19840720 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.7

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on July 20, 1984 in Madras, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam First Canto, Chapter 10, Verse 7.

uṣitvā hāstinapure
māsān katipayān hariḥ
suhṛdāṁ ca viśokāya
svasuś ca priya-kāmyayā

(ŚB 1.10.7)

in the city of Hastināpura; māsān — months; katipayān — a few; hariḥ — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; suhṛdām — relatives; ca — also; viśokāya — for pacifying them; svasuḥ — the sister; ] ca — and; priya-kāmyayā — for pleasing. [paragraph Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda:

Śrī Hari, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, resided at Hastināpura for a few months to pacify His relatives and please His own sister [Subhadrā].

*translation with repetition*

Purport: Kṛṣṇa was to start for Dvārakā, His own kingdom, after the Battle of Kurukṣetra and Yudhiṣṭhira’s being enthroned, but to oblige the request of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and to show special mercy to Bhīṣmadeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa stopped at Hastināpura, the capital of the Pāṇḍavas. The Lord decided to stay especially to pacify the aggrieved King as well as to please Subhadrā, sister of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Subhadrā was especially to be pacified because she lost her only son, Abhimanyu, who was just married. The boy left his wife, Uttarā, mother of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The Lord is always pleased to satisfy His devotees in any capacity. Only His devotees can play the parts of His relatives. The Lord is absolute.

Thus end the Purport and Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla Abhaya Carana Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 10, Text 7 in the chapter entitled “Departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa for Dvārakā.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa like a dramatic actor, is playing the part perfectly as a friend, as a guardian, as a ward, as a lover, as a relative. And all of these exchanges are being performed with His pure devotees, you see. The pure devotees, many of them have done immense austerities, tapasyā in previous births to be able to get this position.

For instance, it is said that great sages after a long, long practice of devotional austerities, they can take birth as a monkey in Vṛndāvana, and get the butter from Kṛṣṇa’s hand, you see. So, all these relations of Kṛṣṇa, they all have some secret past, why they’re allowed to associate with the Lord in this very beautiful pastime. They are able to serve the Lord and to set the scenario or to…

…service so they have the various external relationships.

Now the exchanges between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, these are not like the ordinary relations in the material world. They’re actually a heart to heart, or soul to soul relationship. Externally they may appear to be like an ordinary material relationship. But internally it is altogether a different flavor, you see. That can only be understood by devotee, who is surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, and who is rendering devotional service, and who has experienced even momentarily a drop of that ocean of nectar of devotion, you see.

For one who has never tasted a drop of that nectar, they won’t be able to understand that the happiness and the loving exchange between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees is altogether a completely different world. It has nothing to do with this material world. So that is why even great sages and demigods, they become bewildered that, “How is it that the aborn - the unborn, the aja, the unmanifest, the absolute truth, the Para-brahma, how is it that He is coming in to the material world, and He is acting just like a, as a material uh, person is having relatives and all these things, He is acting in all these different relationships?” So, they become bewildered that, “In fact is this the Absolute Truth or is He something else, what is the situation?” They are not able to understand.

What to speak of the great sages, even the demigods like Brahmā and Indra they made a mistake in recognizing Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa deceive. When Kṛṣṇa was a small child, that time His mother tied Him to the butter churning stone. and He was just crawling in the garden pulling that stone, and it stuck between two arjuna trees. And the trees broke down, and the two sons of the demigod Kuvera, they appeared from those trees. Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva. And they offered all their prayers to Kṛṣṇa saying that, “ They out… Kṛṣṇa was so kind that they had committed great offenses. They had… by the blessing of Lord Śiva. they could enjoy despite the side of Kailāsa in the Mānasa-gaṅgā or the Mandākinī-gaṅgā. But instead of doing spiritual activities, they were engaged in frolicking with young Apsarās, heavenly girls. And in this way, they were drinking and doing all type of things that the sons of demigods should not do.

