19920507 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.12.10-11

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on May 7th 1992 at New Talavan Farm in Carriere Mississippi. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam 1st Canto, 12th Chapter verse 10 and 11.

The Lord was thus engaged in vanquishing the radiation of the brahmāstra, just as the sun evaporates a drop of dew. He was observed by the child, who thought about who He was.

Text 11

vidhūya tad ameyātmā
bhagavān dharma-gub vibhuḥ
miṣato daśamāsasya
tatraivāntardadhe hariḥ

Translation by Srila Prabhupada: While thus being observed by the child, the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of everyone and the protector of the righteous, who stretches in all directions and who is unlimited by time and space, disappeared at once.

Purport: Child Parīkṣit was not observing a living being who is limited by time and space. There is a gulf of difference between the Lord and the individual living being. The Lord is mentioned herein as the supreme living being unlimited by time and space. Every living being is limited by time and space. Even though a living being is qualitatively one with the Lord, quantitatively there is a great difference between the Supreme Soul and the common individual soul. In the Bhagavad-gītā both the living beings and the Supreme Being are said to be all-pervading (yena sarvam idaṁ tatam), yet there is a difference between these two kinds of all-pervasiveness. A common living being or soul can be all-pervading within his own limited body, but the supreme living being is all-pervading in all space and all time. A common living being cannot extend its influence over another common living being by its all-pervasiveness, but the Supreme Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, is unlimitedly able to exert His influence over all places and all times and over all living beings. And because He is all-pervasive, unlimited by time and space, He can appear even within the womb of the mother of child Parīkṣit. He is mentioned herein as the protector of the righteous. Anyone who is a surrendered soul unto the Supreme is righteous, and he is specifically protected by the Lord in all circumstances. The Lord is the indirect protector of the unrighteous also, for He rectifies their sins through His external potency. The Lord is mentioned herein as one who is dressed in the ten directions. This means dressed with garments on ten sides, up and down. He is present everywhere and can appear and disappear at His will from everywhere and anywhere. His disappearance from the sight of the child Parīkṣit does not mean that He appeared on the spot from any other place. He was present there, and even after His disappearance He was there, although invisible to the eyes of the child. This material covering of the effulgent firmament is also something like a womb of the mother nature, and we are all put into the womb by the Lord, the father of all living beings. He is present everywhere, even in this material womb of mother Durgā, and those who are deserving can see the Lord.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport to text 10 and 11 of chapter 12 of Canto 1 of the Srimad Bhagavatam in the matter of the birth of emperor Parikshit.

om tat sat!

Maharaj Pariksit was inside the womb of his mother, he was not yet born, he was just a small baby before birth and it is quite miraculous that he could see Krishna and Krishna was revealing himself to Maharaj Pariksit is a special mercy. Lord Krishna if he wanted to neutralise, He could have done in any other way, without even revealing Himself, but we understand that it was His causeless mercy on Parikshit Maharaj that He revealed Himself to His great devotee Parikshit Maharaj.

Parikshit Maharaj must have been a devotee in his prior birth, in his previous life, therefore the Lord is protecting him and giving him so much mercy. Lord Krishna promises,

“Na me bhaktya pranashyati”

My devotees shall never perish.

Krishna has a long-standing promise that He will always protect His devotees. Although Krishna promised he won’t lift any weapons in the battle of Kurukshetra, Bhishma made a vow that he would either defeat Arjuna or force Lord Krishna to pick up a weapon in the battle. Finally Bhishma put Arjuna in such a dangerous situation that Lord Krishna lifted up the wheel of the broken chariot and then Bhishma seeing Lord Krishna break His promise, he surrendered before Lord Krishna.

So, what Krishna stated that He will protect His devotees is more important to Him than any another promise. The devotee doesn’t have to worry about his protection if he is fully absorbed in worrying about Krishna’s interest, Krishna will worry about the devotee. It is a story…in India about a Guru, he was a devotee but he was serving a Guru, he was so absorbed in his deity worship that he had to do some urgent work for his Guru but at the same time he was supposed to go to school. So, he was a school teacher but he carried out his Guru’s order and worshipped the Deity in the morning and in the afternoon after the lunch break he went to school and he went to the principal to apologise that I’m sorry I’m late for school, what do you mean? You were here this morning, you gave your class, I did? Yes!

Then he realised Krishna had come and covered him because he was covering Krishna’s duty. Krishna had taken his form and had given his class that’s what they said so after that he just resigned from the school and he just like became fully absorbed in Krishna’s service, he didn’t want to make such a botheration for him. That affected him so much that he became a great preacher, so there are many stories like that,

Of course it’s hard to think how Krishna’s taken the devotees interest, but that’s when devotees completely takes Krishna’s interest. Generally, we don’t have that much concentration, we see in Mahabharat how Arjuna and the Pandavas were very dedicated to Krishna’s interest but Krishna will always see to their interest. The residents of Vrindavan were completely fixed in serving Krishna so Krishna was always considering how to protect them.

When the cowherd boys were of Vrindavan were dragged into the Agasura’s mouth they didn’t think twice, they thought anyway Krishna is there to protect us, what is this. So, intimately connected with Krishna as friends, they didn’t have any fear but Krishna himself he became preoccupied how I can save my devotees who’s just gone into this mouth of a gigantic demon snake. So, this way, Krishna is always protecting his devotees, like he saved the devotees from the mouth of the snake and also the snake wouldn’t have his mouth open until Krishna went in, and then Krishna went in and got out all the cowherd boys, punctured a whole in him, chopped up the Aghasura.

So, also Krishna lifted up the Giri Govardhan to protect all the residents of Vrindavan from that flood, so we’re so fortunate that we can still go to Vrindavan, we can still see the Govardhan hill, this is not just a myth or a fiction, the hill is still there, Vrindavan is still there, Radha kunda is there, Shyam kunda, all the sacred forest like Talavana they are there.

All the places where Lord Krishna had His past times, Kurukshetra is still there, where the Kurukshetra battle was fought, and Hastinapur is also there, recently the *…(not sure 13:26) they found that just off the shore of Dwaraka in Gujarat, theres a dark city under the water, the original Dwaraka that sank in the sea, for a long time people were saying it’s just a myth, now they’ve found that city under the sea and they’re amazed because the fort area of the city is larger than the modern days’ forts of Rotherdham, London, gigantic so you can imagine how many boats were traveling in *…(not sure 14:05) in that city, was such a vast fort area, dark.

Of course, there are now trying to find where is the treasure (devotees laugh) but Lord Krishna’s past times they’re all actually historical. Now they got actually many historical evidence these are being discovered but unfortunately people they don’t know so much about Lord Krishna, people think well this Krishna consciousness is a cult, it’s some kind of a new religion, they don’t understand that’s a great ancient tradition, timeless tradition, this is eternal religion and 700 million people believe that Krishna’s god in the world so you get this is something, cult or something but actually in America this has never been propagated before, people didn’t know about Krishna before, so that was uninformed people they say these foolish things without knowing any better.

Srila Prabhupada was the first one to bring over Krishna consciousness, bring over Bhagavad Gita in that scale, the few preacher that come over before gave some lectures, some small hope, did some little limited type of preaching but they never propagated to the mass of people who Krishna is, what is the Vedic culture so that’s why the western people they remained in the dark for so long. So, here in the Bhagavatam you get actually scientific knowledge about who is Krishna, how Krishna is all pervasive, He’s unlimited by time and space.

Your spending hundred million dollars on movies to create some fictitious characters to empower them with all kind of mystic powers, based on imagination and computer generated special effect they’re demonstrating tha. But in the Veda there no need to imagine factious characters to have that special power because Krishna has unlimited power. So, the drama the dance, the art was specially utilised for the glories of Krishna and his incarnations like Rama, Visnu. Unfortunately, the Indian movies don’t have the level of technological expertise and special effects.

