19840422 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 9.49-50

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the great gardener, sees that people are chanting, dancing and laughing and that some of them are rolling on the ground and some of them are making loud humming sounds, and shouting out, He smiles with great pleasure.  

Purport: This attitude of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very important for persons engaged in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In every center of our institution, ISKCON, we have arranged for a love feast every Sunday, (appropriate purport to today) …and when we actually see people come to our center, chant, dance, take prasādam, become jubilant and purchase books, we know that certainly Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always present in such transcendental activities, and He is very pleased and satisfied. Therefore, the members of ISKCON must increase this movement more and more, according to the principles that we are presently trying to execute. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thus being pleased, will smilingly glance upon them, bestowing His favor, and the movement will be successful.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is not an unusual... This is something which we find… rarely we find but sometimes great rich people they like to just give out… put on big festivals, give out free charity. Used to be a movie, a television show when I was a child called the Millionaire, used to just give out million dollars, liked to see other people enjoy. Haven't watched television since then but there was one thing, when someone would win a opportunity to go into a grocery store, had half hour or ten minutes to take as much as they could (devotees laughing) and so they’re scrambling.

Of course that idea of seeing someone just taking, enjoying, giving out some charity very freely, that’s a rare quality. But every quality that you see, every good quality you see and of course even, in Kṛṣṇa even the bad qualities you see they are transformed into something good or they are, in Him they are good. But everything is coming from Kṛṣṇa because He is the origin, aham sarvasya, everything is originating from Him, janmādy asya yataḥ naturally that quality is also there in Kṛṣṇa, so how does Kṛṣṇa manifest that quality that’s manifested or displayed in the personality of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That He simply gives out unlimited mercy and He enjoys seeing the people become completely ecstatic dancing and laughing and even rolling on the floor. This gives Him great pleasure. So that is the mood of Caitanya Mahāprabhu but His anxiety is that “How many people can I personally distribute it to?” Therefore, He asked everyone to come forward and help in His great welfare activity, to give out the mercy without any discrimination, to give out the mercy to everyone freely.

So just as when Lord Rāmacandra He came and He requested all of His devotees to assist Him, in getting back Sītā who was stolen by Rāvaṇa. Then Hanumān and all of the monkeys and other devotees they assisted Him in waging war against Rāvaṇa and they rescued Sītā, and in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes of course Arjuna wanted to give up fighting but He told him that if you want to give up fighting that’s your prerogative but you will be a failure in life. The best thing of course is to fight because you are a kṣatriya. But even more exalted is if you just do what I want. And I want that there should be this final confrontation so that once and for all a proper God conscious administration is established in the world.

Well, specifically in the other ages when Kṛṣṇa came He would come often as a kṣatriya and even in that līlā, in that pastime, He would come as a warrior sometimes because kṣatriya of course is considered even in the Vedas as naradeva or God on earth, God amongst men, because his duty is to protect the common man, which is representative of Kṛṣṇa.

God is ultimately the supreme protector. But Kṛṣṇa is known as tri-yuga, He only comes as God in the three ages, Golden, Silver and Bronze. He doesn’t come in the Iron Age as the Lord Himself, although He comes, in His original self descends, but in disguise as a covered incarnation or a channa-avatāra, as a hidden incarnation He comes, disguised as His own devotee, so in that role He doesn’t take up the sword or the Sudarśana-cakra normally to punish the miscreants and protect His devotees in that way. Instead, this time His mission is He wants to just make everyone completely ecstatic in love for Godhead.

He is defeating them by love. But just as the monkeys or as Arjuna and the Pāṇḍavas and other devotees would always assist the Lord similarly Lord Caitanya is asking for assistance from His devotees. But instead of taking swords bows and arrows and so on you just take up the khol, the mṛdanga, the kartālas, the books and give people transcendental inspiration to take up the chanting of the holy names of God, to take up the distribution of transcendental knowledge and enlightenment.

