Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.29.14. Different Variations of Devotional Service
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Bombay · 2015
Chapters
Introduction to Srimad-Bhagavatam study
I'm still waiting for the book, so I will say a few words before the book will come. First of all, it's a great honor for me to speak in front of all of you. I feel very humbled and undeserving.
But because my dear friend Siddhamaprabhu asked me to speak following his order. I'm sitting here.
And yes, what I will try to speak about is an uh interesting section from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the twenty-ninth chapter of the third canto, where in my humble opinion, everything which is necessary for us to know is contained.
There are so many lofty topics in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but as far as our reality as practicing devotees is concerned, this particular chapter is the most relevant or at least most relevant.
And the verses which I'll read today, specifically four verses, or maybe five verses, they are especially relevant for our practice and for us to help other people to progress in the path of devotional service.
So I will start with chanting Oṁ namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya, Oṁ namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya, Oṁ namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya, Oṁ namo bhagavate Nārāyaṇāya narotamaṁ deviṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet, naṣṭa- prāyeṣv abhadrēṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī Yamprabra Janta Manu Petama Peta Kritjam Dwaipayana Virahakatarahajuhava
So we will start with the verse number 14 and the chapter is called Explanation of Devotional service by Lord Kapiladev.
And the verse 14 is the is located in between the two important sections uh of this chapter which I will delineate a little later. So kindly repeat.
Saiva bhakti yoga kya Atyantika Udahritta, Udahritah, Enati Vrađa Trigunam, Madbaba Yopa Dyate. Saiva bhakti yogakya, atyanti kaudakrita, trigunam Madhbava Ya Papadyate Saha
this Eva Indeed. Bhakti Yoga. Devotional service. Atyah code. Atyantika.
The highest platform Udahrita explained Yana by which Ativraja Overcoming Trigunam Three Modes of Material Nature Madhavaya Madhavaya Transcendental stage Upapadyate Wanains
Transcendental position of the Supreme Lord
Translation By attaining the highest platform of devotional service, as I have explained, one can overcome the influence of the three modes of material nature and be situated in the transcendental stage as is the Lord.
Sri Pada Shankaracharya, who is supposed to be the leader of the impersonalist school of philosophers, has admitted in the beginning of his comments on Bhagavad-gītā that Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation.
Except for him, everything is within the material creation. It is also confirmed in the Vedic literature that before the creation there was only Narayana. Neither Lord Brahma nor Lord Shiva existed.
Only Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu or Krishna is always in the transcendental position beyond the influence of material creation.
The material qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance cannot affect the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, He is called Nirguna.
Free from all the things of material qualities, of all the tinges of material qualities. Here, the same fact is confirmed by Lord Kapila, who is situated in pure devotional service.
One who is situated in pure devotional service is transcendentally situated as the Lord Himself. Just as the Lord is unaffected by the influence of material modes, so too are his pure devotees.
One who is not affected by the three modes of material nature is called the liberated soul or Brahma-Buddha soul. Brahma-Buddha Prasanatma is the stage of liberation. Aham Brahmasmi, I am not this body.
This is applicable only to the person who constantly engages in the devotional service of Krishna and is thus in the transcendental stage, he is above the influence of the three modes of material nature.
It is the misconception of the impersonalist that one who can worship any imaginary form of the Lord or Brahman and at the end merge into the Brahman for it
is the misconception of the impersonalism that one can worship any imaginary form of the Lord or Brahman and at the end merge in the Brahman effulgence. Of course, to merge into the bodily effulgence of Brahman or the Supreme Lord is also liberation as explained in the previous verse.
Ekatva is also liberation, but that sort of liberation is never accepted by any devotee for qualitative oneness is immediately attained as soon as one is situated in the devotional service.
For a devotee, that qualitative equality which is the result of impersonal liberation is already attained. He does not have to try for it separately.
It is clearly stated here that simply by pure devotional service one becomes qualitatively as good as the Lord himself. Shri Prabhupada Kijaya. Sayva bhakti yoga kya atyantikach udahritah yena By
attaining the highest platform of devotional service, as I have explained, one can overcome the influence of the three modes of material nature and be situated in the transcendental stage as is the Lord.
