20110425 A Free Ticket to Go Back Home, Back To Godhead

A Free Ticket to Go Back Home, Back To Godhead

Evening Class Coimbatore Sb/7/3/6 Monday, April 25, 2011

Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7.3.6:

tena taptā divaḿ tyaktvā

brahmalokaḿ yayuḥ surāḥ

dhātre vijñāpayām āsur

deva-deva jagat-pate

daityendra-tapasā taptā

divi sthātuḿ na śaknumaḥ

TRANSLATION

Scorched and extremely disturbed because of Hiranykashipu's severe penances, all the demigods left the planets where they reside and went to the planet of Lord Brahma, where they informed the creator as follows: O lord of the demigods, O master of the universe, because of the fire emanating from Hiranyakashipu's head as a result of his severe austerities, we have become so disturbed that we could not stay in our planets but have come to you.

Srila Gurumaharaj:

Here we are at the Ayurvedic Pharmacy hospital in Coimbatore. We have less than a month up to the Nrsingha Chaturdasi. So we have some selected verses about the things that transpired leading up to Lord Nrsinghadev’s appearance. Lord Nrsinghadev came to save the son Prahlad but what happened before is interesting. You see,Hiranyakashipu, he was doing some severe austerities to please Lord Brahma. He stood on his toes even though an anthill came over him and ate all his flesh. In those days you could keep your life air in your bones and so there he kept in his bones – this kind of severe austerity is normally not possible for anyone to do but he did. And as a result his head was emanating fire which caused heat in the whole universe. So all the devas, all the suras, they came to Lord Brahma and they said that we are suffering a lot because of the severe austerities of Hiranyakashipu. So Brahma came to see Hiranyakashipu and he sprinkled water from his kamandalu and as a result Hiranyakashipu regained his flesh and he became normal. Then he told him that whatever you want I will give you.

Hiranyakashipu said, give me immortality. He said, I am not immortal, so what I don’t have I cannot give you. So then he thought, and said, give me the boon that I will not be killed by any deva, any human, any raakshasa demon, any animal, like this I won’t be killed by day or night, I cannot be killed by anyone alive or dead, I cannot be killed in or out, so he gave so many conditions and Brahma said, okay, okay. So he thought he was immortal because no one could kill him. So then he began to fight with all the devas and defeated everyone. He became the Lord of the universe under Brahma. But still, although he had unlimited power, he was not satisfied, he was always hankering for more and more. This shows us that even if we get all kinds of material benedictions, all kinds of material power, still we are frustrated.

He had a son and the devas they wanted to capture the son and so they waited for the son to be born but Narada Muni came and he said that this son will be a devotee, you have nothing to fear and so they left. It is interesting because even the devas didn’t want to cause an abortion because it was so sinful to cause abortion. They were waiting that let the child be born and we will right away kill the child but not abort the child. So this abortion is very, very, bad. So Narada Muni, he began to teach Kayadhu and Prahlad was in the womb and he could hear all the teachings of Narada Muni. He never forgot but Kayadhu forgot –but he didn’t forget! When he was born he was already very Krishna conscious and that is why Hiranyakashipu, he could never understand how his son knew all these things about Vishnu. So these are very subtle.

The modern civilization wants to give us all a lot of material things – we can fly around the world, we can buy a jet, or buy a ticket and fly on a jet, of course we think we won’t be hassled when we are sick but of course that is not the fact. Even in America, it is not that people don’t die. Everyone dies, everyone falls sick, and so they get old and again they are reborn. So these are the facts of life.

So, Hiranyakashipu, he loved sense gratification. He thought that sense gratification was the goal in life. But now, we can also understand that sense gratification is not the real goal in life. The real goal, as Prahlad taught is to chant the names of Lord Hari. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna…So, it is to serve the Lord. Like, Gadadhara Prabhu, we heard that He used to hear again and again Prahlad’s instructions.

Prahlad was very dear to all the devotees because his instructions were so Krishna conscious. He taught to his demon friends that they should also chant Hare Krishna. When they said, come on, we are just kids! We want to enjoy, eat and play, and chant later, and Prahlad said well, as kids, the first ten years you waste in playing, and the next ten years you go to school and also there you have organized sports, and the next 20-30 years you are a grihastha. So like that when you are too old you have no time because then you are too old and you have spent so much time sleeping, eating, so where is the time actually? So you should chant now, you should serve now, now is the time. So he got all his friends together like that. Maharaj, Bhakti Vinod Swami, he would like to see everyone following in the footsteps of Prahlad. We should all preach – Prahlad did tough preaching, he was preaching to his demon friends. I hope your friends are not demons! Your work colleagues, your neighbours, friends, relatives, let them all take advantage because in this age of Kali, this is a special blessing.