If people gave half the chance to the devotees to hear what their message was they would be so fortunate. Unfortunately sometimes people are so busy. Once Śrīla Prabhupāda told a story that was later made into a skit about a man who was so busy carrying stones, he had no time, no time to hear what the devotees had to say. He was such a mūḍha, working hard like an ass, no time. This idea of no time, no time of course was epitomized in English, I think it’s in the Alice in Wonderland, the Madhatter, “No time, no time.” running here and there, he has no time. So modern society is running so quickly they have not time to know how to be really happy. They have to no time actually understand what it is the purpose of life, where they are going. They are going, they have no time, but where they are going and its, so many things have happened and so fast. Even our devotees, we find ourselves hard put, and wanted to... figure out my itinerary for South America but so many things happening, I had no time (laughing). People phoning, people coming to discuss, so...

What to speak the karmīs, they have no time at all, to understand about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they have so much time to spend in this Easter weekend, how many people are going to church, and how many are going to drink or how many are doing both you see? Very little inclination for spiritual life and whatever inclination is there of course that is also not properly directed to actually achieving love for Godhead. They are directed towards loving their family, loving their nation, which are inferior priorities. Hardly are they directed to really love God, nor even if they were directed to love God, they don’t know the process how to love God.

Ādau-śraddhā, satsaṅga, anartha-nivṛtti, bhajana-kriyā, niṣṭhā, rucī, āsakti, bhāva, prema — that what are the stages of love for God, how one develops love for Godhead, how all the dirt is cleansed from the heart by abhadrāṇi-sudurmati, by this glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this secret where they will find out? Who is telling him? Its there in all the holy books but practical example is required.So that practical example was given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as it mentioned in the previous verse, Lord Caitanya taught by His own example. He taught what is real love for Godhead. When He would chant and dance He would not be thinking about anything else but simply giving transcendental satisfaction to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person. And the intensity of love that He displayed is inconceivable. So much so that even today five hundred years later anyone who takes up the chanting of:

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

They can also feel the same transcendental ecstasy that was exhibited by Caitanya Mahāprabhu of course in its minute quantity compared to His. But that minute quantity for us is still an ocean, a tidal wave, far more than any other happiness that you can experience on the material plane. Material happiness is like a roller coaster ride, sometimes you are up on the top and sometimes you are down on the bottom. But the whole situation is… is nonstop fear and suffering. Just depends on your attitude. If you want to think you are having fun, you are having fun. If you want to be frightened, you are frightened because the actual situation is fearful. But if you want to think it’s fun and you are having fun then you are up, you are down like that. You feel a little relief once you come up and then whoosh,

kabhu svarge uṭhāya, kabhu narake ḍubāya
daṇḍya-jane rājā yena nadīte cubāya
(Cc. Madhya 20.118)

Sometimes the person is given heavenly existence, all opulence, all fame, beauty, longevity, education, learning. Sometimes one is put in hellish condition, suffering, disease, litigation, infame or infamy, and mental anxiety, suffering so on. These things are changing, nothing stays constant. Suffering doesn’t stay constant; the misery doesn’t stay constant. But chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa that stays constant. If you continue to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa continuously you will experience the same transcendental relishment in different flavors. Flavor may change but the relishing doesn’t stop. There is no mixture of material misery.

Like Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that material happiness is like sweet rice. Sweet rice is very wonderful to taste, milk and rice preparation. But this sweet rice is unique it has sand in it. So even though you get a sweet taste its always the grit. Material happiness is not pure. It’s mixed with various degrees of inconvenience and misery. But the happiness given by Lord Nitāi-Gaura, that premānanda, that is completely unmixed, pure. It doesn’t have any material suffering mixed with it. Material sufferings is due to our material attachments. Attachments to our psychological, physical situation, attachment to our material life. That is the only cause for our suffering. If we are completely Kṛṣṇa conscious then there is no suffering at all. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was being beaten in twenty two market places, he didn’t suffer. He didn’t experience any suffering as an ordinary person would. Whatever pain he experienced he didn’t consider it to be suffering at all.

