HH Bhakti-tirtha Swami

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna,

 

The 25th was the Vyasa-puja and samadhi inauguration of HH Bhakti-tirtha

Swami. Many of his disciples from around the world have come to Mayapur for

this event, in particular, forty devotees from West Africa, the first time

such a large number of African devotees have come to Mayapur. The video of

Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's last lecture in Mayapur, given on February 20,

2004, was played for the Bhagavatam class. We are pasting the transcript

below. We will soon be posting transcripts of some of the memorial speeches

given in his honour, as well as the regular Bhagavatam classes given on the

23rd (Romapada Swami), 24th (Jayadvaita Swami), and 27th (Sivarama Swami).

Sorry for the delays!

 

 

 

>From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir

 

February 25, 2006

Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.32

Speaker: HH Bhakti-tirtha Swami (video)

__

 

 

atah param yad avyaktam

avyudha-guna-brmhitam

adrstasruta-vastutvat

sa jivo yat punar-bhavah

 

TRANSLATION: Beyond this gross conception of form is another, subtle

conception of form which is without formal shape and is unseen, unheard and

unmanifest. The living being has his form beyond this subtlety, otherwise he

could not have repeated births.

 

PURPORT: As the gross cosmic manifestation is conceived as the gigantic body

of the Lord, so also there is the conception of His subtle form, which is

simply realized without being seen, heard or manifested. But in fact all

these gross or subtle conceptions of the body are in relation with the

living beings. The living being has his spiritual form beyond this gross

material or subtle psychic existence. The gross body and psychic functions

cease to act as soon as the living being leaves the visible gross body. In

fact, we say that the living being has gone away because he is unseen and

unheard. Even when the gross body is not acting when the living being is in

sound sleep, we know that he is within the body by his breathing. So the

living being's passing away from the body does not mean that there is no

existence of the living soul. It is there, otherwise how can he repeat his

births again and again?

 

The conclusion is that the Lord is eternally existent in His transcendental

form, which is neither gross nor subtle like that of the living being; His

body is never to be compared to the gross and subtle bodies of the living

being. All such conceptions of God's body are imaginary. The living being

has his eternal spiritual form, which is conditioned only by his material

contamination.

 

___________________

 

 

So we've been focussing a lot on form, particularly as we have been praying

for the Lord to manifest in this awesome form along with His eternal

associates. And we have been hearing:

 

ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

indrari-vyakulam lokam mrdayanti yuge yuge

 

That this special form, summum bonum, it is not an ordinary form. It is not

just virata-rupa. Krsna in His highest expression, Radha-Madhava, not even

plenary expansions, and in comparison of course to our bodies, for our

bodies are full of tendencies for illusion, cheating, making mistakes, etc.

And we are bombared by adhyatmik, adhidaivik, adhibhautik, etc. So it's not

a wonderful picture. But we realize that really we also are far beyond what

normally is taking place with what is going on in this material arrangement

where we are practically trying to constantly master the world full of

limitations.

 

And so Srila Prabhupada--I think Badrinarayana mentioned it in his

class--how Prabhupada said he had a disease. Somebody remember that? And

that the disease was that he could not think small.

 

So Prabhupada was not just giving us an ordinary religion, trying to access

dharma, ? ? ? they see ? we have a lot of trouble with that, they do

adharma, upa-dharma, chala-dharma, etc. But he was giving us the most

expedient, practical, careful way how to process sananata-dharma. Srila

Prabhupada has said how he wanted to have Lord Caitanya, the Pancatattva in

life-size forms. Something very significant there. When we hear about a

great person, we think about some things: the nama, the name of this person;

the rupa, how is the individual appearing, what is his form; the guna, what

are the qualities associated with that particular form; and most important,

what goes on, what's the lila? And the greater that individual is, the more

animated and the more exciting it is as we hear about these things.

 

And the greater the person is, the greater legacy they leave even after they

are gone, the greater effect they have when they are present and they make a

great impact which just permeates. Prabhupada not thinking small means that

we also following him are never to think small. Jai, jai, Sri Sri Radha

Madhava ki jai!

 

Because the big danger of thinking small means that we were not fully

accepting Krsna's power and supreme dominion over all things. We may think

small of our own limitations, but not small in terms of what Krsna can do

and will do if we allow Him to use us and to work through us.

