19810604 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.7

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 4, 1981 in Murāri Sevaka Farm, Mulberry, Tennessee. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 10, Chapter 2, Text 7.

Translation with repetition: The Lord ordered Yogamāyā: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities, go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohiṇī, the wife of Vasudeva, is living at the home of Nanda Mahārāja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also living there incognito because of fear of Kaṁsa. Please go there.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Nanda-gokula, the residence of King Nanda, was itself very beautiful, and when Yogamāyā was ordered to go there and encourage the devotees with fearlessness, it became even more beautiful and safe. Because Yogamāyā had the ability to create such an atmosphere, the Lord ordered her to go to Nanda-gokula.

Thus ends the Purport of text 7 by His Divine Grace, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Jayapatākā Swami: The basic quality of this world, especially of the animals, is fear. You see any bird, any cow, any dog, any type of animal, they are very apt to become afraid, especially in their wild state, when they have no protector. (Peacock sounds) They are very afraid, as soon as you move or look at them, then they immediately become fearful. So, this is a basic quality of animal life is fear.

Practically speaking, although in our modern society, there is a big advertisement of so much advancement, people have not become fearless. Which means that they have not been able to transcend animal existence. Rather people’s fears may have been solved or to some degree pacified in one area, but in another area, they are increasing. In so many areas, people may have been adequaintly afraid.

Actually, where has the fears been allayed, that’s what I am trying to consider. I said maybe, but I can’t even think. Of course, they say that like for tuberculosis or for malaria, certain diseases well, there are vaccines. So, the fears are allayed. But then so many other diseases have come. People are practically always afraid of leukemia, cancer, so many type of thrombosis; this and that. So many types of diseases have come up. People are definitely afraid of contacting some disease. Therefore, when they go, especially leave the country, they have to get so many inoculations.

Then of course, before people were always afraid of… in America at least uh, there was even less of a fear about foreign attacks. But now that fear has even grown. And the American people, they are always afraid of when the Russians may attack. This fear is increasing also, day by day. So, the multi-billion-dollar expenditure on defense must be done to help to allay that fear, you see. But so many fears are there. Fears of not making the ends meet. So, different types of fear, these are part of material life that are very prominent in animals, but in the human life, they can be actually limited.

The fear of death, fear of death is something which everyone has. Of course, there are some people who are so ignorant, that somehow, they avoid thinking about it, until just at the very moment that some danger comes before them. This is considered to be very ignorant, very foolish. They say ignorance is bliss. An intelligent person, he considers what is life, what is the goal of life, what is the end of life? And death for him, poses a question that, “Why am I working so hard? It’s all going to be finished. What is the actual purpose of life?” Just like Teddy Roosevelt, President. (Aside: Over in the gurukul they had a book on the presidents.) So, when he died, he said, “Life and death: all part of the great adventure.” something like that.

That… of course, death, no one expects. No one expects that they are going to have to leave this body. For someone who is ignorant, just like a stone or a tree, that doesn’t think about it, then of course for him, there is not that much worry. He doesn’t have to fear that, he can just ignore it. But for an intelligent person, the obvious fact that, “My grandfather has died, and my father has died, and I’m going to die, so what is the actual meaning of life? What is life? What is birth? What is death? What is this world?” That consideration comes. So that fear can also be, nivāraṇa, that fear can be destroyed by, nullified by knowledge.

Knowledge is real bliss. Ignorance is not real bliss. Ignorance is a type of bliss. But in one sense, one who is completely ignorant and one who has knowledge, they both free from anxiety. One is falsely free, just because he is ignoring all the dangers, and the other one is free, because of factual knowledge. To not prepare one’s borders against the attack of the enemy, that type of freedom from fear will be simply utopian.

At the same time, simply to go on fearing without taking necessary steps would also be considered to be foolish. So, the wise thing is, if there is a fear, there is a danger, then one should prepare for it. So, what seems to be a great anachronism is that, while all the other fears, everyone takes precaution, why no one is taking precaution about this fear, the danger which is looming before us, we have to leave this body? That is the great mystery. That although everyone knows that there is a number one danger. Anyone may escape from any danger, but who has escaped from death? Yet, they don’t think how to cross over or how to… what is the actual nature of all this? So, this is māyā or illusion. And this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is meant to give them factual knowledge as we sing:

bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana
abhaya-caraṇāravinda re

bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana abhaya-caraṇāravinda re - Fearless! Śrīla Prabhupāda’s name, A.C. is Abhaya Caraṇāravinda. He is named after that. So, one becomes really fearless, when he becomes fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because he knows that all the basic mysteries of life - who he is, where he is, where he is going, how to avoid the difficulties of life? The devotee becomes fearless. Not the type of fearlessness that the materialist has like, sleeping. But an actual fearlessness. So actual fearlessness is needed. Everyone wants to be actually become free from fear.

