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Nondeceptive Penance - Part 2

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

This is in continuation of the previous offering transcribing the class by our beloved God brother HG Devakinandan Prabhuji in Chennai on Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.4. In the previous offering we saw that

1. Our first and only business is to please Krishna.
2. We have to serve Krishna without deceptive motive (avyalika)
3. Penance is natural for non-deceptive devotee.
4. Science of atma tattva and right behaviour.
5. Be serious about the purpose of our existence.
Here we continue with the other points.

6. Understanding the science of atma tattva: The science of atma tattva can only be understood when we understand that the only object of our pleasure is Krishna and the object of our service is also Krishna and His devotees. Only when Krishna is there, are the devotees present. Sometimes I used to tell Maharaj, "Maharaj, without devotees, there will not be Krishna." Maharaj corrected me. Maharaj said, "Devotees are there because of Krishna. Never forget that. aham sarvasya prabhavo." Never forget that the reason for the devotee's happiness is Krishna and because Krishna is there, devotees are happy we should never forget that our first business is to please Krishna. By pleasing Krishna, Srila Prabhupada becomes very pleased. So the way Brahmaji could have darshan of Krishna is very important. He could do so because he pleased Krishna. One can only please Krishna if one is nondeceptive in nature. Krishna then revealed His form. The equation is very simple. When we want to attract the mercy of the Lord, one must first be nondeceptive in his behavior. After becoming nondeceptive, one will then be able to attract Krishna. When one attracts Krishna, then Krishna reveals His eternal, transcendental form which is so pleasing that immediately the science of atma tattva is revealed, just by taking darshan of Krishna.

7. Krishna's form is eternal and transcendental: The form of the Lord is very important for us to understand. Maharaj said the reason why we turn to Krishna is, He is sat-cit-ananda vigraha. We should never forget that Krishna alone is absolute truth. Every argument we have in this world, every truth we speak in this world is relative. Even when devotees speak from Srimad Bhagavatam perspective, because we are very immature, Srimad Bhagavatam is also used in a relative way. Only when pure devotees speak Srimad Bhagavatam, is Bhagavatam put in the absolute manner. We contaminate everything. That is our problem. Krishna is absolute. Once we know Krishna is absolute, then we should also understand that, because He is absolute, He knows everything. Never in our lives should we dream that Krishna does not know how much we are suffering. Very often we lament because subconsciously we do not have the faith that Krishna knows why we are going through the lamentation. That means we do not understand that Krishna is cit-fully cognizant. Krishna knows everything in our hearts. He knows how deceptive we really are. So we can cheat everyone but we cannot cheat Krishna. Because He knows everything, we should be humble and realize that we do not know anything. That is the understanding of cit. Sometimes we become very proud. We look at a devotee, we see his behavior and we judge him. But we can only judge him if we have the quality of cit. How can we judge others, if we do not know what is in their hearts. Only Krishna knows what is in their hearts. We should be very careful not to judge the devotees. If we judge the devotees, we do not know the science of atma tattva. We do not even have faith that Krishna is cit. When a devotee behaves in a certain way and we say, "Why Krishna, he is like that?" then we do not accept that Krishna is cit. If Krishna knows everything, He must be sanctioning. If He is sanctioning, why are we complaining? We are not sanctioning anything. So we should be very careful to know our place. If we know that Krishna knows everyone and everything, therefore whatever He does is always good, then what will happen is, we will really become ananda - blissful and that is the quality of Krishna. One who is anand, he becomes peaceful. That is what everyone is running after. Shastras tell us that only two kinds of people do not want to be happy. One is the mad man and the other is the dead man. We want to be happy, but we do not want to follow the way to become happy. Because of our ego, we are foolishly stopping ourselves from getting the happiness.

8. Connecting to Krishna is the way to be happy: All we have to do is to become connected to Krishna. Once connected to Krishna, then we become happy. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita 2.66 we see,

naasti buddhir ayuktasya / na caayuktasya bhaavanaa
na caabhaavayatah shaantir / ashaantasya kutah sukham

"One who is not connected with the Supreme [in Krishna consciousness] can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?"

We can only come to the point of atma tattva, we can only become happy, if we are connected to Krishna. How can we be connected to Krishna if we are not conscious of Krishna? Two Cs. If you are conscious of Krishna, you will be connected to Krishna. Maharaj said the way to become conscious of Krishna is to become dependent on Krishna. Only when we become dependent on someone, we will become conscious of that person. When we are young, we are always dependent on mother. In the consciousness of the child, mother is always there because mother is the source of dependence. Child knows mother gives protection and runs after her. We must have the faith that Krishna is giving us the protection. Then we will be dependent on Krishna. The reason we are not happy is because we are not connected to Krishna. Reason why we are not connected to Krishna is we are not conscious of Krishna. Reason why we are not conscious of Krishna is because we are not dependent on Krishna. We depend on our mind and our material senses more than we depend and have faith in Krishna.

9. Be clear about the reality: Whatever we see and hear from our mind, that we take as Krishna. But that is the reason for misconception of atma tattva. We do not realize that by material mind and senses, we cannot understand what is real and what is not real. The word in this Bhagavatam verse is 'rtam' which means 'in reality'. We must be clear what is real and what is unreal. In Srimad Bhagavatam Daksha Prajapati chants very nicely in 6.4.29

yad yan niruktam vacasaa nirupitam
dhiyaakshabhir vaa manasota yasya
maa bhut svarupam guna-rupam hi tat tat
sa vai gunaapaaya-visarga-lakshanah

Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him."

