Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!
Date: February 19th, 2012
Topic: Maharaj Prthu’s Going Back Home
Verse: SB 4.23.28
Speaker: HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami
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sa vancito batatma-dhruk krcchrena mahata bhuvi labdhvapavargyam manusyam visayesu visajjate
TRANSLATION: Any person who engages himself within this material world in performing activities that necessitate great struggle, and who, after obtaining a human form of life — which is a chance to attain liberation from miseries — undertakes the difficult tasks of fruitive activities, must be considered to be cheated and envious of his own self.
PURPORT: In this material world people are engaged in different activities simply to achieve a little success in sense gratification. The karmis are engaged in performing very difficult activities, and thus they open gigantic factories, build huge cities, make big scientific discoveries, etc. In other words, they are engaged in performing very costly sacrifices in order to be promoted to the higher planetary systems. Similarly, yogis are engaged in achieving a similar goal by accepting the tedious practices of mystic yoga. Jnanis are engaged in philosophical speculation in order to gain release from the clutches of material nature. In these ways everyone is engaged in performing very difficult tasks simply for the gratification of the senses. All of these are considered to be engaged in sense gratificatory activities
(or visaya) because they all demand some facility for material existence. Actually the results of such activities are temporary. As Krsna Himself proclaims in Bhagavad-gita (7.23), antavat tu phalam tesam: “The fruits [of those who worship the demigods] are limited and temporary.” Thus the fruits of the activities of the yogis, karmis and jnanis are ephemeral. Moreover, Krsna says, tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam: “They are simply meant for men of small intelligence.” The word visaya denotes sense gratification. The karmis flatly state that they want sense gratification. The yogis also want sense gratification, but they want it to a higher degree. It is their desire to show some miraculous results through the practice of yoga. Thus they strive very hard to achieve success in becoming smaller than the smallest or greater than the greatest, or in creating a planet like earth or, as scientists, by inventing so many wonderful machines. Similarly, the jnanis are also engaged in sense gratification, for they are simply interested in becoming one with the Supreme. Thus the aim of all these activities is sense gratification to a higher or a lower degree. The bhaktas, however, are not interested in sense gratificatory practices; they are simply satisfied to get an opportunity to serve the Lord. Although they are satisfied in any condition, there is nothing they cannot obtain, because they are purely engaged in the service of the Lord.
The wives of the demigods condemn the performers of sense gratificatory activities as vancita, cheated. Those so engaged are actually killing themselves (atma-ha). As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.20.17):
nr-deham adyam sulabham sudurlabham plavam sukalpam guru-karnadharam mayanukulena nabhasvateritam puman bhavabdhim na taret sa atma-ha When one wants to cross a large ocean, he requires a strong boat. It is said that this human form of life is a good boat by which one can cross the ocean of nescience. In the human form of life one can obtain the guidance of a good navigator, the spiritual master. One also gets a favorable wind by the mercy of Krsna, and that wind is the instructions of Krsna. The human body is the boat, the instructions of Lord Krsna are the favorable winds, and the spiritual master is the navigator. The spiritual master knows well how to adjust the sails to catch the winds favorably and steer the boat to its destination. If, however, one does not take advantage of this opportunity, one wastes the human form of life. Wasting time and life in this way is the same as committing suicide.
The word labdhvapavargyam is significant in this verse, because according to Jiva Gosvami, apavargyam, or the path of liberation, does not refer to merging into the impersonal Brahman but to salokyadi-siddhi, which means attaining the very planet where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. There are five kinds of liberation, and one is called sayujya-mukti, or merging into the existence of the Supreme, or the impersonal Brahman effulgence. However, since there is a chance of one’s falling down again into the material sky from the Brahman effulgence, Srila Jiva Gosvami advises that in this human form of life one’s only aim should be to go back home, back to Godhead. The words sa vancitah indicate that once a person has obtained the human form of life, he is actually cheated if he does not make preparations to go back home, back to Godhead. The position of all nondevotees, who are not interested in going back to Godhead, is very much lamentable, for the human form of life is meant for executing devotional service and nothing else. [End of Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 4.23.29]
HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: While teaching Srila Rupa Goswami Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:
krsna-bhakta — niskama, ataeva ‘santa’ bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami — sakali ‘asanta’ [Cc Madhya 19.149]
That a pure devotee because he is free from material desires he is peaceful. But those who are desirous of bhukti – sense gratification, mukti – impersonal liberation and siddhi – mystic powers, they are always disturbed or always un-peaceful because they want something. They want some kind of sense gratification. Prabhupada explained that all of those activities are meant for sense gratification to a lower or a higher degree.
