19940803 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.21.24

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on August 3rd 1994 in Copenhagen, South Africa. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4^th canto, chapter 21, verse 24.

 

ya uddharet karaṁ rājā

 prajā dharmeṣv aśikṣayan

prajānāṁ śamalaṁ bhuṅkte

 bhagaṁ ca svaṁ jahāti saḥ

 

Translation:  Any king who does not teach his citizens about their respective duties in terms of varṇa and āśrama but who simply exacts tolls and taxes from them is liable to suffer for the impious activities which have been performed by the citizens. In addition to such degradation, the king also loses his own fortune.

*translation with repetition*

Purport: A king, governor or president should not take the opportunity to occupy his post without also discharging his duty. He must teach the people within the state how to observe the divisions of varṇa and āśrama. If a king neglects to give such instructions and is simply satisfied with levying taxes, then those who share in the collection — namely, all the government servants and the head of the state — are liable to share in the impious activities of the general masses. The laws of nature are very subtle. For example, if one eats in a place which is very sinful, he shares in the resultant reaction of the sinful activities performed there. (It is a Vedic system, therefore, for a householder to call brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to eat at ceremonial performances in his house because the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas can immunize him from sinful activities. But it is not the duty of rigid brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to accept invitations everywhere. There is, of course, no objection to taking part in feasts in which prasāda is distributed.) There are many subtle laws which are practically unknown to people in general, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientifically distributing all this Vedic knowledge for the benefit of the people of the world.

Thus, end the Bhaktivedantha Swami translation and purport, text 24, chapter 21, canto 4 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

Oṁ Tat Sat.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda ki

Devotees: Jai.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīmad Bhagavat grantharaj ki jai.

Devotees: Jai

Jayapatākā Swami: Pṛthu Mahārāja is revealing his own realizations, his conclusions about his duty as a king, he has just coordinated. He is now explaining to all of the assembled brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and rṣīs that they can take now that what his conclusion are and give him any advice in case what he is saying isn’t right.

There is interesting point that, here other time someone might have a conclusion and just take it well ‘this is my conclusion and it’s the final word.’

But even a great emperor like Pṛthu Mahārāja who is also an incarnation of God, he is showing by example. That some administrator authority although he may have some concepts on how to do things, it’s good to reveal that to discuss with, to explain it to some senior persons and get their input. In that way one can be sure that in fact they have made the correct decision.

So we can see here Pṛthu Mahārāja  is not that type of an autocrat, just imposing his will on everybody out blindly. But he is also first of all he is in the assembly of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and rṣīs there, sages. He is telling his concept this is my duty as a king, as ahead of the state. As a government this is what I should be doing I should not only see that the citizens are protected materially. But they are engaged according to their nature and are given a proper employment simultaneously I should also see that progressively they are spiritually advanced. It's my duty otherwise that I just take money from them and I don’t see to their all-around progress and stability materially and spiritually. Then I am very quickly robbing someone. I have to take their karma, so he was presenting of course everything, he presented exactly correct.  And Śrīla Prabhupāda is revealing here that this is actually some of the very subtle laws of nature, the laws of karma are more powerful and they act in an independent or insurmountable way.

You cannot get around it Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was very conscious about these things. Although sometimes preaching like in Africa in the beginning he used to accept one invitation from life members for the sake of preaching, but then gradually he (not clear 7:37-7:40). 

Ineresting, I heard that how the Rāmānujācārya, when they get some invitation from someone although (7:51 not clear) they send the brāhmaṇas the day before to clean up everything (7:57 not clear) kitchen clean everything, clean the room before their ācārya goes there. And then they come with own altar with the deities with their own pots, with their own plates.

They set up the altar then they cook everything in their own pots with their own brāhmaṇa cooks. All the ingredients are provided by the household people who might be allowed to cut the sabjis. Then they prepare everything and they offer to the deities then they feed all of the brāhmaṇas and gurus and everyone and then the householders take prasādam from the deities. And for that opportunity of having the sacrifice being performed in their house, they give a handsome donation in advance (Gurumahārāja and devotees laugh). And that’s interesting, because there you can see that well everything is directly Kṛṣṇa prasādam.  And that’s why we use this system when we are travelling saṅkīrtana.

We would have a small Gaura-Nitāi  deities, we used to go to someone’s house, we follow as much better to prepare and offer everything to our own deities independently of the gṛhasthas. And they are very happy because although we were their guests it was like we were their host because they would sit there down and we would give them Kṛṣṇa prasādam.

