19920426 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.39

(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 April 26, 1992 – in Bangalore, India. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.39.

Nirvi seitan. Namash. Kṛṣṇa ka hare hare. Tadvana rikta matayo yatayo piruddha sotaganas tamaranam bajavasudevam. A beautiful verse. Which is. Instructing us about the glories of devotional service to the Lord. The four Kumaras are great authorities, supreme authorities and devotional service. They have personally achieved devotional service by the mercy the Lord himself. So they are speaking from experience also. Previously they were impersonal yogis. They were already liberated souls. They were not very interested in devotional service. But when they realized Nārāyaṇa, then they got ecstasy in devotional service. And since that time they were engaged in devotional service. And they had realized the most confidential parts of the Vedas, most confidential parts of devotional service. In fact, in their disciplic succession, where they initiated an Embarka Acharya, they taught the system of worshipping Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Of the four Vaishnava Sampradayas, apart from Caitanya Mahpraghu Sampradāya, the other Sampradāya which worships Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is an Embarka Sampradāya coming from the four Kumaras. As we know, Ramanujacharya was worshipping Lakshmi and Nārāyaṇa and Vishnu Swami, whose followers are the Balava Acharya’s followers, they worship Kṛṣṇa, but in the mood of Atsalyarasa in Pushti Marg Balagopal. So from Mayavadis or from Brahma Anandis, from those who are in the bliss of Brahman, the four Kumaras have achieved the highest level of pure devotional service. So the system to achieve devotional service, to achieve realization of KA’s devotional service. It’s not that one has to prepare oneself doing something else in order to practice devotional service. Let me first get a PhD or let me first become expert in Sanskrit. It’s not that we need to do something independent and then do devotional service.

Whatever we do, we should do in devotional service. Even if someone studies Sanskrit or even one goes for higher education, it should be material education. It should be done as devotional service. The more we do everything as devotional service, then we can actually realize what is pure Bhakti. The Gyanis yogis, they are having externally some Bhakti. Even the Yogis and the JNIs, they will sometimes talk about Kṛṣṇa, talk about Rāma. They will sometimes say to chant some mantras or Bhajans. But. This is a mixed devotion. Gyana with Bhakti, Karma with Bhakti, Yoga with Bhakti in Sanskrit, that’s called Karma, Mistita Bhakti, Jñāna, Mishtita Bhakti, Yoga, Mistita Bhakti. But that. Illustrates how bhakti is needed in all the levels, in all the practices. But that type of mixed devotion does not completely satisfy the self.

But this mixed devotion is what is more commonly known in society. That’s why when someone becomes pure devotee, they are purely worshipping Kṛṣṇa, purely doing everything for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Then often relatives say, why so much this, so much devotion? No need of so much devotion. You do your karmas, you go to temple once in a while, it is enough. So their main thrust is karma, little bhakti. Or someone will say, you study the Vedānta and you can also do Panchupasana, little Pūjā, you do it. So their main thrust is Gyana, little bhakti. Bhakti is needed in all the other processes. When someone does pure bhakti, then they are protesting, why so much devotion? But pure bhakti is the prescription given by the doctor to completely cure our disease.

So what is very difficult for non devotees to get rid of that attachment to Māyā that’s called Gratinam or Gratitam here in this verse. Asayam Gratitam, Karama asa. So many desires for wealth, for fame, for power, for honor, for enjoyment. These karma asas, desire for fruitive pleasures are easily rooted out for the devotees. But for the non devotees, it’s very difficult. Even if they try to stop the desires, they are not able to. Just like if you put a dam up on the river, if you don’t leave any access point for the water, where will it go? It will break the dam. So they are damming the river, but they are letting the water go through turbines to produce hydroelectric energy, electricity. Or they are diverting the dam water through canals for irrigation and other practical purposes.

So we dam up, we control our senses, but the devotees don’t. Artificially controlled, they are diverting that water to practical uses of devotional service. So they are able to do lot of very useful activities in devotional service. Just like the countryside is made green by that water, properly channeled and utilized. So as a devotee, by proper channeling of their energy, they are able to flourish in all respects. Artificially damming up without utilizing the water doesn’t work. And if you don’t dam at all, just trying to control the water by some other effort, it’s not at all possible. Of course, here the other example is given that when the water is going to the ocean, when the High tide is there. That river water itself reverses in direction. We have seen in Calcutta, there’s a low and high tide.