And the Nārada Muni found them in that state. And they were so shamelessly drunk. That although the girls that were there, they were hid themselves, because they were afraid of Nārada muni curse. But the, these two sons they weren’t at all concerned. So Nārada muni cursed them that they will become trees. Then he also said that, “They will become trees in Vṛndāvana, and they will be delivered by Kṛṣṇa who they can see face to face.” So although these two brothers had no qualification to see Kṛṣṇa face to face, but because Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee Nārada Muni, he gave this type of curse which was actually also a blessing. Therefore, they could see Kṛṣṇa face to face. So Kṛṣṇa said that, “Actually the only reason you are seeing Me today is because My devotee has desired it. Therefore, I am doing this.” So, you can understand how powerful is the blessing of a devotee?

Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, they had… were doing very bad… they were doing unauthorized activity, what to speak of pious activity? They were doing activity which was completely against the regulative principles for a demigod, or for a human being. But in spite of that, Nārada Muni, he blessed them that they could see Kṛṣṇa. So because he said that Kṛṣṇa accepted. What to speak if the devotee is sincerely trying to serve the Lord through the spiritual master, and if the spiritual master prays to Kṛṣṇa, “Please have Your mercy on this fallen soul.” You see, then Kṛṣṇa very easily delivers that devotee. Therefore, we depend more on the mercy of the devotee for our spiritual advancement than even in our own sādhanā, or our own practices.

By the mercy of the devotee, one can make very rapid advancement. Even, even if these persons who did not have, you see proper qualification they also could see Kṛṣṇa face to face. So, what to speak the devotee's blessing is so powerful that we are always hankering for getting that special mercy. Because the spiritual master, the pure devotees, they are very dear to Kṛṣṇa, so if they ask Kṛṣṇa something, then Kṛṣṇa, He honors that request. Not that Kṛṣṇa is obliged. He is independent. He can do as He likes. But out of His very friendly and wonderful nature, which is unparalleled, He gives that special facility to His devotee that He gives that mercy.

If the devotee wants something, then Kṛṣṇa, He often, He fulfills that although He is not obliged to. That’s His wonderful nature. So, these two sons of the demigods, they could understand seeing Kṛṣṇa that this is not just a small boy in Vṛndāvana. This is the Para-brahma. This is the same Supersoul. But He has disguised Himself and this way He is playing for His own purpose. So, they also admitted that, “Nobody can understand Who You are Kṛṣṇa. But somehow or other, we could understand that in fact You are the Supreme Lord. But uh You cover Yourself in this way by Your līlās, and we only want to pray that we can now not forget You, and we can eternally engage in Your devotional service.”

So Kṛṣṇa blessed them that, “Now you don’t have to fear. You can go back to your father Kuvera, and you shall not forget Me in the future.” May be that by their getting blessing of Lord Śiva also. Somehow, they misused that blessing, you see. This is the difference. Sometimes we approach a demigod for some material facility, and they give, “Alright, you take it.” But then that we may misuse that facility. Another type of blessing by the brother of Śiva in one sense is that Nārada who was mānasa-putra of Brahmā in this creation, although actually he is eternally liberated, so in that sense, he is beyond all these categories. Well he blessed the Kuvera’s sons.

His curse was a blessing that they could get the eternal bhakti, eternal service to Kṛṣṇa. So that was considered to be a far greater blessing. Śivaji, he also Lord Śiva give this blessing sometime if somebody ask Śiva that, “Please give me blessing of pure devotional service,” he is very pleased. But normally people are not approaching him for that. They are approaching for some material benedictions, so he very disinterestedly, “Alright, take it.” You see, but the demigods they are also controlled by Kṛṣṇa in their heart by the Paramātmā Viṣṇurupa. So what happens is that demigods they are giving the blessing in proportion to the sacrifice and the worship of the devotees.

