Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.23. How to Associate with Different Categories of Devotees
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · 2021
Chapters
Introduction to Srimad Bhagavatam eleventh canto
Hare Krishna. I'm very happy to be with all of you, Balaram Garinda Prabhu, Ramsid Dari Prabhu and everyone else. Thank you very much for inviting me So I was asked to speak on the relationship between the devotees.
And uh for this discussion I have chosen the verse from the 11th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the twenty-third verse from the third chapter of eleventh uh canto of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam.
The chapter is called Liberation from the Illusory Energy.
Omnamo Bhagavateva Sudevaya, Omna Bhavate Sudevaya, Hnamobhavate Sudeva, Narayanamas Krityanaram chevanaratamam, Devim Saraswati Vyasam Tatu Jayamudirayat, Nasta pray Shwabadri, Sunitim Bhagavat Sevaya, Bhagavatam shloke Bhakti Bhavati, Nishtiki Yam pra pravva Jantjanam tamopeta ma veda krityam, dwaipaya na viraha katara Juhava, putreititan mayatayo, tarawou binēdus tam sarva buta hridayam munima tous meen. So I will read the verse and the translation of the verse.
Sarvatomana so sangam. Adosangam Chasadu Shu Dayam Maitrim Prashrayamcha Bhutesh Adha Yatochitam
A sincere disciple should learn to dissociate the mind from everything material and positively cultivate association with his spiritual master and other saintly devotees. You have the book in front of you?
I'm just looking with this third chapter, which was my first chapter. Twenty-stree. Twenty three.
He should be merciful to those in an inferior position to him, cultivate friendship with those on an equal level and meekly serve those in a higher spiritual position. Thus he should learn to deal properly with all living beings.
The physical patchup, then Ande Guru, Pachu, Kira Kumira Matar Gurana, Sagavasate, Alamola, Wallach to Pula Vetu, Avan Kanay Vida, Kira Vidam Yaku Pulavetu, Kana Sama Rulan Aman Pakanda Vishab Pak.
Namau Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashtaya Bhutales Srimati Bhaktividanta Swami Nitinami Namaste Sraswati Devi Gouravani Pracharini, Nirvis Sasunyavadi Paschatades, Vanchakalpatarubes Chakripasi Duvi Vachapatitanam Pavani Byovishnava Bhyona Mawamaha, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda Sjadvay Takadhat Hara Sivastati Guru Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Loving relationships as the essence of bhakti
Yuntah Praviši Mamma Vachimampra Suktam Sanji Vaya Kila Shakti Dara, Swadam Nanyam Shahasta, Sharana Sravana Tvadim Prananda Mau Bhagavatya Purusha Y Tubam, Svacia St So this topic, particular topic about the relationship between different living entities, is of paramount importance
for all the Vaishnavas for all those who consider themselves to be devotees of the Supreme Lord. Because the very essence of Bhakti is relationship. The bhakti means relationship, loving relationship.
We want to enter into this loving relationship with the Supreme Lord,
but we will not be able to achieve this goal unless we learn how to associate with parts and parcels of the Supreme L Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when he explains or describes the Swarupa of Bhakta of a devotee, he speaks about his relationship.
I don't want to know how many difficulty, what am I saying? Swarupov bhakta or swabhava of bhakta is trinada pisunicharora pisahishnuna amani na manadana kirtaniya sadahari.
This is the Sabhvava or the nature of real devotee. And this verse is all about the relationship between uh myself as a devotee with other people.
I have to be humble, I have to be in relationship with other people, I have to be tolerant in relationship with other people. I have to respect everyone in relationship with other people. And I shouldn't expect anything in return in relationship from the other people.
In the Paniba you could solambo, the Mata Pattera Paniwa Purum, in the Purumya, Saliputamia left solicitors, the Matha Pattera Saliputamia Kurum, in the Mariya the Purdue Silambo, Matha Patalina Maria the Purpho
And this verse actually describes the practice because from the beginning, when we just join some bhakti movement or bhakti organization and start practicing bhakti, we most probably are not really capable of dealing with other people in a proper way.
Uh one second I I I just I should find it. Just one second.
