20161006 Evening Class at ISKCON Prabhupādadeśa

20161006 Evening Class at ISKCON Prabhupadadesh, Venice, Italy

The following is an evening darshan given by His Holiness Jayaptaka Swami Maharaj on October 6^th, 2016 at Prabhupada Desh in Venice, Italy.

mükam karoti väcälam

pangum langhayate girim

yat-kåpä tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-täranam

paramanda madhavam

Sri Caitanya Iswaram

Hari Om Tat Sat

So we have the great opportunity and the association of Srila Prabhupada, because half my face is frozen because I had a stroke, he is repeating what I am saying, because not everybody can understand what I am saying. This is Shyama Madhusadhana Das. Somehow he understands what I say, most of it.

So we know how Lord Krsna, when He comes down in the different avatars, everything He does is exceptional. It’s wonderful. When He came as Vamanadev, He was the dwarf Vamana. He begged three steps of land, but Bali Maharaj said, “Oh, I can give you a whole planet, I will give you a nice wife. He said, “No, no. Just three steps is enough. If you won’t be satisfied with three steps you won’t be satisfied with anything.” Even his guru said, “No, No, don’t give Him three steps, He is Visnu. Somehow He can do amazing things, but Bali Maharaj thought, “I got this position of being the universal controller because of doing Visnu puja. So I will get Him.” So Vamanadev expanded Himself into a huge form, and in two steps He covered the whole universe. He broke through the edge of the universe and let the causal water in, and that was the entry of the Ganges, and then He asked, “Where do I put the third step.”, Bali said, “Put it here.”

In every pastime of the Lord, whether Varahadev, Narasimhadev, it’s all like a wonderful, wonderful pastime. Just think that the greatest military power of the universe, who has won the stars and defeated all the planets in the universe, the great Ravana is challenged by two worldly princes with an army of monkeys, and that’s Ram and Laxman supported by Hanuman and others, and many just ordinary monkeys, and they were victorious. In fact all these pastimes were observed by Lord Nityananda. As a child Nitai with His friends would play the various dramas, and the parents would watch, how this children know all these pastimes, but Lord Nitai He said, that these were His pastimes that He knew.

“These children they say anything you know. Fantastic imagination, but actually it is true.” One time Nitai was playing the part of Laxman. So He was hit by the arrow of Indrajit. He had told the boys “if I get hit by the arrow of Indrajit, surround me and make Hanuman bring the medicine, but the boys forgot, and Padmavati, the mother of Nitai, she came and told, “Time for lunch, everybody go for prasadam”, but Nitai remained unconscious. Mother started to cry, “Oh no, what happened to Nitai?”Called the father. He looked and said, “Call the doctor”, the doctor said, “everything is normal. He is not breathing, and the father, Harai Pandi asked, “What happened?” They said , “He was playing the part of Laxman. He got hit by the arrow of Indrajit and He became unconscious. So what happens next? Hanuman has to go and get the medicine, the medicinal plant. So then they said, “Ok. Hanuman. Quick, quick, Go get it.”, the father said. So Hanuman went and he was greeted by one boy who was playing the part of a sadhu. “Oh Please stay here, Have some fruit. Relax. Have a good time.” He said, “No, No, I have to go. I have to get a medicinal herb.”, “Oh at least take a bath.” So Hanuman went to the nearby river to take a bath, and then he was attacked by a demon crocodile Ha..... (laughter) He defeated the crocodile, and then he saw that the sadhu was dressed as a warrior of Ravana. “Your Ravan is a dog. I don’t care for him at all.”, and he flew off to the Himalayas. But he couldn’t figure out which was the plant. So he brought the whole mountain, and he had to reach before the sun-set. So all these things were played by the boy acting. Hanuman came back, and the boy who was playing Ram took the plant from the market. He put it by the nose of Laxman, and Nitai came up alive. So their dramas were very serious.

So when Lord Krsna came, without lifting an arm driving the chariot of Arjuna, He defeated the military might of the whole world, and when He was in Vrindavan, He could dance with unlimited cowherd girls, and everything the Lord does is extraordinary. So when Lord Caitanya came. He was born in a Brahman family, and he also manifested wonderful pastimes, but at every stage of His life His pastimes were wonderful.