So of course, to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to tolerate these inconveniences that is of course an austerity. But it’s a type of burden of love. There is mention that there are different kinds of burdens of love. Just like a mother carries the baby. So, it’s a burden but she loves the… her baby. So, it’s a burden of love. Newlywed wife she carries the burden of her husband on her honeymoon but when they are making, you know… when they are having their relation, but that’s a burden of love. You can tolerate those things. There are so many material burdens of love that people tolerate. So, our burden of love is that we tolerate this inconvenience of telling people that they should become ecstatic in love for Godhead even though they are completely disinterested because we know that that’s pleasing to our loved one Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Nityānanda and their pure devotees in disciplic succession, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Ācāryadeva, Śrīla Bhaktipāda and so on. And that austerity involves of course, that is considered a very insignificant compared to the idea of pleasing our loved one.

So Prabhupāda here, “Therefore the members of ISKCON must increase this movement more and more, according to the principles that we are presently trying to execute. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thus being pleased, will smilingly glance upon them, bestowing His favor, and the movement will be successful.” So we simply use whatever intelligence, whatever ability, whatever energy we have how to increase this movement more and more either in the front line or in some supportive role. Then we will get the smiling glance of Lord Caitanya upon us.

Cc. Ādi 9.51

ei mālākāra khāya ei prema-phala
niravadhi matta rahe, vivaśa-vihvala

Translation: The great gardener, Lord Caitanya, personally eats this fruit, and as a result He constantly remains mad, as if helpless and bewildered.

Purport: It is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to act Himself and teach the people. He says, āpani ācari’ bhakti karila pracāra (Cc. Ādi 4.41). One must first act himself and then teach. This is the function of a real teacher. Unless one is able to understand the philosophy that he speaks, it will not be effective. Therefore one should not only understand the philosophy of the Caitanya cult but also implement it practically in one’s life.

While chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes fainted and remained unconscious for many hours. He prays in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (7):

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me

“O Govinda! Feeling Your sepāration, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 7). This is the perfectional stage of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and eating the fruit of love of Godhead, as exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One should not artificially imitate this stage, but if one is serious and sincerely follows the regulative principles and chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the time will come when these symptoms will appear. Tears will fill his eyes, he will be unable to chant the mahā-mantra distinctly, and his heart will throb in ecstasy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that one should not imitate this, but a devotee should long for the day to come when such symptoms of trance will automatically appear in his body.

Thus end Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Purport.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda says that unless one is able to understand the philosophy that he speaks he will not be effective. So what does it mean to understand the philosophy? Factual understanding means you practice it. If you really understand the philosophy that means you are going to practice it. In India you find that there are many paṇḍitas, even in the West you find these scholars. The scholars they may academically understand the nomenclature of a particular philosophy or ideology in some kind of a superficial way, a categorical way. But that’s a very non-consequential understanding. To actually understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that to understand it and to practice it. Real understanding means that actually you know how to practice it and if you really understood Kṛṣṇa consciousness you would practice it because it’s not simply a philosophy to know, it’s a philosophy to understand. And you cannot understand it unless you practice it. Theoretically you can know about it. But to understand it you must practice it because it is a philosophy based upon personal, individual realization.

To understand what is love for Godhead, how will you know unless you are dancing and laughing and rolling on the ground and just to imitate that, that also won't do. If you imitate, someone may jump up and down. I have seen the Sufis and other groups, sometimes I think in South, here they have some groups that roll around and everything. But the point is that, to actually practice God consciousness and chanting the holy names until spontaneously, within one, these tears come, the desire to jump and chant comes, the spontaneous laughter comes, not that one artificially forces it. Otherwise, you could put chilies in your nose or something and somehow or another you could (laughter) force tears to come, that’s another thing. Or like a dramatic performance, some people they are very expert, they can make emotion come. Dramatic school they train one to think, oh think that your mother is sick, they start to cry or think you just got a million, they try to be able to make spontaneously make those emotions come. It’s not like that. That’s very superficial.

