The Giving Class Class

krsna · October 6, 2007

by Mahavan das, 2006

Introduction

By understanding the principles and why they're important / valuable, one can understand the details and how to apply them in different situations.

This is my own personal process based on what I've heard from guru, sadhu, and sastra, along with my own realizations; it's not necessarily "the way," or "the only way." I've realized I must do the following to give a good class:

Read Srila Prabhupada's Books Regularly

You can only chant what you've heard (sravanam, then kirtanam);
In this way it is obvious if a devotee reads (or what he reads) when he gives class, because "you can only chant what you've heard;"

Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.152:

"When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of sravana and kirtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout."

Purport: To live with devotees or to live in a temple means to associate with the sravana-kirtana process….The word guru-prasada indicates that the spiritual master is very merciful in bestowing the boon of devotional service upon the disciple. That is the best possible gift the spiritual master has to offer.

Those with a background of pious life are eligible to receive life's supreme benefit, and to bestow this benefit, the Supreme Personality of Godhead sends His representative to impart His mercy. Endowed with the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master distributes the mercy to those who are elevated and pious. Thus the spiritual master trains his disciples to render devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called guru-krpa.

…After receiving the spiritual master's mercy, one must repeat his instructions, and this is called sravana-kirtana—hearing and chanting. One who has not properly heard from the spiritual master or who does not follow the regulative principles is not fit for chanting (kirtana). This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita (2.41): vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana.

One who has not listened carefully to the instructions of the spiritual master is unfit for chanting or for preaching the cult of devotional service. One has to water the bhakti-lata-bija after receiving instructions from the spiritual master.

Who is my Audience?

Understand who is my audience and what will inspire them most in their Krishna consciousness. One must take into account time, place and circumstance; in other words the capacity of the audience and the most appropriate method of presentation for their understanding.

Our Gurudeva uses the analogy of a pool: shallow end, middle and deep end;
One should also not "speak over the audiences head," nor "under the audiences head;"
This is austerity of speech;

Bhagavad-gita (17.15):

anudvega-karah vakyah

satyah priya-hitah ca yat

svadhyayabhyasanah caiva

vaì-mayah tapa ucyate

Synonyms: anudvega-karam—not agitating; vakyam—words; satyam—truthful; priya—dear; hitam—beneficial; ca—also; yat—which; svadhyaya—of Vedic study; abhyasanam—practice; ca—also; eva—certainly; vak-mayam—of the voice; tapau—austerity; ucyate—is said to be.

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.

Purport (excerpt): One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to those who are not his students if he will agitate their minds. This is penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense.

One should not speak in such a way as to "agitate the minds of others." This can refer to "speaking to directly," or "over the audiences head," as Srila Prabhupada explains here—yet at the same time, one must speak the truth.

Purport (excerpt): The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.

The most important aspect here is to speak for the benefit of the audience; this means to speak the truth, in a pleasing way, according to time, place and circumstance.

Repeat the Same Points Again and Again

I must try to repeat the same points again and again—I shouldn't be afraid of this, as it is a necessary part of the educational process; but I also must be imaginative, always thinking of new examples and angles of presentation. How many times did Srila Prabhupada present "you're not this body?"

Bhagavad-gita, 2.25:

"The soul is consciousness and conscious—that also is the statement of the Vedas, and we have to accept that. Unlike the bodily changes, there is no change in the soul. As eternally unchangeable, the soul remains atomic in comparison to the infinite Supreme Soul. The Supreme Soul is infinite, and the atomic soul is infinitesimal. Therefore, the infinitesimal soul, being unchangeable, can never become equal to the infinite soul, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This concept is repeated in the Vedas in different ways just to confirm the stability of the conception of the soul. Repetition of something is necessary in order that we understand the matter thoroughly, without error."

Bhagavad-gita, 11.19:

You are without origin, middle or end. Your glory is unlimited. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are Your eyes. I see You with blazing fire coming forth from Your mouth, burning this entire universe by Your own radiance.

Purport: There is no limit to the extent of the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here and in many other places there is repetition, but according to the scriptures, repetition of the glories of Krishna is not a literary weakness. It is said that at a time of bewilderment or wonder or of great ecstasy, statements are repeated over and over. That is not a flaw.

