19910108 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.9

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on January 8th 1991 in Sri Dham Māyāpur. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1st canto, chapter 1, verse 9.

tatra tatrāñjasāyuṣman 
bhavatā yad viniścitam
puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas 
tan naḥ śaṁsitum arhasi

Translation: Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.

★ Translation with repetition ★

Purport: In Bhagavad-gītā worship of the ācārya is recommended. The ācāryas and gosvāmīs are always absorbed in thought of the well-being of the general public, especially their spiritual well-being. Spiritual well-being is automatically followed by material well-being. The ācāryas therefore give directions in spiritual well-being for people in general. Foreseeing the in-competencies of the people in this Age of Kali, or the iron age of quarrel, the sages requested that Sūta Gosvāmī give a summary of all revealed scriptures because the people of this age are condemned in every respect. The sages, therefore, inquired of the absolute good, which is the ultimate good for the people. The condemned state of affairs of the people of this age is described as follows.

Thus, end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purports to chapter 1, canto 1, text 9 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the matter of questions by the sages on this 504th year of Lord Caitanya and Sri Sri Radha Vallabha Sri Mandir 8th of January 1991.

So, the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya are blessing Sūta Goswami. They had a long night. They wanted to speak for 1000 years on the Bhāgavatam. They wanted to do a 1000 year yajña to just go on hearing the Bhāgavatam in Naimiṣāraṇya because any spiritual activities performed in Naimiṣāraṇya have effect in purifying the whole universe. In the Puranas, it is said that there’s a kind of subtle hub of the universe which is situated at Naimiṣāraṇya. So, any transcendental activities performed there, reduces the demoniac nature of the human and other residents of the universe and increases their transcendental godly nature.

So, here Sūta Goswami is also being worshipped, Prabhupāda states in the Bhagavad-gītā, worship of the Ācārya’s is recommended. The Ācārya’s and Goswamis are always absorbed in thoughts of the well-being of the general public, especially their spiritual well-being. Ācārya means those that purport off the scriptures. And who explains that in an understandable way to his followers, or to the listeners. Who practices what the teachings of the scriptures and, one who teaches by example, and who can dispel the doubts of the people.

So, ācārya – one who knows, who practices and who can explain. Three things: knowing, explaining, practicing. Someone who knows, explains but doesn’t practice then it doesn’t work. If one doesn’t know, then he can’t explain. So, all the 3 things are there, then that person is called ācārya. Of course, ācārya has 2 kinds of significances. That’s a general meaning. Also, ācārya means that person who is doing this authoritatively for the whole sampradāya. That’s who we call the sampradāya-ācārya.

So, previously there would be one or more sampradāya-ācārya. At this time in ISKCON, we’re not having any sampradāya-ācārya as such. Because if someone who’s an ācārya, that means that he’s able to understand the purport of the scriptures and explain it and practice it and thus be a purifying inspiration for devotees that can become so [Not Clear – 00:06:54] Or not that such a person would be the absolute authority for the whole sampradāya.

In any case, gosvāmīs and ācāryas, gosvāmī, go means senses, svāmī means controller. So, he’s the controller of the senses. The opposite of gosvāmī is go-dāsa, servant or slave of the senses. So, we engage our senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the way of becoming a gosvāmī. In India there are many, so called Goswamis. Actually, there is no Goswami for the renounced order of life. They had many disciples, one of those disciples is gṛhasthas. Those gṛhastha disciples naturally had children, so they called their children as Goswamis. That they were disciples of Goswami.

In this way, a hereditary Goswami camp came into existence. So, really gosvāmī should be for someone who is completely controlling their senses, it’s not a hereditary matter. So now you have so called Goswamis who are not actually following any kind of rules and regulations in some cases.

So Prabhupāda, he said now it’s become more of a social fashion. Irrespective of if you guys are coming from a great family. But unless they’re practicing, then they’re not worthy of our worship. Worship is recommended throughout all the Vedic literatures, here confirmed by Śrīla Prabhupāda.

It’s an opportunity for devotees to express their devotion, just as we worship Lord Kṛṣṇa with various ceremonies of worship give us a medium by which we can express our devotion, our love, offer our respects and service to the Lord. Similarly, such worship is also prescribed in the scripture for the ācārya or for the spiritual master. There’s a Vedic statement ācāryopāsanam, worshipping the spiritual master.

So, of course, one-time Śrīla Prabhupāda was arriving in Boston, United States of America after maybe almost a year or 8 months gap. He was very sick in 1968, had gone to India, he came back sometime in 1969 end. And the devotees, you can imagine how happy they were, that, Śrīla Prabhupāda was returning because we were all chanting, we didn’t know whether he would survive the illness. When he arrived in the airport, then someone looked over the customs enclosure and said that he was inside.

Everyone was chanting 

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

Everyone was chanting and waiting when all of a sudden, they had like anchored the, no, they had some kind of a barrier or separator. And over that separator, you can see the people inside the customs enclosure.

All of a sudden, they saw Prabhupāda’s hand and his bead they go above it. When the devotees saw that, they go “Hari Bol! Śrīla Prabhupāda ki! Jaya!”. They start exploding, jumping up and down. And one devotee was jumping so ecstatically that some other devotee smashed him in the head with the karatāla. But that devotee was so ecstatic to see Prabhupāda’s hands, he’s jumping up and down, blood pouring from his head, didn’t even know it.

So, some newspaper, you know, takes a picture of that and [Not Clear – 00:10:55], and they say “Hare Kṛṣṇa jumping up and down, with shaking in his body, tears coming from his eyes and blood coming from his head [devotees laughter]. So the paper could see that he was manifesting all ecstatic symptoms. [Devotees: laughing] They were highly impressed by him.

