we can maintain the purity.

So the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement is distributing these books and in books Śrīla Prabhupāda he also, he boldly speaks out against beliefs or understandings which are against the Vedic principles. But at the same time, he doesn’t mind praising someone else that, if Christians believe in things which are authorized in the Vedas love of God head, right to life all these Prabhupāda would praise.

So, the Pope is very good he didn’t succumb and allow wide spread abortion or abortion he appreciated it.  But he also, but he didn’t hesitate to say why they are eating meat? Bible says, “Thou Shalt not Kill.” Truth is a truth.

We have to be dedicated to speaking the truth in an appropriate manner but we have to be we cannot deny the truth. Somebody that's not in the same succession says the truth we all accepted it, it's the truth. If somebody in other succession says something which is not the truth. So, we can’t say it's the truth, we have to say it’s not the truth.

We can’t get into the Hum Bhi Chup Tum Bhi Chup situation and then after people lose track of what actually the truth anymore. It’s all political. So, the books are being given to give people a real insight into what is the absolute truth, that’s why the books are written down so that intelligent people could actually come to their own conclusion; what is the purpose of life? If you don’t know what the purpose of life is, then wouldn't it be just wandering around in this material world.

You see so many people, I believe because of this Tum Bhi Chup Hum Bhi Chup is been going on. People have been presenting false evidences and sometimes people say, “well you tell us to read - believe your books but how can how can everybody be wrong?  How can everybody be wrong? Only the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees are right!?” So, they think that because everybody is saying one thing in society, that must be right.

But there is a story that, example that Śrīla previous Ācāryas have mentioned about how a ‘daśa cakre bhagavān bhūta' about how Bhagavān was turned into a ghost by the conspiracy of ten people, you know that story?

That one time there was a good king and he wanted to rule his kingdom properly. But he was surrounded by greedy ministers who wanted to make a profit. But he had one very good councilor who was named Bhagavan Pandit and this brāhmaṇa was completely honest, he was not greedy. He didn’t have any material motivation he also wanted to see the welfare of the kingdom he was true liberal brāhmaṇa. So, whenever the king would ask him what’s the situation was, he would tell him the correct-true picture, the truth.

So, the ministers they were very upset, as long as this guy Bhagavan Pandit is here, we are not going to be able to make the kind of material advancement we want, we are not going to be able to rip off the King.

So really got they had meeting to decide we had to get rid of this guy, so they made a plot. One of the ministers went, told the gate guard of the palace that the king doesn’t want to see Bhagavan Pandit anymore don’t let him in.

So then Bhagavan Pandit came in the next day at the door the gate guard say, "Sorry that we have the order from the king that you cannot come anymore because he won’t want to see you.” Why not? “I am sorry I’m the gate guy we don’t know. You can’t see him. can’t come.” So, every day he came but they will not allow him inn.

So, the king after couple of days he sees what happened to my friend Bhagavan Pandit, I don’t see him anymore? Oh, my Lord you didn’t hear, Bhagavan Pandit is dead. Dead!? He was quite healthy. Where is my physician? He said, “Okay will get you your physician sir” and he went out, they said they have made a deal with physician; “Look you have to tell that Bhagavan Pandit is dead, here’s ten thousand gold coins alright!?” That’s very risky. “Okay, here’s fifteen thousand.” Alright, so they went in, you know, so the king asked, what happened with Bhagavan Pandit? He said well my Lord he is dead. He sudden massive heart attack you know sometimes it happens like that, suddenly he died. So please send some money for his widow I am very sorry to hear about this.

The minister took the money of course he pocketed it. So, like this the king was the Bhagavan Pandit couldn’t get to see the king and the king thought he was dead.

So after about a month or so, the king was going on the tour of the city. Then Bhagavan pandit, he heard the king was coming out so he thought this is my chance he tries to get near the king but there are police, the guards everyone keeping him away. All the police get the order that King can’t see Bhagavan Pandit and Bhagavan Pandit shouldn’t be allowed to see the king. Only the king know he is dead, everyone else has the other story but the king is very isolated from other people.