During the low tide, the water is going out, following the river current. But in high tide, it is going the opposite direction. In fact, for more than 200km from the ocean, the water is going back and forth according to the tide. So when we are in connection with the ocean of transcendental bliss, of devotional service, that can reverse the flow of the rivers of material sense gratification without any difficulty. But devotional service shouldn’t be like low and high tide. Little Bhakti, little Sanskrit. Then, like high and low tide, the flow will be going up and down. For devotee, the flow is always going up, only devotional service. So in this way, automatically the flow in the rivers is controlled. Prabhupāda explains so nicely.

The Bhaktas, by their transcendental devotional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord, become so overwhelmed with transcendental bliss that automatically their desires for material enjoyment stop. So they had no struggle. What we have to do is experience that transcendental bliss that we can only do when there is complete absorption in devotional service. That’s why there has to be so much devotion. Because if we don’t have so much devotion, if we’re not completely absorbed, we want to experience that transcendental bliss. And then we won’t be able to automatically stop the material desires for sense enjoyment. So that’s why the Gyanis, the yogis, never mind the karmis, are completely dedicated to material enjoyment. Even the Gyanis and yogis who want to control these things, they are not attached to the lotus feet of the Lord. So simply, they are struggling against the waves of desire.

RT Mataya, devoid of devotional service. Therefore, even though they want to get free from the desires, they’re getting more and more entangled in their false philosophical speculation or their strenuous attempts to Hatha yoga and others to stop the activities of the senses. For the yogis and Gyanis, it’s not recommended to be in the cities at all. They have to go in some secluded place. The devotees remain fully absorbed in devotional service. They can overcome the agītātion of being in the cities because of always tasting a spiritual bliss. So this also is a warning to us. Sometimes the devotees, they think I am a devotee, like some kind of appointment you get. I am is officer or IPS officer or something. I am devotee. So then automatically Kṛṣṇa is protecting, Kṛṣṇa is protecting.

Not because we have a Title or we got some post, but because of our practical activities of surrendering to Him. Devotee is not some hereditary title. It’s a state of being, it’s a state of consciousness. It’s a existence that we’re in level of existence. That devotional service is a continuous process. Not that just because we have initiation or just because we are born in a Vaishnav family or any other reason. Therefore, automatically we don’t have to do anything. We have to. Devotional service means that we are practicing continuously and that practice is the protection. That practice is what’s giving us the bliss. Therefore, it’s essential that we attend kirtans, attend the classes, chant the Japa, read the Shastra, do practical devotional service.

In the beginning, one gets bliss by following all the regulative principles very carefully and all the regulated systems of devotional worship and service. Then when we advance, we get bliss directly from the devotional service. In other words, one takes up devotional service spontaneously and gets bliss from that. Thinking about how to improve the devotional service, how to do it in a better way for Kṛṣṇa, that itself also gives bliss. Of course, we continue chanting and reading and doing all the other practices so that we always remain in the proper devotional attitude. Devotees, they become absorbed taking up some service for the Lord. Someone may take up a project, whether building a temple organizing the Kṛṣṇa test, preaching organizing some other project for Kṛṣṇa. When we do our service as a project for Kṛṣṇa, as an offering to Kṛṣṇa.

Even though our natural propensities for creativity or management or many other, whatever our propensities may be, artistic propensities, business propensities, financial whatever it may be, the activity is, we dovetail those propensities in KA’s service and we take up the activity as an offering to the Lord. So those activities, when we are purified enough, they start to absorb us in devotional service and we get a taste. Therefore, it’s essential that, especially if someone’s not able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā mantra 24 hours a day, that they take up some devotional service. They do some activity which they are consciously offering to Kṛṣṇa throughout the day. In this way, they will be absorbed in devotional service 24 hours a day. And thus they will be absorbed in that spiritual bliss. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a Grihasta. He had his business. He was a self employed Vaishya.

He had a pharmacy. So naturally he had to keep his stock. He had to sell and buy and sell the medicines and everything. He had to find some Doctor to sit in a chamber. That’s the Indian system. You get one doctor to sit in your chamber and then people come by and then see the doctor. And then when the doctor prescribes medicine, they tend to buy it from your shop. This is a common system india. So we know that Prabhupāda also did that. Because while one Dr. Ghosh was there who was living later in Kadaikanal, he came to treat Prabhupda or to see Prabhupda. And Prabhupāda mentioned he used to come and sit in my chamber, in my pharmacy. So they were old friends. So Prabhupāda was doing all these activities that would appear just to be like any other Grihastra, maintaining his family.