So, it was a whole nice reciprocation they were giving us all the ingredients and we were feeding them kṛṣṇa-prasādam. I remember Śrīla Prabhupāda he was instructing one time when we were travelling to kumbha-mela that kind of intricacy about accepting different kinds of foodstuff. That one type of food that if we get depending on what the food is a certain degree of karma is transferred. If you accept a glass of water from someone, even then we have to take some karma from them.

One time he wrote me a letter that (10:10 – 10:13 not clear) go into the villages in Mayapur, Sometimes the villagers offers glass of water or piece of food, he says better not even to take water. But he said that if you have to then take something then take the whole fruit, don’t take it cut, the whole fruit is better than cut. Of course (10:33 not clear) then he also explained that there is like pakka and kaccha food. First is water then after the next after that is fruit and just raw food. Completely uncooked (10:50 not clear) that’s the next level.

Then we have eating grains and there is 2 kinds of grains, one they call pakka and kaccha, pakka means its fried, puris, halavā, pakoras, parothas, things like that... so things which are cooked in ghee (11:13 not clear) they are considered more like purified and they don’t transfer as much karma. And then the final thing is kaccha where you are actually taking rice and boiled things those regular rice, dal, sabji so taking boiled grains like rice that is considered like complete transfer of karma.

So it’s a very strong custom amongst the brāhmaṇas in India that they won’t take rice from the hand of anyone (11:40 not clear) who is not following that pure habits and things like that. Of course, not a very rare to find someone who is the pure habits but still the custom stands.

So, one of the ceremonies they do like in Bengal after the marriage is called, Bou-bhāta which means that the custom is that the bride will come with her husband to the house of the father of the boy and she becomes part of the household.

So one of the ceremonies to show that she has been accepted in the family is that all the elders of the family have to sit down. And she has to personally feed them rice with her own hand.  And if they take rice for her hand, that means they are accepting the karmic. But all these big rituals and things they have something to do (12:45 not clear) with the laws of karma. It’s all culturally based (12:50-12:59 not clear) but the origin to (13:01 not clear) and that was everything we do every action we accept something from someone then we have to take the karma.

So head of Spain, head of government I was just explaining this point that Pṛthu when he was saying if I accept taxes, I have to give, I have to produce some benefit for the money I am receiving. Otherwise, I will receive their karma too in other word in exchange of a fair work there is no karma.

One-time Prabhupāda told a devotee (13:35-13:39 not clear) that if he has to eat outside, if you buy the food and there is no transfer of karma, he explained that although karma is not transferred, you still get the mentality of the person who cooked the food. Of course of course when you are buying vegetarian food we don’t get the person who cooked it karma whatever the karma involved in the food is there that’s why we say Śrī Viṣṇu  Śrī  Viṣṇu  Śrī  Viṣṇu  if we have to eat something which is not prasādam  which is vegetarian and we can offer, in some emergency situation.

And at one time Śrīla Prabhupāda, suddenly when we were on the train going to Allahabad for the kumbha mela, he was very hungry and we forgot to pack him any lunch  so we knew this one,  because he used to travel he knew one station and he said that well in travelling is like an emergency situation so we can eat something from cooked outside. We should get some fried puris and sabjis so fry this pakka and buying it so it is not too much transfer. But we should a standard when you are cooking it and wash and cook it and he says check out whether the way I was cleaning that, smelling that, any kind of smoke coming up it’s alright.

So, we had to do this in a train station and had them cook up in front of us some hot puris and brought it in for Śrīla Prabhupāda, you know like emergency situations and travelling for all day, all night and nothing to eat.

So, there are a lot of intricacies and there is like all these things and share that Śrīdhara mahārāja if he can tell us about other stories.

I remember, in Bombay, I was there, Śrīla Prabhupāda was invited to one gṛhasthas house and he was complementing. i had no appetite before I came here, by smelling the prasādam, I am feeling hungry so like that. I was sitting next to Prabhupāda sit next to him and take prasādam and then he chanted ‘mahā prasāde govinde nāme brāhmaṇe vaiṣṇave’ prayer, he was starting to eat. And I was like so foolish just like without thinking I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda whether one has to chant (16:12 not clear) he looked at me like

(Guru mahārāja and devotees laugh)

He said, “No its necessary every time I just felt so foolish, and why did I ask (Guru Mahārāja  and devotees laught) like whatever Prabhupāda is very (16:33 not clear) And we were all sitting at the table, we were just about getting ready to eat, Prabhupāda turned to me and he said have you said you prayer yet it was (16:46- 16:50 not clear) in the beginning he was telling us to go and offer the prasādam and do everything that actually purifies the householder (17:03 not clear) taking prasādam  so that’s the ideal situation.