So, Bhagavan Pandit is like, I can’t get near the king this way, so goes ahead on the road and climbs up on a tree and then as the king is approaching may be seventy five meters away and he starts yelling “MAHĀRĀJA, MAHĀRĀJA, IT'S ME YOUR FRIEND BHAGAVAN PANDIT”. Then King, my goodness Bhagavan pandit! And the ministers were… so one minister was really sharp he said, “No, no maharaja be careful that’s not Bhagavan Pandit, that’s the ghost of Bhagavan Pandit. [Devotees laughing].  If you go in that direction he may harm you, let's go the other way here we don’t want the ghost to you know, attack you.”

Then all the other ministers in the party the other nine ministers (inaudible 38:00) Yes, that’s the ghost of Bhagavan Pandit, look at the ghost. Bhagavan Pandit can hear everybody pointing out and saying the ghost of Bhagavan Pandit you know.

And the king said, “Well alright let's go the other way” and he just went the other way. And Bhagavan Pandit said, because of conspiracy these ten guys have turned me into a ghost that’s called daśa cakre bhagavān bhūta.

So Śrīla, our previous ācāryas, they said that this is the situation that everybody hears the same thing and just like that king was bewildered. So, people hear all those evolutions that ever actually that never proved evolution. But everybody hears about then people start to believe, oh we must come from the monkey. We must have evolved there is no need for any God and there are so many things like that.

So Śrīla Prabhupāda, he trained the devotees not to blindly accept whatever you read in the paper. Because there is a lot of propaganda and you cannot rely on it. So, when they claim they go to the moon then Prabhupāda, just as a training is well, “how do we know? What is the proof?”

Of course, and now many people saying that they didn’t go. They may never know but the devotees don’t just blindly accept so because somebody says it, we will accept what Vedas say because we know Kṛṣṇa is not a cheater.

Kṛṣṇa doesn’t have the defects of material nature of the condition souls but the condition souls have imperfect senses, tendency to cheat, they make mistakes and they also get illusioned.

So we cannot hundred percent depend on what condition soul is saying. We can depend on what these books are saying we can depend on them. So just because the majority of people believe something that doesn’t mean it’s true. They all in the same situation of daśa cakre bhagavān bhūta, they all just hearing the same thing they are believing in blindly but that doesn’t mean it’s true.

Everybody was saying that Bhagavan Pandit was a ghost but Bhagavan Pandit know he wasn’t a ghost, he was alive. May be eventually we don’t, and that’s how the story ends because I need it for the example because you know it’s a true story it’s actually happened so it’s an Indian historical fact.

What have actually, I don’t know the Smita Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja is asking what has actually happened in the end? I don’t know. I don't think that’s very important but this is the same situation that is going on in society and so just because many people believe the same way doesn’t mean that it's true. But people are conditioned just like that king was so conditioned he couldn’t break out of it.

But if some friend actually told then look at really, it’s a conspiracy maybe he would, maybe, he would listen, maybe he wouldn’t. Because after so many people say that same thing it’s very hard to believe anything different. But those who are intelligent when they read Śrīla Prabhupāda books when they hear from the devotees look at there is a whole other reality. Life has a different purpose then those who are little fortunate they can start to understand maybe we have to give them some prasādam or gradually bring up their good fortune so that they can understand.

So, in the beginning of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement there were a lot of people who didn’t understand what Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teachings were about. In fact, even when Lord Caitanya can when first came back from Gaya after taking initiation and he was manifesting all the ecstatic symptoms.

So, people start to say that well looks like Lord Caitanya has got disturbed airs in the body, vāyu-doṣa. This was their idea. So much so that everybody was talking like that nobody accepted Lord Caitanya is having spiritual ecstasy, everybody saying he got vāyu-doṣa, he got disturbed airs. According to Āyurveda there are three factors of health, vāta, kapha, and pitta. Crude translation is air, mucus and bile. So airs controls things like some airs are for rheumatism and some airs are also for the nervous system and mental faculties.