It will be very nice if people used whatever methods are available to represent Krishna rather than some fictitious characters. The people can be purified in real life in what is the actual glories of unlimited power of the Lord. Krishna is the greatest and he proves it again and again and again through his various activities like doing things that no one else can do. *…(Not sure 17:59) he becomes small he’s gone in the womb to save the child who was being burnt by the nuclear weapon and not have anyone be harmed. Krishna can do that, he can reveal himself to a child in the womb, he can reveal himself to anyone anywhere anytime. If Lord Krishna wanted to he can come over here right here right now by his will but that’s up to His own desire

It is scary now one time there was child who was spoilt by his parents, he was the only child we call it in Bengali alaladulal, when they get so much affection the child starts to think that everything is meant for me, that my parents are my servants,they don’t realise, the child doesn’t realise that the child’s duty is to serve the parents because the parents are doing so much for the child, working, feeding, maintaining, giving shelter, giving guidance, so it’s the duty of the children actually serve the parents, generally in Indian families the Indian culture theres is a principle that the children serve the parents when they get older, it’s very prominent so that’s why the mothers like to have the addition of a son or daughter, have daughter can help in the kitchen son’s helping the father with different thing. Everyone is helping in the family, it’s all joined, everyone’s very close, it’s not seen so much in the west, in America anyway, but that was the discipline system.

But sometimes in India someone with only child parents give all their affection to the child then they don’t discipline the child, this is *…(not sure 20:15)reverend in England he wrote a book on modern education, the modern education is spoiling the children and the modern education is like, they take away the character of the children.

 (Not clear 20:34) To teach the child, how it is mentioned that one has to send the child to Gurukula.

Here how some parents, they think that whatever their children want she’d give it, that’s the way you could by pleasing their child. Whatever their senses dream of whatever size they try and give it to them so they had a child like that. She was very small, they were planning for her birthday and made one arrangement and she said no I don’t want this, I didn’t want a vanilla cake.I wanted a chocolate cake. What are you doing and then she would become so angry that in front of all the guest, front of all in the big birthday party, she just slapped her mother! nonsense! You didn’t give me what I want and her parents and everyone was so shocked.

The mother is giving so much love and affection, a whole big birthday party, everything, but the child slaps the mother. in fact child wasn’t properly trained. Instead of being grateful and appreciating the love of the parents, the parents have given too much to the child spoiling the child that they had to give everything the chid doesn’t realise this that parents want to give everything it’s their special love.

So, even Caitanya Mahaprabhu that tendency was there, one time when he was just, of course the first 5 years the parents are supposed to give, the first 4 years they give everything to children from 5 to 15 they’re supposed to be very strict so that the children control their mind because that time it’s very hard for children to control their mind so they need parents to use their intelligence to help them in controlling.

So, when Lord Chaitanya was a little tod only 3 years old, first actually got so much affection, one time, his mother said, mother Saci spoke something to him and he slapped mother Saci, of course a little lila of a baby can hardly slap very hard but still mother Saci she played as if she was not consciousness she fell down on the ground, she’s just lying there, all the ladies said look what you’ve done to your mother!

Look what you’ve done to your mother.Nimai your such a naughty boy! wawamwamwa mother told me right you know pulling, mother please come back, come back crying and now the only way you can be forgiven for this great offence is if you bring two coconuts, so then immediately baby Nimai ran out of the house and all the ladies were kind of laughing you know, where is he going to get two coconuts, let’s see the fun!

But they were surprised! Within a few minutes, He came back with two coconuts! Now, how does a 3 year old pick up two coconuts! from where? Where did he go? Of course they don’t know who Lord Chaitanya really is!.

He could get anything He wants, He is the supreme magician, but He is just playing the part of an ordinary child, having fun with everyone, he came back with two coconuts and he put by mother Saci and was crying please mother Saci please mother Saci come back, I’ll never do this again, I’ll never hit you again and then mother Saci gradually came back to consciousness and picked up her loving Nimai and started to hug him and kiss him.

