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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Speaker: HH Bhakti Vinoda Swami<\/p>\n
Transcribed by Madhumati Priyasaki dd<\/p>\n
SB: 5.5.18<\/p>\n
Date: 11 Feb 2018<\/p>\n
Mayapur Dhama<\/p>\n
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam today Canto 5 Chapter 5 text 18<\/p>\n
Verse<\/b><\/p>\n
gurur na sa sy\u0101t sva-jano na sa sy\u0101t
\npit\u0101 na sa sy\u0101j janan\u012b na s\u0101 sy\u0101t
\ndaiva\u1e41 na tat sy\u0101n na pati\u015b ca sa sy\u0101n
\nna mocayed ya\u1e25 samupeta-m\u1e5btyum<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
Synonyms: <\/b><\/p>\n
guru\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a spiritual master; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; sa\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 he; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a> \u2014 should become; sva<\/i><\/a>–<\/i>jana\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a relative; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; sa\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 such a person; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a> \u2014 should become; pit\u0101<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a father; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; sa\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 he; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a> \u2014 should become; janan\u012b<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a mother; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; s\u0101<\/i><\/a> \u2014 she; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a> \u2014 should become; daivam<\/i><\/a> \u2014 the worshipable deity; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; tat<\/i><\/a> \u2014 that; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a>\u2014 should become; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; pati\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a husband; ca<\/i><\/a> \u2014 also; sa\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 he; sy\u0101t<\/i><\/a> \u2014 should become; na<\/i><\/a> \u2014 not; mocayet<\/i><\/a> \u2014 can deliver; ya\u1e25<\/i><\/a> \u2014 who; samupeta<\/i><\/a>–<\/i>m\u1e5btyum<\/i><\/a> \u2014 one who is on the path of repeated birth and death.<\/p>\n Translation: <\/b><\/p>\n One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.<\/b><\/p>\n Purport: <\/b><\/p>\n There are many spiritual masters, but \u1e5a\u1e63abhadeva advises that one should not become a spiritual master if he is unable to save his disciple from the path of birth and death. Unless one is a pure devotee of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, he cannot save himself from the path of repeated birth and death. Tyaktv\u0101 deha\u1e41 punar janma naiti m\u0101m eti so \u2019rjuna.<\/i> One can stop birth and death only by returning home, back to Godhead. However, who can go back to Godhead unless he understands the Supreme Lord in truth? Janma karma ca me divyam eva\u1e41 yo vetti tattvata\u1e25.<\/i><\/p>\n We have many instances in history illustrating \u1e5a\u1e63abhadeva\u2019s instructions. \u015aukr\u0101c\u0101rya was rejected by Bali Mah\u0101r\u0101ja due to his inability to save Bali Mah\u0101r\u0101ja from the path of repeated birth and death. \u015aukr\u0101c\u0101rya was not a pure devotee, he was more or less inclined to fruitive activity, and he objected when Bali Mah\u0101r\u0101ja promised to give everything to Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u. Actually one is supposed to give everything to the Lord because everything belongs to the Lord. Consequently, the Supreme Lord advises in Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/i> (9.27):<\/p>\n yat karo\u1e63i yad a\u015bn\u0101si \n<\/p>\n \u201cO son of Kunt\u012b, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.\u201d This is bhakti.<\/i> Unless one is devoted, he cannot give everything to the Supreme Lord. Unless one can do so, he cannot become a spiritual master, husband, father or mother. Similarly, the wives of the br\u0101hma\u1e47as<\/i> who were performing sacrifices gave up their relatives just to satisfy K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. This is an example of a wife rejecting a husband who cannot deliver her from the impending dangers of birth and death. Similarly, Prahl\u0101da Mah\u0101r\u0101ja rejected his father, and Bharata Mah\u0101r\u0101ja rejected his mother (janan\u012b na s\u0101 sy\u0101t<\/i>). The word daivam<\/i> indicates a demigod or one who accepts worship from a dependent. Ordinarily, the spiritual master, husband, father, mother or superior relative accepts worship from an inferior relative, but here \u1e5a\u1e63abhadeva forbids this. First the father, spiritual master or husband must be able to release the dependent from repeated birth and death. If he cannot do this, he plunges himself into the ocean of reproachment for his unlawful activities. Everyone should be very responsible and take charge of his dependents just as a spiritual master takes charge of his disciple or a father takes charge of his son. All these responsibilities cannot be discharged honestly unless one can save the dependent from repeated birth and death.