So, if the airs are disturbed that’s the polite way of saying it someone like emotionally or mentally off, diseased. So, they were very heavy like that, criticizing Lord Caitanya. Everybody was saying and they are going to mother Śacī and saying you should tie your son up. You should put medicine on his head, you should do something your son is sick, she didn’t want to listen to them.

So finally, even Lord Caitanya, He went to Śrīvasa Paṇdita he said that, “you are senior Vaiṣṇava I believe what you say you are not subjected to the illusion of these material people you know the science of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness everybody is saying that I am diseased, do I have a disease?”

Then Śrīvasa Paṇdita looked at him thought for a moment then he said “Yes, I am sorry to say, you have a disease.” Lord Caitanya was like very surprised to hear that kind of... then Śrīvasa said, “Yes and the disease you have, I also want it. You have the disease of Love of Kṛṣṇa”. Then Lord Caitanya realized that like he was joking with him. He says actually if you had really show me that I had the disease then I would have what’s the use of living if all the ecstasy and all things that I am experiencing it’s just an illusion then what’s the use of living. I would have taken myself in the Ganges and finished.

Then Śrīvasa Paṇḍita explained to him that actually the love of Kṛṣṇa you have is so pure that even Brahmā and Śiva hanker to get this type of pure love of Kṛṣṇa. So may be the materialistic people cannot understand your ecstasies in devotional service. But pure devotees that are here in Navadvīpa they really like to have your association they will be very happy to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa with you.

So, if you want to use my garden to have private kīrtana or be together, devotees will be very happy to meet with you and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. We don’t need any materialistic people come, they won’t understand what we are doing.

So, in this way Lord Caitanya starts to meet with His devotees eventually they ended up in the house of Śrīvasa Paṇḍita. Because so many people were criticizing they didn’t understand what was devotional ecstasy so then they were just have their kīrtana privately. And they won’t let others in and then after sometime then Lord Caitanya sent out his devotees they started preaching once things were settled down.

So that's how Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement started in the house of Śrīvasa, Śrīvasa-āṅgana. So sometimes people they can’t understand what the devotees are doing? only other devotees can actually appreciate what a devotee is doing. This is illustrated by the story of trying to cheat the blacksmith with substandard steel. You know that story?

Once there was a businessman and he was real greedy kind of businessman he is kind of petty businessman that he wants to make a profit of everybody. He is the kind of person that if he does the deal with his mother trying to cheat her just like complete you know fruitive type of person. So somehow in his business deals he got big pile of coconuts so he wanted to break the coconuts so he got out the coconut because it’s just like to have the raw the big coconuts but he had real his knife is already worn out. So he went to a blacksmith, blacksmith makes knives and horseshoes those kinds of things work with steel.

In Māyāpur we have blacksmith they make knives and sickles things for us to cut the rice with. So this I think in the west they don’t have so many blacksmiths anymore I don’t know now, you got the hardware store. But even today in India there still blacksmith so he went to blacksmith and the blacksmith he said, “your knife is finished it’s not good anymore, I can make you a new knife and it costs this much” he said wow it’s expensive.

So, look I am actually big merchant of steel so I have high carbon steel although I will send you a big piece of steel over and you can make me a first-class knife and keep the rest of the steel and use it for your own purpose, so the deal! So that's all right.

If you get a piece of steel and you can sell it and make a profit, alright send me some good steel. But the guy was just bluffing he didn’t have any good steel he just took an ordinary piece of iron from his mild steel or something. And he just sends that to the blacksmith and blacksmith saw it and what’s this?