But to chant and actually right from the core of your heart, right from the spiritual platform that that contact with Kṛṣṇa is established and that contact creates these vikāras or these changes in consciousness which produce crying or laughter. In fact the mind is practically like the bystander, it’s just standing on the side, doesn’t even really know what’s going on. Its beyond the mind, nothing to do with the mind. It’s coming from the spiritual platform and the mind is of course enjoying along with the senses but it is something which is beyond the comprehension of the mind. Mentally this ecstasy cannot be understood.

You can understand material happiness and distress to a certain degree but this is beyond the understanding capacity of the mental strata. The mind is left on the side during these pastimes, so to speak. In other words, it is coming from a higher platform. It’s not originating on the mental platform. Therefore all one has to do is chant and practice and then spontaneously when one gets serious or one gets special mercy these types of ecstatic symptoms appear. So one should long for that, should desire, “When will I have love for Kṛṣṇa, when will I have love for Godhead?” that longing should be there. But one shouldn’t artificially try to impose it. It will happen in its own accord.

So then why do we follow regulative principles? Why do we avoid taking meat and fish and eggs and intoxication and other extra marital sexual relations and so on and gambling. Because to actually experience love for Godhead, those ecstasies the mind has to be in its natural state, the consciousness rather should be in its natural state, and from there it can be elevated to the spiritual platform of appreciating the ecstasies of love for Godhead. But if already the mind is being completely distorted, the consciousness is being affected by these type of very gross materialistic activities, well it will not be in a receptive attitude to be able to experience these very subtle, transcendental spiritual experiences. It will already be, just as much as someone who is completely intoxicated won’t be able to appreciate a fine art or music in the same way someone who is in a very sober and conscious platform.

So these types of activities are form of material intoxication. They make the mind absorbed in material consciousness. So these grossest of material contaminating, lowering activities they have to be given up. Then one can experience love for Godhead, but Lord Caitanya is so kind that even if one chants, even if one is not perfectly giving up all these things, still one gets a little taste. It’s not that even you are drunk, if you see a beautiful symphony something you will perceive but not, you won’t get the complete idea. You will get some idea. Even you are materially contaminated there is a chance that if still somehow or another you chant you can still experience that there is something special about that. But you won’t get a clear idea. Then you give up. That’s enough of an impetus to just, for some time as an experiment if nothing less… if nothing more rather, then at least you try to chant sincerely for some period of time without all these distractions and then one can perceive the full.

I think I explained one time how Haridāsa Ṭhākura he was, he was chanting, and he was just so much, he was completely filled in ecstasy. Actually what happened was there was a snake charmer and he was playing the flute and making a snake dance. And suddenly he started to sing the pastime of Kāliyā-damana, where Kṛṣṇa danced on the serpent Kāliyā’s heads and in this way defeated and the beautiful song explaining how that serpent was so fortunate to get the lotus impressions of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet on his head. 

So in this way when Haridāsa Ṭhākura heard that devotee who was a snake charmer by profession, chanting, he began to dance in ecstasy. And he fell into trance and he became completely unaware the external surroundings He didn’t realize there were literally as he was dancing in ecstasy and chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa that so many villagers had gathered. He was just loudly chanting and dancing ecstatically jumping and twirling and in this way he was so ecstatic.

But nearby there was one brāhmaṇa who was reading fortunes or something and people would be coming to him and suddenly no one paid any attention to him. They were all looking at Haridāsa Ṭhākura, they were all paying obeisances to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but Haridāsa Ṭhākura he wasn’t at all aware of the presence of anyone else. He was at that time absorbed in the trance of chanting. So it wasn’t that he was chanting to get some kind of adoration from the common people but he had, being so advanced sometimes these advanced devotees they fall into trance, when they get some spiritual impetus, they just lose awareness of the external world. They become stunned or they become ecstatic or they become mad. So like this Haridāsa Ṭhākura was dancing practically in madness of love for Godhead.

So this snake charmer he became envious. And so what he did, he thought that why he is getting so much adoration, anybody can dance like that, what’s the big deal. So he stood up and he started to jump and dance but when you dance like that, I mean any devotee can see, devotee who has tasted even a slight bit of transcendental ecstasy or bliss when they see someone artificially imitating, they can immediately pick up that “This person is bogus.” 