He speaks he makes this point in relationship to other words from Shimad Bhagavatam from the uh from the fourth cant of Shimad Bhagavatam, where exactly the same thing is being stated.
In the fourth canto of Simad Bhagavatam Narada Muni gives this instruction
to Dhruva Maharaj and he says that you should respect those who are superior to you, you should make friendship, or you should uh yeah, you should behave in a friendly way with those who are equal and you should uh manifest some um s compassion to those who are inferior to you.
Regulating behavior through spiritual intelligence
So either Narada Muni Rada Padana Duna Maharaju or the Samama And commenting on this verse, Vishwana Chakravar Thakur makes a very interesting point.
He says Svabhava Doshan Allah Bhead, he says if because of some uh faults in your nature, in your yeah, in your character, you cannot deal with people appropriately, then you should practice by using your intelligence. You should more or less program yourself to deal with them appropriately.
In other words, uh on the level of our Buddha of our intelligence, we have to control ourselves and despite the nature which may be different, try to enter into relationship accordingly, according to this instruction.
Nārada Muni says that if you do like this, if you know how to deal with different grades of people and behave yourself properly with different people, then you will become happy. Otherwise you will always be disturbed.
This happiness or satisfaction is uh very important for us uh to have because we cannot practice spiritual life if our mind is always disturbed.
You know if if our mind is always disturbed, somebody offended me, somebody said something to me, uh, you know, and I'm uh totally agitated.
Uh I will chant Hare Krishna, but I will only think about this rascal who dare to offend me.
If husband and wife fight all the time, you know if if they are if they're relationship is not really proper, then you know they're trying to chant Hare Krishna but they always think about this wife or husband, not about Krishna.
Satisfying the mind to attain liberation
So even in the material life to know how to deal properly with different grades of people is very important, otherwise one's life becomes miserable.
But it's even more important for a practicing devotee to understand how we should behave with different kinds of people because ultimately we will not be able to achieve the liberation from material illusory energy if our mind is always agitated due to improper dealings with other people.
This chapter is called Liberation from the Illusory Energy. And even though this material energy is illusory, it means that it doesn't really have substance. It doesn't give us satisfaction.
Still, we know how difficult it is to get to get out of this material energy. We are attached to this energy. Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad-gītā.
He basically explains that every one of us has some taste, and this taste is according to the to our karma. It may be taste in Tamagun, other people have taste in Rajagun, other people have taste in sattvagun.
But everyone is looking for happiness from different modes of material nature. We are trying to become happy uh by experiencing this different modes of material nature: Tamagun, Rajagun and Sattvagun.
And uh because with only have this experience, it's very difficult to get out of this clutches of material energy.
Somebody is satvik person and he is peaceful and he likes to be peaceful and he goes to nature and he enjoys nature and he's so happy and he doesn't want to get out of this happiness because he is experiencing this sattvic happiness.
Of course nowadays there are very few people who really like satvik happiness. Most people like rajasic happiness.
I was recently in Māyāpur and one Ayurvedic doctor came to me. And we were talking and then he said I I wouldn't be able to live here because it's too peaceful here.
There is no there is no this you know horns of the cars and nothing is there.
I I would go crazy because I'm programmed to be in this, you know, in this environment where the cars are always horning and there's so many so many things is happening. He's from Navadvīp himself.
And if you live in Madurai or Chennai, you know it's probably very difficult to be in a peaceful environment because you you like all this noise and everything which is there. You enjoy this sort of environment.
And then there are other people who really like tamas. They're really happy when they have a lot of tamas around them.
There was a little real story in New York once. There was a problem in uh bus station in New York because always
all these bums people without uh you know who don't have anywhere to live, they would come gather together there and uh would spend their time there, you know. And it was always very messy and dirty place, this bus station in New York.
And the authorities they were trying to get rid of this you know low class people, Tamasic people, but they would always come again and again, you know, settle there and make mess and dirt there.
So then ultimately one very clever manager found some trick. He started playing classical music in this bus station.
And all these you know bums they run away from this place because this classical music was not conducive to their happiness.
