The Devotee's Tolerance And Preaching Service
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · Bombay
Chapters
Characteristics and duties of a sadhu
How do I explain the sādhu? Sādhu means the devotees of the Lord. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ.
One who is 100% engaged in the loving service of the Lord, api cet... Even if you find some defect, uh, behavior appears to be durācāra, it's still, because they are, uh, completely engaged in the service of the Lord, he is to be considered as sādhu. Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu recommends with sādhu and śāstra. Sādhu's business is that... titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ, suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. Sādhu has to preach about the glories of the Lord. Preaching, that is sādhu's business.
That he has to suffer many opposing elements. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura was tortured. Haridāsa, you were beaten in twenty-two bazaars. Shame. Sometimes a sādhu is tortured by the demon.
Prahlāda Mahārāja, his father tortured because he was a sādhu. That is the business of the demon: to torture the sādhu, to restrict him in the matter of preaching the glory of the Lord. But he tolerates, he suffers.
Despite all, uh, opposing elements, he preached. That's what is his power. Very, very tolerant.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised that those who are engaged in the preaching work, they should be more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the blade of grass.
So sādhu is always in the preaching, or how the glories of the Lord speaks. And he speaks on the basis of śāstra. He does not manufacture. Sādhu-śāstra-guru.
In this way, if one is fortunate enough to come in contact of a pure devotee and in that way, if he has the opportunity of hearing from him the verdict of the śāstra, then sādhu-śāstra-guru. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
Then he can understand Kṛṣṇa. And then he becomes inclined to śaraṇāgati. Kṛṣṇa says: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. How to make plan, how to induce people to surrender, and that is sādhu.
What Kṛṣṇa wants, sādhu wants to execute that. We are, uh, Krishna says that: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. We are... this comes because how do you get so much trouble?
Of course, he does not see any trouble. For any sādhu, not in spite of opposing elements, he is happy. He knows that "people may oppose me, but I am serving the Supreme Lord. I am doing my duty."
But his business is to induce people in general towards the devotional service of Krishna.
Material bondage and the role of maya
So if a man is fortunate, by the help of sādhu and śāstra, to become surrendered to Krishna, then he becomes released from this saṁsāra. Sei nistāra. Nistāra means he becomes delivered. Māyā-pāśa chāre.
And māyā does not anymore trouble him. He becomes released from the influence of māyā. The example is that, like police force, they are engaged to arrest criminals.
But if one is not a criminal, police has no business to arrest him. Police is not enemy of anyone, but he wants to see that everyone is law-abiding, everyone is, uh, following or obeying the state law.
That is policeman's teaching. Similarly, māyā is appointed police force by the Supreme Lord. So she has nothing to do. Māyā, she has nothing to do.
And the Brahma-saṁhitā says that: sṛṣṭi-sthiti- pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. Durgā is the māyā-śakti, is the superintendent of this material world.
So our business is to abide by the orders of the Lord. Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate. By the will of the Supreme Lord, she is acting.
She is appointed agent. Yes, there is police force. She is appointed agent of the God. And they are acting according to the will of the God. Similarly, the māyā is also a police force.
When māyā catches them, uh, see, uh, on... kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga-vāñchā kare. nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. As soon as we forget Krishna, māyā immediately catches.
Again, when we try to Krishna: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. As soon as we forget Krishna, immediately there is arrest by māyā.
And again, as soon as we surrender to Krishna, then māyā may dance, māyā releases. That is the version from Bhagavad-gītā. māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna kṛṣṇa kṛpāya kailā veda-purāṇa.
One cannot get released from māyā automatically; that is not possible. He has to take help of the Vedas.
māyā-mugdha jīvera... Because one is being captivated by the external energy of God, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā, Prahlāda Mahārāja says.
Somebody says that, just one thing was talking, Swamiji, uh, so many people in the Western world, Krishna conscious, uh, why not here? The answer is that matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā.
Destiny and endeavor in human life
One cannot be engaged or one cannot be, uh, turned towards the service of the Lord, parataḥ svato vā, by receiving instruction from others, parataḥ, svato vā, or by himself. Why?
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Those who have fixed that, one who has fixed up his business only sensual pleasure, such persons cannot be turned to Krishna.
The story we published in Back to Godhead, my Guru Mahārāja told us that story.
To take out the... Thank God, if anyone sticks to this principle that "I shall be happy by material adjustment," just as in the modern age, they do not care for any instruction of the śāstra.
