HH Bhakti Vighna Vinasa Narasimha Swami

[Guest guest]

>From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!

 

March 6, 2006

Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.32

Speaker: HH Bhakti Vighna Vinasa Narasimha Swami

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ete srti te nrpa veda-gite

tvayabhiprste ca sanatane ca

ye vai pura brahmana aha tusta

aradhito bhagavan vasudevah

 

TRANSLATION: Your Majesty Maharaja Pariksit, know that all that I have

described in reply to your proper inquiry is just according to the version

of the Vedas, and it is eternal truth. This was described personally by Lord

Krsna unto Brahma, with whom the Lord was satisfied upon being properly

worshiped.

 

PURPORT: The two different ways of reaching the spiritual sky and thereby

getting emancipation from all material bondage, namely either the direct

process of reaching the kingdom of God or the gradual process through the

other higher planets of the universe, are set forth exactly according to the

version of the Vedas. The Vedic versions in this connection are, yada sarve

pramucyante kama ye 'sya hrdi sritah/ atha martyo 'mrto bhavaty atra brahma

samasnute (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.7) and te 'rcir abhisambhavanti

(Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 6.2.15): "Those who are free from all material

desires, which are diseases of the heart, are able to conquer death and

enter the kingdom of God through the Arci planets." These Vedic versions

corroborate the version of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the latter is further

confirmed by Sukadeva Gosvami, who affirms that the truth was disclosed by

the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna, Vasudeva, to Brahma, the

first authority on the Vedas. The disciplic succession holds that the Vedas

were uttered by Lord Krsna to Brahma, by Brahma to Narada, and by Narada to

Vyasadeva, and then by Vyasadeva to Sukadeva Gosvami and so on. So there is

no difference between the versions of all the authorities. The truth is

eternal, and as such there cannot be any new opinion about the truth. That

is the way of knowing the knowledge contained in the Vedas. It is not a

thing to be understood by one's erudite scholarship or by the fashionable

interpretations of mundane scholars. There is nothing to be added and

nothing to be subtracted, because the truth is the truth. One has to accept,

after all, some authority. The modern scientists are also authorities for

the common man for some scientific truths. The common man follows the

version of the scientist. This means that the common man follows the

authority. The Vedic knowledge is also received in that way. The common man

cannot argue about what is beyond the sky or beyond the universe; he must

accept the versions of the Vedas as they are understood by the authorized

disciplic succession. In the Bhagavad-gita also the same process of

understanding the Gita is stated in the Fourth Chapter. If one does not

follow the authoritative version of the acaryas, he will vainly search after

the truth mentioned in the Vedas.

 

____

 

 

So we're hearing from Sukadeva Goswami instructing Maharaja Pariksit who has

come to seek guidance for how to prepare for his coming death. Sukadeva

Goswami has described in this chapter two different processes: the indirect

process and the direct process. And as we heard from previous speakers that

although the indirect process is also authorized, it is not a practical

process.

 

So Srila Prabhupada points out in the purport the importance of taking

instruction from authorities. Srila Prabhupada points out that even the

common man has to take some authorities. The scientists are something of an

authority for the common man. Scientists direct us in many different ways of

life. They are providing us with all of the modern electronic devices which

we are very attached to, our MP3s, our computers, as well as our

televisions, and so many other things are all the gifts of the modern

scientists.

 

We've accepted these things as being very much a part of our life. We have

accepted these things as something we need to live in this world, but there

are many other basic things. Srila Prabhupada would point out that actually

there is nothing new in this world. As Srila Prabhupada says, "The Absolute

Truth is presented. . . ." How did Srila Prabhupada describe it? He said,

"The truth is eternal as such there cannot be any new opinion about the

truth." There is no new opinion. I think it was Mahatma Gandhi who spoke

about "experiments with the truth", but Srila Prabhupada said there's no

need to experiment. The research is already done for us. The Goswamis of

Vrindavan have already researched everything:

 

nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau

 

They have established eternal religious principles by studying all the Vedic

scriptures.

 

There's nothing new in this world, Prabhupada would quote a Bengali song:

eta nutana kichu kore. There's nothing new. In material life, everybody

wants something new.

