Conversation with Disciples
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · 2024
Chapters
Opening prayers and world reflections
Namaḥ oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine. Namaste sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe. Vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānām pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ.
Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hari Rama Hari Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Srivassadi Guru Bhakta Vrida, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hari Rama Hari Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna. I'm very, very happy to see all of you, especially Prayojana Prabhu. So regarding the reflections of the last year. Well, it was a difficult year. Of course, every year is difficult in one way or another.
But it seems like that the whole world now entered the stage of a period of quite difficult But it seems like that the whole world now entered the stage of a period of quite difficult difficulties and difficult situations.
So it seems like that the tendency which was set up a couple of years back by the war in Ukraine is only exasperating So it seems like that the tendency which was set up a couple of years back by the war in Ukraine is only exasperating itself, and it's becoming more and more prominent in the world, the world becoming more and more crazy, and people are showing their true colors.
becoming more and more crazy, and people are showing their true colors. My impression is that the things which were accumulated for a long time and were not revealed are coming to the surface now due to the powerful influence of time.
things which were accumulated for a long time and were not revealed are coming to the surface now due to the powerful influence of time. So let us see how the whole situation in So let us see how the whole situation in the world develops.
And let us be prepared that this And let us be prepared that this year will not be less difficult than the previous one.
Usually people, you know, they wish each other happy new year, happy Usually people, you know, they wish each other happy new year, happy new year.
And in this way they kind of trying to uh hypnotize the fate and uh divert And in this way they're kind of trying to hypnotize the fate and divert the inevitable.
But uh no matter how often we say Happy New Year, Happy New Year, Happy New Year, the new year will be as it is destined But no matter how often we say Happy New Year, Happy New Year, Happy New Year, the new year will be as it is destined to be.
And at least as it looks now, it won't And at least as it looks now, it won't be very happy and very peaceful.
Uh so let's be prepared for this rather than be taken aback by unexpected So let's be prepared for this rather than be taken aback by unexpected difficulties and changes. We have to be realists.
We definitely have to hope for the future, for the best future. We definitely have to hope for the future, for the best future, being devotees of the Lord.
We are optimistic. We are optimistic, we are hopeful in general. We know that ultimately everything is for our good and there is nothing which is actually really bad in this world, no matter how it appears to be.
Surrender as shelter in difficulties
But at the same time we have to be realistic in the sense that we should not expect just peachy and rosy future.
We should expect difficulties and should be armed to meet with these difficulties and our ammunition against the difficulties is of course the level of our surrender.
If we are surrendered, then difficulties will be there, but they will not affect us in the core of our heart.
Difficulties will always be there, but uh how much they affect us, how much they influence us, really depends on the tightness and closeness of our relationship with Krishna.
If our relationship with Krishna is stronger than the difficulties which are there, then we in the midst of these difficulties we always have some shelter.
And the difficulties will not appear to us unsurmountable, insurmountable as they may appear without having shelter.
You know, everyone is looking for shelter, and the beauty of Krishna consciousness is that we know the ultimate shelter.
Everyone is trying to find shelter in some temporary things, vaccination or some other solutions to the problems, which are in reality not the solution in reality, not the shelter.
It's sometimes Harikesh Maharaj, who was my guru, in the beginning, and who gave me very much by showing what does it mean to be surrendered, what does it mean to have this unreserved spirit of surrender.
He was paraphrasing a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam where Prahlad Maharaj says, Durashaya Ya Bahirta Mahina Ma Maninah that people who are extroverts those who are Bahiratha those who are living for the sake of some external goals.
Achieving some external goals. They always durasya they always cherish some wrong hopes, some hopes which will never become reality.
Durasha literally means they always cherish some desires which will never be fulfilled in reality. And that's the characteristic of people in this age.
But Harikish Maharaj used to quote the same verse, but instead of Durashaya he would say Durashraya. That people who are extroverted who are concerned with the external realities and not really introverted not really focused in the inner reality of the spiritual world, spiritual truths, they always try to find Durashre, the wrong shelters, the shelters which will not really be shelters.
You know, like yesterday we went for a walk in the evening and I'm in Kerala now, and it started pouring as it can be in Kerala. So it was pouring and pouring and pouring cats and dogs.
And yeah, and we were trying to find shelter under the trees, but it proved to be a duras shelter, not really protecting us from intense tropical rain. tropical rain.
So in a similar vein, you know, the different upayas or different means of relief which we try to find in this material world ultimately prove to be inadequate.
Ultimately they prove to be not really shelter, not real shelters, but just illusory giving some illusory relief for some time. So the only real shelter is of course relationship with Krishna and
when I'm talking about being uh well equipped to meet with the difficulties which will come. You know, happy difficult new year. That should be our slogan. I wish you happy difficult new year.
The difficulties we can meet with happiness, with a smile, because these difficulties will make us stronger, will make us more Krishna conscious.
Every time when we feel that it works, Krishna consciousness works, every time our faith in Krishna will be reinforced and our desire to find some shelter and relationship with Him will be reinforced.
So I'm sorry for sounding a little pessimistic, but uh I try to be as optimistic as possible under the given circumstances.
Yes, we should be optimistic, we should be hopeful, we should actually be looking forward to become closer to Krishna in the next year. And I'm sure Krishna will give us some opportunities to do so.
And It's important to understand that we should seek for the protection and help of Krishna in all circumstances, not only in difficulties. When we are happy, it should also be our impetus to surrender to Krishna more.
Cultivating gratitude during good times
We should always feel that our happiness or well-being is very fragile and it can be finished at any moment and therefore whether we are in happiness or in distress we should seek for Krishna's shelter and be grateful to him.