They think it is all useless waste of time. Better have utilized time for economic development. Therefore they are working so hard, they are not... but that is ignorance.
It is not possible to, uh, be economically advanced if, uh, uh, one is... they are destined to, uh, accept a certain position. Just like in Bombay.
There are many people, they are living in jhopri and many people are living in a very nice house. Because his destiny, that is the varṇāśrama. We should not waste our time, but sukha-leśam is developed.
Because whatever is destined, we must get. The example is: tal-labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. Nobody tries to, uh, be faced with this condition of life, but it comes upon us.
Just like, uh, two minutes before, one gentleman came here, uh, that he, uh, brother, very rich man, but attacked with paralysis. They belong to a very big family, a well-known family of Bombay, very rich man.
But still, uh, she is attacked with paralysis. Nobody wanted, she did not want to be attacked by paralysis. But there was. Śāstra says, as she did not want paralysis, it has come upon her.
Similarly, whatever happiness she is destined to enjoy, that will come also to her. One has got to try and, how you can have a deal of them.
Uh, with the right class, after, uh, one, uh, gets a particular type of body or environmental suffering, according to this karma.
Śāstra says that instead of wasting your time for improving your, uh, material condition of life, you better try to utilize the time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is your wisdom.
Other things you are already destined. So much suffering you'll have, so much enjoyment you'll have in your life, that we are already destined. You cannot change it.
The suffering also will come automatically and the, uh, happiness also will come automatically. Therefore, we haven't got to strive for that. And he utilizes that: how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
That is his only... because you cannot develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness without your personal endeavor. That is nothing. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: «sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja».
He advises that you do this. That means you have to do it. Kṛṣṇa does not force it. Just like Arjuna. What I'm like is now. After the time is that now I've instructed you everything.
Now you do whatever you like, yathā icchasi tathā kuru. Whatever you like, Krishna does not interfere with the little amount of independence we have got.
Every living entity has got a little independence because it's part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is fully independent.
And because we are part and parcel of Krishna, we have got also independence, but that independence is not equal to the independence of Krishna. There is independence, therefore Krishna says, "yathā icchasi tathā kuru."
Now I have instructed you everything. Whatever you like, you can do. That is everyone's status. There is sādhu. That you be surrendered to Krishna. Śāstra is also requesting that you surrender to Krishna.
But if I do not, that is not the responsibility of the śāstra. But the indication, therefore, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna."
Automatically, one cannot be Krishna conscious because he is captivated by the external energy of Krishna. Therefore, "jīvera kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa." Therefore, Krishna has given Veda and Purāṇa and śāstras.
Very literally. We have been, we have the hearing from Vedic śāstra, be very awakened by understanding what is the fashion of this śāstra authority. Automatically you cannot be Krishna conscious. Why?
That in this age people will take advantage of this Bhagavad-gītā and Vedānta, bhakti. That was the part of Krishna.
Authority and the disciplic succession
Before leaving this world, before going back to His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, He left behind Him Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā for the benefit of the whole world.
So our International Society for Krishna Consciousness is distributing this knowledge, this knowledge of Krishna. We are not businessmen.
What Krishna wanted, that this knowledge should be broadcast all over the world for the benefit of the fallen souls, so this society is trying its best how to infuse people into sanātana-dharma. Guru,
Atra, Krishna is absolute. Therefore, Krishna's word is also Krishna. In this relative world, in this material world, relative world, there are dualities.
Just like if you want water to drink, if you simply say "water, water", your thirst will not be satisfied. You have to get the substance water; there the substance water is different from the name "water".
But in the absolute world, there is no such difference. Otherwise, why are you chanting Hare Krishna? This vibration Krishna is not different from Krishna. They are identical. Krishna and Krishna's name are identical.
Tatra means Krishna's word. There is Bhagavad-gītā. If you read Bhagavad-gītā according to the rules, that means you are facing Krishna. You are already face to face with Krishna.
But you have to read Bhagavad-gītā according to the prescription given by Krishna. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. We have to accept Bhagavad-gītā by the paramparā system, by the disciplic succession;
you cannot manufacture any interpretation. As we said, śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe. Guru, śāstra is not different from Krishna.
Similarly, the reciter of śāstra or the teacher who teaches you śāstra, guru, he is also non-different from Krishna. Śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe. And also He comes down as avatāra, Krishna.