If a particular worshiper or yājakā of a demigod, of a devatā you see performs a tapasyā whether it is to Kārtikeya or to Śiva, or to Durgā according to how they are performing their tapasyā, then they will give a reciprocal benediction. But the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they are considered to be like desire trees. Their mercy is beyond this type of calculation. That’s why we pray Vaiṣṇavanam ya… we pray

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

That they’re patita-pāvana, they’re unlimitedly merciful because even for a little small service, you see, they give a very big benediction. Or in this case, even without any qualification, rather negative qualification, Maṇigrīva and Nalakuvera had negative qualification, they were rather offensive. But as a result of their offenses, the mercy of… who can imagine Nārada Muni’s mercy that he gave them a blessing in the form of a curse that they could see Kṛṣṇa face to face. And they could reside in Vṛndāvana for so long. Even though they were trees, they were also blessed that they could have the same human intelligence. So, they had lot of time to meditate on their mistakes, and then in the end, they could see Kṛṣṇa. So that, that blessing of the devotee, even his curse is a blessing, what to speak of his blessing? That is unimaginable.

So therefore, it is recommended, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā - We should regularly serve the Bhāgavatas. Who are the Bhāgavatas? Bhāgavata is in two categories. Who can say what are the two categories of Bhāgavata? Kāla Kṛṣṇa dāsa? One is…

Kāla Kṛṣṇa dāsa: Book Bhāgavata

Jayapatākā Swami: One is book Bhāgavata. Is there any other category?

Reply: Person devotee.

Jayapatākā Swami: The person bhāgavata. So, the devotee who is completely dedicated to practicing and preaching and living the teachings of the book Bhāgavata is also bhāgavata. So therefore, we serve both the devotee who is living by the Bhāgavata as well as we serve the book Bhāgavata, you see. And by this we get purified and we get special blessing. So bhāgavatas they are glorified in the sastra, and actually this is uh practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also meant for the bhāgavatas. Those who are very powerful or pure bhāgavatas or devotee they are also called mahā-bhāgavata or uttama-adhikārī.

So, Kṛṣṇa when He comes, and He does His pastimes, it’s not an accident. That all these so called relatives of Kṛṣṇa of course Kṛṣṇa has no relative in one sense. He is Para-brahma, everything is His part, you see. Everything is related but not in that sense. But He comes down, and He has that power that if He wants to come in the material world, He may come and so then He surrounds Himself with His devotees as His different relatives. So Prabhupāda said that, “The Lord is pleased, always pleased to satisfy His devotees in any capacity. Only His devotees can play the parts of his relatives. The Lord is absolute.”

Because, what is the nature of the devotee? A devotee is someone who is always trying to please the Lord, you see. In the Vedas it describes that the brāhmaṇas, the ṛṣīs, they are very dear to the Lord. But it also describes… Madhvācārya has explained that even more dear than these ṛṣīs and sages are the devatās, the administrative demigods. They are more dear because they are devotees, you see. Indra, Kuvera, Bṛhaspati are the different devatās. They are Viṣṇu bhaktas. In Vedas it is described the definition of a sura is that He is a Viṣṇu bhakta, and the definition of an asura or a demon is that he is inimical to Kṛṣṇa, to Viṣṇu bhakti. So the difference though between the devatās and the pure devotees is also there. That more dear than even the demigods is the bhāgavatas, or those who are pure devotees.

Because devatās although they are devotees of the Lord, some of the sages they are also Māyāvādīs, or they are impersonalists. They might not be in bhakti-yoga. They may be in jñāna-yoga, or aṣṭāṅga-yoga, or some other form of yoga, or in karma-kāṇḍa, many of them. So they are dear to the Lord, but they are not considered necessarily to be devotees. So more dear to them are the demigods. But demigods just like Indra, he approached the Lord that He wanted to defeat that one demon Vṛtrāsura. But… so the Lord said that, “You can defeat him. This is the way. But Vṛtrāsura is more fortunate than you are; because you are asking that he be defeated so that you can continue with your material happiness. For maintaining your material position, you are asking My help. But he is asking that even if he dies, he wants to return to Me as an eternal devotee. So actually, between the two of you, although I am answering your prayer, and his prayer, but he is more advanced than even you, although he is in the body of a demon.”

