Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!
Date: March 11th, 2011
Topic: Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead
Verse: 4:12:35
Speaker: HG Rajendranandana Prabhu
tri-lokim deva-yanena
so 'tivrajya munin api
parastad yad dhruva-gatir
visnoh padam athabhyagat
TRANSLATION: Dhruva Maharaja thus surpassed the seven planetary systems of the great sages who are known as saptarsi. Beyond that region, he achievedthe transcendental situation of permanent life in the planet where Lord Visnu lives.
PURPORT: The airplane was piloted by the two chief associates of Lord Visnu, namely Sunanda and Nanda. Only such spiritual astronauts can pilot their airplane beyond the seven planets and arrive in the region of eternal blissful life. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita also (paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyah [Bg. 8.20]) that beyond this planetary system begins the spiritual sky, where everything is permanent and blissful. The planets there are known as Visnuloka or Vaikunthaloka. Only there can one get an eternal blissful life of knowledge. Below Vaikunthaloka is the material universe, where Lord Brahma and others in Brahmaloka can live until the annihilation of this universe; but that life is not permanent. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (abrahma-bhuvanal lokah). Even if one goes to the topmost planet, one cannot achieve eternal life. Only by arriving in Vaikunthaloka can one live an eternally blissful life. [End of Srila Prabhupada's purport to SB 4.12.35]
HG Rajendranandana Prabhu: In this verse and purport, the purport specifically we are getting to hear about the material world and the spiritual world. If someone has no understanding or has not been introduced to Krishna consciousness then there needs to be a little bit of a foundation laid out so you can understand what we are talking about - material world, spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada is so many classes again and again and again the first thing you would hear when you would come into the temple is you are not that body.
Umapati Prabhu told me that in the beginning they would hear Swamiji say we are not the body and so it took a little bit of time and then they came to understand, "Oh. Swamiji is saying he is not his body." And then I heard someone else say, "Oh. So I am not my body? Then whose body am I?" In this material world 99.9% of the human beings think they are their body.
We hear this all the time, "We are not this body. We are the eternal spirit soul, the consciousness within the body." And out of thousands, millions of people if we try to understand that - hardly anyone understand really or realizes the fact that aham brahmasmi. And out of all those hardly one understands what the activity, the duty of the spirit soul is. We have been given all that from day one, not only that we are not the body and that we are spirit soul but that we are eternally the servant of Krishna and our activity eternally is to lovingly serve him. That is it! And even though we have heard it from day one how many of us have gotten it through our thick skulls?
We may take a little check on our pulse eg. It is said that one who understands the spirit soul may see, samah sarvesu bhutesu. [Bg 18.54] They see everyone equally. But how are we viewing everyone? Someone who should serve me? Someone I should step on to get my needs met or my pleasures met? Just disregarding! No it means that one respects all living beings, amanina manadena.
Not only does one on the spiritual platform respect all life, not just other humans but all life but he does not expect any respect in return. Why should I expect any respect? Am I somebody special out of the trillions, zillions and whatever numbers come after that with all the zeroes, number of living entities that are there? This one little tiny me, how special am I?
It is stated in the scriptures that we the conscious living entity are one tenth thousandth the tip of a hair, not very big! So for one that understands that is it very hard to understand that I am actually more insignificant than the grass that we step on and walk on through the fields of Navadwip Parikrama? No. We are so insignificant and we are so limited and helpless. In the bodily concept of life especially the younger we are we think we are immortal, that we can conquer the world. That is why they can draft young men into the armies to go fight foolish wars because they think, "We will never die." The older you get the more pains you start to feel in this body. Then it starts to sink in, "Wow. This body isn't the best body. I think it is not so intelligent to identify with this body."
The body according to the scriptures and the merciful instructions and words of our spiritual master is always a source of misery. Always! Right now sitting at this table my knees are bothering me. If you stop and take account there is either going to be some bodily or mental suffering or maybe somebody is bugging you. Some other living entity is disturbing you. The egos are starting to come out in full force. All glories to the dham-basis!
