19920619 Bhāgavatam 1.11.13

The following is the lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 19, 1992 at New Raman Reti farm in Florida. The class begins with a reading from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam canto 1, chapter 11, verse 13.

[Guru Mahārāja and devotees repeating]

ŚB 1.11.13

gopura-dvāra-mārgeṣu

kṛta-kautuka-toraṇām

citra-dhvaja-patākāgrair

antaḥ pratihatātapām

 

Translation: The gateway of the city, the household doors and festooned arches along the roads were all nicely decorated with festive signs like plantain trees and mango leaves, all to welcome the Lord. Flags, garlands and painted signs and slogans all combined to shade the sunshine.

Purport (by Śrīla Prabhupāda): Signs of decoration in special festivals were also collected from the gifts of nature, such as the plantain trees, the mango trees, fruits and flowers. Mango trees, coconut palms and plantain trees are still accepted as auspicious signs. The flags mentioned above were all painted with the picture of either Garuḍa or Hanumān, the two great servitors of the Lord. For devotees, such paintings and decorations are still adored, and the servitor of the master is paid more respects for the satisfaction of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the translation and purport of text 13, chapter 11, canto 1 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the matter of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s entrance into Dvārakā.

This section of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is explaining how the residence of Dvārakā spontaneously gave a reception for Lord Kṛṣṇa upon his arrival. This particular verse explains how all the doors, city gateways, arches were all decorated with flags, and festoons and mango leaves.

Mango leaves then are strung on a string and hung because mango leaves are considered to be very auspicious. The banana trees are taken out from the ground with the root, especially when the bananas are hanging from the tree and they put those outside the two sides of the doorways. These are also considered to be auspicious signs. Sometimes sugarcane stalks are also placed. Various kinds of natural beautiful things are placed, who are a part of coconuts. These are Vedic customs for receiving guests, based on different customs.

We saw that now the Indian government when they received Gorbachev when he came to India, when he was the president of the Soviet Union.

At that time, it was televised and just happened to see the newscast and they gave him a western reception. So, then a western reception is you have like a military. It’s very much in the mode of passion. 

All the soldiers are standing in suit in all and that attention with the young faces and the head of states will do a review of these guard of honor. Of course, Rajeev Gandhi did that in Śrī Lanka. One of the soldiers took his gun and hit it over the head of Rajeev Gandhi or tried to do that he hit him on the shoulder.

But there was a guard of honor in Egypt and they killed the president. Then they had the dignitaries stand on a podium, some raised platform and then they shoot guns off, big cannons. Depending on if you’re president 21-gun salute. Everybody stands there are sounds coming (Guru mahārāja making sound laughing), after that guns were going on and then they had the national anthem played. That’s the reception in the modern world.

I was just considering that seeing how dry it was, it's really dry, in the comparison we see here that how the loving residents of Dvārakā are receiving Kṛṣṇa. With all these natural things, natural mango leaves and banana trees and coconuts and sugarcanes and flags.

Of course, though so we can see that whatever reflections yoga-māyā use, we have plenty of flags hanging around and things that attract the attention and festive mood around to love and buy. So then going on it is explained these verses what various arrangements that they made. Next verse: -

sammārjita-mahā-mārga-

rathyāpaṇaka-catvarām

siktāṁ gandha-jalair uptāṁ

phala-puṣpākṣatāṅkuraiḥ

(ŚB 1.11.14)

The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all thoroughly cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome the Lord, fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere.

Purport: Scented waters prepared by distilling flowers like rose and keora were requisitioned to wet the roads, streets and lanes of Dvārakā-dhāma. Such places, along with the marketplace and public meeting places, were thoroughly cleansed. From the above description, it appears that the city of Dvārakā-dhāma was considerably big, containing many highways, streets and public meeting places with parks, gardens and reservoirs of water, all very nicely decorated with flowers and fruits. And to welcome the Lord such flowers and fruits with unbroken seeds of grain were also strewn over the public places. Unbroken seeds of grain or fruits in the seedling stage were considered auspicious, and they are still so used by the Hindus in general on festival days.]