The goal of life is not sense gratification but self realisation. More the self realisation, pure bhakti – to achieve pure devotional service to the Lord. That is the highest goal of human life. Prabhupada in one purport of the Bhagavatam said in this material world there are only two kinds of happy people – the paramahamsa and the mad man. All those in between are sometimes enjoying and sometime suffering.
So it is a fact that dukhalayam asasvatam. It is a temporary place full of misery. Buy why is it still the mind doesn’t give up the hope to be happy in the material world? Why? Because this mind has been with us for many, many millions of lifetimes and is accustomed to this idea that I can enjoy the material world. I can lord over it and I can be happy with it. Because of this materialistic mentality the spirit soul goes on life after life struggling in material existence trying to be happy, trying to enjoy this material energy. But the spirit soul and matter don’t mix well together. It is like oil and water. They don’t mix together but the oil can be carried by the current of the water. In the same way through the current of material desire the soul is being carried life after life from one body to another body – sometimes in heaven, sometimes in hell, sometimes as a worm in stool, sometimes as a king. In this way the soul is going life after life in this struggle of existence.
Once I was with one devotee in a room in South America. Another devotee came to greet him. So the one devotee asked the other, “Prabhu how are you doing?” And the devotee answered, “Struggling in this material world.” And the other devotee asked him, “Are you struggling to stay or to get out?” [Laughter] Either way you have to struggle but it is more glorious to struggle to get out that to try to stay. No matter how hard we may try we can’t be happy in this material world. We have to be convinced of that.
Actually Prabhupada said the more pessimistic we become in relation to the material world the more advancement we will make in spiritual life. I said that some time ago in one lecture in Vrindavan and one devotee protested, “Why we have to be pessimistic? There are many nice things in this world. We can use everything in Krishna’s service. What is the problem? Of course we can use everything. We have to. We should engage in Krishna’s service but we should be convinced.
We should be pessimistic about the fact that I can be happy in this material world without Krishna consciousness. Even within the material world we can be happy if we are fixed, if we are surrendered to the loving service of the Lord. Even though in the material world we still can be happy. sukhe duhkhe bhulo na’ko, [SVA 2: Sri Nama (gay gora madhur sware)] Doesn’t matter if you are happy or unhappy just chant the holy name Bhaktivinode Thakura said. So this is the duality of this world. Sometime happiness or unhappiness is there. But Prabhupada said devotees should never be morose because he knows the facts of life and he knows where real happiness is – in loving and serving Krishna. So he is happy to know what is the goal and marching toward it.
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura said that the more people are eager to enjoy the material world the more they become expert in manipulating the material energy. That is why we see so much material advancement in the west in science and technology because they are very eager to enjoy or to exploit this material world so Krishna gives them the intelligence how to do it.
Prabhupada also says that previously materialistic pious people would worship the demigods with the idea to be promoted to higher planets, heavenly planets but now they don’t do this anymore. They try to get material prosperity and enjoyment through science and material progress. They try to achieve this. In this sentence Prabhupada says that they try to reach the heavenly planets. It looks a little contradictory. How are they going to achieve higher planets by technology and science and all this?
Actually what Prabhupada meant was that they try to create a very comfortable situation even in this planet like heaven. They want the kingdom of God without God. There is one religion who think that one day they will inherit the earth and they will live forever here in material bodies that will never get old of course and they will have all their pets and family and friends and they will enjoy and God will be somewhere else. Who knows where! Far away!