Then finally Śrīla Prabhupāda came out from the customs enclosure. And everybody, all the devotees, all of a sudden big kīrtana, started every one fell on the ground and paid their obeisances. All of a sudden, the television, the newspaper, the general public, they’re standing there and they see Prabhupāda and you know, an ocean of people bowing down in the airport, and looking at what is going on. Then Prabhupāda sit down, on the vyāsāsana sit down and they each devotee had brought garlands, there must have been 100s of garlands, so they’re offering Prabhupāda a garland. It goes up to his eyes, then he takes off, then it comes up, up, up, then he takes off. Everyone is offering a garland, so in the spontaneous worship of the Founder Ācārya right at the airport. So, the people, they never expected, they didn’t know what to think about all this. Maybe from their point of view worshipping a normal human being. I’m not saying we’re worshipping a representative or the spiritual master of the spiritual world of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Anyway, after all of these receptions, or welcoming ceremonies, the television [Not Clear – 00:12:41] “Please, I want to do the interview.” So, they come up and do the interview. So Prabhupāda says, “Here, they’re worshipping, respecting, receiving the Spiritual master the guru. The guru is a representative of God and he considers himself to be the humble servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, if the guru thinks he is God, then he is not God G-O-D, he is dog D-O-G. So Prabhupāda reversed God, the opposite and it became dog. So that was the statement he made on television. Everyone was very surprised. So, in this way, so Prabhupāda he wanted to dispel the doubts that anybody had, that we are not worshipping the guru thinking that he is God. So, then he is the intimate and confidential servitor of the Lord.

Explanation in the Guru-Astaka:

sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

That sākṣād-dharitvena – He has the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. tvena – have the qualities. Sometimes it may be considered that he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but he has the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because he is the confidential servitor. He is engaging in confidential service. What is the confidential service? Delivering the fallen soul’s from this material world. We read last night, in the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta How Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master instructed him, that you chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
[Devotees repeat]

and you explain the glories of the harināma-saṅkīrtana process to the people at large. And deliver them. So, there in that purport, for that verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda quoted the verse where Prahlāda Mahārāja is explaining how he is not having any personal thing to ask from Lord Nṛsinghadev, that he is happy just to chant the holy names. But he's in great anxiety considering the misdirected or misguided population and how it's essential that they should be delivered. He wants to deliver them, and he's simply absorbing himself in making different kinds of plans for delivering the conditioned souls.

We see that Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was constantly engaging and making plans for the delivering of the conditioned souls. These temples, his farm projects, his book publication, the holy dhāmas, the development of Śrī Vṛndāvana, and the master developement of Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur. These are just some of Śrīla Prabhupāda's plans for delivering the conditioned souls. His instructions to do varṇāśrama, to do congregational preaching, village preaching. So he had so many plans, but he couldn't reveal all of them. We weren't ready to do everything. He said also that he's done half of the work, the other half is still yet to be done. So, he has given us a lot of confidential service to perform, many plans to make to deliver the conditioned souls through Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So, the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya were sitting down and listening to the Bhāgavatam. They're goṣṭhī-ānandīs. Their intention is to see the whole world delivered. The whole world established in devotional service. And they decided to do that in Naimiṣāraṇya, to be able to reach the most number of people or a greater number of people. So before they do anything else they're expecting their preacher, the ācārya, the spiritual master. Although first comes the worship of guru, then other Vaiṣṇavas and other previous speakers of the Madhva (sampradāya). So, this way everything begins. He wants him to explain, they want him to explain the easy and ascertainable way, the absolute ultimate good for all the people. People in this age of Kali are not ready. Fortunately, Nārada Muni, he was very much in anxiety, when he considered what was the state of affairs in the age of Kali going to be. He was in such anxiety that he went to see Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dwarka. In order to find out what will happen. And Lord Kṛṣṇa told him he was coming again, in the age of Kali as his devotee. Then he'll be giving out the love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone. Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, this way, then Nārada Muni went and he happened to meet Uddhava. And Uddhava was very concerned what's going to happen when Kṛṣṇa leaves the planet, when Kali Yuga begins? And Nārada told him that, "I was having the same anxiety". I am not feeling any anxiety. That Kali Yuga was the worst of all the ages. And now I find out that the Lord himself is adventing and anyone who chants