I know even when in Ratha-yātrā in 1968 where I joined there was one bogus yogī from India who came and he started jumping up and down with the devotees and everyone could understand it. This guy is not actually experiencing transcendental bliss. He is just showing off, some stiffness, some unnatural, you can see that it’s something that, from a different platform. When a devotee even may not be artistically perfect, it might not be musically perfect, it might not be you know according to the art of dance or whatever, it may not be in the proper form or time or whatever but you can see that it is something very spontaneous and natural about it, which someone who is chanting in kīrtana, just trying to show off. It just comes in a, like a different vibration, it’s not the same. It’s on a different. We have seen in so many cases. So I am sure anyone could experience that if they have seen such a thing.

So here, this snake charmer he could see that this brāhmaṇa jumping up and down dancing, he is completely bogus. That Haridāsa Ṭhākura is actually a pure devotee. He is actually dancing in love for Godhead, and here this brāhmaṇa is envious of him, therefore he is trying to show off just to get some cheap adoration from the people. Then on top of it the brāhmaṇa after jumping and dancing and making a whole show he fell down boom on the ground and started to quiver and shake as if he had fallen in like complete samādhi and trance and that got the… meanwhile Haridāsa Ṭhākura he didn’t even know what’s going on, he is just dancing and kind of going on. And that snake charmer he became so angry. He just stood up and told “This person is a complete imposter.” Said, “What do you mean? He is a brāhmaṇa!”

He went and gave him a good kick, “If he’s in trance he won’t get up. He’ll be… he’ll be impervious to the... Pow, kick.

“Owe oh oh oh oh!” He started screaming you know. (laughter) So then everyone, “See he is completely trying to cheat you. Haridāsa Ṭhākura is a real devotee, he is actually in a trance of ecstasy and samādhi. And this person is simply trying to cheat you.” The people became so angry, they picked up sticks and stones and they started running after the brāhmaṇa. Ran for his life, being chased after by the villagers and kids.

So this is the actual thing of course. Whenever there is real devotees and then when they get success in preaching, when they get success in tasting love for Godhead that may inspire others. There is always some imitation people they want to take advantage. They think oh I can do the same thing, but they don’t follow the authorized system. Instead they simply imitate and try to cheat the people. In any kind of spiritual movement that is always the danger. For every bonafide movement there are imitations.

Nonetheless we have to go with our purpose which is to give the pure message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, give people Kṛṣṇa-prasādam, let them chant and dance, and dance in ecstasy. And if they follow this system they will be able to experience the actual sentiment the actual experience of love for Godhead, which is the real happiness that everyone is hankering for. And the more that the movement expands, the more that the people will become swept away. But we should personally be very careful that in case we start to dry up, the flood waters of love for Godhead start to decrease, then somehow we should try to again increase that by very carefully chanting, by associating with senior devotees. Somehow we should again build up our water level, the floods and then we remain secure.

This especially Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura he prayed to Lord Nityānanda, hā hā prabhu nityānanda premānanda sukhī, O My dear Lord Nityānanda, You are always filled with the ecstasy of pure love for Godhead, ekhana dayā kara āmi bara duḥkhī, kindly have immediately Your mercy upon me of this pure love for Godhead because I am very unhappy, I am very miserable and unfortunate, you see. So we can pray to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda that we are the most fallen and they are the most merciful. Since they are the most merciful, and we are the most fallen, therefore we can claim that we have a priority for being delivered. Right? If someone says “I want to give out charity, who is the most needy, the most needy will get first.” So we are the most needy, we should have that attitude, this is humility. There is no one who needs Your mercy more than me. There is no one more fallen, more unfortunate, with less devotion, less enthusiasm, less spiritual qualification, therefore I need your mercy most of all. We should pray like that but we of course we shouldn’t try to act like that.