But the point I'm trying to make is that every one of us have some attachment uh to the material nature, and it's not easy to be liberated from this illusory energy.
We know it's illusory, but nevertheless we are attached to this illusion.
Like we may go to a cinema and uh there is some you know illusory pictures there on the screen, uh but we get attached, we see this illusion, but we become emotionally very attached to what is happening.
Sometimes we cry, sometimes we laugh. And you know, we're attached even to this illusion, what to speak about much more real illusion of this material world.
Kerangia for the Lan Karpana, Foyan or Kerr Get up and also on the Patro. And the path of both the other than the poem or though, he'll have an alto or though, he'll have a palver and over chicken or patro.
Accepting and learning from a spiritual master
Therefore this chapter from the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is extremely important for us to understand and every instruction in this chapter is very very important.
And of course the main instruction in this chapter is given two verses before this particular verse which we read.
In the verse number 21, if I am correct, there is a very important instruction, Tasmād gurum prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Uttamām. Śābde pare ca niṣnātam brahmany upaśamāśrayam.
And therefore if you seriously want happiness, real happiness in life, you have to accept spiritual master. Who if you really want Shreya Uttamam, the real benefit in life, the highest highest good in your life then
you have to tasmad gurum prapadyata you have to surrender to your guru and the dilam diabetes And
This we know, we have heard this many times in Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says Tadviddhi praṇipātena, Śrīla Prabhupāda says it again and again, we hear it again and again.
that uh Buruki Sarari or the Soldare, I'm ready to put Rosarina Burkita in it, Burukirkar, I'll Sarata, I'm ready on Nikro.
But unfortunately, most of the people they think, okay, I accepted spiritual master: it means that I'm already free from all the problems, and it means that I don't have to do anything else.
No, but this is the very beginning, this is the first step. We have to accept spiritual master and then learn from him how to deal with other people.
The spiritual master is necessary because by looking at him, by seeing him, absorbing him, really investigating how he behaves, we can learn how we should properly deal with different people. That's the point.
That's the most important lesson which we should learn from the spiritual master.
The spiritual master is uh as it is said in the previous verse in 22nd verse is teaching us how to serve the Lord without duplicity. Amaya without any uh without any cheating tendencies, how to serve the Lord in a very real way.
We all unfortunately have some duplicity, uh some hypocrisy is there. And every one of us has it because every one of us has Rahu in his birth chart.
And Rahu means the tendency to cheat others, some hypocrisy. Rahu is a cheating tendency. We know this demon Rahu was a cheater. Yana Yellow Josh Raguatav. So and the Vari Ayo again.
And when we see our spiritual master, we have to see that here is somebody who is serving the Lord without duplicity. Servant of his spiritual master of whole Guru Parampara. This is the most important thing.
You know, Guru is the disciple, and we should see in our Guru how he is serving his spiritual master, predecessor spiritual master, the mission of the spiritual master. This is what our guru should teach us, or we should learn from Guru.
So the Guru Pakamoda Yapari Pakma Binda in the Guru Yapari and Nodiakuru sea party. So our guru in number every sea up and and put save panda.
Up putting the ocean the park of it, number the guru given other numbers, number a guru, how they guru keep saved up and this service smooth, uh, which is the most important thing which we should develop.
There is Sevavriti service mood and Bhagavriti, the enjoying mood. So we should learn how to imbibe this service mood, seva, sevā-vṛtti, from the spiritual master.
There are two different tendencies or two different moods which we may have. So we should exchange our Bhogavriti natural ten tendency to enjoy to sevavriti.
Namaki in the render one of the F the Bogabarti and a save everything. Bogaberthi are in a boy to put it on me, and the Boratik Save Averity, Save upon the Mapling and the Tamiya and Amalika Brathino.
So this verse which we are studying today is explaining to us how this celebrity or service mood should manifest in our relationship with other people.
Actually, there are five very important instructions in this verse. It is said Sarvataha Manasaha Asangam Adob. In the beginning, one should learn how to withdraw one's mind from everything which is material.
We should not become attached to this material uh things in this material world. Yeah, and the Puritana Marasa Piritu You know the mind is prone to get attached to to this or that. So we should uh try to detach the mind.