When we are grateful to him during good times, uh then it will be more possible for us to remain grateful to him during the difficulties because you know we are kind of rehearsing the gratitude which should be there in every circumstance.
And for that I wanted to first of all mention Bhagadatta Prabhu. He is here, I see his name. He is undergoing severe difficulties, unimaginable difficulties, and I ask all present here to pray for his well-being.
Here he is. Thank you, Bhagadatta Prabhu, for turning on and of course Prayojana Prabhu also is under some difficult situation.
But I remember the time when he was still not Prayojana but Peter, and his nickname in Bhaktivedanta manner was Saint Peter. Devotees lovingly called him Saint Peter because
and because of his perseverance, and because of his tolerance. And now he's showing the example how to go through these difficulties without losing the hope. And I'm sure Krishna will reciprocate with this attitude.
So now I can give you the chance to ask questions. Yeah, thank you, Guru Maharaj. Uh, for this uh when you were saying about this uh that people are kind of hiding behind this new year or something.
Today I read that actually today is a worldwide snow day. So people keep coming up with some crazy ideas like you know, to make it kind of like holiday like but doesn't make any sense yeah
okay so uh about the questions uh I will I will call uh devotees so we start with the ones who are here uh because obviously we might not have time for everyone.
So um uh so we start with your question and you can ask it uh personally yourself. You hear? If you're talking then you have to unmute yourself because yeah. Okay then uh yeah so uh yeah
you hear now yes please uh yes now we can hear you uh okay okay. Kutmaraj, please accept my humble obeisances. Thank you so much for uh giving your sharing your time with us.
Uh there's somebody in raised hand uh varvara mathaji do you says you this is Varajasundari. Oh Varajasundari Madaji Varaj Sundari yeah so
do you want to ask something before or uh something urgent or Yeah Mathashimar Jasundra you would like to ask a question or there is something that you wanted to comment or No,
I would like to ask a question but I I will uh I thought that there is a cue just like I I'll wait because Okay, okay sorry for for any inconvenience. Sorry. Okay.
Acting without the doer complex
So Amritanam Prabhu please uh you go ahead and Thank you so much. Thank you.
So Guru Maharaj, I had I was reading Bhagavad-gītā and I had a question about you know uh in chapter what Krishna is talking about karma, vikarma and akarma and uh how to see karma in vikarma, vikarma in karma and akarma in karma so uh if you could give us some practical like um example and how do we see a karma in any action If
we learn the art how to act without considering oneself as a doer, but being completely surrendered to God and trying to execute His will, trying to become his instrument.
It's basically like this: that if we learn the art of surrender, and it means that you know I'm an instrument. When we take a hammer and start hammering or you know beating a nail, hammer
does not consider, hopefully, I don't know, does not consider himself as an independent doer. He is just an instrument. It is just an instrument.
So surrender basically means that we become the instruments and we of course the difference between us and Hammer is that we are conscious, and it requires certain conscious endeavors or conscious
disposition rather to become a good instrument of the Lord, it basically means I'm trying to in every situation to find what exactly, the Lord wants for me.
Not what I want, not what seems to be the easiest and the most comfortable for me, but what this situation requires from me if
If we remember that the Lord is behind this situation, then we will act, but we will act according to the desire of the Lord, or we will remain his instrument.
As Krishna tells Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā, nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin, Sach and you become the instrument, Nimitha Matra. Nimitamatra means basically you become just an instrument, nothing else. Just do what I want you to do. And that's not an easy thing because we have our conscious will and our desires which always interfere.
So it's um it's a dynamic process when we are trying to act because Krishna wants us to act this way.
And we are not really dependent on the result of our actions we resign to Krishna to decide what we what we will get. So, yeah, you know, we remain the conscious instruments, but still, you know, it's not a contradiction.
Conscious means we are consciously trying to act how Krishna wants us to act.
And there is an interesting beautiful formula which I read recently, and this formula is uh uh it's a Chinese formula, but uh it's very close to this question. The formula is try not to try.
It basically means try to act without too much efforts. Try to catch the flow and uh flow Flow with this flow which takes you somewhere.
So you're acting, but at the same time you are resigned to the Supreme Will and you're flowing with this will. And of course it's not always it's not always like this.
Sometimes we really have to try to go against our own will to catch the flow of Lord's Supreme Will.
But the example is very good because you know when we jump in a river and the river is fast flowing, then for those people who
are standing outside were swimming, we're acting, but uh internally we understand that we are not acting, we're just flowing with the flow. The flow takes us.
So even though externally we may be acting very actively, very energetically, and it will look like for the outsider. Internally, we know we are just flowing with the flow of Krishna's mercy. Okay. Uh thank you Bharumaraj.
Yeah, so uh Madhajuraja Sundari, please. Well I'm very sorry if I interfered in the queue. I didn't mean to but Krishna. Oh no, that's fine, just go ahead. Okay.
Guru Maharaj, thank you so much that you found the time to join uh us and answer all the um probably not clever questions but well um what is bothering me um during the last time, um, and of course it's connected to the situation in our countries, um I noticed that um
when I see online scrolling some news from Facebook that whenever I see some preachers from a certain country, my heart shrinks and I want to remove or undo or not to see this person.
Um though I understand that it's not right because I I don't want to like um belittle his merits or be unthankful or be not um bad person at least and
I do know that this person is a very good preacher, is a prominent Vaishnav, but I can't um I also can't undo my reactions to him. And it's certainly not right, but I can't but feel this.
I feel that um his prayers uh and um preaching at the certain moment are just to my feeling this This is a betrayal of Srila Prabhupada. I don't know why, but I think so.
