20050701 Bhagavad-gītā 14.19

Following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 1^st, 2005 in Singapore. The class begins with the reading from the Bhagavad-gītā chapter fourteen verse nineteen.

nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ
yadā draṣṭānupaśyati
guṇebhyaś ca paraṁ vetti
mad-bhāvaṁ so ’dhigacchati

Translation: When one properly sees that in all activities no other performer is at work than these modes of nature and he knows the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental to all these modes, he attains My spiritual nature.

Purport: One can transcend all the activities of the modes of material nature simply by understanding them properly by learning from the proper souls. The real spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, and He is imparting this spiritual knowledge to Arjuna. Similarly, it is from those who are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that one has to learn this science of activities in terms of the modes of nature. Otherwise, one’s life will be misdirected. By the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, a living entity can know of his spiritual position, his material body, his senses, how he is entrapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature. He is helpless, being in the grip of these modes, but when he can see his real position, then he can attain to the transcendental platform, having the scope for spiritual life. 

Actually, the living entity is not the performer of different activities. He is forced to act because he is situated in a particular type of body, conducted by some particular mode of material nature. Unless one has the help of spiritual authority, he cannot understand in what position he is actually situated. With the association of a bona fide spiritual master, he can see his real position, and by such an understanding he can become fixed in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not controlled by the spell of the material modes of nature. It has already been stated in the Seventh Chapter that one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa is relieved from the activities of material nature. For one who is able to see things as they are, the influence of material nature gradually ceases.

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jai.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know that three modes of nature sattva, raja, tama, goodness, passion, ignorance these are pulling the living entity just like string pulling a puppet. Many of you ever been pulled to do something even you didn’t want to do it. This is the problem in material world we get pull the commercial companies they are attracting different modes of nature to sale their products they may be selling some gearbox but there will be a beautiful woman holding a gearbox what is the beautiful woman have to do with the gearbox some brake or some. They are trying to use the mode of passion, to promote their product. Everyone knows that they will take cigarette; this causes cancer bad for their health, but it shows somebody smoking in outdoors in the beautiful green forest, so then someone think oh it’s healthy to smoke. Even though the government put there smoking is bad for health, they force the company to put. Like this people trying to invoke a certain mode of nature in your mind for selling a certain product. They want to seem very masculine who smoke a particular kind of cigarette that have some cowboy who look very rough and tough, he will be smoking that cigarette, so the people think if I smoke that means I also very powerful guy. This type of use thing that modes of nature to sale product, have you notice in the marketplace. So, we may not want to admit but there is influence of the modes but those who are doing marketing they know it, those who are doing advertising. So, what this verse is telling us that we should see how the modes are working can’t be affected by the modes by remembering that Kṛṣṇa is transcendental to the modes. How you know about the modes of nature, you know from sadhu śāstra and guru, we know from the scriptures Bhagavad-gītā telling us fourteen chapter telling us about the modes of material nature. We know from the guru, he guides us. They are being pulled by the modes, sometimes we become angry, which is mode of ignorance and even in the family there is sometime misunderstanding and fighting, this is due to the influence of tamo-guṇa. So, we are trying to establish lifestyle based on śuddha-sattva serving Kṛṣṇa is more than goodness, it’s a pure goodness śuddha pure sattva śuddha-sattva, that is also known in Veda is Vasudeva. Pure mode of goodness because Kṛṣṇa is pure good, so we offer our service to Kṛṣṇa everything is purified we want to be free from the influence of the mode of ignorance, passion. Even material goodness is not good enough it helpful but better to be in the pure goodness. This is the way to be happy pure goodness gives us pure happiness ignorance always makes us unhappy, ‘tamo guṇa dukhi karo’ they are unhappy in the biggening and in the end. Passion makes happy sense pleasure in the biggening and then suffering in the end. Goodness means austerity in the biggening but happiness in the end. In the material world there is good and bad. One-time Śrīla Prabhupāda was driving in his car and he had picture of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Prabhupāda mention in this world there is good (bhalo) and there is bad (manda)they are fighting with each other, sometime the good (bhalo) and sometime the (manda) the bad one wins and the other loses, usually the good wins but sometime the bad wins. In the material world the material good and material bad are not spiritual. Kṛṣṇa appears that the devotees are for the good, actually we are for pure good we are for the śuddha-sattva. Because even someone who is a bad person, if he gets the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, he can become pure good. Jagai Madhai they are very bad kukar by their devotional service, by the mercy of Nityānanda they surrender to Lord Caitanya, they did ātmasamarpaṇaṁ to the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so then they became purified. Jagāi Mādhāi were gondas, dakoits, antisocial but they have changed their heart and became pure devotee this is normally not possible by materially means by spiritual means it’s possible. In Malaysia they have the drug rehabilitation centres eighty percent of the people who go to that centre are again go back to drug, because their friends, their society going there. We do some programmes in certain drug rehabilitation centres. I heard that those youth who attain our programmes sixty percent are don’t go back to drugs this is the effect of chanting of