Na maum, Vishnu, Baday, Krisna, Preśta, Butale, Sri Mathe Bhakti, Dam, Tswana, Mitnahmy, Namaste, Sarah Swat, Gurami Prachami,
Nirviše Sunnawadi, Paschakades, Van Chapal Patarodeschakripas Ludevacha, Patianam Pavane Biovaishnava Yonaunaha Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda Sri Advaitha Gadathara, Sri Vasadhi Gura Bhakta Vrinda,
Hare Krishna, Hare Kr Krishnaishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Mayanu Lambitu Jokana Pavada Yāantah praviši mama vaci ma praçupta, samji vaya taki wašakti daraswadam,
anjamchahastacharanawshravanatva, pranamamo bhavateur
Devotional service in material modes
s My specific aim is to try to review the four following verses, the verses which follow after this particular verse. But I started with this verse to give a little introduction to the whole topic.
Shikapiladev answering the question of his mother, and his mother is saying that please explain to me this glorious devotional service which can free oneself from the sufferings in this material world.
And she specifically asks him, please explain to me different variations of devotional service.
We are so used to say devotional service, devotional service, and we're so used to label any of our activities as devotional service that sometimes the distinction between different kinds of devotional service becomes little blurry.
And therefore, Shikapiladev starts explaining in a very beautiful way that there is devotional service and there is devotional service.
Usually when we say devotional service, we mean pure devotional service, and by default we imply that every one of us is engaged in pure devotional service. This may or may not be true.
And to make this distinction very clear, Lord Kapiladev starts with explaining the devotional service in the modes of material nature. And if we carefully study, which is not the subject of our discussion, but still, if we carefully study this variations of devotional service, we will with great sadness discover that you know we see them quite often around us.
He basically says that there is, you know, and sometimes it's shocking to hear that you can perform devotional service in a tamas. But uh no problem, if you are in tamas, your devotional service will be in tamas. It cannot be otherwise.
So and basically Lord Kapiladev says that the main distinguishing point is our internal motivation, not the external form.
Sometimes we can see that somebody is really pakka in his devotional service, is really, you know, he's really fixed up, it doesn't mean that he is engaged in pure devotional service. Not at all.
Because you cannot see the heart, but for the Lord, only the heart what matters. Bhāva-grāhī Janārdanaḥ, he only accepts bhāva. He doesn't accept the form. You know, you can be very fixed up, but what is your motivation?
That's the question which we have to really be conscientious and give a very clear answer to ourselves. What's going on within our heart? What is the reason?
You know, the pure devotional service is that we perform it only for the pleasure of the Lord. That's the vritty within the mind. Why? What is the reason? I want to please the Supreme Lord bus.
There is no other reason, there is no other cause behind what I'm doing.
But very often we can see that you know I'm doing the pure devotional service or I'm doing the devotional service and I'm very fixed up so that others will notice that I'm fixed up and will appreciate how fixed up I am and will praise me for being so fixed up.
Or sometimes people you know I know that sometimes people, especially, you know, they try to build big temples, you know, and this competitive spirit is there and uh and so on and so forth. There is no need to describe it in details because this is not the question, uh the not the subject of our discussion.
But we have to be very clear and that uh it's not so easy, and it's not by default that we are engaged in devotional service.
Because it's a very high position as it is said in this verse, it's basically as soon as you reach this stage of devotional service, you're on the same level as the Lord Himself.
This is the highest evolution of the human being, and you know it's not so easy to reach. So basically Lord Kapiladev says that in Tamagun there can be three motivations: himsa, Dhamba and Matsarya.
Very beautiful motivations. Sometimes you can perform devotional service to inflict pain to other people. Believe it or not, it's quite common.
I myself heard it many times because you somehow or other touched my false ego, I will perform devotional service and the Lord will you will see what the Lord will do to you.
I heard it so many times from you know publicly people speaking this. You know, Lord has a special affection to me and He protects me and you will see what He will do to you.
And I will change my extra rounds for this to make sure that he does what he's supposed to do.
You know that's himsa, and of course, Dhamba, you know you, you become very hypocritical or you become very proud what you're doing, and you are, you know, dressing the deities very nicely. Why are you dressing the deities very nicely? You know, just to show off how nicely you're addressing the deities.
And Matsaria, you are competitive, and uh you're uh up to the point of envious.
And Kabilodev uh basically the uh Vishwanachakravati Thakur says that there is uh uh uh all these motivations are in the modes of nature but it can be uh it can be uh uh Tamasi Tamas, Rajasik Tamas and Satvik Tamas.