Jayapatākā Swami: This year when we went on Navadvīpa-parikramā to Navadvīpa. Nine islands then when we went into the villages where all the dhāma-vāsīs or the residents of the dhāma were residing. When they saw the big procession of 500 devotees were going on the kīrtana, then some of the devotees bewildered, they took scented water and they came out and threw it in front of the deities, paraphernalia and over the feet of the devotees. They keep on the road, and keep down on the dust and one time I was walking behind coming through the pebbles doing some management at the previous camp, so I was walking behind and saw that after the devotees went by, some villagers were rolling in the dust to get all the dust from the devotees who just walked by on their bodies. They were so enthusiastic to see devotes from all over the world.

So even today in villages they still have this system they sprinkle scented water, even in more traditional cities. We were doing harināma in some city in South India, they were also throwing the scented waters on the ground for the parikrama party.

Of course, the devotees, they were going bare foot or they probably they also had their sneakers on. And they were trying to avoid getting waters on their sneakers, they could not understand what was happening, it was quite cultural thing they were trying to wash the feet of the devotees.

Of course, this parikramā usually traditionally people walk bare foot. But previous time they didn’t had [Not Clear 11:58] so it was very nice to go on to parikramā. And the black roads very nice and comfortable, one has to go on to highways, in the middle of the day its very hot and the heat. We are trying to adjust in Kali-yuga but today when the people are talking about ecology, they are talking about biodegradable and so many different things, they can see that here there is a big festival but there is no contamination in the nature. No contamination in the environment, everything is very natural and very beautiful, instead of the plastic and tin foil, everything is very natural and beautiful. And that was considered the appropriate way of receiving a visitor giving him a garland, bathing his feet when the devotees arrive to do programs.

Sometimes in India, sometimes the people want to receive all the devotees and offer them garlands sometimes they want to bath their feet. Although its custom or ritual that when a sannyāsī or guru is received, there is a reception, there is the foot bathing and offering them garlands. But in India they respect all the Vaiṣṇavas by offering they want to receive every Vaiṣṇava and they would offer garlands.

So that was such the tradition, you should see how appropriate is, how beautiful is, how colorful and naturally auspicious, these things are considered auspicious. That means that they are good influence, good vibrations.

So, try to understand what is the auspiciousness of the militaria and 21 grand salutes, it's just the mode of passion. But here these are all-natural beautiful things and the birds going to eat all the grains anyways, on the roads.

In the Vedas it is explained when you put food grains on the road also keeps away the subtle entities that are wandering around. Because they are very auspicious, so these things keep away all kinds of- influences, by the powerful vibrations.

So, we have festivals also very appropriate decorations to make, for the deities. They have nice decorations for Gaura-Nitāi, for Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, Gaura-Pūrṇimā and other sacred days.

Sometimes people say that all of these are external manifestations, what you feel counts. But these external manifestations give us an opportunity to express what we feel through our actions. We mean the outlet for the devotion that we feel for Kṛṣṇa and when we offer these things to Kṛṣṇa naturally or to His devotee, naturally it also purifies us. These natural expressions of what we feel are very important.

So, in devotional service there are many bhakti-kriyās or the activities in devotion. When the fruits are seeded in a particular place, those fruits are obtained and offered to the deities, one of the regulations following garlands to offer to the deities.

On the festival days these kinds of special arrangements for the deities, all these things are very purifying. Anyone who has participated in big festivals like Ratha-yātrā they are participating in the preparations afterwards they know they feel very purifying. Although there are so many different activities but they are very purifying. So, these are ways by which we can actually put our devotion to Kṛṣṇa in action.

Of course, there is also other practical services, offering a feast or preaching in half of the world. Last night (we were reading), Lord Caitanya was preaching in East Bengal, He was getting everyone engaged in the saṅkīrtana movement, and that is the real ultimate purpose of preaching is to bring people to saṅkīrtana movement, to engage them in chanting

HARE KṚṢṆA HARE KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA HARE HARE

HARE RĀMA HARE RĀMA RĀMA RĀMA HARE HARE

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that he was having complete faith on the chanting of the Holy Name. When he was given sannyāsa that time there was a kīrtana party going on during the yajña ceremony and somebody told the kīrtana to stop as it disturbing the chanting of mantras. Then Prabhupāda from behind told the kīrtana waved his hand.