So although Vṛtrāsura took the demon’s body, actually he was a bhāgavata. He was Citraketu in a previous birth. And he was cursed by Pārvati to take birth as a demon because of some inadvertent statement. So… but Kṛṣṇa says that na me bhaktaḥ viṇaśyati.. praṇaśyati - that My devotee is never destroyed. So because Citraketu was cursed, that is of course a very unfortunate thing materially speaking, but because he was a pure bhāgavata, that even that curse took the form of a blessing, and he could achieve liberation and perfection as a pure associate of the Lord in his next birth itself, in one birth. Where Indra, he regained his position, but that was after all a material position. To be Indra has got its limitations. At the end of his life then again, he has to suffer his karmas. This is the situation.

So therefore, we are given all these stories and all these examples in the śāstra, so we can understand what is the actual position of a bhāgavata, that a pure devotee of the Lord is in the most exalted position, you see. So a pure devotee is not performing karmas. Normally a person performs puṇya or karmas to get a good result to achieve svarga, to get money, fame, learning, good husband, good wife all these things. This is why people are performing a karma, to get some blessing.

Many time people come and say, “Svāmīji my son is sick. Please give blessing.” “Svāmīji my daughter is sitting for her final exam. Please give blessings. She can…” This is normally what people are interested in. They don’t realize that you can get such a blessing, just like the Kuveras, the brothers they are very wealthy, they had the some shelter from Lord Śiva, but they became puffed up, and as a result, they became neglectful of their real purpose of life. But they got such a blessing they could see Kṛṣṇa face to face. Who can imagine, you see… which they were really grateful for. They actually felt that, “There is no greater friend to us than Nārada Muni.” They might have first thought, “We have been cursed. This is very bad. Nārada Muni is very harsh on us.” But subsequently they could see that justice and the mercy of Nārada muni’s curse. That he actually gave them the greatest blessing in disguise.

So this is the actual position that we should be hankering not for giving some puṇya which is a temporary result from which we can make some mistake and fall down, you see. Of course, we should always avoid pāpa or sinful activity like illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, meat, fish, egg, onion, garlic eating. We should eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda and avoid the other things. We should engage ourselves always in the service of Rādhā-Govinda, of Rukmiṇī Kṛṣṇa Satyabhāmā, Jagannātha, Subhadrā and Balarāma.

You are fortunate here we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa and Subhadrā, and Baladeva, which also shows Kṛṣṇa in a very intimate and personal relationship with His so called relatives who are nothing but His own expansions and energies which He is having His līlā for His own happiness and to attract the fallen souls. So, We should take that as our goal, not to do any puṇya, not to do any pāpa, not to do any pious activity for some material results, not to do any impious activity, which will bring us suffering. We should engage rather in pure devotion.

Pure devotion to the Lord or śuddha-bhakti is akarma. There is no result for that on the material platform, you see. If we want material results, we can get it without asking we can get all our desires get satisfied. That isn’t any problem at all. If you have billions of dollars, you can get any car you want, any house you want this an automatic thing. But if you have no money then of course, you cannot get these things by the ordinary means.

If you have bhakti which is higher than mukti, even the Kumāras they were also muktātmās. But when they could see Nārāyaṇa face to face and they bowed down at His lotus feet, they were smelled the Tulasī offered to His lotus feet, they became filled with ecstasies. Their hairs were standing on end. Their body was quivering. They were then able to understand that, “What we were realizing in the Brahman, in the brahma-jyoti darśana that this is nothing compared to the happiness that we are experiencing now just bowing down at the lotus feet of Lord Nārāyaṇa.” So then from that moment that Kumāras, they were converted from impersonalists, brahmavādis to bhaktas or bhāgavatas. So as the great bhāgavatas, their example is there.

