Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HG Sesa Prabhu at ISKCON Alachua on 11 Mar 2014
(Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10, Chapter 36, Text 31-37)

(Sesa Dasa was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1974 while he was traveling as a member of the initial Bhaktivedanta Book Trust library party. Sesa Dasa has a portfolio of two ministries: Minister of Educational Development and Minister of Justice, under which ISKCON Resolve works.)

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Seminar on Avirbhav Katha by Lokanath Swami in 2002

(Born in Aravade, a small village Maharashtra, Indian, he went to Mumbai for studying. In the year 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was touring India with his foreign disciples and had organized a pandal program in Mumbai.)

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How to Glorify Krishna In Profession by HG Ugra Narsimha Prabhu

(His Grace Ugra Narsimha Prabhu is a disciple of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami. He is an active member of ISKCON Pune congregation and conducts courses like Discover Your Self and Fundamentals of Bhagavad-gita at the Temple and Corporates.)

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Lecture on Qualifications of a King by HH Romapada Swami in 10 Sept 2013 at St.Louis

(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969. The lecturer was His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The following year, Romapada Swami joined the movement in Boston and was initiated in 1971.)

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Lecture on Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya Lila 11.61-63) by Jayadvaita Swami on 03 Mar 2014 at ISKCON Alachua

(Jayadvaita Swami is editor, publisher, and teacher. He is a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.)

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Lecture on Bhakti is the Spiritual summit that also extends down to wherever we may be by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

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Lecture on Kick Out Darwinism by HH Romapada Swami on 17 Feb 2014 at Singapore

(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969. The lecturer was His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

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Lecture on The Opulence of Beauty by HH Romapada Swami on 25 Aug 2013 at St.Louis

(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969.)

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Srila Prabhupada's Contribution to the World by Caitanya Charan Prabhu

(Chaitanya Charan Das is a celibate spiritual teacher (brahmachari) at ISKCON, Pune. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Govt College of Engg, Pune.)

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Srimad Bhagavatam Class ( 8.21.01-04) by HH Janananda Goswami at ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor on 03 Mar 2014

(His Holiness Janananda Goswami was initiated by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in 1972. He held various positions in ISKCON and served Srila Prabhupada in various countries notably the United Kingdom, Africa, Malaysia, Europe, Philippines and New Zealand.)

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Lecture on Sacred Space Retreat by HH Sachinanadana Swami

(H.H. Sacinandana Swami left home only 16 years old to meet devotees and to become a disciple of Srila Prabhupada in 1971. Maharaja’s first years in ISKCON were spent by translating Srila Prabhupada’s books from English to German and later he joined the book distribution party in Germany.)

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Lecture on Writing Books is our Family Business by Hh Sivarama Swami on 09 Mar 2014 at India

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada. Sivarama Swami first came in contact with the books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1970, becoming an initiated disciple of Prabhupada in 1973. )

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An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk?

Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly.

"Okay," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass.
Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?"

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don't know shit?" And then she went back to reading her book.

rajovaca
aho nr-janmakhila-janma-sobhanam
kim janmabhis tv aparair apy amusmin
na yad dhrsikesa-yasah-krtatmanam
mahatmanam vah pracurah samagamah

TRANSLATION: King Rahugana said: This birth as a human being is the best of all. Even birth among the demigods in the heavenly planets is not as glorious as birth as a human being on this earth. What is the use of the exalted position of a demigod? In the heavenly planets, due to profuse material comforts, there is no possibility of associating with devotees.

PURPORT: Human birth is a great opportunity for self-realization. One may take birth in a high planetary system among the demigods, but due to the profusion of material comforts, one cannot gain release from material bondage. Even on this earth those who are very opulent do not generally care to take to Krsna consciousness. An intelligent person actually interested in getting freed from the material clutches must associate with pure devotees. By such association, one can gradually become detached from the material attraction of money and women. Money and women are the basic principles of material attachment. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised those who are actually serious about returning back to Godhead to give up money and women in order to be fit to enter the kingdom of God. Money and women can be fully utilized in the service of the Lord, and one who can utilize them in this way can become freed from material bondage. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah (SB 3.25.25). Only in the association of devotees can one relish the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just through a little association with a pure devotee, one can become successful in his journey back to Godhead. SB 5.13.22

[invocatory prayers]
HH Bhakti Asraya Vaisnava Swami: So in the context of Srimad Bhagavatam, we are reading the heartfelt expressions of the feelings of Maharaja Rahugana. After getting the divine instructions from Jada Bharata, he became so much enlightened and so much blissful that he could not stop himself from expressing his feelings. That is why in this verse, he is speaking in the beginning: aho! Alas! Oh what a great fortune! Oh what a great opportunity I got by the association of this saintly person.