What can I do with this piece of junk? So, then he made knife out of it for the guy but naturally it was a junk knife didn’t have any temper and no sharpness send it back to the guy. The guy saw this and even couldn’t use it for letter opener you know. [Devotees laughing]

He came back really angry, “what are you doing, giving me this lousy knife” and then you know the blacksmith said, “You are getting all angry with me, this is the kind of knife I give people who tried to cheat me by calling third class iron, high quality carbon steel. You tried to cheat a blacksmith by giving him bad steel, this is the kind of knife I give you” then I got what could he say.

So, the previous ācāryas they explain, how you can cheat a devotee with so called devotion. Sometimes you find people putting on artificial devotional symptoms or trying to make a big show of devotion. It may fool the materialists but won’t fool a devotee who actually tasting Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, he actually experiencing ecstasy he won’t be fooled by some one’s artificial show.

So, to just like you can’t cheat a blacksmith by giving him third standard steel it’s what he is dealing with all the day along. He knows, who is sincere and who is cheater, he knows what good steel and what bad steel. And devotee know who is sincere and who is actually not having bona fide ecstasy.

There is an example of that in past times of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. One time he was chanting in ecstasy, actually he was chanting and there were two people sitting on the side of the road. One astrologer brāhmaṇa and one snake charmer. And this snake charmer has cobras out and he was singing kāliya-līlā to these cobras. And by remembering Kāliyā you can control snakes. But he was actually a devotee of Kṛṣṇa when he was singing kāliyas past times he was feeling very happy in spiritual bliss. And when Haridāsa Ṭhākura heard the past times of Kāliyā and how merciful Kṛṣṇa was to dance on the heads of Kāliya he became in trance. And he started dancing in ecstasy and when Haridāsa Ṭhākura was dancing in ecstasy the village people came and offered him obeisances. And then the brāhmaṇa was sitting there said, “I am brāhmaṇa, I am highest in society only this people are bowing down to Haridāsa Ṭhākura not even born in Hindu family?

They should be bowing down to me. I am a brāhmaṇa. whatever he is doing I can do the same thing.” Actually, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was completely in ecstasy, dancing in ecstasy and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

So, the brāhmaṇa he jumped up he started imitating but he was completely cold turkey you know, he was just dancing like that without you know, just imitating Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa very mechanically just somehow try to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. And then Haridāsa Ṭhākura didn't even know what he was doing, he was in trance.

Even often, that brāhmaṇa was putting on his whole show the brāhmaṇa fell on the ground and he was trying to imitate. Like he was shaking and complete ecstasy so some villagers came when try offering him respect or he must also be in ecstasy.

But that snake charmer was real devotee, so he put the snake’s way he told the people look at Haridāsa Ṭhākura is really a paramahaṁsa. He is really a true devotee and what he was experiencing was he is actually in samādhi.

But this guy here, he is in complete cheat he doesn’t feel any ecstasy at all, he is doing this because he wants all you come and worship him out of pratiṣṭhā. He wants desire for respect and position, pūjā so if he was really in ecstasy, you know the guys told shaking on the ground and everything then he won’t feel anything. But I’ll just showing you know that actually he is not ecstasy they gave him good kick on the tail paaw. Ooooh jumped up you know (laughing) see he is the cheater he just wanted to cheat you, he is a great aparādhī on a pure devotee Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

So, all the villagers took their sticks and started chasing him and beating him he ran off. You can’t cheat the devotees. Somebody tries to come in you know some time you doing harināma and some guy comes in the middle trying to jumping up and down it's completely different. Devotees are actually dancing and doing their devotional service from the heart. That’s what the perfection of spiritual life is we practice devotional service very sincerely. Following all the regulative principles and we become more and more purified and we develop more and more attraction for Kṛṣṇa.

This way from the heart we are offering our service to guru and Kṛṣṇa and we are able to increase day by day in our spiritual appreciation for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So spontaneously devotional bliss and ecstasies became manifested, we cannot artificially push that. So that outside people they can’t figure out what is happening to devotees the only way they can know is if they themselves practice devotional service.