We should not be distracted by material desires or by even desire for liberation. But we should focus on trying to serve Kṛṣṇa for His satisfaction.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param

—(ŚB 2.3.10)

If we render pure devotional service, then whether we are akāma - this pure bhāgavata desire less devotee, or sarva-kāma - we have got some material desire at in our mind, sarva-kāmo, mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ, or if we also have a desire for liberation from all these material sufferings, any of these three categories should render devotional service to Kṛṣṇa thinking how to please Him, and leave the rest to Kṛṣṇa.

He is perfectly capable, He is antaryāmī. He knows what we have in our mind. Rather, we will regret later if we have something in mind. We are keeping some desire in our mind some unfulfilled desire; Lord Kṛṣṇa He can satisfy that very easily. We don’t even have to express that to Kṛṣṇa. Because He knows what we have in our mind even better than we know.

So Kṛṣṇa, He is having these pastimes which are not understandable by even the great sages or demigods. But if a person becomes a bhāgavata, he can participate in those pastimes, and also he gets an insight to know what is the transcendental nature of these pastimes. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa described in Gītā, anyone who knows the real spiritual quality and secret of His birth, His appearance and His activities, that person does not have to take again rebirth in the material world.

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

—(Bg. 4.9)

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

Any questions? Yes

Question: Throughout the Kurukṣetra war, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was very keen that Arjuna should be… he should emerge victorious. But same time He permitted Abhimanyu to be killed. He knows what is in store for… for leading the future. Why can’t He give in and that help Abhimanyu? Is it also a līlā?

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes. Who should stay, who should go, that ultimately beyond our control. That’s within His control. If He wants to, He can interfere. These things of course, He even orchestrates. Sometimes, He allows His devotees to get put in some difficulty. That makes the devotee more fixed up, because these are all temporary relationship. The real eternal relationship is with Kṛṣṇa. So by some temporary drama, Kṛṣṇa brings the devotee even closer to Him. They are all drama that we appear in this world, and we are now as an Indian or as American, or as a some North Indian, South Indian whatever, man or woman, this is also we are given for this life our stage, stage dress, you see. But actually, this has nothing to do with our eternal identity.

Even the spiritual master no one can see who he actually is? They are seeing his skin outside clothing. But behind that, there is a nitya-rūpa eternal form which is there for serving Kṛṣṇa on the transcendental platform. That is not visible by conditional souls. So similarly, we don’t see the actual background all of these devotees they have got some relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and some… after Kurukṣetra war, Kṛṣṇa He went back very quickly. So, some people He sent ahead and some people He allowed to remain.

So A… Abhimanyu, his own son was Parīkṣit Mahārāja. It was Parīkṣit Mahārāja who caused this bhāgavata to be heard, five thousand years ago. so, In this way, Kṛṣṇa His plan nobody can understand. We can only hope to be uh, in keeping with His plan. Then we can get all the mercy of the Lord. If we try to oppose His plan, it will be unsuccessful. In that way the non-devotees of Kṛṣṇa often they want to try to manipulate the material affairs to create some temporary situation which they imagine will make them happy. But that situation will never make them happy. Maybe temporarily they can feel some happiness on the material platform but that will be very quickly also that will be destroyed by time in due course.

So with Kṛṣṇa devotee, they are concerned not to maintain some material situation. They want to maintain their relationship with the Lord very intimately and very closely, eternally. Kunti devī, she had ample tribulations in her life. And when finally, she had an opportunity to express her heartfelt experiences and affections to Kṛṣṇa, at that time Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā and what did she say?