We should try sincerely to act in a way that is pleasing to Lord Caitanya but we can present our case as being actually the most needy. We should feel like that, that we need His mercy more than else. Everyone else is so advanced, they are so expert, they are so enthusiastic, they are so fixed in their spiritual master’s service. They are in every respect so qualified. Therefore they don’t need the mercy as much as I do. I need the mercy more because I am a… in a inferior position. This is the art our previous ācāryas have shown of attracting the mercy of Lord Caitanya-Nityānanda. In this way one can also avoid becoming envious of others. You can think “Others are so nice. Let me get the mercy because I need it more.”

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

Are there any questions? 

*inaudible question*

About who in the spiritual world? Well in Mathurā then Ugrasena he is the king and Kṛṣṇa is a young man, He is assisting. So many pastimes all in Mathurā residents receive Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is loved by everyone. In Dvārakā of course Kṛṣṇa is the king. Or even He respects Ugrasena or someone else but basically He is the ruler and He has got so many unlimited palaces of course, He has got His. There this parakīya and svakīya. There svakīya-rasa is exhibited and in Goloka of course parakīya.

Its not the time, but she came back, she was recovered. Prabhupāda was also recovered. That person who tried to take Prabhupāda away died. They thought that She was solid gold. They thought Prabhupāda was gold as well because they are so beautiful, they are so effulgent, most people believe, just like they took away Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They saw His ornaments, He was so effulgent, but then they had to return back.

But there should be steel gates. The main problem was, Prabhupāda told us that there would be an armed robbery since we became more opulent. The same deities were there in the grass hut but nobody thought. We put them in a big temple they became oh. So you need, we used to have steel gates in the inside of the temple. But when they expanded the new temple they never got around to making the steel gates. I told them dozens of times. I said I put personally the money on the table, buy the gates. They couldn’t decide on what the design should be. (laughter) So never got around to getting it you know. So now they are putting collapsible, this that, forgot about the design.

So its better to have precaution. In terms of emergency, one thing is, we found that the devotees didn’t really know what to do. They were completely unprepared and we had hired guards and you couldn’t depend on the hired guards. One of them set the alarm off. But the others just disappeared. And the hired gunman, when he heard all the gun shots of the… the big band of… gang, all armed to the teeth. You know they accuse the devotees, sometimes if we have a gun or something but you know the world is so terrible. If you don’t have your own weapons to defend yourself, like licensed arms, how can you survive? The police were there, they refused to come because they told that “We don’t want to go right in the middle of it, we might get hurt. We have got wife and children you know, we’ll go, let it cool down a little bit.” (laughs) So really the devotees a certain percentage of it should become expert in defending. In an emergency everyone should know what to do. I mean at least they should know if they are the kind of person that doesn’t know how to do defense kind of activity, not to at least get in the way, phone the police, or just something you know they could in some kind of emergency.

Of course there we’re way out in the country and the danger of being attacked by these big gangs which they still have in India, I don’t think they have in America so much. They used to have in the wild West big gang of robbers and things. I don’t know if they have it America any more. But they have in India. I mean here maybe bicycle clubs or something. So there they have this kind of a thing, just have to be prepared. It might come like that in the… after the Third World War people become looting and things like that, trying to get anything. Its good to have steel gates in front of the Deity so that you know no mad man or envious person can just run in there. They are putting in New Orleans. And now in the new temples we are designing in Māyāpur very much security conscious.

And just like… just like when Māyāpur floods they say that means that the whole world should be flooded by love for Godhead from the holy dhāma. So the demons are trying to take Lakṣmī, Rādhā is the original Goddess of Fortune or the origin of all Goddesses of Fortune, that means all over the world the people, they want to take the fortune of the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement away and therefore the devotees they should be very careful to protect the Goddess of Fortune and make her unavailable for being taken. Of course, She will be returned but we should take the precaution that the demons cannot… When our movement didn't have you see, if you have opulent things and people, there is nothing to attract them. But when you have some opulent properties the demons they become, they want to take those and enjoy it for themselves so those have to be somehow secured. Here in the West we find that there are certain groups of people they want to try to attack the assets which we have contributed to Kṛṣṇa. So now we have to take precautions all over the world so that they cannot do that.

