19820506 Evening Darśana

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on May 6th, 1982 in St. Louis (USA).

Jayapatākā Swami: .....whenever I see him, my heart melts. So then later, when Lord Caitanya was in the Maha Prakāśa, when he was in the mood as, before that, for 21 hours they did the ārati, so that time he was in his mood as Kṛṣṇa. At that time, he was showing that He was Rāmacandra, showing that He was Nṛsiṁhadeva; he was showing all these different forms. He showed to Murāri Gupta. Murāri Gupta was Hanumān. Murāri Gupta, when he realized that he was Hanumān and saw that Lord Caitanya was Rāmacandra; and that other associates they are also companions, then he immediately fainted, he was just overwhelmed. When he came back then he again saw Lord Caitanya. So, there's many wonderful pastimes that happened during that period. So one of them was when Lord Caitanya would call the banana salesman. (Guru Mahārāja pronounces the words, 'banana salesman' in a quaint way and everyone laughs). “Call that street peddler, Kolāveca Śrīdhara.” So then the devotees went and told him that the lord is calling you, then he just fainted; he couldn't believe it. The Lord is calling him to His house, to the house of Śrīvāsa. They brought him there. ? He fainted so the devotees carried him. They had to do their duties (everyone laughs). When they brought him there, then Lord Caitanya offered that "You take mystic powers. I want to give you the great mystic powers. Now I am giving you boon mystic power! No desire for mystic power? Then you take one huge kingdom. You will be the rājā, you will be the king. You will have thousands of armies, thousands of servants they will serve you."

Kolāveca said that, "No need."

"All right. Today, I am giving you liberation from birth and death, today you take it, I am offering you liberation.

Kolāveca said, "My lord, I have only one desire. Somehow by Your mercy, I am able to understand that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You're coming down in different incarnations. My only desire is that whenever You come, if I may be allowed to have a service of providing You with all Your needs of bananas, subjis leaf plates, and do that humble service for You and I see Your mischievous laughing smile, Your beautiful face lotus face. This is all I only desire. And If I am not allowed to have that benediction, then at least I can associate with your devotees who are always chanting your glories, there’s no other desire."

Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he said that "Today I am giving you the supreme blessing, that which even Brahmā, Śiva, they are hankering for but they don't get. Rarely. Today, I am giving you pure kṛṣṇa-prema, pure devotional service. When He said that and gave His blessing to Kolāveca Śrīdhara, the banana street peddler, to get pure love of God, then all the devotees, they just exploded in ecstatic kīrtana.

Nitāi-Gaura premānande Hari Hari bol! Haribol!

Devotees: Haribol! 

Kolāveca had got the most rare thing, the most wonderful thing. Because just see, Prahlāda said "The lord is everywhere." Prahlāda, just by his word, he is saying here in this śloka, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva came, to defend and make sure the word of his devotee. So intimate is the relationship of a pure devotee, one who has got love for Kṛṣṇa. That the lord in so many ways feels obligated to reciprocate with his devotees. He doesn't feel that… have to give liberation, finished. Take mystic power, finished. Take your material happiness, finished. But when he is giving pure devotional service, then the link is there. Just like adopting a son. When Kṛṣṇa feels some responsibility, there's some special… to such an extent that one time, Lord Caitanya told Haridāsa Ṭhākura that, "I, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, by your chanting of the holy name, you have purchased me. You can do with me whatever you like."

By chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, one can actually purchase Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa had such faith in Haridāsa Ṭhākura, that he was willing to put Himself in Haridāsa Ṭhākura hand; He also had such faith in Advaita Gosāñī. So similarly, of course the spiritual master he puts such faith in the disciple, that he puts the form of the Lord, the deity, under the care of the disciple to worship. The disciple should be very careful not to let down that faith of the spiritual master. Not to forfeit that faith of spiritual master. It is the great opportunity for the devotees to worship the Lord. But one should be very careful not to commit any offenses to the deity. So Kṛṣṇa Himself, in his original forms, He must be willing to put Himself in the care of a devotee, but the devotee has to completely surrender to Kṛṣṇa, completely depends on Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa, He is also willing to put Himself in the care of such a devotee. So this is possible by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Prahlāda Mahārāja chanted the name of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted the holy name.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Śrīla Prabhupāda was always chanting the holy name,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And everyone else who chants the holy name of Hare Kṛṣṇa, they can also, by the sublime process, they can win over the heart of Kṛṣṇa. He is "Ajīta," He is unconquerable, but He can be conquered by the humble sincere service attitude. Especially by Lord Caitanya's mercy, even one may be the most insignificant person materially, He gives the most, sublime causeless mercy, simply if that person surrenders to the chanting of the holy name. If we keep our face to Kṛṣṇa, then there is no māyā

kṛṣṇa—sūrya-sama, māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra
(Cc. Madhya 22.31) 