In front of him Jada Bharata is standing: aho! vipra! What a great fortune I have. Then he is considering who brought that person. How has he become so fortunate? Then he is saying because I am in a human birth that is why I am able to get the instructions of saintly persons like you. Because in any other species except human birth it's not possible to associate with devotees. You may associate, you may see, you may be with them but you cannot get the instructions from them.

Just like Jada Bharata Maharaja was engaged in carrying the palanquin, Rahugana was sitting on the top. The carriers are carrying him. So the carriers could get more association of Jada Bharata. They were walking with him. But they could not get the benefit. Before that Jada Bharata was wandering in the forest. Some forest people took him and they were trying to kill him, they were trying to give him in sacrifice to Kali and almost more than one day they were with him. But they were not getting the benefit of the association. But here for a fraction of a moment, exchange of speech, he got the benefit of the association.

So just being with a saintly person, it is not said that we are getting the association. It is not the meaning of association. Then why is the human birth so important? Because first of all in the human birth-one can HEAR. One can hear the glories, the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are having this Bhagavatam class here, only human beings can be sitting here. No other species can come here. They cannot come. And also, this Jada Bharata also achieved this realization in this human life, this Brahma tattva in this human life.

And this human life is karma yoni. All other species except human life is bhoga yoni. You may suffer or enjoy in the heavenly planets or down planets but you cannot do karma. You can do karma only in this human life. If you do karma properly, performing pure devotional service, then in this human life you can go back to Godhead. But if you are not doing it, then you can through the whole process of 8,400,000 species. So this is so important. That is why he is considering, this human life-somehow or the other he is becoming so thankful to the Lord that He has given him this human life. And in this human life many human beings are there. They are not becoming so fortunate enough. So he is thinking, in this human life I am able to associate with saintly persons like you.

What is the real importance of human life, to understand the goal of human life. So what is the goal of human life? Jivasya tattva jijnasa, nartho yasceha karmabhih. There is no other important duty than to know and inquire about the Supreme Personality of Godhead-about The Absolute Truth. Only tattva jijnasa.

In this case we are seeing king Rahugana was actually tatva jijnasa. He met Jada Bharata in the forest while he was going to attend Bhagavatam class from Kapiladev. He was going because he was jijnasa. Only a jijnasa person can become so fortunate, can get the real benefit of the association of the saintly person. Otherwise we may take the human birth but we'll be considered as two legged animal or civilized animal-whatever. Unless we have the inquisitiveness to know about the Absolute Truth then there is no use of this human form of life. If only we'll consider the goal of human life is to have comfort, to gratify our senses then we are no better than animals. So that's why he is considering human life means: the human who are really tattva jijnasu. And if some tattva jijnasu gets the association, by momentary association he can be free from darkness. That's what he got now. That's why he is becoming so elated, so happy that he is expressing his feelings that Oh my god! I am so fortunate that by this moment I became so fortunate that I became totally free from my doubts, free from the darkness of ignorance.

That is only possible by the association of the saintly persons. What kind of saintly persons? Those saintly persons whose hearts are purified and totally filled with the glories of Hrsikesa. Hrsikesa means that Hari who is so attractive, who is always attracting all the senses of His devotees. The devotees are always attracted by the Lord and by this attraction they are ready to serve, by their senses, to the Lord. So, that Hari is glorified by the devotees. And by this glorification, the hearts of the devotees are totally purified. Hrsikesa yasa kritatmanam (?): the devotees whose hearts are totally purified by the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you get the association of that kind of a personality, then in a few moments, you'll be totally free from your ignorance and darkness. That is the benefit of saintly association.

King Rahugana is considering that in this material world all the people used to consider which birth is the best birth? Best birth is to take birth in the high species like demigods and all that? But what is the use of that? That is, if you perform so many pious activities in this life, in the next life you may get the birth in the higher species of demigods. But what is the use of that? You will be full of so much comforts that you will have no opportunity to get the association of devotees. So without the association of devotees life is useless. You cannot succeed in your life.

