19920509 Morning lecture

(Disclaimer: The following is a machine-generated transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. It will be reviewed and verified against the original audio soon.)

The following is a Morning lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 9, 1992 – in New Panihatti, Atlanta, USA.

Initiated devotees are addressed that we are following all the principles. They are addressed as poetry. Who this is the elephant, Thereby serving as servant of the Lord. The Lord is pleased. So the servants of the Lord are also worthy of being served. So they can be called Prabhu or masters. So Prabhupāda said the pure Vaishnava is addressed as Prabhu. And this address is an etiquette observed between Vaishnavas. Then he explains that when the many Prabhu remain under the shelter of another of a lotus feet of another Prabhu, then they are called Prabhupāda. So the Chanda is called Prabhupāda. Mochitamia is Prabhupāda. Advaita is Prabhupāda. Then another place Prabhupāda explained, the Pragoswami also is called Prabhupāda. And Prabhupāda or his divine grace is Bhaktivedanta. Swami had established Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world and had hundreds and thousands of disciples.

The devotees were still calling him Swamiji. They said it’s not really goddamn to call it the Guru Swamiji. So then they asked what was wanted to know what were the various things you can call a guru. When he explained one of the various things one would call a guru, then the disciples started to address him as Prabhupāda, a Śrīla Prabhupāda. And it’s only natural in Navadvip or in some of these old places there are hereditary Brahmanas and they give themselves a Taino paramutvara. Actually, they don’t have necessarily very strict disciples following it. They’re not actually having any prabhu under their shelter, but they take it as another hereditary title that goswami has become hereditary Kaido. So some goswami becomes a guru and they call it Prabhupāda. So many people for using Prabhupāda. The problem was he was using it.

But when his disciples addressed him like that, he didn’t reject it because was not inappropriate. But then some people became upset. Why is his divine grace AC back to be done? Swami using the thyroid address this Prabhupāda, it should only be used for Shiva Bhakti Siddhartha. He should only be called Prabhupāda. But actually Śrīla Prabhupāda has expanded the movement all over the world. And Prabhupāda didn’t want that his various names should die. But they should only be used by persons who are qualified to use them. Because in the Prabhupāda. He fits his definition of why we should use the name Prabhupāda. So what is. What is the higher he uses it? If we said, even if I tell my disciples don’t call me Prabhu, they’re going to call me anyway. Which is true. You’re not going to listen to anyone else.

So in this way, Prabhupāda has become famous as the problem. Wanted to have the names Bhaktivedanta also perpetuated. So he said, establish that the degree Bhaktived Vedānta can be given. If somebody passes a certain level of philosophical expertise, then. So we see that there are many different names which are used to address the guru. Like Prabhupāda, Vishnu Paga, Śrī Paga, Bhagavad Paga, Acharya Paga, Guru Pada. There are various names which are used. They have different significances. Guru Pad one who is the position Pada can have two meanings. Meaning one who is at the lowest feet of three meanings. One and whose lotus feet the following are and one who is representative of. So Prabhupāda can also mean that one who is representing the Prabhu or the Lord. Or it can mean that one whose Lord is sweet. There are many other Prabhu.

So like I heard someone explain to me that Vishnu Bharat also means like that he’s representing the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu doesn’t mean he has many Vishnu at his feet. I mean he’s representing the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Similarly, Acharya Pad means that someone who is representing the previous Acharyas Śrīpad is someone who is some of the very auspicious or whose feet are lotus feet are considered sacred. Like this. There are different names which are used. In other words, part of Vedic culture is that there’s a certain formality or etiquette in how you address people. Calling initiated devotees as Prabhu. You call the grown ladies his mother. You call other than your wife. You call the swamis as Mahārāja. You call a guru as he’s the Guru Maharaj or Śrī Pad or Vishnu Pad or Prabhupāda Chariya Pad or something like that.

That. This is etiquette. Just like even in the west, of course, it’s still not considered very good etiquette to call your parent by his name. It’s more used now. But previously like in my family, it was like completely. You never could call your parent by the name like say my mother’s name Lori. I wouldn’t say Lori. I would say Mother. This all comes from actually Vedic culture. This is evidence how Vedic culture is original origin. Like india, the wife won’t also call her husband’s name. The children won’t call anyone superior to them by their name. Older brother, they will call Dada, mother and father, they will call mother, father, uncle, they will call uncle. There’s many uncles and they might say uncle so and so. But they won’t just call it by the mail.