 

So there were so many devotees here during the ceremony, and still so many

devotees are around, the temple is still practically full, with thousands of

devotees on parikrama. And I think, I hope we will all leave here actually

transformed. That by the time all of us leave here we should really be a

different person than when we came to visit this Dhama. Because the Dhama

obviously is the place where there's magnified chance to advance, magnified

chance to have qualities, association, magnified chance to think and to

really become more integrally a part of the unfolding lilas of the great

acarya, acaryavan puruso veda. . . know the acaryas and understand better

what is what.

 

What a wonderful chance to identify with what wonderful arrangements Srila

Prabhupada has made not only for this world but for us specifically. I feel

that practically every devotee will go away with a certain realization. If

you don't it means you worked very hard to block them. There were so many

devotees who came, who in many cases we hadn't seen for years and years,

more devotees than ever before in the history of our gathering, and we had

chance to welcome the Lord in such a GRAND way.

 

I was having three, and I'll share with you three realizations. My first

realization was just appreciation. I was thinking, 'Yes, this is why we have

joined this movement. How exciting, what we have, what has come before us.

How wonderful an opportunity that we have got somehow a chance to be a part

of this great unfoldment on this planet at this time.

 

Second, I was feeling a symptom of overwhelming protection. Appreciation of

how Prabhupada, almost surreptitiously, came to this universe, gave us

something, did what he had to do and left, and now practically year after

year we're in more awe realizing, 'Wow, this is amazing what Krsna

consciousness is'. Because every year each of us should be accelerating,

growing beyond the previous year. And if not, we're cheaters. Because the

process is not stagnant. And it doesn't go in the escaclation ???, unless

somehow there are aparadhas and offences, and there's illusion that we are

incorporating and imbibing.

 

If we are not having special appreciation, our advancement will be slow,

slow track. Even though we have all kinds of challenges, all kind of

problems, all kind of issues, bodily, political, sociological,

institutional. . . Haribol, that's natural. We are trying to be spiritual

while we are surrounded in a world that's based on how to forget Krsna

quickly. So one has to put extra effort to not be caught up in the general

waves or current. And we've been given all that's necessary by the acaryas.

So if we are not completely appreciative it is like we're saying 'Hey,

Krsna, You are too slow in dealing with me, You are not fair when it comes

to my family, to my family, my situation. You are supposed to be

bhakta-vatsala the most merciful to the devotees but somehow you have missed

me. Or maybe you are not fully in control of all things. Or maybe Your

representatives have not given everything'.

 

Lack of appreciation says so many negative things individually and

collectively. Would you be eager to give someone something. . . you gave

them something once and now you saw that they did not appreciate it? Or

you've given, you've provided, they appreciate and you feel excited, so next

time that you can try to offer more. If someone does not use properly what

they have, will you be excited to give them something more? If you are the

managing director of a big organization, a big firm, and if someone is not

using what they have proper, they're not creating sufficient teamship,

they're not being sufficiently mindful, or maybe they were sabotaging, you

will starting taking away. So the science is very exacting. And Krsna has

promised, as we surrender, He awards. And that we can't be cheating on. The

Lord is in everyone's heart:

 

sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto

mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca

 

He is observing. There's really no such thing as cheating in Krsna

consciousness because any time you cheat, it means you're just asking,

yourself to be cheated, or you're cheating yourself.

 

Second I was thinking of protection, last I was thinking of invitation. Let

me explain that. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is standing there with HUGE arms.

Isn't it wonderful? It's just like He is overseeing the universe, which of

course He is, the universe is His. And He's putting this sense of great

protection of our ISKCON institution and how it is connected with these

great great devotees: Sanatana Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Madhavendra Puri, on

and on and on.c

 

And then is blessings in addition to protection, how Advaita and Srivasa are

like standing as guards, merciful guards, giving out benediction but also in

that mood of protection in a loving way. And how Gadadhara and Lord

Nityananda are like inviting, they're saying, 'We love you, come now, come

now, come quicker, come now and enter into this wonderful eternal festival

of repeated romance, love and service'.

 

I was feeling quite overwhelmed as all of us were at what has taken place.

