20110205 Question and Answer Session

20110205 His. Holiness. Jayapatākā Swāmi gave a live Q & A session in Coimbatore.

Gurumahārāja:

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ

paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande

paramānanda-mādhavam

Śrī Caitanya Iswaram

Hari Oṁ Tat Sat.

So, in this verse the importance of devotional service is stressed. You see, if someone finally gets to the conclusion that they need to do service to Kṛṣṇa, that is the sum mum bonum. That is the highest understanding, and even if they fall down or makes some mistake, because they are determined to be a devotee. Somehow they will come back and they will take up with their activity. So, they are considered to be saintly, they are considered to be very lucky. Now for Śrīla Prabhupāda, he went to the West, he found that the people who were very much in the mode of passion, ignorance, they are very proud of it. So, he wrote in his Markin Bhāgavata Dharma, a prayer to Kṛṣṇa. He is praying, How you have brought me to this Ugrastan, you brought me to this difficult place, how will I give this .....2.02.... then he quoted the Bhāgavatam, first canto, where it says that if you are engaged in Kṛṣṇa’ service, if you hear the message of Bhagavat from the pure devotee, gradually it cuts the knot of the material world and it establishes one in firm faith of the supreme personality of Godhead. So, this gave Prabhupāda a lot of courage and conviction that it is possible to reach this conditioned soul’s by giving them the message of Kṛṣṇa. So, many people say that, you don’t need to do so much religion. This is for those who don’t want to go back to Godhead. They like to stay here birth after birth after birth.

In America there is a so called Born Again Christians, and they have published sticker which says, born again, again, again and again. So, we want you that this will be your last birth.

I went to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta and I said, “Someone advised you, whenever you see the guru you should ask the guru, something you should also praise him, like that  You should surrender yourselves. So, I said, “I want to serve you life after life.”And Prabhupāda’s reply was, “Why do you want to make me come back? And so I thought, “Oh, probably I didn’t say the right thing.”

“Ok, even life after life.”

If you want I will come back, I am willing, If you want me to go back to Godhead, I am going. Whatever you want; not that I will only serve your here, I will serve you wherever you want.”

So, devotional service means that we know where Kṛṣṇa is. We know that He is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, and we know his address, we know that Vaikuṇṭha planets, we know the Brahmajyoti, we know the Kailash and the Satyaloka and the Chauda Bhuvana. So, we are in the seventh of the fourteen bhuvanas, and we want to gradually reach, go directly to Kṛṣṇa Loka. So, that it is normally very difficult, but by the mercy of Lord Caitanya on can be directly transferred to that universe where Kṛṣṇa’s līlā is going on, and from there go to the Kṛṣṇaloka. 

Haribol..................[Haribol]

Guaranga ..........................[Gaurāṅga]

Nityānanda..........................[Nityānanda]

This is not the Nityānanda here. There is some bogus .... Nityānanda. This is five hundred years ago, Lord Nitayananda.

I want to thank Eknath Guara Dāsa and all the other devotees for their rousing and ecstatic kīrtan. We are the kīrtan all the way through vibrating through the temple. So, this is a very nice kīrtan.

We want to give some time to ask questions. So, if there are any questions, you may please ask. We have here the internet, and we have a lots of devotees. So, who would....

It would be nice if you are going to quote some verse. Bring the scripture and quote i directly, so that we don’t get your paraphrase, we get exactly what Prabhupāda said. In any case it is just like in the formation of birds, one bird is the lead bird, and he flies. It is said that by his taking the lead he has to take the whole wind pressure, and those who follow after him, it is twenty to fort five percent easier, but still every bird has to fly. Like we give initiation, and the devotees, they are promised to chant sixteen rounds. The guru cannot chant those rounds before you. You have to chant more rounds. The guru cannot do the devotional service for you, you have to do it. He can guide you how to do it, he can instruct you how to do it, he can show by his example how to do it, but you have to do it yourselves. So, in the same way that when the guru is there to guide you, to help you, to care for you, but you have fly your own flight. Is that clear? Well, I am doing devotional service, I am chanting rounds. These are transcendental. They have nothing to do with the sinful activities, but we should... if we don’t chant every day, gradually we may see the devotional service as some material activity.