 

We're very interested, the latest device comes out how to have more

information stored on micro-chips. We're very interested. We have to

research this. We have to experiment with this. We're very interested. We

like to be innovators. It's a tendency in Kali-yuga, but Prabhupada said

there is nothing new in this material world. The same sun rises every

morning and sets every evening. The same seasons come every year. The same

old age, disease, and death come for everyone. Actually there is nothing

new.

 

So we are old fashioned, you could say. I didn't realise when I joined the

Hare Krsna movement I was becoming old-fashioned. I thought this was

something new, but this was Prabhupada's trick, I guess. Krsna tricked me

into thinking this was something new. As Prabhupada wrote in his Vyasa-puja

offering to his spiritual master:

 

The line of service

As drawn by you,

Is pleasing and healthy

Like morning dew.

The oldest of all

But in new dress

Miracle done

Your Divine Grace.

 

Srila Prabhupada very nicely described how his spiritual master had

presented the very oldest thing, but put it in a new dress.

 

Yes, this is described in Bhagavad-gita. Lord Krsna says:

 

sa evayam maya te 'dya yogah proktah puratanah

 

That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told

by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend. In the fourth

chapter, Lord Krsna describes, yogah proktah puratanah, this very old thing,

but we put it in new dress to attract all of us conditioned souls who are

always looking for something new.

 

The oldest thing is there in the authority of the scriptures. The highest

authority is the authority of the scriptures. Prabhupada explains different

types of authority that there is the mundane sense perception, pratyaksa,

then speculation, anuman, and sabda. So of the three different types of

evidence, the evidence of scriptures is considered supreme, sabda-brahma.

 

Similarly, thirteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna was asked by

Arjuna to explain the field of activities and the knower of the field of

activities. So then Lord Krsna, in explaining these things, goes to explain

that knowledge of the field of activities and the knower of the field of

activities is explained by many Vedic writings, in many texts of the Vedas,

particularly in the Brahma-sutras, where it is explained with all cause and

effect. So Lord Krsna in the thirteenth chapter, text four, he himself

quotes the scriptures. Although Lord Krsna is the absolute authority, still

Lord Krsna takes advantage of the scriptures to something which was very

controversial point. Srila Prabhupada describes in the purport that because

Lord Krsna has to deal with the most controversial point of the duality and

non-duality of the soul and Supersoul, therefore Lord Krsna turned to the

scriptures and established the position, the actual authority, quoting

Vedanta-sutra.

 

So the scriptures is the highest authority, and yes, we have to quote the

scriptures, but how to understand the scriptures? It is not so easy to

understand the scriptures:

 

vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau

 

Very difficult to know Krsna from the Vedas, from the scriptures. There are

so many different acaryas giving different interpretations. Therefore we

also have to hear from the authorities in the line of disciplic succession.

As Srila Prabhupada explains here, the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gita

describes to us that this knowledge is delivered through the chain of

disciplic succession and the saintly kings understood it in this way, but

still that knowledge can be lost.

 

We also know in following Srila Prabhupada's instructions, we take

Prabhupada instruction in our Krsna consciousness movement as being

absolute. Sometimes we may even quote Prabhupada, how Prabhupada told one

devotee, "I blindly followed my Srila Prabhupada master." He was writing a

letter to a devotee in charge of a temple in the USA, in Chicago at that

time. He said, "I am planning to print books in so many different

languages." He said, "In this regard, I blindly followed my spiritual

master."

 

Sometimes we also try to quote this instruction of Srila Prabhupada that we

should blindly follow the spiritual teacher and his instructions, but

blindly following has to be properly understood.

 

As we heard yesterday from the speaker, he was describing Lord Caitanya with

his servant Balabhadra Bhattacarya. The title "Bhattacarya" indicates he is

a very great scholar, however, even he became bewildered by foolish people

because the tendency is there that when we follow blindly, we think we

should follow the masses. So many people were going to see this play on the

Yamuna at the night, which Balabhadra Bhattacarya also wanted to go, for

which Lord Caitanya gave him a good slap and told him, "Don't be so stupid."