*inaudible question*

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, we should see everything that happens as by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Even like sometimes, a devotee is criticized what appears to be abstrusely unjust in one circumstance but out of humility the devotee can understand that “Maybe in this area I don’t deserve this, doesn’t seem that I deserve this as bad as I am getting it. But certainly there are so many other areas which I am not getting it which I really deserve but I have been able to conceal it in so many ways.” (laughs) So Kṛṣṇa you know He knows that we deserve what we get from some source that this must be Kṛṣṇa’s mercy upon us and somehow or another we should get a little bit of mercy in that form, little criticism or something. Maybe the person giving the criticism seems that he is not exactly focused in this, little bit out of perception but surely in other areas like just like sometimes people get away with one thing, but then another thing so.

Of course, the other thing as we mentioned yesterday that it’s the duty of ācāryas and of leaders to praise and criticize. So we shouldn’t be very sensitive we shouldn't take it personally because, of course fame and infamy that is always there in the material world, and we should take it as an impetus you see. Sometimes you get praise, by getting praise one shouldn’t think “I am very wonderful.” You should think somehow this is the mercy of guru that I was able to do this thing, by guru and Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and if someone gets some criticism even though it seems maybe sometimes disproportionate to the actual fault. Then one should take it that “Well this is also Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, I should be humble, maybe there are some areas I can improve.” And sometimes one gets criticism, any way one goes on continuing doing one’s service, doing one’s duty. And then the actual situation… just like, of course even Śrīla Prabhupāda sometimes certain persons just couldn’t appreciate his contribution to society, to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But he knew that he had to carry out his duty to his guru and Kṛṣṇa and so he did that. And of course they were pleased. And of course when its outside people then it doesn’t affect one very much. And if its someone very near and our some immediate superior, someone whom one respects more or is more intimately connected with, then of course it affects one more. Still that also to be tolerated, not to be accepted personally but more philosophically. One should be a little introspective. Why is Kṛṣṇa, not taking that this person is doing it, not taking in that sense, but take it “Why is Kṛṣṇa… what is Kṛṣṇa trying to teach me?”

Like Prabhupāda he saw that alright the other God brothers or other people they don’t appreciate. So this is just simply just telling me Prabhupāda, Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura is telling me that we have to establish ourselves independently, of make our movement you see. At that time he tried to get the help of from other God brothers to establish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement there but they weren't appreciative so much. So then he made Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you see. But that was different, that wasn’t criticism, that was just complete, any way we don’t even discuss those things. So that was another thing.

But criticism means you have to see the mood also. What is criticism? If somebody tells you something with the idea of trying to increase your devotional service. That is not, that is like an inspiration. That’s just an encouragement. Sometimes encouragement is given in a negative form and sometimes in a positive form. This is encouragement. That’s not actually, criticism means when you are actually saying oh you are doing bad. I don’t like you, you know, you are no good or something. You are, you are bad, that’s criticism. Someone may offer some suggestion which may be in a negative or positive form, for how to improve your service. Sometimes you may say you are doing very good, that means encouragement you are doing good, keep it up. And sometimes someone may say you are doing good but you could do better. And who does better he would be rewarded accordingly by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

So then someone may feel “I am already trying so hard and he says I can do better. That’s very inconsiderate! Doesn’t see how hard I…” But actually they are saying all right someone thinks may be you can do better, well, you can see. Maybe I can do better, let me see if there is any way I can do better. That’s not a criticism, that’s a personal thing. Its just some perception that in the same circumstances possibly other devotees they are able to do better. So in this way you can think, others if they can do better then why I can't do better. Maybe others in same circumstance are able to do more then maybe I can also do more. Why not? That shouldn’t be taken in a personal way and if you are trying what more can anyone ask? You shouldn’t be very sensitive about these things. Its not actually a criticism, it’s a suggestion for how to improve one’s service. It that’s not there, if everyone just whitewashes everything, what’s the, a little bit of pressure is always good. But we should take it in a healthy sporting attitude just like the coach. If the coach always tells the team that you are all great, you are all good, they will all sit on the bench and won’t do anything right? Some time you have to say, he has to jab them a little bit, you know, gets them a little fired up. Sometimes they get angry, sometimes the coach says such a thing that he gets the team angry. They get out there and fight.