But we should not think that by turning our face away from Kṛṣṇa, that somehow or another, we are still be going to be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to keep our face to Kṛṣṇa

kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
(Cc. Madhya 20.117) 

Someone who forgets Kṛṣṇa is considered to become bahirmukha, that means, he becomes materially situated. That means that māyā gives him again repeated birth and death. So we should be very careful not to forget Kṛṣṇa. We should be very careful to remember Kṛṣṇa, following in the footsteps of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is the example of a devotee who always remembered the lord. So we can pray to Prahlāda Mahārāja today, how, for his blessing that we may always remember the Lord and His devotional service. We can also pray to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, that by his mercy, the demon of material desire may be rooted out from our heart, so that we can follow in the footsteps of the great devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja, Kolāveca Śrīdhara, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Question: Śrīla Ācāryapada, are you saying that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that takes it off the idealistic platform? We ideally want to follow Prahlāda Mahārāja, Kolāveca Śrīdhara, ideally we want to follow Śrīla Prabhupāda. But you know, practically speaking our hearts are polluted with all these things. So is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is what takes it off that idealistic platform?

Jayapatākā Swami: There are 9 practices of devotional service. The first two are chanting and hearing. In the Kali-yuga, there has to be chanting and hearing, but you can do additional practices. Then those also will be helpful. Prahlāda was remembering always Kṛṣṇa. Other devotees, they pray to Lord Kṛṣṇa; we pray to Prahlāda Nṛsiṁhadeva on auspicious day like today, requesting their special mercy, for the ability to perform the devotional service. All these things help to take it off the idealistic platform, if you have the idea whom you work for, on the absolute platform, you will achieve it. It is not that because today I have material thoughts, and I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and struggling to overcome those thoughts, and just because I have material thoughts, therefore I should become hopeless or something. But we guarantee that if we follow by chanting, if we stick to our faith to the process and we don't give up this struggle, even sometime people in different times, they may have more of a struggle than others. That maybe because another person has already been struggling for four births, for ten births, so many births in devotional service or two births. And this person he may be already a 8-year devotee, another devotee may be 4-year. What if that 4-year devotee was an associate or been practicing devotional service for 10 births? And the other person who's initiated 8 years ago, but he is only been practicing for 4 births? So you may see one person seems to have more struggle. The point is that Śrīla Prabhupāda has guaranteed that if we don't give up the struggle, even we have difficulties, somehow or another if we stick to it; chanting, maintaining our vows. Even we stumble, we forget; if we again come and we reinstate ourselves, and practice very sincerely trying; even there's little stumble, if we try, and don't give up. We don't sin on the strength of chanting. We try to the best of our ability. Even if sometimes we may not come up to with the actual mark, but if we keep on trying, trying. Then by Kṛṣṇa's mercy, we'll pull back. But if we stop the struggle, what’s the use? Then it's just cowardly. We may have so many excuses.