Um well what to have to do to improve the situation? Or probably it's better to keep like to focus on some good examples and not to pay so much attention to it.
Maintaining distance from emotional triggers
What is the solution for this situation? Oh, solution to this situation is simple. The solution to this situation is the distance which we ourselves choose to be with particular person.
So many people have so many different opinions and we are not bothered by their opinions, we are not bothered so much by their actions. Sometimes we are bothered. But in most cases we don't care.
Just because we don't have relationship with them and, because we are not dependent in any way on them. So, somebody else's opinion, which is very much different from us, and from our value system,
will only be troublesome to us if If we feel somewhat dependent on this particular person.
When we are not dependent on somebody, then his opinion on certain issues does not become so important for us. We can objectively look at what he is doing and say that this is what this is very good. What he is doing, and this is. this looks very strange to me.
But we are not affected by it, we are not disturbed by it we are not really ah yeah we are not really mang up uh on this sort of things.
So you know the whole situation is basically an indication that you are somewhat emotionally dependent on this person by one reason or another.
And the question is just to step to a greater distance and then you will be able to more more how to say remotely or more um without too much attachment m in a more detached way to in a more detached way to uh judge the situation.
You will not be so affected and so hang up on this. That's the only solution which I can recommend in this, you know, because everything else is artificial. You cannot really uh close your eyes to
certain opinions, they will still bother you, you will not be able, you know. And uh and at the same time you feel that you know he's a devotee and we should respect every devotee. That's an ABC of devotional service.
And I hope we all remember about this ABC because that's important. So just be a little more remote, little more distanced. Thank you very much, Maharaj.
I will try, though it is very difficult because um all my friends are involved and all my dear people are involved, but I will try my best. Thank you.
Sometimes the situation calls us to set a distance from some people. That's that is not wrong.
Okay, so um yeah Shabija I see your hand but uh I I will I will go on with the with the list uh of the questions that people submitted, otherwise it would be a little bit unfair.
So uh Pranavji uh if you can uh ask now your questions and I think uh your two questions they're kind of like one question, so please ask them like at once. Uh yeah. Yes, Prabhu. Thank you.
Um Narod Puranaj, thank you so much for your time. Uh it's so it to see you.
Um so I have this question and I think this is like the general theme um that I see in my life which is I see a lot of duality uh and I get confused uh what way is the right way. For example.
Um when I see so many like you know uh tall promises in
either in the Bhāgavatam or in the Vaishnava literature about you know some small acts that you do who are like, you know, can liberate you or take you to go out directly,
then you know I I feel complacent about my devotional service. But on the other hand, if I you know if I get uh too strict or too rigid,
then I see that I'm you know, kinda going towards the fanatic uh side of it where, you know, or or either feeling horribly guilty about um things.
Similarly like that's uh I just kinda like there's there are two ends of the spectrum uh and I feel like you know and I think this is true in every aspect, whether it's like,
you know, should I be ambitious or y you know, in in the material world or should I be ambitious in sort of the spiritual uh side of it? So i I think uh uh I don't know how how do I kind of like resolve
this how do I find this center point? Okay, okay.
Understanding the law of karma
Ah. So all these things in scriptures are there to show that bhakti is actually easy, and even a small act of bhakti is the small act of surrender has very strong and tremendous consequences.
It's important because the law of karma is also like this. The law of karma is exponential. You know, we do some small things and the consequences of the small things may be very grave. Why?
Because this seemingly small, apparently small thing will create a lot of disturbances in the whole system,
and the result of this small act which seems to be not very significant, may be quite significant, and therefore, the reaction is also significant. So to contract this law of karma which works like this,
Krishna also makes different actions on the path of bhakti of the same nature. You do something really little, not very significant, but still Krishna appreciates it. You know it's like if we are dealing with a child.
We know that the child when he's doing some mischief, he's not really, you know, should not be held too much responsible for it.
But if a child sincerely regrets and does something even little to to against to undo this mischief, then we immediately feel very grateful. So Krishna is like this: Krishna is very grateful. That is one of his qualities.
In the list of his qualities in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 64 qualities in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. One of them is grateful. And usually the example of Krishna's gratitude or gratefulness
is his relationship with Draupadī, because he says, Draupadī just once surrendered to me, just once raised her hands and said, Hey Krishna, Hey Govinda, help.
And ever since my debt to her is growing and growing and growing. Krishna Himself speaks this verse in Mahābhārata.
That for so long time I didn't pay my debt to her, and now it has become so huge that you know I have to do this whole Mahabharata war, Kurukshetra war to repay my debt to Draupadī.
So it's like this: we should definitely be elated when we hear these encouraging statements, but at the same time we should be very strict
to ourselves without being too strict, you know, it's like this: that you know, I'm I'm doing my best, I'm trying to do my best. Uh, and I know that Krishna knows my endeavors and notices my endeavors.
But at the same time, yes, I am imperfect, yes, I cannot do you know much.
But if we have this attitude, then our ability to do things will grow. Our qualification to do things will grow and our desire to do more for Krishna will grow.
Bhakti as an experiential science
It's actually, I was thinking recently, what is the difference between people who believe in bhakti as a science, as opposed to believing in bhakti as the set of rituals or just normal quote-unquote religion.
You know what is religion usually? Religion is a good deal with God.
We just entering into some you know good deal with him, we striking this deal and we say, yes I will do this, this, this much, this much, and you know, God promises me salvation and everything else and heaven and this and that.
So that's the religious attitude towards the process of Krishna consciousness. But if we understand that bhakti is an experiential science, and it basically means the more we do, the greater results we get,
then instead of doing just the minimum which is necessary for us to be in this relationship with God, you promise to me something and I will do the minimum so that you could fulfill your promise to me.
