19881030 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 21.42-55

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on October 30,th 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia.  The class begins with the reading from the Chaitanya Caritamrita Madhya Lila chapter twenty-one, text forty-two to fifty-five.

Jaya Jaya Sri Chaitanya Jaya Nityananda Jaya Advaita Chandra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrinda.

All devotees repeat.

Jaya Jaya Sri Chaitanya Jaya Nityananda Jaya Advaita Chandra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrinda.

All devotees repeat.

CC Madhya 21.42

ei artha madhyama, śuna ‘gūḍha’ artha āra

tina āvāsa-sthāna kṛṣṇera śāstre khyāti yāra

This is the middle meaning. Now please hear the confidential meaning. Lord Kṛṣṇa has three places of residence, which are well known from the revealed scriptures.

CC Madhya 21.43

‘antaḥpura’goloka-śrī-vṛndāvana

yāhāṅ nitya-sthiti mātā-pitā-bandhu-gaṇa

“The internal abode is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. It is there that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s personal friends, associates, father and mother live.

CC Madhya 21.44

madhuraiśvarya-mādhurya-kṛpādi-bhāṇḍāra

yogamāyā dāsī yāhāṅ rāsādi līlā-sāra

“Vṛndāvana is the storehouse of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and the sweet opulences of conjugal love. That is where the spiritual energy, working as a maidservant, exhibits the rāsa dance, the quintessence of all pastimes.

CC Madhya 21.45

karuṇā-nikuramba-komale

madhuraiśvarya-viśeṣa-śālini

jayativraja-rāja-nandane

na hi cintā-kaṇikābhyudeti naḥ

“ Vṛndāvana-dhāma is very soft due to the mercy of the Supreme Lord, and it is especially opulent due to conjugal love. The transcendental glories of the son of Mahārāja Nanda are exhibited here. Under the circumstances, not the least anxiety is awakened within us.’

CC Madhya 21.46

tāra tale paravyoma‘viṣṇuloka’-nāma

nārāyaṇa-ādi ananta svarūpera dhāma

“Below the Vṛndāvana planet is the spiritual sky, which is known as Viṣṇuloka. In Viṣṇuloka there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets controlled by Nārāyaṇa and other innumerable other expansions of Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 21.47

‘madhyama-āvāsa’ kṛṣṇera — ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-bhāṇḍāra

ananta svarūpe yāhāṅ karena vihāra

“The spiritual sky, which is full in all six opulences is the intermediate residence of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is there that an unlimited number of forms of Kṛṣṇa enjoy Their pastimes.

CC Madhya 21.48

ananta vaikuṇṭha yāhāṅ bhāṇḍāra-koṭhari

pāriṣada-gaṇe ṣaḍ-aiśvarye āche bhari’

“Innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets which are just like different rooms of a treasure-house, are all there, filled with all opulences. Those unlimited planets house the Lord’s eternal associates, who are also enriched with the six opulences.

CC Madhya 21.49

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya

devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu

te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation

“Below the planet named Goloka Vṛndāvana are the planets known as Devī-dhāma, Maheśa-dhāma and Hari-dhāma. These are opulent in different ways. They are managed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the original Lord. I offer my obeisances unto Him.’

This is a quotation from the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.43).

CC Madhya 21.50

pradhāna-parama-vyomnor

antare virajā nadī

vedāṅga-sveda-janitais

toyaiḥ prasrāvitā śubhā

“Between the spiritual and the material world is a body of water known as the river Virajā. This water is generated from the bodily perspiration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Vedāṅga. Thus, the river flows.’

This verse and the following verse are from the Padma Purāṇa.

CC Madhya 21.51

tasyāḥ pāre para-vyoma

tri-pād-bhūtaṁ sanātanam

amṛtaṁ śāśvataṁ nityam

anantaṁ paramaṁ padam

“Beyond the river Virajā is the spiritual nature, which is indestructible, eternal, inexhaustible and unlimited. It is the supreme abode, consisting of three fourths of the Lord’s opulences. It is known as paravyoma, the spiritual sky.’

Purport

In the spiritual sky there is neither anxiety nor fear. It is eternally existing and it consists of three fourths of the Lord’s energy. The material world is an exhibition of only one fourth of the Lord’s energy. Therefore, it is called eka-pād-vibhūti.

So the Chaitanya Caritamrita is considered to be the post graduate study of the Vedic literature of the Krishna conscious philosophy. Bhagavad Gita is considered higher, high school course and one comes up to the point of surrendering to Krishna. The final teaching in the Bhagavad Gita is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁvraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ - Surrender everything unto Me, giving up all varieties of duties, religions, simply surrender unto me, I will protect you from all the sinful reactions. Of this have no doubt. That surrendering to Krishna is the ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad Gita. Then the Srimad Bhagavatam begins from there that when someone is surrendered to Krishna, then what is one’s duty.