Pure devotees who know they are spirit soul don't even dislike the mosquitoes. I know it sounds extreme but Vasudev, the brahmana who had leprosy who was completely transcendental to the bodily concept - this body is just a shirt. This shirt is going to be sweaty, stinky and pretty soon in a few hours I am going to be taking it off. It is a botheration. Vasudev understood he was not the body but spirit soul and in his leprosy he had so many germs and insects feeding on the puss and infection of his leprosy.
While chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Some living entity or insect will fall off his body and he would pick it up and put it back in. Every living entity needs their source of sustenance. If this body can give sustenance to that living entity Hare Krishna!
What vision Prabhupada is offering us, what vision and knowledge is being given in the scriptures! And it comes not by severe austerities. That is the process of the jnanis. They thin tapasya is where it is at, giving up everything and simply toughing it out. No, no, no! Naiti, naiti, naiti! I am not this, I am not that! Ahama brahmasmi. That doesn't get it. That doesn'tgive brahma realization. You have to mix in a little bit of worship of the Supreme Lord. At least a little bit and then if you want that chop-change of understanding that you are not the body. Simply that! Then okay, no problem! So be it!
The Vaisnavas understand that we don't even want that if there can't be service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And by service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead all these bodily identifications, all the miseries of this body get taken away.
sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam, tat-paratvena nirmalam [Madhya 19.170]
And the attachment and identification of this body we are relieved of it how?
hrsikena hrsikesa- sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Madhya 19.170]
Engaging in the service of the Lord. I don't understand, I don't realize that I am spirit soul but I can use this body in the service of the Lord. Under the guidance of a self realized spiritual master he understands he is not this body. He understands that he is the eternal servant of Krishna and 24/7 he is simply utilizing whatever Krishna gives him, his words, his body, his actions, his mind, his assets, his disciples, anything and everything of this world in the service of Krishna for the pleasure of Krishna. So with the scriptural knowledge and the example of the spiritual master then we can engage this body.
As my Prabhu was sharing with me yesterday Srila Prabhupada said according to his angle of vision I see everyone as walking dead bodies. When I heardthat I thought, "Oooh. Why this idea if I would like dead body." Prabhu doesn't identify with his dead body. I was enlivened in understanding that I am not that dead body. By the grace of Krishna within my heart He is allowing this body to be mobile and to be engaged in the service of the Lord. I am coming my Lord. Yes. How kind my spiritual master is to have opened up my darkened eyes. samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg 18.54]
Look at the devotee next to you to your right. Look at the devotee next to you on your left. Turn around and look at the devotee behind you. Do you see him on the same platform? Do you treat them as you want to be treated? Do you treat them better that you think you should be treated? This philosophy is not just some armchair philosophy. It is not something that we have to sit on big chair and talk about and then maybe give a little [Claps his hands] Haribol! This is dead serious.
I heard Prabhupada one time wake up in Vrindavana from his bed. His body was practically finished and he had been sleeping for some hours and I happened to be fortunate to be right there when he woke up, rang the bell and had the servant sit him up immediately. I have said this before but I will say it so much more in this life again and again. He said to Tamal Krishna Maharaja, "You think you want to grow old. Do you want to grow old? Do you think I want to grow old? No. We are forced to grow old."
And he began to instruct Maharaja that, "You should go and share with people you don't have to grow old, you don't have to die. You are not this body. You are not this mind." Those who are a little bit more advanced in knowledge they don't identify with the body but they identify with the workings of the mind so often. What is this life? It is a rascal middle man. We have given power of attorney to the mind which is our worst enemy when it is simply telling us, "Yeah, okay so you got kicked when you tried to enjoy in that way. Do it this way this time. You will make it this time. You will actually achieve your desires. You will be happy." The mind in bodily consciousness is simply trying as Prabhupada says in a foot note to a purport in the 7th canto, "Making plans to keep you and I in this miserable material world."
Srila Prabhupada in this purport says, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah [Bg 8.16] This material world, from the highest planet Brahmaloka to the lowest planet they are all miserable. Someone was asking me about Hawaii a few days back because they heard that it is so nice there. I have lived in Hawaii for a number of years because I had to do devotional service there. Let me tell you it is no paradise. Maybe when Srila Prabhupada was here he made the statement, "You cannot enjoy in this material world but if you could it might be Hawaii."