There is a story about a caste Brahman. He had to do pūjā for his father, but he had no faith in Kṛṣṇa. He was basically a atheist. So, this is “Badam bhaṅga, Shaligram shila” .... badam bhaṅga. This is breaking peanuts with a Shaligram Shila. What happened is that this pūjārī, he loved peanuts, he loved peanuts, “Oh, peanuts, yum, yum.” So, when some bhakta came and gave a bag of peanuts within the shell, he thought,  “Oh my favourite peanuts. Oh peanuts, I love peanuts.” And so he closed the door, he took the Shaligram off the altar, and started using it as good... as a breaking peanuts requires a stone... He started breaking the peanuts with the Shaligram. Meanwhile the Landlord, he came out to see his Dieities, and he heard the Jmmm Jmmm Jmmm, and he looked through the window...  “Oh my God... Oh you atheist, you pāṣaṇḍī, out, out, how you are breaking the shaligram... of  the peanuts with a Shaligram Shila?

So, Bhaktisiddhantha Saraswati Ṭhākura, he used to tell the story, “Shaligram diyā, badam bhaṅga, breaking the peanuts with the Shaligram, and if you want to use the Deity worship for some material.... this is like taking the Shaligram off the altar and breaking your peanuts. So, that’s a big step, but gradually one may start to see the things as very material. So, it’s recommended that we chant everyday, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.” Now you are very fortunate if you are a pūjārī where you are able to do the direct service of the Lord.  Now good to say that they are some form of preaching. Those who are working outside as grihasthas, they have to work in a workplace in the ..... or in the office or something. So, it’s very hard, and therefore when you come to temple, when you can see the Lord, when they can do some Bhakti Vrksha preaching, like they look forward to this. So, you are very fortunate person. You can twenty four hours a day, all day long you can do service to God. Now you don’t want to lose that chance. So, the chance of you being dragged away by Māyā increases as you decrease your chanting. So, therefore we try. If one day we miss our sixteen rounds, you try to make it up some other day. Say, you do twelve, we can sixteen plus four twenty, make it up. So, like this even if someone is chanting less rounds, say they are chanting eight rounds and are not initiated yet, one day you do six, next day you do eight plus two, you do ten. In this way you develop steadiness and commitment in chanting. So, of course you can probably go on for some time with less chanting and doing pūjā, but gradually Māyā may come up and take your mind away, take your faith away. So, it is not good to not chant, it is better to chant and take Prasad of Kṛṣṇa all the time. I hope that I answered your question.

Any questions from internet?

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumahārāja:

I used that as a Sadashiva combined with Mahavishnu as Advaita Gosāi in the Balarāma...  15.00 and there is Śiva and Kṛṣṇa Balrama, and they say Kṛṣṇa is Lord Caitanya, Balarāma is Lord Nityānanda, and Śiva represents Lord Advaita.

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumahārāja: Māyā is very strong. Devakī was afraid for Kṛṣṇa. She was afraid that Kaṁsa would hurt Kṛṣṇa because of his motherly affection. So, like that we should be afraid that Māyā will take away our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. So, we should be very respectful and very much afraid of Māyā. That’s why not only chanting, but if we read every day you will also find it easier to remember Kṛṣṇa. So, it is recommended that we should chant and read, and if you... whenever you read, you learn. If you repeat that in your daily preaching or daily interactions with your family members or with others , that will be very powerful, and then those things you will remember... 17.05... as you develop more and more attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then it is easier to remember Him. We start like at the śraddhā stage where we are one percent Kṛṣṇa conscious, and ninety nine percent Māyā, and at the Bhava Stage we are ninety nine percent Kṛṣṇa Conscious, and one percent Māyā. So, in between we gradually shift. So, we should try to achieve higher and higher stage of devotional service, and thereby will also find it easier to remember Kṛṣṇa.

And I am speaking too fast? When I get excited I speak fast  and it is harder to understand what I am saying.

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumahārāja: 

Is he here?