Basically, all religions are to give salvation. Some are there that give you moral instructions while living in this life, but ultimately salvation is considered to be like a goal. But once you are saved, once you achieve liberation then what to do? See, that is the big mystery. Then they know who is God?  What to do once you achieve God?  What is liberation?  So, the Srimad Bhagavatam shows the life of different liberated souls. Souls who have achieved liberation through devotional service illustrating the practice of Krishna consciousness. The activity of serving Krishna after having surrendered to Him, the achievement of love of Krishna, an activity in pure love of Krishna is considered the college course, the university course. Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita is considered post graduate. Here, you already have achieved love for Krishna. have already understood various aspects of devotional service. Then here some very specific details like here is a description of the different aspects of the spiritual world. You may get it in very big detail for easy understanding. This is even said to be higher level of understanding, although if one thing follows that after the next, understand this teaching one needs to have basic background. Chaitanya Caritamrita is considered the most important literature following Chaitanya Mahaprabhu because it gives such a clear philosophical, historical, chronological account of the life and teachings of Lord Chaitanya. In fact, when Srinivas Acharya was taking the books from Vrindavan back to Bengal, the Chaitanya Caritamrita was placed at the bottom, but when he opened the box, he found that the Chaitanya Caritamrita was on the top! So this was another confirmation that Chaitanya Caritamrita is the topmost!

 

But the Chaitanya Caritamrita is not just someone’s opinion, you see that there are various quotes from the Vedic literature. In fact sometimes persons who are not educated in Sanskrit decide to read the direct Bengali. They had criticised Krishna das Kaviraj that he didn’t put too much Sanskrit in the book. But to make his book authoritative, when he would make a point or when Lord Chaitanya would make a point, he would include with the quotation of Lord Chaitanya that would make it more effective, make it more authentic. Since the Vedas are accepted by everyone, Lord Chaitanya may be accepted by His followers. So, to make the teaching of Lord Chaitanya accepted by all followers of the Vedic culture, he gave different references from the Vedas to support His teaching. It is not that Lord Chaitanya simply said that the spiritual world is beyond the material world. There is spiritual world. The Goloka Vrindavan is the top most planet that exists as explained by the Vedic literature. Lord Chaitanya Himself revealed that to His disciples.

Vedic literature is very vast. It is not that everyone knows everything in the Vedas, normally nobody does but Lord Chaitanya did. He is knower of the Vedas. He is the Vedanta. He is the writer of the Vedas. He is Krishna Himself. He knows everything. Just like when an advocate in court, he may think he knows all the laws. Then he meets another advocate who knows the laws better. He did his research better. He knows that in such and such year, such and such court, they made this decision and this is the reference from the President and they couldn’t get off the court because the judge was not convinced, like that, you put a very good logic and then they will go in favour, then he says, “wow, I did not know that. “

 

So, Vedas are like that. It is so vast that some time there will be some pandit and he is got his own particular understanding. So, the Vedic literatures, everyone cannot know all the Vedas. Lord Chaitanya, He and His direct followers researched the Vedas and gave us the relevant quotation. Some gurus in India who just make their own speculation, write it down and said follow this because it is referred to in the Vedas. Lord Chaitanya it was in His teaching, last night was mentioned that the Vedas it explains

“śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate “

that if you don’t follow the injunction of the śruti, the smṛti, sruti means the Upanishad, four Vedas and the  Upanishad. smriti means the Mahabharat and the puranas and other histories related literature. Sruti-smrti puranas especially mention puranas, also puranadi- other literature [Not audible] those literatures.

 Pañcarātric rules given by Narada muni is pañcarātric system for worshiping Krishna. vidhiṁ - rules, vinā – without, aikāntikī harer bhaktir- pure devotional service to Lord Krishna, Hari, utpata- disturbance, aiva- ultimate. If you don’t follow these authorised scriptures, it creates disturbance in practicing pure devotional service. So, some time they do this. Unauthorised people like this create all like this.

Lord Chaitanya being the maker of the Vedas, the knower of the Vedas, the whole goal of the Vedas, He always refers to the Vedas He is not giving something independent of the Vedas. He is giving the real essence, real purpose of the Vedas, but this was so essential that some of the scholars, they may have not really picked it up, they may not have understood. In India it is the system that when two scholars meet, they discuss in accordance with the Vedas. Whoever can substantiate the philosophy with the quotation from the vedas is considered to be the victor in a discussion. He is considered to be the authority, this is the system. “Veda pramad”-  not that people just speak, what I think really, I think that.  It’s not a question of opinion.Prabhupada said when somebody say something I think, what about that, it’s not what you think, what Krishna said, what the shastra said.

So, here we have from the Brahma Samhita that there is Goloka Vrindavan. There is other Dham-  devi ,Mahesh, vaikunth Hari Dham.  So, here it is given that there are four different levels, the material world, the abode of Lord Shiva, the abode of Vaikuntha and the top most Vaikuntha planet, Goloka Vrindavan. This Goloka Vrindavan is the ultimate shelter of the living entities. That is what  Lord Krishna describes the river Viraja is in between material and spiritual world. It is just like a boundary.

So, to go back to the spiritual world, we have to cross the river Viraja. Some people say that the river Viraja is also called the river Nirvana by the Buddhists. They don’t go beyond to the spiritual world. From the Vedas it is not that easy to exactly identify what they are really realising,which aspect they realise, may be some part of  unmanifested material energy. Seeing the work by Sanantan Goswami’s Brihad Bhagavatamrita, he explains how living entity goes progressively back to home back to Godhead in spiritual world going through the different planetary systems.

Of course, one could go directly back to Krishna, but sometimes when they go also step by step, he tells the journey of a particular soul how he goes up level by level to the different planetary systems,then in each level in the material world. Pure bhakti is transcendental.When devotional service is mixed with karma, it is one level, when mixed with gyana, some higher level, when finally it becomes more pure and pure finally totally pure that you go out of the material world and then when there is practically no bhakti at all, in lower planetary system, just karma or just gyana.