Those days are long gone. The cool seasonal breezes ain't what they used to be - as we say in America, slang language. They are not what they used to be. The sinful reactions are catching up even with paradise. People are suffering and even when they thought they were not suffering it wasn't really a place that I personally wanted to do devotional service in, if I didn't have service that kept me there because the covering potency of this material energy, that controls this material world it deludes us. It deludes the conditioned souls since time immemorial. Everyone else thinks they are enjoying.
If you ask somebody, "How you are doing?" Everybody says, "Just fine." If you get one of these really optimistic people they will say, "Great. It has never been better. It is getting better all the time." They put on this smiling monkey face. It is a pretense. Lying right through their teeth. And those who are in bodily consciousness, "I don't really care about how you are." That is just a social nicety. If somebody asks you how you are I have had somebody retort back, "Do you really care?"
I was told by one of my Prabhus in San Diego, he said, "In the country I grew up, in the culture of iyou don't ask somebody how they are. That is private. You should really care. I am not going to reveal to you how I really am unless I have a relationship with you." We are meant to develop that relationship with each other. That is what spiritual relationships are about. We are meant to try and help each and every one of us serve Krishna nicely - better, better, harder, more! Go for the bliss! Go for the pleasure that Krishna brings upon those who want to give Him pleasure.
When you see somebody serving better than yourself that is ecstatic. I am inspired not by bodily consciousness that, "I would like to tramp you down. Who does he think he is, better than me. Just wait. I will get him." No that is not meant to be this Krishna consciousness movement. Sometimes we see we look like devotees, i but am I really considering myself a servant of the Prabhus, the servants of the servants of Krishna or am I am neophyte devotee simply trying to worship Krishna to the exclusion of all the other servants of Krishna?
Krishna is not worshipped alone. That is impersonalism. Prabhupada in the early 70's when he would see these Vrajabhasi prints of Krishna in the sky alone playing His flute, Prabhupada said, "That is impersonalism. Krishna is never alone. He is always surrounded by loving devotees." But the neophyte just wants to focus on Krishna or maybe guru. My guru is certainly better than your guru. What does that mean? I am better than you are. My guru is His Holiness so and so. Our meeting right place at the right time. My spiritual master is His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai! But does that make me better than you? No! It means I am very fortunate but anybody connected to the disciplic succession from Rupa Goswami, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we are the most fortunate of all the living entities revolving up and down in this brahmanada, this material universe.
When we start to understand these words, when they enter the heart and soften it humility starts to develop. Arrogance and pride has nothing to do with spiritual realization. Nothing to do! It is like oil and water. It doesn't mix. You can put the oil in the water in a little blob. It is there in the water. Contaminated consciousness that is bodily consciousness. The soul, you and I are pure by nature. We just have to become filtered. We have to become cleansed by this spiritual process or serving the servants of the Lord, becoming purified. Hopefully one day I will be allowed to enter into this eternal realm where the Lord lives. Now we are getting to the spiritual world.
The spiritual world has unlimited planets. What to speak of the universes, this planet looks like nothing - just a tiny view of them, unlimited universes. If you remember on the first three volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam that Prabhupada brought to America to distribute, remember the picture of all the little universes, the bubbles that were there and had the names of different expansions of Visnu?
Madhvi Prabhu told me that one time he and the devotees were looking at this book and going, "Wow, that is a far out Vaikuntha planet right there. Look at that. We are going to ask Srila Prabhupada which one that is. I really like to go there." So they brought it to Srila Prabhupada and said, "This one here Srila Prabhupada, which Vaikuntha planet is that? That one looks most far out. I would really like to go there." Srila Prabhupada said, "That is the material world." [Laughter]
Guess what? Our wish got fulfilled. Each and every one of us are rotting in this material world. And now somehow or the other by causeless mercy we are being given the opportunity to get out of here in one birth Srila Prabhupada said. Sometime I would run at the devotees who aren't convinced of that. They doubt that. They think, "I am never going to become so pure to possess krsna-prema that I will qualify to get out of this material world.