Prabhupāda, he would sometimes cry to think of devotees, struggling against their senses, struggling against the material contamination. He considered it glorious. The struggle is that idealistic. When we get second initiation, it doesn't mean that we are immediately qualified brāhmaṇa, now we have opportunity to become a brāhmaṇa. Sometimes we think, "Now I'm living in a temple. Immediately, I must be already a pure devotee." No. Now we have the opportunity to associate with devotees, to practice devotional service, to learn how to become a pure devotee. To become a pure devotee. But we immediately identify ourselves as being very advanced. Then we stop to struggle, we become relaxed, our senses become more powerful and we're put in difficulties. Therefore Lord Caitanya told us to be always more humble than the straw in the street, more tolerate than the tree, devoid of all false prestige. Don't think you are already a devotee, when you are just becoming a devotee. When you are becoming a devotee, may mean 50 years becoming a devotee. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was greatest devotee, he didn't say, "Yes, I am a pure devotee; now You can give me anything. I won't fall in māyā.” No. He said, "I don't want anything. I simply want Your devotional service.” But Kṛṣṇa said, "No, but I want you to rule in the place of your father and I will protect your consciousness from falling into illusion.” That's another thing. Now Kṛṣṇa told, “Now you have to be a king.”, but for his own part, he wasn't desiring, “I should have this, I should have that, I will be a millionaire for Kṛṣṇa.” What if Kṛṣṇa doesn't want you to be a millionaire for Kṛṣṇa? What if He wants you to be a saṅkīrtana devotee for Kṛṣṇa? Or what if He wants you to be something else? We may have the idea, “Let me be a millionaire for Kṛṣṇa; this is the greatest service I could…", that's karma-yoga. We are doing what we want to do and offering it to Kṛṣṇa. We are keeping our independent desire and then saying "Let me do this and give it to Kṛṣṇa.” Therefore Prahlāda, he had the perfect desire. That’s all right, that’s better than someone who does it with no relationship with Kṛṣṇa. But that doesn’t mean, that necessarily will be successful, at being a millionaire for Kṛṣṇa, unless that’s Kṛṣṇa’s desire. But the pure devotee, he'd surrender to whatever Kṛṣṇa wants. So Prahlāda happened to be a prince. So Kṛṣṇa wanted that he should also be a king for Krsna. Every materialist would like to be a millionaire. Some people are millionaires. And they could be millionaires for Kṛṣṇa just by a little adjustment of their consciousness, but that doesn’t mean that every beggar in the street becomes a devotee, and still has the desire to be a millionaire, and thinks that now I will be millionaire for Kṛṣṇa because there are so many millionaires for Kṛṣṇa in the Vedas. That doesn’t mean that desire is not tinged with a little bit of material contamination and you may end up trying to be a millionaire and forgetting about Kṛṣṇa. So one should rather remain on the path of trying to be a devotee and being open to do whatever service is within one's capability. Some people maybe millionaires for Kṛṣṇa, some maybe doctors for Kṛṣṇa, some may be chaplains for Kṛṣṇa, some may be preachers for Kṛṣṇa, some may be housewives for Kṛṣṇa. One should be careful not to wander off, beyond the shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Beyond the shelter of what's authorized by the spiritual master. Because, in some way, we can dovetail certain propensities. But if we allow the propensities to take charge and the pure devotion to reduce, then we will be finished. So this struggle is to always keep dovetailed. And when it's not dovetailable, when it's too dangerous, we don’t do it. We don’t come down to the conditional level. Even if there is a little struggle, it is not idealistic, that is realistic. We have material desires, we have material thoughts and now we are trying to think of Kṛṣṇa, we are trying to engage our intelligence in Kṛṣṇa, and take our mind off all these material desires. And for that we are chanting, we are hearing, we are associating, we are praying, we are serving, we are surrendering. In this way, we are becoming purified. 

Question: (Inaudible - assuming from the answer given, possibly about deity services and related offenses.)

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if there's some offense to the deity, major offense, and the way that Prabhupāda has said, there is a system: you have to bathe the deity. Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that even the cook, if the cook is not spiritually strong, it can affect the devotee's consciousness by eating the food cooked by cook, if he is breaking principles and not following properly. So of course cooks, pujārīs, although sometimes a person who is having spiritual difficulty was given a service to do pūjā, because it is a very purifying service to help him control his senses. But of course, one has to be very careful when doing these services, not to break the principles, that the temple has to be careful that these important services are not… the people who are performing them are very strict in their behavior. Although it is purifying for them, because it is easier for one in such a proximity to the Lord to try to be very careful. If in spite of that, one continues breaking principles, of course then, it is dangerous, not only for themselves, but for others also, unfortunately.

