19920430 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.26.7

(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 30, 1992 – in Heidelberg, Germany. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.26.7

Nārada Muni continued to speak to King Prachin of My dear King, any person who works according to the directions of the Vedic scriptures does not become involved in primitive activity. Just as the government may issue trade licenses in order for its citizens to act in a certain way, The vedas. Are given to regulate sense enjoyment. One who enjoys his senses under the Vedic regulative principles does not become entangled in the actions of and reactions of his activities. As stated in Bhagavad Gītā 3, 9 Yajnaart Karmara, one should act only for the performance of Yajna or to satisfy Lord Vishnu anyatra lo goyam Paramabam. Otherwise any action will produce a reaction by which the living entity will be bound. A human being is especially meant to attain liberation from the bondage of birth, death, old age and disease.

He is therefore directed by the Vedic regulative principles to work in such a way that he may fulfill his desires for sense gratification and at the same time gradually become freed from material bondage. Action according to such principles is called knowledge. Indeed, the word Veda means knowledge. The words gyanena ntsa lipyate indicate that by following the Vedic principles one does not become involved in the actions and reactions of his fruitive activities. Everyone is therefore advised to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions and not irresponsibly. When a person within a state acts according to the laws and licenses of the government, he does not become involved in criminal activities. Man made laws, however, are always defective because they are made by men who are prone to committed committing mistakes, being illusion, cheating, and having imperfect senses.

The Vedic instructions are different because they do not have these four defects. Vedic instructions are not subject to mistakes. The knowledge of the Vedas is knowledge received directly from God, and there is consequently no question of illusion, cheating, mistakes or imperfect senses. While Vedic knowledge is perfect because it is received directly from God Bhaidhi Paramparā the Cyclic succession in R. Bhāgavatam 111 it is said, Tene Brahma vida ya Ādi kavaye. The original picture of this universe, Jai gor nitāi ki, known as the Ādi Kavi or Lord Brahma, was instructed by Kṛṣṇa through the heart. After receiving these Vedic instructions from Lord Kṛṣṇa himself, Brahma distributed the knowledge vaidiparam for our system to Nārada, and Nārada in turn distributed the knowledge to Vyāsa. In this way Vedic knowledge is perfect.

If we act according to Vedic knowledge, there is no question of being involved in sinful activities. Thus ends the Bhaktivedatta Swami Translation of purport to text 8, chapter 26 canto 4 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata with the tongue in the matter of King Puranchana goes to the forest to hunt. Omtad Sat. These are very straightforward principles. One time Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving a lecture india and India many people like the government service because government service india is very hard to get fired. It means it’s a very good job security, there’s also pension and other benefits. So Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying how people like to serve in the government because of its job security, its stability. So then he said actually serving Kṛṣṇa is the most stable position because Kṛṣṇa is the universal government which never changes.

Even before there was British government india and all this Indian government before that there was other various princely states and Mughal rules. Even here in Germany at different times there are different types of governments. So all over the world, governments may be changing in the long term, but Kṛṣṇa’s government never changes. So if we are working for Kṛṣṇa, that is the most secure position. Now in KA’s government he has got his universal laws. And the Vedic kings, they would understand that just like a state or a municipality within a government has to follow the national laws. Similarly, a kingdom or a country had to follow the universal laws of the Lord. If they didn’t, then the citizens would not be protected. In other words, if we don’t follow Ka’s laws, we’re subject to be punished by Kṛṣṇa’s government.

So already there’s Yamaraj and his punishment program is there for misdoers. So nowadays, unfortunately, the modern governments, they are not in tune with what are the natural laws. So they may pass some laws saying this is alright for the citizens to do, it’s alright to have abortion, or it’s alright to animals, or it’s alright to do this or that, but it doesn’t mean that it’s all right. Universally and there are various problems, just like the government may say, okay, it’s alright to cut down the trees in Brazil rainforest. But now the ecologists, they understand that this is harming the whole world and there’s a natural balance between the amount of forest in the world and the oxygen and ozone layer and so on. So according to Kṛṣṇa’s laws, we shouldn’t cut down trees whimsically. There’s a karma for that.