 

Later on it was found out that was supposed to be the snake was actually a

fisherman's boat, and what was supposed to be the jewel on the head of the

snake was actually just the light on the boat, and who was supposed to be

Krsna dancing on the head of the snake was simply a fisherman on his boat.

The fisherman was going at night and all of this could not be understood

clearly therefore foolish people simply were speculating and misunderstood

the whole situation. This is an example of blind following.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur would tell a story about how the

brahmanas would go in the morning to bathe in the Ganga. And when they would

go to bathe in the Ganga, they would take a little copper vessel with them

to put some Ganga water in to offer, but everyone had the same vessel and

was hard to tell whose vessel was whose. All the brahmanas go in to take a

bath and when they come out, they can't remember where they put their vessel

because all the vessels look the same.

 

So on one occasion, one of the elderly brahmanas decided he must distinguish

his vessel from the others and he took a lump of mud and stuck it on the

vessel. But then all the other younger brahmanas saw that the older brahmana

had done this and they thought they should also do it. They thought this is

another ritual that they are supposed to do, so they also took some mud and

stuck it on their vessel. When the brahmana came out from taking bath, then

he severely lamented that the brahmanas were so stupid in following rituals.

They could not understand what was the purpose of the rituals.

 

Similarly, in commenting on the Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami has always

also warned us that one of the problems in fall down, one of the things that

can lead to fall down is niyamagraha, being too attached to rules and

regulations. While we can certainly get in a lot of trouble by being

neglectful of rules and regulations, if we are overly attached to rules and

regulations, this can also be wrong.

 

Srila Prabhupada tells us that we should know the purpose of the different

rules and regulations we are following, and not simply be blind followers.

We have to keep our eyes open and not be blind.

 

Just as Lord Caitanya told how his spiritual master said, "You are simply a

fool. You are a foolish person, you should just chant Hare Krsna." So

certainly in the presence of one's spiritual master, one should consider

oneself foolish, but that does not mean one should be a fool. There's a

difference between considering oneself a fool and being a fool. So certainly

Lord Caitanya is no fool. As we saw when he would debate with Prakasananda

Sarasvati, it is not that he just, "Oh, my guru told me just to chant Hare

Krsna, I am not going to preach."

 

So while we should not remain foolish, similarly, we should also not remain

blind. We have to have the vision and understand what is required in

following the instructions. Blindly following the instructions of the

spiritual master means we should not consider the instructions of the

spiritual master to be our own glory, just as Srila Prabhupada would always

give credit to his guru, in the same way, our credit is in following the

instructions of our guru properly, properly implementing his instructions.

 

There's a nice example in the Mahabharata. We're told how on one occasion,

Yudhisthira was fighting against Karna. Karna was a much more powerful and

better warrior than Maharaja Yudhisthira. He severely injured Yudhisthira

and defeated him. Yudhisthira was really shattered, his morale was really

down and he had to retreat from the battlefield and recover from his

injuries.

 

So shortly after Yudhisthira had retired from the battlefield, Arjuna

entered his tent and Krsna because Arjuna had seen what happened and he was

concerned for the welfare of Maharaja Yudhisthira. However, when Arjuna

entered the tent of Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Yudhisthira misunderstood

what had happened and he thought, "Certainly Arjuna must have been

victorious over Karna, otherwise why would he come to see me? Arjuna is

vijaya, he never leaves the battlefield defeated. He always conquers his

enemies." So Maharaja Yudhisthira began to glorify Arjuna, "Well done! You

have achieved victory. You have defeated Karna. You are very glorious. You

are a credit to our dynasty."

 

Then Arjuna had to explain, "Wait a minute, I didn't defeat Karna, not yet.

Karna is still fighting. I just came to see how you are."

 

When Maharaja Yudhisthira heard this, then he became very angry. He said,

"What? You left the battlefield to come and see me? How could you be so

stupid? You're a disgrace to the dynasty. You're not fit to carry that

Gandiva bow, give it to somebody else who is more worthy to carry it."

 

When Maharaja Yudhisthira spoke these strong words Arjuna drew out his sword

and he was ready to kill Maharaja Yudhisthira. It was only Lord Krsna who

personally stopped him. Arjuna was ready to kill Yudhisthira because Arjuna

had taken a personal vow - he had vowed: "If anyone ever tells me to give up

my Gandiva bow, I will kill that person."