Krishna Himself appeared 5,000 years ago. He left śāstra. He left it in a sakhya to Arjuna. Arjuna is guru, because he received directly the instruction from Krishna.
Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī is receiving instruction directly from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So you can also receive this directly from Krishna, provided you follow the disciplic succession.
Don't try to interpret by your so-called intelligence, then you will fail. You have to accept the bhāva of the gurus and the guru means he is coming representing Bhagavān.
Arjuna says after understanding Bhagavad-gītā: "Parabrahman". He addresses Krishna: "paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān."
You are the original Personality of Godhead, so we have to accept Arjuna's vākyas besides the original Personality of Godhead. Then you understand it.
And if you interpret it in your own way, then you miss the benefits of Bhagavad-gītā.
Perceiving the Lord through His energies
It is not difficult to know God because He is personally coming and canvasses that "This is My position." "This is My feature." Bhagavad-gītā is there. Ah. Bhagavān means... He is the taste in the water, He said.
"I am the taste in the water." "I am the shining, shining of the, the sunshine and moon's moonshine." And how you can say that "I am not seeing God"? You can see sunshine every day. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the sunshine."
Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. These descriptions are there. If you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa directly as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you can understand Kṛṣṇa by experiencing His different energy.
Just like this prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ, and the sun, moon, and the moonshine. So you try to understand Kṛṣṇa by seeing, experiencing sunshine. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa by tasting water.
You try to understand Kṛṣṇa by sound vibration in the sky, via television. So how you can say that "I do not know, can you show me God?" Why? You can see, you can daily experience what is God. Everything is described there.
How you can say? But if we still say that there is no God, then you will see God. What? Ah, that is Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. As death, I will take away everything. That everyone has to see. At that time.
That you cannot say, "I will not see." That you must see. So in any case, you have to understand that you cannot say a lie that "I am not seeing God." No, you have to see God in every step.
Simply you have to take instruction from sādhu and śāstra. Learning, not automation. Kṛṣṇa-mantra-prabhāva-vinirṇaya.
If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa according to the description of this, as the explanation of His real devotee, then you will understand that Kṛṣṇa-mahāprabhu... Kṛṣṇa is my Lord. I am Kṛṣṇa-vidyamāna.
That this śiṣya-lakṣita is. Simply you have to follow me, sākṣāt sādhu and śāstra. Kṛṣṇa-mahāprabhu-pada-vinirṇaya. This is real knowledge. The Kṛṣṇa is my eternal master, eternal sādhu, and eternal dharma.
Give svarūpa-dhi-sākṣāt. This is self-realizing. Anything else that is not sākṣāt, that is misleading by the influence of māyā. Therefore, in Bhagavad-gītā it says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante.
Many, many births, consuming knowledge, or there are so many other items. First self-realize: karma, jñāna, yoga, and bhakti. Bhakti is the direct means. And karma, jñāna, yoga, they are indirectness.
So in the Kali-yuga, it is useless to perform the indirect means because life is very short and we are not so intelligent. Therefore we have to take direct means. The direct means is bhakti-yoga.
Indirect means we cannot get full perfection, being asked to require now when one in śraddhāvān sādhu-saṅga.
Importance of association and devotional service
Śraddhāvān means one who is inclined to associate with sādhu.
Sādhu-saṅga, atha bhajana-kriyā. One who becomes serious to understand Kṛṣṇa by this saṅga, these centers are open to give person the facility of understanding Kṛṣṇa.
Unfortunately, they do not like this; they are following cinema. So they will come there, they will stand there for having a ticket for three hours. But they have no time to come here. Because they are not inclined.
That is inclined śraddhā. Māyā is there: "Why you shall go there? Waste your time. But stand here, we are getting tickets. That is in the śāstra: one who sticks to the principle of Krishna...
Krishna says, "daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā."
Just like these boys, these European boys and girls, they are very much accustomed to this material way of life. But now, because they are surrendered to Krishna, they are no more interested to go to the cinema, go to the club, or go to anywhere.
Twenty-four hours they are engaged in Krishna-bhajana. You see, how is it possible? Because māyā says, "No, you are no more under me." Why these young boys are not inclined?
Four years before, four years ago, they had all, uh, habits, so many, you know, bad habits, but still, uh, they are now... sādhu-bhakti-māhātmya-kīrtana... through influence.
If one develops akiñcana-bhakti, simply uh, clings to Krishna. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā. Akiñcana means one who does not want, uh, want anything else except Krishna. That is called akiñcana.