But now I want to share a few concerns.

 

Prabhupada wanted life-size Deities. It's like a message to us. He wants the

real deal, he wants us to become more real, he wants us to understand the

greater realities of what we are associated with. Now we say installation,

that we are inviting Krsna to appear. But what does that mean? Lord

Caitanya, Lord Nityananda, Gadadhara, Srivasa, Advaita they were already

here. So what are we really talking about, reflecting on? ? Coming from all

over the world and yet we spent millions of dollars, just yourself, all of

us, just on transportation alone. What is this waiting and accommodating the

Lord's appearance? He was already on the altar. We already had the

Pancatattva, isn't it. So what do we mean, appear?

 

If you think about it, what we are really addressing is inviting ourselves

to receive the Lord and upgrade ourselves in a bigger way. Because Krsna is

everywhere. It's not impersonal but we know that Krsna is everywhere. So we

bring the Deities, whatever form of Deity, and now we go on in daily

regimented worship, where we're really doing, is we are trying to upgrade

our own service and care and attention and realization that Krsna is

Supreme. And so when we are inviting the Lord in a grand way. . . just like

if you're inviting a great person, it means preparation, and what to say if

you're inviting him to stay. It means now there are certain things about

ourselves that have to adjust, that have to change, to be able to ongoing

care for, serve, and facilitate the person or persons who we have invited.

 

So part of my last realization, part of the third, was like a door had

widened. I was getting a reflection like a door that is already opened, had

widened, that this festival has widened the door for us to rush back faster,

a door that is to facilitate us that it is more able to accommodate

ourselves and the living entities to be able to catch up and accept that

krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. And that that same Krsna who has now appeared in

the bhava of Srimati Radharani to be like a bounty hunter or engaging in

loving pastimes with His associates in reclaiming souls and planting seeds

so that some come now and others will come in the near future.

 

So that means every one of us, every ISKCON devotee in the world now must

upgrade ourself, because we have invited Krsna in a bigger way which means

we are ready to widen our own involvement with depth, profundity, to receive

the great gift that we have begged and prayed in a very powerful and

aggregate way to appear.

 

We say 'pasyann api na pasyati', to see and not see. That one who is not

eager to know or serve the Lord can have so much availability or opportunity

to do such and miss it. The atheists, the materialists, impersonalists, even

when they gaze upon the darsana of the Lord, they do not really see. They

are not understanding Krsna manifested in this special form and what it

means. Sometimes we're thinking we're the one, what Gour Govinda Maharaja

has mentioned about the drasta versus the drsta. That we have the darsana,

we're coming to see. Not really. What we're really doing, we're presenting

ourselves, we are the drsta. Yes, we come for the different times, chant

before the Lord, dress the Lord, look at the wonderful clothes, but really

greater than our trying to see, because what do we really see? Are we seeing

Krsna dancing, playing the flute? What is really happening more is the Lord

is looking at us. Now think about that for a minute. So that means Krsna has

appeared in a bigger way to also look out at us.

 

When we are presenting ourselves, we're there in the physiognomy, the

posture, the humility, but sometimes it is not in accord in our actions. The

Lord is seeing, 'Oh, you are coming before Me in reverence, with obeisances,

but what were you doing two hours ago? You're coming and you're offering

full dandavats, but what was going on last evening? You are offering great

songs and prayers, but an hour after you leave Me, what will be your

consciousness, your activities?' So we also must remind ourselves that the

Lord seeing us. . . He is not just seeing when we're in the temple, but He

is always seeing, because He is always with us, and He is always taking

notes. Therefore again the focus of the installation is to remind us more

that this wonderful Lord, whom everything is resting upon, is trying to

arrange to for us to come forth in a bigger way, to receive more of His

blessings.

 

Jayapataka Maharaja, on the second day after the curtains had closed and we

put the Pancatattva to rest, so myself, him and some of the pujaris we

brought out the small Deities and of course put them in the their beds. And

Maharaja mentioned how each day more of the Pancattattva manifest. And I was

thinking 'Yes, and each day more of our own readiness for receiving,

awareness and cognizance for the Lord to appear in this big way also is

manifest'. So it is quite concomitant.