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

In material world something may be good something may be bad but it not important for the devotees what really important is somebody does devotion service. How do you know what devotional service? How do you know it? Any one can say. Kṛṣṇa has said in the Bhagavad-gītā… nobody can say what happened? Anybody can say. What? Transcendental...  Yes, what makes it beyond the modes of material nature? What is the one feature you have to find out? Yes. ] Someone maybe in the mode of ignorance and not expect any fruit. But what nature? What makes that happened? Surrender to Kṛṣṇa that’s very close. Anything which is related to Kṛṣṇa is transcendental this is the secret, anything not related with Kṛṣṇa is material very easy. Kṛṣṇa is transcendental the things who are connected to Kṛṣṇa also transcendental. Devotional service means that service which is offered to the pleasure of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa otherwise is puṇya, good karma or bad karma but it is connected to Kṛṣṇa it is transcendental. Pārvati asked Śiva that there is so many kinds of worship which worship is the best? Lord Śiva he said ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param.  Amongst all the kinds of the worship the Viṣṇu of worship is the best Supreme param sarvotkṛṣṭha. tasmāt parataraṁ devi My dear goddess with one exception tadīyānāṁ samarcanam worshiping those objects persons connected related to Viṣṇu are even better. We can worship Murugan as a very powerful deva in which case that would be in a mood of goodness, but if you know in general on behalf of Viṣṇu for the devas, he is a great devotee of Viṣṇu. If you worship him as a great Vaiṣṇava the great devotee then it becomes pure goodness this is the opinion of Lord Śiva. If we worship Śiva as Īśvara that is also mood of goodness, but if we worship him as the greatest of all those connected to Viṣṇu all the Vaiṣṇavas then it becomes spiritual, becomes beyond the modes. Bhagavad-gītā says if you worship devas in the mood of goodness, if you worship human beings it is a mood of passion. Now human worship is going on big section there for the sports and the newspaper giving recognition to the sports people, to politicians so many great human beings, and those who worship the ghost in such… all those entities they are in the mood of ignorance. There are some people they are doing black magic trying to put spells on other people — curses, sending the ghost — this is in the mood of ignorance nothing good from that. If somebody worship Kṛṣṇa and those personalities in relation to Kṛṣṇa, those objects in relation to Kṛṣṇa, then its pure goodness, transcendental to the three modes. You worship the tulasī. How many of you have tulasī in your house? I have seen even; I was just in South America. Now is the winter in South America, in Australia five degree centigrade, seven degrees, ten degrees, one degree. Santiago they are having tulasī they are keeping in one…with a light keeping warm they are growing tulasī, here in Singapore no problem to grow tulasī this is tropical place this is garden city you are right here… welcome to our garden city so what are the tree that can being decorated in the garden city is tulasī sacred Basil It says that if you chant before a river, the ocean its good more…more effective or it’s a holy river even more effective and its Ganges hundred thousand times effective. But if you chant before tulasi one crores time benefit. Tulasī is very important for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, just offering a little wick, offer parikramā yāni kāni ca pāpāni brahma-hatyādikāni ca tāni tāni praṇaśyanti pradakṣiṇaḥ pade pade. Tulasī circumambulating. Every step even we can get forgiven for mahāpāpa great sins like killing a brāhmaṇa. We don’t know what sins we did in our past life up to hundred birth we get the sinful reactions, but by simple worship of tulasī, simple chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana yajña we can get free from so many pūrva-karma, previous sinful activities. Kṛṣṇa is given us so many opportunities to free ourselves chanting and dancing, when you all sing Hare Kṛṣṇa clap your hand just like children clap your hand [claps his hands]