So, the previous Acharyas; by their mercy we have Prabhupāda, and he brought us the Kṛṣṇa Conscious message, and by Prabhupāda’s mercy we have so many devotees. So, if we see how Prabhupāda came because of Bhaktisiddhantha Sarasati Ṭhākura, and like each of our guru in succession was responsible for the furthering?19.42. Also  how all the Acharyas, they all wrote books, they also presented the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is such a way, and they also achieved and they also discovered from the birth place of Lord Caitanya, and they also developed the...like this we should feel very grateful to the guru paramapara.

One of the six goswamis, they were asked by Lord Caitanya to excavate the holy places of Lord Kṛṣṇa In Vṛndāvana. So, because of Lord Caitanya and His six goswamis, Giri Govardhan, Rādhā Kunda, Shyāma Kunda, all these holy places were excavated and they were revealed. So, we should be very grateful. When we to Vṛndāvana, and we see so many holy places, but before there was nothing. People didn’t know anything. They didn’t know where the Rādhā Kunda was, was Shyāma Kunda was, where Giri Govardhana was.

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumahārāja: How do you increase your bhakti other than devotional service?

I don’t know.

How is it possible?

Anyone here knows. Not by Jñāna Yoga, not by Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, not by good karmas, only by Bhakti Yoga. I don’t think that there is any other way.

Of course what Bhakti would do... that is a huge universe. We are tyring to see they  have... our temple is.... sevā 22.50.... also there are Namhattas.... number of other places, I think.....

This is all a part of the devotaional service. They talk about Kṛṣṇa, we hear about Kṛṣṇa, we chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. The more you help others to be Kṛṣṇa Conscious, you get extra blessings, like in the seventh Canto Haridas Ṭhākura had said, it is true that we chant mentally. It’s much more powerful because mentally we are chanting on a mental platform, higher, more subtle. He said, “No, you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. You are helping others, humans, insects, birds, all the...24.14.....24.22 So, if you chant they will also benefit. Like this, because you are helping others, plants, animals, humans, you get one hundred times the benefit on chanting. So, it is hundred times more powerful to chant loudly. Similarly, if you preach, if you tell others about Kṛṣṇa you get multiple benefits. That’s why we try to distribute books, we try to have children’s programs, we try to do bhakti Vrksha, Namahatta, we try to do festivals. Like this we try to in different ways give out the message. By doing that we can get the increased Bhakti, but this is all within the devotional service. I don’t think that there is any process other than devotion which infuses devotion. I am sorry.

Any lady has questions?

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumahārāja: The uninstalled Deity are basically the practice Diety. They are like worshipping of a picture. The accept to give more opportunities to do service. You can dress them, you can clean them. Otherwise, if you need to you can also put them to sleep, but the installed Deity, they are formally some Acharya, some priest is requesting the Diety to be present. So, that Deity should be worshipped forever, and usually the grihasthas, they don’t have installed Deity’s. If they do then, I saw some rich man or joint Hindu families where they would have plenty of devotees to worship, or they have a priest who can worship, but somehow generation after generation one must think how this Deities would be served. We have one temple in Bangladesh where thousands and thousands of Deities were deposited, they couldn’t maintain, and so they gave the Deity and they gave some donation. So, ....28.00 we got a whole bunch of installed Deities. Now we don’t... install many Deities, we have to have so many ... but this is the.... I think it is a responsibility. If you are......Kṛṣṇa, installation means Prāṇa Pratiṣṭhā. It means formally inviting Kṛṣṇa to be present during the worship, and so you are not suppose to stop that worship...

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Is she a vegetarian? Is she aspiring?

Usually the remnants of the guru are given to the... those who take shelter, guru ashraya or those who are aspiring but there is no particular hard and fast rule. But generally we try to give to those who are more of appreciative, because the guru has to accept the karma for the remnants that are eaten. So, if it is going to his disciples or his aspiring disciples, then it makes more sense, although it can be given to anyone. Maybe it will benefit. We heard that one disciple, he took some mahaprasad from his guru, .... son, ...... he .... some cookies, he gave it to all he innocent friends, everyone of the friends became devotees, but this is ....30.40.44...