Matsari is better than the other thing. But you know if you're really envious and try to inflict pain, that's very bad. Anyway, so he gives the three motivations in Rajagun and three motivations in Sattvagun.
Characteristics of pure devotional service
But then he says how to recognize that I'm engaged in pure devotional service, or at least I reach the stage of pure devotional service. And he says that the indication, the lakshan, is very simple.
As soon as you hear little bit, Shruti Matrina, just little bit about the Lord, your whole consciousness just is streaming towards Him.
You're so much in bliss about hearing the Lord that as soon as you little bit hear about Him, just little name of His or whatever, immediately your, consciousness or your heart is streaming towards the Lord as the Ganges is streaming towards the ocean.
And he specifically says that two characteristics of this pure devotional service are very important. It's Nirantara, it's constant and it doesn't have any any break.
It's very powerful. Nothing can stop it. There is no impediment in your pure devotional service. And if we see that there are some impediments, other words, if we see that there is something which is of some interest in this world, something which distracts us from the devotional service and I believe at least I'm speaking about myself, there's plenty of things which distract me from devotional service.
It is an indication that I'm not yet on this stage. Even though I may think sometimes it's pretty far out, I I reached it. I'm already there. But the point is that there is no impediment in pure devotional service,
so much so, and that's what Kapiladev says, how do you uh recognize it uh within yourself? And uh the uh This test is very simple, which is I mean not a very simple test, but uh it's
a very vivid kind of test he says and he gives only one verse or
two verses describing the pure devotional service but then he says that the experience which devotee has uh who reached this stage of pure devotional service is so overwhelming and so beautiful and so so
amazing that even if the Lord Himself comes to you and says please take liberation from me any kind of liberation. Just come close to me, be on my planet, live there forever, you know, and get free food every day.
You refuse it. You will just say no flatly. And this is not such an easy test because really, you know, you have to be even let's say with all due respect this is uh having uh you know saying this I I don't want to denigrate
anyone, but even if we take Vaishnavas, Ramanuja Sampradaya, the highest goal is liberation. And here Kapiladev says highest goal is not liberation. Liberation is not the highest goal.
Because the devotee who reached the highest goal, he rejects liberation. So that's just the introduction to the topic.
Program for practical spiritual advancement
But the most interesting section follows after that. And then this verse which I read uh is um is there uh in uh the explanation of Kapila there and then
the most interesting section of just four verses in these four verses, Kapiladev explains how to come from the condition stage within the modes of material nature to the pure stage.
And there is a lot of little details which I discovered by studying very carefully these four verses, which I want to share with you.
And uh as far as I can understand, this is the complete program for a practicing devotee.
This is a complete you don't have to know anything else, as I already said, uh, to uh reach this highest possible stage of devotional service, which is really pure devotional service, beyond the modes. And this transitional period is
somewhat difficult. So the reason why I decided to speak about this is because if we deliberate on these verses, we will understand some intricacies and some mistakes.
Because unfortunately, what I have seen in my own experience, it probably doesn't refer to you, but I have seen many Imagine themselves to be transcendental.
Oh, they already gave up families and you know they're so renounced and they're living as brahmacāris in the āśrama making mess there. And uh you know but when they speak they are phew
you know But at the same time, there is no progress.
So many devotees they imagine they use all this glorification of devotional service, of pure devotional service, which is there in our scriptures as an excuse not to move to this stage.
To pretend that they're already there. You know, and uh and uh sometimes we can see that the progress doesn't really take place. They are not really advancing. They are stuck.
And for years and years and years they do the same sort of things and uh and uh nothing really happens.
And uh sooner or later they become uh disappointed and leave the devotional service all together and then they say, you know, what did I get? I didn't get anything.
I just spent the best years of my life in this dirty ashram which I myself made so dirty. And that's it. Something like this. I heard this strange sort of philosophies.
So therefore this little things, just four verses, and the whole practice is there. Of course we can say that this and I will probably not say anything new to you.
I'm very acutely aware that probably you will not hear anything new now but still because all these practices which are listed by Lord Kapila deva are already built in.
Performing prescribed duties without motivation
But still, while describing them, I I just want to emphasize some points which may not be so clear if we just read them casually.