They have titles like they got moral Uncle, a big uncle, second uncle, third uncle, mother’s brother, maternal uncle, Mama Kaka, Jeta. The family is like, you know. So you have all the different names you can call people, but you don’t actually call them by their personal name. If they’re junior to you call. But if they’re older than you, then you don’t call them by their personal names. So there’s like this whole etiquette. So that kind of last semblance of that we can see partially remnant, that in some families in the west, you don’t call your parents by their personal name. They say mother or father. Danny Marley, although I hear a case of kids call, but gently that swallowed some of his head. Similarly, you don’t call the guru like you don’t say. You don’t go up to the guru and say bhaktivedanta, Swami.

I want to say, you know, So there’s an etiquette there which. Is followed. These are beneficial for our devotional service. If somebody gets envious because of addressing a spiritual master according to this etiquette problem, as opposed to that, they said, you shouldn’t consider the spiritual master to be of a particular caste or an ordinary human being. Other times the people get hung up. Who’s liberated, who’s not liberated? What level is the guru on? Whether he’s the Uttamadhakara Madhyan Kanishna, whether he’s advanced with Kṛṣṇa and the Ras Leela, or he just does, they all come up on the mental platform trying to figure out what level the guru’s on before they know what to address him or what to consider. First of all, neophyte devotee Prabhupāda many times was asked by people, have you seen Kṛṣṇa?

Even if I told you I saw Kṛṣṇa, why would you believe me? How will you know? I could cheat you. I could say, I have seen Kṛṣṇa. Maybe I didn’t see Kṛṣṇa. But then sometimes he would say, well, we’re seeing Kṛṣṇa every day. Here’s Kṛṣṇa, he’s on the altar. Here’s Gorditari Here’s Rādhā Madhurmohan, here’s Karuna. We’re seeing Kṛṣṇa. We’re hearing Kṛṣṇa’s holy name. That’s also Kṛṣṇa. Seeing and hearing is the same. So there’s various responses he gave. But ultimately nobody can tell. Or recognize that someone is really on the highest level. There are certain indications, but the absolute proof is difficult for a samiophile to recognize. They can hardly recognize what devotional service was. They can only recognize what are the symptoms of someone who’s advanced in devotional service.

But there’s a saying in the Vedas that the more you beat the sugar cane, the more sweet juice comes out. The more you rub the burden of gold, refire the gold, the more brilliant it becomes. And the more that you rub sandalwood against the stone, the more the sandalwood pulp paste comes off, making a sweet smell. Similarly, the more that sadhus, the devotees are put under different kinds of tests than those who are properly situated devotees. Their glories become more manifested and become visible even to the point that when they face death, they don’t forget Kṛṣṇa. And their glories are immortalized by remembering Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. So sometimes devotees wonder why they’re put under difficulties. They’re put under different tests. But this is also for us to recognize our own level.

If we’re able to cross over the tests, then we are successful. If we are stuck up at a particular test, it shows that we have this attachment or we have this weakness. We had to work on it so we can cross over the test. These are hurdles. Some say, well, I am what I am. I can’t do more than what I am doing. And how will one cross over the hurdle and get to the end of the race, into the end of the road, back to home, back to garden. These hurdles are not insurmountable. These are very survivable hurdles. But they require that one has to work at it. It’s not that we take the attitude, I am what I am, I can’t do more than what I am doing. I may.

I am at this particular level in my spiritual progress and I have to gradually work at building up my strength so I can go to the next higher level, so I can cross over this hurdle. The devotee is never complacent or satisfied with the level that he’s on, but is always trying to become more fixed on the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can see how many people may be claiming to be Prabhupāda in the world. But when Śrīla Prabhupāda established Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, established practically many devotees and Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and did so many wonderful services. And it became very obvious. And people india, they can accept it. What Śrīla Prabhupāda did is the common people, they can accept it. It’s very extraordinary. And certainly he has unlimited good qualities. They don’t hesitate to call him Śrīla Prabhupāda.