<\/p>\n Lecture:<\/b><\/p>\n Hare Krishna! I have been charged with the responsibility to sum the leadership sessions and also to give the final cap on the Bhagavatam, on this very wonderful day, the last day of the ILS. I may not necessarily be the most qualified person to do that. I have many seniors, elders, my gurus all are present here so I seek their blessings so that I may be able to be a nice medium to transfer the wonderful realisation in the purports of Bhakti Vedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada ki jay!<\/p>\n Interesting sloka that I have been given, where there is a waring been given do not occupy any of these positions, don\u2019t become a spiritual master, don\u2019t become a father, don\u2019t become a husband, don\u2019t become a mother or worshipable demigod, if you cannot take your dependents back home back to Godhead, direct them back to Godhead. This is the real leadership sutra from the Bhagavatam. Here very clearly it is mentioned that unless you are devotee you cannot be a leader. We can\u2019t say this outside in this secular world but that\u2019s what real meaning here. Take somebody back home back to Godhead is the real meaning of leadership. Leading means taking somebody from a start point or of a some point by taking them to another destination. Point A, Point B destination to B from A, leading everybody from here to there. But leadership is a hot topic. Everybody is talking about leadership and in the world outside everybody is leading people to material success, sense gratification wealth, power, name, fame this is what leadership is all about in the world outside. But we know from the pages of the Bhagavatam that these all are temporary and they are not really going to sustain you. So Bhagavatam is saying, really leadership means opening up a person to the possibility of him being reinstated to the original position back to Godhead. <\/p>\n ayi nanda-tanuja ki\u1e45kara\u1e41 This is the destination, \u201cna te vidu\u1e25 sv\u0101rtha-gati\u1e41 hi vi\u1e63\u1e47u\u1e41<\/i>\u201d people don\u2019t know that this is the destination, this is the end going back to the Godhead. So in other words, Srila Prabhupada crafted the society to actually do no small jobs, do no small accomplishment, like leading a country or going up to the moon and putting a flag there or any of these things. His whole vision was to take everybody to Godhead, a very very lofty vision. <\/p>\n We must just understand what leadership in ISKCON means. Guiding everybody back to the Supreme destination past everything else that everybody achieved in the past, in the history of the world. Going back to godhead that is what this movement offers. Back in India, in South India we have many places where people tell you, you can go to US and study, you can go to UK and study you can go to Europe and study here it is I will give you the visa, I\u2019ll teach you how to do that, we\u2019ll take you to another place, education. But here Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada has set up an amazing educational institution, you get inside there you don\u2019t need visa fee, you don\u2019t need any fee, entry is free, entry is free and on the outside the exit portion of it, you go back to Godhead. This is his mission and he keeps repeatedly saying that if you chant Hare Krishna, if you observe the regulative principles if you listen to these instructions given, then you go back to Godhead that is the guarantee. So this is a very lofty mission. Leaders, it is mentioned here should be devotees and devotees should become leaders and world needs these types of leaders.<\/p>\n So the point is that everybody in ISKCON has got a great opportunity to lead anybody and everybody else who is there in their domain, and bring them in touch with this great society this great educational institution. Not only that, even if you are dud you don\u2019t know anything, you don\u2019t have money, you are not wealthy, you don\u2019t have any type of possessions, if you can walk into the international society for Krishna Consciousness with a little faith \u201cadau Shraddha\u201d and you can become the most fortunate. \u201cdadami bhuddi yogam tam yena mam upayante te\u201d even intelligence is given to you but we don\u2019t test your IQ when you come, in we don\u2019t check your certificates when we come in. In India back there even for the small kids to get into the Kindergarten and they have got an IQ test and they are shivering, the mother is trembling, the parents are trembling, a hope he makes it and the child has to go through all sorts of tests, psychological tests and then he is, the person says that I think your son has got a little attention disorder, we don\u2019t want to take him. We want to take students who have got very good IQ because the success of our