So, it is described here that Yogamāyā, Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy, she has the ability to create an atmosphere free from fear. She was ordered to go to Gokula, the residence of Kṛṣṇa’s father, Nanda Gokula, to create such an atmosphere and encourage the devotees. Similarly, if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we serve Kṛṣṇa, then we can create a proper environment, and Mother Subhadrā devī, Mother Yoga-māyā, she will then create in that place, an atmosphere of fearlessness, an atmosphere, atmosphere where people can, in a harmonious way serve Kṛṣṇa.

And factually, that is seen. Person may be materially beautiful, but then material beauty always has some defects and actually it lacks a luster. But when devotional service is added, then one becomes actually beautiful. Because when one is under shelter of Yogamāyā, one is under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, connection with Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was so kind to bring this message to the West, with the purpose of making the people fearless. When he landed in… one time he sent me a newspaper clipping from Melbourne. Melbourne or Sydney, I forget now. ‘ The Age’, maybe someone knows. Probably “The Age” is a Melbourne paper, probably Melbourne. “The Age” from Australia and the headline was, “Swamiji has come to hound us.” (laughter) Big headline. And the sub-heading was, “To Save Us from the Cat and Dog’s Life.” Very big newspaper, biggest. You know, number one newspaper, in it was the headline. Number one newspaper in Australia, in that city, to the biggest city in Australia.

So Prabhupāda explained that, when he arrived there, he told the people… They asked him, “Swamiji, why you have come? Why you have come from India, the poor country, so on and so forth, why you have come?”

He said that “I have come to save you from a cat and dog’s life.”

“The cat and dog’s life? How is that?”

“Well, the cat is eating. You are eating. The cat is sleeping. You are sleeping. Cat is having sex. You are having sex. Cat and dog is fighting. You are having your war machinery, where is the difference?”

And they laughed. They liked that very much. Said, “Yeah, there’s no difference.”

He said, “There is a difference. I have come to save you from that by giving you actual knowledge.”

They have a good sense of humor in Australia. So Prabhupāda, he was uncompromising. And actually, he simply wanted people to become fearless, to actually make people fearless, to make, to make them free from the anxiety.

Someone may say that, “Well, your devotee have left or even your spiritual master left, that is the cause of grief for you. How can you say that the devotee’s life is free from grief?” But… of course, when the spiritual master leaves, the devotee cries. But that crying is actually in a different nature. Very hard to explain to these people. That actually a devotee’s grief, it’s not real grief but the separation he feels from the spiritual master, from other Vaiṣṇavas, is actually something which is very transcendental and very… at the same time as one is feeling that separation, he is feeling a type of satisfaction or closeness to that person, which could be demonstrated.

You know about Śrīnivāsācārya? Lord Caitanya, when He left, most of His associates left very quickly. They couldn’t take the separation. There were a few associates left. Rūpa and Sanātana quickly left and Śrīnivāsācārya… Gadādhara Prabhu quickly left. After a short time, Nityānanda, Advaita, after a few years, (conch blowing) they all left. Within a few years’ time, most everybody had gone. So Śrīnivāsācārya was the disciple of... he was the son of Caitanya Das and he wanted to study the Bhāgavatam under a bona fide spiritual master; so of course, the great ordeal and the trial he went through to finally reach Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who became his spiritual master is of course a great history and an epic in itself. So, Śrīnivāsācārya, of course was the first one to bring the books in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas to distribute them amongst the general devotees.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja had written the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other books were written by the other Gosvāmīs. So those were all being taken by Śrīnivāsācārya to distribute amongst the Eastern states, Bengal and Orissa where all the principle devotees of Lord Caitanya were at that time and to have them duplicated there in Navadvīpa by the paṇḍitas. In those days, the printing procedure was by hand. So, it was a very tedious thing.

He was a contemporary of the son of Nityānanda, Vīrabhadra Prabhu. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and Śyāmānanda Paṇḍita were intimate associates, intimate associates. The three of them actually brought the books together from Vṛndāvana to the Eastern states, but main Śrīnivāsācārya was responsible. Rāmacandra Kavirāja, who was a dear friend of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, was also the disciple of Śrīnivāsācārya. So, in this way, a very intimate relation, although they were contemporaries, sometimes they would preach together, and sometimes they would separate, and preach in their own area. Some areas were contiguous, and some were different.

So, what happened was, there was a devotee called Dvija Haridāsa, who was a very great devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Narahari, who was a direct associate of Caitanya also; we always sing every night in kīrtana, “Kiba jaya jaya... kiba narahari-ādikari’ cāmara dhulāya...” he used to fan with the cāmara, Lord Caitantya Mahāprabhu. He had already disappeared and practically, they were hardly any devotees left.

But one of the few devotees that was left was Dvija Haridāsa in Vṛndāvana. He lives in Vṛndāvana. So, when the news came that he has also finished up his pastimes and gone. And just about the same time, Gadādhara dāsa, Narahari, they had just gone a little before. It was a very big uh, loss for the whole Vaiṣṇava world at that time. So, having spent some time in Vṛndāvana, knowing the qualities of Dvija Haridāsa especially, previously they had a festival for Gadādhara Dāsa and Narahari, then Śrīnivāsa decided that there should be a big sammelan, a big gathering of all the Vaiṣṇavas in commemoration of Dvija Haridāsa.