That is why he is considering this human life so important. Even the demigods-what to speak of ordinary demigods, even topmost demigods like Brahma and Shiva-if they want to achieve the real success then they have to come down to this material world and they are also expecting to have a human body so that they can get proper association, enjoy it and go back to Godhead. Anyway, they are already in that supreme platform. But still it is not available in the heavenly planets. The association of the devotees is not available. Though all the elevated personalities are in the heavenly planets and the demigods they can come down and take association of big elevated personalities, but because they are so much engaged in material comforts, so much facilities are there, they cannot avail the real facility of saintly persons. The association they cannot get properly.

So that is why Prabhupada is saying, even in this planet we see that those people who are very opulent they are not interested to take to this Krishna consciousness. Neither the high class, nor the low class. Only the middle class-they are interested. So, Rahugana is becoming so happy and is considering this human life so important because in this human life he was be able to get the mercy from the devotees. So to succeed in our life, we need the association and by the association we'll get real mercy and that we can engage in pure devotional service. In one bhajan Rupa Goswami is saying that how even Brahmadev, even Brahma, he's not that fortunate. He's considering himself, in this bhajan he's saying:

krsna deva! bhavantam vande
man-manasa-madhukaram arpaya nija-pada-pankaja-makarande
(2)

O my Lord Krishna, I am worshipping You. You are my worshippable Lord. man-manasa-madhukara: Let the bumble bee of my mind should engage in relishing the nectar coming down from Your lotus feet. So please allow my mind to do that. Then he is saying:

yadyapi samadhicu vidhir api pasyati na tava nakhagra-maricim
idam icchami nisamya tavacyuta! tad api krpadbhuta-vicim
(2)

He is saying: yadyapi samadhicu vidhir api pasyati. Vidhi means Brahma in his samadhi yoga. In his transcendental meditation for a long time, he is not able to see You, not to see Your Lotus feet, not even the front part of Your lotus feet, not even the nail, not even the light coming out of the nails. na tava nakhagra-maricim. Not able to see even that! The light coming out of the nail of Your lotus feet. idam icchami. He was desiring!

What he was desiring? To release the nectar coming out of Your lotus mouth. How dare to desire like that. Yes, idam icchami. idam icchami nisamya tavacyuta! tad api krpadbhuta-vicim. He Acyuta!, I am desiring that by the strength of hearing Your glories, nisamya, I have heard profusely about Your Kripa. Your adbhuta kripa. krpadbhuta-vicim. Such a wonderful merciful nature You have, so we've heard. Where from have we heard? We've heard from saintly persons, from Your devotees. That's why I am daring to get the nectar from Your lotus feet. Not even Brahma, but I am desiring like that. idam icchami nisamya tavacyuta! tad api krpadbhuta-vicim. The wonderful waves of Your merciful ocean, Your merciful attitude. I've heard about it profusely. Then he's saying:

bhaktir udancati yadyapi madhava! na tvayi mama tila-matri
paramesvarata tad api tavadhika-durghata-ghatana-vidhatri
(2)

He's saying, O Madhava!, though I am not at all Your devotee. bhaktir udancati yadyapi madhava! na tvayi mama tila-matri. Tila means sesame seeds. I've no devotion. I have no devotion, not even like a sesame seed towards You. I am such a rascal. bhaktir udancati yadyapi madhava! O Madhava, I am not at all a devotee, I do not even have devotion like sesame seeds towards You, still paramesvarata tad api tavadhika-durghata-ghatana-vidhatri- You are paramesvara. Your Lordship is so powerful, it can make what is totally impossible, it can make possible. durghata-ghatana-vidhatri. You can make everything possible, even if it is totally impossible. That is Your paramesvarata, That is Your Lordship. So on the basis of that, when I have heard profusely from Your devotees about that, then I am desiring so, I am daring to desire so.

So all of us, by hearing these kinds of instructions from Rupa Goswami, we can become hopeful. Even if we are so wretched rascal, but still we can tell O Madhava, we can become hopeful, because Rupa Goswami is telling like that, that Your wonderful merciful nature is so, that You can do everything possible, even if it is impossible.

sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara
vicara karile citte pabe camatkara

So this is the planet of Caitanya Candra. Krishna is merciful, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu with Nityananda prabhu, They are so wonderful! They are so wonderful! We'll be struck with wonder if we consider about Their mercy. What we are getting from the association of saintly persons.

Actually it is said, one big saintly person is saying: binu satsang viveka na hoi, rAma krupA bin sulabha na soi(?). This satsang, the association of devotees, without the association of devotees, our vivek, our thinking power will not improve. And the satsang, the association of devotees will not be available without the mercy of the Lord, whenever we get the real mercy of the Lord.