So if we understand that bhakti is an experiential science, We do and we do as much as possible, and the result will be proportionately greater. Then we will be able to find this balance.
We do as much as possible because we are not considering bhakti as a mere ritual and therefore not satisfied with the minimum what we're doing. But at the same time, we do only as much as we can at this moment of time.
And if we have this attitude, then our ability to do more will proportionately grow and we will be able to do much more than we are capable to do now.
Like I remember when I started, yeah, for me in the very beginning sixteen rounds was a difficulty. Now I chant much more. Many times more. And it's not difficult and I and I like to chant more.
And I wonder how was it in which state of mind I was, then I could hardly fulfill my elementary promises. So it just depends on attitude.
I I want to do more for Krishna because I know that he is It is said that if somebody is trying to chase me to do more.
So, regarding the ambitions, the second part of the question, or the second question: what we should be ambitious for, in Upaniṣads there is a very sad sentence. It is said that if somebody is trying to chase
the temporary and in the in the chase and we are all in a chase in this material world. If in our chase in the material world we are choosing temporary and we are chasing the temporary things, then we will lose both spiritual and eternal and temporary things.
Temporary things we will lose because this is the nature of temporary things, we will lose them in any case.
But if we consciously have chosen to pursue the material things which are temporary, then we will never find the eternal things. So we have to keep it in mind.
But at the same time, if if we need to fulfill certain ambitions and certain desires, and they are important, okay, let's do it without being too much hang up about it. But at the same time not to stop pursuing the eternal things.
Eternal things we should pursue all the time. And the temporary things for some temporary period of time we can pursue, but ultimately we will give them up. Or they will give us up. Either one of these.
Either we voluntarily give them up or they unvoluntarily give us up. Thank you, Guru Mahārāja. That is very clear. I got a very clear answer. Thank you so much. Okay. Yeah.
Alright, so uh Tadas, I I'd like you to go next. Uh the only thing is that you have three questions, but I want you to choose one which is like the most the most important for you and ask this question.
Hare Krishna, Burma Maharaj, Hare Krishna.
Um yeah so I think I will go with with uh with Ayurveda um because uh somehow now it's uh it's quite uh fresh thing um so um I have listened to your um lectures in Sindhu uh about Ayurveda recently and I have started actually yesterday to listen to them second time because I don't know somehow it's very much appealing for me.
And uh I was somehow I now I realized that I was waiting for such a mm like um like um n notebook or something like that, you know, like to to to improve my uh uh health.
I I'm not I'm not sick but I feel that I was doing a lot of things wrongly even though I was thinking I was doing them right.
So um yeah so I have started you know to to to eat as you recommended twice uh per day which I was doing before also but just at the wrong time and
actually yeah I can express just from couple of days I'm feeling uh so much better but not because of the like no of
...take prasāda... my mind goes you know to to yourself and to the instructions which you gave and then that you know like taking prasadam becomes you know like yeah actually spiritual for me you know because yeah it is offered you know like and uh and and so on but it's you know quite far away but when it is comes from you so then it is you know like very yeah it's very
nice thing so the question is you know um you mentioned in in in this lectures about the how we we have to follow the um the sun, you know like uh the rise and the set of of the sun, the time basically.
And uh so my question is how should we follow that you know here in in in Europe or anywhere else, you know, like where we have like uh drastical differences in in winter and in in um in s in summer.
Basically for wake up it's yeah, I think it's okay because anyway we we we wake up early. But then you know for going to bed.
So how because basically for me I I go to bed at eight o'clock, right? So now when we have like uh like what like four four thirty something like that the sun goes down. So it's it's okay.
But then in summer so sun goes down like at eleven or past ten. So it's impossible you know to not to sleep uh before the s uh set sunset.
So how to you know like where how the adjustment should be done and you know what is what is important and what is not that important thank you.
Uh just little note for those who don't speak Russian I gave four lectures on the on Ayurveda and on how Ayurveda explains the diseases and old age. It's a very interesting explanation, and many
people this lecture somehow rather became very popular among certain sections of people, and they liked others follow them.
Ayurvedic principles of proper eating
And there I give a special importance to kāla-bhojanam.
There are three rules in Ayurveda for Bojanam for eating because all the diseases are ultimately coming from the mind, but uh the mind affects our digestion and because the digestion fails, uh if we do it improperly, then uh the uh uh uh this failed digestion the the uh results of this uh not uh perfect digestion uh will create all kinds of problems through different channels in the body.
So that's the system which I explained there in great detail. And Ayurveda says that there are three principles of proper food. It should be hita-bhojanam, it should be mita-bhojanam and it should be kāla-bhojanam.
Hita-bhojanam means the food has to be wholesome, it has to be healthy. Definitely vegetarian food with some good ghee. And you know I explained this.
Mita-bhojanam means that it has to be in the right amount, should not be, we should not exceed, and there are certain concrete rules in Ayurveda how to do this. But the most important and most overlooked principle.
This more or less everyone knows, everyone is concerned what to eat, what not to eat. But this all becomes obsolete or not even important if we eat in the wrong time.
if we eat when our food is not digested or so kāla-bhojanam is a very important factor and there I explained that we should follow the natural rhythm of the day and specifically get up before the sunset and ideally go to bed after sunset, which is natural in normal more tropical countries.
So that's the question of Tadas in this regard, because scriptures also say that sleep during the sandya is very bad for health.
There are certain things which we should not do during sandhya, so during this period before sunrise and after sunset, or sometimes around sunrise and sunset.