When He was Nimai Pandit before He started His devotional activities, he would walk with a scroll of sastra in His hand. In those days they had books made from palm leaves, and they would be tied together by some clothe. So He would go with the scripture. He is Vacaspati, the husband of the goddess of fortune, who is the goddess of speech, and His speech was very beautiful but He knew every scripture by hard.  Not only the Vedic scriptures but also other religions, and He would speak so eloquently, and He would defeat all the people but they would not mind it because He was speaking so nicely, and when He would see some pandit He would challenge them. He would say, “Panditji, how are you today? I would like to ask you a question?” He will ask a question and no matter what they answer, even if they gave the right answer, he would defeat them. He would present such logical arguments that they would admit that they were wrong. Then He would defeat that argument again with new genius and prove that their original statement was right.

So even at a very young age He became the greatest pandit of Nabadwip. At that time He became a grihastha, and He would show the perfect example of what a grihastha should be. Every day He would invite 10 or 30 sanyasis, various guests, poor people to give them prasadam. He would tell His mother Sachi and His wife Laxmipriya that, “today we are getting 20 guests.” (laughter); mother Sachi thought, “I don’t have 30 people’s food. All the people that wanted to do pious activities gave donations to Nimai Pandit. So for 30 guests somehow just then someone gave enough provisions for feeding 30 people. Lord Caitanya would feed all the guests, treat them with great respect, thank them for coming, as a grihastha He was being the ideal grihastha. When He became a devotee, then He was a super devotee, He was so merciful He sent His associates to go from door to door to ask all the people to chant Hare Krsna, and He sent Nityananda and Haridas out, He sent all the associates out, and Nityananda and Haridas were going from door to door, but Nityananda saw Jagai and Madhai and He thought, “Let Me deliver this two. That will show the mercy of Lord Caitanya.” But some people apprehending what Lord Nitaynanda was speaking, they went and told, “don’t try Nitai with this Jagai and Madhai. They are hopeless. They are very violent and ruthless people, but Nityananda went. He told them, “Please chant the holy names, and lead a holy life.”

“Did you hear what He said Madhai?”

 “Madhai, did he say that? Get them, get them”, and then went chasing after Nitai and Haridas.

Haridas is a bit well fed. So he couldn’t run so much. So he thought, “Today I am finished. I went with this abadhuta and I am finished.”

Somehow they hid behind the water ...33.20... for horses. Jagai and Madhai looked and they didn’t see them, and they went running on. Of course you heard of the story before. So the second time Lord Caitanya told them to not take any undue risk, but Nityananda was determined to deliver Jagai and Madhai, and He approached them again, “Please chant Hare Krsna and lead a holy life, and Madhai was so angry, he took his wine bottle and broke open the head of Lord Nityananda. Nityananda was bleeding from the head. He said, “Just because you caused me to bleed, does that mean that I won’t give you Krsnaprem?”. Then Lord Caitanya came and when He saw that Lord Nityananda had been attacked, He had promised that He would not take any weapon of violence, but His long-standing promise was that He would always protect His devotees. So He called His sudharshan chakra. He was ready to kill the two, but Lord Nitaynanda pleaded, “Please have mercy on them.”

Meanwhile Jagai told Madhai, “that you caused Him to bleed but He is still talking about love. He is not an ordinary person. Surrender to Him.” So somehow Jagai and Madai surrendered. Lord Caitanyas said, “If they bathe in the Ganges and they promise not to commit these sinful acts anymore then I will forgive them.” So the two bathed in the Ganges, came back, they surrendered to Lord Nitaynanda and they were forgiven for all their sins. In Yamaloka there was a big commotion. There the accountants who keep track of everyone’s karma, they were all talking how Lord Caitanya and Lord Nitaynanda had freed Jagai and Madhai from all their karmas, and Jagai and Madhai were born in brahmana families. They would read the scriptures but they were atheists. They would read the scriptures, “what’s the worst karma that we can do?”, and they would to that.

