Lecture - New York, April 27, 1966
So here it is said, rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. One who is forcibly refrained from material enjoyment, oh, that sort of forcibly material enjoyment cannot last. There are many examples. There was a great muni, great sage, whose name was Visvamitra Muni. He was formerly a very powerful king. Now, in his later life he gave up everything and he wanted to be a transcendentalist and great meditator in the yoga principle of life. He was a great yogi. Now, this Visvamitra was performing meditation in the forest very supremely. Now, Indra, the King of heaven, he became frightened: "So, this man is performing so much penance. So he might come. He might ask from God and claim my seat. So just wake him. Just detach him from this purpose." So he had many beautiful women at his control, one of whose name was Menaka. So Menaka was ordered that "You go there and try to induce him to have your association." Because in this world our real bondage is this... Either for man or woman, this is the real bondage, the sex life. So the Menaka was sent to Visvamitra, and Visvamitra was meditating, but his eyes were closed.
So that woman made some sound of his (her) bangles, and Visvamitra thought, "Oh, in front me, a very nice beautiful woman, very young." Now, that woman was sent for that purpose, so he became implicated in that woman, and a girl was born out of that combination. That girl's name is Sakuntala. That's a famous name. There is a book of Sakuntala. That is the daughter of that combination. Now, here is the example, that he was a great meditator, a great yogi. But the inner implications of enjoying sex life or material enjoyment, that did not go. That was by force. By force it was submerged. That sort of forcing, forcing our senses not to act, that will not be suitable. We have to see something more beautiful than this material life. Then we can be refrained, acting material; otherwise not. Otherwise it is not possible.
So we have to learn that thing, that how we have to see the beauty of spiritual life. Then, naturally, we shall be refrained from material activities. Just like a child, a boy. He is all day mischief-making and playing, but if he is given some good engagement... There are now so many devices by the educational department, kindergarten system or this system or that system. But if he's engaged, "Oh, form 'A,' form 'B.' " So he learns at the same time ABC, and at the same time refrains from his mischievous activities. Similarly, there are things, kindergarten system of spiritual life. If we engage our activity in that spiritual activities, then only it is possible to refrain from these material activities. Activities cannot be stopped. Just the same example, that the Arjuna... Rather, before hearing Bhagavad-gita, he became inactive, not to fight. But after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he became more active, but transcendentally active. So spiritual life, or transcendental life, does not mean that we are free from activity. Simply artificially, if we sit down, "Oh, no more I shall do anything material. I shall simply meditate," oh, what meditation you will do? Your meditation will be in a moment broken just like even Visvamitra Muni, he could not continue his meditation. We have to always, cent percent, be engaged in spiritual activities. That should be the program of our life. Rather, in spiritual life you will hardly find any time to get out of it. You have got so much engagement. Rasa-varjam. And that engagement can only be possible when you find some transcendental pleasure in it.
So that will be done. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Spiritual life begins, first of all, sraddha, some faith. Just like you are coming here kindly to hear me. You have got little faith.
This is the beginning. Without faith, you could not spare your time here because here there is no cinema playing, there is no political talks, nothing of the... It may be, to some it is very dry subject. Very dry subject. (chuckles) But still, you come. Why? Because you have got some little faith, "Oh, here is Bhagavad-gita. Let us hear it." So the faith is the beginning. The faithless cannot have any spiritual life. Faith is the beginning. Adau sraddha. Sraddha. And this faith, faithfulness, as much as it is intensified, you make your progress far. So this faith has to be intensified. The beginning is the faith. And now, as you make your faith intensified, so you become progressive in the spiritual path.(?) (life?) Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. If you have got some faith, then you will find out some sadhu, sadhu or some saint, some sage, who can give you some spiritual enlightenment. That is called sadhu-sanga [Cc. Madhya 22.83]. Adau sraddha. The basic principle is sraddha, and the next step issadhu-sanga, association of spiritually realized persons. That is called sadhu... Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya. And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized persons, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tatah anartha-nivrttih syat. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes. But just mind that. Material activities and spiritual activities, difference is that... Suppose you are engaged as a medical man. You don't think that "If I become spiritually engaged, then I have to give up my profession." No, no. That is not. You have to spiritualize your profession. Just like Arjuna, he was a military man. He became a spiritualist. That means he spiritualized his military activity.
So these are the techniques. So adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tatah anartha-nivrttih syat [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Anartha means that creates my miseries. Material activities will continue to increase my misery. And if you adopt spiritual life, then your material miseries will be gradually decreased, and practically it will be nil. And when we are actually free from material affinity, then your real spiritual life begins. Athasakti. You become attached. You cannot give up any more. When your anartha-nivrtti, when your material activities are completely stop, then you cannot give up. Athasakti. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Nistha means your faith becomes more firm, fixed up, steady. Tato nistha tato rucih. Ruci. Ruci means you will simply hanker after spiritual things. You won't like to hear anything except spiritual message. You won't like to do anything except spiritual activities. You won't like to eat anything which is not spiritualized. So your life will be changed. Tato nistha athasaktih. Then attachment, then bhava. Then you will be transcendentally, I mean to say, ecstaticized. There will be some ecstasy. These are the different steps for highest platform of spiritual life. Tato bhavah. Bhava, that bhava stage, is the right platform from where you can directly talk with the Supreme Lord.
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 35
Without worshiping the arca-vigraha, the form or Deity of the Lord, one cannot understand such literature as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Lecture - Nairobi, October 30, 1975
So the temple worship is essential. So those who are against temple worship, Deity worship, they are not very intelligent class of men, foolish, mudha.
Sri Chaitanya-caritamrta - Adi 7.76
To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the desired results of linking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may therefore be questioned why there is a necessity for initiation or further spiritual activities in devotional service for one who engages in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The answer is that although it is correct that one who fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is addicted to many abominable material habits due to material contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick relief from all these contaminations, it is required that one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce one’s restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned life. Thus Narada, in his pancaratriki-vidhi, and other great sages have sometimes stressed that since every conditioned soul has a bodily concept of life aimed at sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense enjoyment the rules and regulations for worshiping the Deity in the temple are essential.
Srila Rupa Gosvami has described that the holy name of the Lord can be chanted by liberated souls, but almost all the souls we have to initiate are conditioned. It is advised that one chant the holy name of the Lord without offenses and according to the regulative principles, yet due to their past bad habits they violate these rules and regulations. Thus the regulative principles for worship of the Deity are also simultaneously essential.
Lecture - Nairobi, October 27, 1975
So these are all facts, that Krishna is everywhere, Krishna is within your heart, Krishna is within the atom. Andantara stha-paramanu-cayantara-tham. That's a fact, but where is your realization? Therefore you have to begin realization by arcana. That is very essential. Then more you become expert in arcana, ye yatha mam prapadyante[Bg. 4.11], the more you become realized, then more you become advanced. So therefore, for kanistha-adhikari, he has to raise himself.
CONCLUSIONS
The process of becoming happy in this age is to daily chant Hare Krishna maha mantra and after one has become accustomed to this simple practice, one should daily worship the Supreme Lord in his or her home by the authorized system of Deity worship. In this way, one gradually becomes purified of all material contamination and get the taste for spiritual life and then can give up all material affinities. These are the instructions of our Acarya, Srila Prabhupada.
Comments