I heard that that’s like professional brāhmaṇas that go around just eating from people’s homes, brahma-bandhu, that kind of a brāhmaṇa, so then Bhānu Mahārāja said that they are completely black it’s like you know gradually turn black like because they are absorbing all the karma from the people they are eating. Its recommended that everything should be offered, prepared with that consciousness that its being offered to Kṛṣṇa.

(17:43 not clear) devotees when they go out as soon as they eat the prasādam they got sick, they got diarrhea it’s not really very nice. There is no reason why they should get sick but somehow, they got sick because they can have immediate reaction.

So now if we are a little careful and you see everything is offered and done in a proper way (18:04 not clear) they don’t get so affected (18:08 not clear) and they can go on preaching more effectively, so it’s important to know these things.

I mean, I heard that sometimes devotees go out and buy food cooked in some karmī restaurants. And even in places where they are not pure vegetarian and that’s very very dangerous. We have to take the mentality of the people who are cooking and affects the devotees.

And in the past when in travelling saṅkīrtana, people were very careless like that now we find that those devotees they just, they couldn’t maintain their preaching. So, we wanted remain preaching, we had to know these subtle laws and be careful because we whatever stock Kṛṣṇa conscious strength we have we don’t want to deplete it, by just kind of carelessly eating carelessly. Accepting charity there is some other reason why when we do saṅkīrtana. We give all the Lakṣmī to the temple, and we take from the temple only whatever is our, you know whatever is agreed with the temple, however the system is allowed.

So whatever, in that way we are getting from Kṛṣṇa, we give it away to Kṛṣṇa that we are getting from Kṛṣṇa. If we take directly from the people then we also share in the karma, so by giving everything to Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa he brings out all the karmas and then we are just looking for Kṛṣṇa, we are serving Kṛṣṇa and receiving our basic needs from Kṛṣṇa so we can continue that service.

So, all these things may seem unimportant but then our consciousness and in terms of karma and everything so do everything authorized is important.

Someone told me how one gṛhastha said that in one hour they were collecting money from people to maintain their gṛha. Which is totally actually prohibited for gṛhasthas to do that and he said after that everything (20:15 not clear) the money stolen, was getting sick (20:20 not clear) it was like overloaded by karma by people who are begging from, as if he were a sādhūs, as if they were in the renounced order.

So this laws of karma are there and we know the intricacies, we can protect ourselves, now Pṛthu Mahārāja he was concerned, this is my understanding, this is my duty. If I do this then in the end, I’ll go back to Kṛṣṇa, in the end my life will be perfect, I won’t get blocked down by other people’s karmas. So, he was clearing that now somehow, we should clear, we should be clear that what we are doing is karma free. The whole secret of devotional service is to have karma free diet, karma free life, no karma so we have not accumulated any new karma.

But sometime by acting carelessly we may get karmas from other people, you find devotees getting sick or we don’t know why the devotee getting sick but it maybe because they have just done some careless activity they are also getting sick not even by their own karma but because of the karma of the people that they are preaching to. And carelessly accepting karma when that should have been offered, done in such a way that it will be taken by Kṛṣṇa who can absorb unlimited karma.

In this also, the gurus they accept karma from their disciples so often the Guru gets sick and Śrīla Prabhupāda said that’s Kṛṣṇa has various purposes for that. So he said various intricacies of the laws of karma there was some brāhmaṇas.

There was some man in Jagannātha, in Vṛndāvana whose occupation was to take the gold from, he was to burn people, cremate them. But he was stealing gold from their teeth and he would do some sneaky business when they were being cremated (22:20—22:25 not clear) Is also like heavy karma so he would try to go and give this very wealthy man in Vṛndāvana, he tried to give his money to some brāhmaṇas, but no brāhmaṇas would even accept a donation from him.

Finally, I just go and put it in a hundi of some temple where just directly give it to Kṛṣṇa. In that way he was getting the mercy from a deity but no brāhmaṇa should accept a donation just from a materialistic person like that because directly they accept a donation from him then there will be karma.

So there was a, the brāhmaṇas would not accept charity from anyone and everyone for themselves but Kṛṣṇa, we can accept, although when someone ask Prabhupāda to accept money, if he know it’s like black money or something like that, he was very strict about such things not. All kinds of intricacies to karma if we act in a proper way, we will get immunized where you don’t get so affected but even then by day-to-day interactions with the material world, we can get some rub off of people’s materialistic mentality.