 

So when Maharaja Yudhisthira had spoken in this way, Arjuna was ready to

actually take the life of Yudhisthira. But Krsna instructed him, Krsna told

him, "You have not understood the real principles of religion. You have made

a vow, but you have to understand the principles of religion and how to keep

them intact."

 

At that time, Krsna then first of all told the story of how one man had made

a vow to never tell a lie, but then on one occasion some man came with a lot

of valuable jewels and gold and he asked where he could hide. He was told to

go in the forest nearby. And then the thieves came and they asked the same

man how had made a vow to never lie, "Where did he go?"

 

The man thought, "I've made a vow not to tell a lie," so he said, "Yes he's

over there, he's in the forest." So the thieves went into the forest and

killed the man and plundered all his wealth.

 

So certainly this so-called brahmana who was making a vow of truthfulness,

he had to take the reactions, he had to take the responsibility for the

death of this innocent person. He had encouraged violence in the name of his

so-called religiosity. Just to uphold his vow of truthfulness, he was being

the cause of irreligion. This was encouraging when Arjuna heard this from

Krsna, but he said, "But still, what about my vow?"

 

Then Krsna explained to him, "There's another way you can kill people. When

a superior person is insulted by their subordinate, then that is equivalent

to killing them."

 

Hearing this, Arjuna, he jumped up and began to hurl abuse in the face of

Yudhisthira that "This whole war is your fault. You are so fond of gambling.

You are so attached to playing dice. You brought us here in the battlefield

because of all of that. It's all your fault. You're not a ksatriya yourself.

You have no real qualities. You're hopeless as a ksatriya. You are playing

the role as a ksatriya. What kind of ksatriya are you?"

 

In this way, he abused him for some time and Maharaja Yudhisthira humbly

lowered his head and tolerated all that abuse. After Arjuna had vented his

anger, then he fell at the feet of Maharaja Yudhisthira and embraced his

feet and begged forgiveness. And Maharaja Yudhisthira also embraced Arjuna.

In this way Arjuna was able to full his vow. And in this way, Krsna

instructed Arjuna how he could keep his religious principles and at the same

time, not have to kill his worshipable older brother.

 

So this is intelligence, how to apply religious principles. We have to be

followers of Srila Prabhupada, but at the same time, we are not blind

followers. Prabhupada was aware sometimes how we would abuse his authority,

innocently even sometimes. One of the hardest things to correct in our

society is this abuse of Prabhupada authority.

 

Prabhupada heard himself even in the Bowery days, one of the guests had

asked him, "Swamiji, I heard in your householder days, you had twenty

children." Prabhupada did not have twenty children. However this is the kind

of thing that goes on.

 

Then there was another thing that came to Prabhupada's attention that

somebody had said that "We heard your spiritual master is one of the eight

sakhis."

 

But Prabhupada said, "No, that is also not correct. I understand personally

that my spiritual master is an assistant of the manjaris."

 

So these kind of misunderstanding do come in our society. As a society we

have to be very careful how to understand religious principles, how to apply

them. Sometimes people would say that we heard that there is going to be a

war, there is going to be an atomic war and the whole world will be

annihilated. Prabhupada did not accept it. We heard sankirtana is going to

stop, no more sankirtana can go on, so many different things.

 

We have to understand Prabhupada in the proper way, how to follow

Prabhupada's instructions. Prabhupada doesn't want us to be blind followers.

He wants us to follow using our intelligence. He opens our eyes so that we

can see real knowledge, so that we can actually understand the truth.

 

As Prabhupada said, "I have given you everything in my books. Whatever you

need to know, it is there in my books. You don't need anything else. Simply

read my books." Of course there are many other books, but we should

certainly know Srila Prabhupada's books first. That is our primary duty. And

if we know Srila Prabhupada's books then certainly the truth is there.

 

The truth is not something we have to invent. We don't need something new.