So in this way everything was settled, so that *…(not sure 24:03) is a part it can happen but mother saci and Jaganath misra were very careful not to spoil their child. In fact Jaganath Misra, he would sometimes go after Lord Chaitanya to give him a spanking if he was bad, one time in his dreams a brahmana came and he told Jaganath Misra how can you chastise your child like that, how can you threaten him, don’t you know he’s God?

You cannot be spanking God. He is the Supreme!, He is all powerful.Jaganath said I don’t know who my son is! But I know it’s my duty as a parent, I had to protect my son, had to discipline him, so that he doesn’t go into the wrong path, he doesn’t you know become bad, No! but he’s God how can you do this to him and they kept this brahman and him preaching finally Jaganath Misra got draw into it He’s the God? How can I do anything and then he woke up and was like too much…. then again by yoga Maya he was back into his parental mood and he said I don’t care who my son is, I must see that he is properly you know brought up, I won’t see him spoilt so in this way.

He maintained his parental mood, that is the special power of Yoga Maya, although Krishna is God, the yoga Maya puts the different devotees of Krishna in that specific mood according to their rasa, their relationship. There was this one family in the Vedic time you know that not long ago, where they had a child and they really spoiled the child, the child was always demanding so many things, he was very naughty, known as a spoilt brat!

So one morning he decided not to wake up, he just laid in his bed and locked his door from the inside, closed all the windows, his mother though well its late its already 8, at 8 the child was up all night or something doing homework, theres no time, ok let it be his off day let him rest and it became 9, after 9 finally started knocking on the door, wake up! What’s wrong? Why you not getting up? The child just covered his head on the bed with a big *…(not sure26:39) they kept pounding what’s wrong?

What’s wrong? Wake up! Then he said, yelled out I know its 2 o’clock in the morning and you are a bunch of thieves trying to break in and steal all the wealth from me, you are dacoits! Bandits! Go Away! Go Away! I’m sleeping! You bandits in the night! Go away! I’m not bandit in the night, I’m your mother (devotees laugh) it’s not night time, its already day, its almost 10 o’clock, the sun is up completely, you open the window and look!

No! No! it’s all a trick! It’s dark in here, I know it’s the night, I won’t wake up, you bandits! Go away! Listen my beloved cherry blossom, wake up! Its day light, it’s not the night, No no! I know it’s night. Listen if its day light you see sun is so powerful, the sun is eye of God, if the sun is so powerful let it if its really daylight let him creep his way into this dark room and reveal himself to me otherwise I won’t believe you otherwise why is the sun not coming in my room. Are you being a foolish boy? Open that door and then you’ll see the light! (devotees laugh)

Sometimes people say I don’t believe in Krishna, I want to see him, I want to see god, show god to me then only I’ll believe, but they’re being just like this naughty boy who locked the doors and windows and hid himself underneath the blanket and he says I can’t see the sun you have to show himself to me, it’s not visible, the sun is there everyone can go and see, sun is not the servant that he has to come and pass his way in the room, God is not our servant but when we want ok God clap clap come here, not like that!

Krishna hasn’t had to go for anyone. He is voluntarily going to save Parikshit Maharaj out of his own love for his devotees, Uttara his mother, for Arjuna, his grand father Abhimanyu, father of Parikshit himself. God is not our order there not like you know Prahlad or *…(not sure 29:28) God give me this give me that but he comes when we show devotion for him He reciprocates. Reciprocates means, He exchanges. He does the same like behaviour with us that’s his own nature to be grateful so if somebody is a devotee of the Lord the Lord reciprocates.

He also gives His love and affections to that devotee. When the materialists say I want to see God, they’re demanding show me God. There are so many who have seen God like Parikshit Maharaj was seeing God, Narada muni saw God, everyone in the battle of Kurukshetra can see God. Lord Sri Krishna showed His universal form, theres so many people who has seen God, various form, in order to see the Lord as it requires divine vision.

Bhakti Vilochanena, Prabhupada said you need to stop and love, the ointment of love of devotion, you put in your eyes then you can see the Lord, then the Lord reveals himself to the devotee. If people want to see God they may have to approach him as a devotee, as a devotee he reveals himself very quickly to for his *…(Not sure 31:06) one demands like a spoil child they want to see God and wants his way, into my room, it’s not reasonable, open the door then you’ll see the light, open your eyes, open your heart, let Krishna in then he will reveal himself to you. Chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and then Krishna will reveal himself.

Actually, people they have become spoilt so they don’t realise what is the process to approach God and then demanding things which are not reasonable, which are not feasible. Demanding to see the Lord on their own condition, if they want to see the Lord they have to see him according to the procedure He has laid out.

It is not that somebody wants to see the president he can demand I want the president to come to my house, if the president wants to, he could come instead of we can demand it, if we go by speaking go and make an appointment, people can also see the president of United States, if you go on according to the procedures given here in the Vedas, you can see Krishna face to face. It is not difficult.

You have to open our eyes, great thinkers like Einstein and great material scientist, they also came to the conclusion after seeing how the world is so systematically constructed, they came to the idea that there must be intelligence behind this creation, there has to be superior intelligent, there has to be a God. Also if you want to see the Lord, there is that story about that one disciple of Ramanuja who was an originally a courtier, he was a wrestler, a professional wrestler for the King and one day Ramanuja was out with his devotees in Sri Rangham Temple city.

They took the Lord in a very big procession and then thousands and thousands of people participating in the festival where chanting the mantras, playing up musical instruments and a big procession with the Deities, they fanning the deities, you know a whole big festival going on and Ramanuja noted that on the side of the street there was one boy, one *…(not sure 34:04) playing a parasol fancy of Goura, for a girl then a beautiful young women and he was like *…(Not sure 34:14) bhava just looking at her face walking in front of it and walking down the street just looking at her like you know he was completely oblivious, he doesn’t know at all that this festival is going on, he just moving down the street oblivious *…(34:35 not sure) looking at the face of this beautiful young woman.

After the festival was over and Ramanuja Acharya was going back to the ashram with his disciples, it just so happened that along the same stree,t he was walking then, he sees the young man still walking with the umbrella looking at the young girl.

So he said to his disciples what is that guys doing, it’s very rare to see somebody walking backwards on the street holding an umbrella over a girl looking at her face, in fact when the disciple went talking to the boy, he didn’t even hear, he was so absorbed looking at the girl he couldn’t, he was like in a complete trance, so finally he had to tap him in the shoulder and that guy got really angry what are you doing he said excuse me Ramanuja Acharya was there the great acharya, he wanted to ask you a question could you go and see him? And he said Ramanuja immediately No, he heard of him he was a very famous Guru, so he went over and paid his obeisances then he asked Ramanuja how could be of assistance to him.

So Ramanuja then asked him, who are you? He told him his a professional from wrestler in the king’s court, and who is this? Your wife? What are you doing? No it’s not my wife it’s just she’s also working in the kings court, she’s a dancer or something not sure what’s she’s doing, so anyway maybe we’ll get back but actually she’s got that beautiful eye that I cannot take my eyes, cannot stop looking at her eyes, I’m just staring at *…(36:37 not sure) looking at her eyes, it’s so beautiful I can’t get enough, I can’t look at them enough.

So Ramanuja was very surprised here’s a person you know, he was so *…(36:51 not sure) by this the whole thing, women eye, so he told him listen what if I show you someone who has more beautiful eyes? No it’s not possible, nobody can have more beautiful eye then my little trakila here (devotees laugh) any way, if I can show you someone with more beautiful eye do you have any objection in seeing then he said no, then you come tonight to see me at 6 o’clock in such and such a place and I’m going to show you someone who has got more beautiful eyes!

So then that night at 6 o’clock there was sunset, wasn’t day light saving back then (devotees laugh), he met Ramanuja acharya. He took him to a very dark place and he couldn’t see it, they weathered him went into a guru in the plain dark Ramanuja brought him then they withered cancelled him and there he saw a very beautiful face of someone he saw a beautiful eyes of the face the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen then he realised it’s the deity of Ranganatha.