 

The Deity is an amazing way to create more authentic community, more pure

sanga. Association is most important, so we want important, quality

association. The more that every single project, that each individual

devotee thinks how they are the servant of the Deity, the more the services

create synergy. That means whether you're washing the dishes, whether you're

sweeping the floor, or whether you are doing sankirtana or dressing or

feeding the Deity, the more that the community can be mindful that we are

the servants of the Deity and so that with quality so that one does his or

her work in such a way that it encourages others also to do their quality

service for the Deity. It is not theoretical because the whole of Krsna

consciousness, in one sense can be simplified as 'community in practice for

being able to go back and associate in sanatana, eternal community'.

 

And one of the most prominent, dominant, categorical aspects of that is the

arca-vigraha. Just notice how much, in so many temples, Krsna just demands

the time and the minds of the devotees as they have to focus around Deity

worship: 'Time for me to do the Deity worship. Now I must go and shower. I

must eat later because I have to go on the altar. I must make sure I come

back on time.' So much is focussed around such because the Deity is what,

is our greatest connection with the spiritual kingdom. It is one of the

greatest ways of looking at what goes on, everything centred on Krsna. And

it takes healthy teamship for this to happen.

 

Some years ago, about 2.5 years ago I was on a 35 country world tour, and I

wanted to go to Bali, I'd never been. I was thinking also of a few centres

I'd never went to. And even as a child I was always excited about festival

and culture and things like that. And Bali is a very cultural place. How

many devotees have been there before, to Bali?

 

So you see how people are going to the temples all the time carrying things

for the Deity, and there's huge statues of Arjuna and the Pandavas, really

as big as buildings. And they have amazing temples. And so some of the

devotees asked me if I wanted to go to some of the famous temples there. And

for me this was my spiritual sense gratification, 'Yes, yes, yes. I want to

taste the local food, I want to go to the big temples, and I want to see

some of the krsna-lila dramas'. So we drove a while and then we had to track

quite a distance up the hill, had to pay something, and we went to different

levels. It was very exotic.

 

And then we got to the main hall, main temple, it was a total down. There

was no Deity! And so we realized what is all this gorgeous building so

ornate, so amazing, so difficult to get to and then when you get there there

is no Deity. For us, without the Deity, it will just become a mundane

culture, mundane religion. It's not transcendent.

 

So we have these Deities, what Prabhupada left. We see how he installed many

Deities in so many places all around the world. We see how he was so

concerned that we give proper care, proper service, proper maintenance and

protection and do not engage in some unhealthy changes or minimization. And

so he was arranging or inviting, but actually inviting us to upgrade

ourselves so that we could become more mindful of what we are supposed to

do. So when we see when Krsna says:

 

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru

 

'Always think of Me', He arranged through His devotees ways to help us think

of Him more. There is an interesting passage here in Bhagavatam, 11.34.41.

Lord Krsna is speaking to Uddhava. Krsna says:

 

'In My temple, one should also participate in festivals and ceremonies by

singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and discussing Me with other

Vaisnavas.'

 

Just see how this is what Prabhupada has given us, this is what has been

going on these few days.

 

'One should observe all the regularly celebrated annual festivals by

attending ceremonies, pilgrimages and making offerings. One should also

observe religious vows such as Ekadasi and take initiation by the procedures

mentioned in the Vedas, Pancaratra and other, similar literatures. One

should faithfully and lovingly support the installation of My Deity [Krsna

says lovingly, faithfully], and individually or in cooperation with others

one should work for the construction of Krsna conscious temples and cities

as well as flower gardens, fruit gardens and special areas to celebrate My

pastimes.'

 

So again Prabhupada is not thinking small. It is in accord with what Krsna

Himelf is saying. Krsna didn't say 'Always think of Me and be in isolation'.

Krsna says 'Those who worship Me in love and devotion. . .

 

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti te

 

Those who worship Me constantly with love and devotion, I will personally do

something, I will give them, I will facilitate them, I will give them the

knowledge how to come unto Me.'

 

So here we see how Krsna is saying establishing cities. That we know our

movement started with a few devotees, a few little bhajans, a little

harinam, distributing a few books, getting some place to give some classes,

then establishing a preaching centre, temples, farms, communities. . . but

Krsna is saying here about cities. And so we see Prabhupada's vision was

ISKCON is a cultural society for re-spiritualizing the whole world.