When more and more bhakti is being added that means planetary level goes higher or like we have planets of some demigods where they have desire to be comfortable but they also have devotion for Krishna. That’s why they are demigod, they have karma mixed with bhakti. Karma means the desire for fruitive result, devotion mixed with fruitive desire.Devotion means pure devotion.

 

Then there are other planets where they is more mystic powers realisation, gyana mix with bhakti. Some time they have mixture, karma gyana mix. He explained in reference to these three mixtures how you get varieties of planetary systems. Finally you go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet in material universe and normally Brahma,he doesn’t leave the universe until the end of his life. He is also like a prisoner in his own creation. That’s the difference between Brahma and Vishnu. Vishnu can make the whole material world, He can stay or He can go. Vishnu doesn’t have to stay but Brahma when he makes a universe he is more or less put. The pure devotee, they can go back to spiritual world even when Lord Brahma is still here. That’s why a pure devotee going back to the spiritual world is worshipable even by Lord Brahma.

It shows how the soul left the material world to the planet of Mahesh Dham, Lord Shiva’s abode. How they are there, performing meditation and austerities, they are more peaceful they are almost like at liberation, very close to liberation in the sense that they were liberated from the aspects of material suffering and they are out of the material universe. At the same time, it wasn’t exactly like being completely liberated in spiritual world, some kind of middle position. So, then he decided to go to the spiritual world on advice of Lord Shiva. So he had to cross river viraja and he was going towards the ocean of the Brahmajyoti and then as he was going, he started to feel that he was merging, may be  he hesitated because he is like, I don’t like to merge in the Brahmajyoti and then as he start to merge in Hare Krishna (laughter) he was in the Vaikuntha loka!  [Not audible]

 

So for devotees,merging is like very fearful, the most scary thing he ever has encountered, almost merging, losing his individuality, cognisance of perception that there is no individuality. Then he was there in the spiritual sky. Here, different verses explain aspects of this from the different Vedic literature that the whole material world is eka-pād-vibhūti. That is also an important point, it’s only one fourth of Lord’s total opulence, three fourth is in the spiritual world. The material world is a small fraction. This is also the Lord’s external abode. He has external abode and He has His supreme abode. Difference is supreme abode is always eternally existing but the temporary material world is some time manifested and sometime unmanifested. Krishna wants to go out for vacation in material world with living entities giving them a chance to get back.  He is manifested when He comes in. Some time He just remains dormant for a while. This is explained here. 

CC Madhya 21.52

tāra tale ‘bāhyāvāsa’ virajāra pāra

ananta brahmāṇḍa yāhāṅ koṭhari apāra

“On the other side of the river Virajā is the external abode, which is full of unlimited universes, each containing unlimited atmospheres.

CC Madhya 21.53

‘devī-dhāma’ nāma tāra, jīva yāra vāsī

jagal-lakṣmī rākhi’ rahe yāhāṅ māyā dāsī

“The abode of the external energy is called Devī-dhāma, and its inhabitants are the conditioned souls. It is there that the material energy, Durgā, resides with many opulent maidservants.

CC Madhya 21.53

‘devī-dhāma’ nāma tāra, jīva yāra vāsī

jagal-lakṣmī rākhi’ rahe yāhāṅ māyā dāsī

Purport

Because he wants to enjoy the material energy, the conditioned soul is allowed to reside in Devī-dhāma, the external energy, where goddess Durgā carries out the orders of the Supreme Lord as His maidservant. The material energy is called jagal-lakṣmī because she protects the bewildered conditioned souls. Goddess Durgā is therefore known as the material mother, and Lord Śiva, her husband, is known as the material father. Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva therefor known as material father and mother. Goddess Durgā is so named because this material world is like a big fort where the conditioned soul is placed under her care. For material facilities, the conditioned soul tries to please goddess Durgā, and mother Durgā supplies all kinds of material facilities. Because of this, the conditioned souls are allured and do not wish to leave the external energy. Consequently, they are continuously making plans to live here peacefully and happily. Such is the material world.

So, when we are ( inaudible) Krishna, mother Durga is baby sitting. So we call baby sitters as mother also out of respect. She keeps the kids happy. She gives [Not audible] so we are happy that we are in the [Not audible] and we think I am  going to stay for ever this is great, better to be in [Not audible] garden, the nursery school be back home more toys here. But the human form of life is meant to go on, to be able to realize we have another higher existence, should go out of the kindergarten school and nursery school, go back home back to Godhead.

When we grow up  engaging directly in serving Krishna, that time only the [Not audible] baby sitter Durga. So, of course Durga not our [Not audible] this is birth, death, old age, disease, we have to take karmas for what we do.  So, although we think this is very enjoyable, afterward we cry as we suffer in the material world. Krishna, when we cry Krishna, we want to be delivered, we have the desire to get out of this suffering, then Krishna provides us this need.

CC Madhya 21.54

ei tina dhāmera haya kṛṣṇa adhīśvara

goloka-paravyoma — prakṛtira para 

“Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor of all dhāmas, including Goloka-dhāma, Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma and Devī-dhāma. The paravyoma and Goloka-dhāma are beyond Devī-dhāma, this material world.