Ramanuja had taken him to temple of Ranganatha and he arranged a private darshan an Arti showing his eyes, so then in the presence of Ramanuja that the persons his heart changed and that he realised that he was giving so much love and affection, so much attention to material person instead of to the Lord, so then after that he became spontaneously filled with devotion for Sri Ranganatha.

So then, he surrendered to Ramanuja, Ramanuja told him that ask if that girls was also an devotee and turned out that the girl was more of a devotee then he was because he was attached to her eyes and she was actually a good devotee, so then Ramanuja told them both to get married, it wasn’t proper they should associate like that and not be married. So they got married and took initiation from Ramanuja Acharya and they were ___ him.

So, this deity of the Lord is actually also the presence of the Lord, just like this disciple of Ramanuja when he saw the deity of the Lord he actually he actually fell down in his Arca Vigraha form and that was enough to completely change his life. So, the Brahmin could see the Lord, we could also see the Lord who is here on the altar, the Lord is here in His Arca Vigraha form! We can show anyone the Lord, but those who have got the spiritual vision they can see the Lord in His full form and those who don’t have so much faith and devotion they may only see some external form.

So the Vedas say that if someone sees the deity and hears some song or some wood, metal then he is having a hellish mentality. It is only by devotion that we can actually see the Lord, and know that Krishna is unlimited. He has agreed to come here in deity form so that we can worship him because we are not pure enough to see him in his transcendental form which is above time and space, material time and space.

So, we are very fortunate to be able to serve the Lord who has come in his deity form, to serve Tulasī maharani eternal associate of the Lord, serving the Saligram Sila. So, the Lord comes in his different forms for us to serve Him and by serving him we get purified, the we can see the Lord as he is, then he will reveal himself to us more and more according to our own devotion. So even if one is a small child they can also develop pure devotion for the Lord, they can also, depends how old one is, there are many great devotees who are all children like Prahlad and Dhruva.

When Lord Caitanya went to the temple in Alalanatha in near Jaganatha Puri, he told them of a story how there was a brahmana whose, he had to go out in an emergency, leave the house and there was no one else to do the deity worship, mother was sick, not able to do the worship then so he quickly arranged that, he asked his son you do the offering it’s an emergency, you take the offering before the Lord the prashad and offer to the Lord, he’ll eat it then you’ll bring it back the plate to your mother.

So he had to go and went another time teach the child how to do all the deity worship or anything just given some preliminary instructions so, the child took the plate of prashad the bhoga put it in front of the deity, put it down and closed the temple door, the child starts crying, the deity spoke to the child why are you crying? Because you’re not eating, my father said to put the food before you and you’ll eat it, please eat, you’re not eating, so because the child had so much faith in Krishna. He is supposed to eat, he didn’t have any doubt that deity can eat, so the deity reciprocated with the faith of the child, came down from the altar and sat down and ate the offering then got back up on the altar and sat there big stone deity as a Visnu, or Krishna, Visnu.

The child came back with the plate and gave to the mother, the mother normally the deity looks at the prashad and eats it when we offer with mantra but here the whole plate was empty so what happened to the remnants, where’s all the prashad, the deity ate it, the mother didn’t know what to think, maybe the boy eaten the prashadam and lying but he’s a very good boy, never lies, so this is going on every day, every day he is coming back with an empty plate every day the deity’s getting down eating the offering so then after the father came back he told him what’s happening its very confusing to me

so then the father hid in the secret door he entered a secret door back of the temple hid behind a column and he heard the boy put the plate down told the deity’s please accept this offering, please eat this, he didn’t hear anything, he looked around the corner of the column and then he saw the altar was empty here was no deity the deity was sitting down eating the prashad, eating the bhoga. Agh! He was so shocked to see this, he never seen Krishna himself the deity became moving and was eating and the boy was standing there watching the Lord eat and in folded hand with so much devotion, when he made that sound Agh!

Then the boy left the altar, the Deity jumped back up in the altar so quick that some of the prashad hits his eye, there was hot khichuri or something and its made a little blister, even now they show how the stone has got a blister in it. When the Deity became moving and became soft and tender, then He got burnt by the hot prashad.