She said that, “My Lord, You are… we have we have suffered so many difficulties in our life. And now we are at success so called success of life. We are now enjoying the empire of the entire world without any enemies whatsoever. But we are seeing that today You are going back to Dvārakā leaving us here. And as a result,we feel that rather than this so-called sampadā or good fortune, that You put us again in some distress so we can call upon You and You can come and save us. Therefore, we can have Your association more and more. For us having Your association even for a moment this is more important and relishable and satisfying to us than all of these material facilities which now by Your arrangement we have been given.”

So devotee has a totally different perspective. They become actually completely involved with Kṛṣṇa. And that love is something which is transcendental, and fully satisfying to the devotees. Even if the devotee may be given some material facility, they don’t get distracted by them in you see. They can’t forget Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa of course has the power. If He wants to, He can do anything. But in some cases, its Kṛṣṇa’s desire that, “Let people go on.” For some reason, we don’t know what is His plan? That soul may have some purpose in some other place, in some other universe.

Yes?

Question: What is the meaning of mercy?

Jayapatākā Swami: Mercy. Misericordia.

Reply: Misericordia

Jayapatākā Swami: Mercy. Of course, if someone gives you something for which they are not obliged to do that, that’s called mercy. If you make a business deal with some merchant that, “I’ll work for you, and you pay me thousand rupees per month.” and he pays you thousand rupees, and that is the market rate for that job, then this is not a question of mercy, its fair market. But if he doesn’t need any employee, and neither he has anybody, he says, “Alright, you stay here and I will give you some money”, then you can say, “Well he is being merciful.” That means that it is some kindness. That he is doing something for which he is not actually necessary to be done. He is doing it because of some sentiment, or some kindness on his part to help another.

In Kṛṣṇa’s case you see He gives His mercy. That means that He is not obliged to do so. See, there’s nothing we can do, there’s nothing that we can do to actually get from Him some particular benediction whereby we are obliged to do that. That’s why even sometimes if the Lord gives a devotee a material benediction they’ll say, “That’s not merciful.” Some pure devotee might out of his deep love He may also even criticize that to give a devotee who is serving to give him some material thing this is not mercy, because that material thing is not so valuable. That if they can get pure bhakti, that is real mercy, like that. But these are internal type of sentiments. Basically, mercy means they are giving something more than what they need to give, out of their own kindness, out of their own very broad heart they are giving.

Just like the Vāsudeva Datta, he prayed that, “All living entities in the universe let them be delivered to Kṛṣṇa, let me take their karma.” They know not that those living entities did anything for Vāsudeva Datta. Why is he taking? “Let me take their karma.” Everybody is hungry to get rid of karma. He is saying, “Give me their karma. Let them go back to Kṛṣṇa.” Because that was his mercy. That was his very kind mood that he thought that, “Somehow I tasted the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s sevā, Kṛṣṇa’s service, and these people they are all bahir-mukha. They are just absorbed in material suffering and enjoyment, missing out their real happiness. So, once I already experience even for a second the happiness of Kṛṣṇa, now my life is already you see fulfilled. Why should I one person just be happy and everyone suffer? Better let me suffer and them all go back to Kṛṣṇa. Let me take their karma and let them go back. Then I can just suffer. For one person, if I suffer, what’s the harm, I am insignificant, if so many can be saved?”

This type of mentality, this sacrifice wanting to help others is the nature of a devotee. There is no cause for that. You see. They will be called fools. Many time, if a person becomes a devotee and starts to preach and distribute books to… to  do devotional service their family members will come and say, “What are you doing with your youth? You could be enjoying. You could be having good times. You could be just enjoying in the world in so many ways. What are you doing? You are giving up all this fun, you see. You could be going to cinemas, and you could be may be dancing, or you could be like this doing so many things.” They try to, they think that, “really you are, you are missing the good time of your life.”

Like Govinda dāsa prayed,

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

ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana,
ithe ki āche paratīti re

ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana,
ithe ki āche paratīti re

kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala
kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala
(ei ache ei nai… jīvana ṭalamala)
bhajahū hari-pada nīti re.
bhajahū hari-pada nīti re.