Purport

When a living entity is liberated from Devī-dhāma but does not know of the opulence of Hari-dhāma, he is placed in Maheśa-dhāma, which is between the other two dhāmas. The liberated soul does not get an opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead there; therefore, although this Maheśa-dhāma is Lord Śiva’s dhāma and above Devī-dhāma, it is not the spiritual world. The spiritual world begins with Hari-dhāma, or Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

So, the different descriptions here given are that of different spiritual universes. Some of them in the material world, but doesn’t know anything about Krishna, just want to merge, just after Mahesh Dham where he is out of the material repetition of suffering, at the same time not really connecting directly with Krishna.  So, rare kind of situation, it’s not considered full liberation, usually not even discussed. 

But there is circumstances where one only achieves, be in the material world or spiritual world between Mahesh Dham . For the devotee, they know clearly what all the different possibilities are. They know who they are, they know who Krishna is, so then they fix their mind with intelligence, All right, let me go back to Godhead, let me serve Krishna purely in devotional service and when something is not favourable for devotional service, devotee rejects it. When it is favourable to devotional service, they accept it.

 

So, to be able to advance quickly we have to know what is favourable and what is unfavourable to devotional service, otherwise one is a neophyte. Neophyte means a person doesn’t know what is good for them. They don’t know what is good, what is bad. So, sometime they think oh! This is nice, let me do this. But it’s really bad for them. E Even though they might have good intention, may think this is going to make me happy this is all right why not.  But actually, what they want to do sometimes could be totally inauspicious for their spiritual advancement which is a basic problem of the neophyte. Just like even though they may be well meaning, they make mistake, they don’t know properly. But they may be little puffed up or proud, they may think, I know, they don’t know all these are symptoms of neophyte. Then when they were feeling some misery or feeling some anxiety or difficulty then they may wonder why this is happening to me. 

Then they go to some spiritual authority, they go to the spiritual master and then they find out what was I supposed to do. So, when one is neophyte, they should actually very humble. Ofcourse, one should always be humble,especially the neophyte. One has to be very much dependent on the guidance, moment by moment of the guru and guru’s representative, so we don’t make mistake.

Like Bharat maharaja, he was advanced in one sense of his realisation, but in experience he didn’t have that much knowledge. So he got entangled with the deer due to lack of experience. Someone may be very sincere, very enthusiastic, everything will be set for them to really advance back to home back to Godhead very quickly. But due to lack of experience, due to lack of proper care, they can make a little mistake. They can get tied up for a long time. Therefore, one always serves under the shelter of spiritual master unless one knows for sure.

Once in doubt, what to do, what not to do, you don’t make decision well, “let me do it, let me find out. You don’t know then.  Don’t (inaudible) or not I want to do ahh! It’s all right. You don’t know, then don’t get stuck up in the ( inaudible) ……didn’t have a proper guru, they have to get faith (laughter).   So, you don’t get stuck up in the iceberg of the material world by making some foolish mistake. We don’t take unnecessary risk.

 

We don’t speculate. What is not speculating? Not speculating means that we don’t know really what to do, what not to do, but we think, let me do this. Without knowing for sure that is authorised by the guru, by the scriptures, by the previous acharyas, sadhus, we do it any way, that is whimsical. Usually what happens, because devotional service is beyond speculation,usually the thing which we used to do something, we never think of without experience. We just do because we think that it seems good, but usually, we are wrong. This devotional service [Not audible] totally different rules. Spiritual world doesn’t run by the way the things run in the material world. So, we try to figure something out materially.

What we think make sense, in spiritual life could result in a mistake. Therefore we have to relearn what we forgot about the spiritual world, about spiritual life. Therefore we don’t take any risk, any unnecessary risk about doing something we don’t know  if this is authority. Sometimes devotee takes a risk of preaching because they know that Krishna wants this conditional soul should be saved.  Let me try to preach to this soul even though risk may be that he may become offensive even though they may not accept they try to carefully explain Krishna conscious I can save this soul. Krishna will be very pleased. That’s a calculated risk knowing that this is authorised activity, if the person turns out to be really envious and not accept, alright better not because then what is the use of telling something about Krishna when the person turn around and start offending, then that is bad for their spiritual progress and also bad for us.

So, devotee learn science of Krishna consciousness so that they can know what to do, what not to do. To accept what is favourable for Krishna consciousness, they have to know what is favourable. If someone knows, this is favourable to my Krishna consciousness still, they reject it then there is a problem. That means they rejected Krishna. If I know this is pleasing Krishna, this is pleasing the guru this is going to help my Krishna consciousness, still I reject it, that means we surrender to acting for our own sense gratification. That time, how he can help because we are not sincere, even if we try to play I don’t know.

Just like Prabhupada gives example, we can wake up a person who is sleeping, but we can’t wake up someone who wasn’t sleep, who is awake, pretending it. Somebody already knows it’s four o’clock, it time to get up, puts their head under the cover and then they say, I am sleeping. Even how much you poke up, they won’t wake up. They are already awake. This is pretending. This is the problem….[Not audible]

Someone wants to practice means to know what is favourable, what is unfavourable for devotional service. That is a continuous learning process. Because as we advance, we find our situation changing and then get then new evidences from the scripture, new applications, the principles are one.   Nectar of devotion give us many principles so we can know what is favourable, worshiping Tulasi is favourable, taking the shelter of the spiritual master’s favour is basic principle, taking initiation, taking instructions from the spiritual master is favourable, following the instructions, associating with devotees, avoiding the association of materialistic people who are not interested in spiritual life. So many different principles are given, so we initially understand, this is favourable, this is unfavourable. 