Prabhus pray, beg for krsna-prema. Show your sincerity that you want it more than the next breadth that will come. You want it more than the life of this dead body. We should feel, pray and think like that. But for the biggest majority of us it is not going to happen in this life. What to do? Does that mean we are doomed to rotate in the cycle of birth and death? No. Take full shelter of the instructions and the shelter of the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas, the scripture and engage this one life in devotional service - just this one life. Then by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas, Caitanya Mahaprabhu one can be picked up.
One time in Los Angeles Srila Prabhupada was giving a lecture. Maharaj were you in the lecture were Prabhupada was talking about one should be a 100%Krishna conscious and the devotees said, "Oh my God I can never be." "Okay 99% Krishna conscious." Where you there Maharaj? "Okay not 90%, 80%. All right 75% Krishna consciousness. If you can become 78% Krishna conscious I will take you back to Godhead." Haribol! Srila Prabhupada said, "I have the key to the back door to the spiritual world."
It is not what you know; it is who you know in Krishna consciousness. We want the mercy of the Vaisnavas, of our spiritual master. If we love our spiritual master we will love his mood and his instructions. We will give this life to him as his menial slave, as his servant. One who has got that spirit he is given all these gifts, these transcendental realizations of who I am, what my purpose in life is. And Srila Prabhupada can take us back to Godhead.
We have this verse here Dhruva Maharaja, such a wonderful example for us. The determination he showed. I am not going to go into it. When the devotees came for the GBC meetings they had been hearing this section of the Bhagavatam. Many, many speakers always went through the verse, part of Dhruva Maharaja's life. We all know the first part of his life. The point is in six months by following the instructions of his spiritual master very seriously even though he was full of material desires - artha arthi. He wanted the kingdom but he put in on the back shelf. He just completely surrendered to the instructions of guru and that pleased Krishna so much. He revealed Himself to Dhruva and gave him love.
That example we can't imitate but we can sure pray to be able to follow the example of being serious and sincere about Krishna consciousness. And here he is he got his ticket. You and I have a ticket. Prabhupada is begging, "Please don't leave. Don't give up this Krishna consciousness." Hold on to your ticket. It is just a matter of time before you get to turn it in and go back to Godhead like Dhruva Maharaja.
This is the one year anniversary to this day of Grahila Prabhu leaving his mortal frame behind and going back home back to Godhead. It was approximately right around this time. That is the velocity right before our eyes. It is not a i We are being given the most precious, priceless treasure of devotional service, this eternal opportunity to serve Krishna. We don't have the inebrieties of the material body.
Some of us who live in the west sometimes we come to India and we see men, material energy just doesn't click smoothly like it does in for example America. You want to pull something off in India you got to work at it. It is the way material energy works. Similarly the entire material world is like that. The material body is like that. Not in Vaikuntha, not in Krsnaloka. Full facility, full freedom, full love and opportunity to serve to your heart's content. Krishna never lets you down. Never!
I want to focus on this one liner. It is a wonderful sutra that I was told. Srila Prabhupada said that, "The eternal relationship of servant to Krishna is the most congenial form of intimacy." Srila Prabhupada said these words. Congenial - I am not the besti I looked it up in the dictionary. iwrote the definitions down for me. Listen to the beautiful definitions of this word - congenial. Then I will repeat the sentence again. Congenial means:
1.Having the same taste or temperament.
2.Friendly
3.Suited to one's nature or needs
4.Agreeable
So I will repeat the sutra: "The eternal relationship of servant to Krishna is the most congenial form of intimacy." We are looking for love and intimacy in this world. Is anybody truly satisfied in what they found so far? No. Even amongst devotees we get let down sometimes. It is the nature of this world.
Srila Prabhupada onetime said, "Everybody will let you down except Krishna." Or he said, let me get it correct, "Everyone can let you down except Krishna." We have the same tastes. We are sac cid and ananda just like He is. He is the best friend. The reciprocation of love, us serving Him and believe it or not He is serving us is suited to our nature and needs. We need this. He is so friendly. Every act of devotion that we perform as Srila Prabhupada said, for every step we take He takes ten towards us.
As a neophyte aspiring devotee we don't really don't comprehend how much Krishna wants our service. He is self satisfied yet simultaneously inconceivably He yearns to be reunited with us in the spiritual world where He will reciprocate with us one on one in a unique individual relation unlike anybody else. Sanatana Goswami says that with every living entity Krishna manifest a specific individual potency to reciprocate lovingly with that individual.