That, what this ei dhana - this wealth, ei dhana yauvana - so called youth, putras - children, parijana- relatives? ithe ki āche paratīti re - what is the eternal spiritual value of all these things? kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala - life is just flickering like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. In one second everything is just topsy-turvy. In one second, everything can be destroyed. So better that we give our mind and our thoughts and our actions and words in the service of Hari, service of Kṛṣṇa. Bhajahū hari-pada nīti re - this should be our daily activity. This, let us only take this as our goal, just to serve His lotus feet. Then we are fearless. Then we can have the perfection of life. Otherwise what is the value of these things?

So devotee has got opposite opinion. Kṛṣṇa also may give the devotee family, may give the devotee fame, may give the devotee material things. But devotee takes this as inconsequential. This Kṛṣṇa gives it, “Alright, He gives”, if He doesn’t give it, Kṛṣṇa, they are not worried about that. That it may come, that’s according to our previous karmas we may get something or not. You see. But the devotee already figured it out that this thing is not essential. It I get it, it’s also Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. He’ll live with it and use that. But real objective should be how somehow or other get the shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Because once you get that shelter, then you never lose that.

The material things, they may come, they may go. Sometimes one may get very good mate. Then suddenly accident there, and one is made as a widow or widower. Nobody can say. So many difficulties, someone may get a very nice child. But even at an early age sometimes children are dying. Then they are feeling very bad. Like King Citraketu got a son, then the son died untimely. He was very frustrated. So material happiness means material suffering. We can’t avoid one, because always a limit is there, always end is there. So the devotee they become detached. If suffering or happiness comes, we’ll tolerate. The real thing that I want is to get the shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Because that is the real happiness and that never ends.

Material happiness and material suffering that we have to tolerate. Even you have entered devotional service, that doesn’t mean you won’t get material happiness. Rather Kṛṣṇa says, “There is no loss. Whatever happiness you are going to get you are still going to get that. Only you may be relieved from some suffering.” So even the devotee they also afraid that, “I don’t want that happiness also. You promis,e or also help whatever happiness I was going to get, whatever good karma I have I am going to get, but even that good karma, if it stands in the way of my devotional service, I don’t care for it, you see. If it can be used in my devotional service, alright. I don’t mind. But if it is going to be a stumbling block, then I also don’t want even my good karma.”

So the materialist they can’t understand, they don’t see that the devotee actually doesn’t lose any happiness. They get the full happiness. But they also, they are not deriving satisfaction from that material happiness. The devotee derives the satisfaction from the pure devotional service.

Yes?

Question: Some devotees tell they want to get the dīkṣā. When they get the dīkṣā and what is the dīkṣā?

Jayapatākā Swami: When you will get dīkṣā and?

Question: What means the dīkṣā is? What does it mean?

Jayapatākā Swami: What means… what is the meaning of dīkṣā? Oh. So dīkṣā means…

…Kṛṣṇa. They’re on probation. Once they surrender to Kṛṣṇa and say, “Kṛṣṇa my life is Yours. I want to serve You eternally.” The way that one does that is through Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee. One has to surrender to a devotee of Kṛṣṇa as a spiritual master, and accept initiation, and serve that spiritual master following his instruction as being the absolute representative of Kṛṣṇa.

So, initiation we give normally after a devotee is in the temple for six months. A devotee can cook, means he can prepare the thing like cutting vegetables, rolling the chapāti, or making the batter and things like that. But actually, fire work the putting the thing on the fire, and the final action that should be done by people who are initiated, when you are offering it to the Deities. Because this is the [pañca-tantrika] pañcarātrika ruling is there that the someone who is initiated they are able to serve Kṛṣṇa.