So therefore, we go out to meet the people give them Śrīla Prabhupāda books and invite them to come to the temple, invite them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in their home. So they gradually by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness they will be able to experience. They have to dive in to the honey, then they can taste it. There are many stories exemplify that, but it’s getting late so are there any questions?

When yeah, when you first were saying how we say how all the scientists are bad. Now I was thinking the same thing that when you said that you said in the next part that there are scientists too, who recently have come out with certain statements which actually support Kṛṣṇa consciousness there are certain scientists in the area of quantum physics. Who find that the very smallest I am a lay man so I can't give you the technical point, but the very smallest quantum particles or whatever we call them they start to move in unpredictable ways. Just like people are unpredictable they start acting without any reference to normal physical predictable.

Normally physics is that you pushed in this way and you get a reaction in that way. Everything has the equal and opposite reaction but when get down to the very small particles that they are able to observe they don't follow any predictable pattern that they can predict.

So, some of the scientists said it seems that they are acting like particles of consciousness. The consciousness may be the origin or the basis of all existence and because of these statements of certain noble scientists, prize winning scientists, that consciousness may be the basis. That’s why certain Nobel Peace, Nobel Prize ago Nobel Prize winners agreed to come to our different seminars. Especially the seminar in Bombay and the one they had last year I believe at Berkeley, both of these were attended now there. They say that I remember in Bombay I went there and they and they said that twenty years ago we wouldn't be here ten years ago he wouldn't be here. We wouldn't imagine discussing with people from religion and the scientific meeting but we’re here today because we basically reached a certain impasse that right now it seems that consciousness may be the basis of existence. And this is something beyond science present ability to describe so therefore we are turning to you and actually we feel that. It may be that Indian spiritual culture has more to offer the scientific field because they seem to have gone deeper into this subject matter of consciousness. This is, I am paraphrasing what one of these big Nobel Peace people spoke. So about peace the noble science Nobel Prize winner.

So, I mean, there are scientists work much more open, there aren't that every scientist is atheist. So Prabhupāda said, “that we are not against science so we are against scientists who take science to be the absolute truth or take that their science is going to give the solutions to the problems of life.”

He says you know the scientist at one point they became like kind of the high priest of society everybody believed we don’t you know, that's not the position. They can make some machine so they can do some research they have a certain position. And that's what we accept them. We don't accept them that they have like the panacea or the understanding of everything.

So, but you know, we are using microphones and computers and so many other things. We'll use whatever they make but we don't believe that they have the solution for the problems of the world. We know the solution for the problems of the world is right here - Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Ki... Jai!!

This is also a great scientist. Unfortunately, there are many cheating scientists also. So just to, because many people are attached to science is to be a little tactful, we don't we attack wrong ideas of science if you attack science, it’s a bit you come up against kind of a big wall because people really have a lot of faith in science. So people also knowing that science is also doing many bad things. So if you kind of separate the two it may be a tactful way of preaching. But maybe all right case Mars has something that's in that regard.

Any other question?

*question*

I have to think about it, kind of them on a different pair thought trained in the class. But Prabhupāda said, that they also say if there is a full pot for some example about the full pot the empty pot can’t remember. He said that there is an empty pot but they make so much noise that the Māyāvadis say everything is false but then they keep talking so much about the false that's a different example.

How does that analogy fit? How are we apart? how are the living entities apart the same problem comes. They said they are saying that we are God but we are covered by illusion, so how is it that God can be put inside a pot. If we are able to be bound inside a pot and what kind of God are we? if we can be limited. God is always unlimited. So there that's the basic fallacy of the Māyāvadis.

They are saying that we are covered by māyā in this analogy, they are trying to say well like māyā is the pot that limiting us. So that means that māyā is greater than God, so that's why it’s called Māyāvadi. That's the whole defect, that if we are God and we can’t be limited by this pot how did we get limited in the first place.