It’s only the other persons who are called Śrīla Prabhupāda by some hereditary right, haven’t really done much at all. They’re complaining why he’s called for all Queen. And if that happens, and that’s infinite, and being envious is not a quality of a pure Vaishnava, in which case they’re probably not even worthy of being called Prabhua to speak of Prabhupāda. And that’s the bottom of light. That’s why the Prabhupāda said that. They’re not even worthy of being called Vaishnavas. Those who are Prafita Sahajiyas, although they call themselves Vaishnav Dasan Vadas, when there’s a real Vaishnav, they don’t want to be his servant. They don’t want to respect him. So where’s the question? I am just saying I would ask him. But as soon as it comes to actually serving the Vaishnava, then they’re against it.

So of course, at least india people, at least in the Gauḍīya Vaishnava of the Sajyas, even though they don’t live up to it, at least they know the philosophy that we should be Kṛṣṇa dasana, daslaishana, the dasanasana. So at least they give lip service saying Dasa mudas, I am servant of the servant, although they may not put it in a practical effect. On the other hand, in the Western preaching now, some of the devotees forget that we are actually the servant of the servant. And they think that I just want to serve the previous guru. I just want to serve the previous cryas. I don’t want to serve any of the Vaishnavas, because then they express only doubts of all the contemporary Vaishnavas that are existing in the world today. I don’t know what dilemma is that. So they.

They don’t even say their Dasanubas, they just say. This Kṛṣṇa das. At least the Sajyas know that they’re supposed to be the servant of the Vaishnava, even if they don’t put it into practice. We will be lower than a Sajya if we don’t have the mood of wanting to serve the other Vaishnavas. They’re putting on a facade of battening. And he is. But in the bottom line, you see that during it. So we should not be at all in it. And it shouldn’t be a facade. We should want to serve all the Vaishnavas. Serving Vaishnavas is our life and soul. Whoever has given up the service of the fear of a theme who has ever achieved deliverance? Say if the husbands, even if they had to serve, they had to take care of their wife. They can think this also she’s a Vaishnava.

I have to serve the Vaishnava and the wife has to serve the husband. And him serving a Vaishnava, he was servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am serving the servant of Kṛṣṇa doesn’t have to think I am just serving as one thing. Flesh serving of Akshaya. And they say Allah devotees will be serving each other. It’s also serving Kṛṣṇa, serving being the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So that attitude is there, serving. Sometimes bodies get sick and no one wants to take care of them or something. But they feel neglected. It’s actually all of our duty to serve the Vaishnava. That someone needs some special care somehow another to provide. But if we all have the attitude I am the servant of the Vaishnava, we don’t want to be served by the other Vaishnava. We want to serve them. So it’s like your competition.

One time it describes that Kundarik Nidhi Niri was told to stay in Jagannath Purī for some time when he met Surup Damadar. Then he tried touch the lotus feet of Surup Damadar. But then Surup Damadar tried touch his lotus. So then they came. Actually it’s like there was a very stiff competition. Who could touch the lotus feet of the other. And it says that they were almost like two bulls pushing and pulling and trying to get the other one at the same time. Avoiding having his own feet touched, trying to get no, I am your servant. No, no, I am your servant. No, I am your servant. I want touch her. No, I am your servant. I want touch you. Everyone was enjoying to see they finally it was a truce. It was a, you know, what do you call it? A draw.

Neither one could get the other. They are so powerful. So that Moor that wanting to serve the Vaishnavas, respecting the Vaishnavas, of course. This year in our Nava de Parikra, there are all the devotees, all the gurus and the Brahmacharis and Vrihastas and ladies, they’re all just together walking. See, it’s a big equalizer. No Mercedes and no bicycles. Just everybody’s walking. Same two feet, same road, same. We all took Prashad together at the same camp. Simple Prashad. First time, the disciples slipped in a few hot chapatis to the gurus. At the end. One time, Jaya Dwaikumaraji said, all the people were standing up, you know, like, we’re taking prashadas. And then they’re like all of a sudden, like the Brahmacharis are like, crowding around, you know, saying, wait a minute, what’s going on here? And they’re all like, waiting.

As soon as you get up, they’re going to leap and kind of grab the remnants. Sañjaya braided him and said, get out of here. Wait, please let people eat properly. Then everybody moved back. As everybody moved back. Then Sunnah suddenly got up and he jumped and he took. So that’s why everybody was going mad, because they’re all respecting the Mahā, wanting the mercy of Lord Caitanya, the mercy of the Vaishnavas. So we can see here Kashimistra, he’s very happy that he’s going to have Lord Caitanya stay at his house. We can see in the culture of Caitanya Mahapuru very much serving the Vaishnavas. It’s very prominent. And originally in Iskcon, it was also the mood that people were always very eager to serve the other Vaishnavas. Unfortunately, because some Vaishnavas, like, demanded to be served. Some devotees demanded that they served at some time.