 

So, I find the bona fide spiritual master, let me take shelter. Once I take shelter, I serve under the guru. Then I don’t just go here and there. If I have  some question, I can solve it with spiritual master. Then when I am convinced that spiritual master is giving me the proper instructions, he is helping me, then I take initiation. Then after that, he gives instructions, an order. Then I have to follow those orders as non different from Krishna. Like this we go on in our spiritual life.

When I find that this person is mayavadi, this person is actually just speculating, this person not… whatever something is not exactly right on, then let’s back off. That sensitivity and dedication, accepting what’s favourable, rejecting what’s unfavourable, the things like very simple, going to accept favourable and reject unfavourable. But it is such an important aspect of surrender that it goes throughout devotional service without fail because it also implies you have to know about what is favourable what is unfavourable.

 If you don’t know what should I do, this or not this is really favourable for me, let me go and ask a senior Vaishnava. If a guru is present, we ask the guru. Otherwise we have senior Vaishnava, the sadhus, hear from the life of acharyas, teaching from the Vedas and when we find Vedic evidence, yes! this is favourable, this is unfavourable.  Then we understand this is unfavourable, still we want to do it accepting it whimsically. Then we actually back off for a little bit from surrender.

Pure devotional service is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, to be free from other desires- fruitive desire, for fruitive work and for liberation, independent knowledge. Ānukūlyena – favourable, kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ- we follow Krishna in a favourable way. Somebody says, I am serving Krishna. I like to serve Him like this whether He like it or not, whether the whole of the world, everyone says, it’s not the way to serve Krishna. I don’t care. I want to do it this way. This is not favourable.

If someone is sick and I said, please give him a little soup and little dry chapatis something and you said, no, I am want to give you a big feast. I am going to cook [Not audible]  I don’t have the appetite, I am going to cook you halwa, but I am sick… I have to take…. I don’t care. I am going to serve you know, opulent (laughter) going to kill me. Prabhupada always said that if the guru asks for glass of water, you know, I am going to give you milk! But I want water! But milk is better, take milk! So this is not serving. It’s like expression of our ego. It is not favourable. It is not pure devotional service.

If devotional service is mixed with some mode of material nature, it  is not pure devotional service. Pure devotional service is ānukūlyena ānuśīlanaṁ - we follow and we serve in a favourable way. The great acharyas of course , great acharyas, they are so much in touch with Krishna that they could directly understand Krishna in the heart and from the vedas. Everything they realise Vedas, they are in touch with Krishna. They even know what to do in every situation. Therefore, they are great acharyas.

But even in ISCKON, Prabhupada has authorised, different devotees can accept disciples, train the disciples, respond to the disciples, accept worship from the disciples. But still for the management of the entire world, which is very big responsibility, he didn’t put that responsibility….. [Not audible]  So that is the whole system of guru parampara, taking individual responsibility. Diksa guru, who offers siksa also under certain circumstances.

But for being responsible for the entire movement, Prabhupada said no, I want a governing body. He said one person, it is so complex managing the worldwide Krishna conscious movement and material energy is so complicated. The one person to get confused is too great a risk. We risk the whole preaching, put everything under water. So we have the governing body. It actually helps one to actually come up to the level of being an acharya, a great preacher, (not audible) .. doesn’t mean that it has to be officially that one-person is in charge of the whole world. Didn’t want that, Bhakti Siddhant Sarasvati Thakur didn’t want that and so was Bhakti Vinod Thakur. So, I am just using this as an example in this particular context. There were even spiritual masters who were not given that much authority to consider himself as some kind of an independent acharya of the entire movement.

Although some people took it up on themselves, later they faced problems. Whichever, how much they are individual devotee, may be not up to the level or up to that maturity to be able to be a spiritual master or an acharya for many other people like spiritual program. He is only or she is only responsible for their own spiritual life and life of their family. They are grihasthas. How to make themselves in the position of being their absolute acharya for their own spiritual life.  Whatever they decide, whether the shastra confirms it,  whether the gurus permitted it, whether the shiksha gurus permitted it, whether the senior Vaishnava had adviced, do it that way! [Not audible] Practically the person putting in some effort is the acharya atleast for his own life though not for the world and that is exactly what Prabhupada advised us. We should always be in a service attitude. We should always (not audible) We should be very sure. We should not take unnecessary risk.

Of course, for bramhachari and unmarried matajis there in the temple, generally they were very humble some times, being in the ashram situation. As soon as bramhacharis get married, then they have responsibility for their family. Matajis become mothesr in the real sense and having children. Actual economic needs are there, but with that they also take advantage of the little independence they get, whatever independence, they take it as a license, now I can do whatever I think. Actually, what they are doing, they are actually playing the maya game, even if one wants to live as a vaishya, even if one wants to live as a kshatriya, wants to live in a different situation. One can never exist without strictly following the instructions of his spiritual master and accept all that he says!

 As soon as we feel for ourselves that I am the acharya of my life, I am not following my acharya, my guru, my spiritual master, then maya cannot [Not audible] because she is more powerful and we become bewildered and we end up serving Krishna not in ānuśīlanaṁ - not following, ānuśīlanaṁ means follow and ānukūlyena means favourable.  If someone is not following, how can he be favourable ? and even if one says I am following but they don’t do it in a proper way, they don’t do it in a favourable way, so both aspects are there, following and doing it favourably.