In that platform, sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ, all the good qualities of the demigods automatically, given up, manifest.
Contrary, if, you know, one is not Krishna-bhakta, he may be academically very advanced, but he has no qualities. He has no good qualities. Why?
Because he is on the mental platform, therefore he is sure to be uh, induced by these, uh, external elements. Duratyayā... here there are so many words, uh, people are struggling.
Duratyayā, uh, duratyayā means... and the whole thing is, we cannot be happy in this materialistic way of life. But still that failed. There was British Empire, there was Roman Empire. There was Mughal Empire.
Where is that British Empire? Where is that Mughal Empire? It is sure to fail.
So we should not try... if I said, uh, uh, pañca-mukhya-rasas presented by the... we should be serious to understand Krishna concept, that your only reason... this human life is specially meant for developing Krishna consciousness and nothing.
Vedaiś ca sarvair... so when one becomes, uh, in the Krishna consciousness, that platform, he tries to understand, uh, what is Krishna and what is our relation with Him and what is the ultimate goal of life, sambandha-abhidheya-prayojana.
These things are that Mahāprabhu says that, uh, Krishna is trying to give you knowledge through His principles, guru, through the śāstras. And He's coming, He said. He's coming down. Ah, Gadādhara, He's almost Gadādhara.
He comes down for this purpose. He says: dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. Sapa. He comes to establish. So what is the real religious principle?
That real, real religious principle is to surrender to Krishna. Krishna says: sarva-dharmān parityajya. The man-made religion, that is not required. There are so many man-made religions.
Krishna says that you give up all that man-made religion. You take this religion: sarva-dharmān parityajya. And religion cannot be made by man.
Eternal relationship between soul and God
If some man makes some religion, that is not religion. Just like law cannot be made by any, uh, man; it must be elaborated by the government. The government says that you keep to the right, you have to keep to the right.
The government says keep to the left, you have to. There is law. But if you say, "No, I shall keep to the right, I shall keep..." No, your word is not it. Similarly, dharma. Dharma means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam.
Krishna, that is He. And He is giving: sarva-dharmān. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is the ultimate goal. The purpose of all Vedic literature is to teach the reader how to surrender to Krishna.
And Krishna said: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. We are very much fond of, uh, philosophizing. Uh, then he can read so many books.
But, uh, after many, many births of cultivating knowledge in that way, when it comes to the life point, he surrenders to Krishna.
Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. When he's actually wise, uh, he remains a fool, he cannot surrender to Krishna. Therefore śāstra says: kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura.
Unless one is very, very intelligent, he cannot take to Krishna consciousness. He's misled in so many ways. Śāstra says: sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. What is that? Sambandha with the Supreme. Sambandha.
What is the relationship? What is Krishna and what am I? That Krishna is the Supreme Personality. And when we know that, then you know immediately what is Krishna and what you are. You are part and parcel of Krishna.
But Māyāvāda says that "I am Krishna." That is misleading. That's misleading. Part and parcel. That's like the finger is part and parcel of my body.
So you can say this is also body, but that does not mean this is the whole body. Similarly, because we are part and parcel of God, we may be called as God, but we are not the Supreme God.
Supreme God is the difference between Vaiṣṇava philosophy and māyā philosophy. Māyā philosophy is that "I am God." By māyā, I am now thinking I am a jīva. But if you are God, how are you under māyā? God cannot be under māyā.
Krishna says: mama māyā. Māyā is under the control of God. How can you be controlled by God? So there are so many differences of opinion.
Actually, if we follow śāstra, the Vedic teaching is that I am part and parcel of Krishna, but I'm not Krishna. That is my relationship. And abhidheya means: then what is my function?
The function is that, as a part and parcel of my body, this finger, it should give service to the whole body. Similarly, we, part and parcel of Krishna, we are meant for giving service to Krishna.
Therefore, our real position, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa. And then abhidheya. This is abhidheya. As we are servants, we have to give service.
And prayojana. Prayojana means to be reinstated in our original position. Then we are happy. What is that original position? As soon as we begin rendering service to Krishna, that is our original position.
Because my position is to be a servant. And giving down Krishna service, I am now, I have now become servant of māyā. So my service is there.
So when we become liberated, then that means I give up the service of māyā and I take to service to Krishna. That is mukti. And Krishna also confirms this.
Anyone who is engaged fully, hundred percent, in the service of the Lord is immediately liberated. Brahma-bhūyāya, he is in Brahman stage. Thank you.