 

We have to get off this small-minded reflection of just thinking sometimes

only about our little problem. And we think about these little problems, and

that's where we get boxed in and the little problems become big problems and

we don't move out of a kind of box. And it means that we minimize what the

Pancatattva is giving us. And how we are being invited by Gadadhara and by

Lord Nityananda Himself. So we don't want to be in that category of 'pasyann

api na pasyati'. We don't want to be those who minimize the presence of the

Deities.

 

A couple of weeks ago I was in New Zealand. And the devotees just built this

wonderful temple, they finalised it, it is like the whole project, the whole

yatra has just kind of taken off to another level, transformed. And they

have made a wonderful arrangement for accommodating the Deities. Now some of

us were saying, the old temple that had the Deities, now the Deities are

gone, it's just really like an abandoned building now. Even though it's the

same building, because the Deity is not there, it's a total different

situation.

 

Sometimes I like to mention how our temples are like embassies in the

material world. We travelled to come here, and many of us had to get a visa.

And it's a feature of travelling, so many places you go with that passport

or some type of travelling documents. So the embassy arranges for you to

have authorized rights of passage. The embassy is not an ordinary building

even though it's in a certain street. Those who work in the embassy have

certain diplomatic immunity sometimes, autonomy. And so that little building

can determine whether or not you can go to that huge country. Some people

couldn't get a visa to come here, so that little building with a few

attendents checks one from being able to experience this wonderful

pilgrimage.

 

So what we are doing in our embassies, in our temples or yatras, is

determining how we are genuine or not candidates for being able to

experience and go back to reside eternally in our home. So is it not also

what Srila Prabhupada gave to this world, that he gave to us, by giving us

an eternal way, even though he's gone, how we can go back, by having the

Deities, having the temples, where we can process and integrate our

devotion.

 

Let me share one or two last things. Last year I was in Ukraine--and again

my spiritual sense gratification--the devotees had told me about a very

famous monastery known all over the world. This is very brief. This

monastery was a place where a few very special monks had themselves buried

in caves alive. . . A group of monks who were so determined to try and meet

the Lord in this lifetime, they were so much wanting not to give in to sense

gratification, not to be play into orthodoxy, but they just to be in

seclusion to chant the names of God. So literally, it was like they were

saying, we would like to have slow death as we chant the Lord's names and

descend, according to their understanding. So literally they would get

cemented in a cave in a cell, like a prison cell. That was so small they

could barely stand, there was no light, there was no association. They made

a lifetime vow, before entering, or a death vow that they would never talk

to anybody again, never to associate, never to come out. So it wasn't like

'I made a mistake, I want out of here', they were stuck, they were within,

and they would be brought a little soup, a little bread. And if they got

sick or something it didn't matter. Nobody could come in and they weren't

going out.

 

And so all they had was their rosary and to pray. And I guess the toilet

facility they would just pass it out because there was no water facility, no

toilet. . . . So it was very unusual, and of course Krsna responds to

devotion and was giving these people some special mercy because even many of

them after they died, their bodies didn't deteriorate. Most of them would

get this. Their body didn't deteriorate. People come to them and pray and

all kinds of miracles.

 

Anyway the point about this is I was thinking if sannyasis all had to do

like this for renunciation. . . of course I know I would never take

sannyasa. [laughter] I think most of us wouldn't. But I was also thinking

how sometimes people overcomplicate or I was thinking how amazing the

expedient process that was given to us by our acaryas. That we have

wonderful feasts, wonderful festivals, wonderful opportunities to have very

powerful association, that we don't have to be some kind of babaji to the

point that we're more like yogis, doing all kinds of intense tapasya,

increasing our big desire to want to know the Lord. And checking everything

else, nothing has any significance more than wanting to know the Lord. This

is also the essence of bhakti is that the suddha-bhakta has not a tinge of

anything that's more important than srotavyah ca smartavyas, more than

hearing about the Lord, speaking about the Lord:

 

mac-citta mad-gata-prana

bodhayantah parasparam

 

Coming together, and our real food is hearing about His amazing nama, rupa,

guna, and lila. And not just being in a dark room, dark cave, prison, where

we're just praying and begging and crying and trying to have big big

mindfulness about everything belonging to the Lord and we're His servants.