So, at that time, all the Vaiṣṇavas were called, invited all the great preachers and Vīrabhadra, the son of Nityānanda, he came. Raghunandana, they all came to Śrīkhaṇḍa, the place where Narahari used to live, Cirañjīva, Raghunandana, all these associates of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Two of the sons of Nityānanda, Atul Kṛṣṇa Miśra, Gopāla Miśra they up came of… excuse me of uh, Advaita, like this, so many different associates came.

Yaduna… Yadunandana Ācārya, I believe was there, so many, hundreds and hundreds. About… Actually, direct disciples of the pārṣada and the pārṣada themselves, about a 100 or more came. And then the general public, they were regular devotees, who wanted to see that, have the darśana of the, there were literally hundred thousand, packed up; just everyone came. So, when they came, Śrīnivāsācārya, he greeted them all. And they were having several days nonstop kīrtana, Bhāgavatam classes and whole, like a parikrama taking prasāda together and all the people were gathering.

So then one night, Vīrabhadra Prabhu, He had a kīrtana began with His associates and He started to dance. Of course, Vīrabhadra himself is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And uh, Vīrabhadra was a tremendous preacher. I mean sometimes, just as a… One time, the, the Mohammedan ruler went into the village and so-called you know, converted about 100 Hindus into Mohammedan. And then Vīrabhadra heard about it, went there, and He initiated a thousand Mohammedans into Vaiṣṇavas. He was a very, very strong preacher. He performed many miracles also, being a Viṣṇu-avatāra. So, He began dancing and naturally, just like Nityānanda was... by His was dancing Lord Caitanya was always present, well, Vīrabhadra’s dancing, you can imagine, was something which is beyond this world. So, His dancing and kīrtana, the people, all gathered around to see. And the other associates, they became all filled with a deep ecstasy.

Then He started to praise the qualities of Dvija Haridāsa. And started to say, “Where is Gaurāṅga? Where is Nityānanda? Where is Advaita? Where is Gadādhara? Where we will find, Śrīvāsa? Where is Vāsudeva Ghoṣa, Govinda Ghoṣa? Where is Narahari, Gadādhara dāsa? Where is Rūpa and Sanātana, Svarūpa, Rāmānanda Rāya?” and in this way, they were all submerged into a, into a separation. “Where is Dvija Haridāsa? When will we see the Lord and all His associates together? Together in a big mahā-saṅkīrtana, when will we get the association of these great devotees again?” And then the be… the devotees, they just became mad in separation and started weeping and crying, pounding their… and then just pounding their heads and they fell on the ground unconscious, and constantly just crying.

And this way, Śrīnivāsa saw that the whole mood had become, finally everybody was crying. People were watching, they all started crying. Literally thousands all started crying in separation that, “How unfortunate that all of these great souls have left and we are here all alone.”

All of a sudden, how it happened no one knows. But Kṛṣṇa, by His inconceivable potency, the whole mood went from that deep separation; that complete absorption in, in the separation of all these great Vaiṣṇavas, it suddenly changed. And everyone, all these devotees, they became jubilant. And just, just... the whole mood suddenly changed by some inconceivable power of Kṛṣṇa. And then everyone in the kīrtana changed and everyone started jumping up and down and laughing and calling to each other and became filled with a, with a on whole other mood of ecstasy.

And this kīrtana went on, before they knew it, the sun was rising. So, the kīrtana had gone the whole night and no one even knew that how the time is going. Since it had gone on the whole night, then everyone attended the maṅgala-ārati of the Deity of Lord Caitanya that Narahari established. And uh, in this way, the people were also praising in so many ways, how fortunate they were to be present at that time.

So, the devotees were feeling some transcendental mood of separation, but, you see that how the mood, even while is in that pits of so-called pits or depths of separation within a, just of moment, that can be transformed into another type of ecstasy. Because when one is actually going into the flow of the Yogamāyā’s eternal ecstatic ocean of devotion. Tomāyā… pārāpāra-sūnya gabhira bhakti-rasa-sindhu tomāya cākhāite tāra kahi eka ‘bindu’

The middle of the ocean, the tidal wave was only six inches, but the whole ocean right down to the very bottom is moving. It’s shifted because of some tremendous shock. Tidal shock. Earthquake shock or something. That is the meaning of tidal wave. The whole ocean has, you see, shifted and it keeps moving like that. Ordinary waves, they are just on the surface. So that type of a shift may only in the middle of the ocean create a six-inch or one-foot wave. One and a half, just a big shift, just past. You hardly notice it.

But it’s going right from the top down to the bottom, and when that comes up to the shore and then the depth becomes less, then it turns into a huge wave. So, in the shallow water, some people may show so many symptoms, of course. Because Prabhupāda was right from the top down to the very depth of spiritual realizations, so we could only see the little surface symptom, but actually it was going so deep. Someone without such a depth of realization, they may see more of the wave on the surface, they may not go so deep. Śrīla Prabhupāda had that complete depth. So of course, people externally, they can’t understand. Either they see and “Oh! I think he is very serious.” Externally you can’t understand.