And the scriptures say that there are four things, four or five things which you should never do during the sandhya period because it's not a very good period.
You should not eat during sandhya, you should not sleep during sandhya, you should not have sex during sandhya, and you should not study scriptures during sandhya.
Also, Svadhyaya is not very recommended because your mind is clouded and there is a good chance that you will misinterpret or misunderstand the statements of the scriptures. So that's from Dharmashastra.
Now how to adjust it for a crazy schedule which we are forced to accept in these areas of the world where the sun sets very late at night.
You know, my humorous answer would be sleep less during the summer, but my real answer would be just sleep, no problem. You know, if you have to sleep, so sleep, not a big deal, you know.
It's much more important to get up earlier.
But you can try to reduce little bit because when the sun is so long on the horizon, uh upon the horizon then the sun gives you energy so you may require less sleep during the summer. That's also possible.
Especially if you follow all other instructions which I gave, then you will have a lot of energy. Thank you. Thank you.
That is doesn't sleep, Gurumaharaja. She only sleeps I think four or five hours already in the winter so uh next question is uh no no maybe what there is there is a hand here. Mabey we should just alternate. Ah, okay.
Well, yeah, if you say so. So uh yes, Simhachalamal dear, I don't know whoever is there would like to ask. That's Germany. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Um I wanted to ask s in a few lectures you mentioned how developing appreciation and gratitude among the members of a community helps developing unity in the mode of goodness.
So for somebody that has some managerial position in a community, what can be some ways or methods that can be applied to foster and helping developing more senses of community and raise the overall consciousness,
Spiritual leadership and encouraging others
the main quality of a leader of a community is the main duty of a leader of a community is to try to facilitate the spiritual growth and development of other people, to create atmosphere and condition where other people feel encouraged to develop spiritually, to practice spiritual life.
So that's the duty of a leader or a king, and any leader of a community, he is a small king in his domain.
So, and if he's doing this, first of all, everyone will appreciate it. Even if sometimes he will have to be strict, because this is his duty and he is doing it just to help other people to develop.
He will be just in his actions and he will always have to think you know what I can do to encourage people, not to discourage people.
Because it is very easy when we see that people doing something wrong and people all the time do something wrong, it's very easy just to try to kind of reprimand them or discourage them, and at the same time, we forget often that the main duty is to encourage people.
If we encourage them to do some positive things again and again and again, if we reward them for doing some good things and for contributing very productively to the overall life of other people, then our duty of reprimanding people will be proportionately less.
And if we only reprimand people and punish people and do this kind of stuff, then we will be caught in this vicious circle and we will always have to do it again and again and again.
So the main duty of a leader is to encourage people and to create the atmosphere which will be encouraging to people, which will be fostering their spiritual life and spiritual development.
So that's what I can say to this. And whatever is necessary to encourage people, different people require different things to be encouraged.
Some people only need, you know, a smile. You smile at them and you just, you know, you kind of you know, slap them a little bit on the shoulder and say, you know, very good, nice.
Some people need more, some people need to be heard. about their problems. Some people require... Yeah, there are so many other things which we can do.
Another thing is uh as soon as we that's important point uh as soon as we see that somebody misbehaves somebody is doing something wrong. There are different strategies how to deal with it.
One pretends that you know I don't notice it, and for some time uh it goes unnoticed and then it becomes such a big problem then we will have to deal with it.
But you know, we're a little lazy, we don't want to deal with these difficult things. That's one thing.
Another thing we immediately try to stop it, reprimand it, or we prescribe something, or we interpret it according to our understanding.
We read the situation according to what we think it is, and we ascribe to the person some wrong mentality or wrong motivation. And this is all incorrect ways of dealing with this problem.
The correct way of dealing with this problem is immediately to call this person and try to have very You know, in a close interaction with a person, try to ask questions. Why you're doing this, what you're doing this?
Don't you understand that this may be wrong? You know, to have a frank and open discussion about this.
And because we are lazy and because we are little, you know, we don't want to deal with these difficult emotional issues.
Because we know that you know to encounter in a close way with a person who misbehaves, to tell him or her that something is wrong with him or her is not going to be easy. We try to avoid this issue by different ways.
Either neglecting, ignoring the situation, or overreacting to the situation, or trying to expel person immediately if something goes wrong. But this is all not correct.
The correct way is to try to speak with the person, no matter how difficult it is. And for that you need courage and you need, yeah, you need and you need maturity.
If you have this internal maturity, then you will be able to hear the criticism of others.
You will be able to hear how others will, you know, say something to you which may not be very pleasant, but then you will be able to deal with this and your relationship will become much stronger. This is what I can say.
There is so many other things which we can also say in this regard, but this is perhaps most important thank you very much okay thank you so uh mate if uh you can uh say your question I see you here in the list Yeah, so you can unmute and ask.
Yeah, otherwise if uh you are not here mainly so okay then uh yeah uh so Shogun G maybe you can ask me because you were before raising your hand thank
thank you Prabhupad-ji Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj Dandanavat pranam my humble obeisances to you my humble obeisances to you how are you doing how is it is it cold in Dubai?
I mean by uh Dubai standard yes, it is not cold at all. It's just twenty twenty tw twenty one degrees Celsius but by our standard, we call it winters. Okay. Uh Maharaj, I had uh just one question.
I read through Bhagavad-gītā, you know, uh the whole in the last year. Uh there is one verse 12.10 where Krishna says that you know if you cannot practice regulations of bhakti yoga, then just try to work for me because by working for me you will come to perfect stage.
So my my question is that why Krishna cannot be achieved through karma yoga?