So, people know that how much faith he had in the harināma. This is the age of harināma, and we need to continuously engage ourselves in chanting. Engage ourselves in the devotional service. nobody can force anybody to chant but why should we want to chant. No one will chant then we should consider that we are really in a diseased condition. It’s an unnatural condition, because it’s very natural for anyone, any human being to take shelter of the Lord, to chant His Holy name. The more we can chant the more spontaneously we become attracted to Kṛṣṇa. More we engage and use our intelligence, how to make some nice preparation for Kṛṣṇa, how to improve the worship of Kṛṣṇa.

Here these different devotees they are worshipping Kṛṣṇa when He is arriving, it's not that there was some kind of eating. Everybody has to now worship Kṛṣṇa He’s coming under penalty or fine or imprisonment those who do not decorate outdoors and indoors, nothing like that. It was all spontaneous, everyone was so happy to hear of the arrival of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

So, in bhakti-ratnākara it mentions that when Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura, he was actually the crown prince of the kingdom, Khetri was the capital of the kingdom. When he abdicated from his being a crown prince and he naiṣṭika-brahmacārī a sādhū devotee. And that’s when his uncle became the king instead of him and his father has to. But he visited Khetri and was loved by all the people as a devotee. Actually, this is the favorable situation there, although he didn’t lived in the royal palace, he lived in a simple residence as a Vaiṣṇava, but he was loved by everyone.

So, we wanted to organize Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival, so he had with the help of Śrinivāsa ācārya. He had all the Vaiṣṇavas invited from all over Bengal, all the remaining associates of Lord Caitanya and they were very few, and all their disciples. So, when the residents of Khetri heard that the Vaiṣṇavas were coming, then they came for Gaura Pūrṇimā spontaneously start sweeping the roads in front of their houses and decorating and cleaning the water pass and everyone was talking.

How all the great devotees of Caitanya Mahāprabhu are coming, the Vaiṣṇavas are coming, the devotees are coming, they are coming, they are all coming and then they messaged to everyone. They started getting the scented water, started getting all the flags ready automatically decorating the whole city. It was the biggest festival because all the Vaiṣṇavas were going to come, they were so enthusiastic to receive.

So, when the Vaiṣṇavas reached the other side of the Padmā river and the boats were sailed over for them and Narottama went to receive them. Big masses of people came out with kīrtana party to receive all of the Vaiṣṇavas. And there was very spontaneous natural festival, that’s all everybody could talk about. That whole place Khetri became like a spiritual world, because nobody was thinking of anything but Lord Caitanya and His devotees.

So, everyone all the worldly problems, all the anxieties, all the different problems of life that are there in this material world, they were all forgotten. Everybody was absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Sometimes we think that so many problems, how can I change, how can I think about Kṛṣṇa, I have to solve my problems. But actually the solution for the worldly problems is to be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the same to overcome all the problems in total everything.

Sometimes the problems are just in our mind and sometimes they are real, but if we are able to absorb ourselves in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are easily able to understand the significance. So, in this very special occasion people forgot about everything else and they just remembered Kṛṣṇa.

Similarly, in Navadvīpa after Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taken sannyāsa, He went to Jagannātha Puri. And for long time He didn’t come back to Bengal, after about 10 years or so. He went to, on the way to Vṛndāvana, He went to Rāmakeli.

And there He met Rūpa and Sanātana. So, they started a very nice journey, they didn’t go all over to Vṛndāvana, He returned back to Jagannath Puri, may be went to Vṛndāvana through the jungles of Jharkhanda.

While He was within the journey, then He didn’t went to Navadvīpa-dhāma, ignored the Māyāpur-dhāma. He was on the other side of the river. At that time, it is firmly established in the Caitanya-bhāgavata that Māyāpur or the Navadvīpa-dhāma was on the eastern side of the Ganges.

So, Lord Caitanya He was on the western side of the Ganges which is known as Ghooria ghat, Ghooria. And there was a old Vaiṣṇava and he stayed in a Vaiṣṇava house and He had mother Śacī called.