There’s a certain regulation even for cutting down trees for various things. So unfortunately, when we don’t follow these, we have to continue Take the karmas. So the materialists who are a little bit in the mode of goodness, they are gradually coming to the same conclusions as the Vedas by studying the universal reactions to their misdeeds. There are many times now we see in modern society people come to the conclusion it’s more healthy to be vegetarian. Not for any religious reason, not because the Vedas say, but because there’s so much scientific evidence that a non vegetarian diet is very dangerous. And other similarly scientifically, people are also coming to certain conclusions. But originally these are already given in the Vedas, what are the universal laws.

So the previous rulers, they would simply follow these codes of manu and that would ensure that they weren’t getting, they weren’t going against the natural order of the universe. Now the governments are not referring to these timeless codes of universal law. And so as they create their own laws, sometimes these laws, these licenses are going against the natural order and they’re creating a lot of problems. So this principle is very simple. If you follow the orders of the Lord, the laws of God, then you are protected from the reactions to the fruitive activities. So man made laws should also be made in reference to these universal laws that would beneficial for the people. So similarly for the devotees, they are putting themselves under the guidance of the disciplic succession. They’re putting themselves under the guidance of a spiritual master.

And for them to be free from offenses and free from sinful reactions, it’s essential they have to carry out the instructions of the guru. By doing that, then we are saved. Prabhupāda used the word nata or nata. Nata means one who is or sanata and anatta. Nata means protector. So saanath means with protection and anatha means without protection. Sometimes india, anantha is the word used for an orphan, someone who has no parents, no one to protect. And sanatha means someone who is protected. So you ought to be always under the protection of guru and Kṛṣṇa. So the devotees, they guide themselves specifically by Sadhu, shastra and guru, by the example of great devotees, by the instructions of the scripture and by the explanations of the scripture through the guru. So in this way the devotee is protected.

Sometimes we have to be very careful because the mind is very treacherous. Mind is able to adjust things in such a way, we get misled. There’s a story by his divine grace, Śrīla Bhakti, Siddhartha, Saraswati Thakur about Gītār Saṁsāra that once there was a guru and he had given the sannyāsa Initiation to a disciple. So he told the disciple to simply read the Bhagavad Gītā in this secluded place. So the disciple was reading the Bhagavad Gītā. But after some time he found that Bhagavad Gītā was being chewed by one mouse. So he was very disturbed by this. So he thought, I had to do something about it. So then he got a cat to keep away the mouse. But then the cat would get hungry, want to eat something. So he was getting some milk to feed the cat.

But then getting the milk was also a difficulty. So in order to have regular supply of milk, he got a cow to feed the cat to keep the mouse away. But then the cow required also to be fed. And so then he ended up keeping one laborer to feed the cow, wash the cow, milk the cow, feed the cat, keep away the mouth. But then, you know, laborers tend to be a little lazy and he had to watch over them. Who’s going to watch over so many things now he’s got to care the laborer and the cow and the kids and the mouse is always there waiting to come. So he thought that in order to help manage this whole affair, what I really need now is there’s no other way. He had to. Someone loyal, dedicated for this kind of service is needed.

So he made the big decision that since his guru wasn’t there and there was no one to consult with, he had to use his own intelligence and all these affairs. So because of the emergency situation, he had to take some very great austerity in order to continue reading the Bhagavad Gītā. He had to get married because his wife could watch over the laborer who was milking the cow, who was feeding the cat, keep away the mouse. So then he got married. And then of course, but the wife, she also had her demands. So pretty soon there was children. Then he had to work to maintain a family. And he had. So in the meantime, the guru came back to see how a Sannyāsī disciple is answered. To read a simple light, read the Bhagavad Gītā.