So even pious people approach God with this idea, “Please God make me happy in this world. Let me be comfortable. Let me enjoy family, society and love and I will be pious. I will obey You and will try to serve You.” So this religion is materially motivated and it is condemned in the Bhagavatam as a cheating religion.
People who get this human form of life and don’t take advantage to awaken their dormant love for the Lord are being cheated. They are being envious of their own self. Very strong word in this verse – envious of their own self – because being a spirit soul and not feeding the soul or not taking care of the soul is being envious of one’s self. The material body has its needs we all know – eating, sleeping, mating and defending. If we are not the body we are the soul then what are the needs of the soul?
The soul has three principle needs – spiritual shelter, spiritual food and spiritual pleasure. And because people don’t know how to get them spiritually they try to get them materially but they are frustrated. They are unhappy. The soul can’t be happy no matter how much material pleasure it can get. The soul is unhappy. It needs some pleasure of its own nature. For example in the zoo imagine if a chimpanzee fell in love with a giraffe. [Laughter] It is very incompatible relationship isn’t it? In the same way for the soul to be enamoured by this material energy is very incompatible. It is not compatible.
So how we get the spiritual shelter? Of course taking shelter of Nam Prabhu
– the holy name. In a prayerful mood we pray to Nam Prabhu please give me shelter at Your lotus feet. “I have been wandering in this material world life after life forgetting my loving relationship with You. Now that I am trying to come back to my senses and surrender to You please give me shelter. Don’t reject me seeing me so fallen – please don’t reject me.” In this prayerful mood we should pray to the holy name to give us shelter.
The spiritual master, the navigator is also giving shelter to guide us. The human body is like a boat and the winds are the instructions of Lord Krishna and the navigator is the guru who is guiding us back home back to Godhead.
When Prabhupada visited South America in 1975 different groups came to talk with him. One night two groups came at the same time – few minutes difference between one and another. The first group was a yoga group. So Prabhupada was talking with their leader about what is the goal of the yoga
– what is the purpose of the yoga. Of course they were interested in some siddhi, some mystic power and they were of course impersonalists. So Prabhupada asked the man, “What is your idea about God.” And the man said, “God is unlimited and this material world is limited.” Prabhupada said, “That is correct.” The man said, “This material world is temporary.” Prabhupada said, “That is correct too.” The man then said, “God can’t have names or forms because that will be a limitation.” Prabhupada asked him, “Do you believe that God created this material world?” He said, “Yes. Of course! I am not an atheist. I believe in God. He created this world.” “Oh. Very good. So that means we are tiny living entities. We can create something, some limited things. For example the airplane 747 for five hundred passengers. We may manufacture hundred times hundred of those airplanes with our limited brain but God with His unlimited brain creates millions and millions of planets floating in space with oceans and mountains and living entities there. Do you accept that?” The man looked at Prabhupada and said, “Master do you mean that God has a brain?” [Laughter] Prabhupada said, “Yes thank you very much for agreeing. Brain means a person – a Supreme Person.” [Laughter]
In that way Prabhupada started to explain Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan he gave the example of the sunshine and the man became very, very inquisitive. He was asking very nice questions. At the end after a few minutes of that conversation came another group. The metaphysical group – jnanis. And the leader of that group, one lady, wrote many books about metaphysics. She is very popular in South America and all over. Her name is Conny Mendez. She came with her group.
At that time the man was asking Prabhupada, “How can i practice spiritual life being entangled with job and family. Please instruct me.” He became very humble actually. Prabhupada smiled and told him, “Just do as the devotees are doing. Chant Hare Krishna.” And the man asked, “How can I chant Hare Krishna? I don’t know.” Prabhupada said, “Okay repeat after me – Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” And the man repeated the maha mantra. Prabhupada told him directly o chant.
This lady raised her hand and Prabhupada said, “Yes.” She said, “It appeared to me that this repetition of this mantra hare Krishna is some kind of hypnotism. Like some tribes in Africa chant different things and they enter into a trance. This seems to me to be something like that.” And Prabhupada told her, “That is your opinion. You are not an authority.” And he quoted Krishna’s authority, satatam kirtayanto mam [Bg 9.14] My devotees are always chanting My glories.”