As soon as the mind is being too much agitated, either elated or disturbed by something undesirable or very joyful by something desirable. Vi should say kam on. Don't be too excited about this.
It will all be finished in du kurs avan. Yappa Rumba Kudukula Marido, uh, up a young other took up a puddle, some it's a solution. So this is the first instruction not to get attached, try to be little uh little asanga uh to be detached from uh you know to be detached from all the allurements of this material world.
Importance of association with saintly devotees
And the next instruction is very important how to do this because the mind is naturally attached to material world. It is said, «Sangaṁ cā-sādhu». We should associate with sādhu-s.
We should cherish this opportunity to deal with the saintly people. It is the glory of Vedic culture, the main element of Vedic culture, the foundational principle of Vedic culture is this sādhu-sanga? Sangha?
The Vedic culture still exists and it will continue to exist until there will be sādhu-s and people will appreciate and value the association with the sādhu-s.
In the Vedakalachara Mana, you would have carnam, in the Mela Yu Kurum Apina, Adukana, where Karnavenda or Puna, Sadhu Kala, Pachi Purit, and the Sadhu Kurda, Maripa, Udanam, the Sadhura, Yappa Sangha, but the Karvikram, otherwise
Still people come in millions for kumbamela for example Hardwar Kumbamela or Allahabad Prayak Kumbamela or Samada Kumbam
And of course ideas that you come because there is a very auspicious time, and if you go to Ganga and take deep in Ganga in this particular time, for sure you will be liberated from all this and everything will be fine.
But this is only pretext. Because the real purpose of all these festivals is to get you to this place where many sādhu-s also come.
People go to Kumbhamela in uh Prayaga in Allahabad or Prayag and uh you know for 10 minutes they are uh taking bus in Ganga and
different sādhu-s and associate with different sādhu-s. different sadhus and associate with different sadhus.
Patal prayagaraj pora the polykapora. Pak tenuchan polipang or naraki. And the cover Michael Arama or Tentati or Tente Tentava, the face of a salad with Ayaka. So in the Salah and Kurki.
And that's the real purpose of this this all malice to somehow or other by hook and by crook by some trick and make people associate with sādhu-s. Because uh even a split second of associating with the sādhu can completely change our life.
Lava-mātra sādhu-sange sarva-siddhi hoy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that Lava-mātra, even very short association with sādhu, can, can completely change our life.
So many people they just saw Śrīla Prabhupāda for a very short time and uh this very short darśana of Śrīla Prabhupāda would completely uh turn upside down their life, hundred eighty percent uh hundred eighty degrees uh turn in their life due to this short association.
And if we associate with sadhus, then this detachment from the material world becomes very natural because we take so much pleasure in dealing with the sadhus.
Proper conduct with inferiors equals and superiors
We are so happy being with them.
But then it is said Dayam Maitrim Prashrayam Cha Bhuteshv Adha Yathochi Tam You should learn how to deal with other people, Bhuteshu, with all the living being, all the living entities, Yatho Yatha Uchitam.
Accordingly uh properly. If you see that somebody is uh lower than you, that somebody is more ignorant than you, that somebody is inferior to you in some way. Then the natural tendency would be to despise such people.
We just look down at these people and say, oh yeah, they are inferior to me. This is the natural reaction.
But with our intelligence we have to understand if somebody is inferior to me, uh then we have to manifest daya or mercy or compassion to such people.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was such a aristocratic and refined personality who spent his whole life you know practicing spiritual life. He lived in Vrindavan for so long.
And then he came to New York and he had to deal with these hippies who were quite Tamasic people. Up for the Putaver we are in the pollutation are there, Walkhamuluk, Matar and Taki a
Pai Chipanda, Upper Maria Dora India, America, and the Tamavan, Tamavama Hippi Koras and the You
know sometimes even we we may not be s as aristocratic and shilo as Śrīla Prabhupāda and we see some low-class people and we say ah not good.
But all these disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda, all these people who met Śrīla Prabhupada in New York, they all say that the only thing which they experienced in His presence is His Day, is His compassion, is His mercy.