There are some definitions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead having unlimited potencies. He wants our service. He wants us to be happy that is why He wants our service. He doesn't need it. He wants it. It is for our benefit. This is love. Dhruva Maharaja experienced that. He understood it. He offered respects to those who helped him get that love - to his mother as we have heard a couple of days ago, to these two eternal servants of the Lord who are taking him back to his worshipable Lord in the airplane.
This is the heart of a devotee - one of gratitude. I heard that a very nice class was given yesterday and that was one of the big points, gratitude to anyone who assists us in Krishna consciousness. How can we repay that? We hear in regards to the spiritual master he has picked us up. The debt to him is eternal and can never be repaid. But don't take lightly any assistance of service and association given by the servants, the followers of the spiritual master.
Krishna very much appreciates when He sees the loving affectionate serving mentality amongst all of His servants. All! Not just the devotees with tilak. He wants all the living entities to come back. And those who help the spiritual master in that service become so dear to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna. What is the difficulty? It is such a simple process we have been given. Chant, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Serve the Vaisnavas and have compassion on all living entities. Three little things Caitanya Mahaprabhu asks. That is what He and His eternal associates came to give. Simple but for the insincere or for the doubtful or for the materially attached not easy. Tamal Krishna Maharaja once said that to Srila Prabhupada, "I thought you said that this Krishna consciousness was easy." Srila Prabhupada said, "I never said that. I said it was simple."
So Dhruva Maharaja has set the perfect example for us. Srila Prabhupada has set the perfect example for us. Life in general is perfect. Krishna is everywhere even when we are getting our slaps and our kicks. Even from those you would expect them not to come to you. "Why did that Prabhu do that to me? Why did they treat me that way?"
Whatever it may be it is all the perfect arrangement. You either learn directly or indirectly. And we are meant to set the example. Not that we are expecting you to follow and you to measure up. "You should be advanced so that you can help me and serve me." No. we are meant to set the example. That is what the spiritual master does. That is what the advanced devotees do.
We are all swimming upstream. Everybody else in this world is going down, down, down. If they don't take up Krishna consciousness, take advantage of the opportunity Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement Srila Prabhupada said that one will not get another opportunity for millions of kalpas. I sat down and tried to figure that out. That is many, many lifetimes of Lord Brahma which is inconceivable to us. Many of those lifetimes!
Prabhupada's heart, a real devotee is overflowing with compassion, it is aching with compassion to help those that are suffering because they know what misery they are in and what misery lies ahead of them if they don't take advantage of this human form of life and devotional service. If we associate with those taking seriously the example and instructions of the spiritual master it is contagious. If we show the proper mood in determined acts of surrender and service to the spiritual master and Vaisnvasa the blessings come from the spiritual master and we can measure up to these words, this encouragement. This is not our home. No religious teacher for that matter, no saint of any tradition says that this is our home.
The first day I walked up to a Hare Krishna Temple they had a sign that said, "Are you tired of living in the material world?" If you are not these words of mine are just basically wasting your time because if you think there is something to be had, "I can just kind of ithis way or maneuver myself that way. I will get it this time." If you have that hope against hope of becoming happy in this world you are going to cheat yourself. You will get what you want by the mercy of the Lord and His external energy - another body again and again and again. But if you actually are tired then give this life, this energy, these thoughts, these words, our assets, our relations, everything we posses in the service of Srila Prabhupada and his followers and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I want to leave a little bit of time so that some realizations that you want to share form this class or question Iam happy to hear. Thank you very much.
HG Jananivas Prabhu: Thank you very much. I was very much absorbed in thought in the way you presented Krishna consciousness that I couldn't think of anything else. Thank you very much. There was complete absorption due to the way you presented nicely.
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: Hare Krishna. Don't let the Vaisnavas fool you
Prabhu: in the beginning we said, "I am not this body." But we need a form, we need to identify with something to engage ourselves. Sometimes we say, "Iam not this material body.' But we can say we are the spiritual mind or can we say I am not this body that is not engaged in Krishna's service. Can we say that is the negative? Can we say the positive that I am this body that is engaged in spiritual service?