Bhagavad-gita, ?

One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and who is engaged in devotional service—such a person is very dear to Me.

Purport (excerpt): We may find some repetition in the descriptions of the qualifications of a devotee, but this is just to emphasize the fact that a devotee must acquire all these qualifications. Without good qualifications, one cannot be a pure devotee.

In other words, repetition is good and necessary. Yet at the same time, Srila Prabhupada said he was "always thinking of new ways to present how ‘we are not this body.'"

Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.5.16, purport:

"The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the non devotees in terms of particular time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population.

Such transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His subsequent followers exhibited expert dexterity in this connection (Srila Prabhupada in particular). By following the same method, one can bring the materialistic men of this age of quarrel into order for peaceful life and transcendental realization."

Srila Prabhupada was always thinking of "you're not the body" examples—how many can we think of?

Car and driver (Bg. 18.61);
Body as a garment (Bg. 2.22);
Dress of a drowning man;
Changing bodies even in this life;
Sun illuminates the universe;
Live body / dead body;
"I hand" or "my hand"?

The same point presented repeatedly presented from many different angles— this involves deep contemplation, which is an essential part of the process of Krishna consciousness.

Our main purpose of giving class is to expand the knowledge, understanding, and realization of the persons giving and hearing the class.

This is achieved by:

Hearing, contemplation, application, and further contemplation;
We can use many practical techniques, a few of which we will now discuss;

Preparation Details

I'm explaining the process for Srimad-Bhagavatam class—of course, particularly here in Wellington, there are many arenas in which to give classes—Krishna Fest, Bhagavad-gita classes, Loft-style discussions, seminars, etc., all requiring a slightly different approach. However, I've chosen to give the Srimad-Bhagavatam class as a practical example, as it is probably the one we'll get the most experience in, at least in the beginning:

Read the whole chapter, at least the translations;
Ascertain the main theme / themes;
How does this chapter relate to others, preceding or proceeding in this canto?
Read the verse and purport as many times as possible (at least 3-5 times), including the synonyms (notice how with each reading you get more depth of understanding);
Beginning with the verse, again ascertain the main theme(s) in this particular verse and try to understand how it fits into the chapter theme(s) and that of the whole canto and Bhagavatam;
Next move to the purport: try to understand how and why Srila Prabhupada has stressed and expanded on certain themes, etc. (he does this a lot by singling out one Sanskrit word);
At this stage in the class preparation, we need some tools for expanding our understanding and presentation:
- Slokas: try to quote and expand on any Srila Prabhupada has used in this purport, as well as others connected to them to expand understanding;
- Analogies: try to quote and expand on any Srila Prabhupada has used in this purport, as well as others connected to them to expand understanding;
- Cross-referencing with other scriptures (philosophically): particularly Bhagavad-gita, Caitanya-caritamrta, etc. (a good example of this is the Nectar of Instruction );
- Logic and reason: logical arguments that back up the sastric conclusion;
- Pastimes: other examples from sastra through lila;
- Personal experience/realization: these are very powerful because one "owns one's own experience," so to speak, and can therefore present it with full conviction;
- Statistics / current affairs: give a modern context to the subject matter and create interest—sastra to the world / world to sastra—this gives very practical realization to both speaker and hearer of the relevancy of Vedic knowledge in our "everyday life;"
- Question the audience: not just at the end, but also during the class. This interaction is stimulating and makes the audience feel part of what's being presented. Our Gurudeva does this a lot with great efficacy;
- Conclusion / Summery: recap the main points and give a conclusion which everyone can practically apply. This is very important—there must be a practical conclusion that everyone can apply;
- One may not necessarily use all these "tools" in one presentation, but it's good to have a "full tool kit," in any case;