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

following the instructions of the Lords incarnation, they can easily get pure love of Kṛṣṇa. Which was not easily available even at the previous ages. So by the simple process everyone can get [audio cut out]. In this way, now I understand that this Kali-yuga is not the worst of all ages it's the best. It's the crown jewel, if people take up you know, by taking up this easily free available process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So, in Mahāprabhu's multi vision, He quoted one verse from the Bhagavad-Gītā that simply by remembering their names, people become attached to you by the process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then the conditioned souls become attracted to the Lord. So, devotees may engage in the harināma glorifying the Lord, so that people by hearing about the Lord, hearing the Lord's holy names, they become attached to Kṛṣṇa. That is a special benediction. The benediction, Prabhupāda explains, is so great, that even the residents of the heavenly planets are very eager to come and join the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya. They are willing to give up their position in the heavenly planets. When Bṛhaspati heard that Kṛṣṇa was coming, the guru of the devas, he decided to take birth in Navadvīpa, in order to become the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya. You become, when you are a deva in your previous life but once you take another birth, then you are conditioned by that particular body, until you leave your body you won't remember what your previous birth. This is an interesting feature that the devas can come down and take birth and then return back up to their deva position. They have a lifespan of some millions of millions of years they come down and go back up like going on a vacation. Came down as a pig, that was another type of vacation. They had cursed that he take the body, in this case, Bṛhaspati came down he gets to serve Kṛṣṇa. So, once he came down to Navadvīpa, then apparently there was more Māyāvādīs. So, by getting the association of the Māyāvadīs or the impersonalist, he became a Māyāvādi. And he forgot what he was coming for. And before Lord Caitanya came over to go to school in Vidyanagar, he knew that Lord Caitanya was going to school in Vidyanagar. He's more than 100 meters from the place where Lord Caitanya went to school, but before Lord Caitanya went there, he already went off to Jagannātha Purī. And then he became a professor, teacher and ācārya at Vedānta for all the sannyāsīs of the Śankara school. Lord Caitanya went to go to school, he was already gone. His name was Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya, Bṛhaspati took birth. You can see his birthplace just by Vidyanagara school where Lord Caitanya went to school. That's a very interesting place. Lord Caitanya, one day He forgot to bring His, teacher was chastising, "where's your pen" or something. So, He took some, He had one twig which was the best twig for making pens, in those days they'd carve it from wood. He just put it in the ground and [Guru Mahārāja makes some sound pheew] it just grew up into the whole shape. And the whole teacher and all the students would go and take off branches and use for making pens. They didn't have to remember to bring it, it was right there in the courtyard. [Devotees: laughing] And that tree is still there. According to some botanist, there's no duplicate of that tree. It's like unique tree in the world. I don't know. Those are the local anyways, we'll have to verify it. Thers no other tree like that in India. So, then Lord Caitanya, of course, you know, later he went to Jagannātha Purī and then He met Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya. Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya picked Him up from the Jagannātha Purī temple. He was lying unconscious in ecstasy seeing Lord Jagannath. Took Him to his house and saw that Lord Caitanya was in deep trance that He wasn't even breathing. It seemed no heart beat but no then he just put some cotton by His nostril and could see little slight movement of air was coming. So, in this way he recognized that He was a great devotee. He didn't recognize He was Kṛṣṇa yet. Gopinath Ācārya who is in line, he was preaching that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. But Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya didn't accept things so easily. He wanted scriptural proof. So then anyway when he offered to teach Lord Caitanya Vedānta, so for seven days he was teaching Lord Caitanya Vedānta, and Lord Caitanya would just listen. So, he said, "Any questions?", He said "No." The seven days, I've been teaching to you Vedānta for seven days and you don't have any question? So, you don't understand?" He said, "No, I understand all the verses you're speaking. I don't understand your commentary." You understand the verses, but You don't understand my commentary. The commentary was supposed to make the verse more understandable. "He said I understand your verses, but I don't understand your commentary.” That man said he was giving indirectly a little slap in the face because I dont accept your commentary. So like this then he said well what is your explanation? So Lord Caitanya was explaining the verses acording to Bhāgavata-dharma! And then that turned into an explanation on the ātmārāma... and that verse was explained by lord Chaitanya in 64 different ways. In such a way that Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya remembered that he could understand that Lord Chaitanya was Kṛṣṇa himself. That no one could explain things so exactly in such a manner without being [Not Clear – 00:26:50] being the Lord... and then he whent through all the verses that Gopinath Ācārya said that the Lord would appear as in Navadvīpa, 24 years He would be a gṛhastha, and 24 years He would be a sannyāsī so Lord Caitanya was actually Kṛṣṇa. Then he said “Please reveal your original form to me”. And then He showed the Ṣad-bhuja form. Then Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya paid his obeisances. Still that temple is there where Lord Caitanya showed the Ṣad-bhuja form, six-handed form to Sarvabhauma Bhattācārya, where we can see the deity, the six-handed form deity of Lord Caitanya. The Lord came and delivered his devotee Bṛhaspati, by taking birth wanted to join Lord Caitanya's saṇkīrtan movement, he got (not clear).

This way when we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness now, we may say well Lord Caitanya's movement here for ten-thosand years. Even if I leave this body, I don't go back to Kṛṣṇa, next birth I could take birth again as a devotee. Well, according to the Bhagavad-Gītā, next birth could be as a merchant, rich family, as a son of a brāhmaṇa, could be a Māyāvadi-brāhmaṇa. Or he could be a yogī, could be a bhakti-yogī or other yogī. If we take birth in the bhakti-yogī family, then we're in good luck. More or less all other births have got certain degree of risk. You're born in a rich family; you may not have an economic need. But then the situation today is that rich families now have so much sense gratification that spiritualy people are not very attuned. When such people come into contact with a bona fide preacher, then they can return back to the spiritual path and begin where they left off. Normally not common for people to immediately begin to chant sixteen rounds and immediately begin to practice devotional service fully. It requires a lot of association, little development, whether somebody immediately takes it up spontaneously, is attracted. These could be indications that in the previous life they had practiced devotional service but they didn't finish up. While we have the opportunity for devotional service, we shouldn't take the risk of not completing fully our Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this lifetime. Because we don't know what my next birth will be. Of course, the devotee may, a spiritual master may somehow come and save us even more in some weird place. But Śrīla Prabhupāda he said that, please don't make the the guru come back. He gave the story of Bilvamaṇgala Ṭhākura, who was very attached to Cintāmaṇi, the prostitute. But actually, Cintāmaṇi was the guru, the dīkṣā-guru from a previous life who took the birth as a beautiful woman. Knowing that his disciple was very attached to illicit sex. In order to get back his disciple in this opportune moment, he preached to him, you should have this much attachment that you have for this temporary body of flesh and bone and mucus and all for the, for the Personality of Godhead, for Kṛṣṇa, the eternal youthful Lord. So that shocked him, from then on, his life changed.

So, in the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda explained we shouldn't force the guru to come back as a prostitute by neglecting our present practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote me a letter that, said the spiritual master is officially responsible to come back again to deliver the disciple if the disciple does not return to the spiritual world. Whether Kṛṣṇa gives any dispensation or this is a matter of people discussing, but I haven't read much in black and white. But Śrīla Prabhupāda said many cases which the guru is responsible. He has to expect that when he's taking his disciples, if the disciple doesn't complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the bottom line is he may have to come back to save the disciple. Be prepared to do that. Therefore, the scriptures say that the guru should test the disciple whether the disciple is serious about going back to Godhead. Taking initiation is not an ordinary thing, it's not something that you would just take lightly, because it means that we're binding the Spiritual master to our life, but later on we leave the path which means that it's only affecting us it's affecting our spiritual master, multiple effects. So, someone who disobeys the order of the guru means the path and instructions of the guru is considered a guru-drohi, is killer of the guru. By forcing a guru to take birth again if we take birth, we have to die. So, one should be very careful. Of course, on the other hand there's one disciple we also read about it two days ago. Two days that if one disciple goes back to Godhead Bhakti Sidhanta Saraswati Thakur said that his whole mission, everything, he doesn't mind putting in all the buildings, all the everything. If one person can become a pure devotee, he considers everything as a success. Of course, we want many devotees to become pure devotees. Taking the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Srila Prabhupāda requested us to take this very seriously. Don't take the risk of being born again. Try your level best to be fully Kṛṣṇa Conscious in this lifetime.