But he was taking a lion’s share of the Prophet. And he was as a Grihasta, he was publishing the Bhagavat. That’s a Back to Godhead. Back to Godhead and also previously many other literatures for his spiritual master. So he was using his project was publishing books for his guru. That was his project. He was giving money to publish books. Someone can give money to publish books. So he was doing his business with the idea, let me make some money, I will maintain my family and or I will publish books and maintain my family. Both the activities were going on. Grihasta has a duty to maintain his family. So that way he’s authorized to do what appears to be independent activities of business occupation. So they can also purify those activities by using their wealth to serve Kṛṣṇa.

Those living in our community as brāhmaṇa Grihastas or as brahmacharis manapastha, sanyasis. Of course, they are directly using all their activities and mental energy directly in devotional service as the sevites, sevaks of the deity of the guru. So they are able to directly engage. The end result is objective should be the same. They don’t have to do. In many cases, they may not have to do so many unrelated activities. In some cases, one has to do many unrelated activities of business. Even our Pujaris in Māyāpur, they are producing laddus for the deities. So they had to buy the sugar and the besan flour and all the other ingredients of the laddus. That much commercial activity, ordering the ingredients and calculating what size a laddu should be. There should these little profit margins for the deities.

After selling the laddu, taking donations for the laddu Prashad. So there will be something for the deity Seva. So like this in devotional service one has to do various practical things. But as long as their objective is always pleasing Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa, so those activities actually become non different from Kṛṣṇa. They are one in the absolute. This as a verse in Bhagavad Gītā says that the sacrifice, the act of sacrifice, the performer of sacrifice, objective of sacrifice, everything is becoming one in the absolute. So devotional service is a complex sacrifice. It may entail many complex activities, but the end is always the pleasure of the Lord. Therefore it is a sacrifice. If the end is not to please the Lord, then it’s no sacrifice. Then it’s Bhoga. Bhajana and Bojana may appear the same, but objective is different.

The spiritual activity is the pleasure of the Lord and the material activity objective is one’s own personal sense, gratification. So we have to understand this difference. And people say, why so much devotion? We are simply doing everything with the objective of pleasing Kṛṣṇa. And the people who are saying so much devotion, that means that they are still maintaining a separatist attitude. In the third Canto, Bhāgavatam Kapilamuni explains those who have desire for Karma, Gyana, Yoga, moksha, they are separatists. Those who have desires for Sattva, rajas and Tamas mixed with devotion, they are separatists. Their ideas separate from the Lord’s. Something for you, something for me. They have their own separate objective. Where the devotee is not a separatist, he is unified with the Lord. Unity and diversity. Is explained in the Vedas. So the devotee is unified with the Lord.

Although he is a distinct individual, he unified because his objective is to please the Lord. So the Lord’s idea and his idea are 1. This is a wonderful thing. So therefore the devotee is free from Karma, free from material disturbances. Where the separatists, they are still under the laws of Karma. They had to take the reactions for all their separate activities. They are getting that benefit for their devotional and spiritual practices, but they are also getting the negative results for their material activities. But the devotees, even though it appears they are doing material activities, there are no negative results because everything is being offered to Kṛṣṇa according to the formula given by the Acharyas. This is a very basic philosophical point of devotional service. We did an Avada Parikram there in Simanta Deep, at a place called Bella Pukuria or Bilba Pukuriya.

It explained how Nimbarka Acharya was known as Nimbatitya Pandit. He had traveled from a distant part of India. I believe he is Also from South India. He was there meditating and worshiping Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared to him and he prayed to Lord Shiva, I want a bona fide guru. So then Lord Shiva said, my elder brothers are in the forest meditating. You go to them, they will reveal to you all everything. So Babak Gurja, the Kumaras are the elder brothers of Shiva. They were meditating and Bimba Aditya went and he was there seen by the four Kumaras, very happy to see Vaishnava Pandit. So they blessed him and he offered his obeisances to them. And they said, we will give you the Mantra. And they initiated him and gave him instruction in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa worship.

And therefore Nimbarka he wrote the Sanghita that was called the Forget. It’s one of the four Kumaras. Sanat, Sanat Kumar, Sangheeta or something like that. One of the four Sanat, Sananda, Sanātana, Sanat Kumar. So one of the four Kumaras is the name of his Sanghita. And there anyone remembers. And there the science is given what he had heard from the four Kumar’s how to worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So there also Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu revealed himself to Nimbarka Gosami. Lord Caitanya eternally resides in Navaddip. But he is only visible to everyone during his manifested pastimes. But otherwise in an unmanifested way he is there. And for those very fortunate devotees who worship him, he reveals himself. So in this way Lord Caitanya blessed him and assured him that he would also come in his pastimes later.

And how he would take all the lessons from the different Sampradayas and including his own Sampradāya, he would take from Nimbarka this worship of Rādhā. And following in the footsteps of the Gopīs pure devotion, Rādhān Gaut Raha Pūjā. He would take from Ramanuja Acharya. Two qualities the worship of the devotee, one other quality. From each of the Sambradayas he took two principal essences from Madhwa. Of course he appeared in Madhwa line. But he has expanded the philosophy to include all the other Sampradayas also. But from Madhwa he also took the eternal nature of the Deity. And one other aspect. So in this way he combined all the disciplic successions. So he told Nimbaka that you will come. Because he was very much feeling separation. When the Lord disappeared, he wanted to see Lord Caitanya again, wanted to be with Lord Caitanya.

So Lord Caitanya Told him, you will come in my pastimes as a great Pandit from Kashmir. And then I will again reveal myself to you and you will have my association. So Keshav Kashmiri, as far as I remember, he is supposed to be the Embarka. Came again as Keshav Kashmiri. And he was delivered by Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. He was a Digby Jai. Everywhere he would go and challenge the Pandits and defeat them. He had a whole long list of all the Pandits he defeated. So when he got to Navadv, all the Pundits in Navadvp were very much afraid that we will be defeated and that stature of Navadip will be reduced. So then someone said, send Nimāi. He’s only a youngster, but he’s very great Pandit. If Nimāi defeats him, then that will be more glorious for Navaddy.

And if Nimāi is defeated anyway, he is only a young Pandit. So we will get another chance. So they sent Nimaya Pandit. He agreed to meet the Keshav Kashmiri by the side of the Ganges. He was waiting. So there the Pandit Keshav Kashmiri had come and he was bathing in the Ganges also Nimāi was bathing. So they met there by the side of the Ganges. And they self introduced each other. And then Lord Chaitanya said, oh, I heard you are a very great scholar, a great Pandit. I’d like to hear from you some verses glorifying the Ganges Keshe of Kashmiri. Just immediately he could compose a poetry in Sanskrit. Hundred verses he composed just like. Just like a flood of water running out one after another. He just composed the verses. And Lord Chaitanya, Nimāi Pandit, he said, wonderful, truly wonderful poetry.

How you could just compose that poetry so spontaneously is very great. My dear sir, I really appreciate if you could tell me the good and bad points of the poems that you have spoken. This is a good and bad poem. What he thought, there’s nothing wrong with whatever I composed. Why good and bad point? Why bad point will be there? So he was saying he was very much offended by Nimāi’s question. What do you mean bad point? Good and bad points? What bad point is there in what I have composed? So Lord Caitanya, he memorized each of the verses as quickly as he spoke them. He had memorized each verse, analyzed each of the hundred verses grammarically, poetically. Which is one thing is hard enough to compose the verses, but to memorize the Verses someone else composes. As soon as you hear it.

Then analyze each verse mentally. And picking out all the good and bad points of all the verses. There is a superhuman feat. Sunrimay Pandya said no in Your verse number 64. I don’t remember which one of the middle verses he said. Then he started pointing out in this first line. These are the good points. These are the bad points that you made. A double redundant double negative here. This was a double. He picked out about nine defects in one verse. Then he nine or eleven. I forget so many defects. Kali Yuga Memory. Lord Chaitanya would hear the verse. Remember he’s the Lord himself. Of course. But even great pundits could memorize things. Even I can’t remember all the details of this story, unfortunately. But brain is also. Memory is something you can build up like muscles. You have to exercise it.

But Lord Caitanya had a spontaneous unlimited memory capacity. So he then picked out all the good points, all the bad points, showed that to him and the Digby Jaya was defeated. Then he pointed out all the good points and showed what they were. So by Lord Chaitanya’s superior scholarship as a pundit. Without even any challenge, just in a very humble natural way, he defeated that scholar. Then they made appointment to meet the next day again that night the Dig Bijayi was worshiping Saraswati, his goddess. Why is it that no one has been able to defeat me? How my intelligence was covered by my false ego. And I couldn’t see my own defects. Who is this person that could defeat me like that?

And then Saraswati appeared to him in a vision or a dream and told him that the reason why you are defeated is that is my master. That is my eternal Lord. So he knew that Vishnu is the master of Sara Satip. So in this way Keshava Kashmiri could realize that Lord Caitanya was actually Vishnu himself.

(Side B of the Cassette)

And he surrendered to the Lord. As I know that you are not an ordinary human being. That somehow for your own purpose, you are the Lord Himself. Come here. And then Lord Chaitanya revealed his transcendental form to the Keshav Kashmiri. He became again his desire was fulfilled that he could meet the Lord. So in this way, Lord Caitanya was playing the pastime as a pandit for some time. In his youth, until age of 16 or so. Until he started the Sankirtan movement. But he was actually fulfilling the desires of many devotees who are waiting to associate with him in this way. So by devotion we can conquer the Lord. So by surrendering to Lord Chaitanya, then Keshav Kashmiri, he also defeated the Lord. In a sense, the Lord revealed Himself to him, agreed to show all of his glories to Him.

That is a special feature. For the devotees. It is very easy to understand these essences of the Vedas. Also to achieve the Lord is easy, not difficult. But for the non devotees, even if they are very learned in the Vedas, to understand the Lord is very difficult. Adula. Not difficult to achieve, not rarely achieved by ātmā bhakto by my own devotee. Any questions?

Memory among us, We understand that. Means it’s great on trying to achieve the spiritual suicide. It’s not yet the command of the highest order of Maharas could achieve the. Greatest. What was the greatness of the Tomaras that they are still seeing.

Special mercy of the Lord. For the impersonalists to get devotion, they need the blessing of the Lord or His devotee. Somehow they wanted to go to Vaikuṇṭha. They went to Vaikuṇṭha. They got cursed by the Jai Vijay. Well, they cursed Jai Vijay rather because they blocked him. They weren’t qualified to enter. They didn’t have the pure Bhakti. That’s what was their vision. So the four Kumaras cursed him. Then Nārāyaṇa came. When they saw Nārāyaṇa, they bowed down. When they bowed down to Nārāyaṇa that time, in that act of devotion the Tulsi offered the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, entered into their nose nostril. That fragrance touched their heart. And they started to feel ecstatic symptoms. Their hairs were standing on end. The tears were coming from their eyes. Their voice was choked up. They’re stunned, shaking and quivering in their bodies.

They are feeling so much ecstasy. It made the happiness of Brahman look like a very pale thing, very dry. From that moment they became converted to devotees. And from that time they simply rendered devotional service. So you can take it was a special mercy of the Lord. Somehow they wanted to go to Vaikuṇṭha to check it out. And when they got there and they met Nārāyaṇa, they bowed down. When they bowed down, then Narayan gave them the blessing. So it says that if a Brahmanandi meets a devotee of the Lord or the Lord, he can also get converted. The problem is that when they’re in the Brahma Jyoti there are not many devotees hanging around there. It’s not where devotees normally spend their time. So not much chance.

Whether because of some blessings, some Vagyata, Sukriti, kumaras being the son of Brahma, whether Brahma was praying for their becoming devotees in the future or whatever it might be. We don’t know what Sukhiti, how they got it. But somehow they got the mercy of the Lord and then by that they became devotees. So we need to get devotional service from a devotee or from the Lord. You may have some relatives who are absorbed in impersonal ideas. Only by the association of devotees is it possible to change them on their own accord. Difficult for them to think of anything else. But by associating with devotees, gradually they get attracted to devotional service if they are very fortunate. Now there’s a difference between Mayavadis and Brahmanandis. In that sense they were not envious of the Lord. They had no envy.

The Mayavadis here in this world they are offenders of Kṛṣṇa. That way, the Khumayas, they are all liberated from birth. They didn’t have any offensive mentality against Kṛṣṇa, Even Shankaracharya, he was not offensive against Nārāyaṇa, his followers are offensive. But he was saying Bhajagobinda, he was saying Nārāyaṇama Parubyakt. But the way they understood his teachings, they became offensive. What is his actual form, real form, this all his real form, Those are all real forms to accommodate different pastimes. Childhood form gives happiness to the parents. He doesn’t grow older than say 16 or 18 or 20 in terms like 20 year old or 16 year old youth. He doesn’t grow older than that. In terms of the bodily changes, He doesn’t grow a mustache. Sometimes they are portraying him with mustache. But actually he doesn’t grow. Always stays a budding youth.