So, they went and called Mother Śacī and she was about to see Lord Caitanya. She was naturally so happy to see her son after so many years, and while Lord Caitanya was giving His mercy to mother Śacī, somehow or another the word leaked out, somebody saw Lord Caitanya and the word spread.

In Navadvīpa suddenly the people came out, Gaurāṅga is back, Gaurāṅga is back, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is back, He is here, He is in Ghooria. And people, some people, some worker were hammering, you know. And blacksmiths were hammering and potters were making pots, some brāhmaṇas were giving class. As soon as the word came, Gaurāṅga is back, many of the students jumped up and they ran, their teachers they jumped up and they ran. The blacksmith who were still burning and the potter still, they didn’t wait, they jumped and they ran. Where is He? 

He is in Ghooria, oh, the other side of river and they started running to the ghat and someone said where is everybody going, you didn’t hear, Gaurāṅga is back, Gaurāṅga, and everyone, and there was you know.

The mothers left cooking in the fire, when they heard they just ran up and the pots were burning over the fire, people were getting excited, when they heard, they just came out, they didn’t have program right and backwards something, everybody was just running running, GAURĀṄGA, GAURĀṄGA. The whole wave of people were just here and everyone was chanting Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga.

So, they finally got to the side of the Ganges. And the people first they thought was jumping in the boats to get across, take us across, take us across and the boatman said ok ok enough enough [Guru mahārāja makes sound of the crowd], and so many people are there on the boat, the whole boat just sank right there in the river and they all standing in the boat with sea weeds and the water and the boatman said “How can I take you?” See what you have done, so few boats they were transferred and now the other people were standing.

There was thousands and thousands of people, they all wanted to go at first, so all of a sudden somebody jumped in the water and started swimming and one after the another they all jumped in the water. And the normally the Ganges is little bit orange in color then turns brown but that day Ganges became black because all you could see was people head, black hair which was completely black!

Everyone was just crying out GAURĀṄGA GAURĀṄGA.

So how were they crying out [devotees saying GAURĀṄGA GAURĀṄGA]

GAURĀṄGA GAURĀṄGA [devotees repeating GAURĀṄGA GAURĀṄGA],

Everyone was crying out swimming across. They all reached to the house where Lord Caitanya was. And there was the huge crowd of people, as far as you can see, hundreds and thousands of people. And the householder he told Caitanya Mahāprabhu that they are going to breakdown the house.

So many people, you have to please reveal yourself to them. So then Lord Caitanya He came out. And then everyone saw Gaurāṅga and they all shouted.

GAURĀṄGA [devotees saying Gaurāṅga],

GAURĀṄGA [devotees repeating].

And then everybody offered their obeisances to Lord Caitanya. Everyone started to chant again, they had the darshan of Lord Caitanya. And Lord Caitanya then went back in the house and He disappeared. He was gone and people didn’t believe, and you have to bring him, looked around the whole house, Lord Caitanya is not here, He is gone. Lord Caitanya just like disappeared in some air. Lord Caitanya. he...he came out and then everyone, when saw Gaurāṅga. All were shouting

Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! 

Everybody house and he disappeared; He was gone. People didn't believe.

He has to bring in and, he had to say look in. look to the whole house "Lord Caitanya is not here. He is gone"

Lord Caitanya just like disappeared and then a few miles away he just appeared walking in on a journey

Lord Caitanya did little things like that, amazing.

People, they were so, they had no time to give banana leaves, mango leaves, sugarcane. It was spontaneous devotion. Spontaneous. So, Navadvīpa is not different from Vṛndāvana.

When Kṛṣṇa would come home in the evening from the fields with the cowherd friends and playing His flute. All the Vrajavāsīs would come out to see Kṛṣṇa. It was called 'Nitya Mahotsava', A daily Festival. They loved to see Kṛṣṇa, to hear him play His flute. Everybody would come out. So that spontaneous devotion as a part of Vraja or the Vṛndāvana mood.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to this world to give that spontaneous devotion to the people. There someone doesn't have this spontaneous devotion while they offer regulated devotion then eventually, they get purified through some special mercy of Guru and Kṛṣṇa. Some festival day sometime some devotee can get this spontaneous devotion. For they want to spontaneously worship the Lord always.