Never they felt Okay, go on. They never felt that he is looking down at them, never felt that he is kind of despising them or trying to uh exploit them.
Again, please remember that this I recommendation for liberation from the illusory energy if we behave in such a way then we will be free from the influence of this material nature.
It's like now there is this pandemic going on, you know, everyone is afraid of this virus. Of course, by now not many people are afraid, but still,
we can be contracted, we can contract this infectious disease. And this can be compared with the influence of the material energy. But if we have a vaccine I don't know if vaccine works but it's supposed to work.
If we have a vaccine then, we should not be afraid of all these uh viruses.
We are more or less protected by this vaccine from these viruses. In a similar way, if we despise or look down at the people who are lower than us, then it means that the material energy still has a very strong influence upon us.
But if we develop some compassionate attitude towards these people, or at least practice mercy towards these people, then we will be vaccinated from the influenza of the material energy.
This is how we can be protected from these lower influences. I don't know if COVID shield really protects you from the virus.
But I definitely know that the compassion will protect you from the influence of material nature, that's for sure. It's a very strong vaccine.
And then it is said, maitrim. Maitrim means if somebody is on the same level as you, then you have to be very friendly.
Usually according to what Nārada Muni says, when we meet somebody who is equal to us, we always try to glorify ourselves with boasting. I am this, I am that. You know.
People come and you know they try to parade in front of each other saying I'm such a big businessman or such a big devotee. When people are equal, there is a very natural tendency uh for some competition.
There is some uh tendency to enter into some uh ri uh rivalry, you know, they become competitors with each other. So other So
equal people they usually compete, you know, when somebody is very high, uh much higher than us, we don't compete with him. But if somebody is somewhat equal level, we're trying to enter into this competition.
Competitive spirit is there. And then what? And that means that we are influenced by the material. But
if we can uh be friendly with those people who are equal, without being somewhat jealous of them, of their achievement. If we can enter into the friendly relationship with such people, it means that we are on the way to liberation.
And if somebody is higher than us, then praśrayam. Praśrayam means we have to really serve those people who are higher than us.
Whereas again the natural tendencies when we see somebody who is better than us, more pure than us, more knowledgeable than us, we become envious of him and we do something to manifest this envy.
You know, this Vedic culture is so glorious, this culture of Bharata-varṣa is so glorious because this principle of respecting those who are superior, those who are higher than us is very strongly established in this culture.
But uh in other cultures especially uh in the West, uh this principle of respecting uh those who are superior is practically non-existent now. And basic and that basically destroys the whole culture, the whole fabric of human society.
Because people cannot really deal properly with especially those people who are superior to them, the envy is uh becoming stronger and stronger and stronger.
Like in America now the parents they cannot even chastise their children because all the children they know the phone number.
If the parents start chastising the children, uh the children will dial this phone on their mobile phone and they call police. You know, the children are complaining to police against their parents.
It's a complete absurdity. This civilization or this culture where there is no respect to elderly people to superior people is doomed. It's basically it's doomed. It's already it's already destroyed.
It's just the question of time when it will be completely destroyed. We can see how Lord Ram, how he was respecting his superiors, his father Dasharat and his mother Kaikki, you know, she was wrong.
But uh he was obedient, he was showing that this is a very important principle of discipline of Mariada. You know, if somebody is superior, I have to accept whatever they say with grateful heart.
And as I said in the beginning, uh you know the natural tendency would be uh to manifest some sort of haughtiness towards those people who are lower than us, some sort of rivalry towards those people who are equal, and some sort of envy towards those people who are higher than us.
But by our intelligence, we have to really understand: no, no, this is uh not how I should behave. I should behave in a proper way.
That means I have to manifest daya, compassion, maitri, friendliness and prashraya and the service mood towards the superiors.
If we manifest the service mood towards superiors, then we can hope that they will give us some mercy and they will give us something from their heart. Very willingly.
If we behave in a friendly way with equals, our life will be very joyful because we will have so much fun with people who are equal to us and we will be very happy in in this relationship.
