20230531 Question and Answer Session

Any questions? Two questions, one from the men and one from the ladies.

Question: My question is different from what we talked about, but basically how are we supposed to like balance our school life and our sādhana because some people say that you should focus on your career and do sādhana later?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you take your studies as your service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, that you want to use this education to serve Kṛṣṇa, then there is no difference. But just like we have doctors to study Medicine, they have to go through various training and once they are trained as a doctor, they serve devotees. And when they get money, they use some of that to serve Kṛṣṇa and in this way the learning you are doing, you can see it as Kṛṣṇa’s sevā. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Vinaya Gauracandra dāsa: I have one question about animals! There are a lot of reference to cows experiencing transcendental bliss in the chapter you just spoke of, in addition to that in previous chapters there were different tigers, and different animals, trees, that are experiencing transcendental bliss. This may be a silly question, but the question is, are we able to see, how are we able to experience that a dog or a cat or a cow is experiencing transcendental bliss today? And secondly more importantly is what is the importance of bringing in the cow licks Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and experiences transcendental bliss? Thirdly, there was a mention in one of your previous lectures, of a dog that was liberated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also, His puppy, as Nimāi Paṇḍita as a child. There is a motif that goes on throughout all the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it seems to be important because it flows, can you please comment on it?

Jayapatākā Swami: There are five types of rasas. And the śānta-rasa which is just appreciating Kṛṣṇa is considered as a neutral rasa. And so, certain animals, trees, they would have this śānta-rasa with Kṛṣṇa. They did not directly do any service, but they were facilitating the Lord’s pastimes. So they could also feel ecstasy. Their experience of ecstasy is possible because they are people, just like the human beings have a more developed consciousness, but animals, they also have consciousness. I would drive out from Calcutta to Māyāpur early in the morning and driving through a certain part of the city, they were butchering or something, pigs and you could hear the pigs crying out making horrible sounds. We think that animals don’t have consciousness. We see, dogs, how shopkeepers sometimes, they throw hot water on the dogs, and they go screaming and running away! I mean, so they have senses, they have consciousness! We were once an animal, then we took rebirth and finally we reached human life. So these animals, it is very rare that they are in the right place at the right time and they get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. But human beings, they can make a choice, I want to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya! I WANT TO CHANT HARE KṚṢṆA! But animals, they don’t really have much free will. But they also somehow or another get the mercy. That is why, it says if we chant loudly, animals, trees, insects, other living entities, they are alive they can also hear the holy name and they get the benefit. But why are you so surprised? You think animals are just walking hamburgers?! Mc Donald’s and others have pictures of a happy cow, they are not happy, when they are slaughtered, they are happy when they are protected! That is why Lord Kṛṣṇa, He practices go-rakṣa.

Vinaya Gauracandra dāsa: He is just interested, how the animals are getting the mercy. Specifically, if we put together a cow farm, then they should also be exposed to the chanting constantly?

Jayapatākā Swami: Ha! Why not! You can off their milk to Kṛṣṇa and protect them that they don’t get sold to the slaughterhouse. So then we can take the milk from protected cows.

It is too late. I will answer tomorrow (many questions online).