We don't need to make some innovations. We simply have to follow. Prabhupada

spoke about anukarana and anusarana. Anukarana is imitation and anusarana

means following in the footsteps. So this is the key, as we're instructed

throughout this purport, that we are meant to follow in the footsteps. The

absolute truth is hidden in the hearts of the pure devotees and one can

understand it by following in their footsteps:

 

dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah

 

Srila Prabhupada is our modern mahajana. We simply follow in Prabhupada's

footsteps and everything will be revealed. There is nothing new. Simply

understand Prabhupada's message.

 

We will stop here and ask if there is any questions or comments. Yes,

Prabhu? OK, take the mike.

 

Question: How we can discriminate between speculation and using of

intelligence?

 

Maharaja: Speculation and use of our intelligence. OK, help to discriminate

between speculation and use of our intelligence. Intelligence means

understanding the scriptures, guided by scriptures. Speculation is we don't

use the scriptures; it's not in the scriptures. Simply by our own so-called

intelligence, we come to a conclusion. So if we're using our intelligence,

it will actually be there in the scriptures.

 

Prabhupada would tell us how the principle, somehow or other get people

attracted to Krsna. The rules and regulations come later. We were hearing

from Syamasundara Prabhu a few days ago how he was carving Jagannath and he

had a pack of cigarettes on top of the Jagannath deity. Prabhupada cam in

and saw the cigarettes. He came and hid the pack away and said, "No more

cigarettes."

 

So things like this, Prabhupada was tolerant in the beginning to encourage

people, to get them attached to Krsna. It's not that we also have to be so

tolerant nowadays that we can let people carve Jagannath deities and smoke

cigarettes at the same time. We try to be a bit to a higher standard.

Prabhupada in the beginning would make these adjustments in order to get

people interested in Krsna consciousness, but Prabhupada also wanted to

establish some good standard of Krsna consciousness.

 

Another example, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur asked people to

chant one lakh of names every day. If they couldn't chant one lakh names,

which is sixty-four rounds, then they were considered patita. If Prabhupada

had come to the west and instructed all of us without compromise that you

have to chant sixty-four rounds, it's certainly doubtful whether or not

Prabhupada could have established a worldwide society.

 

So Prabhupada made some adjustment according to the capacity of the people

he was dealing with. He has given us this sixteen rounds, but he has

instructed, "This is absolute minimum. You cannot reduce this any further."

Even we know in Hawaii there was an instance, there were some very nice

people, they were tennis coaches and they were chanting eight rounds a day.

They asked for initiation. Prabhupada said, "No. Chant sixteen rounds. No

compromise, no discounts."

 

But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said you should chant sixty-four

rounds, but Prabhupada understood the capacity, our ability and engaging us

according to our ability. So rules and regulations we cannot speculate

according to our own judgement. A devotee like Srila Prabhupada, he is

guided by his own spiritual master in applying the scriptures. He can make

these adjustments.

 

Another adjustment, Prabhupada allowed also ladies to live in the asrama. He

formed the brahmacarini asrama, which had never been heard of before. In

Gaudiya Math Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati certainly didn't have that, but this

was another adjustment. Prabhupada saw that the women can also preach, they

were also going and distributing books just as the men. Prabhupada saw

equality in the men and we are seeing it also. Here in India, more and more

working women. It may not be Vedic culture, but for the purpose of

preaching, giving people an opportunity to take up Krsna consciousness,

Prabhupada could make these adjustments. We do not make adjustments. We

follow the spiritual master. The spiritual master can adjust things but it's

not our business to adjust.

 

Arcita Prabhu?

 

Arcita Prabhu: Thank you for a very nice class. . . . I'd like to comment

also that we should always check with our peers. In other words, when you're

in a situation where you have to make a decision on something using the

scriptures and all that and your experience, but still in the end, when you

come to a conclusion, pass it by some other devotees, don't just do it

unilaterally.

 

Maharaja: Thank you for that comment. Very nice comment that before we make

any decision, we consult with our peers, our godbrothers, senior Vaisnavas,

and so on. Nothing should be done independently or whimsically. Cooperative

movement. So many devotees are here. We can take advise from them, consult

with them. That's the safe way.

 

So we'll stop here, thank you very much.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam ki jai! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

 

[applause]