Kṛṣṇa has very intimate rasas with his devotees. Each of His rasas has its own flavor. He had rasa also with Brihaspati. He's His great devotee from higher planet; he's also a Vaiṣṇava, a guru. Although he was more like a, he may not always be preaching pure devotional service in the spiritual world or in the heavenly planets. But he's getting the pure dose of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this time by the Lord's mercy. When he came down he also got a little bewildered so it's better now to finish up our business by being completely focused on being Kṛṣṇa conscious in this life. The spiritual master is taking so much responsibility. So, we offer him respect. Some times the Spiritual master may become overloaded with too many disciples or they're not following. There's also various risks that by taking too many disciples without proper verification that, what can happen is that the guru's mind can become polluted, can become materialistic. What can be worse than that? That's the greatest curse -- overloaded. So therefore, the scriptures say don't take too many disciples. At the same time, Prabhupāda said in order to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a guru has to take disciples. By pattern there's a contradiction. One place it says don't take too many disciples, in other place it says in order to preach, you have to take disciples. So then Prabhupāda clarified that if someone was sincere about going back to Godhead, they want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, they want to serve Kṛṣṇa eternally, approaching a spiritual master, that is the guru's duty to help such sincere candidates to go back to Kṛṣṇa. He can't refuse. So then all of you have to do is little bit verify, test whether they're actually sincere. Are they sincere about it? Sometimes we ask people, are you sincere? Do you want to go back to Godhead? They say yes. I remember one person who said, well I made a promise, I broke a promise, I made so many promises, I broke the promises.... (audio not clear) lack of mercy... that you read Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata is the greatest history. It's got many moral instructions. You find that if somebody gives their word that it is so strong, I mean, whole war is going to forest just because I gave my word. That people had so much character that if they said something, to a brāhmaṇa, or made a solemn kind of vow, they just stuck to that, no matter what the consequences.

Like Bali Maharaj, he gave his word. His guru said I'm going to curse you. I'm going to see you lose everything. He said whatever it may be; I've given my word to this dwarf brāhmaṇa. That is the, that is what sets aside brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas even to some extent vaiśyas, the upper varṇas of varṇāśrama. That they were at very high integrity. And that honor was something that was promoted so if somebody made a vow, you could depend on it.

That's why sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda, I remember that in India, there was one man he was following all the principles, he was taking tea still. But he was a very respectable gentleman, and he was begging for initiation.So Prabhupad said but you are taking tea (audio not clear) You should not take it. He said, I don't know how long I will live,how long I will be present; this is the opportunity of my life. I promise you, I will never take tea again. So Prabhupāda, considering that person he was a very respectable family and everything, he said ok for you I will make an exception based on your work. Of course, he followed all the other things, it was just tea that was not. But, so Prabhupāda -- of course he didn't take after that, never took again. He followed very strictly. And Prabhupāda may have given the license; we don't even generally take that risk. Because we consider ourselves in a little more humble position. But we can see that Prabhupāda would give some freeness to high narratives or people taking it more seriously. That was something in the west that was a little frustrating to Prabhupāda. People would take vows of marriage. And they wouldent stick to it.  Later on they would break up. Take vows of sannyāsa and they wouldent stick to it. Fall down from the initiation Lack of culture. Spiritual culture. When we take a vow before God, we stick to it. (audio not clear) the only vow you take is something before God. for his pleasure. Being married to have a spiritual family life. for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Taking vows of initiations, to serve Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master and disciplic succetion. So we know these sages are taking their vow. We are going to stay here and we want to here from you. They are going to stick to it. Because they have that kind of character.

When Parīkṣit Mahārāja said I'm going to sit here and fast until death, I want to hear the -- I want to get the Absolute Truth. They stick to it. We don't have such great capacity to take, you know huge vows. We just take vows that don't eat meat, fish, egg, onion, garlic, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex. These are vows, we should avoid these things, but unavoidably something happens. But then still you have a lifelong vow to avoid it. Immediately you have to reinstate yourself in the proper position even if somehow accidentally we slipped. Still we have to avoid it that means eternally we have to avoid it. And then if someone doesn't know the significance or doesn't, before taking such heavy vows we should analyze. If you take it, you get streghn, by following. It goes both ways. If you take your commitment before Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa also gives you the strength to follow it if you keep on trying. The other way if you neglect your commitment, then it's is no loss of dimunition but also some delay is there. You have the opportunity to reach in this lifetime, and now, of course, it's being delayed. So, we should take our commitment to Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. Try our level best! Śrīla Prabhupāda, one of the several kinds of secret of success, one of the things he said is that, I understood that the writings of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that to carry out the instruction of a spiritual master should be more dear to the disciple than his very life itself. So, when he got the order from Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, to print books, etc. etc., is more important than even as his life himself. And that determination to carry out the order of the guru, that he considered the secret to his success. And then they're debating with, we were put in a situation with some very senior Vaiṣṇava, far more senior to me, put me in a situation where they said you don't have to follow the order of the guru. It feels good in a spiritual way that this is not what we're talking about as spiritual master. When we're talking we have to carry out his instructions. But that's the most important thing. Whether for the moment it feels good or not, but ultimately, this is for our ultimate benefit to carry out his instructions. (māyā) Be it in the form of great Vaiṣṇavas, even in the form of friends, family members or ordinary people or any, she can come in any form to try to get us to not follow the disciplic succession, not to follow devotional service.