So I will start with the verse 15, the next verse, which reads Nisevita Animitana Swadarmena Mahiya Sa Kriya Yogena Shastina Natihim Srena Nityashaha.
And uh while I was reading these verses I was really struck again how ingeniously Srila Prabhupada incorporated all these verses within our daily activities, but somehow or other some things we sometimes miss.
So these verses is the beginning and what I will also try to say is that these four verses constitute a progression. This is my own understanding. Please, you know, if you don't like, don't take it seriously.
But still, I think that it gives some deeper understanding to these verses if we consider them as a progression, because even though we have to perform all these activities which are listed in these four verses from the beginning, from the outset. But the emphasis will be different.
And I think that that will give some understanding how to counsel the devotees who start devotional service. What should be the emphasis in the beginning? What should be the emphasis there?
Because looking back myself in my path which I traverse I can clearly see that even though I knew all the things you know certain things I I just couldn't really perform properly, even though I was trying to do this.
But at one stage of my life I realized how important it is and how it should be done and how it should not be done.
So the first verse starts describing the sadhana or transitional sadhana, how to come from the condition where you are in the modes of material nature to the transcendental stage.
And we usually say that devotional service starts with what? Shravanam. Right? Yeah. Is it not true? Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, and we always stress śravaṇaṁ, śravaṇaṁ, śravaṇaṁ.
Kapiladev doesn't agree with this. He put sravanam at the very end. He puts sravanam, but in the fourth verse, at the very end of this. And the reason is very simple.
Because in the beginning, when you hear something, you hear in the modes of nature because your mind is in the modes of nature and whatever you hear is being filtered through your mind and being distorted.
And your ego has very powerful defensive mechanisms. And you will not be able to hear what you don't like to hear. You will only hear what is pleasing to your ego.
You know, we will not elaborate on this, but we all know this.
You know, sometimes I I I can see it, sometimes I specifically when I give lecture and uh I know a problem of somebody who is present in the audience and I kind of direct what I'm saying directly to him and I'm even looking at him
and inevitably he doesn't understand that it's about him. You know, I think everyone else understands it's about him but he doesn't. It's too painful for the ego.
You know, that's why, śravaṇaṁ, uh, because it's in the beginning in the in the modes, you know, it cannot be perfect. It doesn't have such a powerful effect. It does have an effect. No doubt about it.
The chanting has an effect. But we know because it's imperfect, because it's filtered through the very, you know, fine, uh, uh, how you say this sift? Sift sift of the false ego, which doesn't really allow
something which is not really reinforcing to your ego to go in, it doesn't work.
Therefore, Kapiladeva, he starts, uh, from a very interesting point which usually we kind of again it doesn't refer to you because here everything is balanced properly, but I have seen it in many cases how it is distorted.
He says: niḥśarvitenāniḥmitena svadharmeṇa mahīyasā. Mahīyasā. He says you start with performing your duties. Svadharmeṇa.
The instrument which is there, which is available to you, is to perform your duties, but he gives two very interesting adjectives to your duties which give us the understanding in which mood we should perform our duties.
Because again our duties may be detrimental to devotional service or may be helpful.
He says that if you want to start devotional service which will gradually bring you to the stage equal to the Lord, you start with performing your duties in varṇāśrama-dharma's svadharmāṇa. But then he says mahīyasā.
Mahīyasā Prabhupāda translates "glorious," of course. Uh, you, you start with performing your duties, your glorious duties. What does it mean?
It means basically and that even though sometimes you know when we hear this perform your duties you know you know what is so glorious about it? Kapiladeva says that's glorious.
You know, if you perform your duties as a wife, it's glorious. It's not just something. It's glorious. If you perform your duties as a husband, it's glorious. If you perform your duties as a śūdra, it's glorious.
You should understand this.
It's basically what Kapila-deva tries to say to us, he's implanting into us this understanding that it's glorious to perform my own duties even though they may not be pleasant and they may not be even honorable in the society.
You know, in the society of devotees being a gṛhastha is not very honorable. Being a brahmacārī is very honorable.
So I will perform my duties as a brahmacārī and, yeah, and then I will become a sannyāsī and I will get a lot of... No, Kapila-deva says, no matter what you are, it's glorious what you're saying, what you're doing.
It's very important to understand: do it, do it. Swadharmena Mahiasa. It's glorious. Or even if you are a śūdra, it's glorious.