This verse we should always remember when we speak of the science of the soul. Very often we judge the people and see the world through our mind. We do not see the world through the shastras. When we do not see the world through the eyes of the shastras, the eyes have only material vision and there is no spiritualized vision. Because of this, we do not see the hand of Krishna in the challenges of life and because we do not see the hand of Krishna in the challenges of life, we are not conscious of Him. Because of this we are not dependent of Him. Because we are not dependent on Him, how can we be connected to Krishna? Because we are not connected to Krishna what happens? Bhagavad Gita 2.66 tells us that we cannot have a steady mind and transcendental intelligence. That is why, when we are not connected to Krishna and we open the pages of Srimad Bhagvatam, then it is a ritual. When we close the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam, still we are disturbed. After so many years, we have to force ourselves to come to Bhagavatam. We are very happy to talk about temporary things which are asat, acit and nirananda. But one who is connected to Krishna will have a steady mind and transcendental intelligence automatically.

Srila Prabhupada writes very wonderfully in the purport to SB 2.9.4, "The wrong conception of the jivatma is to identify the material body with the pure soul, and the wrong conception of Paramatma is to think Him on an equal level with the living entity. But both misconceptions can be removed by one stroke of bhakti-yoga, just as in the sunlight both the sun and the world and everything within the sunlight are properly seen. In the darkness one cannot see the sun, nor himself, nor the world. But in the sunlight one can see the sun, himself and the world around him." That is why Lord Krishna declares in Srimad Bhagavad Gita 8.28 the glories of devotional service. A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices, undergoing austerities, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by performing devotional service, he attains all these, and at the end he reaches the supreme eternal abode. 

10. Accept what Krishna gives and do not expect: One who follows the instructions of the Lord and the pure devotee, he is safe. Brahmaji performed penance not according to his whims and fancies. But he performed them on hearing the transcendental occult voice of the lord, without any deception. Our austerities have a deception. There is a motive and there is deception. Brahmaji did austerity only to please Krishna. He was not concerned about the result of the austerity. He performed it because Lord told him to do. At the end of his long penance, 1000 devata years, Brahmaji saw the eternal transcendental form of the lord. Maharaj said, "If Brahmaji did not complain for 1000 devata years, what are you expecting in your lifetime? Immediately you want the effects of devotional service? Immediately people should fall at your feet and say you are Mahabhagavata? Immediately you expect to be happy? All these are expectations. Instead of accepting what Krishna is giving, we expect what Krishna should give and those who expect, they are demons. Those who accept, they are devotees. Brahmaji accepted what Krishna gave and therefore he could see the eternal transcendental form of the Lord. Those who expect, they are performing devotional service in deception. Do not deceive. Do not cheat. Be honest. Krishna is known as Satyavratam. Krishna will never lie to us. He will never cheat us. The only deception Krishna does is to deceive us to come to Krishna consciousness. When we want everything else, still Krishna gives us His lotus feet. This cheating by Krishna is good. But the cheating we do to Krishna is not good. We pretend to be devotees, but in the heart and in the four walls of our house, we are not devotees. Brahmaji was straight forward and because of that, Krishna revealed His eternal transcendental form. This is atma-tattva."

11. Be prepared to sacrifice for the pleasure of Krishna: Those who do not perform devotional service, they are krpanas. Those who perform devotional service, they are krpana vatsalas. They are the shelter of those who are miserly. So simply by one stroke of bhakti yoga, everything is attained. But we must follow Brahmaji's great penance. Without austerity, it is very hard to attract Krishna. One who performs austerity that means he is sacrificing. When you are ready to sacrifice that which is pleasurable to you, for a higher pleasure, Krishna becomes very pleased. The standard of your love is always shown by how much you sacrifice. A father and mother love their children so much that they are prepared to sacrifice everything for their children. To the extent of their sacrifice, is the extent of their love. But if we sacrifice for name, fame and position, then we are not pleasing Krishna. But if we sacrifice name, fame and position to please Krishna, then that will please Krishna and attract Him.

12. Our association should have Bhagavatam in the center: In Bhagavad Gita 2.64, Lord Krishna says,

raaga-dvesha-vimuktais tu / vishayaan indriyais caran
aatma-vashyair vidheyaatmaa / prasaadam adhigacchati

"But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord."

This is a very important verse. Maharaj said that in the material world, our problem is that either we like somebody too much or hate him too much. We are never in between. Prahlada Maharaj describes in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.17,

yasmaat priyaapriya-viyoga-samyoga-janma-
shokaagninaa sakala-yonishu dahyamanah

"O great one, O Supreme Lord, because of combination with pleasing and displeasing circumstances and because of separation from them, one is placed in a most regrettable position, within heavenly or hellish planets, as if burning in a fire of lamentation."

This is how we are living. One day a person is so much a source of our affection. The next day, the same person who has been so dear to us, we cannot stand his face any more. How many times in our relationship, even with devotees, we are experiencing this. We started our relationship without Krishna. That is why the relationship became troublesome. Maharaj said that Sukadev Goswami and Parikshit Maharaj associated with each other with Srimad Bhagavatam in the centre. Parikshit Maharaj sat on the right, Sukhadev Goswami sat on the left, and Srimad Bhagavatam was in between them and so they did not fight. Maharaj said that if they had no Bhagavatam in between them, they will also fight. Where there is no association of Srimad Bhagavatam, no regular reading and hearing of Srimad Bhagavatam, atma tattva is absent. Where atma tattva is absent, deception is present. Where deception is present, consciousness of Krishna is absent. Where consciousness of Krishna is absent, there is no dependence on Krishna. Where there is no dependence on Krishna, there is no connection to Krishna. Where there is no connection to Krishna, there is only disturbance of the mind and no transcendental intelligence. Therefore how can there be happiness and peace? This is the science of atma tattva.

Prabhuji went on to explain the way to become peaceful and the same shall be transcribed and offered in the ensuing mail, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev
Vaijayanti mala devi dasi
Chennai.