It's said that sometimes the devas, they also come in different forms to if they think that the devotee is becoming too powerful. They think that you know, maybe they'll take birth in one of the heavenly planets and take over my position. So sometimes the devas and the apsarās or something or come into dreams and in different ways they try to take away the force of some devotee or sannyāsīs especially. So, a lot of tests could be there. So, what is the solution? Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you simply have to cling at the lotus feet of Gaura-Nitāi. This clinging, happened to one devotee who was living in Māyāpur, he told me that he was visiting the temple for several years. But he never took it very seriously. So, one time he was walking alongside of the ocean in Hawaii. And it was on a big cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And he was still very attached to sense gratification, little this little that, was not surrendering. Even though he was chanting off and on. All of a sudden, he slipped and he fell off the cliff. He then, you know, why didn't I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? (audio not clear) Why did I delay? Kṛṣṇa, if I get out of this situation, I'm going right to the temple, I promise you! [Devotees: laughing] He's hanging on like this for hours, said he thinks he must have been like that for like six hours. He's just sweat pouring, you know, if you let go, you're dead. Just holding and he's I can't hold any longer, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa! And then there was a couple walking along, you know, looking over and then they see these two fingers, you know. First, they were like whats going...? "HELP ME!", they pulled him up and then he said he went straight to the temple, fell down before the deities "I surrender". [Devotees & Guru Mahārāja laughing] (audio not clear) so... forget... padaṁ padaṁ yat vipadām, we got padaṁ padaṁ yat vipadām ne teṣāṁ, we've got danger in every step. We should take shelter now when we have the time like King Kulaśekhara praying, "I don't want to wait till I'm dying of old age and my voice is all choked up and my teeth are falling out of. And I can't hear anything and I become filled with mucus and I want to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Instead of all that comes out to my throat is some [mimics sound of clearing phlegm]. Better take me now while I'm healthy and sane and body and mind I can chant your holy name thinking. And just wrap my consciousness around the lotus seed like the swan wrapping itself in the stem of the lotus, under the water. So, the devotees they want to take advantage, of course Kṛṣṇa protects His devotee. If we remain consistent in our devotional service then Kṛṣṇa also. Prabhupāda assures He won't dessert us at the end. Prepared, we know that anytime danger can come, anytime there can be sudden death.

I personally have experienced this on more than one occasion and very vividly last year in September in '89. Without any warning, death can just be coming right there, doesn't have to give any kind of, you may have to leave this body. So, we should not give any rain checks. And well, I'll become Kṛṣṇa conscious later, athartha. Now we should take the vow, brahma-jijñāsā. Complete our enquiry, to realize the absolute. The sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, they got a bona fide spiritual master there, they want to take shelter from him, they want to hear from him about the Absolute Truth. They don't want to waste the opportunity. And they're not only thinking about their own welfare, but they're thinking about all the people be benefited. So, the devotees are like trees who are giving their shade and their protection to anyone to take shelter. That they want to see the whole world given the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, on one hand, they take the full shelter of the Lord and the other hand they want to see that others are also saved. These introductory verses to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are very instructive. Tomorrow very nice verse for Suhotra Maharaj. The description of Kali-yuga.With his sense of humor im sure he will make it very in Very interesting, instructive. So, we should avoid the influence of the age of Kali. We should take advantage of the special benediction. We can be in the best age and we can be in the worst age. Joining the better side, today, tomorrow we could be unlucky, lazy, misguided, quarrelsome, disturbed side of Kali Yuga, which is the other alternative if we don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And which we're seeing, this morning I walked just quick to the beach, to the ocean, for a quick darshan before maṅgala-darśana. I said good morning to some guy and he just started swearing at us, saying all vulgar language. I don't even know what that Australian was saying but said I can't repeat to you what he said [Devotees and Guru Mahārāja laughing]. This every morning. Nice morning sunrise, you know, and they're all in complete mode of ignorance. Misguided, disturbed for no reason. So, people are suffering so much. Now there's emotional disturbances, so they are suffering. And by getting some Kṛṣṇa prasada, by getting, hearing the harināma practically speaking that's the, what other hope is there for such people? No Inclination towards spiritual life or even inimical toward devotees. But still the devotees are so kind, gives everyone the opportunity to take prasāda, to hear the holy name, to see the Ratha-Yātrā. For the devotees are like desire trees and are giving everyone the highest benediction.

So Prabhupāda is giving us that opportunity. He said if you think you've got something for me or if you feel indebted, you try to give it to others. So we should take what Prabhupāda has given us. Utilize it for ourselves fully and then try to give it to others.

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

Any questions?

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:48:56]

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa is always non different from His name.

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:49:00]

Jayapatākā Swami: In other ages, when you chant the Holy name offensively, you won’t get love of Kṛṣṇa. You have to chant inoffensively. Ajāmila chanted without offense so he got delivered. But it was very difficult to chant inoffensively the Holy name. But Lord Caitanya’s given a special dispensation, that by chanting His name first, by worshipping Him, then there’s no offenses. And then you can chant the Holy name by Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Virtually offenseless chanting. Even though there may be some offenses but by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, we can still get nectar. Prabhupāda explained the sahajīyās, they're making offenses, but when they chant the name of Lord Caitanya, they’re feeling ecstasy. Of course, the offenses may obstruct them from having a permanent love of Kṛṣṇa, but temporarily at least they’re getting some feelings of ecstasy. And if they, if we find their chanting and chant offenselessly, then that becomes a fixed [Not Clear – 00:50:17] But for instance, the many examples are given in Caitanya-Bhāgavata, for instance. It states that Ajāmila, he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa in Satya-yuga, I believe and just by chanting, he was delivered. Also, in Dvāpara-yuga, Draupadī chanted 'Keśava! Kṛṣṇa!' when she was having her dress or sārīs ripped off. And by chanting, Kṛṣṇa said He was immediately moved and He came and delivered her by her offenseless chanting. If someone chanted offenselessly, the Holy name always powerful. But in Kali-yuga, this is the yuga-dharma, this is the recommended process. For instance, in every Yuga there is a process. So, the name was chanted in other yugas, but like in Satya-yuga, the main process was meditation. If someone chanted, maybe mentally chant some mantra, but they would be doing meditative process. Like Dhruva Mahārāja. He was although chanting, like it was mentally, he was doing a very heavy yoga meditation at the same time. If it was Tretā-yuga, fire sacrifices, still some people were meditating. Some people were doing temple worship to some degree. But some people were chanting, but the main thing was fire yajña. In the Dvāpara-yuga, there was temple worship. Still you find there were aśvamedha-yajñas, some yajñas were there. But that wasn’t the main process. Main process was temple worship, worshipping Kṛṣṇa. So, in Kali-yuga we still have fire sacrifice for weddings, for initiations for some special ceremonies. But that's not our principal method of self-realization. Along with the fire sacrifice, we'll be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. We have deity worship, but along with that we have, we’re chanting. Our āratī ceremonies are filled with bhajana and kīrtana. We still meditate if you want to call it that for five minutes a day on our gāyatrī-mantra. But we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So, all the processes are there at each age but you know, in proportion like, this yuga-dharma is harināma, we’re dependent on harināma. But you see next to that, temple worship is the next most prominent. And then occasionally there’s a fire yajña and meditation is really rare. People meditate nowadays but all the processes are there but the one which is most effective which is recommended, which is the process that is to carry and carry us all the way to the destination is in this age chanting of harināma. So: harināma.. kali kāle dharma, harināma sankīrtana. [Not Clear 53:25] is now avatāra.