 

So, Prabhupada explains that this human body is like bogie, you cross over the ocean of material energy, you need the association of the Vaishnavas. They are like favourable wind at the time of crossing the ocean in the middle of hurricane. Even the big ships, they are afraid of being caught in a hurricane, they can sink.  If the whole atmosphere is just disturbed, is in the materialistic association, not associating with the devotees, associating with the people who are speculative, who are materialistic, who are impersonalist, who are just someone on and off track, they can be such a disturbance to all concentration, we can even sink, go back in the material ocean! Therefore it is so important to have favourable association of the Vaishnava.

 

Then we also need a guide, how to get across the ocean. Otherwise the ocean is so wide, we don’t know how to see the stars, we don’t have a proper captain, we can end up going around in a circle and never reach the shore. Every ship has a qualified captain who knows how to steer by the sun in the side, but by the different side of nature, whatever it is in the ship. So similarly the guru, he knows how to steer according to one’s reference point. What is reference point? The reference point is his disciplic succession, what he learns from his guru, the Vedic literature, life is of great devotees and acharyas, the examples they have given for us to follow. These are the reference points. Just like captain in the ocean he sees this is the north pole, this is the sun, and then we have the instruments and then on the basis of that they can say,alright, this is the east.

Similarly, the captain of the spiritual ship, the spiritual master, he doesn’t guide by sticking his finger in the air, wind, which is always changing. He uses those things that don’t change. The Absolute truth, the Vedas, the sadhu,shastra, guru and he guides across the ocean.  It’s not even optimal, it’s not that you can cross the ocean, you don’t need the caption, you can just go out in the ocean, you know. Once kids go out in the ocean with the some ship they are bound to get trouble. Its not children’s worry.

A devotee,even a very advanced devotee, even a devotee like Bharat maharaja who had ecstasy, he had bhava, he was crying for Krishna, but because he didn’t act under the proper guidance, he ended up taking 3 more births of coming back as a deer, everything. A little bit of carelessness, little bit of independence may cause us in the next life to become an animal! Why risking? We can never be without a guru, if we are without a guru that means we are in a hopeless position.

We have to always accept spiritual guidance of spiritual master. If for some reason our spiritual master is not able to guide us, when we have to accept someone else as shiksha guru with the guru’s permission, if he is present. We have to have some spiritual guidance. Otherwise how we are going to proceed? Not that ncessary… we may have someone who shows us the map and says,you go up to this point, we follow the chalked out map and see but what if we get into a situation where no longer the map tells us for this that this was what was decided, for this, now I don’t know where to turn, let’s see where to go! Eeny, meeny, miny, moe tik tak toe, alright let’s go here.  Not like that! Don’t just risk!  I don’t know where to turn now, I’d  better [Not audible] and ask the spiritual master or his representative or a senior God brother. He knows the Guru said anything in this situation, what is the best thing to do? Oh yes, he said so and so you should do like this. Similar thing happened to him oh! really alright ok then I will do that. How do you know? I have never heard of that situation, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do, but I think prabhu ya it’s alright really why do you think that? I think that way, gut feeling I have. Thank you prabhu , I think it is alright to do like that. “I think” business is where we actually get into trouble. We want to hear what does the shastra say? what does the Vedas say?, what does the previous acharya say? what does the spiritual master say? Spiritual master doesn’t… can be a spiritual master say I think this is alright on the basis of what? Thinking on the basis of Vedic praman, Vedic references.  When this way, when we always know what we are doing, we don’t have any doubt! We don’t have any doubt, no anxiety. We know that I am going back to home, back to Godhead. I am on the right path. I am protected. I am situated under the shelter of Guru and Krishna.

 

And as soon as we start doing something which is unauthorised, we are in anxiety. we don’t know where we are going.  We are going back to some city and drive up to the airport and then they say go back, no way! You can go to the south airport, this is north airport. They will say what airlines on south airport. what airlines on the north airport, which way to go, south, north? Let’s go south. Turned out that it is the wrong way.  the airline that was in the north airport [Not audible] fifty fifty chance then some kind of [Not audible] doesn’t give any... But spiritual life is not like that, It is not that there is no risk. It very clearly says,and if we don’t know, we should know the spiritual master knows and if the spiritual master doesn’t know, he knows how to find out.We always know this is the way to go. This is the safe course.

 

So, actually that’s why what is so wonderful about Krishna consciousness is that it is very scientific, it is very systematic and it is complete. There aren’t questions that are left unanswered, there aren’t doubts that are left unanswered, there aren’t situations where one is not sure what to do and has to speculate. That is crucial to one’s Krishna consciousness. For preaching alright, preaching you have to use your intellect according to time, place and circumstances. Whether it is better to do Harinam, whether loudly or softly or whether to sell big books or small books, whatever preaching is the [Not audible] for using the intellect,we create for preaching.

 

But the general programme of preaching is after that. What things we can preach with, what paraphernalia or what, you know what rather things [Not audible] what kind of books are authorised what kind of… these are very clear.  may be one devotee today, where will go, which place to preach, which way, what particular mantra, what particular phrase are used to try the encourage this person to engage in Krishna’s service [Not audible] by using  that intelligence it’s not people [Not audible] just at least that particular direction general category is a proof and there are certain guidelines that we apply.