And in this purport to this verse, I didn't read this purpose,
Inspiration from Garuda Purana on complete life
although it's a very nice purport and it's long. But there is a very important quote from Garuda Purana. Visheshaha Svatameshu Sva ottameshu Vinasangam Namuchyate, Svanichesu to Devishu Vina Sangam Napuriate.
One cannot be liberated without association with pure devotees of the Lord, with those who are higher than us. Vina Sangam Namuchiate.
Visheshaha Swa Uttamisu Without associating with these Uttama people who are higher than us, there is no question of our liberation.
But if we don't show the mercy to those people who are lower than us, who are inferior to us, Svanice Shu.
Without dealing with them, Napuriate, our life will not be complete, our life will be superficial as it is translated here.
Sometimes people think that I only should associate with sadhus with great devotees and I should not uh really uh mix with those people who are lower than myself.
But it is said in Garuda Purana that uh napuriate you will never be happy unless you help those people who are lower than you.
We should serve those who are higher than us, we should uh be friendly with those who are equal to us, and we should really help those who are lower than us in a lower position. Then only our life will be complete.
Then we'll only feel fulfilled. And then we will be also protected from this influence of the material energy. We will not be affected by this influence of material energy.
The material energy only influences us when we are not happy. When we are happy, material uh energy has no uh power over us.
When somebody is not satisfied, he will always be uh looking for satisfaction in this material energy and in this way he will get more and more karma and he will get more and more entangled in this material energy.
But if you are satisfied, if you are Santosha, then there is no problem, then uh material energi you know you will not be influenced by material energy because you are happy in saintship,
So this um this science, how to deal properly with people according to their position, is very, very important from a spiritual point of view and from material point of view both and ultimately if we learn this science uh then we will become happy.
And we should learn this from our spiritual master.
We can see how disciples of Sila Prabhupada spiritual masters how friendly they behave towards other towards their god broth Whoever we we would take be it Jay Pataka Marat or Radhanat Marat or Niranzan Maraj or Gopal Krishna Maraj we can see how they very He we can see how compassionate they are when they meet with uh their disciples
and how they giving their heart and their life to to them both of the Bakhtarakia Hamulkan to the Pakamani and when they speak or remember about Śrīla Prabhupāda, they're full of uh awe and reverence and love and complete submission and service mood.
That means that these people are free from the influence of material energy. And if we also want to become free from the influence of material energy, we should learn this uh science from them.
We should learn this art of dealing properly with different people from our spiritual masters. And uh basically for us followers of Srila Prabhupada to be compassionate means to preach to these people.
To be friendly means to preach together with our god brothers to sit together like we sing Balaram Gavinda and Vam Shiddhari they're sitting together, they're preaching together. That means friendship.
And to serve superiors means in our case to serve the mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda, the preaching mission which Śrīla Prabhupāda started, and in this way manifest our gratitude and service mood towards those who are superior to us.
But the same manner salabod in the Bulgar in the prover curve and depends saying the Prachana Pani together.
And they pull number we are in the number sailor pandrap, she'll have a road here and the mission at the travel here.
So that what it means to manifest this instructions of this verse in in our case in Iskon, we should preach. Preach together with people who are devotees and serve the preaching mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda. That's it.
Anala in the Pracharya Panamba in the Shoki every production of Kitana Kate, Samavana would have seen the Prachara Pandu, Namab, Thal Nonglet, Prachar. So you put another Yeah, I I've been talking for too long. Please.
I don't know if there is any question, so you see it right there. Mahaj, it was very, very enlightening class and we got many new insight from this thing that when we come together means uh in the friendly mode means we should be together and preach, not in a competitive spirit, but together means it will be more powerful, more strength. So that's the very very good instruction.
Chandra. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Maharaj, Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna Prabhu, how to relate our Atma with God Hare Krishna.
Inherent connection between the soul and God
Hare Krishna. How to relate our Atma with God, Hare Krishna? Our Atma is already related to God. It's if you see that it's not uh uh related with God, you are an illusion.
See Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā: mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ. Sanatanaha. Always part and parcel of me. Mam Mama Eva Amsa Jiva Loke Jiva Bhutta Sanatana. Eternally, it's my part and parcel.