That’s why we come before Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā, we pray before them, we chant, this helps to purify our consciousness seeing the beautiful form of the deities. That’s purification for our whole vision and consciousness. And it is like if you see some horrible illicit activity or something outside even the Vedas say, you see someone naked. But to more transcendentally we are seeing every day, so many sinful things going on. So you see every day the deities and that is a type of purification and of course whenever we see the deities we chant

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

 

And Śrīla Prabhupāda he also explained how there is another reason why it’s important to go to holy dhāma. That there may be some subtle effect of being in the western world you may gradually develop a enjoying attitude perspective of life subtly just by being in this situation for so long without even noticing it.

Just like there is some example that gradually increase the heat of the water that you can literally boil the frog and it won’t realize there is a difference changing gradually.

So we use this example to demonstrate that we may gradually get contaminated by association with the material world and not realize it. If suddenly someone puts a big māyā in front of us we, oh you know we object, but gradually a person can be compromised by little-little micro changes in compromise with Kṛṣṇa. Just like that story about the sannyāsi disciple of the Guru who was given the order to read Bhagavad-gītā, you know that example, everyone knows it, all the devotees know it. There was a sannyāsi disciple, he was…, his Guru told him you just stay here and read Bhagavad-gītā.

So he was in a cave, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā every day on the order of his Guru. But then there was a mouse who used to come and chew on his pages of the Bhagavad-gītā. So he became disturbed that this mouse was creating so many problems, he had to take care of the mouse. Stop the mouse so he thought I will get a cat and having a cat then the cat keeps away the mouse. So then he got a cat and the cat was there and the cat kept the mouse away.

So he can read the Bhagavad-gītā but then the cat was mooing, hungry so he had to get some milk to feed the cat so he can keep away the mouse so he can read the Bhagavad-gītā.  So that’s troublesome so he thought that it may be easier by just having a cow but having a cow, feed the cat. So then he had got a cow but then the cow was mooing and cow was hungry. So he had to go and feed the cow to get milk, to feed the cat, keep away the mouse to read the Bhagavad-gītā. Everything related to Kṛṣṇa, following the Guru but then he thought that there is so much trouble to keep the cow and so he decided to get an employee to take care of the cow. So that that way he can get milk for cat can keep away the rats so that and read the Bhagavad-gītā. Then he found that the employee was not very diligent, he had to actually oversee the employee to get proper work from him, he didn't oversee.

How will he get the time to read the Bhagavad-gītā every time he has to oversee the employee, who is taking care of the cow to get the amount to feed the cat and keep away the rat, he was reading the Bhagavad-gītā.

So finally great consideration of everything and his ultimate objective reading the Bhagavad-gītā the only thing, he said that any hired employee does not work with a full consciousness. That the only thing to do is get married, *devotees laugh* because if he gets married, the wife will be totally dedicated and work, husband wife work together as one and with complete surrender *devotees laugh* and consciousness, so and so figured out theoretically *devotees laugh*

So in order to take care of the employee who milk the cow and feed the cat, keep away the rats so he can read the Bhagavad-gītā. And he thought there was just, the only thing he could do is to get married. So then he got married but then he thought that the wife had other necessities also. And so in order to keep the wife satisfied so she will watch over the man who would keep, you know, milk the cow and everything, so what happened was that a few children came up and then finally what happened?

He forgot about reading Bhagavad-gītā and he was up getting up, getting up, working and ploughing the fields and maintaining his family and whole thing got, he got deviated from the whole original path. His Guru came along, saw the cave empty and then he saw that there his disciple who had got a big house and he has got a farm you know, cows and all things, what happened? What are you doing?

I just told you read the Bhagavad-gītā.

He said, “Gurudeva everything, was just following your instruction it was all, this is just for reading the Bhagavad-gītā *devotees laugh*.

So by making little micro step adjustments and to read the Bhagavad-gītā, finally he got, so micro stepped out that he was really out and finally he got totally distracted from the original order of the Guru. Which was simple order for a sannyāsi disciple to stay there and read the Bhagavad-gītā. But he had somehow rationalized each step that this was for Kṛṣṇa, this for reading the Bhagavad-gītā. But after a while, became so far removed from the original purpose that it became. What we call over endeavor, better to just scare away the rat itself in the beginning and keep reading the Bhagavad-gītā, went around his neck or something whatever he could have found some other solution. But somehow, he went on this way and just gradually for the original purpose there wasn’t at all cause to affect it and he missed the whole point of taking sannyāsa vows and finally he even gave up his sannyāsa but he rationalized he whole thing.