Even there is a story about… just like, I remember Acyutānanda Mahārāja told me, how he was in India and there was one sahajiyā, you know sahajiyā? Sahajiyā means, someone… just like we keep telling about transcendental ecstasy, sometimes some people say, “Well, transcendental ecstasy, why wait?” So, they just start imitating laughing or crying for Kṛṣṇa without actually letting it come spontaneously. So, in so doing, one will actually experience some shadow symptoms with it.

Actually by, if you imitate crying for Kṛṣṇa, that will also feel different than the ordinary crying, because somehow it is in connection with Kṛṣṇa. But it’s all, it’s not the real thing. It’s just a shadow. But there was this one professional guru and he would read the Bhāgavatam. While he was reading it of course, he’d always be crying. And therefore, hundreds, thousands of people, they would gather and give him donation big and I guess… I guess a Hindu evangelist. So, he would convince the people by crying.

So Acyutānanda went to see him offstage. And when he went there, then he saw that there the person, he had a… when he would read the Bhāgavatam, he’d be like this. Then there would be two people, one on either side still like cāmara they have these, these little napkins and then they would go like this, you know, and very dramatically wipe the tear off, you know. So, everybody, in case no one saw at the back of the place, then they could see, you know, the guy was doing, wipe it off from a distance. Everyone could see what was happening from two sides. It was a regular and constantly the tears would be coming. So, when he went back there, he saw that, person got back stage and straight behind him he followed and went. And he was pshew! pulled the chilies out of his nose (laughter) You know, then they know. So, there are all kinds of people. Of course, if you put two little chilies in your nose, no doubt you will cry. I don’t know how he kept from sneezing. (laughter) That was a real siddhi!

So Śrīla Prabhupāda of course was, is very Vaiṣṇava siddha. Vaiṣṇava is supposed to keep his sentiments confidential as far as possible. Sometime looking grave, that is the only way one can stop from revealing different type of symptoms, which would not be appropriate. Of course, people do not realize, what is the real standard of happiness.

Real happiness is complete, right down to the depth of one’s heart. So, all this type of good fortune; being fearless, having a nice facility of happiness, even in material life and complete satisfaction of the self. All this is possible by Yogamāyā. But who is Yogamāyā giving that shelter to? She is giving that shelter to those who are the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (Bg 9.13) - those who are under the protection of the divine nature, Yogamāyā, those are the mahātmās or the great souls who are surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. So, if one wants to get that divine shelter, then one has to surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

And, of course, then one will become more and more mad after Kṛṣṇa. He shouldn’t be afraid that, “Oh, there will be some type of misery and separation, or become attached.” Just like now-a-days the people, they want to have sense gratification with no attachment. They don’t want any attachment, because they know when the attachment grows, then there is also so many types of pain. People are like, just meet on the street, go, and they have the relations and they don’t even reveal each other’s name and they depart. Just no attachment, it is just be unattached sense gratification. This is the latest mood, maybe not the latest, but one of the later mood. Because people see that, “Oh! Not good to be attached.”

But if one is attached to Kṛṣṇa, that is very good. And even if one thinks that, “Well, then I will feel bad because I won’t be able to immediately see Kṛṣṇa, I’ll become separated from my spiritual master.” But someone who actually tastes that feeling of devotion to the spiritual master, he will not trade that for billion dollars, for anything material, even liberation. Because along with that comes the knowledge that this relationship is real. All the other relationships are superficial. Therefore, they will not satisfy. Even to be in separation uh, is satisfying.

In separation, there is union of a different kind. And by separation, when one does unite with the loved ones, then that is a hundred times or so many times more ecstatic or fulfilling. This was revealed also that Lord Kṛṣṇa, He leaves the residents of Vṛndāvana, so that when He again rejoins them, then they will, so that actually the ecstasy is increased. When He does join with them again, they are even more satisfied.

Actually, He never leaves them. He just becomes invisible, but He is actually with them in the form of transcendental bhāva, bhāva expansion. So, we should try to become more and more absorbed in Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master qualities. All it takes is simply meditation, glorification, listening. Not something that one has to artificially impose. It’s contagious, it’s very contagious!

Simply if one hears again and again about the glories of Kṛṣṇa from pure devotees, he will become attached, more and more; can’t help it. If you stay near the fire, then you will become hotter and hotter. We just have to be careful that we don’t leave the fire by any means. That will be very undesirable. Kṛṣṇa says, “na me ‘bhaktaś catur-vedī mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ (Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa)- that even someone who knows all the Vedas was not Kṛṣṇa’s devotee, he is not very favorite of Kṛṣṇa.” Kṛṣṇa finds even someone who was born in the family of the dog-eaters, but who is His devotee, as most dear to Him, and whatever He gives, that should be accepted as if Kṛṣṇa was giving him. So, one doesn’t have to concern himself, “What I was before? I’m too fallen, I’m too unworthy.” No, somehow or another, one can connect himself with the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. He has to tie up with the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. How? Just clinging to the feet of Nitai-Gaura, clinging. Then his life will be perfect. It doesn’t matter, what he was before, how many defects he may have had or didn’t have. By Their mercy, one can reach that highest pinnacle of spiritual realization and complete satisfaction and good fortune. So, one should begin clinging by chanting very regularly and sincerely,

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

and using as much of one’s energy for Kṛṣṇa consciousness as possible. Thank you very much!