Then she argued, “Well for us our spiritual authority in the west is Saint Jermaine (Some obscure French philosopher] and according to him we should chant the name of God – ‘I am'” Prabhupada said ‘I am’ is not a name. Jehovah is a name. Allah is a name but ‘I am’ is not a name.” She argued, “Well ‘I am’ means I am God.” [Laughter] Prabhupada said, “No you are not God.” Prabhupada asked the devotees because she said this is in the Bible – than God was us. Who are you and he answered I am who I am. So Prabhupada asked the devotees, “Is that true? I don’t know much about the Bible.” And one devotee said, “Yes Prabhupada. Moses was sent to Egypt to free his countrymen and he asked God, “If they asked me who sent you what should I say?” Supposedly God told him, “Tell them I am who I am.”
Prabhupada said, “That is alright. God can say, “I am.” You can also say, “I am.” But both “I am” is not the same. A master may say “I am.” And a servant may say “I am” But both “I am” are not on the same level.” She argued well in essence we are all not the same.” Prabhupada said, “Essence means a spirit. Yes God is a spirit and we are also spirit. But He is the Supreme spirit and we are the tiny spirit. In the bible it is said when God said let there be creation, creation immediately was there. But if you are hungry and you say ‘Let there be chapatis’ no chapatti will be there. [Laughter] You have to sweat to get the chapatti so they are not on the same level.”
She still argued, “Well master we are evolving. One day we will become God.” Prabhupada said, “There is no such evolution. The part is eternally the part and the whole is eternally the whole. The part can never become the whole.” Then she became upset. She said, “Well master you mean we are never going to be one with the Lord?” Prabhupada said, “You are already in the Lord. You are already there.” “Yes.” “But it is like a part of a machine.” Prabhupada gave the example. “You can say the part is one with the machine. But the part is not the whole machine. In the same way we are part of the Lord but we can never become the Lord. We are servant of the Lord.” Finally she said, “Okay I agree. We are part of the Lord.” Prabhupada said, “Very good bring the Prasad.” [Laughter] Hare Krishna!
Nirvisesa-sunyavadi – Prabhupada defeated all these wrong philosophies with logic, common sense and bhakti and transcendental knowledge, with great patience and kindness and mercy to tolerate all these wrong ideas. So anyway we have to learn from Prabhupada how to deal with different people and how to make them favourable to Krishna consciousness. That is our duty.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that there are three kinds of pious activities: bhogonmukhi sukrti, moksonmukhi sukrti and bhakty-unmukhi sukrti. [Cc Madhya 22.45] Some time devotees say this person became a devotee because he has good karma. That has nothing to do with good or bad karma. It has to do with bhakti itself. Only bhakti can give bhakti – not any amount of material piety or pious activity can bring out devotion or attraction to devotion.
So bhogonmukhi sukrti means pious activity that brings material enjoyment – somebody opens hospitals, schools, roads, wells, feed the poor, give medicine to the sick. These are material pious activities and the result of that is next life you will enjoy materially. You will be rich, handsome, famous or intelligent but that means that you have to again go through the process of birth and death.
Two people have their hands and legs chained and one is telling the other, “My chains are better than yours. My chains are golden. Yours are iron. I am better than you.” Chains are chains. It doesn’t matter if it is made of gold or iron. In the same way Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami explains in the Caitanya-caritamrta that some people think that in this world this is good and this is bad but for me everything is bad. It looks very pessimistic but we have to be pessimistic.
Once one devotee was telling Prabhupada, “I want to be born again in this world to serve you, to do sankirtan.” Prabhupada said, “No. You must develop a desire to go back to Krishna.” Because until we get pure bhakti, pure devotional service these kinds of sentiments is more or less sentimental. Prabhupada said we should desire to get out of this material existence and go back home back to Godhead.