Limitations of classical karma yoga
Why because he himself says this in this verse, then why he cannot be achieved through karma yoga? Karma yoga is not a spiritual process per se.
Karma yoga is a preliminary special spiritual practice which is meant to purify the heart.
Karma yoga, by the very nature of the activities recommended, first of all, there are different understandings of karma yoga. First of all, to answer this question properly, we need to clarify the term.
There is karma yoga in a classical sense of the word, and karma yoga in the classical sense of the word is a very cumbersome procedure of doing very perfectly all kinds of rituals, perfectly following all the rules of cleanliness and purity and ritual purity, you know practically impossible to do in this day and age.
You know you you have to cook your food in a very special way, not using the gas but only the wood or whatever. You know, there are so many rules in the Vedas.
So, this is one understanding of karma yoga performing the rituals of the Vedas in a perfect way, doing yagya every day. So nobody can do this. This is ruled out.
Now there are two more understandings of what karma yoga is. One is common understanding, or I would rather say common misunderstanding of what this term means.
Usually, people when they say karma yoga means I'm doing something, I'm not so much attached to the fruits of my work. I am giving part of the fruits of my work to some spiritual good purposes.
I'm you know going to the temple, giving donations in the temple.
So that's one understanding, common understanding of karma yoga, and another understanding Of karma-yoga is what Krishna speaks in Bhagavad-gītā. When you remember about Him and consciously offer the fruits of your work to Him.
So if we take the first understanding of karma yoga, which I believe you meant when you asked, first means second.
You know, I'm doing some good work, I'm not doing grossly sinful things. I'm not very much attached to the fruits of my work. I'm trying to do my duty, this and that, and I'm a pious person. This is a bona fide process.
This could be a good process, but it ultimately only purifies your heart.
It's not the ultimate process and when your heart is clean then you can choose either jñāna-yoga or bhakti-yoga which are in a true sense of the word spiritual processes because in karma yoga as such God or spiritual matters they don't play such an important role.
They're there somewhere on the background. And you know the most important is your duties, how good you are, so you are still very much self-centered.
And self-centeredness will not really help you to achieve spiritual realization or at least profound spiritual experience will not be able to come to you with this sort of attitude. So it's a preliminary process.
Now in Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna defines karma-yoga differently. In um especially in the second chapter and partially at the end of the third chapter and in other places in the beginning of 18th chapter, where he specifically means him being recipient of all the actions.
So this is a spiritual process. But again, this is not the highest possible spiritual process because your ego remains unchanged in this process. You're still the doer.
You still consider yourself the doer, and you still consider yourself independent of work to Krishna. of work to Krishna.
It's the best out of these three versions of karma yoga, this is the best process because Krishna is present there and Krishna is actively helping you because he is grateful for you to offer this. But he will not interfere with your independence. You still remain independent.
I'm the doer, I'm doing this, I achieve this, and then very graciously I offer the fruits of my work to Krishna. So bhakti-yoga starts with relinquishing the independence.
I am dependent on God all the time, that's my nature. That's the reality. I cannot change this reality.
So I admit this reality and I uh become uh Krishna's servant internally and then automatically whatever I do belongs to him. I don't need to offer it to him. Because I already offered myself.
And if I belong to him, then everything which I do automatically is offered to him. So I don't need to separately offer the fruits of my actions to him. So that's the higher process.
And that's the that's the perfection which Krishna ultimately encourages us to achieve. Okay. Thank you so much, Ghana. Thank you. Yeah.
So I will read the question of Rosia Mataji because she cannot speak, so theoretically we could say that we have given ourselves to Krishna or we have handed over everything to Krishna.
But if we are facing with serious difficulties in practical life, it's very hard to cope or tolerate.
Navigating difficult emotional situations
How should we behave or how should we be our mood in difficult or critical situations. Yes. Thank you very much for this question. Indeed, it is so. It's easier to say than to do because when the difficulty comes, it's
it's very difficult to remember about anything and you know so in difficult situation what we can do. First of all, we should not arrive to any conclusions.
You know, sometimes people are tempted in the difficult situation to take drastic decision. Oh, I'm done with this Krishna consciousness. I'm done with this Krishna. I did so much for him. He didn't help me.
Oh, this spiritual master, he is just a fraud, you know, he doesn't help, his advice don't work or whatever.
You know, sometimes because we are being in difficult situation. We try to make very great decisions in our life. So one thing we should not do this. Because we have to understand we are in an abnormal state of mind.
We should postpone it. These kind of decisions will come to our mind, and these difficulties we will struggle with them. But we should postpone it.
We should say, let things become a little more normal, and then I will decide whether I should do it or not, because I will be in a more normal frame of mind.
Then regarding the other things, you know, there is a very nice phrase of Mother Theresa which said, O my lord, this is a sort of prayer, at least that's that's what how I heard it.
Oh my Lord, I know that you never send to your uh to people devoted to you, difficulties which they will not be able to overcome. But sometimes I wish that you would trust, that you would trust me less.
So, in other words, sometimes I would wish that you would not send this unimaginable difficulty to me because it's very difficult for me. This this sort of situation is standard.
Sooner or later in our spiritual life, we will face difficulties which will seem to be intolerable, which will seem to be insurmountable, and internally we will feel that God turned away from us. That happens.
That happened with Jesus Christ before He was crucified. That happened with so many saints. You know, with beginning devotees, it may not happen, but oftentimes it does happen.
So in these situations, the only thing which we can do is to keep good association.
Is to seek the help and support of those people who are stronger than us in their spiritual life, who can give the support and who can give some solace and who can accept some of our pain to themselves and relieve us somewhat maybe temporarily from our pain.