So we are very fortunate that we have this opportunity at this time.

 

So in conclusion, in summary, the verse explains how Krsna's body is not

like our body. How the physical body is there and at death the subtle body

goes on to another body unfortunately, if one is not successful or fully

graduated. If one is fully graduated there's no gross body, no subtle body

all finished, over. And how we are experiencing adhyatmik, adhibhautik,

adhidaivik, all of these difficulties. But there is something higher:

 

apareyam itas tv anyam

prakrtim viddhi me param

 

We do not have to bound by these elements of stagnation. How Prabhupada's

vision was not to just to somehow create a little model for a few people, to

give little more interest to dharma, try to be politically correct.

Prabhupada's mission was to help as many people in the most tactful way but

to be safe, and to be firm and to be exact. And so we come on pilgrimage and

we are now having a chance to experience what we normally read about. Now we

have a chance to identify more with being a part of it. And so we're seeing,

how in my case my realization was in terms of protection by Lord Caitanya,

of blessings from Him, protection in terms of Advaita and Gadadhara, and

being invited by Gadadhara and Lord Nityananda, of greater appreciation that

yes, we are part of this wonderful mission on this planet, this universe at

this particular time.

 

We are not really the drastas, the seers. But the darsana is really the Lord

seeing us, the Lord monitoring to see are we ready to return? Every time we

have darsana we should be thinking that we are being watched to see if we

are ready for going back, have we become like the residents of Vrndavana?

We're not going back unless we can become like them because there's no

imperfection in the spiritual world. And so our Deities in our projects in

our major centres where we have the Lord in a fixed way, they are fixed,

cognizant and surveying what souls are really getting ready? What souls are

getting prepared for returning to where they never have to come back to this

world unless they come also to invite and to reclaim and to bring entities

back.

 

That the installation is not so much asking Krsna to come because they are

already here, especially this time because the Pancatattva were already

here. But we are eager to fulfill Prabhupada's desire of Mahaprabhu and His

associates appearing in life-size forms. So it's a wake up call for

everything to become more genuine, more real.

 

That Jayapataka Maharaja's comment that each day greater manifestation of

the Lord, and yes, that each day greater reception should be there of the

devotees, that we have invited and now we have things in motion, fixed,

we're going to invite somebody to stay then we have to see what is necessary

to their needs and what you need to shift to accommodate their ongoing

presence. Each of us in our own way should look at what things that we need

to fix, to put in place, as we have invited the Lord in His most magnanimous

form, where He is even more observant because He comes in and around

situations to be with His devotees. So we don't want to be an embarrassment

by inviting and not being prepared. We know how embarrassing it is when

somehow some great person comes or great person or associate who is dear to

you and you're not ready for receiving them, and what to say in Krsna's own

case.

 

And then last we talked about the position of the Deity having His own way

if we honour Him to create authentic communities. So now we must keep the

project. . . keep things neat, keep things tidy. We must be able to

broadcast nicely if we think this is for the Deity. People will come wanting

to see the Deity, people who are already there we want them to be reminded

that they are the property of the Deity. And so the cars, the property, the

cows--everthing--that we think this is the Deity's at each one of our

temples.

 

Then the bar of devotion just goes up higher and higher. I am totally

convinced that this festival raises the bar of devotion for this institution

worldwide. That there is no accident that Mahaprabhu and associates appeared

at this time when there is the greatest need for genuine authentic

spirituality. See everybody's religion is now on trial with all the

fanatacism and the terrorist things, everybody's religion is being studied

closer. That's a good opportunity to be able to show and to present and to

offer what really is genuine. And what is that? It will be noticed more and

more by the people on this planet. Because many people are even questioning

God, they are questioning. . . so many religions, so many wars, so many

conflicts and these religions are now becoming one of the greatest dangers

for global survival, that is people who hijack the religion. Because you

have devious people everywhere.