And he sees now he’s like Vihasta with wife and kids and his cows and land. So what happened? I told you just to read the Bhagavad Gītā. Why did you do all this? He said, guru Dev, this is all the saṁsāra of the Bhagavad Gītā. This whole everything you see, it’s all due to my simply trying to read the Bhagavad Gītā. It’s not my fault. I would need to order this to carry it out. I had to do all this. So of course this kind of humorous situation, pathetic situation, shows how the mind can’t deceive. We tend to the mind will tend to complicate things. And it just seemed to go off a little bit each time. But in the end we are very far from what the original order of the guru was confirmed.

We see also, of course this is ancient story, but we can also see that how sometimes even that guru may authorize someone to take Brihasta Ashram or may give some instruction. Alright, husband, wife, you can work together cooperatively and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness or do some service. But then in order to preach, they say, well, we need a little bit this facility and that facility. And pretty soon you see, they get off into more and more different unrelated matters. Until finally, just like the Sannyāsī, he forgot about reading the Bhagavad Gītā. He was all involved in maintaining his family. Although the original purpose was to keep away their vows from reading the Gītā. Or she could have figured out some other way which wasn’t so complicated.

Similarly, our mind may create so many reasons why we can do this or that, but actually we should see very carefully is it going to compromise our service to Guru and Kṛṣṇa? Is it really going to help the service to Guru at Kṛṣṇa or is it taking us further away? We saw like even in North America or some other places, in order to expand in the name of expanding certain kinds of preaching, a devotee stopped book distribution to collect money just for a short time. But then after a while they got out of the mood of distributing books for quite some time and only after a few years ago now they made a sound commitment not to deviate from that. So even in managing temples or preaching, we have to be very careful.

We can also start to get away from the focus of distributing books, get away from the focus of preaching, get to be very cautious when it comes to these solutions to our problems to see that we don’t sacrifice the main focus. Maybe if that in that example, if it just was the cat, it would have worked. But as he got cow and everything else, it became out of hand. So you have to be very careful not to go too far out, but to always remain in the focus. What is the guru’s original instruction? Otherwise as you go, Just like we see in the modern religions, they keep trying to adapt to the modern mood of the people to keep their congregation happy.

They tend to adjust a little bit until finally you have, you know, homosexual weddings in the church, going on in some churches. And you have so many different things going on in the name of religion. Religion which don’t have any reference to the Shastra. So this is very unfortunate. And this is why the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is committed to very carefully analyzing whatever we do according to this Hadoosh, Astra and Guru. These three are the checks and balances. If we do that, then we don’t become involved in the fruitive activities. We don’t get misled from the path of devotional service. Caitanya Mahatrabhu he was very strict that whatever the devotees did, it had to be based upon whatever the scripture, what the scripture is and what the authorities said. Otherwise our Lord Caitanya wouldn’t allow it.

If there was any poet who wanted to show Lord Caitanya a poetry or a song, he’d first have Surabdhamadhar check it whether it was proper according to the Shastra. If there was some defect, then Surabhdamudhar would not let that be shown to Lord Chaitanya because it would give watch a time in great pain to have to read something which was rasavas, which was conflicting, mellow some contradictory expression. So there’s actually very deep science or even science and art to practicing devotional service, to being able to properly practice the behavior, the principles. These are things which require to be learned through association with devotees, through the guidance of a spiritual master. Ultimately, of course, ultimately we had to make only major decisions with the guidance of the Guru. Śrīla Prabhupāda set up his movement so that everyone has got spiritual authorities.

Prabhupāda delegated the authority to the temple presidents to assign devotional services to the devotees and to give them basic see that they are engaged in the basic spiritual programs. So whether we should go on Sankirtan or whether we should be in this temple or that temple, generally speaking, all these aspects are dealt with by the temple president. If someone has got a big conflict or they’re finding it very difficult to follow for some reason, then they can appeal that to the next higher authority. That I find in great difficulty. This particular service I tell my president, but he doesn’t accept. Then finally, if one feels this life and death situation, once spiritually endangered, they can also forge their guru. The guru was already one of the two previous levels.