Sukadev Goswami said, Kalau doshe nidhe raajan, asti hy eka mahan guna, kirtanaad eva Krishnasya, mukta sangha param vrajeth – that in this Kali yuga, it is an ocean of defects, but there is one good quality. Kirtanaad eva Krishnasya – chant the name of Krishna. Mukta sangha param vrajeth – by that chanting you will be free from the conditioning of the gunas and you will be able to achieve the Supreme destination. Hari bol! Hari bol! Hari bol! So just by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare …By chanting you can achieve so much more than what you could achieve in satya yuga, more than in treta yuga, more than in dvapara yuga – by chanting you get the mercy. So, people should take advantage, side by side, chant Hare Krishna, and also engage in devotional service (and also take care of material life). And also if you are a grihastha, get your children, and your wife or your husband also to chant. So the idea is to practice yukta vairaagya – to use everything in Krishna’s service and in this way, you can achieve all the benefits.

Especially, if you can get one person to go back to Krishna, you get a free ticket!

Hari bol! Buy one get one free!

Like that Dhruva Maharaj, he was going back to Godhead and he thought, what about my mother, she should also go back. And then the Vishnudutas showed that your mother is already going ahead of you.

(Hari bol! )

So we can take Krishna’s mercy – especially Lord Caitanya didn’t consider who is qualified and who is disqualified. He was giving His mercy to everyone. So we want to especially take the mercy given by Lord Caitanya. Hari bol! Nitai Gauranga jai Nitai Gauranga …

If you have any questions, you may ask now. If you have any ‘kelvis’… ha! Ha!

Question: While chanting Gayatri mantra, facing directions are important or facing deities are important? - Gopati Govinda Das

Srila Gurumaharaj: If the face is before the installed deities that is nice. Otherwise , morning and noon - east and evening - north Some people face pictures. But specially it says, deities. If you have faced the deities, it is alright. Some people have pictures in the altar. we call that 'chitrapat '. So you can face the chitrapat or face the the altar.

Question: In the Bhakti Yoga chanting of the holy name is eternally present, how is it differentiated between Kali yuga and other yugas? Specially in Kali yuga?

(Santa Gopa Devi Dasi)

Srila Gurumaharaj: In the Satya yuga Ajamila named his youngest son Narayana and was saved. In Treta yuga, Hanuman built the bridge over the ocean by putting the name of Rama and in the Dvapara yuga, Draupadi, she got the unlimited saree by saying "Hey Krishna! Hey Keshava!" But in those yugas there was also offence, so we have to chant without offence. All these people chant without offence. In Kali yuga, even offensive chanting has effect because of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Gauranga! But if you can chant without offense, that is better. Still, any chanting helps.

Question: Why do the living entities still exist who are suffering? Lord Caitanya had already liberated the people then?

Srila Gurumaharaj: In this universe, there is ananta koti brahmanda, there are unlimited millions of universes. So like mustard seeds and waves. How many drops are there in the ocean? So one universe and they fill up. So all the human beings may be liberated but there are so many insects, animals, birds and they can also go..

HH Bhakti Vinod Swami: Guru maharaj you mentioned about preaching and in your Vyasa Puja offering you spoke how you want help to expand what Prabhupada told you to do, here in Gaura Purnima we had a meeting and we decided this year the theme would be how to expand, bring more conditioned souls into Krishna consciousness. Hari bol! So by your mercy we will be able to do that. Hari bol! All the devotees have taken a sankalpa and offered to Lord Gauranga that each one will try to endeavour to bring ten people to chant 16 rounds within the year by their vigorous preaching, by programs and various types of outreach activities. So we need a little message from you and also blessings that we may accomplish that.

Srila Gurumaharaj(gestured blessing to all devotees!) Hari bol! We are ghostyanandis. We want to see the number of devotees increase and this was Prabhupad’s special order to me, He said, expand the Krishna conscious preaching propaganda unlimitedly. So I need a lot of help. If you can increase the number of devotees, I would be very grateful. Of course at first, they need to chant one round and then two and gradually go . Those who took, aspire, you can also include in the siksha program – you can include them. Like this gradually, the idea is we want to see that many people take shelter of Lord Krishna. So I will be very grateful if you could do that. And I pray for you every day, that all my disciples, all the siksha ,all the diksha, all the sheltered and all the aspiring disciples - I pray that they will also be able to preach and be very strong in their Krishna consciousness. Hari bol! So please, may Krishna bless you that your serving Srila Prabhupad, to expand this year, will be successful!

Hari bol!

HH Bhakti Vinod Maharaj: There are 100 devotees who have already taken the sankalpa and 100 x 10, should be bringing in 1000 people into the fold.

Srila Gurumaharaj: Jai! Hari bol!

HH Bhakti Vinod Maharaj: So I think we have said Hari bols and now we have to work on it! Ha! Ha! We have to work on it throughout the year and try our best. Then the mercy will work.

Srila Gurumaharaj: It works gradually. One at a time. You try bringing one person. And like this gradually, one, two, three. Of course if you can bring 10 at once it will be nice!

But usually, we have to bring one at a time. One family. And, like this gradually they take up. We have to bring many people. This month is the month of Baishakh, so in this month you get 100 times the benefit, so if in this month people take advantage they will be benefitted. I told some people that you will get special blessing this month if you preach. This month and also Kartik, month of Damodar.These are two months very special in the year. Hari bol!

Jrd/10 May 2011