The Vaiṣṇava philosophy is, we are not God, you are small parts of God therefore we can be covered by māyā  or we can be put in the pot however you want to say it. But I actually prefer the Supreme God and we can be contained within a pot nor can we be covered by māyā.  So there’s a defect they are saying that the māyā  is greater than God, māyā is able to cover God so it’s the same thing is that being covered by a cloud or being covered by a pot it’s the same sister for virtually.

Any other question?

People in the government at human beings like everybody else preach them the same way we preach to other people like Prabhupāda when he preached to government people, they wanted to have solutions for their problems you would give them what the Kṛṣṇa conscious solution was.

How varṇāśrama, How Kṛṣṇa consciousness offers a solution?

in the long range to, to the problems that people are facing. We had to be expert in answering their questions that they are going to come with. And cultivating them, in communicating with them, I think they have a more of a first-hand experience of Kṛṣṇa consciousness just like satsanga, bhajana kriyā.

Rūpa Gosvāmi said, there should be association with devotees so you get to give them some association through books. Through association to inviting them to some function some, you see in India, in religious institutions has like now there is twenty fifth anniversary of ISKCON.

So it’s a good opportunity they have some kind of seminar or have some festival and at that time you invite these big politicians. Or any friendly politician to come and be guest speaker. So from their point of view you are honoring them you are accepting that there is some kind of respectable person and that we want to hear what they have to say.

But actually, our intention is more. In India if it’s a very big person say they invite them to attract some people who normally won’t come to the temple because if he is there they may come. And the other thing is that he’ll come to the temple normally they don't come if you invite them as a guest speaker they come to the temple or come to some function they get to associate more with the devotees. And they also sit and listen to four or five devotees speak on different topics and this way they get purified.

So they we get more close to the movement, so these kind of techniques are not used so much in the West. Maybe because but recently now I mean devotees are trying to use them more if you have someone who is reading their books maybe they will come as chief guest or some special guests to some function. And this way they can get more involved you can cultivate them, this is common thing that’s done.

Prabhupāda would invite you know all the time and his big pandal programs he invite some governor or mayor or some members of parliament or ambassadors. And we are still doing like that, In fact in Māyāpur we are having four day festival on twentieth or something like that of November. Where we are inviting some big VIPs to come for the twenty fifth anniversary celebration. In the evening they’ll be having a two-hour program, I got an information.

So, this one way that you can cultivate this politician and invite him to come and speak and then you give them Prabhupāda’s books and some different press releases and different information then usually they want to say the right thing so then they study up on that. And recently we had the first Ratha Yātrā in Hyderabad for instance, and we invited this governor of the state of Andhra Pradesh. With the Governor we also invited the Chief minister who was Chenna Reddy who is the old kind of, know Prabhupāda from before he spoke very nice about Prabhupāda.

But even the governor we heard he was Arya samaji like they don t believe in deities and they usually not so favorable. But actually, after the Rath Yatra and everything this Governor he said, actually in a little bit mixed you know. They’re not but he said you know, “Gandhiji had said that in the future we had to watch out for materialism taking over India and the world and now we see that you know whatever he said has come true and now the challenge of combating this rampant increase in materialism the only institution we can see in the world that seems to be able to counteract this materialism is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement”. So, we are looking to you, you know and here is this guy he is really said some pretty far out things for someone who was at all connected with our movement before.

So, the people they appreciate in this meeting sometime brings out the best in people. It’s kind of an austerity to go through them with it’s a way of cultivating these finer people.

Last question

*question*

The first people should know what is absolute truth? if you read these books then if you read the Bhagavad gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam you can understand what is the absolute truth the whole point of spiritual of the yoga is to realize the Parabrahma or the Supreme Absolute Truth, so we need to know what is the absolute truth.

Absolute truth is in three forms impersonal, localized and personal. The spiritual Brahmajyoti light, the super soul in the heart offers very self in every living entity and the Personality of Godhead or Kṛṣṇa.

So, we are discussing in Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says there are different kinds of yogas. And also in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, so each yoga leads to a certain realization. See, I don t know which groups are which type of yoga referring to, but those yogas which are basically following jñāna-yoga they can realize impersonal Brahman.