This is protect the devotees, even the governing body commissioners, they also under the GBC body. So everybody in ISKCON is in a service attitude. We’re all serving Prabhupāda serving his instructions. So in this way, although we have a worldwide movement, there’s a basic discipline that discipline is to protect us for. Some anarchists may feel that any kind of discipline, but actual discipline is meant to protect us from deviating, protect us from getting any karmas to help us to control and focus our mind. These people who don’t follow any discipline, for them it’s very hard to understand what is absolute truth. They always stay on the mental platform. There’s a story about one child who was spoiled by his parents. The child was never disciplined. The child was always led to do whatever he wanted.

In fact, the parents would go out of their way to give anything the child wanted. So he was the only child. So let’s call Adula. It means he was like a real spoiled child, smothered with affection. But you think that would make the child better. Like nowadays, the modern parents, they think that this is the way of showing affection to the child. Don’t force him to do anything, let him do whatever he wants. But there’s a lot of modern educationalists who also find that the result of this is very detrimental. One priest in England wrote a book. I was told by one of our gurukul experts that the old system where there was more discipline produced better citizens, better children giving their children anything they want. Now, Kali Yuga, this offering is meant for Gore, not for you. He is now the owl.

One time they wanted to have a birthday party for the child. But then the child was so spoiled that when they brought out it was not the right kind of cake. She wanted, you know, chocolate cake with cherries. And they brought, you know, another kind of cake. And so she threw a temper tantrum, said, you don’t give me what I want. What is this? In other words, the child had been trained to think that the parents were her servants. Instead of that, the child is supposed to serve the parents. The child thought that the parents are my slaves and why they’re not giving what I want. I, royal kid, have desired this and I am not getting what I want. So then she end up slightly her mother. So. That priest is saying this is because they spoiled the child.

So in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we have a different standard. First five years you can spoil the child. You can give the child different things. We see that even, you know, the Vedic culture, even in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, that also there was that even though they were giving Lord Chaitanya what he wanted, but when he was over 5, Jagannath Miśra was prepared to beat him with a stick when he was being naughty at the Ganges. He went to the Ganges with a stick in his hand. Where is Nimay? And then when Ramana appeared in the dream of Jagannath, Mr. And said, how can you punish your son? You don’t know your son is Kṛṣṇa himself. He’s God. How can you punish God? He couldn’t understand anything. What’s going on? So can you tell me, Nimāi, what does this all mean? So Nimāi said, well, it.

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I don’t care who buys. It’s my duty. I have to protect him, discipline him. See that he doesn’t go on the wrong path. I am a father. I have a responsibility. I can’t, you know, shirk my responsibility. Just because he’s God. He couldn’t understand. It would never sink in. He was so much in the Vasali of prayer. What do you mean? The Lord is completely independent. He could never do anything wrong. What is this dream? What am I seeing? And again, you know, the Yoga Māyā covered. I think. I don’t. I don’t understand. So that Yoga Māyā puts a certain devotees in a particular frame of mind to do their service. It. Another pastor, another set. She had a. Gave me one. She taught me. I said, I have this dream. I was Andre played out for shadow dances. You’re always carrying around.

I am ready to come. Let me have some then. Once you come visit. Anyway. Come on, let’s. He’s been invited today. You have to take lunch with them. So then they’re walking. But he said no funny business. Me, funny business? I want to. You’re the one with all this business. Anyway, they’re having their own journal discourses. They go to take Pratam at stuck in that mistress house. They sit down. Mother said she’s so excited. She offered the moga to the dev. She came, put down one seat for Nithyananda. One for. Then she put another seat. Now why Nobody can. Just like. She’s like static. She’s kind of like. She came back. So many offerings and soupta sar. Various types of spinaches and vegetables. All the favorite preparations of words. She came in. She came and she served.

On the plate of Nithyananda and played her with. She went down to get more. When she came back then instead of Goranga and Nithyananda, there was Kṛṣṇa Balaram seated, taking prasada. She came and looked too much. Then next thing and right here I was there. Mother Sachi. Mother Sachi. What’s wrong? What’s wrong? She looked around there. She said Nimāi. And she saw Adityananda. She just started crying and ran into her room and locked the door. Wouldn’t talk with anybody. Oh, baby. It’s too much. Nityānanda play around. Actually, it’s too much for both devotees and Vasalia to think that their son is the Lord. Even though he’s the Lord. They just can’t maintain that vision. So I say they’re concerned with protecting the Lord. Mother Yaśodā used to Chase Kṛṣṇa.

As he was drinking the ghee pods, he tells him, I don’t want my son to be spoiled. In fact, Ochi Tanya as a small child one time, of course then he was really fine. So as a small child, he wanted something. And mother Sachi said, no, I can’t. But then suddenly, very angry and he slapped mother Sachi. He was maybe only 2 or 3 years old. She fell out with government. She disliked that and all the other hates and hopes. You killed her. You killed your mother. How could you give your mother? You know you had to do some Kenneth. He’s bringing two coconuts and make offering here. Not only you can be forgiven for this offense. So that baby lights your tende, ratting out. All the ladies are laughing. And the mother says she’s looking with one eye.

But all of a sudden, within a few seconds, Just like that, it came back with two coca. Of course, they don’t know who the little Khan is. He’s also enjoying the game. He came after the two kokorats and he prayed. Mother Sachi, please forgive me. Come back and let Mother Sachi came back. Only I never do this again. I am very sorry. You don’t never leave me on. Mother Sachi picks up and smothers him with affection and kisses. So I guess we could see that there’s so much responsibility to training the children. Even if the child is dying. What does it mean if the child is an ordinary child who needs so much training? So many of the disciples, they also need training. So there was that one child in a story where Bhakti, Siddhartha, Taku, who was spoiled by his pain.

And one morning he refused to get out of bed. Just stayed in bed. Closed the doors and windows, locked everything in the mother’s hot. I hear him flower. He’s tired. Must have stayed up late at night. So were going to sleep a little late. It’s all right. But as it became 9, 10 o’. Clock. What’s going on? I need to get up now they start calling. The parents called the door and said, get up, my little angel. Time to wait out. The child was just lying in bed with the COVID over and said, you know, I know you’re only thieves in the night. Come here. It’s middle of the night. One in the morning. You come here. Still I won’t open the door. I am not so fooled. Go away from here. You take. What do you mean? We’re not thieves?

Where your mother and father should get up now. It’s not the middle of the night. It’s practically 11 in the morning. The sun is out. It’s all light everywhere. I said no. I know you’re trying to fool me. There’s no light. I don’t see any light in here. It’s completely dark. Open the door. You will see the light. No, there’s no light. Listen, if you say that the sun is so powerful. Sun is actually the eye of Vishnu, eye of God. So let the sun. It is so powerful. Let him force his way here inside the room without opening the doors and windows. I want to see him come in the room. Otherwise I won’t believe you. I don’t believe there’s no sun. Unless he can show himself to me. Come in here in the dark room. Oh, my foolish boy.

The sun is not necessarily. He has to go inside the room. Sun is here. Everyone can see it. Open the door and see the light. So there are people like that. They say, where’s the troops? Show me God. I want God to come here and choose my hand. Otherwise they won’t believe. But God is not our servant. That he will come and do whatever we want. Someone may say, I don’t believe there’s a. What do you call your head of state? Head of government Here in German counselors. He should come here and show him some to me. Otherwise I don’t believe. It’s not like that. He’s not obliged to come before people. He’s there and there’s a way. If you want to meet him. There’s a procedure. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is there. If you want to see Kṛṣṇa, we have to go through the Paramparā system.