So, even if a small child has full faith in the Lord, the Lord will reveal himself, will do everything for the child but it is when we don’t have faith, we demand let God show himself. Then He doesn’t have to show, but if we approach the Lord with devotion, then He naturally,He will reveal himself out of His own love. That is why we cant demand it.

So here, we see how out of His own love, He revealed Hmself to Parikshit Maharaj and He’s giving so much mercy. We pray to the Lord also, although we have no qualification,out of his causeless mercy, we can also be able to serve him. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Are there any questions?

Hari Kauri Devi Dasi (devotee speaks) You see that child already knows that the light is outside, knows its already late, not so foolish, they know that just being naughty giving a hard time to the parents, just playing!

So you can wake down somebody whose asleep but it’s hard to wake up someone whose pretending to sleep, so that’s why the mother can’t get him to get up because he doesn’t want to get up, he’s being naughty so if your like that then how could they even move him. If the child becomes spoilt we cannot allow our mind to become spoilt, we have to understand this side we have to treat our mind. Prabhupada said it’s like a wild animal from the jungle that you gradually contain, tie it up on a leash and you make friends with it you, you feed it little bit, you give a little, you win over this wild animal, our mind is just like a wild animal running here and there and everywhere you know completely in distressed, agitated mind now you got to train the mind to a certain degree, but you can never let the mind to go unleash or take the leash or else the animals are going to run back in the forest again.

You got to keep it tied up but eventually it become more, you can handle it easier but never fully you can depend on it, you always have to keep it on a leash like that you always have to control your mind and we have to tame the mind so it doesn’t get spoilt. If we are careless and we don’t discipline the mind to think about Krishna, to Worship Krishna, go and chant our japa don’t attend the temple program what happens you see these programs are not some kind of punishment that Krishna’s given you know we have to go to the temple because some kind of discipline, in the negative sense. But what He is giving us is the means for us to purify our consciousness, should be able to get rid of our contamination and actually develop a spontaneous desire to serve Him.

We cannot go to the higher levels of devotional service until we actually develop a spontaneous desire to serve the Lord. So, initially we have to do that according to the rules and regulations. We know that there is morning program, there is regular Japa, we only eat prasadam as far as possible except in emergency, of course only vegetarian food.

So many rules and regulations are there to help us to guide the mind to discipline the mind and so the point where we are spontaneously wanting to serve the Lord, that time you can’t keep away, they won’t be happy unless they serve the Lord unless they can chant Hare Krishna.

Just like Prahlad Maharaj, he was already from birth he was a Nitya siddha, he was already liberated soul, although he was a child, he had so much spontaneous desire to serve the Lord, that his father was telling him don’t worship Krishna, don’t chant Japa, don’t go to Mangal Arti,but Prahlad refused to follow.

 No I have to go to Mangala Arati, I have to chant my japa, I have to serve Krishna, I’ll do everything else you say but I won’t stop serving Krishna, I’ll go to school, I’ll do everything you want, but I have to serve Krishna. When the mind comes to that point of spontaneous dedication, then of course it’s a liberated mind.

But until we are in that level, we have to discipline our mind until it gets liberated. Until then, its conditioned. So the mind’s tendency is always to go up. So using our intelligence, we have to control the mind, keep it in a proper way. That is why we know that it is a struggle.

The intelligence always has to deal with its mind that tends to be unruly, to be naughty, to be spoilt,so we have to train the mind like a little child. They have to train it so to see that mind will properly grow. Otherwise just like that spoiled child, you see that people find it very hard when they grow up. They think that it is a very hard world to live in because all they want, everything I want I can get.

But in this world, it’s not like that, it’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of difficulties, you don’t get everything the way you want. There is suffering, there is disease, there is old age, there is death, there is all kinds of difficulties we’re going to have to face. And it doesn’t work out the way we plan it all the time, so to have that inner strength and character to cross over the difficulty to not lose it and just get angry and mistreat people, because sometimes you know people who are spoiled don’t know properly how to deal with their parents, don’t how to deal with their husband, don’t how to deal with their wife, don’t know how to deal with their friend, their whole life is just spoilt, similarly our mind is already spoilt from the time we get it unless you are born liberated!

