HH Danavir Goswami (2nd class)

[Guest guest]

>From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!

 

March 8, 2006

Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.33

Speaker: HH Prahladananda Swami

__

 

 

na hy ato 'nyah sivah pantha

visatah samsrtav iha

vasudeve bhagavati

bhakti-yogo yato bhavet

 

TRANSLATION: For those who are wandering in the material universe, there is

no more auspicious means of deliverance than what is aimed at in the direct

devotional service of Lord Krsna.

 

PURPORT: As will be clarified in the next verse, devotional service, or

direct bhakti-yoga, is the only absolute and auspicious means of deliverance

from the grip of material existence. There are many indirect methods for

deliverance from the clutches of material existence, but none of them is as

easy and auspicious as bhakti-yoga. The means of jnana and yoga and other

allied disciplines are not independent in delivering a performer. Such

activities help one to reach the stage of bhakti-yoga after many, many

years. In the Bhagavad-gita (12.5) it is said that those who are attached to

the impersonal feature of the Absolute are liable to many troubles in the

pursuit of their desired goal, and the empiricist philosophers, searching

after the Absolute Truth, realize the importance of Vasudeva realization as

all in all after many, many births (Bg. 7.19). As far as yoga systems are

concerned, it is also said in the Bhagavad-gita (6.47) that amongst the

mystics who pursue the Absolute Truth, the one who is always engaged in the

service of the Lord is the greatest of all. And the last instruction in the

Bhagavad-gita (18.66) advises fully surrendering unto the Lord, leaving

aside all other engagements or different processes for self-realization and

liberation from material bondage. And the purport of all Vedic literatures

is to induce one to accept the transcendental loving service of the Lord by

all means.

 

As already explained in the texts of Srimad-Bhagavatam (First Canto), either

direct bhakti-yoga or the means which ultimately culminate in bhakti-yoga,

without any tinge of fruitive activity, constitutes the highest form of

religion. Everything else is simply a waste of time for the performer.

 

Srila Sridhara Svami and all other acaryas, like Jiva Gosvami, agree that

bhakti-yoga is not only easy, simple, natural and free from trouble, but is

the only source of happiness for the human being.

 

__________________________

 

 

So we have to consider what is the purpose of existence, what is the purpose

of life, this particular life. What is the purpose of our existence? The

living entity is sanatana, means eternal, and his sanatana-dharma is that he

is meant to serve. Everyone is engaged in some service. We see the animals

like the oxen, horses, even the dogs, they are all engaged in some service.

Even the flowers, plants, are offering some service either in the form of

fruits or vegetables of flowers or some shape. That means the living entity

in any condition is meant for service. We see that when a living entity is

given a female body there's a natural inclination to serve render service to

offspring. We are by nature meant to serve:

 

jivera svarupa haya nityera krsna dasa

 

And service to Krsna is the best service because it can be done without any

interruption and it can be done to one's full satisfaction. Other types of

service are relative, for example if I serve my country that's temporary. My

country is temporary and my particular body that I'm using to serve my

country is also temporary. And there are many anomalies in that service.

Just like Mr. Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, he tried to serve his country to his

best capacity, but he was killed by his own countrymen. And even after he

rendered so much service, his plans were torn apart - he wanted unity but

instead there was partition, dividing.

 

It's very difficult to be satisfied by service in the material world

because, first of all, the object of our service is not able to receive the

service. Take for example if we put water on the leaves and branches of a

tree. The leaves and branches are not able to absorb the water properly so

that service goes in vain. If I put water on the fruit of flowers, same

thing. So all other living entities, or clusters of living entities, groups,

they are like those leaves and branches and flowers and fruits. They may be

very beautiful, they may be very fragrant, they may be very strong, but they

cannot accept the water of my life or my service. It goes in vain.

 

We can analyse every single recipient of service and we will find the same

thing, they are not able to absorb it, not able to receive my love, my

service. Someone may say, "But if I see an old person and the person is weak

or hungry, if I take them in and I give them some shelter and medical

treatment, foodstuff, clothes, they'll appreciate. There are so many

starving people, I can give them food, they'll appreciate." And therefore

many people try to serve in this way, in fact sometimes they even invent a

slogan, they give them names "daridra-narayana." They say that the poor

people are actually Narayana, poor Narayana. Or they give slogans that

manava-seva is Madhava-seva. You may have heard that before, right?

Manava-seva means service to man is service to God. But we have to analyse

and see if that slogan is correct.

 

What I consider to be one of the most transcendentally humorous statements

that Prabhupada made was he was speaking on this subject and he used the

analogy of giving the food to the stomach. By giving food to the stomach all

parts of the body are benefited. So one person in the audience, it was here

in India, he didn't quite understand it and he was trying to present the

other thing that if you serve your fellow man then isn't that the best

service? And Prabhupada said no, just like if you put food in the stomach

then your eyesight increases, your eyesight becomes better but if you put

food in your eyes you become blind. So everyone laughed and realised the

point that if we try to serve directly the eye by putting food there, it's

useless, it's not only useless it's worse than useless because you become

blind. In other words food is only meant to go in one place.