institution depends on your iQ, we don\u2019t teach anything much, we don\u2019t want teach anything much so we want to get the guys who have best IQ and we can publish that 100% passes, placements like this, etc. and we get name and fame based on your IQ. <\/p>\n But in iskcon you can walk through, you can be the biggest dud who doesn\u2019t know anything and you can come out of other side most intelligent, go back to Godhead. This is the educational institution of Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada. What a great offer to the whole world, making you intelligence, \u201cdadami bhakti yogam tam\u201d so this institution delivers people back to Godhead and we can see that happening every day. People are leaving their body surrounded by devotees chanting \u201cHare Krishna\u201d and they themselves chant \u201cHare Krishna\u201d and leave their body, what a glorious institution, doing the highest welfare to humanity. This is Prabhupada\u2019s institution. So being leaders in that institution is great prestigious position, not everybody is getting that opportunity.<\/p>\n Caintanya Mahaprabhu and all the great acharyas down the line are waiting for you to lead people into chanting the holy name, to lead people into reading Srila Prabhupada books, to lead people into the association of devotees and make them very fortunate. People tell me that I am a preacher, I am preaching. I tell them, no, I am in the business of making people fortunate, that\u2019s our business. We give people the greatest fortune when Prabhupada\u2019s disciple once asked Prabhupada, how is it Srila Prabhupada that just a year back I was in the gutter completely drugged, drunk and I didn\u2019t know anything what a life I was leading. Look at the transformation in me now, just can\u2019t believe it I come up for Mangala artai, I chant hare Krishna and I eat only prasadam, associate with devotees, I distribute books, I read sastra, amazing transformation. He was himself thinking about it, how is this possible. He went up to Prabhupada and said how? Srila Prabhupada looked at him with eyes wet and told him, I brought you good fortune, it\u2019s me who brought you good fortune. <\/p>\n So we become fortunate by associating with Bhakti Vedanta swami Prabhupada, his institution and its followers. So to be leading in that institution is a great privilege. Therefore we should take these instructions very seriously. These are not labels, they are not titles to become a guru, to become a father, or become a mother, they are not just ordinary titles. May be somebody would have wanted to read this sloka, \u201cGBc na sa syat TP na sa syat zonal secretary na sas syat, sankirtan leader na sa syat\u201d.<\/p>\n Titles, are not what we should be after. We should simply be interested in actually deriving and getting those qualifications simply by an attitude of service sincerely serving Krishna and then the title will automatically come and sit on you. We don\u2019t try to fit inside the title and fill up the title, that is the material world.<\/p>\n \u201cprasaha sikarasto pi kakaha kim garudaya te\u201d, the crow also sits on the \u201cGaruda stamba\u201d and \u201ckaw kaws\u201d but it doesn\u2019t become Garuda, because it sits on the Garuda stamba and makes a sound. To be Garuda takes something else, it takes years of devotional service, yugas of devotional service, purification and then gradually you render that particular service of chosen by the Lord. <\/p>\n See, although there are positions these positions have occupied bear with a very solid responsibility. The question of responsibility and authority, somebody is simply after some authority, so that he can have control, that\u2019s what happens in the material world. But responsibility and authority go hand in hand. You get authority because you are a responsible person and you will responsibly render your duties in that position of control. <\/p>\n Control is giving to you and you need it so that you can control somebody from his diversions and give him good instructions and lead him back to Godhead. Control those persons who actually affects society wrongly, detrimentally, you need control, you need power, but you have to use it carefully, responsibly. Therefore tyring to have authority without responsibility is what is the modern trend. Trying to do certain things,, occupying certain positions, but don\u2019t render the job description that comes out of it. So Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada by his example has taught us how to be very responsible in rendering our duties. <\/p>\n Everybody is naturally a leader. First of all we should lead ourselves deeply inside we should be leaders of ourselves, controlling the mind, performing our sadhana very scrutinisingly, reading Srila Prabhupada\u2019s books, taking these instructions and following these instructions, they are not ordinary instructions. These are great life sutras we should not just be giving lip service to them, we should actually be performing according to his instructions.