So, this. all the people of Navadvīpa they realize that they really felt the loss of Caitanaya Mahāprabhu once He left. How they have taken Him for granted, they hadn’t given him so much respect by their misdeeds. So many ways they were lamenting and when they actually heard He came, they were all overwhelmed. There was like people who were dying coming back to life or people were dying of starving and droughts, dying of thirst and suddenly.

You know, water comes or the rain comes, the people sometimes back to dance in the rain, so happy to see the rain. For that the comparison given is the bird and only drinks rainwater doesn't drink water from ground or any other source. There's no rain and that bird panting for his life, and he was so happy when he saw the rainfall. So, the devotees like that, they are so happy to see Kṛṣṇa, they are so happy to see Lord Caitanya, they are so happy to see the devotees of the Lord.

The residence of Hastinapur, when they heard that the Vidura had returned after the battle of Kurukṣetra, they all came out spontaneously. They were all so happy to see Vidura, they paid the obeisances, they are embracing each other then they arranged some place to rest. And give him so much prasādam in that and then talked about what he had seen? How was the noons, afternoon ...how's he?

Everybody was so eager to be entertained and to be joined with Vidura at that time. Like this, there are so many examples. How the devotees spontaneously feel very attracted to meeting with the Lord and His devotees.

I remember, when we were in Boston to receive Śrīla Prabhupāda, who had returned after North America after a long time. In fact, there was a very big fear that Prabhupāda. When he went to India in 1968 or 69. He went to New York and then he was supposed to go to India. Maybe He was sick and he would never come back... who knew!!

So, they were very happy when they heard Prabhupāda was coming back from all over North America.... eastern that time... the eastern part of North America. The devotees all gathered together in Boston when Prabhupāda was flying in from Europe and, there so summarized pictures at reception. But I remembered He came down that time from Toronto.

The devotees gathered from the different parts altogether. There were hundreds of devotees in the airport and they couldn't see... enter that customs and courses. There was a big window but they put some of those movable partitions and turned off the windows, so they are some six feet high so... You couldn't see on the other side. But still the devotees were trying to look under them or up on other’s shoulders and seeing whether Prabhupāda was there or not. And the kīrtana was going on very intensely.

All of a sudden Prabhupāda lifted his bead bag over one of those partitions. When they see his bead bag then everyone mainly know that. Prabhupāda was there and he could hear the kīrtana. The devotees were so exploding I mean...like kīrtana was woww...

I don't think people touch the ground. And, in fact, one devotee in kīrtana somehow, he got smashed by a kartāla, blood was pouring down from side of his face and he didn't even know it. He was so ecstatic in the kīrtana and he didn't realize it.

But some newspaper reporters were photographing, some were taking photos. Even they got it they could see that these devotees are so much in ecstasy that even when He was bleeding and he didn't feel it even obviously, he was very happy than feel any pain or anything so they recorded like that, there are so much ecstasy still happened.

Then, finally Prabhupāda cleared all the formalities and he came out the door then all the devotee paid their obeisances. Then, the regular other people that were waiting for their friends and their tourisms...they were kind of standing and seeing hundreds of devotees, you Know.... All laying down on the airport paying the obeisances.

There was television their radio, people were kind of amazed...What's going on!!

And then, Prabhupāda sat down and every devotee somehow came with the garland. [Devotees: Jai] They offered their garlands and they came right up to his to top of his head and then took the garlands off and then they saw that He would become full with the garland...more devotees will come.

In the airport, they offered the whole reception and kīrtana so then the television and radio wanted to do an interview. So, then Prabhupāda explained...They said why are they doing such a big reception?

Of course, the spiritual master is received as a representative of God. So, therefore, He's offered respect and love like God is offered. But if the Guru thinks that he is not a representative of God but he is God. Then he is not God ...he is the opposite...he's the opposite of God ...and Prabhupāda explains he's not G-O-D.... he's D-O-G... he’s a dog.

So, the devotees were so spontaneously eager to receive Śrīla Prabhupāda....... Then, that was pursuing a temple. There was another big reception, Prabhupāda gave a class, took control of that. That time the temple was in a funeral home. They had a press in the basement. They had to move down the press in the lift that they used to use for moving the coffins, that's called usual facility. But everybody was so happy at that time when we see Śrīla Prabhupāda.