They are… there Kṛṣṇa says, “I accept someone who is initiated on My same spiritual level.” We can’t approach Kṛṣṇa. We are born human being. Human being means that’s a material position. Kṛṣṇa is not human. He is on transcendental platform. When we accept dīkṣā that means we accept a new birth, dvijatva. Second birth means that mother is śāstra, and father is guru. You see. Then Kṛṣṇa accepts us that now you are on a spiritual platform. That time we accept that we are not the body, we are the soul. Body is only our vehicle, and we are serving in this way. So all these thing are many implications for dīkṣā. Dīkṣā also means to become a śiṣya. Śiṣya means to follow the discipline of the guru.

So unless there is some emergency, normally the final cooking, that means the touching of the fire that should be done by initiated person. Because that person will be responsible also. If a person is dirty, or touching not knowing the purity, if they are touching the fire, and offering that type of food to Kṛṣṇa, that will be an offense. And for a new devotee, we don’t want them also to commit any offense. Or an older devotee. So anyone who is going to cook for the Lord, they shouldn’t take it lightly. This is a very intimate service, and they should learn all the details of cleanliness which are part of arcana or deity worship. And they should follow the system very strictly never touching the mouth, never touching their feet, never touching the ground without washing their hand, never touching offered food and then again touching the unoffered food. It’s a whole system. And if one transgresses these rules, even when unknowingly, that will be considered offensive in deity worship.

Of course, Jagannātha… are quite merciful. But Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī and Satyabhama. Goddesses of fortune Satyabhama, Rukmiṇī they have been known to be very exacting. We should be very careful. They may not be so tolerant if someone offers to Kṛṣṇa something which is not proper. They may, they may not be very tolerant. I mean we can pray for their mercy because we are all neophyte devotees, they can pray like that, the devotee. But it is better to be very careful when serving these types of very powerful Deities. But we should know the whole system carefully, and accordingly it should be supervised by a brāhmaṇa. Others they can assist. They can work in the kitchen and assist.

If there is a brāhmaṇa they are who is responsible to see that that means the dīkṣita person in to the Vaiṣṇava the system, who is responsible to see that everything is being done according to the system. And that personal offering of the food and the final cooking touches that should be preferably be done by a initiated person, when we are offering to a Deity.

If someone is cooking in their own house, and they are offering to Kṛṣṇa themselves, they own a picture of Kṛṣṇa that is a separate question, but this is a temple which is having the Deities and the Deities are persons. There Kṛṣṇa Himself is there with Lakṣmī and with Balarāma, and we have to try our best to satisfy them being conscious of what is dissatisfying to them also.

Devotee: Getting late.

Question: That means the regular sweets just available in (inaudible) can we purchase and offer to the Lord?

Jayapatākā Swami: In our major temples in Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur, in Bombay we don’t purchase any store-bought fruits uh these where store-bought sweets. In the smaller temples sometime, they purchase. Of course, purchasing is that has got some other implications. Purchasing is sometime allowed. but that would be considered to be not as perfect as if we could make the things ourselves, because, they are not having any pure standard.

We don’t know what type of, actually technically speaking store-bought things which are made outside by non-devotees, they are not… even in the West, we don’t also offer fruit juice. We make the juice ourselves, because whether that people are washing their hands after they are going in bathroom, or something like that, or what they’re doing, you don’t know, what standard they have. There are many rules, you see. If you go to the bathroom, you have to take an entire shower. The same cloth you shouldn’t use, if you are going to cook for the Deity. If people are negligent of this, they will get worse than sinful reactions. They will get offensive reactions from Kṛṣṇa. Their devotion will be stuck up. And for preaching sometime, you can pray to Kṛṣṇa that for preaching sometimes, we have to just do these things, and there is no alternative. But normally one should be very careful. It’s an opportunity to get the blessing; it’s an opportunity at the same time if you are not careful to also get punished. So, we should be very careful when we do these things to do it properly.

Question: All the fruits and flowers we bring are offered to the Lord?

Jayapatākā Swami: Well that is made by Kṛṣṇa.