 

And similarly service is only meant to go one place. There's only one object

of service and that is Krsna. Krsna is the ultimate servable object. This is

also explained:

 

ekale isvara krsna ara saba bhrtya

 

There's only one master and that's Krsna, all others are bhrtya, they're

servants. This is our constitutional position. If we try to enjoy or be the

master or the enjoyer, the proprietor, we will be engaging in unnatural

activity. And whenever we do something against the laws of nature, there's

reactions, unfavourable reactions. Just like if one doesn't keep clean,

hygienic, then he gets a disease. And the disease brings so many troubles

and pains; therefore everyone is interested in natural foods, natural

lifestyle. Even in copulation, in union, one has to follow the natural path,

therefore according to nature there's marriage institution where man and

woman agree and bless their union and agree to join together only for

procreation of God conscious children. This is natural. And when it's used

in that way, then Krsna says:

 

dharmaviruddha bhutesu kamo 'smi bharatarsabha

 

I am this type of sex life, because it's natural, it's in accord with my

instructions, it's in accord with religious principles. When things are done

in a natural way according to dharma, everything goes very nicely. Like for

example when husband and wife remain married, the family stays together, the

children grow up well, the parents are happy. Then the grandparents also are

happy because when they get older they get taken care of by their children

and the government is also happy because they don't have to pay so much in

social security benefits for maintaining the elder members because the

families take care. And the children are raised nicely by the whole family,

combined, and they live together in the village raised nicely by the others.

Everything is very natural, but when that is not followed then every thing

becomes chaotic.

 

This was discussed in Bhagavad-gita between Arjuna and Krsna, how if the men

or the elders were killed then the women would be unprotected, then the

unprotected women would be exploited by unscrupulous men and then there

would be unwanted progeny, everything would go down, become degraded. We can

trace out all the problems of the world to this one mistake, that there's a

forgetfulness of who to serve. We are thinking, "I'll serve my self, my

body." We think the self to be the body, the senses. "I'll please my senses,

then I'll be happy. I'll please my family, then I'll be happy. I'll please

my country."

 

But, as everyone has experienced, this kind of service doesn't make one

happy even if it's done in a very grand way. No-one becomes happy by this.

So the intelligent persons begin questioning: "Why am I not happy? I'm doing

everything that society is telling me I'm supposed to do, and still I'm not

satisfied." Even though we may try to figure it out for ourselves, it's very

difficult because maya or the material energy is bewildering and our

intelligence is not very great, after all it's small. But if we hear from

the spiritual master, then we can understand everything because the

spiritual master speaks only what he's heard from disciplic succession.

 

And the origin of the disciplic succession is Sri Krsna. He is the original

guru, Lord Brahma is his disciple; Lord Siva is his disciple; the goddess of

fortune is his disciple; and the four Kumaras are his disciples. And Krsna

is above all of them. This is the means for receiving transcendental

knowledge. When we hear through disciplic succession then we can understand

everything:

 

acaryavan purusa veda

 

One who has an acarya, he knows everything. All the knowledge is coming from

disciplic succession, real knowledge. Real knowledge means to understand the

soul, the material world, the spiritual world. So we have this opportunity

even though we are wandering in this material energy from planet to planet:

 

bhramanda bhramite kono bhagyavana jiva

guru krsna prasade paya bhakti lata bija

 

When we're fortunate we receive the association of the guru sent by Krsna.

It's not an accident. To meet the bona fide spiritual master is an

arrangement by Krsna. Just as everything that happens to us. . . nothing is

accidental. According to our karma one received a particular type of body.

It's not an accident. It's not an accident that one gets a lot of money.

This is not very well understood. People think they can get a lot of money

simply by working hard or having very high education. But actually it's

according to one's karma and it's awarded by higher authorities, daiva

netrena.

 

And similarly when one comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master it

is the opportunity to finish up business in the material world, to close up

the account. He is very fortunate if he takes the opportunity. What does it

mean to take the opportunity? It means to hear, to listen very attentively

to every word.

 

Prabhupada said when he went to America, he was in India and people were not

interested. But he went to America and although the Americans were very

degraded in their lifestyle they had one good qualification that they were

willing to listen to him very earnestly and took what he said as true. And

they were willing to change their lives and follow his instructions. That

was their only qualification. Because of that they became the most

fortunate. They became the followers of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada and they became followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and

devotees of Krsna.

 

Everyone can become the most fortunate if they are willing to hear.