Sometimes you do we do our service, but we should do it even with a little, little more fire. Maybe doing just like you can wash the, sweep the floor. You can take two hours to do it and then you can see somebody can do it in ten minutes. In a temple services are such that a person can do the service in a given amount of time but there are specific services like say Deity worship. You are given 5.30 to 6.15 you have to finish. Now you can loaf within that time but you can’t go beyond a certain degree of laxness because you won’t finish in that time, you have to bathe, this… there’s about 150 different things you have to do, you have to finish it within that time. Similarly in saṅkīrtana. If you don’t put your full energy into it, you are going to come back at the end of the day and how many books would you have distributed? But there are other services where there is not that much of an intense pressure. The pressure has to come more from within. So then one can do the same service and take twice as long and someone can do in half the time.

I know Śrīla Prabhupāda he would criticize, you take four hours to cook, you should do it one hour, people are “One hour?” He said “Yes you can cook three vegetables dal rice the chutney and capātīs in one hour.” “Impossible!” Then Prabhupāda said I’ll show you and he got and in one hour he had prepared everything. He had it completely organized. Heating up the water, this, that, everything and then in one hour he had completely cooked everything you know. And he was looking to me, “How you couldn’t do it! You are wasting so much time.” And then they tried they got done in three hours (laughter) So we should take, of course there are definitely higher standards, and we are not the highest standard. So somebody says “Well you can do better.” We should take it in a humble way and try to work for it.

Yes?

If you get paid for it then, they are giving money and if you use the money in the service of Kṛṣṇa, so then it would be a, if you do it as a donation, so that means, then if you do it as a service to someone that means that person is indebted to you. So therefore that means according to law of karma they would have to somehow repay you. So in that regard you would become karmically implicated with that person. Just like if somebody gives you a donation then that karma is in that money because they have earned that money through work and that work. So therefore no one should take a donation for himself, unless they want a karma for that. That’s why we take a donation, we give it to Kṛṣṇa, we take from Kṛṣṇa our maintenance that we need to subsist in a plain way, simple way. We don’t take the money for our own personal wealth.

So brāhmaṇas they could always, they could collect alms but they would immediately use it in the service of their Deity and charitable works. So they may collect any amount the next day they would be back to zero, they would keep any, they wouldn’t amass it beyond a certain small you know percentage, which was just simple you know, fix their house or whatever was needed, brāhmaṇas would always live very simply. And the kṣatriyas and others they wouldn’t be allowed to take charity. That’s why doing service for the Vaiṣṇavas that’s considered to be very good because then you get spiritual benefit. Just by association with non-devotees there could be some type of, it’s not a karma, if you do something as a business and you take payment for that or it’s a business exchange and then if you use that money in the service of Kṛṣṇa according to the system given by the ācāryas (there is a percentage system for different type of people) then you won’t get karma per se but by association there could be some kind of effect on the consciousness just by associating, by being so much, talking with the people, by being in such a close contact. There could be some mental effect that would have to be counteracted by the spiritual… by spiritual practices, by spiritual association.

Yes?

*inaudible comments*

Jayapatākā Swami: Lot of time in the airport (laughter) over prasāda. It’s good that in the spare moments everyone discusses philosophy. Good example.

*inaudible comments*

Jayapatākā Swami: No Lord Caitanya has His own section. Yes. Separation, sometimes union, sometimes separation but sometimes Kṛṣṇa appears to Lord Caitanya, and He feels reunion but then sometimes separated. But that chanting, it’s said that with Lord Caitanya all the associates have male forms but with Kṛṣṇa of course they had the female forms. The gopīs who appear with Kṛṣṇa in female form, with Lord Caitanya they appear as male form. 

Those who are devotees of Lord Caitanya they are also in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. So if you are a devotee of Lord Caitanya then you also have a place in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

Well of course in the material world the person is somewhat dormant, somewhat undeveloped. So when one is fully in a developed stage then you simultaneously have service.

For the devotees of Lord Caitanya are also devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa!