Questions asked to Devotees?? Must ReaD!!!! Part 2

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Questions asked to Devotees?? Must ReaD!!!! Part 2Overcoming Maya

 

 

Q. How to overcome maya? Which is the easy way to follow to overcome maya effect?

A. Lord Krishna answers this question in the

Bhagavad-gita (7.14) - This divine energy (maya) of Mine, consisting of

the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those

who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself. He must be

helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the

bound. The rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krishna, or

His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the

conditioned soul.

Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of

material nature. Devotional service, or Krishna consciousness, can help

one gain such release. Krishna, being the Lord of the illusory energy,

can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul.

He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered

soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is

originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore, surrender unto the

lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches

of the stringent material nature.

 

 

 

 

Destiny and Devotional Service

 

 

Q.

It is said that our destiny has already been written and we are totally

under the control of three modes of nature. Not even a single leaf can

move without Krishna's will. So how is it that we become responsible

for the sinful or pious activities that we perform? -

A. Our destiny is written based on our previous

karmas. Now, if we continue to perform the sinful actions then

accordingly, we will get the results in future. This way, we are

responsible for our own sinful activities. We can not blame anyone.

Best thing is akarma.

Bhagavad Gita 3.5:

na hi kaçcit kñaëam api

jätu tiñöhaty akarma-kåt

käryate hy avaçaù karma

sarvaù prakåti-jair guëaiù

TRANSLATION

Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has

acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can

refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.

PURPORT

It is not a question of embodied life, but it is the nature of the soul

to be always active. Without the presence of the spirit soul, the

material body can not move. The body is only a dead vehicle to be

worked by the spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even

for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good

work of Kåiñhëa consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in

occupations dictated by illusory energy. In contact with material

energy, the spirit soul acquires material modes, and to purify the soul

from such affinities, it is necessary to engage in the prescribed

duties enjoined in the çästras. But if the soul is engaged in his

natural function of Kåiñhëa consciousness, whatever he is able to do is

good for him. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.5.17) affirms this:

tyaktvä sva-dharmaà caraëämbujaà harer

bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi

yatra kva väbhadram abhüd amuñya kià

ko värtha äpto 'bhajatäà sva-dharmataù

" If someone takes to Kåiñhëa consciousness, even though he may not

follow the prescribed duties in the çästras or execute the devotional

service properly, and even though he may fall down from the standard,

there is no loss or evil for him. But, if he carries out all the

injunctions for purification in the çästras, what does it avail him if

he is not Kåiñhëa conscious? " So, the purificatory process is necessary

for reaching this point of Kåiñhëa consciousness. Therefore, sannyäsa,

or any purificatory process, is to help reach the ultimate goal of

becoming Kåiñhëa conscious, without which everything is considered a

failure.

Also, BG 4 TEXT 18

karmaëy akarma yaù paçyed

akarmaëi ca karma yaù

sa buddhimän manuñyeñu

sa yuktaù kåtsna-karma-kåt

TRANSLATION

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent

among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged

in all sorts of activities.

PURPORT

A person acting in Kåiñhëa consciousness is naturally free from the

bonds of karma. His activities are all performed for Kåiñhëa; therefore

he does not enjoy or suffer any of the effects of work. Consequently,

he is intelligent in human society, even though he is engaged in all

sorts of activities for Kåiñhëa. Akarma means without reaction to work.

The impersonalist ceases fruitive activities out of fear, so that the

resultant action may not be a stumbling block on the path of

self-realization, but the personalist knows rightly his position as the

eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, he

engages himself in the activities of Kåiñhëa consciousness. Because

everything is done for Kåiñhëa, he enjoys only transcendental happiness

in the discharge of this service. Those who are engaged in this process

are known to be without desire for personal sense gratification. The

sense of eternal servitorship to Kåiñhëa makes one immune to all sorts

of reactionary elements of work.

So, we are responsible for our sinful or pious activities that we perform.

 

 

 

 

Uncertainties in life

 

 

Q.

How do I face uncertainity in life? We are always worried what will

happen tomorrow? Some people say " whatever happens is for good " . But I

have been going thru a very bad phase of life. Please throw some light

on this.

A. All of us have to face difficulties in life one

time or the other. Lord Krishna declares that this material world is a

place of misery (Bg 8.15) duùkhälayam açäçvatam.