<\/p>\n You see, there is a history in India of the great king Vikramaditya. Vikramaditya was a very great king in the history you can see, and all of a sudden in his palace as he was sitting down in his palace with his ministers and subjects and discussing something, a huge rakshasa, man eating rakshasa turned up there, dripping with blood holding skulls in his neck and hands and huge deadly weapons. He said my dear king I have come here with a particular request from you, since you are the king. He threw a bunch of skulls that randomly hit the base of his asana. I wanted you to tell me how to choose a good skull and if you didn\u2019t I will come and ravage this whole place and you will have a heaps of skulls to contend with. Then he just walked off.<\/p>\n Vikramaditya was puzzled, known to be a very wise king and what should I do? What should I do? Now the ministers were all stunned, the subjects were all stunned, what\u2019s going on? Rakshasa disappeared, I will come back tomorrow. One of the ministers said. Don\u2019t worry my dear king, I think I know how to do this. You know how to do this? Tell me what it is? I\u2019ll think about it and tell you tomorrow. But tomorrow this rakshasa is coming, I don\u2019t want to hear tomorrow, want to hear it now. No king you take rest, I can assure you, don\u2019t need to worry. He was one of the smart ministers. So the king passed a sleepless night wondering, wondering, Oh my Gosh I have to put all my faith in this minister of mine, but something tells me I can\u2019t put my faith in him. He passed a sleepless night. <\/p>\n In the morning he came to the palace, to the hall and all the ministers assembled and behold the Rakshasa appeared there. He said, have you got my answer? The king just looked at the ministers. That minister rose up and said, he told the rakshasa, that skull through which the ears of that skull through which you can pass your rod through and it comes out through other ear, as a useless skull, you can throw that away, if you pass a stick through this and comes out through this you can throw that skull away, and that skull you can drive the stich through the ears and into the mouth and out that about second level, Ok if you want you can take that. But that skull, my dear king and rakshasa, you can drive through the ears down the throat into the heart that is the best of the skulls, you should choose that O\u2019 rakshasa. Rakshasa, just bend down took his skulls and left. He didn\u2019t do anything. <\/p>\n And the king said what\u2019s the meaning of that? What did you tell him? What language did you use? How did you send the rakshasa away? Then the minister said my dear king, you give the instructions and those instructions if they are followed through the ears and let out through the other ear, then that\u2019s the useless person. You know in North India if you know Hindi there is a joke that Bhakti Vinod prabhu says that iskcon means \u201cIskcon se sunkar iskcon ke bahar nikala\u201d as a joke. Instruction given by Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada is in his books, the bhagavatam\u2019s instructions, they are not meant for us to hear and then it\u2019s Ok and walk off dusting your backside, we are supposed to internalise it. <\/p>\n And the second one, he said that instructions that goes through the ears and comes out through the mouth, just as lip service, I read a lot of things, I get to know a lot of things, so that I can blah blah, speak a lot. \u201cveda-v\u0101da-rat\u0101\u1e25 p\u0101rtha n\u0101nyad ast\u012bti v\u0101dina\u1e25<\/em>.\u201d They know the scriptures fully, they know the vedas fully, they can chant to glorify till your face turns black and blue. But nothing goes inside at the end of it they are back to normal, just a conditioned soul. That\u2019s ok at least you paidd respect to the scriptures you speak it a little bit, but we are supposed to do more than that. <\/p>\n When those instructions actually go through your ears, they reach your heart \u201chrdaya granti\u201d is broken, the knot in the heart, attachment is dissolved and Krishna bhakti is embedded inside and then you render devotional service to Krishna out of the great feeling of love, that, is the right way to take instructions. That\u2019s the right way to hear bhagavatam, that is the right way to hear the instructions of the founder Acharya, internalise them, think about that experience that. <\/p>\n uttama\u015b cintita\u1e41 kury\u0101t<\/i><\/p>\n <\/a> prokta-k\u0101r\u012b tu madhyama\u1e25<\/i><\/p>\n <\/a> adhamo \u2019\u015braddhay\u0101 kury\u0101d<\/i><\/p>\n
\nyaj juho\u1e63i dad\u0101si yat
\nyat tapasyasi kaunteya
\ntat kuru\u1e63va mad-arpa\u1e47am<\/i><\/p>\n
\npatita\u1e41 m\u0101\u1e41 vi\u1e63ame bhav\u0101mbudhau
\nk\u1e5bpay\u0101 tava p\u0101da-pa\u1e45kaja-
\nsthita-dh\u016bl\u012b-sad\u1e5b\u015ba\u1e41 vicintaya<\/i><\/p>\n
![\"Hare](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-MSABWwSG7Ko\/WoVdZosKJmI\/AAAAAAAAh6Q\/Bzom8LyVJgQS9X4w1f0_CEhDq8ItjSK7QCHMYCw\/s0\/2018-02-15_11-15-22.jpg\")
By Bhakti Vinoda Swami<\/strong><\/p>\n