Devotee: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Is there any question?

Devotee: (inaudible 37:21)

Jayapatākā Swami: You have to become a fish. As long as you are swimming on the surface, it is very difficult. You have to become a deep-water fish and dive deep into it.

To become a deep fish, Lord Caitanya gave a basic program in the Śikṣāṣṭakam, His eight ślokas. Because māyā, she is also casting her net on the surface but if one is a deep fish, goes deep, deep, far below the nets of māyā, being very humble, very determined,

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
(Cc Ādi 17.31)

always more humble than a straw in the street, more tolerant than the tree, always ready to offer respect to others and not desiring respect to oneself and one can constantly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

So, in this mood, one stays deep in the ocean of transcendental nectar, cultivating anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya devotion. Deep in the ocean, deep in that ocean, there is nothing but that pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if one has other abhilāṣas- desires; then of course, it surfaces and that is the danger of being caught by the nets of māyā. So, one has to cultivate anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya bhakti. Desire-less devotion, to experience the high. If one sees that, “I have other desires, and I have not yet been able to dovetail these desires in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why aren’t I tasting the highest ecstasy?” He’s not being sincere with himself. He can know, “As long as I have these other desires, I will only be able to just taste a small fraction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”

One may be able to even then experience something about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because Lord Caitanya is so powerful and by practicing one will gradually transcend those desires if he wants to transcend them, even a little bit, then it will be, a very fast. But when we are harboring so many other different type of desires, so our mind is absorbed not in Kṛṣṇa, but in so many other desires, and then we wonder, “Why am I not getting that deep realization?” You see. People in that stage, the only way they can get such a deep realization is by kṛpā-siddhi.

It is like, when Mīnaketana Rāmadāsa would walk up to people and touch them with his flute and they would start crying, laughing in ecstasy and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Apart from such type of alaukika or uncommon mercy, one would, generally speaking, have to gradually or immediately give up the desire for other things. Even someone may be in a certain situation which may appear to be uh, materialistically, uh, how do you say, entangled, but if his desire is that, “Oh, somehow if I could just be completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, if I somehow could just, this is not at all what I want to be in.”

The desire itself, he may, he may actually taste the deeper realization about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But someone who even superficially appears to be very renounced, very absorbed in a spiritual environment but mentally is contemplating on the objects of the senses and still has so many desires, other than Kṛṣṇa conscious, to be fulfilled, he’s got longer to go.

Everyone does not immediately… some people, what happens is that they can immediately see that, there is nothing in this world, except Kṛṣṇa consciousness. nāma binā kichu nāhiko āro, caudda-bhuvana-mājhe - nothing except the holy name, nectar, that is actually worth desiring.

Either by seeing other people are all miserable, even they have all types of material facilities or by seeing that, how the devotees they are always, those who are advanced devotees are always ecstatic. Or by whatever, you may come some by reading the śāstra or by hearing the histories of the great mahājanas or somehow this realization may come to him. You see. So that person of course, he is, does not have any obstacles ahead of him. He is understood.

But some other people, they are in such less intelligent that they have to experience for themselves,being entangled by māyā and what is the actual misery of that pursuit of happiness. Kind of the right to pursuit of happiness, right to pursuit of happiness means, the right to get kicked by māyā. So Kṛṣṇa also gives that right pursuit of happiness. But recommends that one should do it with some regulative principles, so at least that way one will be able to have a controlled pursuit of happiness, material happiness which will be a limited kicking. But it will be enough for one to be able to realize that except for Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, there is nothing in this world, worth desiring.

Some people may realize that by their and be able to maintain that faith, that determination by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Some despite hearing about it, other people, they have to go through a little more direct perception, to be able to control their mind. Their mind doesn’t have the strength to just maintain by hearing, that realization hasn’t come.

One has to be sincere and then, if one maintains however very strictly, his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chanting, then in the midst of those difficulties, if he continues serving Kṛṣṇa and dovetailing everything he can to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following the instructions of the spiritual master, then the uh, realization should come, which will create anyābhilāṣitā. Goal is that you have to get desire-less devotion. That will automatically come if one persevere… perseveres in serving. That there different is like the direct route and then there is the little more indirect route. You can understand what I mean?!

Each person may be different, what amount of material, some people, they have already suffered so much in even a short life that they are already completely determined that, “No look back, Kṛṣṇa all the way.” See. Others like, what is there, one girl in the Bible, she Sodom and Gomorra, she wasn’t supposed to look back at the city. She looked back and turned into a salt pillar.

Although we entered Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we always looking back at what, what have we missed? You see. So that facility is there, that if one can’t keep looking straight ahead in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there are different facilities for material life dovetailed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (break) But uh, if one can just always keep his face to Kṛṣṇa… but even Arjuna said, “I can’t do that. So, tell me something.” Instead, do by regulation.