We have to serve Kṛṣṇa according to the instructions of Sadhu, Shasta and Guru. Become a disciple, become a devotee, serve Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa reveals himself. If we don’t want to open our eyes and follow the instructions of Scripture, then how we will see the Son, how we will see the Lord, won’t be constant. So some of these people in the modern world, they’re not at all reasonable by their demands to see God and to know how to see God. What is the nature of God? Then they can understand the process. Also to see the Lord, We follow the discipline. We follow the procedures given by Kṛṣṇa. Then we are guaranteed to have success. But if we simply act in any independent manner than naturally we have to take a reaction. Even a devotee reacts against the orders of Kṛṣṇa, against the orders of Guru.

Then Lord Nithyananda said that he is to take the reactions from what he does. We add according to his instructions under the divine protection. Any question? The question is that it said that one cannot give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others unless one is empowered by Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. So what is the process of being empowered to be empowered by Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu that we need to follow the instructions of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These instructions. Are very clear. To become a devotee, to associate with devotees, to follow in the disciples to session and so on. We follow Lord Chaitanya’s instructions. Then we can get the license from Lord Chaitanya to get in color that Lord Caitanya. The point is that there are many so called followers of Lord Chaitanya who don’t follow Lord Caitanya’s injunctions. So although they are claiming to be the followers of Lord Chaitanya.

They don’t get the same results because they’re not actually following Lord Chaitanya. So so long as we’re following Chaitanya Mahanaprabhu’s process then we can get the benefit of being empowered by Lord Chaitanya, protected by Lord Chaitanya. Whenever we bring something which is not authorized, then we are doing it our own risk. So if you act according to the instructions of Guru Shastra and Sadhguru then we’re protected. We act according to Guru and garage instruction. We can get Impala. And so basically there’s also attitudes to have an attitude, service attitude to act as an instrument that they have for Kṛṣṇa. Any other question? Always. So we have to wait for them in contact with. What is the essence you’re talking about. But that’s why we have a regular daily Tana enchant Suhraun to chant the chant Kīrtana.

We hear that Śrīmad Bharu Tao and Bhagavad Gītā so that we can remember all this. That whatever we’re doing is meant to be for the pleasure of fish. He is offering everything as an offering to Kṛṣṇa. So in this way everything we’re doing it as an offering to Kṛṣṇa authorized by the Guru and Sadhu and Shastri. So then we will be in devotional service. We will be able to achieve the essence. Just like somebody has to distribute the book, someone has also put the book sh from the book is to. Someone has to print the book. So all these things are interrelated. Even a demonstration of the Samkirta movement is an important aspect. Otherwise there will be no books for the people to distribute. There will be no vehicles and so on. And so forth. So then we keep the proper attitude. That’s why we.

And we hear clients every day. We’re not just working 9 to 5. The devotees are devotees all the time. We have a regular sadhana. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we don’t do the sadhana, that’s the problem. The danger is we may start to see all the activities we’re doing as simply some kind of material chores or material activities. And that puts us in an injured position. So in order to keep a proper spiritual perspective, that’s why we had to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa every day, or we had to read and hear classes and do other spiritual practices. Otherwise it’s Karma yoga. And for the Karma yogis, they may also not see in the same spiritual way. So we are bhakti yogis. We are doing our service for Kṛṣṇa at the same time we are chanting and having a regular spiritual practice.

So this is how we can maintain the essence or get the essence, maintain the spiritual wisdom. We need to be fully absorbed. So we may not be able to be so fully absorbed in the beginning in simply chanting for 24 hours. So we chant a minimum number of times. There’s no limit how much we can chant, but there’s a minimum. We accept it’s offering to Kṛṣṇa and Guru. And then by chanting that minimum number of times, that is a special offering that gives us that protection, ensures that we are adequately watering our spiritual plant. And at the same time, we remain active in other devotional services according to the instruction of Sadhguru Guru Shastra. And this way we can achieve the essence, we get purified, and we advance to the ultimate goal. So there’s not any contradiction.

That’s why it’s essential that we keep up our sadhana. It.