Example of How These Tools Can be Used

Topic: Impersonalism—Proof of the Existence of God—Understanding Krishna

You've gone through steps 1 to 7;
Sloka's: Srila Prabhupada has quoted Bg. 7.25 (nahah prakacau sarvasya) in His purport, explaining that this is Krishna's reciprocation with the atheists—those who try to prove that God is impersonal through the speculative process;
You could quote: Bg. 7.1—explaining that if one can "prove the existence of God" only by accepting "Gods process." Krishna say's "I'll prove to you that I'm God through the process of Bhakti" as previously explained, at the end of chapter 6;
Analogy: The process for "proving the existence of God" is given only in the Vedic knowledge—this is established through the analogy of "Veda Mata."
Analogy 2: The impersonalists attempt to understand God and prove that He is impersonal through the Veda's by their speculative method, is however is compared to one trying to taste honey by liking the outside of the bottle. Devotees, however, "take off the lid" by following the "Veda Mata as She is;"
Cross-referencing with other scriptures (philosophically): particularly Bhagavad-gita, Cc, etc.—this point was explained by Lord Caitanya to Prakasananda Sarasvati;
Cross-referencing with other scriptures (sloka) 2: and also by Lord Brahma in Srimad-Bhagavatam 1014.29:

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-

prasada-lecanugahita eva hi

janati tattvah bhagavan-mahimno

na canya eko 'pi cirah vicinvan

"My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years."

Logic and reason (1): logical arguments that back up the sastric conclusion—Is it logical that the cause can't account for the effect?
Logic and reason (2): Sometimes atheists also ask devotee's to "prove the existence of God." Example: Prabhupada being asked: "can you prove God by logic?"
Pastimes: other examples from sastra through lila: The four Kumars / Sukadeva Gosvami / Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya—these pastime examples prove that God is ultimately the Supreme Person (purusottama);
Personal experience / realization: One can give an example from sankirtan, of meeting an impersonalist / atheist and discussing these points;
Statistics / current affairs: an example might be stats of how many people believe in God in our country, and out of those who do, how many believe that God is a person—this would show modern trends and provide possible preaching angles;
- One might also have some quote from a celebrity like the Pope or Prime Minister, etc., on the subject, reflecting the popular prevailing mind set or current political stance;
[*]Question the audience: One might ask for others' experience on these points, or ask, "Has anyone ever challenged you to prove the existence of God, or to prove that Krishna is God? What was your reaction and how did it affect the situation?"

[*]Conclusion / Summary:

"So to conclude, the position of the atheists and

mayavadis

is not strong, as it goes against our own experience, logic, and reason and is not supported by the Veda's—my understanding is that we should become more attached to devotional service, which is the only way to ‘scientifically prove the personal existence of God' in full, free from doubt, as Krishna confirms in the first verse I quoted (Bg. 7.1). Therefore we should read

The Nectar of Devotion

every day with careful attention to fully understand the ‘complete science of Bhakti-yoga,' and in this way become factually convinced of the personal existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Other Points

If you want to speak without notes, go through the class from beginning to end—first with your notes and then in your mind, several times to solidify the presentation (this is a good thing to do in any case);
Sambandha, abhideya & prayojana: a good class should contain aspects of all three, particularly in the conclusion;
Humor—nice but don't overdo it;
Ask for feedback, positive and negative, in order to improve next time;

Do's and Don'ts

Strong introduction and conclusion: strong, decisive opening and finishing statements attract attention, create interest, and leave a lasting impression—don't "um and are," etc.;
Don't apologize at the beginning of the class: whether it'sfor not preparing or for not being qualified to speak, or whatever—this has the opposite effect of "making a strong opening statement;"
Pausing: nice for creating tension and anticipation, but don't over-do it, as it makes the mood rather "heavy;"
Don't speak for too long: 30-45 min. is good, particularly for guests—60 min. max., unless you are giving a seminar or study class;
Sit up straight and face the audience: very important for good communication and creating and maintaining interest—if you are alert and inspired, there's a better chance the audience will be, too;
Look at the audience: as above and also important for making the audience feel you're "speaking to them;"
Speak clearly and at a moderate speed: don't mumble or speak tooslow or too fast, as this will irritate the audience;
Vary your speaking tone: monotones are "super boring," whereas variation creates and maintains interest;
Mood: make sure the mood is not too heavy and not too light;" variation is good for making certain points;
Don't fidget: this is very distracting for the audience—have yourself all organized and composed well before the class is about to start. This will cut down on the fidgeting (which may also be unconscious, so you may ask a friend, "how do I fidget," so you are aware and can correct the tendency);
Make sure there is adequate ventilation: otherwise what happens? Also moderate the temperature if possible, to avoid the same scenario;