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

That’s why we offer the Guru Pūjā, and then we ... pray to Prabhupāda. If knowingly or unknowingly we  have committed any offences please forgive. Like that there is also a voice to Lord Kṛṣṇa.  When I had committed thousands of offences, unlimited offences, I don’t know even offences I have not committed. So, please forgive me. By your mercy I can be forgiven.

So, as far as the Vaiṣṇavas are concerned we try to offer somewhere in the morning program, prayers to the Vaiṣṇava’s where they.... you can ask them, please forgive us for committing offences, you know, or you may ask them, Please forgive us any knowing or unknowing offences. So, like this we should ask, we offer our respect to all the Vaiṣṇavas,

Vāñchā kalpataru vyāsa, Kṛpā Sindhu va eva ca

Patitānāṁ Pāvanebhyo Vaisnaveyao Namaḥ namaha

For those who are present, you all also, if you... forgive other, knowingly or unknowingly if you have committed any offence, and you also want to have everyone offer their obeisances,

Vāñchā kalpataru vyāsa, Kṛpā Sindhu va eva ca

Patitānāṁ Pāvanebhyo Vaisnaveyao Namaḥ namaha

There is a place in Nabadwipa called Aparādha Vajna Kuliapaka. There is in Koladwipa. So, we should try to offer our obeisance’s... we can get forgiven for all offences.

Aparādha Vyañjana Kuliapaka, the place of getting forgiven for all kinds of offences.

We got time for only two more questions.

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumaharaja: I just want to take this chance, this opportunity to .... kind of conflict in it.

Thank you very much.

Can you paraphrase this question? I didn’t get it.

The question is, whether the temple worship in the temple can be done mentally?

See, if they have a grihastha installed Dieties, sometimes they can do mental worship also, but .... for the temple we want to do the practical worship. So, Tota Gopīnāth was standing, but Gadādhara in his old age, he thought, “maybe I can reach out.” So, he said, “I am going to have a .... pūjārī worship you, ..... So, then he came the next day and the Deity sat down. That’s why it is said, Tota Gopīnāth, the sitting gopīnāth, and so then the... stone Deity who is standing, he sat down so that Gadādhara could continue the worship. So, if your worship is so great, then the Deity can also facilitate, but generally in our old age we like to train out the new Pūjārīs, and we can use our experience to teach to the conditioned souls.

You can imagine if you are there at the Sandhyā Ārati, the Pūjārī is meditating and just doing a mental pūjā, not offering a lamp... I think that one should offer a lamp, although in your house Deity...  I have seen Kīrti Raj Prabhu, he does some mental Pūjā, but that is his own house Diety. I don’t see anyone do that in the temple.

As such... anyhow by the way, ... temples, Divya Deshas, we don’t see no pūjārī do mental pūjā. There is some pūjārī there.

Q: (INAUDIBLE)

Gurumaharaja: There is an echo you know. I heard like key words like you said yes today, but I said I couldn’t hear.... I couldn’t hear.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Gurumaharaja I heard that.

O yes, Ok.

Of course ..... direct words are quoted from Lord Kṛṣṇa, and then he says in the Bhagavad-gītā, all these things are not knowledge of Biochemistry or knowledge of I.T or how to make a webpage or something. It’s knowledge of transcendental tattva. If we understand who are, and that we are not the body, we are the eternal soul. If we understand about Kṛṣṇa, then we can avoid this lust to be more Kṛṣṇa conscious. The more you know about Kṛṣṇa, the more you understand by trying to like satisfy lust in a material way, you simply get some kind of negative reaction. So, then naturally you would like to give it up. And if you know more about Kṛṣṇa, then you can also dovetail lust to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

For instance, you can use lust.... you want to get a nice thing for Kṛṣṇa, you can go and get it for Kṛṣṇa. So, that way lust is used in Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service.

Any last question over internet.

If we serve the pure devotee, naturally you will become humble. If you give the credit to Guru and Kṛṣṇa, only think of doing our duty successfully you will become humble. If you take the credit the credit for yourselves  you will become proud. So, rather be proud of guru, proud of Kṛṣṇa, and we want to be appreciated.

So, Lord Caitanya taught, we should offer our appreciation to others and not desire appreciation for ourselves. Like this we can in a humble state of mind, we can all chant,

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.