 

So, devotee is called buddhi yoga, the yoga of intelligence. We are given the guidelines. So we have to find out how to apply the given guidelines in the different situations we come to. We come to situation where we don’t know the guideline; let me find out what the guidelines are on this situation? What’s the instruction, so I can apply it. When kind of little bit different situation they come up, but they fit themselves in categories. The circumstances may be different. But the cateogories are the basic but a situation is not, so we have to know that we have to learn. That so we can do that which is favourable to Krishna and reject that which is not. Because we know what is favourable to Krishna is favourable for me. Because I am part of Krishna, I am Krishna’s servant, whatever going to be favourable for Him is favourable for me.

If it is not favourable for Krishna, certainly it is not going to be favourable for me and when we think that what is favourable for me even it is unfavourable for Krishna, you know anything unfavourable for Krishna if it is favourable to me, that means we are in maya. That means, now we are separate from Krishna, we separated ourselves because whatever is not favourable for Krishna is favourable for me, this is the material world. Prabhupada explains that if one gets out of the material world but doesn’t know about the spiritual world, he can end up in Mahesh Dham.

We have the Bhagavatamruta, he wasn’t really plan to go to Mahesh Dham but kind of left the material world, left satyaloka and but he didn’t really have the objective of going to the spiritual world directly, so then he ended up in Mahesh Dham and yet by some circumstances, by just having the proper consciousness that was suited being in that place according to the definition.

Once you are there, then Lord Shiva, He directs one to go back to Godhead. They have the desire to serve. See, this particular soul had a desire for Krishna but he wasn’t desiring to serve Krishna exact at that time somehow desired in such a way that he ended up in Mahesh Dham.  It works the other way also, from Mahesh Dham, one can also fall back down to material world, even from the Brahmajyoti. But when one  approaches Lord Shiva as a guru, when one approaches Lord Shiva for getting instruction about Krishna, he gets information about Krishna, about the spiritual world and develops a desire to go to the spiritual world, then they can go back to the spiritual world. But actually [Not audible] little spirit soul this body made of material energy. Because of your willing, the body acts in that way. Actually, everything is done through the material energy. Krishna allows you to control your body. You are a little controller. In spiritual world, you don’t have a body. There is just directly serving Krishna. 

But here you have a body you can control the body but actually the control is just given to you but the actual body is moving according to your desires according to the material energy. I mean actually material energy who was doing so Brahma he is willing to create like this when he wills and he has a particular formula that time actually what’s making it happen is the material energy. Material energy is in the higher state of level. So, like Krishna is the first creator creates all the material ingredient Brahma is the second creator he takes the ingredients and he puts them together.

You can build the house and somebody makes the bricks, he is the first creator, the one who makes the bricks. The second one is the contractor who takes the brick and makes the house. But with the bricks itself, you don’t have the house.if you don’t have the bricks. So, the material nature Durga is the ingredient for the entire… so actually she is cooperating with the will of Krishna over the will of Brahma and allowing the creation. So those who have higher vision they can see that actually is the material nature. From one point of view you are looking at how the material nature is creating because she is even influencing Lord Brahma because she is in charge of three modes of nature and she is giving mode of passion also to Brahma. The Durga is even above Brahma there are many Brahmas but there is a one Durga. So, in the higher sense she is inspiring Brahma to create through the mode of passion.

So, that’s why Demigods get people worship they see well material energy is really supreme because it seems she is inspiring everyone, the three mode different ways and she is doing but it’s some higher level their view point is much more subtle level than the gross. They see that behind the scene even behind Brahma is the material energy the point is they don’t see that the behind the material energy is Krishna. She is chayeva ,she acts like as shadow according to the icchanurop according to desire of Krishna just as our body acts according to our desire by the agency of material energy. But she acts according to desire of Krishna automatically although she is independent. In her own, she is an independent entity, but she simply carries out the desire of Krishna not that she is independent but she is like a puppet with a string you don’t see string on her she just act according to Krishna’s desire. Whereas us, we can almost see the string of three mode of nature moving us around we analyse we can see that one when we are not in Krishna consciousness, we will be pulled by the string of the material nature like passion like ignorance or by goodness. When we have proper [Not audible] we can see that yes, I am being affected by this mode whether you are Brahma whether you are Indra whether you are little bug …. A gopa bug, Of course, there are shaktas they think that Durga is higher than Shiva but in the general sense we may any way she only works under the potency of Krishna she only works under His desire.

Shiva is the expansion of Krishna although their situation is much more… she is much more independent of Lord Shiva than she is independent of Krishna, totally dependent on Krishna and officially she is working under Shiva but sometimes she is told to be little bit independent but ultimately she is under Shiva’s control but not to the extent that she is always under Krishna’s control.

Any questions?

If you learn a science of not from the spiritual master while he is present then those instructions may be enough to carry you right through … If you all learn instructions from the spiritual master and you may not need any another shiksha guru. In the beginning Prabhupada thought that if people are very Krishna consciousness they can transcend all the different…Like in the Vedas there is a whole science and how to check combability different symptoms is actually peoples profession is to analyse the compatibility of the best respective match and they check through their personality, through their activities through their likes and dislikes, their astrological chart, their age and their physical appearance, so many different ways, in fact actually whole science. Even to the point of length of the finger different science of while I mean the people actually does their entire occupation is their profession match making. It is not just like you know something really it actually like a science it’s an art something all scientific where they actually are able to judge that.  Prabhupada he says that the differences of material ability will not so important if people are fully surrender to Krishna then they could transcend all that because even they try to make it to compatibility,it hardly overcome more than seventy percent or fifty percent itself is doing good, that’s what I heard from astrologer, it is hard to get more than fifty percent compatibility , they can get together with fifty percent compatibility, that is pretty good. It’s only like Lakshmi Narayan hundred percent compatibility…(laughter) Radha and Krishna.