It's like in our body we have different parts and they are parts of the whole body. I have my finger, I have my I don't know, liver, I have my heart, I have my eyes. They're all part of the whole body.
And if my finger will say, you know, I'm independent, I just I am not related to to this body, it will be useless finger. It will be very bad finger.
Actually, sometimes in our body some cells they declare independence and they say I'm not related with this body, and this is called cancer. What's a summer water would sell a silent al solid and a sound drama you
can get a day, up in any upper medicine put to noise. It's it's a part of our body, but it behavs in a completely not proper way. It's not really working for the benefit of the body.
On the contrary, it kills the whole body. You know, in the Putsu no, you know, a Celia put it well up on the Udala Kala well, the Udala yet well as a velocity and the Wodali cold can I wipe.
And we know what we do with the cancer when we discover that there is a cancer we we just make a operation and we cut this uh out growing from the rest of the body the answer now In
a similar way, all these jivas who forget about their dependence on God God, they are they're sent here in this material world. They are more or less cut from the rest of the complete whole which is the Lord.
Isai Puna Jiba Markle Yara on the Bhagavan order, Sher Nika Buryava, Sale Pana Vulyava Talo, Aperty but the Cancer Sella Purka with tea in the world but the
Bhagavan getting the spirit of the Batman Verit Bhagavad Gita and when we associate
with people who re-establish their connection with the Lord, then we always then we also start feeling yes, I am already connected with the Lord.
And then it's only a question of time when we be transferred into spiritual world where there is everyone is harmoniously working for the benefit of the whole.
Manifestations of envy toward equals and superiors
In other words, if we want to re-establish our connection with the Lord, we should hear those people who have the connection reestablished and then it will help us also to get rid of this illusion.
Regarding this friendly relationship between devotees who are and the equal level.
So what's the difference between when when we see those who are equal then also we have enviousness or competition and when we see who are higher then also we have competition means we have enviousness.
So what's the actual difference between this? You want to translate this? Yes.
When we see somebody who is equal with us and we feel some competition with him, we want to show that we are not uh not worse than him and we try to either show up or you know sometimes pull him down a little bit.
Like there was a story that once during Prabhupada's marathon in December, devotees they were distributing many books and uh one group of devotees they were distributing many many books.
So the rival group of devotees put some sugar into their car into the gas tank so that they couldn't move and couldn't distribute more books.
But if we see somebody who is much more superior than us, then envy manifests in a different way. We just it manifests in a in a mood that you know why everyone is praising him.
Why everyone is looking at him, why nobody notices me when I'm there, why he is always in the center. We have all this, you know, all these thoughts within our mind.
And we try to we cannot really compete with him, but we try to get away from him and to be where we are in the center, not to be with him.
One by a number of poor Modi Ade, I'll end up on number chicken, number Rambler or Namalaya on the person and power but away something to quit.
Instead of taking advantage of his mercy and his compassion and his love, uh we just you know we feel uncomfortable and we try to get away from his his association to be in a circle where we are yeah. Yeah.
In case of our equals, we try to, you0, to really show that I'm better better or at least not worse than him, and you know there is this competition. But in case of very superior, we just try to sneak away from them.
Now the Sama would at least have a puttial porana, so the poor tickot but number where now patha will put it on a window levitated number number wherever where Does it sound familiar? Yes.
Very, very good analogy, very good uh uh anal uh understanding. There is one more question, we take yes. Okay.
Accepting chastisement with gratitude and remembrance
Lama here. Hare Krishna, Gurudeva. Praṇāmat praṇām, Gurudeva. Hare Krishna. Uh Gurudeva, when uh śikṣā-guru chastises us or scold us uh for any particular reason, uh we might not be able to take the chastisement.
We might get angry, we might get angry on them, or we might be depressed, uh like how to overcome that? We might not be able to accept it or anything at all. How to overcome that?
If I would shikha Guru Namakwan, Upades and Guru Korea Guru Nabandi, Nabaland the Saripata Both and Pom or the Tangila, isn't that people and then pretty much?
There is a very nice analogy uh which we should remember in this connection. The potter is trying to make the pot and he is trying to make to make pot very perfectly. Make the pot very perfect shape.