So the wives of the demigods were praising Prthu Maharaja for going home back to Godhead and they were criticising the materialists who don’t have that goal. So in devotional service of course sometimes we face many difficulties. Many problems are there but what should be our attitude towards that situation? Of course we know from sastra Brahmaji in his prayer to Lord Krishna said,
tat te ‘nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak [SB 10.14.8]
The devotee is always expecting Krishna’s mercy. He sees even problems and difficulties as Krishna’s mercy because he should think, “I deserve even more problems and difficulties because of my past sinful activities but Krishna is so kind and merciful he is diminishing the amount of suffering that I actually deserve.” In that mood he continues to surrender and to serve and love the Lord. In that way he becomes – daya-bhak – inheritor. What does a son have to do to inherit his father’s wealth? Any ideas? Stay in the family [Member of the audience responds] – that is okay what else? To remain faithful to the father but most importantly to remain alive because if he dies he will inherit nothing. To remain alive means to remain faithful to the father, to serve the father, please the father and all this.
So to remain alive in Krishna consciousness because the inheritance is eternal, the father is eternal and the son is eternal so nobody has to die to inherit anything. We have to remain alive in Krishna consciousness all the time without deviation – always alert. When we see any symptom of lack of enthusiasm immediately we should seek association of an advanced devotee to reawaken that enthusiasm. It is very important for our spiritual life to understand that we should treasure our spiritual life. We should nurture it. We should take of it.
We spoke about taking shelter of the holy name, the spiritual shelter. We need spiritual food – not just krsna-prasada. Of course that is naturally there but also to hear about Krishna is food for the soul.
srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satam [SB 1.2.17]
So just to read about Krishna itself is the most spiritual pious activity. Krishna in the heart cleanses the desire of material enjoyment from the honest devotee who hears and chants properly His glories. Just like the potter on the wheel is making a pot and he is shaping the pot with his hands from the inside while the wheel is turning and turning but from the outside he is slapping the pot so that any air bubbles there will go away. Otherwise when he puts the pot on the fire the pot will crack. That is why he has to slap it all over so that all the bubbles will go away. In the same way when we engage in devotional service Krishna within the heart is cleansing our heart from all dirty things. From the outside because we still have anarthas and desires a little slapping here and there is needed to get all these dirty things completely out.
So we have to understand Krishna conscious philosophy correctly through sastra sadhu and guru otherwise it is easy to take something out of context and make a new philosophy out of it. I have seen that in many places. Devotees do that. So we should be careful with mental speculation.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura speaking about difficulties about the devotee’s faith he said praying to the Lord, “My dear Lord the difficulties I have to face in Your service are the source of great happiness to me.” Source of great happiness why? Because to endure difficulties in the service of the Lord, to give pleasure to the Lord is the happiness of the devotee. The Lord’s pleasure is the greatest achievement for the devotee. Srila Prabhodananda Sarasvati in his prayers to the Lord said, “My dear Lord if the world recognises me but You reject me. What is the use? If You recognise me but the whole world spits on me what do I care!”
So we want Krishna’s pleasure and satisfaction – Guru and Gauranga. Otherwise it is very easy to be carried away by material facilities in the name of preaching. So we have to be careful. A good balance should be there. Caitanya Mahaprabhu very clearly instructed us:
na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi [Cc. Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4]
I don’t accumulate wealth, I don’t want a large amount of followers and I don’t want to enjoy beautiful women – what to speak of the ugly ones! [Laughter] Then what do you want? You want liberation? No- mama janmani janmanisvare – birth after birth I want Your loving service.
Of course He can pray like that because He is already liberated. Somebody who is already liberated does not need to pray for liberation but if we try artificially to imitate that we don’t want liberation – of course for a devotee liberation means to engage in pure devotional service, to be free from material desires. That is good to aspire for – that kind of liberation.
Anyway have you seen the golden moon here in Mayapur a few days ago? Very beautiful isn’t? The golden moon! It is a very beautiful name Prabhupada chose for this beautiful temple – Chandrodaya Mandir – the rising moon! Isn’t? Very beautiful! So since it is also important to hear krsna-katha, hari-katha I wanted to tell you a pastime of Radha and Krishna if you allow me.