It is very rare, so we have to now train up the mind and bring it up to the proper vision. Even somebody who was doing their training partially but then again as the mind takes control they can also fall back to the same position the question is whose the boss? Are we going to remain the slave to our mind and senses? And just do what the mind and sense want? Or are we going to put our foot down and say here I’m the boss, I’m the soul and my intelligence is the closest, the bestest thing I got to help me and everybody here.

Hey Mind! Shape up! Hands up! (devotees laugh) I’m the boss here! Do what I say mind senses and the mind develops tells no I’m not going to do what you say and all, but we force the mind little hard to control but okay, we put on a regulation, eat at this time, cant or not eat, we’re going to have this type of family life, we’re going to have this kind of activity, this is the kind of recreation we are going to have, everything has its time then the great urges of mind starts to agree okay alright anyway I get mess up and everything and then actually the mind is exposed to of course the chanting Hare Krishna then it becomes a little more malleable, a little more controllable and as the mind starts to get the taste, the atma gets the taste for Krishna consciousness, the mind also gets bliss and the mind starts to also like it.

So, dealing with the mind is actually what the whole process of yoga is all about, trying to controlling the minds and senses and if we forget that and think that somehow sounds like punching in 9-5 or something it’s a 24 hour program, the minds has to be in control all the time, we do it through regulation at the beginning although we can’t just, you have to have everything but, we have to do it according to the system, we expose our consciousness purify to Krishna as much as possible.

And we try to avoid things that come up the rajasic, tamasic, which are going to agitate the mind more, create more difficulty to control subsequently. So, someone that you’re to train is already older they should know better not allowing the mind to

 take over, just surrendering to the mind and the intelligent get it to whipping.

Samsara majiya rohili poriya

Se pade nahilo asa

Apana karama bhunjaye samana

Kahoye lochana dasa

(Kirtan by HH Jayapataka Swami)

Parama koruna pahu duijana

Nitai Gaurachandra (3)

Saba avatara sara siromani

Kevala ananda kanda

Parama koruna pahu duijana

Nitai Gaurachandra (3)

 incarn The two Lords, Nitai-Gauracandra, are very merciful. They are the essence of all incarnations. The

specific significance of these incarnations is that They introduced a process of chanting and dancing that is

simply joyful.ations self-realization is simply joyful (kevala ananda-kanda), for They

introduced chanting and dancing. There are many incarnations, like Lord Rama and even Krishna, who taught Bhagavad-gita, which requires knowledge and understanding. But Lord Caitanya and

Nityananda introduced a process that is simply joyful—simply chant and dance. Therefore, Locana dasa requests everyone, bhajo bhajo bhai, caitanya-nitai: "My dear brother, I request that you just worship Lord Caitanya and Nityananda with firm conviction and faith." Don’t think that this chanting and dancing will not lead to the desired goal. It will. It is the assurance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one will get all perfection by this process. Therefore, one must chant with firm faith and conviction (biswasa kori’).

But what is the process? The process is vishaya chariya, se rase majiya. If one wants to be Krishna conscious by this process, one has to give up his engagement in sense gratification. That is the only restriction. If one gives up sense gratification, it is sure that he will reach the desired goal. Mukhe bolo hari hari: one simply has to chant, "Hare Krishna! Hari Hari!" without any motive of sense gratification. Dekho ore bhai, tri-bhuvane nai. Locana dasa Thakura says, "My dear brother, you just try and examine this. Within the three worlds there is no one like Lord Caitanya or Lord Nityananda, because Their merciful qualities are so great that They make even birds and beasts cry, what to speak of human beings." Actually, when Lord Caitanya passed through the forest known as Jharikhanda, the tigers, elephants, snakes, deer, and all other animals joined Him in chanting Hare Krishna: It is so nice that anyone can join. Even the animals can join, what to speak of human beings.