Then he does two things.
He's beating by some instrument, by some hammer or whatever from outside, but at the same time he puts his other hand inside the pot and he's kind of holding or supporting the same pot from inside.
So he lunch the tangi putar may put it. If he would only beat uh, then you know the result wouldn't be either the pot will break or the pot will become very ugly by shape.
shape. But to make it perfect, he has to do both things: to support and beat. Pane Adichita Nana Pana Wanjipa Pana Allah Vedamana or Badiat Lara. En upano, woolar and the Tang eat or no, may I learn the adjustment?
So if śikṣā-guru is scolding you, it's perfectly all right if he's scolding you. But he also has to give you support. Śrīla Prabhupāda in his dealings with his disciples, he oftentimes chastised them very severely.
But at the same time, he was giving them so much support that they will still be very happy in this relationship.
There is a little story I will tell you, this little funny story that you know, Tamal Krishna Maharaj during this Juhu saga was dealing with Mr. Nair about Juhu temple.
You know, Tamal Krishna Maharaj made a very severe mistake. He thought that Prabhupāda is mistaken, and he, you know, without asking Prabhupāda, he broke the contract with Mr. Nair and it created a lot of troubles
and problems for Śrīla Prabhupāda for whole ISKCON. Just Tamal Krishna Maharaj did. Tamalakrishna Maharaj himself he remembers, he says that for one year after that, Prabhupada, whenever they would go to some program
to some uh influential people or whatever, Srila Prabhupada would introduce Tamal Krishna Maharaj in a very peculiar manner. He would say, this is Tamal Krishna Goswami, he is the full number one.
Tamal Krishna Maharaj, you are now number one Muktalakita Latari Bakr. It's a very heavy stuff, you know.
In front of somebody, you know, you are there and your spiritual master says, This is Tamal Krishna Maharaj, he's the full number one.
But the most amazing thing is that Tamal Krishna Maharaj himself, uh when he's speaking this, he's so happy, he says, he remembers this as if it was the happiest moments in his life.
Shama Tam Krishama Rajkonja Bertha, our in the wish and Yaba putting Solom Bolika Rombus and Doshama Soldar, in the more Valkyrie, either Rombus and Doshama proper soldramari and the TikTok Romb Sandoshama Tilta. Why?
Because Prabhupada not only was chastising him but also giving him so much support and so much love and so much uh so much you know protection then uh this chastisement was just a part of their loving dealings.
Tamal Krishna Maharaja Varuk Titi T Matilla, Shila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna Haraj Naraya, Anminga, Shakti Kudar, Avalak, Romba, Rumba, Anpe, Katna, Karune Katner, Ada Gapakatna, Either Lakamboze, the Titta, Aulpana Kud So
y your question was how to get rid of this uh bitterness which may uh develop due to some chastisement of some Shiksha Guru, try to remember all the love which he also he or she also gave to you before.
Don't be too much concentrated on this chastisement, but remember how much he or she has done for you. You know, so much, you know, troubles he he or she took to take care of you. Then it will be So
where come the question in like So uh we are very thankful for his holiness uh maharaj for coming all the way from Moscow and giving us this uh precious time during this Rateyatra time. We are very auspicious to hear this from Maharaj.
So Maharaj, we are continuing this already, it's been like one sixty days and now we are halfway in the sixth canto.
So we want to achieve the we want to go till end and also we want to achieve this real success that is to become a good devotee, good servant of Srila Prabhupada. So we need your blessings for this.
I am very happy that you're doing this. You are in this pravaha of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and this flow of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So please remain in this flow of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Don't say that you are halfway because you cannot really finish Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam. You can start Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but there is no end of studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So you entered this pravacha, so remain in this pravacha in this uh Ganga of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and then you will be transferred to the spiritual world in a very natural way.
So in a Maharajana Salah, in the Pravahatla Yranga, Ido Pali Vari pond the top Mudchira Pora Prabhaham in the Bhagavad Pravaham y Murya Porayada, the English Krishna Kitana Bamuri Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, Bhagavan Garandi from the U.S. Chapter Championship.