After that, I don’t know what receptions were like in America, different devotees have explained.... I went India after that, 1970, that was last time, I was in America doing Prabhupāda pastimes...disciple pastime.

In India, there were so many big receptions for sure.... So, this was kīrtanas and plates and garlands, and flowers...it’s a natural way of receiving the Lord and the Vaiṣṇavas.

In Dvārakā, there was so much opulence so they could do so many things.... now, you guys feel difficulty even to get all these things.... but, in Dvārakā, we can see that they are very opulent, the way. very nice reception...

The devotional service is something which is completely spontaneous.

This story was once about told by Bhaktisiddhānta......

One time there was a king, his name was Bhagwan Singh...Bhagwan Das singh or something like that.... And he wanted that everybody should be a devotee.......He did it and then, he made a rule that anybody over eighteen have to daily worship tulasī otherwise, they would be punished.

So, out of fear of punishment, everybody was doing tulasī-pūjā. So, this Bhagwan Das Singh ...he wanted to know what was going on in his kingdom. So, he dressed up his ordinary suit and went amongst the people to see what's happening and he overheard somebody talking, somebody said, "You're doing tulasī-pūjā?" ... and the person replied “Yeah we!!!” Thus, Bhagwan Singh striped, he striped like sometimes.......It’s His thing You know.... you’ll do it because it's His thing. you get to do it otherwise, punished.

So that day he saw that although he was a very good king, he just wanted everybody to do tulasī-pūjā that would purify all the households and everybody but, because he did just like this rule.... that everybody has to do if. Didn’t...like talking or not even preaching this and that...God is everywhere. He didn't do this like trying to enclose people by preaching...so, just by some order...it generally change the minds of the people because they are doing it only by grudgingly order to the ruler. They don't do it on their own.

So, purport says devotional service...actually the boys had to want to do it, they had to.... It has to be made. Somehow, they have to understand that it's really for their benefit. So, that is what they want to do...

Sometimes people.... they attend the programs because that's the rule. But they don't put their heart into the chanting or they are not normally get involved in the program like they should because this so kind of false ego or.... have to do this or ...the mind is somewhere else.

Unfortunately, they are missing all the real pleasure. The chanting in all process is really meant for everybody’s upliftment...if we perform it, then we become blissful. Everyone becomes blissful. So, somehow or another we have to convince our minds about the importance of practicing Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

Just because in lectures, people talked about it or because some superiors gave some instructions about it. We should try to understand that there really is something wonderful there...and convince our own mind convince our own consciousness. Why we have to be responsible, why it is beneficial for us?

Actually, it's a greatest opportunity, we can see from the examples of so many great devotees.

Devotional service is the greatest nectar. When somebody is in a false ego platform, even if it's the greatest nectar for them.... they’ll think..

They're not able to take that...take and manage...they're not able to understand. That's really the problem of those people because of their false ego they are not able to understand the benefits. Somehow or another we have to ask them for the preaching.

Actually, make people appreciate the glories, the wonderfulness of the saṅkīrtana movement. We are put to test and trail in this world...only those who attend the kīrtana with the devotees to see.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.... the kīrtana is what is going to give us strength to cross over all the trials or all the tests. So, hope that everybody takes the merits of the mercy that Prabhupāda brought the mercy of the. Sankīrtana movement.

Actually, nobody asks him, forces anybody to chant even if we were doing, there's something we had to want to know...there's no reason why we should want to do it...

If someone were not wanting to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, not wanting to chant in kīrtana, not wanting to dance in kīrtana, not wanting to serve that really means they all are diseased our consciousness is sick. This is an unnatural circumstance.

And, if somebody knows they’re sick. And they're making cure the disease and when somebody is sick and they think they are healthy...then, it is very hard to take any kind of cures...like somebody is emotionally absurd that whether you need some counselling or someone to talk to "No... No, I'm Alright!!

Then, it must be very hard to talk to...once they can recognize they're not acting in a normal way then they can take help. And then it would be easy for them to correct their [Not Clear  47:32]  So, we should understand what is the healthy condition of life...

The description of Dvārakā, the description of Vṛndāvana...these are healthy liberated spiritually awakened soul. This is the healthy condition, one is spontaneously receive the Lord, receive the Vaiṣṇavas, chant the holy names, engage in devotional service. This is the healthy Natural State...

And if we are not on that stage then we should know that we're sick...we're spiritually diseased then, we need to take some cure.

We need some counselling from the Guru...or we need some study more shastras...correct the defect in our consciousness...Why the mind is in this state.

Thank You Very Much.

Questions.......

Devotee Asking Questions.

...why will it be Guru aparādha? I can't understand the question.

No, the Guru aparādha is the...when you do something offensive to the Guru, criticize the Guru. Neglect the Guru service, speak or do something specifically offensive to the Guru....revealing the mind to the senior Vaiṣṇavas, or to the Guru is in itself ...is not offensive.

If the thoughts that you have been dealing with is offensive that if you are thinking offensive things, then you may want to do some critical things against the Guru, then, sometimes may one talk with a very senior Godbrother or God sister. First to see how to get those doubts, and misgivings abandoned.

Maybe you know...that is the only kind of path I could consider when I feel offensive about all these doubts but of course, if there is no one else you can also very humbly say that "I have this doubt and it feels very offensive for I want to get purified form this" apart from that. In dealing if you have some problems in Guru. It’s not offensive.

Sometimes there may by. It is not a major problem that someone else were also preached you and helped you since so many times that.... Guru is busy in various types of services and sometimes you can get your problem solved by just talking to a senior Vaiṣṇava.

So, when there's no one...when no one else is able to solve your problems then you have to go to a Guru. That's not offense. That is the requirement and rather if you don't, you might be doing an offense by later on disobeying the orders of Guru. So, then, that would be an offense. So, if you have doubts, if you have problems then They have to be together solved and the Guru is the ultimate shelter of the disciple. No one else can help as one has to go to the Guru.

And whatever He says that is taken as the absolute truth. Sometimes, you hear what other devotees say, you don't accept it, you don't think. Wow it touches opinions but don't accept ...When you finally go to the Guru what he says you have to accept. So, you get to the Supreme court and after that you know. You’ll have nowhere else to go. (Not Clear 51:58) Sādhu, śāstra and Guru.

That's why we accept a guru and we have faith in him that we accept. We’ll accept what he says and ...defying each word for our own spiritual life. And if we don't have that faith, we should not accept a Guru. We should not take initiation till we have that faith that whatever he'll say to me is for my benefit. He wants to say something to get betterment in my spiritual life.

(Not Clear 52:38) Devotee asking questions.

We see You know. I think there might be one festival here...the cowherd boys returning festival like that ...

I know like in India; they have the Holi festival. Everybody wears old clean clothes, every clothes has its end of life...Everything has its so it is a good way of recycling the cloths for the next few weeks, sometimes they wear those clothes. Its kind of like a battle.

Now, here you'll find people wearing T-shirts with all kinds of funny things there...they wear the holy shirts from...it is a kind of picture campaign coming out of the campaign.

As far as ghee from the butter that washes our with soap. So of course. They don't wear a lot of clothes they just wore a dhoti the whole day.

Mataji wear saree and choli. It’s not like sooner. In fact, some people I think for year and year they use the same clothes for these occasions. It's not a daily affair. For one festival they do like that. That was the opulence we find in the residence of Vṛndāvana. They were so opulent, they could (Not Clear 55:00) get ghee. In India get pure ghee but previously they were so opulent that they could make their own. 

We were in South India and we went to this one temple they have little pieces of [not clear 55:18]. There was one deity in Sundareshwar temple in Madurai and the deity was colored by Radha Prabhu or Vīrabhadra who is like the general of Lord Śiva, Balbahadra or Vīrabhadra.

He was the one who gets very angry at Dakṣa who has cut the head of Dakṣa. So, the people in the temple keep the cool off so he cannot thinking of [not Clear 56:00]. In the Viṣṇu temple or Narsinga temple, near Jagwara they cover the deity with sandal wood the whole idea is to keep it cool.

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jai!!

Second Level Proofer: Karuṇāpati Keśava das

Second Level Proofed on: 17-Feb-2021