What is the proof? The proof is that we'll get the association of the devotees. After many many, many births by the accumulation of all your pious activities, the result will be that you will get the association of a pure devotee. Hmm! So what is the benefit of the association of the devotee? The kripa. The mercy of the Supreme Lord is coming down through the association of the devotee. Our Acarya of this movement is called Krsna krpa srimurti: he is the personification of the mercy of the Supreme Lord! He is the murtiman vigraha of the Krsna Krpa.

And just see, he's so merciful, his body is full of the mercy of Krishna and within 10-12 years, in this society, within 10-12 years, within this world, he showered his mercy. Now within 30 years, in this land in the remote place of Navadvipa-mandala more than 10,000 people dancing and chanting on the roads and making their life success. How is this possible? This is because we are getting-in the disciplic succession the kripa- is coming down. The kripa coming from Krishna in the form of Mahaprabhu and through Srila Prabhupada.

Somehow or the other Prabhupada gave association to his devotees, and these devotees gave association to their devotees. These devotees gave association to other devotees. By this, mercy is coming down in the disciplic succession. And whoever is jijnasu, whoever is really interested, whoever is the real human being, whoever is really tatva jijnasu, they can achieve the merit, the benefit of this association-by getting books, by getting prasad, by hearing kirtan, by doing parikrama, from many other ways. But unless you come in contact with these devotees, how will we make our life success?

Raja Rahugana was a king. And he knows the importance of human life. That is why he was going. He was the king, sauvirapati, from Kashmir, He was the king of Kashmir and he was going to attend Bhagavatam class in Gangasagar. All the way from that end to this end. Such a long distance he was covering. And not by plane or train or car. By walking. Carriers they are walking. He was sitting on the palanquin but through so many jungles, crossing so many rivers, they were walking thousands of miles by palanquin. Why is he walking? Just to attend Bhagavatam class from Kapiladev. That was his only goal of his visit.

And he met the saintly person-just consider-in the middle of the jungle. Who knows where we'll get the association of the devotees, in which moment your life will be successful. You may come to temple, but you may not be successful in the temple. You may be in royal palace, it may not be. You may be in Bhagavatam class, it may not be. It may be inside the jungle, full of animals.

That's why he's saying, "Oh my Lord! This jungle is full of ferocious animals but because I am a human being I got this opportunity." And he's not an animal, he's also a human being. So, saintly persons they are always, they will accept the form of a devotee. And anybody, they want to get the real benefit of these saintly persons they have to take form of a human being. And in Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says you have to do three things at least if you want to know about tattva-pariprasna, seva and pranipat. Pranipata, pariprasnena, seva. These three things you have to do.

But here we are seeing, what was he doing? He was just chastising, when he was in palanquin, he was chastising the saintly person. So by chastisement, not doing pranipat, not seva, not inquiring, nothing-rather he was chastising-about to beat him: "I will beat you. I will take care of you. You are not carrying my palanquin properly, you rascal!"

See! Even these kinds of chastisement, in the middle of the forest, if you do to real pure devotee that pure devotee is totally free from all this abuse, prasamsa or whatever. He is free from all this. Their duty is only to bless. Only to shower mercy. Though King Rahugana was chastising him, he was ready to beat him, but still see, Jada Bharata, from birth till now, he must be about 30 years old or so, till now he has not opened his mouth. He was Jada. But was he is really Jada? No, he was making a show of Jada! He was making a drama that I cannot speak. But he could understand; he speaks nicely. Now he is speaking in the middle of the forest.

Some days ago, all these village people, these forest village people, they don't know, they are innocent, ignorant people. They took him to offer him as a sacrifice to goddess Kali. And they got killed-all of them. All of them wholesale, they got murdered by Kali. And he was there present. He didn't speak anything. He didn't speak a word. And because so many things happened: his father, brothers and many other places, he never uttered any word there.

Here in the middle of the forest, a king, he engaged him in carrying his palanquin and chastised him so heavily about to beat him and he is trying to speak to him! He spoke to him and his words, one letter of his pronunciation, one-one letter he is uttering, that is piercing into the heart, direct into the heart of Rahugana, because he was jijnasa. Though he was chastising, but the words coming out of a pure devotee-- that is not something ordinary! That is such a powerful medicine. Such a powerful medicine, the person is not ready to take the medicine. But if somehow or the other it is coming inside your ear and going directly into the heart, it will act, the effect you will see.

See the effect-within a few minutes, Raja Rahugana came down from the palanquin and totally bowed down, totally surrendered. And he is expressing his feelings in this verse. The first verse, in a series of some verses, he will express his feelings. He has become so fortunate. So happily he is expressing. In the next verse he will say, "O my Lord. I don't know. I couldn't recognize you. You are such an elevated person. You never gave your identity to me. So now, I have to offer my obeisances to any human being, any Brahmin, he may be a child or whatever, I have to offer obeisances to everybody."

Who knows in which birth, in which place, in which situation our life will be a success. So one thing we can understand, at any moment, anywhere in any situation our life can be a success. But the only requirement is that we have to be manusya. Manusya means not just accepting the human life, just by having a human life we cannot be called as manusya. Accepting human life is one thing, then the real need is that you have to be tattva-jijnasu. You have to really be inquisitive to know about the Absolute! Otherwise you cannot be called as manusya.

If one isthat kind of tattva jijnasu manusya, then the mercy is available even in the middle of the forest. Even the person who has not spoken a word from the birth, he will speak to you. The mercy of the Lord can be available anywhere. So we have to be the recipient. Hmm! The mercy is abundantly available everywhere but the receivers are not there. Receivers are not there. That's why Bhaktivinoda Thakur in his bhajan is saying,

sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu jive doya kori
swa-parsada swiya dhama saha avatari

Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu-what is the real reason for Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu to incarnate. He is saying the only reason is to. . . . Oh, time is already done. It's OK. Thank You. Next time I will say. Hare Krishna. Any comments or questions?

HG Dravida Prabhu: So thank you very much for the class Maharaja. So the third verse, his success, he is praying: (k???a) deva! bhavanta? vande, man-m?nasa-madhukaram arpaya nija-pada-pa?kaja-makarande. Actually he's praying, isn't he? Correct me. He is praying that, Krishna! You put my mind in the lotus feet, in the honey.

ayam avilolatayadya sanatana! kalitadbhuta-rasa-bharam
nivasatu nityam iham?ta-nindini-vindan madhurima-saram

Today, eternal Lord. My mind is fixed upon Your feet. And so I am tasting endless mellows, wonderful and sweet. I pray that for eternity, my mind may there (?) reside to relish luscious honey that defeats ambrosia's pride. That's the end of the song. So he's successful. Hare Krsna.

HH Bhakti Ashraya Vaishnava Swami: Thank you.
Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapuranam ki jai! Sri Gaura Bhakta Vrinda ki jai!

- Kindly transcribed by Swetha Ganeshan Mataji

Lecture on Making Our Emotion Closer To Krishna's Emotion by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu on 04 Mar 2014 at ISKCON Chowpatty

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

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Lecture on Outside Navadvipa is Lord Caitanya in his original form by Sivarama Swami

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada. Sivarama Swami first came in contact with the books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1970, becoming an initiated disciple of Prabhupada in 1973.)

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Lecture on Truth is Transcendental by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 09 Feb 2014 at Panvila, Sri Lanka

(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

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Lecture on Appearance Day of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur by Dina Bandhu Prabhu on 20 Feb 2014 at ISKCON Vrindavan

(Dina Bandhu Prabhu is settled in braja. Although from a foreign country, he looks exaclty like one of the local brijawasis. He speaks the local braja language & nicely interacts with the locals.)

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HH Danavir Goswami:

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

S.B. 5th Canto, Chapter 13, Rahugana converses with Jada Bharatha, text 20.

rahugana tvam api hy adhvano 'sya
sannyasta-dandah krta-bhuta-maitrah
asaj-jitatma hari-sevaya sitam
jñanasim adaya tarati-param

(Word to word meaning is read)

TRANSLATION: My dear King Rahugana, you are also a victim of the external energy, being situated on the path of attraction to material pleasure. So that you may become an equal friend to all living entities, I now advise you to give up your kingly position and the rod by which you punish criminals. Give up attraction to the sense objects and take up the sword of knowledge sharpened by devotional service. Then you will be able to cut the hard knot of illusory energy and cross to the other side of the ocean of nescience.

PURPORT: In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krsna compares the material world to a tree of illusion from which one must cut oneself free:

na rupam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nanto na cadir na ca sampratistha
asvattham enam suvirudha-mulam
asanga-sastrena drdhena chittva

tatah padam tat parimargitavyam
yasmin gata na nivartanti bhuyah
tam eva cadyam purusam prapadye
yatah pravrttih prasrta purani

"The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination, one must cut down this tree with the weapon of detachment. So doing, one must seek that place from which, having once gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has begun and in whom everything is abiding since time immemorial." (Bg. 15.3-4)

HH Danavir Goswami:

rahugana tvam api hy adhvano 'sya
sannyasta dandah krta-bhuta-maitrah
asaj-jitatma hari-sevaya sitam
jñanasim adaya tarati-param

So Rahugana is the example of materialistic persons and Jada Bharatha is taking the position as Guru. Guru comes by the mercy of the Lord:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva guru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

It is by the grace of Krishna that one gets Guru. In this case, King Rahugana was certainly not expecting to get instructed from his palanquin carrier. The last thing he expected was to be instructed, especially instructed about the Absolute Truth, the temporary nature of this material existence and that he should give up being the king and that he should take up the path of pure devotional service, go back to home-back to godhead. Not expected. Sometimes persons are looking for the Absolute Truth, they're looking for a Guru and sometimes they're not. But it's considered to be the most fortunate thing in life, to obtain the lotus feet of a pure devotee-Spiritual Master. Because then the eyes are opened:

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah

For one who is born in the darkness of ignorance, Spiritual Master comes with a torch light of knowledge and opens his eyes, gives him the opportunity to achieve the perfection of all existence, of all life. Without the Spiritual Master, no one ever has gotten out of the material world or out of material consciousness without the grace of the Spiritual Master. Sometimes Krishna may personally act as the Spiritual Master. He is always acting as the Spiritual Master. But He may sometimes personally act as the direct guru and sometimes He sends His representatives. And then everything, the door is open. The opportunity to get out of this material world is open. Therefore the real beginning of Bhagavad Gita instruction began when Arjuna requested Krishna to act as his Spiritual Master and instruct him. And he took-because he knew, he was from a very exalted family, he knew what it meant to become the sisya.

sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam

Now I am your disciple and a soul surrendered unto you. Therefore please instruct me. That's what it means to be a sisya, to be a disciple, means to be a soul surrendered unto the Spiritual Master. Therefore, one has to have complete confidence that this person can take me across the ocean of material existence. This person has gone to the other side of the material world. He has the knowledge required to enlighten me, so that I can cross over this material world. Then the instructions begin. They become very powerful. Guru means heavy. And then the instructions can be, if the Spiritual Master feels that he can point out the flaws in the disciple or the candidate then things become wonderful! If he feels that he cannot point them out, because the person may balk, may run away, may become angry, may become offended, whatever, so many reasons, then he can still instruct and he will use his expertise to instruct gradually. But the more the disciple has faith in the Spiritual Master, then the more the Spiritual Master can really get to the crux and solve the problem very quickly. Just like an expert surgeon. If you go to a surgeon and you say, I've got some problems, I feel this and that, all kinds of pains. And the surgeon says can I do an investigation of your body, can I do a complete; no no just do this part. This part, check the arm. But there may be some deeper problem than just the arm, it may be the heart, it may be the blood, it may be this. No, no just the arm. So, then he is restricting. Makes it difficult to get to the source of the problem.

So, one lesson we can learn from this is that we should be the humble servant and also that the Spiritual Master may chastise us. Even Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after He took initiation, Isvarapuri, He said that Isvarapuri considered him a great fool and told him that He was not fit to study Vedanta and therefore He should just chant the maha mantra. Lord Caitanya took it, He took it very seriously. He didn't say I am Nimai Pandit. I defeated Keshava Kashmiri when I was a mere boy. I can study Vedanta. No he didn't object. He took it. Well at least that's how He presents it, that His Spiritual Master gave Him the maha mantra.

So, the instructions of the Spiritual Master are to be taken as one's life and soul. Even if they don't appear to some to be appropriate. For example, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, on his first meeting with Srila Prabhupada, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, as Abhay Charan Dey, at 25 years old. The first meeting Abhay Charan had offered his dandavats as is customary amongst cultured family, when they see a sadhu. And as he was getting up, Bhaktisiddhanta said, “You should take up this message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and preach it all over the world. You are educated. It'll be good for you and good for everyone”. So, how would he know that this person would be able to spread? How would he know that this person could accept the teachings of Lord Caitanya? It didn't seem plausible. And even Abhay Charan questioned, how can? But who would take Lord Caitanyas message? We are a country subjugated by foreign rulers. Didn't seem like a very plausible instruction. But the Spiritual Master is able to give such instructions because they are not coming from the material mind or the material intelligence or logic. They're coming from Krishna. Krishna is giving him the instructions, the intelligence, how to perform his service and he gives the disciple the intelligence how to perform his service.

So, Bharatha Maharaja, Jada Bharatha is advising him to give up the path of material life, completely. Even to the extent of giving up, apparently his position as a king. At least he is instructing him to give up the concept of 'I am a king' and 'I am the ruler', because Rahugana definitely displayed that sign that 'I am the king. And I am meant to instruct others'. Even if one remains in the Varnashrama system, still he should not think that he is a brahmana or kshatriya or a vaishya or a brahmachari or a grihastha or a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. He should understand that his constitutional position: Gopi-bhartur pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-dasanudasah: servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. That's our real position. These other positions that we are taking as man, as woman, or American or Indian, these are all illusion. Because who's American? Is it the body an American? Yes, because the body was born. We know that from Bhagavad Gita, the soul is never born.

ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sarire

So the soul never takes birth. So,it's not that the soul takes birth in America. It's the body comes out, where the body comes out of the womb that's considered to be one's country, home country. But what is the body? The body is made of earth, water, fire, air and ether. But the cells, the atoms that make up the body, they are coming from these five elements. Five gross elements and then the three subtle elements. They're not necessarily atoms. The mental; the mind, intelligence and false ego. But, if you say the body is made up of these things and the cells of the body are changing at every instant, that means I have a different body at every instant. We don't have to wait seven years till all the cells change. Because even the tiniest change, changes the whole body. It's a different body. So I have a different body. And the body is made of matter and the matter is always changing, new matter is coming in, old matter is going out. So what is American? Is it the food that my mother ate and that was transformed into blood and comprised my body? But I have a different body now? So if we analyze it carefully, which we should do, everyone should do this, analyze things. Thread bare. So that we really firmly understand that I'm not this body, in any way possible! Then we can give up. This knowledge will help us to become free from material attraction. This knowledge is not just ordinary knowledge. It's transcendental knowledge. And therefore being transcendental knowledge is non-different than Krishna. Krishna is the ultimate.

vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krid veda-vid eva caham

By all the Vedas, I am to be known. In other words, when your knowledge reaches the ultimate then you can know Krishna. The knowledge that Krishna gives in Bhagavad Gita and the other scriptures it's as important as Krishna Himself. Shouldn't think that it is less important. It is important because if I understand I am not this body, then I can understand Krishna. If I think I am this body, how will I be able to understand Krishna? I am in illusion. The whole point of spiritual life means to get free from illusion. To get out of the entanglement. Therefore, if that were not the case then Krishna would have begun his discussion, with Arjuna, by showing his form playing the flute with Radharani. This is the ultimate. But that's not what He did. Bhagavad Gita is considered by the Acharyas to be infant education; it's the beginning not the end. We need to understand. It's like an infant. We want to train our infants, educate our infants, but we don't begin with some very high, difficult thing. We start with simple things. But those simple things are just as important as the other things. It's part of the same education process.

So, one should not discriminate against what appears to be elementary or the beginning education of the Vedas, such as the Upanishads or whatever. It's part of the same instruction. The Vedas are seamless. There's no contradictions between them. Those who are less learned, those who are not well versed they may think that there are contradictions for example between the Puranas and the Jyothisha shastras or between this scripture and that scripture-contradictions, no, no contradictions. Everything is perfectly in accord. And therefore it is said,

tarko 'pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah

That in order to understand the Vedas and philosophy, we'll need the mahajana, we'll have to follow in his footsteps, otherwise we'll be confused by apparent contradictions, by apparent discrepancies between scriptures, by different arguments, by charismatic presentations, what have you. But the mahajan, he'll be able to give us the perfect instructions according to time and circumstance. It has to be according to time and circumstance as long as we are in this material world. Instructions have to be appropriate. Although they are eternal instructions, the mahajan knows how to adjust them to apply to every circumstance. There may be a little adjustment required and he has the power to do that because he understands, dharmasya tattva, the truth of dharma is in his heart. Therefore we want to hear from him. We don't want to try to study the Vedas by ourselves. We can study the Vedas by ourselves, but we won't be able to understand them. We've seen that so many scholars have tried to study the Vedas but they didn't get it. They failed. Even some great personalities, very learned and pious persons they won't be able to get it. It can only be achieved, it is said:

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

When one has implicit faith in both Guru and Krishna then all the imports of the Vedic knowledge can be revealed. And if one has perfect knowledge, then he could surrender to Krishna. Or the other way is, if he surrenders to Krishna then he gets perfect knowledge.

One who knows Krishna, knows everything. Because Krishna is the ultimate knowledge and He is everything, vasudevah sarvam iti. And one who surrenders to Krishna, he's come to the correct conclusion. There is nothing further to be known. That is the knowledge.

But generally speaking, there is this system, this process of bhakti yoga, which includes all the aspects. It includes some acts of just surrender, for example, we are taught when we first come to Krishna consciousness to pay our obeisances to the deity. So a person who is acting only on the platform of knowledge he would say, well, I don't know why, I don't what the deity is, I don't know what bowing down is going to do. He could come up with so many reasons not to do it. Sometimes those who are very analytical, they'll do that. Students, things like that, they want to be convinced before they take up any practice. That's alright. We have enough knowledge and philosophy to convince them, certainly, if they're reasonable, they will be convinced and eventually they will take up those practices. But it moves a lot faster if one has enough faith to follow along what the other devotees are doing. And he very swiftly moves. The others are paying obeisances, they seem to be very happy, to be very learned, to be wonderful persons, let me follow what they're doing. By doing that it makes the process very fast. Because he is showing, his faith and by bowing down before the Lord his faith increases. Why? Because Krishna is real. Krishna is a real person and He really sees that this person is bowing down before Me. And he's showing some devotion and therefore let Me shower My blessings. Because He is full of blessings. He's full of mercy. He wants to save all the conditioned souls, therefore He loves to shower His blessings on anyone who makes any effort.

So,in our process we have everything. We have the acts of surrender and we have the philosophy. We have knowledge. Sometimes Prabhupada would say, if you just chant Hare Krishna that's sufficient. And if you want to understand from a philosophical point of view, we have so many books to convince you. Either way. It's not that everybody is necessarily philosophical minded. Although at least those who take initiation they should try to be, even if they are not necessarily philosophically inclined, they should try to become that way. And so they'll read Prabhupadas books. That will help them tremendously.

Because the more we fill up our minds and our intelligence with this transcendental knowledge, then whatever doubts we have, these doubts are like demons, they're destroying our spiritual life. They have to be removed. And so Arjuna said, there's no one who can destroy these doubts that I have except You. So only Krishna or Krishnas authorised representatives can destroy these doubts and it will be confirmed by sastra. He will not make up something; add his own opinion that's different from the sastra. It will always be completely sastric. That is the special contribution of the Vaishnava guru. He doesn't speculate. No speculation.

Thank you very much. If there are any questions?

Devotee: You talked about two things. Talked about conviction, talked about faith. You said that people, if they can be convinced, we have sufficient books, knowledge, knowledge base by which we can convince the person and get them to follow. And the process becomes very fast if the person already has faith and he follows and side-by-side he gets the conviction. My question is which starts first? How does a person come to the level of faith without conviction? How to determine that the person has got faith or he has not?

HH Danavir Goswami: Yes. He's fortunate that he has somehow or other by ajiata sukriti, or pious activities in the past or somehow or other or even just the mercy of the Vaishnava, it may not even be his own credit. It may be the causeless mercy. Just like we say that word 'causeless mercy' of the Vaishanvas of the Spiritual Master that gives him faith. Guru krpa, Krishna krpa, that's possible too.

Kusha Das: Jada Bharatha is telling Rahugana to give up the rod by which he punishes criminals. Then we also know that if the king is weak, thieves and rogues flourish. So what is he advocating by telling the king not to punish criminals?

HH Danavir Goswami: The question was, we touched on it, that he's telling him to give up the rod of punishment, of being a king. Even if he's advising him to get out of the grihastha or grihamedi ashram, not ashram, get out of materialistic household life. As Prahlad told his father “vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta, go to Vrindavan. In other words don't try to be a king anymore”. He didn't say, “My dear father why don't you rule the world in this way and do it piously”. No. he said give it up and go to Vrindavan. That's one way of giving it up. Or the other way is, give up the false conception of thinking that you're the king and that you hold the rod, because, Naradeva, the duty of a king, is to represent Krishna. So one can remain in his position, but not think that he is the doer. Even if he is a king, like Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he took sannyasa. But He said that “I am not a sannyasi. I am the servant of the servant”. So give up the false conception. The misconception of thinking that you are this body. We could take that as the essence. Either way it can be appropriate.

Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

- Kindly transcribed by Mataji Swetha Ganeshan