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya rasa vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma nāminoḥ.

Do you know that verse? nāma nāminoḥ – Kṛṣṇa and His name is not different. cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś – Kṛṣṇa’s name is transcendental. Touch stone transcendental quality. nāma kṛṣṇaś cintāmaṇih, caitanya rasa vigrahaḥ – is the form of transcendental ecstatic mellows of rasas of devotional, loving ecstasies. rasa vigrahaḥ – filled with nectar. pūrṇah śuddho nitya-mukto – is completely pure, śuddho. nitya-mukto – eternally liberated. Transcendental free from all material qualities. And it’s non-different. Kṛṣṇa and His name are non-different. 'bhinnatvān nāma naminoḥ; Abhinnaḥ. Bhinnaḥ means separate. bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.3]– separated energy. And this is abhinnaṇ – non different, unseparated. Always but in this age especially its most powerful because Kṛṣṇa and His name are not different. You can directly get in contact with Kṛṣṇa, in touch with Kṛṣṇa, in the presence of Kṛṣṇa by chanting His name. And so, what is more purifying that directly being in the Kṛṣṇa’s presence? Kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra – Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, māyā is like darkness. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, there is no there’s no māyā ignorance. So we be in Kṛṣṇa’s presence and it cuts away the darkness. Is that alright?

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:55:08] Śrīla Prabhupāda to go ahead and if we, a disciple doesn’t make it back to Godhead, then the guru has to return to bring the disciple back.

Jayapatākā Swami: Guru is responsible.

Devotee: Responsible...wow! I just think it may be?

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s interesting, we don’t always see that. Of course a liberated soul can do many things. Back to the material world doesn’t only necessarily mean taking birth. If you’re liberated, so you could come back for ten minutes, for one day, for one year. There’s an interesting pastime with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, that one day, one old man joined the āśrama, for three days kept coming to him and asking some questions. And Bhaktisiddhānta would be talking to him alone. And then after the third day he passed away. And Bhaktisiddhānta was in deep meditation and told some disciple that my guru had come in this form and I couldn’t recognize him and now he’s gone. No one knows until this day, it’s one of those esoteric things, except that somehow his guru came in this other form. But that doesn’t mean... The guru may come and take birth. That’s the bottom line, Kṛṣṇa may send him, he has to come back. But that doesn’t preempt that, there may be other ways also of saving the disciples. He may save, send a representative. Bottom line he may have to come back also he can. Just count that, at the same time it doesn’t mean that there may be some other way, that he can help someone. [Not Clear 57:20] bring back that disciple, upto the point of taking birth. transcendental world, I also, I don’t know if it’s sentimental or whatever. I was one time, and this considering like some devotee was distributing so many books, I was seeing how some devotee was sacrificing so much for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement. And just for, you know, I was just like overwhelmed and I felt so grateful. By that devotee’s enthusiastic service to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement. Then I considered that if such a devotee was to get lost in the material world subsequently, he wouldn't feel any hesitation even if he wasn't a disciple if. Even if, just because it might be somebody under shelter to come back and try to save such a person, like them to continue with their spiritual life. That is, spiritual life is the personal relationships, just like if the person is, you know, dying in the fire people run into the burning houses and bring out their loved ones. It’s not just, of course, in the beginning you know, everything is rules and regulations. But you have to understand that also this is personal relationships. Guru loves his disciples so much he is willing to do this out of love, not just because you’re forced to do it. Something I realized from all Prabhupāda’s mercy and I could appreciate even how a particular moment I got a little deeper realization that how this can make you feel some special love and affection for the devotees. We can take this kind of, it’s not just a mechanical burden of course, initially we may take it as that. Try and understand Prabhupāda said that how the spiritual master may come back even if a person is not a initiated disciple. A śikṣā disciple, because of love, because of mercy, he may come back. If you hear somebody calling out, in their prayers, in their mind, you know, there were crying, they were stuck in māyā, Kṛṣṇa knew that dear soul running it. So, some spiritual master may have that compassion, go and sacrifice to come and deliver the disciple. Why should we, when the spiritual master is so merciful, he is so kind. It is not that even you know that okay, Kṛṣṇa saying I have to go back to godhead. Actually we voluntarily go back, because of love. Because of compassion. But why should we force the... why we should take... thats what we call kṛpana.. miserly. Unmerciful. If someone is loving us so much and we are just being heartless and not taking good care. We should try to practice our Kṛṣṇa consciousness knowing how much Śrīla Prabhupāda. How much the guru, how much the Vaiṣṇavas actualy care for us. And why we wnt to even couse them any even possibility of any inconvenience when they have so much love for us. Out of love you can do unlimited things. rules and regulations In the begining but out of love you can get more. People say how can I do this...if you actualy see the love of the disciplic succession coming down with a little bit of gratitude if you feel. Theres no telling what you can do. Like they say love can move mountains. But, how much Kṛṣṇa Loves us. We take one step towards them they'll take ten towards us. So why should we delay. In the Brhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta, which is tracing out the journey of the soul, by Sanātana Goswami back to the spiritual world. Finally, when that soul reaches Kṛṣṇa, it’s very interesting.