So we should depend on them, we should resign to them, we should try to seek their help and uh ask them for for the prayers. That's what we should do. That's the most correct way. Thank you.
Maybe Bimala can ask her questions. She has. Yeah, yeah. I wanted to give her words. Yes, Bimala, please. Hare Krishna Maharaj, Dandavakanams. Please accept my humble obeisances, Maharaj.
Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity, Maharaj. Thank you so much. Thank you. I normally, if not normally, every day I ask for one thing from Krishna before I go to bed.
I say you should give me loving devotional service in all conditions, wherever I am, whichever birth, whichever condition I am, I should get loving devotional service. Don't take that away from me.
I sometimes feel I'm like Hiranyakashipu asking all things, but still Krishna finds loopholes, Maharaj. I say I should have gratitude. I should have uh, you know, um I'm doing something so wonderful, your service,
but in spite of all this, um I am getting lot of services, Maharaj. But uh the services after some times it becomes very mechanical for me. And I precisely ask Krishna, no, I should have loving devotional service.
But you know, my services become mechanical. And I notice that some devotees, some people who are not even in KC,
who are just first timers who are coming to temple, I notice that maybe they're doing a very small service or they're just coming to temple, not even doing any devotional service.
They are having so many interactions with the Lord. You know, they are like, I asked for this, I was just talking about this, and Krishna, my God, he spoke to me, I got an answer. It will be gone, don't worry.
Yeah, I'm not getting those interactions, Maharaj, but where am I going wrong?
Steadiness versus seeking instant reciprocation
So that I can plug in my problems, Maharaj. In the beginning Krishna gives you some advances. In the beginning Krishna gives you something which you don't deserve. In the beginning Krishna wants to encourage somebody.
But then after some time Krishna wants to see from us uh the steadiness in whatever we're doing, whether we're getting reward from him, whether we're not getting reward from him, he just wants to see how serious we are.
You know, it's like this, you know, when your child is very small,
then you don't expect so much from him and you give him candies and you give him some encouragement without so much. But then when he grows up, then you really want him to be more serious and you want to see that he is more responsible. And it doesn't mean that you are less favorably
inclined to a grown-up child. You still very much like him. But you just want him to manifest more responsibilities. So don't worry. You know, you do your best and Krishna will do the rest, you try your best.
Sometimes it becomes mechanical, you know, nobody, nobody sees the mechanical, the reason why it becomes mechanical is that our mind is always distracted into something else.
We are doing what we are doing, what we are used to do, but our mind is somewhere else. You know, and that's the nature of the mind.
The mind is just running, so when you caught yourself doing mechanical things, just bring your mind back to what you're doing. And then you immediately will feel more reciprocation also.
But don't be dependent on this reciprocation because that's the difference between sahajayas and real devotees. Sahajiyas, they're very much dependent in their practice on the reciprocation of the Lord.
And when there is no reciprocation, they imagine some reciprocation. They will fantasize that oh Krishna spoke with me, or Krishna is like this, or he he just twinkled to me and he's just you know, he's yeah, yeah, only I
could see it and oh yeah I hear Krishna's flute. Actually it's Tinitus in your ear. Not Krishna's flute, but you know. So don't be dependent too much on Krishna's reciprocation.
Be sure, be convinced that He reciprocates with you. But His reciprocation is unpredictable. He can reciprocate with you by not reciprocating. That's also His reciprocation. And just bring your mind back to your service.
Thank you so much for that. Thank you so much. Hi, thank you. Uh, also, uh Alina, uh you have a question, or you can uh ask it now. Alina from San Francisco. Yes. Must be very early in San Francisco now. It is.
To start the morning and the day. Thank you so much for um giving me an opportunity to see you. I had a question that I'm just gonna read because I've already, um, wrote it down or took it.
Prabhu um so my question was um why
So like I understand that we are immortal, we never die. Everything that's spiritual is done is never lost. But at the same time, um we should kind of like don't waste our time.
Why to be so serious? Why to kind of like rush? Why not to try to sit on both chairs and kind of like try to enjoy a little bit and do your sādhanā and uh that was my question.
It's not very comfortable to sit on both chairs. Neither here nor there. That's one thing. You know, it's not a very good policy because you're trying to catch two rabbits at once and it never works, you know.
Value of time in human life
Because rabbits they run in different directions. And you will have to split yourself to run in these directions.
Basically, one very important thing which I want to tell: very important principle in this world, there is nothing which we really can call ours because it's all external to us.
But there is one thing which we can call ours, that is the time allotted to us, allocated to us. And the way we spend our time is the very you know easy way to understand what is important for us.
Our value system is judged by the way we spend our time.
Sometimes people say, Oh, I don't have time for this, I don't have time for this. In reality, what they say, it's not as important for me as something else for which we have time.
So the spending our time is the manifestation of what is important and therefore, you know, all this warnings are there.
You know to remind us what is really important because everything else will perish ultimately and will not be important. But we are lucky if other things will not leave some other lasting impressions.
It's like you know you are in labyrinth and you're trying to get the way out of the labyrinth, but at the same time you You say any way sooner or later I will find a way out of labyrinths. Let me wander a little bit here and there. The problem with this policy is that you know the labyrinth is full of dead ends.
And yes, ultimately you will come to the way out.
But in the meantime, you will be locked But in the meantime, you will be locked in all this numerous dead ends you will go, go, and you will find out literally yourself in this situation that I'm indeed.
I came to this, I yeah, and now what to do? And you will have to go all the way back and try to find the proper way. It's all dead ends. So it's just the common sense.