So then people start thinking, well, maybe then they had problems. So some people get frightened. Well, what is this? At first, the Vaishnava, there are many mistakes. That’s also offensive. Vaishnava does ever demand of his. He doesn’t want to be served by others. Buddha may have to be served by his disciples as part of his responsibility, but otherwise he doesn’t want to be served. What to speak of demanding, we can see even they don’t want to accept service. So there are some mistakes made, some neophytes. So that kind of spoiled the mood at a certain point. But actually the proper mood is that we should monitor. And of course, the Vaiava himself doesn’t look for that. But it may come automatically. So this is the proper etiquette, the proper mood that’s established in the society of Vaishnava. If that’s there.

Everyone likes to serve the Vaishnava. At the same time, the Vaishnava himself thinks I am a servant of the Vaishnava. He doesn’t want to be served by other Vaishnava. He wants to serve. Those are kind of a competition. Who can serve the other one more when the other one consult is not asking to be served. Actually no one will say, why am I being served? Because they want here. Why I am so fallen, I am so sick. I am not able to serve anybody else. Somebody’s in the proper attitude. They won’t feel, why I am not being served, why this one’s not serving, why that one’s not serving? We don’t want to. We want to serve. We are Dasa or Dāsī. We want to serve others because that’s how we can become pure in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That’s how we can relish love of Kṛṣṇa.

By serving the servants and the servants of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So that’s all the residents of Jagannath Purī, which is also known as Purusha Tova. We’re ready, anxious to meet R. Caitanya Mahatma Bhuva. What happened? And the next verse is when the Lord Shaitanya returned to Sam. Any questions? Yes, prabhu. He was given the title Bhaktivedanta at the time of his being a Bana Prasta because of his great guru, being Guru Date, being a great Vaishnava scholar and recognized him with the title Bhakti Viktor. And then Śrī Ramaraj, this guy also was given a title Johnson. He was given the sannyas name Bhakti Raksha Śrīdhar, Protector of Bhakti. But that was the Sannyas name. Just like there are 108 Vaishnavas, Sanyasi names and 10 are used by the Mayavadis.

108 By the Vaishnavas like Purī, Bharati, Śrīdhar Keshava, Madha and so many others. So Madhusugan. So in this way some are called like Sannyas name would be His Holiness, Bhakti Rakshak, Siddharth Bhakti Daya, Tamadav Maharaj. But the Prabhupāda was given the Sannyas name which is also used by One of the 10 names used by Shankara at school as well. Swami Swami is one of the 100 made Vaishnava sannyas names. Guru Goswami is another word. So just to simplify things, Prabhupāda Iskcon he just kept Swami and Goswami. Otherwise 108 becomes kind of confusing. That’s why other people are called Śrīdhara Maharaj, Ghost Madhav Maharaj. Actually it’s like they call Prabhupāda. Those that don’t want to call him Prabhupāda, they call them Swami Maharaj, the Swami Madhav Śrīdhar, Madhu Sudha and so on. Tirtha Purī. These are sanyasmis.

So for short you can say Purī Maharaj, Śrīdhar Maharaj, Madha Maharaj, Swami Maharaj. But their own disciples won’t call him as Madha Maharaj. His disciples will call him as Guru Dev, Guru Maharaj, something like that. But other people may have that just to distinguish. So this is Samyat’s name. So that’s why they may say go Swami Śrī or Swami Śrī. So and so Madhav Maharaj, Śrīna Maharaj Naraya Maharaj. That’s used india, in English. English translation. Maybe it was a claim. I should like to sit down to talk. I don’t know who translated in English. I mean English is not the original language of India. So these are all English equivalents.

(Side B of the Cassette)

Śrī śrīmad. It’s like the Sanskrit for that. There are many other channels, so they’re already Christian religion. They’re using His Holiness, Rev. So Sannyasis are called His Holiness and gurus are called his divine grace. Just like I said, for a guru, a chariot. It’s a Śrīpad Shri is great. It.