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Here of course not growing rice Malesia they grow rice, Thailand they grow rice, in India they grow rice. Have you ever seen the rice paddy. Anyone saw rice throwing?  Sometime birds are coming to eat the rice you clap your hand [claps his hands] the birds fly away, when you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and you clap your hand your sins are flying away like the birds Hari Bol (devotee: Hare Bol). In the Skaṇḍa Purāṇa it said that if you chant the two syllable Ha and Ri, Viṣṇu will come and steal from you. Everybody is worried what are we going to get stolen from. Nobody likes… No, but He is going to steal form you your misfortune, your sins, your problems if someone steals away your problems, any problem with you. This is the power you see you chant Hari; Kṛṣṇa come and takes your all the garbage in your life. Skaṇḍa Purāṇa has declared you want to get rid on problem chant Hari Bol! Hari Bol is a short form of Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

We went to Katwa this is where Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, it also Jagāi-Mādhāi after they were delivered, they went to Katwa and they live there. It said that Jagāi-Mādhāi who are these ruffians, who are these badmash (wicked) people, dacoits (chora) and everything before they became gentleman, they became nice devotees.  They would go every day to bath in the Gaṅgā. This year we went Gaṅgā Safari after Rishikesh, Haridwar, Devprayag, we visited Triveni, Prayag we visited Varanasi, Māyāpur, Kanāi Nāṭaśālā, Pataliputra all these holy places alongside the Ganges and few other ways. Lord Caitanya said that Gaṅgā is liquid Kṛṣṇa-prema. How many of you want Kṛṣṇa-prema (speaks Bengali) Who? Raise your hand. Who wants Kṛṣṇa prema? So, you need to bath in the Gaṅgā then. Bath in the Gaṅgā by going to Māyāpur and taking a dip we invite you. How many of bath in the Ganges in Māyāpur? How many? There is another way it says in Padma purana that if you loudly chant the name Gaṅgā — three times — you also get that.

Took bath (laughs). Things connected with Viṣṇu are special. The Jagāi Mādhāi they go to the Ganges they feel so happy chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa they will be dancing, and tears of love will be falling from their eyes. Here you are living in Singapore and Malaysia may be some of you are from Australia (an)other place I don’t know everybody from here. How you need to connect with Kṛṣṇa to be a part of three modes this is the secret. how many of you eat [not clear 00: 33:31 – 00:33:34] you don’t eat you are liar I don’t believe you. You are all eating, why you are not raising your hand. So, you have to connect your food to Kṛṣṇa how did you connect your food to Kṛṣṇa offer the food as a bhoga, as a naivedya, offering then you make that naivedya as a prasāda, eat prasādam then your food is also call yajna shish remnants of scarify by eating such food your sins will be destroyed. We have…. In Śāntipur… anybody here from Śāntipur? This is the place in Bengal in India where Advaita Ācārya used to live and the books about Caitanya Mahāprabhu say that Śāntipur is not different from Mathurā like Mathurā Vṛndāvana, Mathura where Kamsa live, where Kṛṣṇa lives later after He liberated Kamsa so Śāntipur is like Mathurā. When Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa He went towards Vṛndāvana went to the west. Everywhere He went He got children to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