Those which are following the eightfold yoga system or haṭha-yoga, etc they can potentially reach up to the realization of Paramātmā. Of course if they are really practicing it seriously that’s another thing. We have to see whether they are following their own yoga system properly. But apart from that is taking that okay they are following it, okay properly then but in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that only to the process of bhakti-yoga or devotional service, offered purely, can anyone realize me and have the full realization. Whoever realizes Kṛṣṇa also realizes all the other levels, the realization of Kṛṣṇa’s called saccidānanda-vigraha, is the complete realization.

So, anyone who is practicing purely bhakti yoga in a bonafide disciplic succession could reach that realization. We don't know any other group in the West which is actively preaching bhakti-yoga. If there is any group then and they are purely following then there may be an argument. We don't know of any other such group but these principles are universal anyone who follows them and is coming in that proper succession they will qualify. But we don't know of any other group that in the Western world or even you see that's why we're may be recommending that you take advantage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because by practicing bhakti-yoga you can achieve this highest perfection.

Well even if there is another group, we find that Prabhupāda has given these teachings so perfectly that they are exactly suited for the modern day and age. So we don't really discuss about other groups in a personal or specific way in our public discussions. If somebody has an individual question about any group we can privately discuss whatever we know. But we don't make any public comments normally on different groups unless this is something very obviously deviant. Just for keeping good relations but the actual point is that by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness you can achieve success very quickly, very easily. And you can come to the highest realization there may be many other groups you know. That every individual has to decide but you should give a very open and good look into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And try practicing their principles reading their books and come to an honest judgement what these teachings are. And if you have any other someone anyone you or anybody has any teachings that you hear from other group and you want to understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness say about those specific teachings or we can show you where it says in the different books, everything we are doing is based upon these books. It’s not just, you see something made up or sentimental but it’s something that's been handed down since thousands of years. So you can see that it’s all described there and also practically the devotees are living what they’re preaching and getting their results.

So we know that this works, you know we can’t say whether some other thing works theoretically other process of yoga work up to a certain point. Whether they’re working for those people whether they’re practicing properly or not there’s a whole other topic. But we know that this process is the topmost yoga system and that we are practicing it and we’re getting the benefits from it. It is working and therefore we because it’s something good and it is working therefore, we are trying to encourage other people that they should take advantage.

So, we hope that you also take advantage and at least if you try it for some time you can get the experience, this is hard for me this, I may say it’s very good but you may not you know how do you know if it’s good. It’s just like one time there was man who visited India about eighty years ago from Europe. And he came back to Europe and he told his children, I tasted mango what a wonderful fruit! Mango! And the people the children said well what is Mango tastes like did you bring one for us?

He say well no I couldn’t bring it because we went by ship but at that time they didn’t t have any airplanes going. So they wanted all the children wanted to taste Mangoes so this man he had a big beard. So he’d made some put some sweet water some sugar water and put a little molasses in it. And he soaked his beard in it and told the children all right suck my beard and then you can kind of know what Mango tastes like.

You know some sweet tastes with little fiber so you think they are sucking the beard of that man they’ll get a good idea what Mango tastes like? Obviously not. So, the point is that it’s very hard to explain to someone what something is like but it’s very easy if you bite into it yourself now you don t have you know here Kṛṣṇa consciousness is in Europe. It’s here in Zurich and people can directly get some experience and this way you can taste it for yourself.

Don’t have to take like sucking the beard and sugar juice is something or try to speculate. What is like there practicing in India, it’s been practiced here and people are making advancement. So this is certainly for people are very serious about their own spiritual life and it’s being made available so that people can practice here in the temple or in their home. They can learn this system of meditation and they can try.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Devotee: Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja ki

Devotees: Jai!

Second Level Proofer: Karuṇāpati Keśava das

Second Level Proofed on: 07-Jan-2021