Finally, after going up to the spiritual world, down to the material world again you know, he is going through the 14 planetary systems, the brahma-jyotī, Kailāsa, brahma-jyotī, Vaikuṇṭha, Ayodhyā, Dvārakā, you name it. He went through the entire cosmos material and spiritual, you know, looking for Kṛṣṇa and finally, when he meets Kṛṣṇa, and then Kṛṣṇa just embraces him and he just melts, tears coming from his eyes and he’s just crying. Kṛṣṇa says, "I’ve been waiting for you for so long. What is taking you so long?"

Why do we want Kṛṣṇa to go out of the way? He is waiting for us, He is more eager for us to return than we can imagine. And we are dilly-dallying. Dragging our feet. Making so many insignificant things as our top priority but putting devotional service in the back burner. We should keep devotional service as our top priority and whatever we have to do to exist, we do that.

Devotee: Prabhupāda says in the Bhagavad-Gītā that for one takes to the process of devotional service, it is more or less declaring war on material energy. So how does a devotee not use it, but see it as an obstacle for advancement in devotional service?

Jayapatākā Swami: What do we see as an obstacle? Declaring war on.. 

Devotee: Yeah, declaring war on māyā that means that... I read that māyā has two energies in the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta it describes that māyā has two energies and one of them is to throw an aspiring transcendentalist off the path of devotional service. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Story of Ramāyāṇa? You know how when Marīci came and the golden you know, multicolor rainbow deer and then Ram went to on the request of Sītā to catch it. And put Sītā under the protection of Lakṣmaṇa but then there was a whole heavy situation developed, that Marīci made the voice of Ram come out.

So Sītā said you go and protect Ram. He said Ram doesn’t need protection, nobody can get near him. She was very concerned, so then Lakṣman made a circle. He said, don’t leave this mystic protective circle, can’t enter in.

So Rāvaṇa came dressed as a sādhū, he tried to enter in. She went in to get some food and he went in [Guru Mahārāja and devotees laughing] and “I can’t get through”. So, then she said come on in because he was an enemy so couldn’t enter.

So, he said, no no I cannot go there, I am very tired you just come out here. So, because he was dressed as a saint, as a sannyāsī or like some kind of a sādhū, so, she was Sītā was always serving devotees. So, in this way he cheated her. And of course, the real Sītā-devī didn’t come out, but the plain Māyā-Sītā came out.

But this mystical circle, you can use in many definitions but one of the things you can is like that she was protected but shouldn't leave it. Like that this is a mystic circle -- you follow the orders of the guru and māyā cannot get you but when we deviate, when we neglect instructions of the spiritual master, when we offend a Vaiṣṇava, we do make offenses to the Holy name. We have to do things which (doesn’t) take us out of that protective circle. Otherwise, we're protected. Māyā is waiting there, she's waiting at the doorstep. But devotees, how they can be Kṛṣṇa conscious, it's not an ordinary thing. To be Kṛṣṇa conscious you have to have the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. So only the devotee, it says the devotee can never fall down. We've heard that so many times. What does that mean? Because Kṛṣṇa protects the devotee. Then how do devotees fall down? Because they stop acting like devotees for some time.

So, because of you know, virtually not acting as a devotee, then they fall down. That's why says you have to cling to the lotus feet of Gaura-Nitāi. We have to stay within that protective shelter.

Facing difficulty, what is the use? One time one devotee was like in anxiety and Prabhupāda said “Why are you in anxiety? Your guru is present on this planet, you can ask him questions, you can get your doubts taken”. Having guru means that all your problems will be solved, if you have a bona fide guru. (audio not clear) we can submit to our spiritual, what do you advise? What is your instruction? We carry that out.

So, we're protected. But when we don't consult with the spiritual master, we don't consult with the Vaiṣṇavas, we don't follow the scripture, we go out of that protective circle, in whatever form she wants to take.

Māyā is there waiting. That's why we say Kṛṣṇa is like the sun. Where there's Kṛṣṇa, there's no māyā. So, we have to always look to Kṛṣṇa. You look away from Kṛṣṇa, you look away from the sun, what do you find behind you? Your shadow. Māyā is like the shadow, she's right behind you, you don't have to look for her. You look away from Kṛṣṇa, she'll be there. So, then what's the purport? When should we look away from Kṛṣṇa? So, we have to keep our focus to Kṛṣṇa, mukha...

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

That, you know that verse? Kṛṣṇa, when we turn our face. Bahirmukha, bahirmukha literally means turn your face away or turn it to the outside. And what it actually is this can be translated to by turning your face to sense gratification. Devotional service is the attitude -- I do everything to the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, reject what's unfavorable to Kṛṣṇa.

So, when we turn our face away from the service attitude, and instead we look to enjoy bhoga whimsically desire to have bhoga to have sense gratification. Then what happens? We get samsāra ādi duḥkha. Then we suffer material suffering. All the suffering, I'm suffering so much. All this suffering is because we desire sense gratification.

If we just keep our face to Kṛṣṇa, if we just desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, there's no suffering. Suffering begins when we desire. The moment we desire to enjoy something, there's suffering. Lamentation, hankering and enxiety, fear. There's another verse like that. [Not Clear - 01:08:09]

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

You turn your face away from Kṛṣṇa, very similar verse. Very like parallel. You turn your face away from Kṛṣṇa, desiring sense gratification, māyā nikaṭastha ache, māyā comes right up to you. japaṭīya dhare and just like your football tackles. She's got you. Māyā, you can also think in Australian Football system you know. Lot of tackling is there, right? You can just imagine they got a whole team all around just waiting one wrong move and they can jump forward. As long as you're moving forward, eyes on Kṛṣṇa, they can't do a thing. As soon as you look around for sense gratification, suddenly you're in the middle of the scrum. For those who know rugby.