Therefore the whole spiritual process begins from hearing. And hearing means

more than just in one ear and out the other, it means to contemplate,

consider very seriously and then act on it. Just like if I ask someone, "Can

you bring me a glass of water," and then they just stand there. And I say,

"Are you hearing me?" If they just stand there then I'm questioning, "Are

you hearing me saying bring me some water?" If they actually hear means to

understand also, and if one doesn't understand he should ask questions, he

should present inquiries in a submissive way and make sure all the doubts

are cleared so he understands what he is supposed to do.

 

That's what Bhagavad-gita is all about. Krsna is speaking, Arjuna is hearing

and when he doesn't understand he asks for clarification. And then, at the

end of Bhagavad-gita, "nasta moha smrtir labdhah:Now all my illusion is

gone and I'm ready to carry out your instructions." That is the wonderful

conclusion of Bhagavad-gita and Arjuna did it and he became auspicious even

though he was engaged in what appeared to be a ghastly warfare. But it

wasn't ghastly any more. It became glorious and auspicious because it was

Krsna's desire. So even in this ghastly material world everything becomes

auspicious when we're executing the instructions of Krsna, bhakti-yogo

bhagavati. Devotional service to Krsna makes everything auspicious.

 

Yesterday we were discussing even if one has a somewhat unpleasant

occupation, cleaning toilets, if he becomes a devotee, then even that

occupation becomes wonderful. And the other person I was speaking with said,

"How's that? How does that become auspicious? He's still cleaning toilets."

 

But it becomes auspicious because the person becomes a Vaisnava, he becomes

transcendental, his heart becomes purified, his consciousness becomes

transcendental, he becomes full of all good qualities. Therefore he is no

longer even in the material world, he's on the spiritual platform, jivan

mukta sa ucyate. He's liberated and everything about him becomes auspicious.

He's no longer just a bhangi, he's no longer just a cleaner of toilets, he's

actually become a wonderful, pure Vaisnava. So everything becomes auspicious

in any circumstance.

 

So let us take this opportunity that we're here in Sridham Mayapur, the most

important place in the universe, the most auspicious place in the universe,

let us become more and more convinced that I will only engage in pure

devotional service under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master and

dedicate myself completely, and then, after giving up this body, we will be

eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. That is the purport of this

verse, and the purport of all the Vedas, and it is the purpose of existence

and is the purpose of the Krsna consciousness movement.

 

Thank you very much. If there are any questions. . . .

 

Question: Maharaja, there's probably a lot of people still trying to

understand karma just like I am, it seems to be an age old debate between

karma and our free will. It appears that, especially in the grhastha

community where we make decisions which we have to take responsibility for

in raising our families, so how can we understand this a little bit more?

 

Maharaja: Karma, according to our past activities we're entitled to certain

benefits and deficits. So good things and bad things will happen according

to our karma and we can't change that, at least not normally. However, since

I can't change it then why spend my time trying to change something I can't

change? Why not just accept that whatever I'm due according to my past

activities that's going to come to me according to the higher authorities.

Let me utilize my facilities or my time in serving Krsna.

 

I was speaking to someone last night and they were wondering career for

their sons. We were talking about if their sons were to be educated at the

Rupanuga Vedic College, and they asked, "What do you teach?"

 

I said, "Well, we teach Prabhupada's books," that's what he said we should

teach there. So they were a little concerned, what will be their livelihood?

So the livelihood is arranged by Krsna:

 

nityo nityananam cetanas cetananam

eko bahunam yo vidadhati Kaman

 

He will take care of all the necessities. He already takes care of all the

necessities of the living entities including the elephant's eating forty of

fifty kilos a day. Why will he not take care of someone fully engaged in his

devotional service? It doesn't even make sense that he will not take care.

He will take care. So devotional service to Krsna, especially if one is a

preacher, preachers don't have to worry about their maintenance, Krsna

personally takes care. Therefore Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita if one preaches

this message, there's no-one more dear to me, and there never will be one

more dear.

 

So what's lacking in the world is preachers of bhagavat-dharma. If one

preaches bhagavat-dharma he doesn't have to worry how he'll get his food or

how he'll get his shelter. It'll automatically be taken care of.

 

So that's one example. If we just surrender to Krsna and engage in his

service. . . Prabhupada gave the example of the government: if someone works

for the government, the government pays him, they take care of his

necessities. It may not be lavish payment, it may not be extravagant, he may

not be as rich as if he went out and worked in some other business, but he

will be maintained.

 

So a devotee is very intelligent, he knows I don't need so much to keep body

and sould together, just the minimum. And then the rest of the time or all

my time, I can use for serving Krsna and he will take care of my

necessities. And the ironic thing is if I think that I'll make it on my own,

I won't serve Krsna, I'll make it on my own, then still he'll get the same

amount he was destined to get according to his karma. And all he gets is a

lot of hard work and anxiety for his trouble.

 

So thank you very much, we'll stop there. Srimad-Bhagavatam ki jai!

 

END.