Undeviatingly just looking, just always being fixed in Kṛṣṇa, even Arjuna said that, “It’s not possible for me. Very difficult to do that.” He was a man of action. So, if one is humble and always determined to fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa in whatever circumstance, then you can stay deep in the ocean of bhakti and then māyā can’t catch him with her net. And if one becomes proud, forgets that uh, Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is the only shelter, then māyā will catch him and he will be kicked. Him, her, whoever.

Devotee: The question is how to dive in? That’s the question. (inaudible) On the surface… (inaudible) We are all hanging on, you know? Having all these difficulties? You know. All the Temporary problems and things like that, But, you know, in other words, how to dive in, you know? I don’t know if…how to dive in?

Jayapatākā Swami: Sorry, well, I got the point. Devotional service, the door is always open. By its… When I went to progressive high school, and they taught, this English teacher, he didn’t believe in Shakespeare, I never read Shakespeare all these things. He was so-called progressive. So, he would have us to read far out kind of things.

One of the books or one of the short stories we had to read is a play called, “No exit.” Where they had three people. Usually read in college, we read this in high school, prep school. And there is kind of modern situation, where there is one man and two women.

One man, he is attracted by one of the women. One of the women is attracted… what happens is that the man, he is just an ordinary man and one of the women, she is an ordinary woman. And the other woman is a lesbian. So, the man of course everything could have worked out great materially, that is the idea, but the man he became attracted to the lesbian. But she wasn’t at all attracted to him. She became attracted to the other woman and she became attracted to that man. So, in this way, none of them were attracted to the person who was attracted to them and they were always attracted to the person who couldn’t care less about the other person. And so, they were in… they were in hell and the door was locked, and then it just took long as until they developed all these perverse attractions to each other and then the door opened, and they could leave if they wanted. So, they were so attached to each other and at the same time they could never satisfy because, you know this weird situation; so, they couldn’t leave either. No change. This was the end of the short story, that the door opened and they could leave but they didn’t leave. At the same time, they were in hell and they created the hell for themselves. So of course, that’s a material door, anyone can leave and become Kṛṣṇa conscious but they are all so tied up with so many different attachments.

Similarly, the door for Kṛṣṇa consciousness is open, but while we want to jump in, then seems that so many things are pulling us from not jumping in, “What about this? What about that?” So Kṛṣṇa consciousness and Kṛṣṇa’s mercy was such that when one did jump in, He would give the mercy.

One had to jump in, without jumping in, you couldn’t get that mercy. And of course, it was difficult, even they want to jump in, it is very difficult sometimes because so many different things are there. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind that, just if one wants to jump in, sincerely, and chant His name, chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, prays for the mercy, then somehow or another, one will actually find oneself in at one point or other by Their mercy. How they got in, that will be a mystery possibly. That will be known that was the mercy of Lord Caitanya and one has to try to jump in.

The desire means you know, “I want to jump in, I want to jump in.” But, you know, it will also take a practical manifestation. You want to graduate from college. You don’t just sit there and someone will graduate from college. You got to study, go to class, pass your exam. At least sit for your exam. If it’s the desire to pass university, a person has to go through, you know, he’ll show that. Similarly, if there is a desire to dive in, at least some attempt, he may or he may not be able to dive in, he may fall on the beach.

Jump in but only get his head in the sand or whatever, but some attempt will be there. And by chanting, by serving Lord Caitanya and His movement and actually desiring to be completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. Which should ordinarily that wouldn’t be… one be…he has to practically be completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and then one can get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

It wasn’t enough in Kṛṣṇa-līla that one wanted to be or admired it or liked it. Kṛṣṇa didn’t so easily give that. But Lord Caitanya, even if one sincerely desires… so nityānanda, premānanda sukhi kṛpā kara, ami baḍa duhkhi. So, there are many different methods for getting some special consideration.

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he said in his prayer to Lord Caitanya, “You are the most kind, You are the deliverer of the fallen. So, there is no one more fallen than me. Therefore, Lord Caitanya, You are delivering all these fallen souls but I am the most fallen, so therefore I deserve to be delivered first. Please deliver me first. I am priority case. You are delivering all these fallen. I am the most fallen. You are delivering the… (break) Therefore, mine is a priority case. I should get delivered first.” This way, the devotee prays to Lord Caitanya, the previous ācāryas, accepts the situations of serving with tolerance and humility and goes on in his devotional service, always hoping to get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy; always hoping, very patiently, enthusiastically.

If one doesn’t immediately get, doesn’t be… lose his patience, doesn’t lose her faith, doesn’t lose the patience that one has. Always hoping, when will I get that mercy? Lord Caitanya is there that I can get it in any moment. And like that, one will get the mercy. The thing is that we don’t hope for Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Frequent… because sometimes we may look back and realize that, “Actually somehow I have failed to jump in or failed to get the mercy.” But the thing we have to see is that, we have to maintain that continuous hope for that mercy, a continuous desire.