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: We are not this body. The body is like the chaddar you have on your shoulder. Your mind is like the under garments. Even though they are temporary and full of faults Prahlad maharaja says that they are so valuable, so rare that they can be used in the service of the Lord.
Yes we have a spiritual form. It is unmanifest right now. It is covered because we are not accepting the mercy sufficiently for that form to be manifest within our consciousness. Self realization leads to God realization. When I was saying through your faults, if you are chanting Hare Krishna and we understand the form of the Lord, the effulgent Supreme Personality of Godhead He illuminates us. You see the Lord and you see yourself with spiritual vision, not material eyes. Real devotional service begins on the spiritual platform.
It is very encouraging when Prabhupada says we are all pure devotees and we can please the Lord. It is only by the mercy of the spiritual master that we develop the spiritual body by his grace. Until that time we aren't able to serve the transcendental adhoksaja not with our spiritual form. That comes later. That spirit soul, you and I have a spiritual form that posses spiritual mind, hands, legs, ears, eyes, nose etc. everything that is here. This is a shadow of that spiritual form. We just have to have it revealed to us.
Prabhu: I agree with what you are saying. Can we say we need some sense to engage with the sense objects so can we say that we are the purified sensesof the body, can we say this?
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: I can say my senses aren't sufficient. Yours might be. But I am in the shower. My senses are becoming purified. That is a great hope for me, great optimism. I see those who are more purified than me. I simply have to follow their example. I see those who went back to Godhead, Ihave seen it with my own eyes. I can do that. And that is the whole point. If we don't make the perfection of love for Krishna then if we surrender to the spiritual master and please him he can take us whether manifestiBe born with all the Vrajabhasis or the Navadvipbhasis and you are surrounded by the eternal associates of the LordiThe love will manifest. The mercy is al there. It can be given. We just have to want it sufficiently. We have it. We just have to accept it.
Prabhu: I can feel right now can say that pure devotional service can take over my mindithink of something spiritual. So how to understand this 75% andwhat to expect at the time of death?
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: Did everybody hear the question? He is asking what does Srila Prabhupada means by 75% Krishna conscious. And the last part waswhat can I expect at the time of death?
If you give your best, your everything. I am in sales where I work half the year. If I set a goal for myself I know I am not the doer but I am praying to the Lord, "This is the upkeep of my home right now and my tickets here etc. I would like to make this much.' And if I try so hard, sometimes because I am trying so hard Krishna gives more.
When you set your bar high then if you fall a little shorter then what is the harm? If we try to surrender cent percent because that is what is being asked - cent percent surrender but if we try and fall a little short that is where we are begging for the mercy because on our own endeavor we know our own endeavor isn't sufficient. It is not. We need the mercy. It is endeavor and mercy. They have to both be there for perfection.
The teachings are very promising. Whatever we remember at the time of death we will achieve that. If the holy names are resounding in the ears - forgive me if you think I am sentimental or just a simpleton - you get Krishna. That is what you should expect at the time of death.
Look at the devotee next to you. How are how you honoring and helping him. We say serving but use the words help instead of service. Service has a bad connotation. I serve my country, I serve my family, I serve my mother-in-law or I serve the government. Service sometimes has a real bitter taste. Try helping. Are you helping the Prabhu's next to you? You better because you might have to depend on them when your last breath is coming. Will they beinclined, will they be grateful for all you did for them and will they be happy to stay there for days or weeks in the final experience of illness, old age and death?
In Mayapur we see that a lot. Devotees surrendering to wanting to serve and help for sometimes extended periods. I haven't heard lately how's Murari Hari doing, the old brahmacari with a broken hip. How is he doing? I don't really know. But I saw some of the Spanish speaking devotees assisting him. He is so fortunate. They probably got more of his mercy than I did. Foreign language! You get my pint?
You should expect to go back to Godhead in this life. You ask a serious devotee if he wants to go back home back to Godhead. I believe in the words of my spiritual master. If I fulfill my part of the bargain he will fulfill his. We got such a good bargain. In one lifetime return to Krishna. We are in Mayapur, the land of mercy, magnanimity is flying by, take it! Chant and be happy. Give it to everybody else. Let them be happy. One last one then I am being allowed to go on parikrama.