 

And the biggest demons, mind you, are not the gross sinners who just do

sinful things for bodily regret or compunction. The biggest demons like the

Ravanas and the Putanas, they were involved in Vedic culture just to do

what? To dismantle and try to attack Krsna and His servants. The biggest

demons are those. . . the biggest warriors in warfare are those who do

espionage, they enter into an environment and they pretend to be the real

deal while they're empowered for destruction. We have sometimes on our

projects people who are empowered for destruction. Just like we can become

empowered to be instruments of the higher, as we are now trying to be used,

to be mindful, there is also the other polarity. Any time there is great

chance for acceleration, there is also greater attack. All of our temple

presidents, all of our organizers know this. You're trying to start a big

festival, you're trying to build a temple, you're trying to accelerate your

project, you get more blessings because you're pioneering, but you get more

attacks than you ever had, sometimes when you're trying to do and after

you're established you get another wave of attacks. Maya is thinking, 'OK,

you got around me to build that, to establish that, now I'm going to give

you so many problems based on what you've accomplished'.

 

So sometimes even success, if we get comfortable, can bring failure later.

Sometimes success is our worst enemy because sometimes success conditions us

to doing the same thing based on what that success was, but the environment

or the variables may have changed and therefore doing the same things may

not necessarily always produce the same results. And this is why we have

desa, kala, patra. And this is also why we have sadhu, sastra and guru, so

that we will not deviate from trying to be more compassionate.

 

If you are compassionate, you must constantly be more mindful of the field

of activity, and how to minister care due to the field of activities. Every

one of our acaryas were emblems of compassion, every one of our acaryas

accelerated and were spiritually dynamic and were visionaries because they

cared about people and they were on a mission and they were thinking of

Krsna in a big way because they were puppets of the Lord. And just as

Prabhupada did not think small. And we his children, and his grandchildren,

and later his great-grandchildren, we are not to think small, we are to

establish cities, we are to have Krsna conscious villages and cities. And

that can be done as we think small of ourselves and as we think big of the

Deities.

 

This is the difference between low self-esteem and spiritual humility. Low

self-esteem, we become paralysed as we think of ourselves, what we can do,

what isn't happening. Spiritual humility is we become energized and we're

ready for empowerment because we realize that Krsna can do so much beyond

what any of us can imagine, can plan, can strategize for. So as the bar of

devotion went up we have all been forced and thrust into a situation now

where the bar is higher. There is a greater demand for each of us to accept

the Krsna that we have invited.

 

It's a little late so end with this. This is when they were doing the

abhiseka. I mean wasn't it just gorgeous, amazing, an experience that none

of us will ever forget, huh? Every aspect of it. There was a little concern

about who would bathe, just from logisitics and from security we couldn't

have really had many people on that scaffolding, it would have actually been

dangerous. The pujaris also realized to have so many people would have been

delicate. But it wasn't an accident that the two most senior Governing Body

leaders of our society were representing us in bathing. The pujaris who take

care of the Deities every day who are more locked in to helping to remind

all of us that we are to present ourselves, that they present the Lord in

such a way to help us to be encouraged to present ourselves properly, that

the Pancatattva had them to be able to do this while we were all were able

to participate, by bringing water, by the kirtanas, by the bhajans, offering

the lights, dressing the Deities. . . so this is also a reminder to us that

we are to have international unity in diversity with culture. Unity in

diversity with honour and ettiquette. Unity in diversity centred around the

Lord.

 

When we bathed Srila Prabhupada, when we bathed the Deities not one or two

or a few people could do that because it's a process for community. So it's

like our Vrndavana and our Mayapur are major catalysts for setting the

message to all of us around the world, a major catalyst for soldiers,

generals coming, sometimes weak, sometimes wounded, sometimes needing to

check in to sharpen our minds and our strategies ?? and then we go out and

we infiltrate.

 

So we should all congratulate ourselves in how we have been fortunate to be

involved in this worldwide transformation. We all should congratulate

ourselves. That means not false ego, but healthy pride. If we don't have

sufficient appreciation we will not protect what we have. If we do not have

sufficient appreciation we will not open and be available to the next. So we

want to be very appreciative, that not like in the case of Bali that we have

all these fantastic facilities and there's no Deity. We have these fantastic

things because the Deity is there and the Deity is there inviting us to be

able to come back and to associate eternally in the spiritual kingdom.