Māyā, she’s there but you say how we can be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That's why it's said, be like a little child, simply depending on your parents, simply depending on Guru and Kṛṣṇa, simply you know I'm so weak, I don't have any ability to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. I'm not a big paṇḍita, I'm not a big devotee, I'm just a very insignificant fallen soul. I can only be Kṛṣṇa conscious by really following the mercy of Lord Caitanya, of His pure representative in disciplic succession. And this way, I have to be very because that is the secret of success. That's how you can become successful. If you think I'm a big paṇḍita, I can do this, a little that. I'm a great devotee, it doesn't matter. I'm an old devotee. It's alright, if I go little māyā I won't be affected, haha!

[Devotees: laughing] Don't kid yourself.

Māyā is more strong than you are. Inspite remaining always in the humble position. Why great ācāryas have praying?

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu doyā koro more
tomā binā ke doyālu jagat-saḿsāre
patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra
mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra

You won't find anyone more sinful than me. pāpī -- Nobody more sinful than I am. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura, the purest devotee, he's saying I'm more sinful than all the conditioned souls. Bhakta this one, or Bhaktin that one or whoever it may be. But they're saying I'm the most sinful, more sinful than anybody. This is this position he's taking, therefore you're the most merciful, you're the deliverer of all the fallen souls. I'm the most fallen soul therefore I should get delivered first.

If we think that my humble attitude, that dependence on the mercy of guru and Gaurāṅga, then māyā may be ready to get you. She's not getting the chance. Tough luck. You want to give her a chance she'll take it. Don't give her a chance. This is how devotees feel. Be humble. Know that I need their mercy all the time. Why great ācāryas are praying like that? They're not praying "I'm an old devotee, I'm an ācārya, I don't have to strictly follow, I don't have to. I can go over a bit". You don't hear Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura say, you only hear some 7-year-old or 10- or 12-year devotee in ISKCON say, I'm an old devotee.

Where we are coming from, in this age of Kali. Hardly anybody was a Vaiṣṇava. Everybody was coming from Māyāvada or smārta or at the best.

Prabhupāda grabbed up the people. You know, some people they're claiming to be born in Vaiṣṇava family. We know that Prabhupāda grabbed them up from Māyāvada. That doesn't matter. Once you become in pure devotional service that's what counts. It says that this, what a person was before he's in pure devotional service that's not proper logic. It says that once my mother was naked -- logic. She was once a little girl she was naked but she's not naked anymore. Now she's a mother, she's a respectable lady.

So, what a person was before and what they are now, that doesn't have any immediate bearing. Prabhupāda said that if you're born of devotee parents then that's a good sign.

The point is that right now we have to deal with the present, we should be fixed in our devotional service, we should keep that humble attitude. Lord Caitanya, he gave a promise to Advaita, two things.

Then Advaita said, "One thing is anybody who thinks they're ready, spiritually advanced, who thinks he's a advanced devotee, don't give him your mercy. Anyone who is very proud of their position of some birth, or some any kind of material position, you don't give them your mercy. Those who are hopeless, who are spiritually, they are the most needy, they need your mercy more than anyone. Those who are normally the hard cases, the tough nuts, the ones that will never have a hope, let them get your mercy, priority basis. Karuṇāvatāra, for all those who would never get a chance in other yugas.

So, you find in the greatly what Narottama Ṭhākura is a big prince. He could have been the king if he wanted, he was the crown prince. He abdicated his throne to let someone else. He was a lifelong brahmacārī, preacher. He's presenting himself as the most fallen, I need your mercy more, for success of getting Lord Caitanya's mercy. I need your mercy, Lord Caitanya because I have this qualification, I have PhD, I have MBA, I've been a devotee so long, I took 17 books from sankīrtana yesterday.

We take everything that I need your mercy because I'm the most, and we know that if I do anything also just to keep ourself humble, this is the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. If I get twenty-five books or hundred-fifty books or a thousand books. How do we stay from being puffed up? You know that this is by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is acting through me as instrument. If I wasn't so fallen I could do so much more. I could double it. So, the devotee is always training the mind to stay in that humble attitude. And this is the way you can be protected from māyā.

As Prabhupāda says, the most fallen, we have a hell of a lot more qualifications to say we're more fallen. Sanātana says that we are more fallen than Jagāi and Madhāi. Their boy Brahma is in Navadwip. We are working for a king, we're working for the government here. They're all cow killers and everything. So, we are more fallen. Lord Caitanya said, “You are breaking my heart”. The pure brāhmaṇa family they may be working but they were having daily Bhāgavatam class and giving -- the whole Navadwip is maintained by their donations. They're everyday chanting, doing Kṛṣṇa worship, but they're presenting, they're finding out what is the defect in me and they were presenting that. We're the most fallen. Jagāi Madhāi they were great devotees, you delivered them. We're more fallen so we need your mercy more than anything. Lord Caitanya said, stop it, you're breaking my heart so much, I can't take it. Then he put his foot out, His Lotus feet on their head. We can use our imagination of the Bhāgavatam that much imagination is required.

We can use our intelligence, how we are in need of Lord Caitanya's mercy, how we are fallen, how Lord Caitanya is the most merciful so therefore we have more need for His mercy. Does anybody here need Lord Caitanya's mercy? Raise your hand!

Ok, If you tell me, so merciful, you don't have to worry about māyā, we are fearful of māyā. That's how we pray to Lord Caitanya. We remain, if we don't fear māyā anymore, then we're in trouble. If you fear māyā, that's healthy. Even Devaki feared māyā. Prabhupāda said devotees fearing māyā is very healthy. It's when devotees don't fear, that's the problem. Because māyā is more strong than we are as individuals. But we are in the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, with Kṛṣṇa holding our hand, māyā cannot, māyā is not more powerful than Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki!

Devotees: Jaya!

Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki!

Devotees: Jaya!

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ki!

Devotees: Jaya!

Nitāi-Gaura Premānande!

Devotees: Hari Hari bol!