So this is a danger, that sometimes we may gradually just start to adjust and adjust and There is a certain point. the example is given that, you put water in milk and keep adding more water (32:01 not clear) it’s not watery milk, its milky water, what point does it switch? we can only water the milk done so far but no longer remains milk.

So, we have to be careful that sometimes for preaching, we may do something but if we go too far out, we actually lose our spiritual edge. So that’s why devotional service is very principle oriented, we always maintain the strict principles of Rūpa Gosvāmi. And are very careful to see that the ultimate objective our principle is in fact being met.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was concerned that devotee’s preaching, they might gradually change their attitude into an enjoying attitude. So therefore he prescribed that every year, there should be a big pilgrimage to Māyāpur  and Vṛndāvana. And that would be an opportunity for devotees to associate with many Vaiṣṇavas, to be in the holy-dhāma and in this way they would get purified. From that subtle tendency of developing an enjoying attitude, after all the whole purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to develop our serving attitude, seva bhava. What Kṛṣṇa really accepts our attitude of service bhāva-grāhi Janārdana. 

The more that we are service oriented, the more that our service attitude for Guru and Kṛṣṇa is expanding. That is more pleasing to Lord Kṛṣṇa, that is what he is relishing like that example everyone knows where Kṛṣṇa eat the banana peel because the devotee simply offered with so much enthusiasm, with such a service attitude. It didn’t even matter that they offered him the wrong part of the fruit they offered the peel instead of the banana.

So the real essence of devotional service is to have the proper attitude, the externals are not as important as the inner service attitude although externals also to get us in the mood or in the proper consciousness of service. So one of that ways that Prabhupāda had to keep the spiritual health of the whole movement was in Māyāpur  Vṛndāvana  pilgrimage, the Navadvīpa-parikramā, this type of association in the holy dhāmas.

One-time devotees were asking Śrīla Prabhupāda look at it we are spending so much money on air tickets every year flying to Māyāpur, he calculated, in those days there were maybe 200 devotees were coming, now there is about 1500, so 200 devotees they calculated then if you pay 1000 then it is 200,000 dollars. So we could build a temple and do so many things and then Śrīla Prabhupāda looked at them and said in this way, we are spending so much money on food if didn’t eat, how much money we could save for spending for Kṛṣṇa. Then they all thought for a minute and said “Jai Śrīla Prabhupāda” *devotees laughter*.

I understood the point, that just like eating, it’s not a luxury, we cannot get out of from eating. Otherwise, we will not be able to continue on with our service similarly it’s no less important that we get this transcendental association with the holy dhāmas for our spiritual food. Its spiritual food for our spiritual development and by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy now these by all these formulas that he has given us so we can remain spiritually healthy, the whole body of ISKCON by having regular deity worship, by having regular tulasī-pūjā, it’s interesting.

Many times even devotees in ISKCON might feel some kind of, what you call inferiority or something because you know relatively speaking, we are a new branch of the Caitanya Mahāprabhu tree but living in Māyāpur. And seeing all the other branches, the older branches that we are, frankly speaking they are the different branch. I don’t know what you call, leaders or preachers from other branches like Gauḍīya Maṭha and other, they frankly come and they say that now ISKCON has got the greatest, highest standard of all of the Gauḍīya sampradāya in terms of regular sādhanā they be on your own disciples of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

They wouldn’t be allowed to offer him prasādam, if they didn’t chant 64 rounds a day. But there maybe a few exceptions but by and large nobody is chanting 64 rounds a day, there not even chanting 16 rounds a day, most of them maybe a few senior devotees who are chanting 16 rounds but their regular standard outside of ISKCON has decreased down to chanting 4 rounds a day. We should do like ISKCON and have join japa prayers, get together, chant 16 rounds and one godbrother of Śrīla Prabhupāda, he just happened to say that actually, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura didn’t only tell us to chant 64 rounds, he said to chant 64 rounds when you are in the Dham, otherwise if you are out preaching, fully engaged in preaching then you can chant 16 rounds and rest of the time you should be fully engaged in preaching, in Kṛṣṇa’s service.

So actually, what Śrīla Prabhupāda organised for ISKCON, where we are you know, for us to sit down and chant 8 hours a day, Hare Kṛṣṇa will be very difficult, considering our nature to be very active and it would not be very promotional for the preaching if 8 hours a day were just chanting. So Śrīla Prabhupāda organized things in such a way that we chant 16 rounds of japa and then we go out and preach. And that is actually completely authorized formula given by our previous ācāryas.

It’s not that Prabhupāda made a particularly adjustment and that (38:03 not clear) it was something that Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura directed. Although Śrīla Prabhupāda had the right to make the adjustments in fact it was really something.

But then apart from ISKCON, people actually come and they praise us, actually you are doing everything it mentions in the nectar of devotion, the tulasī-pūjā, you have the maṅgala-ārati, you have the japa, Bhāgavatam like you know, the whole sadhana which is mentioned in the Nectar of Devotion and Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhū, in the morning program.

It’s all included, all the major things which are included are prescribed, are provided for your daily sādhanā. In other words that the ISKCON program, we shouldn’t have any kind of inferiority complex.

We should think that somehow, we are actually having the best program, best complete program by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy and if we simply follow the program that Śrīla   Prabhupāda gave.

You can see that how the movement is maintaining healthily and expanding. Its when we, you know, somehow don’t do what Śrīla Prabhupāda advises us or we try to change them, then we get in trouble.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us the perfect program this is…., then we just need to be very fixed up, very dedicated in following the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Just like, otherwise we will fall on the same line as the young monkeys so they didn’t follow the old monkey *devotees laugh* you know that is too, that is too long, it will take at least 10 minutes. You see there was once a clan of monkeys and there was a very wise monkey, a grandfather monkey who was over all the other monkeys. And he was guiding them in the forest, he was very wise and they could live in a very happy way, his children, the grandchildren, even the great grandchildren. They are all the, whole monkey dynasty was there everyone was following his instructions and things were going very nicely so somehow, they came near..., they were living in the forest.

Nearby the king of that particular forest in that kingdom. He had many young princes and princesses and they wanted, they said that in our garden we have no monkeys, we would like to have some monkeys in our garden and it will be very nice.

So, then the king told ok. We can have monkeys here to feed them, no problem, we would like to have monkeys and feed them, feed them nice fruits, so somehow the princess and princesses they found this clan of monkeys in the forest. And then they allured them, attracted them to the garden and the wise monkey said it’s alright, we can be in the garden for some time. And they were, he was all reserving everything and he was the monkeys who are used to eating raw bananas, now they are getting ripped bananas mangoes, litchis all kinds of really enjoying luxurious fruits. So they were really enjoying luxurious fruits and easy life in the garden of the king.

So, the wise monkey, he is just observing everything. So long everything was alright but one day the lamb ran. He noticed that that the lamb had gone into the kitchen of the king and was stealing some food and was driven out by the cook. And the wise monkey saw that and immediately understood what would happen, he called all the monkey clan together and said okay we have been here, up till now there was no problem, it’s been very suitable.

But now it’s not suitable for us to stay here we should immediately go from this place back to the forest. Now young monkeys were really attached to getting a good life, they said how could we go back to the forest?

We are getting good fruits and there the fruits are bitter and sour and scanty and here we are really getting nice fruits. We are enjoying it here, he said no we should go back to the forest right away, it’s very dangerous here now, so could you explain what is the danger?

No, it’s very dangerous, you didn’t see the lamb went to the kitchen and was taking the food from the king's kitchen. It’s very dangerous, so the young monkeys, very dangerous the lamb went to…, what is that to do with us, we are not lambs, we are monkeys.

No the lamb goes into the kitchen eventually what’s going to happen is that the cook is going to get so angry with the lamb that he is going to just ignite the lamb on fire.

And the young monkeys said ok ignites the lamb on fire, what is that to do with us. We are monkeys, he said if the lamb is ignited on fire, the lamb lives in the same stable as all the king’s horses and that was the old time and horses were the main military weapon they use for cavalry and everything. So when the lamb is burnt, he is going to run back into the stable with all the horses and the burnt lamb runs with all wool burning in, he runs against all of them they are going to get agni-phobia, fire phobia, whatever it’s called, I don’t know the technical name agni fire they get freaked out by this fire, and after that from this phobia, nobody can ride the horses.

You understand the danger and all the monkeys were listening and they couldn’t figure out. They said we are not horses, we are not lambs, we are monkeys, what is it going to do with us?

So why don’t you just accept? Alright I’ll tell you, you are not understanding because you are just neophytes you don’t understand the implication. When these horses have agni phobia, the only cure for is the special Āyurvedic medicine and one of the essential ingredients is monkey fat *devotees laugh*. Monkey fat, yes and all of you are quite fat *devotees laugh*

Then one monkey said no we are the pets of the king, princes and princesses they will never squander their poor pets. You all don’t understand, what does the king care about the pets of the princesses and when his cavalry, his all-military strength is in jeopardy is vulnerable to being attacked. By any other kingdom he won’t hesitate to sacrifice some pet monkeys to save his kingdom. So, you stay or not, it’s up to you but I cannot stand here and watch my entire dynasty go down, just being finished. It is not safe here now as long it was safe I allowed you to do this but now it is not safe. i am going back to the forest, those who want to come with me you can come. Others you stay at your own risk, I cannot stand here and watch the end of all of you.

So then there was the group of the young monkeys they didn’t follow the old monkey they decided to stick it out. And enjoy the fruits but the old monkey went with some went back into the forest. But then one day, the lamb went into the kitchen that day was the king’s birthday, there was a big cake, all decked up, triple layer cake or something, 4 layer or whatever really, you know. The chef had put a lot of work into this and the lamb came right in started chewing into it. That cook got so angry that he just, cooking with wood fire he just pulled out all the flaming wood things and said ok you xyz *devotees laugh* and he lit the lamb on fire. And the lamb caught on fire, the wool was burning ran right back into its stable and would start running freaked out with all the horses, all the horses got totally freaked out. He is jumping up and there is this burning smell and they just got completely freaked out and they all got fire phobia. The news got to the king that now the horses were all totally freaked out.

Call this Āyurvedic doctor. What is the cure?

Our horses have got fire phobia find out what’s wrong and came back sir they have got fire phobia this is thing; it requires this medicine. And this herb, this plant, this leaf, this thing and we need also monkey fat, oh monkey fat. We have got a bunch of fat monkeys in our garden *devotees laugh*

They are your princess and princesses pets if they get right upset, never mind they are all sleeping, go there and catch all the monkeys and take it, some of the monkeys, I noticed they already left so they won’t know, we will just say they went back to the forest, what to do, its life isn’t it?

We have to save the kingdom, even for I have to sacrifice the pets of my own children for the welfare of the kingdom. We cannot do without a cavalry and an army, its such vulnerable we have to see the welfare of the greater, sacrifice a few monkeys which the least we can do. For saving the entire kingdom, the fate of the monkeys were sealed that night they were all captured and cooked up and the wise monkey somehow he left. He could see the writing on the wall but they didn’t believe him exactly that’s what happened, so you all understand the moral of the story, who was the wise old monkey ?

Yes! The spiritual master sometimes the neophyte may not understand why the spiritual master is saying do like this, go on saṅkīrtana, do like this, go to Māyāpur  or whatever so many instructions he may give. Don’t do this, so the spiritual master he has the vision coming down from the disciplic succession. We have to follow the instructions of Guru, who are the young monkeys who didn’t follow, who are they?

I hope you are all very sincere monkeys *devotees laugh*  So the disciples who didn’t follow the Guru, they didn’t follow. The disciples who don’t follow the Guru will get too much involved in sense gratification and so they start to compromise. Instead of following strictly they will start to compromise for a more comfortable life. More comfortable situations whatever and then what happens is they spiritually defeat their force and finally they give. Its finished and actually this is the very important. This is the story was told by Śrīla Bhakthisiddhānta Ṭhākura and not too long before he left the world and he gave the purport also that, sometimes the guru leaves early when he sees that his disciples are no longer willing to follow his instructions and he decides to go back to Kṛṣṇa early. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Śrīla  Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura left frustrated that his disciples were not strictly following his instructions. When in Vṛndāvana, we asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said Prabhupāda was not angry with us and he was satisfied.

He said, “No no. I am very satisfied”. Sometimes happens… the Guru, when he sees that he can’t help his disciples any longer. They are not following what can I do, I go back to Kṛṣṇa.

So, we had to be very careful, learning from all our previous mistakes that anyone has ever made. And to not make similar mistakes and we know that when we very carefully follow Śrīla Prabhupādas instructions, to take his mood of delivering this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and saṅkīrtana to everyone as our top priority, samādhi is later.

Now we have to give out this mercy of Gaurāṅga  Mahāprabhu by following Prabhupāda’s instructions, we are under his shelter of Guru and Kṛṣṇa if we go against those instructions then we are very dangerous position just like the monkeys who didn’t follow the instruction of the wise Guru, wise old  monkey, they ended up being roasted and processed for curing the agni phobia of the horses.

So here Pṛthu Mahārāja  he is explaining already although he is the emperor but he is telling all of the state this is my idea, so in advance he is getting it cleared whether they are, what his opinion is, what his decision is and how to manage his kingdom. If he gets to go ahead then he will proceed and that’s what we should do in our personal life.

We should get the blessing of the Guru beforehand, before we make the decision to be sure that it’s the proper decision, we may make a decision but before we act on it. Just like Pṛthu Mahārāja,  he made a decision this is what I should do, this is what my decision is? But before he would act on it, he asked all the sages his decision was correct.

The sages agreed and everything went forward, sometimes it’s like already done, its already done what is the difference?

It’s already done but now we just have to adapt with the new situation it might not have been the best alternative. So, the ideal thing is before we do something, be inquisitive and be sure that what we are doing is correct, according to sādhu śāstra and guru. According to time, place and circumstance so this is a very safe way of proceeding.

So these are very flamboyant instructions given here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which we can use in our daily, very own personal spiritual life. As things happen, we can always, when we make a decision what we want to do in our spiritual life before we act on it, we should get the sanction of sādhu and guru. If they are sanctioning from the authorities Guru or his representatives. And this way we know that we are protected by the mercy of Guru and Kṛṣṇa:-

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Thank you.

Time for questions, comments.

Being initiated we should become more expert in the subtle laws, so that we can avoid the effect. Nityānada Prabhu said that initiated devotee by following instructions of Guru they do not accrue any karma. But if they go outside the parameters approved by sādhu śāstra and guru, then they commit sinful activities. Then they are responsible it’s not that I am initiated I go and commit a sin I won’t get a karma, I will get the karma, in fact we may get it even quicker, instant. That’s up to Kṛṣṇa.

Now we put our life Kṛṣṇa’s hand and he will directly personally decide how to administer our karma. It’s not so mechanically being done now Kṛṣṇa is directly administrating. But the karma to a large degree, that depends on how surrendered we are.

Sometimes we may take initiation but we may not really surrender, not really giving our surrender to Kṛṣṇa and Guru. We have our own internal agenda which have not revealed. So all these things are understood by Kṛṣṇa if we are 100% surrendered, he will take 100% control of our life. If we are 50% surrendered, he may take 50% like that. But as long as we are following the instruction of Guru and Kṛṣṇa properly. We are protected from karmas, if we are disobeying or going outside of that parameter then we are responsible. Now in that sincere execution of our devotional service if due to simply inexperience we make some accident or mistakes. Those things are covered to a large degree we make soon have to take some token reaction for that. But Kṛṣṇa may not hold us fully responsible although technically we are responsible because it was done in (57:08 not clear) we may not be held fully responsible or we may just find because of force of devotional service those effects may also get burned up.

One-time Śrīla Prabhupāda he cut his finger; one drop of blood came he said that actually I should have got the karma of having my whole leg cut of but by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy Just one drop of blood was taken instead so we can get just a small token. And if we are fully surrendered maybe a small token (57:40 not clear) if you are 99% surrendered and 1% (not clear 57:46) 50% had to pay half. Whatever it’s hard to say there is no strict formula for that it’s up to Kṛṣṇa but we know that you get the token, it’s the livelihood although sometimes by very active preaching, by helping others.

So when young devotees are going out on saṅkīrtana are distributing prasādam  by helping others to be Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. In fact, they are freeing themselves from many offenses and any obstacles of their own spiritual life by helping others. You get surcharged, extra bonus kind of blessing. So that’s why although some of them may say that neophytes they don’t know much how should they preach.

But Prabhupāda gave by distributing books knowing at least what’s in the books and explain maybe we cannot explain everything in the books. But generally, we have some idea even a new devotee is made some idea but by giving the book to someone they can read. Then they get so much benefit so that helps the young devotee also to get advanced very quickly. Side by side young devotee should read and should build up their own for their spiritual knowledge as much as possible.

So that they can know these intricacies of the laws of nature, they can develop their attachment more and more for Kṛṣṇa (not clear 59:23) So we need to go in our understanding just like Bhaktivedanta, devotion and knowledge the two things go side by side.

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much.

Grantharaj Śrīmad Bhagavat ki

Devotees: Jai.  

Śrī Śrī Rādhā Londoniswara ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Śrī Śrī Jagannath Baldev Subhadra ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Nitāi Gaura ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Guru Paramparā ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Nitāi-Gaura premānande

Devotees: Hari bol!      

 

Second Level Proofer: Karuṇāpati Keśava das

Second Level Proofed on: 22-feb-2021