If we have developed gradually unbroken desire, even someone may practically fail at certain point, but even in that failure, the overriding mood will be that, “Actually somehow I got into this mess, but all I wanted is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All I want is that mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” Even the senses may somehow get out of control or something like that may happen, uh, then as soon as one comes back to sense, realizes, you know, what actually happened or whatever, then desires, that immediately if they desire, “I just want to… I just want to get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” and prays to the previous ācāryas, to the previous devotees, to the great devotees, to Lord Caitanya for their mercy and continues trying.

One has to actually become honest. Even one may be weak and unqualified, but at least he is honest, then one can become very quickly the recipient of Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Lord Caitanya had the renounced devotees and He had gṛhastha devotees. He gave His mercy to both, to everyone. But of course, like junior Haridāsa, because he was an insincere renounced devotee, he was rejected. Of course, that was to show an example, but because of being rejected, he was… felt so deeply shock of being separated from Lord Caitanya. So even he was ultimately of course delivered, because he felt the shock so greatly. So, the thing is that connecting our consciousness with Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet by this constant desire. If that desire is there, then one is brought to Caitanya Mahāprabhu very quickly. So that desire is manifested by serving, by chanting, by pushing on somehow or another.

There is never a point, where if one is sincerely trying, that Lord Caitanya rejects that devotee, even if he makes so many mistakes. Of course, if someone too fallen, may not be able to live in the society of devotees, but still Lord Caitanya won’t reject that devotee’s service, whatever service is offered sincerely. And surely that person will reach Caitanya Mahāprabhu eventually.

So, if someone thinks that, “I am not able to dive in, so therefore, why… I shouldn’t desire. If I can’t dive in, then what’s the use?” See that’s Dvāpara-yuga. With Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “I can’t dive in. I am trying to dive in, but somehow every time I dive in, I find my leg, leg is tied to this rope and I go to dive, it pulls me back.” But if one is actually trying to dive in, even he may have all these different types of… actually that desire of wanting to dive in and actually always trying to dive in,even when may not be immediately able to dive in, by chanting and desiring the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda that is enough to… ultimately one finds, finds oneself in the ocean.

Practically, Lord Caitanya throws you in eventually. Or the spiritual master, representative throws you in. One shouldn’t lose hope that, “Oh because I am not able to dive in…” but actually that hope itself, that desire, āra nā kariha mane āśā - don’t desire other things. That’s why we pray every morning to the spiritual master. Don’t let me desire other things, don’t let me put, āśā means actually hope, don’t let me put any hope, hope in any other requests.

So, if we can put all our hope in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then that will be our greatest fortune. And by doing that, then by Kṛṣṇa’s mystic power, which is unlimited, Lord Caitanya’s mystic power, mercy of the spiritual master, one will actually become advanced. More so even than someone that, na me bhakta caturvedi - one may know the whole Vedas, he may know the Bhāgavatam śloka by śloka, but if he does not desire actually to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, he doesn’t desire to actually please Kṛṣṇa by his existence, you see, then he is not so dear to Kṛṣṇa.

But someone, even if he may be a dog-eater but he desires, “I want to please Kṛṣṇa, I want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by my life, by my activities, somehow I want to be devotee of Kṛṣṇa.”, that means he is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Even he may not be even then so pure but that person is dear to Kṛṣṇa. And someone, he knows all the Vedas, he knows all the intricacies, but actually doesn’t really want to serve Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Devotional service, if you get right down to it, actually, of course, we preach that everyone chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, everything like that, when you get down, you want to get down, it is more subtle thing, it comes right down to the desire, to the hope, to the… which is thinking, feeling… thinking, willing and feeling. Thinking, feeling, willing. The willing, when it gets to the willing aspect, then more subtle, then that is what needed. Some people think and some people feel, very nice. One should actually desire, “I want to become Kṛṣṇa conscious,” and they just try... try, try, try again.

So many stories and the choo-choo train. The rabbit… the hare and the tortoise. Who finishes the race, they are in Śvetadvīpa, in Lord Caitanya’s abode. He is a winner. It is not that have to be one. Everyone can go. Someone may make a quick spurt and look back, “Oh! I am ahead of everybody else! Take a little vacation here…” Before you know it, everyone else has already gone ahead. Till the race is over, you can’t let out. Once when reached to the eternal dhāma, then of course, nāpnuvanti mahātmānah samsiddhim paramām gatāh (Bg 8.15)- one doesn’t return again. Till then, one does not have the right to be careless. That’s a false pride. The pride is the forerunner of defeat, fall down or something like that?

Devotee: Pride comes before a fall?

Jayapatākā Swami: With a little success, the spiritual master may praise us a little bit or something. We think that, actually, “oh…”, we get a little bit, may experience suddenly a little bit spurt of ecstasy or something and think of, “Oh, we’ve already made it.” Then we become somehow relaxed again and get in trouble. So, until one actually gets pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means realizes the eternal dhāma and Kṛṣṇa directly, which at, which time then one does not fall into ignorance, because one too mad in love for Kṛṣṇa. To do so, then one has to be careful with his intelligence, with one’s intelligence, not to become proud, not to become careless, not to become hopeless.