? The point is that there's no… apart from getting some special mercy from the previous ācāryas, which requires… One can always pray for, which is special secret. But apart from that, the process of devotional service is a gradual process. And there is no other shortcut, apart from some special mercy. One has to just, very methodically, very systematically, work at becoming more serious, engaging the mind, words and the activities in Kṛṣṇa’s service. There is no use having class on how do you become more serious. May be walk out, then immediately sit down, have a half-hour gossip session. And then three times while you are gossiping, Kṛṣṇa told you in your heart, "You are wasting your time. You should be heading for saṅkīrtana, you should be doing this for that.” But then you know, you just don't bother to try. So then the first time, after you're told the second time in your heart that "You're wasting your time," all right… then the next time, after the first five minutes you start feeling guilty. After that, it is only one minute you are feeling guilty. After that it is half a minute. And pretty soon you can’t tolerate even 10 seconds of useless talk. This happens by desire, that even after making a mistake, when you repent, "I could have used my time better. I could have done this," And then you pray to Kṛṣṇa, you pray to your mind that "Mind, you rascal, you allowed me to fall into this māyā. Please Kṛṣṇa give me the strength, Prabhupāda and our spiritual master, please give me the strength." Then you'll be more determined. Next time, when you come, then when you're reminded, Kṛṣṇa gives you that memory; He gives you His memory, forgetfulness and knowledge; because we have the desire, the memory comes up. Then we try a little harder to avoid it. Like this, it's a continuous practice. It's not going to work without the desire of the devotee also. It’s a struggle of the devotee. We always want, you know, some magic touch. We are told about the story of how one brave Indian sādhu (so-called brave anyway) went to his spiritual master and asked for the special blessing, and then his spiritual master blessed him and then suddenly the disciple screamed “AAAHHHHH” and fell down on the ground unconscious. (laughter) And when he became awake the guru was crying, “I lost all my power! It's all gone! I have given it all to you.” And he was crying that, “Now I am powerless! Now I have transferred everything like by an electric shock – bzzt!” (laughter). Then the disciple, he had all the power, and the guru was there without any power. He had been completely stripped of all his śakti. So this, Prabhupāda says, is completely bogus. It is not how divine power is transferred that the guru gives his blessings to the disciple and then the guru is (*poof*) finished. ? So these are all good for the fictitious story-tellers, and for the concocted spiritual master… so on and so forth. But the actual process that we stick to is sādhana-bhakti. And we are hankering for this special mercy. That special mercy, if you want to know the easy way, we hanker for this special mercy and we keep asking to the previous ācāryas, ask the deities, “I am most fallen, I need your special mercy.” But then, at the same time, you show your sincerity, you go on with a gradual process of sādhana-bhakti, trying sincerely, praying trying at every time to whittle down the gap between protection and where you are. And the closer you get, one still thinks that "I could be a little better.” And the proof that, this attitude remains there continuously, is the topmost liberated internal potency – āhlādinī-śakti of the Lord – Rādhārāṇī; we know from the fifth volume of the Antya-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, She is also always desiring when is Her devotional service is going to really become good. When She will be able to actually satisfy Kṛṣṇa more. She is the already the only one able to completely satisfy Kṛṣṇa, but She is thinking that, "What I am able do is not good enough. When I will be able to actually perform devotional service?”

So in this way, of course, as one gets closer and closer to devotional service,finally one gets so close, that although he may think that “Well, I can improve in so many ways.”, it's actually at that percentage when a person gets Kṛṣṇa-prema, is completely liberated from the material world and that is just completely on the spiritual platform. Then there is not any more struggle and then the devotional service is spontaneous, then within that spontaneity, there is still always a desire to increase the service. So we should already… even right now we may be struggling with the material desires. At that time it's just, it's not a struggle anymore, but it is always a desire to increase our service to be more pleasing to Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental competition. It will have another expression in the spiritual world. It's no longer a struggle. Here it may a struggle, because we are attached to other things; so then we don't want to give up those attachments. If we already get in the mood of giving up material attachments, trying to please Kṛṣṇa, trying come closer to devotional service as I explained, and this mood will carry us right through, it's called “sevā-bhava”, service attitude. Let us take us right through, even in through our liberated state. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Everyone: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Devotee: Śrīla Ācāryapāda kī…!

Everyone: Jaya!

Devotee: Jaya Rādhā Madanamohana kī…!

Everyone: Jaya! 

Devotee: Jaya Nṛsiṁhadeva ki…!

Everyone: Jaya!