But you can try, you know, next time when you find yourself in a dead end, you will remember what I told you. Thank you so much, Guru Maharaj. Hopefully we will see you um this year. Everyone is praying for that. Okay.
Thank you. So uh see Madhava Mandir again. Life. Hare Krishna. Are you around the bell? Yes. Hare Krishna, Śrī Guru, please accept my humble obeisances.
Um I have I had a question which may may not have been too relevant to everyone. So I will add another question on the same topic.
We are saying everything that is troublesome to the heart is destroyed to nil you know that first verse of Nitya-bhāgavatayā, um so my two questions I have. bhagavatisvaya um so my two questions I have.
The first one which is more relevant for me.
In modern version I read I mean in an older version I read the translation as follows is practically destroyed to zero or to nil and uh nowadays it is the the word which is used is almost destroyed to nil.
So first question is uh which which one should I pick? And the second question is why is it almost? And why is it not completely?
Stages of cleansing in devotional practice
Because this verse describes a particular stage of our spiritual development. And this particular stage of spiritual development is depicted or even called in the verse itself bhaktir bhavati naishtiki.
Our bhakti becomes naishtiki, which means of the nature of Nishta. Our bhakti becomes very stable. So it's a description of Nishta, and on the stage of Nishta, not all anartas are completely destroyed.
They are practically destroyed. They are not real strong influence. They don't have strong influence over our consciousness. But still, they every now and then bother us. But at the same time, we can deal with them.
Whereas in the previous stages of spiritual development, all these problems may seem to be insurmountable for us. So that's just a description of this
stage of spiritual development and the next stage is which is Ruchi and Asakti. Is described in the next verse, where it is said that uh what is it? Kama lobha, what, what is it?
The next verse: tata eva anavidhyam kama-lobhadayas ca ye, evam prasanna So, kama-lobhadayas ca tata eva anavidham, what is it? Anyway, evam prasanna manaso, tad-rajas tad-rajas-tamo-bhavah. Yes, tad-rajas-tamo-bhavah.
Then, tada rajas and tamas, they become absent, and kama-lobhadayas ca and the qualities which they invoke in our heart will become also not present. They, they will not chatter eva anavidham, they will not pierce our consciousness, they will not command us, they will not force us to act against our understanding.
So, tada rajas, tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ca ye. So that's uh that's just the stage in
the next stage, it will become even less, but still, till the stage of prema, there is some little tinges of anartas remain and specifically the most long-standing anartas, which are most difficult to destroy, are anartas which are created by our offences.
So therefore, offences we should consciously avoid as much as possible because the certain qualities or traits of our character which will
become manifest due to these offenses are most difficult to destroy. Regarding the different editions, aven. This is the translation of the word praya in
Sanskrit: naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadrāṇi nityṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Prāyeṣu in almost Bhagavata Sevaya, Prayeshu in almost everything. Praya means almost, Pray means practically everything. So almost. Yeah.
Both things are more or less the same idea that the gross things are removed from our past, but still some subtle things remain. Thank you so much for the same. And still trouble us a little bit. But not so much.
We can deal with it. But still the trouble will be there. Thank you so much for more.
And we are also praying even more harder than the uh states that you will come to Europe and we will be able to perform harder with the sevaya by seeing you. I will not promise anything at this stage of time.
Okay, maybe we should finish now or there are more questions. Yeah, there is actually uh maybe one more question if you can answer also uh wrote her question and uh fine, fine.
Uh so Khushi you can you can ask your question. question was um I know um systematic studies are the way forward and I found that the initi um pranama course that that's possible and even with the initiation course.
But outside of that, how how do we go about doing that? Because I I feel like maybe with reading it's more possible, but we know that hearing is more powerful
and I know in the Guruttattva lecture that you gave um at uh G V you were saying that first we hear many, then we hear one when we find our spiritual master and then many again.
So especially when we're in that stage of hearing, uh we should be hearing you, um, how should we um approach systematic study?
Systematic hearing and study methods
Um and especially uh that it uh Yeah. that's why I developed this system that first course for pramana, then the course for first initiation, then the course for second initiation, and it's more or less taken care of.
But at the same time, there is no harm if we hear every now and then something else, because you know the mind is a very interesting animal. He always wants to have something new and something exciting.
And you know if something is you know fresh, hot from the oven it's very attractive, if something is already there for a few years we think, oh, maybe it's outdated, maybe it's not there.
So try to make the bulk of your hearing systematic, but you can spice it a little bit here and there by some new things.
So hearing like we at the moment I should just keep hearing from the pramana course, the names of the case. Yeah, yeah, why not?
Yeah, why not? Or if you you have somebody n next to you who knows my lecture who can recommend some because I gave many lectures which may be similar to this or of the similar nature, so to speak, they can also recommend you something else if you have some free time.
But otherwise, follow this line which is there in the course. How is your sister? I don't see her. She's good, she's on the call but just on another screen. We're in a different place. Okay Okay. Okay. Okay.
Okay, so uh shall we end uh here then uh at this point. Uh once again, yes Burmaraj, thank you for joining us today.
And uh actually I wanted also to uh say big thanks to um uh to Kushi, to Amrtananda prabhu, to Mataji, what's the name, that they are like facilitating these groups now for the on the pramana, and also Mataji Janikarani has joined us from—she's now actually checking the...
I want to say that the book, the first book in English, hopefully it will be out. It's Healing Prayers. Yeah. Uh they are working on it. Vrinda-kumari and Radha-pramoda and yeah. They're all working on it. Okay.
Yeah, that's nice. Also the lessons of... I think also almost finished. I spoke with Radha-pramoda. Yeah yeah. Yeah. So it's also published, hopefully.