Upadeśāmṛta gives nice instruction on this. If the spiritual master is present, then of course one can ask the spiritual master, otherwise take shelter of older Godbrothers, senior Godbrothers to uh… that’s the meaning of association. I know before I do any type of new service, I always like to discuss with senior Vaiṣṇavas and get their opinion also. Just to be sure.

Since they are there, fortunately enough, they usually they give their approval, but they also sometimes add new dimensions. With Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, one can see part of Kṛṣṇa and yet there are so many other parts yet to be seen. So, someone else may see some other part. In this way, Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. No one can claim that he knows the whole truth. Even if someone realizes Kṛṣṇa but still Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. He may realize only one part of Kṛṣṇa. Or he will see… that person will see certain qualities; which another will see even other qualities. And in this way the devotees can continue discussing about Kṛṣṇa without any end, because each devotee is having newer and newer realizations from different uh, you can say different angles. Because Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.

In this regard, if you read the description of the Guṇḍicā-mārjanam, the purports of Bhaktisiddhānta, which is dealing with, you know first of all, one picks up all the leaves and the twigs, Lord Caitanya picked them up and then cleaned them with His own cloth. And they swept with brooms and washed with water and they came in and finally with the little nail… fingernails, or with twi… other twigs, something they would pick out the crack of the stones. Although the dust was still in there. So it’s not really that, subtle, subtle māyā has come. But it is like, first you have to clean all the twigs and branches. You go back and see, some dust on the floor. Then you sweep it. And then you see well even after you have swept, still there is like, you know, what can’t be swept, then you wash it, and even after you washing, then in the cracks…

In the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, like this the devotee cleans and so one has to keep clean, and when one gets down to the cracks, that means that even that devotee at that point, the devotee has completely given up all desire for fruitive activity. Yet that aroma, in other words, that, “So you alright, you have given up the desire, but the habit is there from so long to think fruitively, to act fruitively, to think of profit and loss that if one acts or even thinks that, ‘Well, let me do some type of business for Kṛṣṇa.’, that the danger is there that because the habit already is like they are so strong, even though you are doing the same activity, that, that is so dangerous, that then one can again become fruitively involved.”

So, one has to become careful and understand all these things and then if properly dovetail everything, then… We see that so many devotees, “I want to do a business for Kṛṣṇa,” and then what happens, they do the business, then they make some money, then they say, “Well, I can’t actually give to Kṛṣṇa money now, I have to reinvest it first of all, and then you know build up a little capital and …” it goes on like that, then you know before you know it after three years, he still hasn’t given any money to Kṛṣṇa, fallen down from regulative principles and then you know… It happens like that sometimes, so…

Of course if one desires to do business for Kṛṣṇa, of course a gṛhastha has to do business, and if one does business and he actually gives the fruits to Kṛṣṇa, knowing that uh, how dangerous this fruitive activity is, that uh, if one does that type of profitable work and doesn’t give the fruit to Kṛṣṇa, the danger of becoming again attached to profit, the whole material fruitive mood again may pollute him. So, you see in that the great devotees of Lord Caitanya, that they were very careful. Most of them were very careful in doing their business to give, of course in those days they would give 50% of their income to Kṛṣṇa or to worshiping the Ganges or to the Vaiṣṇavas or something. To give a strict amount, taking that whatever comes by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Even today, in India, you find people come and they pray to Lord Jagannātha that, “If you make my business a success, I’ll give you half.” And then they get a little success may they go and give half to Jagannātha. And then they get more and more like this, they build it up Him as their partner. There even a story how… there even a popular play, how someone prayed like that and then what happened is then he didn’t give the half. So, then Kṛṣṇa came by and said, it is a movie. What a kind of movie Kṛṣṇa came (laughter) and said,

“Where’s my half?” (laughter)

“I’ll give it to you but just, just very little, you know, a little later” and it went on like that.

Some concocted you know, but they have that idea that like to give half to Kṛṣṇa. Even the regular karmīs. So, in this play, he kept putting Kṛṣṇa off and finally in the end, he didn’t give, Kṛṣṇa just took everything away. I didn’t see it. I heard about it. I thought it was pretty funny. He prayed to the Deities and they didn’t explain, the Deity would keep coming, either in a dream or in person. He didn’t pay up. So, He took it all. (laughter)

Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not have to come and collect that person. Ordinary people don’t have that fortune. You have seen in Jagannātha Purī, that big red flag sometimes on top of the temple? Someone promises that if this happens, I will put a red flag on the temple. Which is… which is not so easy as it looks, because to climb up on top of Jagannātha Purī temple and put a flag, it’s not like there is a lift. There is no inside stairway, you have to climb up, yeah, there isn’t even any roof to hold you on. They hire someone to do it, but people have, not come back. (break)

What happens is if we clean up once, and we think well, we have picked up all the things and came out, dumped it outside, and then we come back and look a little close, and, “Oh” then you sweep. Guṇḍicā-mārjana is a very good for devotees to read. Very nice instruction is there. Anything else?

[Sings] Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda!