19920427 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.40

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The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 27, 1992 – in Bangalore, India. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.40.

Shanavarganakrama Sukenti. Sam ramp sat to text 40, Chapter 22, Canto 4 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam chapter entitled Pritu Mahārāja’s Meeting with the Four Kumaras Oṁ Tatsut. So Bhitu Maharaj wanted to know when he met the kumaras, how to cross over the ocean of birth and death, how to achieve the success in life, liberation, how to reach the Lord. So the kumaras had given their verdict, their authorities and the path of self realization. They knew all the various ways. And this is their verdict that we recommend you simply take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are like boats for crossing the ocean. Although the ocean is difficult to cross, by taking shelter of his lotus feet you will overcome all dangers. So in this way one can easily cross over the ocean of birth and death.

That is the verdict of the kumaras. They also explain that the non devotees undergo severe austerities and penances to cross the ocean. But this path of devotional service is easy and direct. There was a boatman india who used to take his boat up the Ganges. Since a boat could not be rowed against a strong current upstream, he would pull the boat by a rope walking on the side of the river bank. Sometimes small stones or thorns would cause him suffering as he was walking on the shore. So he was thinking that when I get rich, then I am going to stop all this suffering. He thought, how will I be able to stop the suffering of my sore feet pulling the boat? So he thought, I am going to get thousands of mattresses and pillows and put them alongside the river.

So when I walk pulling the boat, my feet will have very tender place to walk on. So the boatman, he couldn’t think that when he has all kinds of money, why will he want to go on pulling his boat? That thought didn’t cross his mind. He was just thinking how I can be comfortable like this. Modern people, due to their conditioning, they only think that happiness means more comfort. But they still should go on in the same hard struggle for life, but simply have a little comfortable way to do so. This is their foolishness. There’s no difference between their foolishness and the boatman’s foolishness. It’s due to lack of poor fund of knowledge. If someone is wealthy, they don’t need all this. So devotional service is actually. A realization by the devotee that he is already rich.

So he doesn’t have to go through the hard struggle to become rich. Nor like a poor person, does he have to act in the same way. A devotee is already wealthy because devotee has realized he’s the son of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the richest. That means he’s already got all the wealth. All the spiritual wealth is there for the devotee simply by his accepting his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Because in illusion we think we are separate from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we lose this eternal wealth. We don’t lose it, but we forget about it and we ignore it. So it’s as good as not having it. The devotee realizes that this wealth is mine. All I have to do is engage in devotional service and I get the full benefits of my birthright as a Paradin Parasal Jīva.

I am one in quality with the Lord Achintya Bheda Tattva. We are abhayed non different from the Lord in quality. And we are also different in quantity. When we realize that I am not different from the Lord in quality. Therefore all I have to do is again reconnect re establish my relationship with the Lord and my original spiritual qualities will again become manifest. So this automatic spiritualization takes place by engaging in devotional service which begins from hearing and chanting. Hare kṛṣṇa, hare geishta, gestegishta hare, hare ram, hari, ram, ram, hari. Chanting the holy Name, One is very easily able to cross over this ocean of nations. Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore he advised his followers not to be distracted by any other means. Simply to focus and depend on pure devotional service.

In fact, if any of his devotees would preach about other processes, he’d become very angry. Śrī Advaita Acharya was always respected by Lord Chaitanya as an elder because he was a very old, much older Brāhmaṇa. But Advaita Acharya knew that Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa himself. So why is he respecting Advaita, whose only his expansion’s expansion? But externally, since Advaita and by material social calculation was a senior Ramana. So Lord Caitanya maintained that external etiquette because he was maintaining the pastime as a devotee, not as the Lord. So one day Advaita was very disturbed that why you’re never treating me as an inferior. So he said, today I am not going to. I am going to do something to force you to treat me as inferior. So then Advaita Gosai went out and started to preach the yoga system and its glories. How everybody should practice Yoga.

And when Lord Caitanya heard about this, he picked up a stick and went out and started to chase Advaita. Did you stop this? You can only preach pure Bhakti. And Advaita had to run. And he was laughing. Finally, now you are treating me as an inferior. And said, don’t do this again. Ever again. So in this way, Advaita’s desire was fulfilled. And Lord Chaitanya taught how he wanted his devotees to simply focus on preaching the glories of devotional service. And not distract the conditioned souls with other impractical processes. Thank you very much. Hare. Kṛṣṇa. Hare. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa. Hare. Hare. Hare. Ram. Hare. Ram. Ram. Ram. Hari. Hari. Any questions? You might have to speak up louder. There’s some railway engine in the back here. Can he cross the ocean? Someone is chanting. But he is being eaten by sharks.

Here it says breaking their principles are compared to sharks. So he’s being eaten by sharks. Same time he’s chanting. It may be that by chanting the Lord will pick him up away from the sharks and he will be saved. But if he goes on breaking the principles, eventually he will get devoured by all these sharks. One should attempt to stop breaking their principles. To advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the beginning when we chant. If somebody is breaking their principles, that’s considered offensive chanting. So offensive chanting is better than no chanting. Even by offensive chanting, eventually one can get purified. But to be guaranteed success, one needs to avoid breaking the regular principles. Of course, if Kṛṣṇa wants to. Sometimes he delivered someone. Even they are breaking their principles. Like Aja Mul. He was breaking their principles. Breaking. But he was chanting Narayan.

At the last breath in life, he got a chance. He was saved from death. Then he stopped breaking all the principles. He went to Haridwar and practiced pure devotional service. Then he went back to Godhead. So by chanting one can be saved from the contamination of the material world of breaking their principles. And then one practices purely one can be delivered. This is the example we get from Ajamud. See, the problem is when someone is breaking their principles. And they’re desiring to go on doing those things. So Kṛṣṇa is very merciful. He generally gives one what they desire. So the chances of coming back are maximum. Still, if somehow or another one remembers Kṛṣṇa at a time of death under any circumstance, then they can achieve liberation. But the chances are less that one will remember Kṛṣṇa at that moment.

Due to maintaining so many sinful attachments. Time up.