Prabhu: Hare Krishna. Thank you very much for your nice class. It is a question about going back to Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita we hear this talk that out of many thousands of people hardly one endeavors and in the Bhagavatam it mentions millions of people and we hear the term that it is extremely rare for someone to go back to Godhead yet we often hear that in our movement many devotees leave their body and go back to Godhead. We hear this talk. So I am wondering what is actually the proof that they go back to Godhead? If you could speak a little on this.
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: What is the proof that they went back to Godhead?
Prabhu: Because Krishna says it is extremely rare.
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: In terms of rarity how many living entities are there in this world? We can only say how many species there are because it is in scripture - 8 400 000 species. There are unlimited living entities. It is inconceivable for us with our tiny brain how many living entities are in the smallest universe. So for a devotee, a few devotees, for ten thousand years in kali yuga you get to go back home to Goloka Vrindavan it is nothing. It is nothing! It is so rare. We cannot conceive of how many Kali yugas we have been in. we have been through unlimited Kali yugas. Lord Caitanya only comes in one Kali yuga in the day of Brahma. He has 365 days a year and lives a hundred years. It is rare.
How do I know they go back home back to Godhead? I cannot say that I haven't seen Srila Prabhupada personally come when his devotee is leaving his body. I felt him. Everybody that was in Grahila Prabhu's room when he left his body in the kirtan Srila Prabhupada and the Lord came ianother dimension. It wasn't me leading kirtaniIt was divine. Hairs standing on end, crying. I knew Srila Prabhupada was there.
So I have seen devotees leave their bodies a number of times. It is getting more and more frequent. Then it is going to happen to you and me. I have faith in the words of my spiritual master and you should also. That is why I speak these optimistic words.
If somebody has to tell you we have got to do it on our own we don't expect the honorary diploma. Don't think like that. We don't deserve it but this is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement. He is intoxicated with the mood of Radharani and He and the Panca-tattva are just giving it away. We just have to be inthe right place at the right time and not close your fingers. Prabhupada said, "I am trying to give mercy to everyone." The devotee asked, "Why am I getting so much mercy." He said, "You are accepting it."
So this Prabhu just brought up something. I don't know what it is but if I take it touch it to my head and accept it is mine. Mercy is there. So I know that Prabhus are going back to Godhead. I was there when Srila Prabhupada left his body and I have had similar emotions and spiritual feelings. Don't call it spiritual but I don't know what else to call it. It is not mundane consciousness when I see Prabhus leaving.
Prabhu: May I ask what are we to make of Bhaktivinode Thakur's instructions in Sri Harinam Cintamini where he mentions we have to perfect our service inthe material world through meditation while we are in this body. What are we to make of this instruction so to speak? Are we to bypass this and think mercy is coming anyway regardless?
HG Rajendrananda Prabhu: That is the mood of us cheating neophyte devotees. We want to throw it all out and take this process of the rare mercy of puredevotional service to Radha and Krishna cheaply. That is the tendency. I hope by my words and association no one thinks that is what I am promoting, to take this rare priceless gift cheaply. Srila Prabhupada takes us to the manifest lila in one sense you haven't made it back to Godhead. This is acintya-bhedabheda. It is in one of the material world, one of the dhams of the material world and once we perfect our Krishna consciousness in that land. But in the absolute sense there is no difference in the manifest lila in the holy dham in the material world and in Goloka Vrindavan in the spiritual world. There is no real difference on the absolute platform. So if we make it that far. We could do it.
The brahmanas who were performing yajnas they did not surrender and run to Krishna like their wives did. They may have to take another birth in the manifest pastimes of Krishnai Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur says that happens sometimes, several births in the manifest lila before you get it.
Some of us are really stubborn. But when the spiritual master, the pure devotee is determined to take you back to Godhead you got to really screw up with determined effort not to be considering that. Take these comments of the acaryas very seriously and at the same time hope against hope I am in the right place at the right time and I am so fortunate that this simple process has been given to me. Just grab it with all you can.
I want to thank you for your tolerance, your association and your patience. Srila Prabhupada Ki! Jai. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Ki! Jai. Gaura- bhakti-vrnda Ki! Jai. Gaurapremanande Hari-haribol! [Applause]
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