But within that range he’s got different forms for different pastimes. In all those forms, with mother Yaśodā, he may be there as a child. With Rādhārāṇī, as a youth. With a little cowherd boyfriend, he may be there as a small boy, five years old, size Running and playing for Leela purpose. He has different forms. According to the appropriate Leela. He has the appropriate form. If you want to play hopscotch or leapfrog, then being 16 year old doesn’t make much fun. If you’re like 4, 5 years old, it’s fun in terms of that size, that mentality. So although Kṛṣṇa is playing all these games, he’s always got the full knowledge as he revealed when Brahma came, or to the sons of Kuwair. He always has a full knowledge.

But for the sake of enjoying with his devotees who come as friends or parents, he assumes different forms. It’s mercy for them. There are non devotees. That’s the highest liberation a non devotee can achieve. Merging into the light, Falling down is a mercy, isn’t it? That gives them another chance to become devotees. Otherwise they’d just be there in the light. Always eternal light bulb. Because they did service, even in a perverted way, somehow they did service.

Why the lotus feet of the Lord is more than the other parts of the world, always give devotion to the lotus speak. So this can be dutiful things.

So the lotus feet of the Lord are the reservoir of the transcendental nectar. There’s special nectar that’s flowing from the lotus feet of the Lord. And the pure devotees of the Lord are like bumblebees who are flying around the lotus feet of the Lord to taste that honey. So he said, the lotus feet of the Lord are the property of the pure devotees. And the pure devotees have surrendered themselves to the lotus feet of the Lord. So there’s a transcendental reciprocation. So like this, there is many glories to the lotus feet of the Lord. The devotees have experienced this nectar situated at the Lord’s feet. We start with lotus feet, then we go up gradually to the face and again back down to lotus feet in a circle. It is also devotees are very humble. So they also look first at the lotus feet.

Rather some proud person, he may come up directly looking to someone in the face. But if someone is a little humble, they might, you know, be in ordinary dealings. They may look down a little bit. In approaching the Lord is especially inclined to the meek and humble. So those who are coming and approaching his lotus feet out of humility, then the Lord is attracted by them. So especially worshiping the lotus feet has also got various benefits of getting the mercy of the Lord quickly. He’s showing humility. Normally people in material consciousness, I think the feet are the lower part. The least important head is more Important. So why will I deal with the feet? Let me go straight to the head. But by worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord, because the Lord’s body is transcendental. Actually there’s no difference between feet and head.

They’re all one. He can do everything with the feet, he can do with the hands. He can see, he can feel. Everything is there, all the potentials are there, and all the senses, sakalindi, aviti, manti. So in a transcendental sense there is no difference. But each part of the Lord has got some special feature. Just like with the hands, he is giving blessings or he is giving a beating with the club and discus with eyes he’s glancing, but he can also glance with all the parts of the body. But generally we feel like that this way. Our activities are more focused in this way. So the lotus feet have got some special feature about giving shelter for the devotees. The devotees take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.

And the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord has got special potencies to purify the three worlds. The divine markings are also there on the lotus feet. Of course, just like there’s no limit to the Lord’s glory. So even whatever we may have heard from our guru and repeating. But then there is so much more that could also be researched and explained. But like this we have understood that lotus feet of the Lord have got a very special role for the devotee to give thy shelter to the pure devotees. And the pure devotees are always around the lotus feet of the Lord. By the Lord’s mercy, they also are given that darshan of the whole form. Although they humbly approach the lotus feet. And when we’re coming from the down position, we come up to the lotus feet first. That’s another point.

That’s what Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed us, that the Lord Vishnu, Tattva, Vishnu, Kṛṣṇa, Ram, they are offered obeisance to the left side and the Vaishnavas and Devas with the right side. And Guru is straight ahead. Due to practical reasons, like in this temple, there’s no obstacle to offer straight ahead because there’s nothing on the other side. But in some temples the Prabhupāda is on other side. So if you offer straight ahead, you’re putting feet to deity. You cannot put the feet to the Deity. So therefore they have to offer with one side or the other. So then which side you offer is more a kind of a question of preference. So sometimes, although I never heard anything, but it seems like a usage, what people are doing.

For the gurus who have already left the world, that means they are with Kṛṣṇa, they offer a left side. And for those gurus who are still here, they offer right side. But there’s no such. I never heard. I just see this more or less what people do. But I have never heard any authoritative evidence to that effect. But Prabhupāda would ask. He didn’t mind the people offer right side. If he was in front of the deities, then in his presence were also offering him with our right side. And our left side was going to the deity. Otherwise, if he’s separately, there’s no deity. Then we offer straight ahead.

Sometimes this temple we often see the demigods like. When we offer our vision.

You can say both also.