Once Radha and Krishna were sitting at the foot of Govardhan Hill on a nice beautiful throne. The sakhis and manjaris were decorating Them with flowers and ornaments very beautifully and after they finished their service they brought a big mirror and they put the big mirror in front of Them so that they could see how nicely They were decorated. It was a full moon night – golden moon. Its reflection was on the mirror. So jokingly Radharani told Krishna, “Krishna actually I am more beautiful than You. You are dark like the night and I am fair like the moon.” [Laughter] And Krishna smiled and said, “Yes. You are right but what is the beauty of the moon without the darkness of the night?” [Laughter]
So eternally these loving exchanges between Radha and Krishna are the goal of service, love and admiration. And through Guru and Gauranga we can one day aspire to develop such spiritually pure desire to be in the eternal association of the Lord. But first we have to understand what this material world is about. All these things are the basis. In that way we can gradually develop our bhakti, intensify it, protect it and nourish it in the holy association of the devotees. That is why Prabhupada wanted devotees to come every year to Sridham Mayapur to get the association of all the holy devotees – to get inspired and to chant loudly the holy name with a blissful heart: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Thank you very much. [Applause] So we have a few minutes if anybody has any comment or question please do.
Prabhu: The analogy of the potter and the pot is that from a Purana or is that yours? HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: [Laughs] Prabhu: Brilliant. HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Hare Krishna! Well I will tell you personally after okay? [Laughter] It is bona fide. [Laughter] Prabhu: You mentioned pure bhakti. HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Yes. Prabhu: What you mean by that? HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama [Cc Madhya 19.167] Srila Rupa Goswami defines pure bhakti very nicely, very clearly that one should give up material desires and be free from karma and jnana – desire for material gain through bhakti and impersonal liberation and favourable to Krishna – to please Krishna. Kamsa was thinking of Krishna twenty four hours a day but he was not considered a devotee or doing devotional service. Why? Because he was thinking of Krishna as his enemy, not as his friend. So it is not bhakti. Bhakti has to be favourable, to please Krishna and free from material desire, free from desire for impersonal liberation. Then it is pure bhakti. Prabhu: Why it has to be pure? Bhakti itself is [Inaudible] HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Because bhakti can be mixed also. You can be performing karma misra bhakti, jnana misra bhakti. Bhakti mixed with karma, desire for material gain or desire for impersonal liberation or philosophical speculation. That is jnana misra bhakti. So it can be mixed. Pure bhakti means free from those things, free from material motivation. Then it is pure bhakti. Sometime we perform pure bhakti and some time not. The goal is to achieve pure bhakti – to free oneself from all material attachment and desire and only have the desire to serve Krishna. Then it is pure devotional service and that should be our goal. Ekalavya Prabhu: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you for the wonderful class. My question is along the same lines as Mahaprabhu. Can a person be self realised and not have pure bhakti? HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Yes. It is possible. There are many self realised jnanis and yogis who know, “I am not the body I am the soul.” And they are liberated souls and saintly people because they are not interested in material enjoyment but their desire is to merge and become one with the Lord
– impersonal liberation. So that is not pure bhakti. Pure bhakti means the Lord, the service and the servant are there. So where is the question of impersonalism? Unless one has the goal of serving the Lord eternally, accepting the eternal form of the Lord that is factual and we as eternal servant.