 

I want to say ask one thing before I close, because today. . . it's my

appearance day so devotees had me to preach so I can preach to my own mind

properly giving class on this appearance day, so I have Vyasa-puja. But I

want to say one last thing and I hope you carry it to the devotees on

parikrama and in your temples:

 

As we have invited the Lord in this bigger way, we can't just be

lacksadaisical. Because the more mercy the more there must be accountability

and the more there is tax for chastisement if we don't take advantage.

Understand, the higher the spiritual intensity, the greater the chance for

offence, the greater the chance for becoming mechanical if we're not

careful. So it's dangerous to come to associate with the Deity, it's

dangerous to come to the holy Dham because the devotion intensifies,

amplifies whatever you do, the offences amplify.

 

So now that our movement has been blessed by a greater inviting of the Lord,

it's important that we all find individual ways how to make ourselves

upgraded, to be proper receivers, hosts of what Prabhupada has given us. I

want to ask all of you along with myself, if you feel uncomfortable, if you

feel imposed upon, I apologise. I am not interested in just preaching at any

time, I try to preach to convince and to transform because my feeling is we

are all to be slaves of Srila Prabhupada. Not just servants, but slaves. And

therefore we know Prabhupada's mercy is huge and we don't want to embarrass

him by being mediocre, or by being stagnant or sabotaging his mercy coming

through. So I would like us all to make a prayer that we carry from this

festival on back to our places once we go back. Some of you have many days

more in the Dham, some only a short time left, some may be going back today

or tomorrow.

 

That we make a prayer that whatever things that we need to personally

experience to be able to be able to become a greater servant of Srila

Prabhupada's mission, that these things speed up in our lives. And the other

part of this prayer is whatever we need to have taken away in our loves in

order to be a more fit servant of Srila Prabhupada's mission at this time on

the planet, that that happens. Let me can just go over that again--I'm

stopping now--that we would like as many of you as possible, we're chanting

the mantra and everything is there, and Krsna says 'Always think of Me.' and

vandanam, prayer, is an essential part of the angas of bhakti. And we see

Srila Narottam Das explains ten special kinds of prayers that Vaisnavas

make.

 

Sometimes we minimise the potency of daily prayer. Then what is our mind

doing all the other times? We've got to be mindful, chanting out loud,

chanting internally, prayerful, constantly coming before the Lord in a

mindful state: 'I am presenting myself'. We would like as many of you as

possible to make this prayer: 'Whatever that's necessary to help us to

become a better servant of Prabhupada's mission, that whatever thing that's

necessary, it doesn't matter. . . whether it means we get sick, whether we

die soon, whether we lose money, whether our husband leaves, our wife

leaves, whether we become infamous--whatever that will help us individually

to be a better servant of Srila Prabhupada's that we pray that that will

happen and it will speed up. And whatever things that should be taken away,

that we pray that it be taken away. It doesn't matter. Whatever is genuinely

going to help us individually in this lifetime to speed up our ability to

receive the Lord in this big way so that we create more and more the

community that gradually becomes just more and more like the spiritual

world.

 

Prabhupada has given us embassies all over the world in these temples and he

is a major ambassador and he ain't gone, but he is just physically in a

different situation but he is more concerned than ever before. Isn't it

natural that when you are caretaker you are concerned even more when you're

not around about how things are dealt with?

 

How many are willing to make that prayer? Here we are seated in front of the

Lord. [devotees raise hands] Yes, . . ? we are ready. We are accepting that

at this time the bar has gone up all around the world and we are accepting

that we are going to upgrade ourselves. This is wonderful because as each of

us increase our devotion it becomes easier for every devotee, every time

there is acceleration in an individual's consciousness it creates a greater

support system to enhance the bhakti. Every time a devotee deviates it

brings more static in the culture of devotion.

 

So the prayer you have just made will assist us all in becoming better

servants by bettering ourselves.

 

ISKCON Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila

Prabhupada ki Jai!

Sri Sri Radha-Madhava ki Jai!

Pancatattva ki Jai!

Vaisnavas ki Jai!

Sadhu, Haribol!

 

Thank you.

 

(loud applause)

 

END.