So Yamaraja came out. “What is the big commotion?” They said, “Jagai and Madhai, all their karmas were wiped clean.”, Yamaraja asked, “How much karma did they have.”, “If we put it in writing it would feel ware house after ware house. We had special architects designing a custom made hell for them that the 26 normal house that we have is not sufficient. So those architects were sent to hell to have a job there. They can design the house. So hearing this Yamaraja fell unconscious, but they could not revive him. Then Lord Siva came and he said, “What’s happening?”, and he told them, “he has not fainted. He is ecstatic. You can only revive him by chanting Hare Krsna.”, so the whole Yamaloka began chanting Hare Krsna.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krihsna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

So in this way in Lord Caitanya’s pastime, He showed unlimited mercy. When He was a sanyasi, He was the most peaceful and devotional, renounced. So the pastimes of Lord Caitanya include all the pastimes of all the other avatars. But when He heard the thousand names of Visnu.

When Murari Gupta got up to the Narasimha names, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in the name of Narasimhadev. “Where are the demons? Where are the demons?”, and He ran out in the street crying out, “Where are the demons?”, People started running. Then Lord Caitanya got His ...47.35-37”, Lord Caitanya then came back to normal. “Oh I scared all the people”, Murari Gupta said, “NO, You liberated them.”

I went to Katwa where Lord Caitanya took His sanayas. Radhanath Swami sent His buses up, they go there. This year again He was supposed to have the yatra in Mayapur, but due to his health situation the yatra was cancelled which is very sad for us. There in Katwa there is the Samadhi of Jagai and Madhai. They moved there and everyday they would bathe in the Ganges, and from their ashram to the Ganges would play their kartals, chant Hare Krsna and dance, and they would be crying. Jagai and Madhai, who were like the mafia in Nabadwip, they became the lovers of Krsna. They were chanting and dancing and crying in separation.

Lord Caitanya said that He would preach all over India. At that time India included Bangladesh and various other regions, but He said that, “those who escaped my mercy in the Western countries, then after 500 years I will send my senapati devotee. Literally mean senapati means the protector of the soldiers, and that’s what Prabhupada did. It is also significant that Bhaktisiddhantha Saraswati Thakur told Prabupada that, “those who help you they will get great spiritual benefit.”

So who here wants to help Srila Prabhupada?.......................... Hari Bol (everyone)

Also Lord Krsna        predicted in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana that He would send a devotee after 5000 years who would spread Krsna Bhakti all over the world. So Lord Caitanya came after 4500 years. Srila Prabhupada came after 5000 years.

Sril Prabhupada Ki................ Jay (by all the devotees)

Sril Prabhupada Ki................ Jay (by all the devotees)

Sril Prabhupada Ki................ Jay (by all the devotees)

So this is Srila Prabhupada desh. This is dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, and he is the representative of Lord Caitanya and His associates. So we are very fortunate to be able to help Srila Prabhupada. How much is our good fortune, it’s beyond estimation.

So, I think I have spoke longer that was expected. I get carried away.

So any questions:

Q: You said that in the Brahma Baivarta Purana, Krsna predicted the advent of Srila Prabhupada coming to give Krsna Prema to everyone. So how can we receive that Krsna Prema, from whom we can receive?

Gururmaharaj: Krsna predicted that there would be a devotee who would come and who would spread all over the world the name of Krsna and Krsna bhakti all over the world. And we know that Lord Caitanya gave out Krsna prema by engaging in devotional service. We gradually get our hearts purified.

So the first stage is Vidhi, strictly following the rules and regulations, and then after strictly following... that’s a bit mechanical, then one takes up the service by fully putting their heart into it. That may be any devotional service. Someone may be a book distributer or a cook or a manager of the temple, manager of the bhakti vriksha group, counsellor. Whatever service they take up they really try to do it nicely, beyond the mechanical just rules and regulations. This is all mentioned in Prabhupada’s nectar of devotion. That’s called the raganuga stage of the vidhi marg, and then gradually  the ecstatic love for Krsna manifests, and one experiences the eight symptoms of loving devotion, and then from there by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, by Prabhupada’s mercy they get Krsnaprem. So there are some special cases where Lord Caitanya gave out Krsnaprem. We always hope for that mercy. When Rup Goswami said you should follow the standard, the vidhi marg, the rupanuga, the raganuga then we get ecstatic love for Krsna, and then prem awakens. So it’s still available but we may not be able to jump ahead, but we can achieve the ecstatic love for Krsna, and then the prema is given by Lord Caitanya.

When Lord Caitanya was Nimai Pandit, many devotees would pray for Him that he should become the devotee of Krsna. What’s the use of all these knowledge and learning if He is not a pure devotee, but like Srivas Thakur would see Lord Caitanya, Lord Caitanya would offer His respect as Nimai Pandit. So Srivas said, “Why don’t you take up Krsna bhakti, and Lord Nimai Pandit said, “...1.05.55-58... and I will take initiation and at that time I will manifest Krsna Bhakti.”

One time Nimai Pandit was surrounded by students, and one of the devotees Mukunda Dutta, he went the other way, and Lord Caitanya, Nimai Pandei asked, “Why is he running the other way?”, and someone said, “Oh well maybe he has some work.”, but Nimai Pandit said, “No, He is running because he did not want to waste his time with me. He is thinking that I will engage him in some logic, arguments and take him away from Krsna Bhakti. Little do this devotees know  that I will be known as the greatest devotee. Because the pundits were arrogant and proud, so no one thought twice of it, but actually He was the greatest devotee, but actually He was the greatest devotee of Himself.

Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu ki............. Jay (everyone)

Any other question?

Q: Sometimes we have to make suggestions to some parents or some friends, and we have to take some decisions that involve some other person that we love, and these decisions may not have some positive effect on them. Are there some indicators that permit us to understand that if we are acting in  (inaudible)....

Gurumaharaj: Complicated question.

Is that something that I gave in class????

May be we can discuss it later.

Especially on the class is there any question?

Question: If we are grishtastas and we have families, children, our work, our job, so how can we perform devotional service....

Gurumaharaj: I said whatever service you take up. In the stage of raganuga it is to do with your full energy. But we have some grishasthas who are working and they are maintaining their families, but they also do bhakti vriksha or namhattas, and they try to make that very successful, like some may be working on the temple management board. Some are residents of the temple and some are grihasthas who work outside. Say that someone comes to the temple and their service is to clean the temple. One has to do the service, and one really tries ...1.14.27... one gets a squeezy, clean up the... and they finish the job after 45 minutes. Then they tell the President, “any more service?” Super devotee.

So the difference is that in the Viddhi Marg you can do it, and you are regulated, but in the raganuga you do it, you really put your mind into it. But being a grihastha you also want that your wife and children are devotees. You try to do your service very carefully, very properly. The wife tries to make the house very nice, give the husband some peace of mind, and try to inspire that he does some devotional activities. Both the husband and wife see that the children are given love and affection, and also to inspire them to do bhakti, but the things have to be balanced.

So whether you are a grishastha or you are a vairagi everything you have to do so that it gives pleasure to Krsna. Most of Lord Caitanya’s devotees were grihastas. In the whole of Nabadwip there were only a few brahmacharis. The sanyasis were dressed 1.18.15-48.... In the samskara dwipika it gives the various samskaras. They are mainly for grihasthas. Prabhupada said that a grishastha can preach a grihastha in a different way. Like when they see a sanyasi it’s considered to be a hard sell. “Surrender to Krsna.”, but when they see a grishastha, “Oh, come over for lunch. Let’s have pasta together.” So the person comes and they think, “Oh, they have a nice house. They have nice children. I could do this. I could chant Hare Krsna.” So grihastas have lot of hopes to do bhakti.

I am the co-minister of the congregation development ministry. So all the congregation, most of them are grihasthas. So in this different area where we are well acquainted with it. 

One grihastha lady came to me, “Gurudev, I am very sorry, I didn’t make many devotees this year. Please forgive me.”

I asked here “How many devotees did you make?”

“Only 76.” (laughter)

“What was your goal?

She said, “108”

“Well 76 is not that bad. If you could make one devotee a year that would be great.”

Anyway everyone can work up to their own capacities.

So thank you all very much

**********End of transcription********

Transcription by: Sadananda Krsnaprem Das

27.03.2017, Dibrugarh, Assam