At the same time he also tells Arjuna that these miseries are

temporary and they will come and go. The only way to deal with them is

to tolerate them.

mäträ-sparçäs tu kaunteya

çétoñëa-sukha-duùkha-däù

ägamäpäyino 'nityäs

täàs titikñasva bhärata 2.14

O son of Kunté, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and

distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the

appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise

from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to

tolerate them without being disturbed.

Still, sometimes the troubles may be overwhelming. The only support

we can have is the holy name of the Lord and the association of

devotees. The more we take the troubles in life as blessings in

disguise they will push us towards the Lord and less we will suffer.

Problems are inevitable but whether we choose to suffer the misery or

choose to seek shelter of God, we have to decide.

If we depend on Lord Krishna, we are assured of His promise in Bhagwad Gita:

After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogés in devotion,

never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries,

because they have attained the highest perfection.

 

 

 

 

Guru - Vani and Vapu

 

 

Q.

Is it necessary that Guru should be alive until you are in the process

of devotion and what if Guru leaves the world in between? Does this

affect our devotion?

Please explain elaborately if possible with any quotes as

this is being asked by several people around me. It is their concern

that Srila Prabhupad is not personally present.

A. The Guru is supposed to guide us and he does so

both by vani and vapu. When the guru is present with us, he guides us

by Vapu, or by physical presence in the form of direct instructions.

When he is not physically present, we can learn from his instructions.

For example, when Lord Krishna left the planet, Arjuna remembered the

instructions given by the Lord and gained solace and direction. At the

same time, we need the presence of Guru to receive spiritual

initiation.

S.B 1.15.27 Purport: " The merciful Lord left behind Him the great

teachings of the Bhagavad-gétä so that one can take the instructions of

the Lord even when He is not visible to material eyesight. "

The spiritual master is always present with the disciple by his vani, his words:

Srila Prabhupada said, " Although according to material vision, His

Divine Grace Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura Prabhupäda passed

away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I

still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his

väëé, his words. There are two ways of association-by väëé and by

vapuù. Väëé means words, and vapuù means physical presence. "

Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but

vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore, we must take advantage of

the vani and not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gétä, for example, is

the väëé of Lord Kåiñhëa. Although Kåiñhëa was personally present five

thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the

materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gétä continues. "

Çré Caitanya-caritämåta " Concluding Words " : The spiritual master and

the disciple are eternally united through the association of väëé, i.e.

by the disciple's following the spiritual master's instructions:

The disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the

spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the

disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master.

This is called the association of väëé (words). Physical presence is

called vapuù. As long as the spiritual master is physically present,

the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master,

and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the

disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.

(Çrémad-Bhägavatam 4.28.47)

 

 

 

Dharma and Religion

 

 

Q. What is Dharma? What is the need for Religion? What is the difference between Dharma & Religion?

A. Srila Prabhupada who is founder-Acharya of

ISKCON is a pure devotee who lived amongst us and preached message of

Krishna Consciousness all over the world. In " Bhagavat Gita As It Is " ,

at " Introduction " Srila Prabhupada writes as below:

RELIGION conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may

have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and

adopt another. Yet, man professes to belong to a particular type of

faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus

claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect.

Such designations are non SANATANA DHARMA. A Hindu may change his faith

to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu,

or a Christian may change his faith and so on.

DHARMA OR SANATANA DHARMA does not refer to any sectarian process of

religion. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities in

relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord. SANATANA DHARMA refers to

the eternal occupation of the living entity. RAMANUJACHARYA has

explained the word SANATANA as " that which has neither beginning nor

end, " so when we speak of SANATANA DHARMA, we must take it for granted

on the authority of SRI RAMANUJACHARYA that it has neither beginning

nor end.

In all circumstances, the change of religious faith does not effect

the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu,

Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is a servant of someone. Thus,

to profess a particular type of sect is not to profess one's SANATANA

DHARMA. The rendering of service is SANATANA DHARMA.

Also Dharma of every living entity is to go back home back to

godhead to meet and serve the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna who is waiting

for us. In every age (Satya, Dvapar, Treta and Kali), there are

different Yuga-Dharmas for " Way to go back to Godhead " . So, Yuga Dharma

(prescribed spiritual principle) for the age of Kali is " Congregational

Chanting of the Holy Names: " Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare " ChantHare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

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Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness