Fire of Bhakti - 4
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Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
This is in continuation of the transcription of Maharaj's nectarean class in London on the topic "Fire of Bhakti". In the previous offering we heard from Maharaj:
1. With Krishna we are heroes; without Krishna we are zeroes.
2. Fortune and bliss follows when we are with Krishna.
3. Taking care of children is devotional service and never neglect them.
4. Spiritualise your work.
5. Stick to Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam.
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
This is in continuation of the transcription of Maharaj's nectarean class in London on the topic "Fire of Bhakti". In the previous offering we heard from Maharaj:
1. With Krishna we are heroes; without Krishna we are zeroes.
2. Fortune and bliss follows when we are with Krishna.
3. Taking care of children is devotional service and never neglect them.
4. Spiritualise your work.
5. Stick to Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam.
Now let us continue to hear more nectar from Maharaj.
6. Potency of Mahamantra: (One devotee asked Maharaj as to what to do when elders who have faith in other demigods, don't take up to chanting, that too when they are in final stages of life, in the death-bed. Maharaj gave this wonderful instructive reply for the same.)
If you are not able to make them understand the importance of them chanting the holy names, if they are not in a position to understand, in that stage, the best way is that we go and chanting for him or her. You go on chanting when you are near her or him and you do whatever you want him or her to do. Because at the last moment it is very difficult to change. Only some very very rare fortunate soul might change at the last moment. Even if someone is worshiping demigods with faith, whatever benefits they get, are bestowed by Krishna only. In Bhagavad Gita verse 7.22, Krishna says, mayaiva vihitaan hi taan . He says that, "I am giving that". He further says in verse 9.23 of Gita, "Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, but they do so in a wrong way..."....but it is avidhipurvakam - "It is not sanctioned by Me." If he or she hears the mahamantra then there is 100% chance that he/she will be liberated. So please chant Mahamantra nicely.
7. Be fiery in bhakti: (One devotee inquired about how to do bhakti in old age and the condition of old people in old-age homes in London. Maharaj gave the following powerful reply for the same.)
I have seen that old people are more happy in these places than their homes. They are situated nicely here. They are taken care very nicely here than at their homes. The government is more Krishna conscious here. But the thing is Kaliyuga increases for those people who are not Krishna devotees. For those who are Krishna devotees, for them it is all Satyuga. If your mind is not engrossed in Krishna conscious activities then it is Kaliyuga. Otherwise there is no Kaliyuga. Even then Krishna might want to test you. So you may perform devotional service, and even then there might be Kaliyuga situations around you. But the Krishna conscious men or women, doesn't pay attention to it at all. We just ignore it. So many things come into our mind. We might want to own the Buckingham palace. But it is not possible. So we ignore the idea. If Kaliyuga items come in front of you, just ignore it. Don't mind it. Somebody might scold you or hurt you or criticise you. No counteraction. If your behaviour is like this, then Kaliyuga will not touch you, because you are fiery in your devotional service.
Prabhupada always says this, "If it is a live wire, then no body can touch it. If it is a dead wire, then anybody can catch it and cut it and twist it." Our life also, when it is without connection to our power-house - Krishna, then anybody can cut or kill us. But if you are fiery, then people will not dare to touch, but provided we are fiery in our Krishna conscious activities and eventually the age is bound to come in everybody's life time, when you won't be able to do anything. You will get pension or house from government. But you don't know what to do within four walls, and eventually you go mad and then you are sent to mental hospital. So instead of going and squeezing ourselves in the mental hospitals and associating with mad people, it is better to increase Krishna conscious association and keep Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. That is more than enough for this life time at least. Please concentrate on these things.
8. Way to get liberation: (One devotee asked Maharaj about how we can get liberation? Will performance of pious activities lead to liberation In reply Maharaj started to explain by singing a beautiful Gujarati bhajan of Narasi Mehta, a great devotee of Lord Krishna.)
bhutal bhakti padaarath motu / brahma loka maa naahi re
punya kari amaraapuri paamyaa / ante choriyaasi maahi re
"Doing devotional service on this earth is a great fortune (big thing), this is not available in heavenly planets. By doing pious activity one can achieve heavenly planets (Amarapuri) but they finally have to pass through 84 lakh species again."
Sometimes what happens, there is not enough understanding (knowledge) and we don’t want to take next birth. Then people donate for digging a well, or give some lakshmi for this program and that program and then feel that they will be freed from their karmas by doing this. Many times we request them to chant and we request them to donate lakshmi for this Rathayatra. They will say, "take this donation and leave us alone." For them there is no other choice but to be in the circle of 84,00,000 births again. In the second para liberation (moksha) is explained very nicely.
hari na jan to mukti na maange / maange janmo janam avataar re
neet sevaa neet kirtan / nirakhawa nand kumar re
"Devotees do not desire for liberation. They ask birth after birth human form to do always devotional service, always kirtan, always taking darshan of Nanda Kumar."
Everyday we need to serve Krishna, everyday kirtan is required and we must celebrate festivals. In Dwarka still it is good till date. Now they are establishing a big refinery in Dwarka so we don't know how long our culture will survive? The big demon in the form of refinery has attacked there. Till date they celebrate festivals everyday. Festival of putting flags on top of the temple, festival of Bhagavat Saptah for eight days and lots of other festivals. Day and night they play drums (Nagara). We must increase celebration of all the festivals related to Krishna. We organize Rathayatra in Dwarka once in a year and big crowd is gathered. Around 200 people come from Bombay and some from other places and around 500 people is gathered there. So we need to book guest houses and owners (local residents) of guest houses eagerly wait for these kind of festivals. They often ask when rathayatra is going to take place. Otherwise normally their guest houses are empty. That's why they ask everyday (laughter). It is his self interest. By doing this he remembers Krishna and asks when Lord Jagannath’s rath will go on yatra? So we must celebrate all festivals. This time we are thinking of grand celebration for Janmasthami. There is Gomati river in Dwarka. Gomati Ganga. When there is high tide in Gomati we shall take Radha-Shyamsundar on yatra and if we do this kind of celebration then millions of people will gather there. It is very blissful to celebrate such festivals. This is the main thing. We must celebrate all festivals. We should celebrate festivals related to acharyas or great devotees or Lord's incarnations. If we celebrate all these festivals then we will get liberation (mukti).
True meaning of liberation is to get mukti from doctors, Get mukti from this microwave, get mukti from refrigerator, get mukti from this bed. You want to have foam bed when you have back pain. Then you will have more back pain. Then you go to doctor and he will say "put these wooden planks on the bed." You will say, "but we have this nice floor." But the doctor will say, "No, no, no this is advancement. This is orthopedic bed." You will have to suffer from back pain and moreover you will have to spend 1000 pounds for this orthopedic bed. And then again they will do operation. You will be asked to sit in the wheel chair. The welfare officer will come and ask, "How are you?" You proudly say, "I am alright" (laughter). Oh, you are sitting on the wheel chair and cannot even walk but you say, "I am alright." Then welfare officer will ask, "you can claim benefit out of this." Man, first they cut you and now when you are in wheel chair they give you benefit. And this is called, 'welfare state.' There is nothing like ‘welfare state’ in this world. (laughter) Our Vaid (Ayurvedic doctors) they never cut. If you are going to die, they will let you die. But there is nothing like this ‘welfare state’. Few relatives come. They take you to cremation ground. They will burn you and then they will take tea and go back. Nowadays they don’t take bath in Ganges but take tea. There is no water in Ganges (laughter). We are going in a very wrong direction. There is no other meaning of ‘mukti’. We have to come out from all so called advancement. Buy dhoti. Leave trousers for sometime. Wear dhoti. “hari na jan” – Devotees of lord Hari – they don’t care about clothes, trousers, shirts or dhoti - hari na jan to mukti na maange / maange janmo janam avataar re - Devotees do not desire for liberation. They ask birth after birth human form to do always devotional service, always kirthan, always taking darshan of Nanda Kumar. Our life is sinful and we never stop doing sins. So our next birth is certain. So atleast we must pray, “ please Lord give me Your mercy, even if I will take the next birth, please engage me in Your devotional service”.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi.
Comments
Hari Bol !
Very nice Prabhu, thanks for sharing.
bhutal bhakti padaarath motu / brahma loka maa naahi re
punya kari amaraapuri paamyaa / ante choriyaasi maahi re
"Doing devotional service on this earth is a great fortune (big thing), this is not available in heavenly planets. By doing pious activity one can achieve heavenly planets (Amarapuri) but they finally have to pass through 84 lakh species again."
hari na jan to mukti na maange / maange janmo janam avataar re
neet sevaa neet kirtan / nirakhawa nand kumar re
"Devotees do not desire for liberation. They ask birth after birth human form to do always devotional service, always kirtan, always taking darshan of Nanda Kumar."
Hari Bol !
your servant
Harish