Once Prabhupada was approached by two new bhaktas who were only two weeks in the movement – that was at the very beginning of the movement and they said, “Prabhupada I want to be initiated.” Because Prabhupada was going to initiate some people and they wanted to be initiated. Prabhupada asked, “How long have you been in the movement?” “Only two weeks.” Prabhupada said, “Okay. Who is Krishna?” “The Supreme Personality of Godhead.” “And who are you?””We are His eternal servants.” “Okay you can be initiated.” [Laughter] If that understanding is there then you are bhakta. You are a devotee. Otherwise no matter how self realised you may be if you don’t have bhakti then it is not complete. aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah [SB 10.2.32] Sooner or later they engage again in opening hospitals and helping the poor because they don’t get satisfaction in just sitting down and doing nothing – just meditating on Brahman. There is no pleasure there – only existence. VasudevPrabhu: Hare Krishna. Thank you Maharaj. We see some people joining Iskcon and very quickly they become advanced by virtue of their previous advancement. They may have been impersonalists like Brahmavadis and they are said to be very close to suddha bhakti but they need that special mercy from guru. HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Yes definitely. The example is the four Kumarasa. VasudevPrabhu: Please hear my question. HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Yes. Vasudev Prabhu: And on the other hand we have the devotees who may have been for twenty, thirty, forty years and they take as much of the mercy as they can but they may not be able to take as much as it takes to reach suddha bhakti. My question is can we say who is in the better position – that devotee or that Brahmavadi? HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: Obliviously the devotee is in a better position than a self realised Brahmavadi. Why? Because the devotee has the hope that one day he will get Krishna’s mercy and become pure devotee. There is hope for him. He is striving for it. He is struggling to please the Lord. So one day Krishna will give His mercy. It doesn’t matter if it takes a few lifetimes, but that is his goal in life. Brahmavadi may go to the Brahman because he is self realised but will he do there? Thinking- not thinking, feeling- not feeling, desiring-not desiring. It is nothing positive.
So for a devotee that kind of liberation is hellish. Better remain in the material world and strive to get some one day – pure devotional service. But you have that hope than to be in the Brahman. It is also sense gratification Prabhupada said because you are looking – I want to be free from suffering. That is selfish desire. You don’t have desire to serve and please the Lord but you just want to be happy yourself free of suffering. That is a material desire. It is better than the gross materialists but of course it is still a material desire. Prabhupada said even if we achieve only eighty percent of success Lord Caitanya will put the twenty that is lacking. Prabhupada said, even seventy percent and Lord Gauranga will put the thirty percent that is lacking. So we have some hope. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to the fallen souls in Kali yuga.
kali-yuga-pavana, kali-bhoya-nasana, sri-saci-nandana gao (he) [Song 1 – Names of Lord Caitanya
(Nama-kirtana)Verse 1]
We don’t have to fear the dog of Kali. The savoir of Kali has appeared. Prabhupada told us when he had visited out temple in South America, “If Lord Caitanya would have come to kill demons like Krishna did practically speaking nobody will be left in Kali-yuga. But He came to kill the evil mentality of people by this harinam sankirtan. So we should take advantage of this. We have to be patient. Prabhupada said it is very important to be patient in devotional service. No matter what NEVER GIVE UP because it is difficult or the mind or the senses are giving you trouble or whatever.
Once a devotee told me, “Actually I have no problems. To be honest I have only two problems – my body and mind. Besides that I have no more problems.” So you have to keep going no matter what. We have to stress the positive things. We have so many wonderful positive things to grab in Krishna consciousness. Forget about our own liberation
Srila Visvanath Cakravati Thakura in that famous purport that Prabhupada read and got inspired – vyavasayatmika buddhir, ekeha kuru-nandana [Bg 2.41] That verse, Prabhupada said that explanation by Visvanath Cakravati Thakura inspired him very much because in that verse Visvanath Cakravati Thakura explained that, “Doesn’t matter if I am conditioned or liberated, the instruction of my spiritual master are the most important thing in life. In happiness or suffering that is my goal, that is my nourishment.” So that is the goal of our life – to remain faithful to Guru and Gauranga in the association of devotees, to continue to do our devotional prescribed duties in devotional service and read and chant and increase our attachment to krsna-katha. That is the idea. Prabhu: Siddhanta Prabhu here wrote his ‘Memories’ books and in part three there is a reference to what you said about Lord Caitanya making up the twenty or thirty missing percentage. It was quoted there differently that if you surrender fully to Srila Prabhupada then Srila Prabhupada makes up that twenty or thirty percent that is lacking because Lord Caitanya expects full surrender to His instructions. HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami: That is okay because Prabhupada said different things at different times. The whole idea is that we depend on Guru and Gauranga’s mercy. Isn’t? That is the most important thing. So thank you very much again. Srila Prabhupada Ki! Jai! Gaura-premanande Hari-haribol. [Applause] [To receive Mayapurlive lectures by email, write to mayapurlive@pamho.net] Listen or download at http://www.mayapurtvarchives.com