It wasn’t hard they were themselves chanting on their own. As He go on further and further away from the Ganges they won’t chanting so much. Then Lord Caitanya said I don’t want to travel far from the Gaṅgā, the breeze of the Ganges water makes it easy for people to chant. So, He went back to the Ganges. It was purposely… Lord Nityānanda told the cowherd boys on the side of the Ganges when Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes, He will ask you - where is Vṛndāvana you point south, Vṛndāvana is in north; you point south. So, the boys they pointed south, and Lord Caitanya went to the south. There He ended up in Śāntipur. Just opposite from Śāntipur, Advaita was crossing the river Lord Caitanya was taking His bath. Then Lord Caitanya said how is that Advaita has come all the way to Vṛndāvana. So, you are here in Vṛndāvana Advaita, how did you come here?  Advaita said we aren’t in Vṛndāvana my Lord.  Since You are also bathing in the west side of the Ganges because Triveni in Prayag Yamuna comes on the southern side, Gaṅgā comes on the northern side that turns in… Yamuna west side Gaṅgā on east side, Sarasvati is in the middle. It also because He was bathing on the west side, so He is on the Jamuna side. Then Lord Caitanya realised they trick me to come back. Then He meet His mother, He meet devotees. His mother requested Him go to Jagannātha Purī don’t go to Vṛndāvana right now, go later. For visit… but live in Jagannātha Purī so we get some information You won’t be so far away from us. Vṛndāvana is a holy dham because it’s connected to Kṛṣṇa tadiya. So, somebody leaves their body in Vṛndāvana they go back to Kṛṣṇa. If you leave your body in Māyāpur it’s Gupta Vṛndāvana you go back to Kṛṣṇa. Jagannātha Purī is called Shri Kshetra - it’s also holy place. So this Śāntipur there is a festival on Govinda Dwadashi just before the Phalguna Pūrṇimā the disappearance day of Mādhavendra Purī. Madhavendra Purī was the guru of the guru of Lord Caitanya. He is the most important preacher, devotee, spiritual master in the Madhava line he started Kṛṣṇa prem. So, Mādhavendra Purī smaraṇa-tithi is disappearance day, we ISKCON go and distribute prasādam there. Lord Caitanya He saw a such nice arrangement five hundred years ago when He was there, He saw that there were devotees all in the service attitude they wanted to serve. Some wanted to put sandalwood on forehead, some wanted to bath feet of the Vaiṣṇavas, caraṇa-dhūli, someone wanted to sing in kīrtana, someone wanted to help cooking. Mother Śacī was in charge of the kitchen, other ladies were helping her in cooking nice prasādam for the Lord and the devotees, some devotees were giving class from the Bhāgavatam, from Bhagavad-gītā. Everybody came forward someone was making garlands; someone was putting garlands. So, this type such a nice atmosphere everyone was in service attitude this is the secret for our advancement we should volunteer to do sevā don’t wait or rather organisers ask you to do some sevā. you should yourself go and ask what sevā can I do. I have this much time full week I am very busy, but I have two hour every Saturday or Sunday whatever …whatever time you have. We volunteer some time for Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret we should give some time to Kṛṣṇa. Every day we save some time for chanting.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Every week we come to listen Bhagavad-gītā class, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, we make our life centre around Kṛṣṇa, so our life become spiritualised. So, Lord Caitanya said at Śāntipur who ever take prasāda in that festival or that place they get bhakti for Govinda. So, they said looked this is a rare place you get love for Kṛṣṇa by eating, so ISKCON please organise this eating program by distributing prasādam, so we are doing it. We get some devotees who contribute usually many were contributing; now one devotee said I want all the sukṛti myself. I will give fifty thousand rupees or hundred and fifty thousand whatever he wants to give everything. This is a very special thing who contribute they get the blessing, who distributes they get the blessing, who cooks they get the blessing offers to Viṣṇu, they get the blessing and who eat they get the blessing, everyone gets the blessing. So, what trying to do is teach you how to transcend three modes of material nature by connecting your life to Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he sings kara kṛṣṇera saṁsāra chāḍi' anācāra Make a Kṛṣṇa conscious family give up bad habits.  We are not saying give up family life we are encouraging people make a Kṛṣṇa conscious family. Someone may like to be brahmacārī or sannyāsī that’s their freedom but that’s not we are promoting, we are promoting Kṛṣṇa conscious family.  kara kṛṣṇera saṁsāra do Kṛṣṇa conscious family do it. What should be give up just give up bad habit. Things which are not connected to Kṛṣṇa like gambling, meat eating, eat prasādam Kṛṣṇa doesn’t take meat as an offering those kinds of things give up. So, very happy that all of you are practising spiritual life you are very enthusiastic, praying to Kṛṣṇa all of you get very nice test always be happy, Kṛṣṇa’s service Paramānanda this is supreme happiness.

*all chant together*
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.