 

So, what happened is that when Prabhupada he had a very…any way I think one can’t know about what spiritual master thinks actually. But what he did say was that he assumed that they had more surrendered he had surrendered they could transcend that but in practice they didn’t surrender. In practice once they got it into the marriage situation, they didn’t really stay that Krishna conscious, therefore where they could have surrendered, they could have overcome the incompatibility by being Krishna consciousness, but instead of being fully Krishna conscious, by being in little bit a  maya, then because of incompatibility, the marriage broke up in some cases then Prabhupada after that he said no more, I don’t want any more involvement in this marriage business because it is not working out. And since that time[Not audible] about to get marry first wife, legal there can be coding system so many  [Not audible] later on by fire sacrifices, so many different situations and so now its not like that. The way we arrange if someone wants to get married is that they go around and call the brahmachari and ask the authorities to please find out the eligible girl …ultimately they are  told to associate some time and If not, if it is arranged marriage associate for six months.  why you think that the authorities said to associate, they don’t know where they are compatible not, they want you to figure it out, because we don’t know vedic science on this combability that expertly. We don’t know how to surrender, people when they actually get married whether they really going to surrender, they really surrender doesn’t really matter. I know Indian woman who are really traditional  whatever they suffer like anything for their husband but they never think about separate they just get this bond life but go through it and I know American women, they are just not going to tolerate, and if it does not work out, just forget it and who decide which is right and which is wrong this is different situation, it’s a different culture so ultimately Prabhupada said that obviously for social organisation, in one sense, it works out better if there is no divorce but then Americans say that if the woman is not happy, then why should she have to tolerate because they are more….

 

So, any way we not get into that,we just understand there is different background and different culture and therefore we had some and I want just like to say a message to all our married matajis that when you have the period of getting to know, don’t think that because the authorities are authorised that you can associate, therefore it means that  you have to get married even you think it doesn’t work out. Later on it doesn’t work out and you say well, it was arranged marriage and it is all your fault.

Because in real arranged marriage, they don’t even see each other before they get married, they ask Krishna. I know in India, they see for five minutes, they are brought together, they talk five or ten minutes, what you think about how he looks and how are you, nice to meet you and then that’s it.  Even the man, how much he meets his wife before they had married, few minutes only that is an arranged marriage.  Not the way done here in the west, six months or year they talk with each other, they discuss with each other, you know it’s not, its really a westernised culture,  it’s not like that, so people shouldn’t take it, if you don’t think it would work out, then don’t do it.

So, may be in the future we can get really expert people who can test the compatability. I know Atmatatva [Not audible] every year come up [Not audible] this is the compatibility list, (laughter) different astrologist you know.  I know that Prabhupada once said that if you are really surrendered, you know, it could work. Just by completely taking shelter of Krishna, it could work. And just like one thing as just like a kind of internal sannyasa may be for the married people have that this is this material life is like this let me totally surrender to Krishna and just officially do it.  Even in the whole family the aristocratic family just like that. How king and a queen get married it doesn’t work if they get divorce the whole kingdom would be be a chaos. So they just, you know they live in a separate bedrooms and do their own thing, you know officially they come together, inside they may hate each other. That’s the aristocratic kind of way things go on. Here the people, they want the cake and eat it too!

Those who have done a study, they say that, most marriages, they have a problem and most marriages they even decide probably they would be divorced if hey didn’t have kids. But they figure that for the sake of the children in the family, they just tolerate. At one point they thought break it up, it is like hopeless because as a family, because there is some religious obligation, it should be, because of religion or because of family that some commitment that they stick it out, for just you know like being totally compatible said like ten percent of all the americans,they always saw,like they never thought…. about it’s not that material life itself is already [Not audible] it already planned to be with the three miseries of material nature, it’s not easy. May be someone arranged the marriage and it didn’t work out, now they are very cautious not to do that and even in spite of associating, in spite of everything, still some times there is a problem. Atmatatva said even when everything things works out, sometimes there is a situation where someone advances more in Krishna Consciousness which isn’t in the astrological chart and then when we try to compare it with the oher person, It doesn’t work because the other person is more surrendered, more or less surrendered than the other, so therefore there is an incompatibility since one is more surrendered.

One is more eager to be pure devotee of Krishna ,doesn’t mind being a little detached while the other one, he wants or she wants more material reciprocation, more a little bit of you know, less Krishna consciousness, more material gratification, because of the incompatibility of their dedication. One wants, lets do arati, other one says we will go for a walk!... so you know, doesn’t work out.

So, it is very hard even if you matched it up by astrology, by qualities and everything,if one person is in maya and the other one is very Krishna conscious, then too you are bound to have disagreement. So then, hopefully people are Krishna conscious and they work out and see this is more a Krishna conscious thing, let’s go to listen to a lecture, better than going for a walk…. Guru is there, alright! So we have to end here otherwise!

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhar Srivas adi Gaura bhakta vrinda

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare.