19990119 Bhagavad-gītā 7.18

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatāka Swami Mahārāja on January 19^th, 1999, in Balarāmadeśa, India. The class begins with the reading from Bhagavad-gītā 7^th Chapter Verse 18.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam

devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam

paramānanda-mādhavam śrī-caitanyaṁ īśvaraṁ

udārāḥ sarva evaite

jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam

āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā

mām evānuttamāṁ gatim

Translation:  All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal.

Purport: It is not that devotees who are less complete in knowledge are not dear to the Lord. The Lord says that all are magnanimous because anyone who comes to the Lord for any purpose is called a mahātmā, or great soul. The devotees who want some benefit out of devotional service are accepted by the Lord because there is an exchange of affection. Out of affection they ask the Lord for some material benefit, and when they get it they become so satisfied that they also advance in devotional service. But the devotee in full knowledge is considered to be very dear to the Lord because his only purpose is to serve the Supreme Lord with love and devotion. Such a devotee cannot live a second without contacting or serving the Supreme Lord. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is very fond of His devotee and cannot be separated from him.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.68), the Lord says:

sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ
sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham
mad-anyat te na jānanti
nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api

“The devotees are always in My heart, and I am always in the hearts of the devotees. The devotee does not know anything beyond Me, and I also cannot forget the devotee. There is a very intimate relationship between Me and the pure devotees. Pure devotees in full knowledge are never out of spiritual touch, and therefore they are very much dear to Me.”

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami purport Bhagavad Gītā As It Is chapter 7 text 18

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa! (Hare Kṛṣṇa!) So this verse 18 is in relation with verse 16 where Lord Kṛṣṇa explains

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ su-kṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.”

So there are these four kinds of pious people looking for Kṛṣṇa. Those who are distressed, those who are in need of money, those who are inquisitive and those who have understood and looking for knowledge of the Absolute truth and they inquest they’ll come upon Kṛṣṇa hence the Absolute so they wanted to serve Him. All these forms Kṛṣṇa appreciates because they’re coming for Him. You see if, there the child went away from home of a rich man because he’s anti with his father something, he wants to be separate, he goes off. Father is keeping intact what’s going on with him, he needs some network. Then after a long time the son comes back to the father, even if the son go and stays father is ready to help. Still the father is happy that at least he’s coming in a humble mood back. So like that we’ve been wandering in this material world as in various species of life fish, mosquitoes, twine, cockroach birth!

We can’t remember but we went to all those species 84,00,000, lizard, bear, cat, dog, monkeys (laughing) and various kinds of species, animals. Human beings have various types and finally you get born in a nice civilized society with Vedic culture. That is something very special! The kali wants to cheat all the human beings because that the human being can be nicely situated in the mode of ignorance. They can go back again, and they have a monkey life, it start all over again! And we saw some pastimes here before on how different people went back again to be animal. First canto Bhagavad-gītā I told that before I came back, it’s bullock?

There was a young man born in the family of devotees but he did not care for his parents, he went away and doing all kinds of sinful activities, breaking principles, he was having girlfriend. So he asked of his lady friend to go and meet him, he’ll be waiting in a fruit orchid. There he was seated under a tree thinking about his lady friend. Ah! (laughing) cobra bit him, cobra was this place, went bit by a cobra ah!

He died! Yamadutas came, took him up to Yamaloka. There he was held by the Yamadūtas before Yamarāja! Said, you’re born in a good family, you have every opportunity to be a devotee. When you're little child they engaged you in some pious activities but then you did all these sinful activities. You wasted your valuable human form of life, therefore you’re going back to the animal kingdom. But because you were a devotee before your family I’ll make you a bull at least! So he was born as a bull, that the owner then need a bulls and made him a bullock, (laughing) so that way he was life long brahmacārī (laughing). And he had a very hard time because then he was sold to one crippled man who was very poor. He had no money, he had no anything, all he had was just to buy this bullock that carry his wife belongings everything he piled on the back, even he would ride on the back. He didn’t treat properly and in case bullock didn’t pull, he beats. So he regularly been beating and he was suffering so much.

One day it was a very hot day in the month of May, so hot his brain was just toasting and not giving any water so the bull started to, that bullock start to foam in the mouth and going around in circles spinning. So all the village people came, what’s going on here? What is happening because this is a very important thing bull is spinning around and foaming at the mouth. When things like this happen in a village everything stops, people run to see it, anything unusual. So this bull fainted on the ground just fainting there foaming at the mouth, one lady came and saw there very hopeless situation of the bull. And she is happened to be very pious lady and she said I’ll give 50% of my good karma to this bull, oṁ tat sat! And the bull died, was taken back by the Yamadūtas the ātmā was taken to Yamaloka again. He had not suffer enough, he did so many sinful activities he must suffer more. Chitragupta was saying no he didn’t pay all the bad karma yet, one more round again (laughing). But then Yamarāja said no there was a lady gave 50% of her good karma so she had a lot of good karma, so now you got that extra credit, he can take birth in a brāhmaṇa family. So that way he got again new chance and just not only that he was allowed to remember his three births, as a fallen devotee, as a bullock and he is a brāhmaṇa.

He he had 9 years gone, there you know six or nine year. He went looking for this lady, who is this lady gave me such a blessing. I was toasted by the Yamadūtas again and suffer some hellish birth. India sometimes see these dogs for running in the streets and if they go by the tea stall to get a biscuit or something then the tea owner doesn’t like, the tea shop owner takes all the hot water tshh, Ai! Ai !Ai! Ai! (laughing). What karma they did get that way burnt, it’s another story, anyway we’re back here. So that man, that boy he’s looking where is this lady who gave me that good karma and then he found her and knocked on her door (knocking). She was surprised by the young boy what is it? He said that I came to see you because you helped me very much. Did I help you? I never seen you before! Oh you remember that bull that was foaming in the mouth and you gave 50% of your good karma? So she said, oh yes! So I‘m that bull, I’m now reborn now! I was in a brāhmaṇa family by your blessing. I wanted to know how is it you have so much good karma you’re just giving to others. What is the secret and how you’re such a nice person?

So the lady had a parrot and the parrot know how to chant first chapter Bhagavad-gītā rehearse. Everyday that parrot kept chanting dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre… the whole first chapter like that and, so she is also chanting with her parrot and she recite first chapter Bhagavad-gītā. So because of chanting first chapter Bhagavad-gītā everyday she accumulated so much puṇya that she can just give it away. So that boy he the (inaudible 15:54) take advantage, she’s getting all this from chanting of first chapter Bhagavad-gītā, so he also learned and was chanting first chapter Bhagavad-gītā. And in this way all the three went back home back to Godhead. Three meaning parrot, lady and boy. So like this somebody who neglects human form of life they can go back again to the animal kingdom. Of course sometimes it is also like mode of passion who are very attached to the fruits of their work they generally take birth again back in the earthly planet as a human being. And those who are in mode of goodness they take birth in the higher planets with the rishis that there.

So which place you like to take birth? Who would like to take birth in the hellish existence? Back on the earth planet? Planet of the rṣīs?

Devotee: We’d like to go to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Jayapatākā Swami: Oh! That’s another option I forgot to mention (laughing). Those who are not doing any karma, not producing any reaction under the three modes of material nature then Kṛṣṇa says they go back to Him, His spiritual world.

How many would like that?

Devotees: All of us

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol!

Devotees: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: Here Kṛṣṇa is saying that one who approaches Him out of knowledge, He said already one approaching Kṛṣṇa since you’ve understood He’s the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They’re very special, that devotee who is very rare and is very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Also in twelfth chapter Bhagavad-gītā in the last verse when Kṛṣṇa also explains verse 20 here

ye tu dharmāmṛtam idaṁ

yathoktaṁ paryupāsate

śraddadhānā mat-paramā

bhaktās te ’tīva me priyāḥ

“Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me.”

So how many here have made Kṛṣṇa the supreme goal? Very good! That means all of you are very very dear to Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa. (Haribol!)

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāḿ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Actually devotees are so dear to Kṛṣṇa, even Lord Śiva, he appeared before the Pracetās, the fourth canto Bhāgavatam it was explained, Pracetās were brāhmaṇas who were doing tapasyā. You see previously before someone will be married they’ll do some tapasyā in order to prepare themselves for the householder life. They would do some tapasyā and brahmacarya, the idea was 10% of the life spent it in some austerity then the rest of the, the middle portion of the life they can be very responsible as householders. All that practice seems to be more or less a month. They go to college to get the education to get a job.

Anyway these Pracetās they were, they were doing this tapasyā and they were, they had gone to the Himalayas to find a place to meditate. And they went by the Mānasarovara which is next to Kailāsa. Ganga waters of Mānasarovara, Lord Śiva with Pārvati and all his associates they came out and drums were narrating they were playing and so lastly they were amazed to see Lord Śiva, the very heart of the Śiva. His bhaktas they may worship for life after life in order to see Lord Śiva very special mercy. They didn’t ask to see Śiva, they never even dream that they could see Śiva, Mahādeva Lord Śiva. So they paid their obeisances and then the Lord Śiva he appeared to them and he said that I’m appearing to you and giving you this as a special mercy because you’re devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Devotees of Kṛṣṇa are more dear to me even than my own devotees (Haribol!), and I’m very dear to the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Śiva is vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ, he is the greatest devotee, greatest Vaiṣṇava.

And devotees of Kṛṣṇa they don’t ask Śiva for any, you see one main thing they only want to serve Kṛṣṇa, so they ask anything is only that how they can serve Kṛṣṇa, they want to know something more about the glories of Kṛṣṇa. So like that Śiva likes them very much. So he gave his special mantra only for the Pracetās, only the Pracetās they were chanting the mantra given by Lord Śiva, the Lord Viṣṇu also appeared to them. Because so many people are looking for God, if you look for God, you can’t find Him. What I’ll get? You start looking your coin. But if you act in such a way that Lord is pleased with you, He will look for you and nobody can stop Him. This way they’re people here there in this island if they want to see somebody nobody can stop them. Like that if Kṛṣṇa wants to come to see you who is stopping? Prabhupāda he stressed that we should not be worrying about not to see Kṛṣṇa, we should be acting in such a way that Kṛṣṇa can see us. We try to please Kṛṣṇa then He will be very pleased with us. So Viṣṇu He revealed why He was so pleased with these Pracetās. And see they’re doing tapasyā in order to worshipping the Viṣṇu, but they wanted to be householders in the future. So he blessed them that they’ll all be very successful householders, to be very successful until eventually you come back to Me to the spiritual world. So they have everything, best spiritual situation and by only spiritual perfection. And He revealed what the secret, but general was secret, but why He was open?

Devotee: They were cooperating with each other to serve Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes! They were cooperating with each other to serve, in fact they were all serving cooperatively that’s what especially please Kṛṣṇa. You see sometime people want to do like if you say in the football team. If everybody want to just be their score not give the ball to anybody will it be a very exciting game (laughing). Look like that if they were able to pass the ball back and forth, back and forth and that cooperation is what makes a team stronger. In spiritual life if the cooperation is there and devotees are meeting how what I can do as a team player. Ultimately it doesn’t matter who makes the goal everybody wins. If you work together as a team to help people become Kṛṣṇa conscious to help devotees get stronger, to see that all the, it doesn’t matter who’s cooking in the kitchen the prasāda to feed that devotees or who’s giving the lecture or who’s cleaning up and afterwards who’s doing the pūjā, the thing should everyone all getting the same benefit because they’re working all together in a cooperative spirit and this is specially what pleased the Lord with Pracetās, they’re working together. If each one have been meditating I, I’m devotee let me meditate by myself, please Him, No! That would be so much pleasing that they all together they are meditating. Now people to work together also mean who have to sacrifice something cause they were one as a personality and sometime adjusting personalities required little bit of austerity to somehow or another that people working together, they’re respecting each other. Of course what you said correct also serving the Vaiṣṇava to cooperate means obviously we’re serving a Vaiṣṇava, because looking for a bit cooperation.

So also I’ve been very appreciative here, devotees are cooperating together and this way whatever success we have it’ll be only because of Kṛṣṇa’s, Prabhupāda mercy and the devotees are cooperating. In fact Prabhupāda had said that “if you love me, the way you can demonstrate how you love me is how well you cooperate together.” In this way Kṛṣṇa is very pleased. We can become dear to Kṛṣṇa if we’re looking for Kṛṣṇa in order to serve Kṛṣṇa, we make Kṛṣṇa a goal. Of course even those who approach Kṛṣṇa to get something from Kṛṣṇa, even they’re dear in fact at least they also approaching Him. If somebody is actually going to Him with a goal to render devotional service then Kṛṣṇa He is very much, very much pleased with that devotee. In fact Kṛṣṇa mention here ‘priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham,’ that he is very dear, He, and is certainly very dear ‘ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ’ and the Lord, both Kṛṣṇa is very dear to that devotee and the devotee is very dear to Kṛṣṇa, this is a mutual.

In devotion is my master, I’m His servant like Hanumān. Even Rāmacandra offered him all material benediction he then offered him I can give mokṣa, you can merge into that jyoti, he didn’t want that. He said, You’re my master I’m Your servant, I want to serve you eternally. That relationship we have that You’re my master and I’m Your servant that is simply what I want. I don’t want anything to come in the way of that. Then Rāma said, what you want you was I will only give you blessing. He said Lord that if I want to take a blessing for one time, just like a son embraces a father, I feel so much affection for You could I hug You one time? So Rāma agreed and that’s the famous picture you see Hanumān and Rāmacandra hugging.

Hanumān ji ki! Jai! Rāmacandra ki! Jai!

Actually Hanumān is a very simple devotee. After all the war is over with, with the Rāvaṇa what he is going to do? It’s that he’s just getting bored you know, nothing to do! No service! He said please give me one service I’d do. So they said, what to do? You know, okay you please love Rāma, then You can (stabbing finger), You can stab your finger You don’t keep away. So then Hanumān He’s just waiting anytime (laughing) ready for, waiting and running when you’re going to do, you know, see he is so eager to do sevā, he’s so much enthusiastically waiting. Finally one time you know Lord Rāma He yawn, Hanumān jump! (laughing) (stabbing finger). And he kept you know, he’s so enthusiastically then Rāma, He couldn’t close His mouth (laughing) cause he’s, he’s so enthusiastic to sevā not he’s not going to stop his service. So for a long time he just being there at the mouth open. Then He saw, if we keep him with this service not working His Rāma all time would be with His mouth open cause he one of the simultaneous devotee to do the sevā. So they had to switch it to get Hanumān other sevā.

So like that devotee is so eager to serve, sometime it’s hard to get the right servant. We’re very fortunate, Caitanya Mahāprabhu given us so much service that He said to everyone ‘yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa’, whoever you meet you tell him the message of Kṛṣṇa. ‘āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa’ everyone can be a guru and spread this message. Of course, be a guru means in the presence of one’s spiritual master, normally one does not take any disciple, use to the guru. That’s in the future Prabhupāda’s mission was everyone should be spiritual master, everyone should be spreading the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement and everyone should be giving their message to others so I still, I’m assisting. I’ve been in India now 30 years. But I found that they’re saying almost 100, almost hundred crores of people are very. Still a few people have not yet changed to Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know this one? It’s an opportunity for everyone, there’s plenty of service, no shortage of service (laughing)

We hope that all of you will take advantage of this human form of life and serving Kṛṣṇa with your energy, cooperation together, you definitely go back home, back to Godhead at the end of life. We’re here to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa. We don’t want to, we want to save people who are neglecting this human form of life and just bind them self restrict and go back in animal kingdom. What a waste, it’s so much especially Indian family who may have so much opportunity and they just remain take rest and become tāmasika nature. And again they have to go back as an animal. What is the use, so it’s a very very sad thing. After Prabhupāda he saw that the whole world is on fire. People are burning because of these three modes of nature. So he wanted to give then this mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So anyone who can help Kṛṣṇa will never forget, forget you for that. He’ll always be appreciative of that.

Thank you very much

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

(Haribol!)