Because the tendency, the human tendency, the tendency of our ego to try to perform some duties which are more honorable. Whereas if you are honestly performing it, that's glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and what else do we need?
So that's first that's the first adjective which he adds here. And the second is niṣsane-sata animittana. You do it animittana, you perform it. Animittana means without any nimitta, without any cause.
That's another mistake which one can make.
And of course, again, it may or may not apply here in this audience but it's possible and I have seen it in our Russian society of Krishna consciousness how it's being done improperly.
Sometimes people become so you know in our preaching we become so enthusiastic about preaching this this svadharmena, prescribed duties. It goes as a pendulum, as we know.
Initially we are very renounced and then we become very, you know, pakka. And
sometimes I have seen we have a lot of preachers who preach in a sort of indirect way and what they try to preach, they try to preach these prescribed duties, how glorious it is, how nice it is, how beneficial it is, how it is the key for success, and how it will bring to you everything which you desire.
And a lot of this glorification of prescribed duties is there in the Vedic literature. And there is a lot of people who are attracted to this sort of preaching. Okay, I want success.
You know, like recently I was giving some sort of public lecture and in in one club and uh the you know, not club, anyway it's it's one group, and the leader of this group, he is uh he's a devotee, uh, but uh, he is totally engaged in to dealing with this new people. Completely brand new people and successful people.
And I was speaking something about ego and how you should, you know, work with the ego, how ego should not be, should not be too egoistic. And he was sitting at the end of the class, at the end of the
classroom, and at one point he started making some signs to me. And I couldn't understand his signs. I was very agitated, and I just, I was trying to understand what he wants to say.
And I, I was going on with my, you know, quite heavy lecture. It was quite heavy. And he was quite alarmed. Ultimately he couldn't contain himself.
He just ran in front of me, took my microphone, and said: «And this will bring success to you. to you, you should understand that this will bring success to you. You should not be too scared, you know.»
So what I mean to say is that you know, uh Kapiladev says you perform your duties, but animitta. You have to be very clear, I'm doing my duties not because of some Nimit, not because of some other reason.
Not because I won't achieve something else. I'm doing it as a service of the Lord to achieve the pure devotional service.
Practical action and avoiding unnecessary violence
So that's uh that's the uh the that's the instruction how to do this and then he says kriya yogyana shastina uh kriya yogyna and it's also very interesting.
At the same time he says, it's I think there is also very important emphasis here, which is sometimes missed by neophyte devotees. He says you do your duties at the same time you do Kriya Yoga.
He doesn't say bhakti-yogena. Bhakti yogana shastina. He says Kriya Yogyana Shastina. So Kriya Yana by saying Kriya Yana what does he want to emphasize. You do some practical devotional service.
You do your prescribed duties, but then you do something which you can do with your
they hear about, you know, the glory of smarana. And smarana basically means you, you don't have to do anything. And smarana basically means you you don't have to do anything. You just you just remember the Lord.
Isn't it a nice proposition? You know, I can just, you know, I'm, and I'm engaged in the highest possible devotional service. I just remember about the Lord.
You know, and uh and then I sleep half a day, you know, while remembering the Lord. So Kapiladev says, kriyogena sastina.
You do something practical, and that's exactly what Śrīla Prabhupāda was doing when he established the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. He says, work now samadhi later. And it's not even clear when.
You know you just you just work. You work hard. You don't don't be too much into Samadhi, you know, because uh in the beginning that's why I said I I think uh it is important to see the progression in this versus.
Um it's very clear that in the beginning you have to emphasize that you know kriyogy na sastinaam and then uh another point in this verse which he says uh na atihim sre na nitya shaha Which is again very important instruction.
Na atihim srena. Please do your devotional service, perform your duties, but without excessive violence. Na ati him Sren na Nitya Shaha. Please be careful.
He says he more or less establishes the mood how you should perform your practices of devotional service. And of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he emphasized the vegetarian diet,
saying that atihimsreṇa. Prabhupāda says in a very beautiful way, he says that sometimes people say that you know we kill the cow and you kill the vegetables. What is the difference between us?
And Prabhupada says: yes, there is no difference in one sense because killing means killing. But what you are doing is atichim siren. What we are doing is na atichim sirena.
So we should not be too idealistic or too impractical in one sense uh we sh we have to understand that the violence is there this work is uh based on violence. The violence is it's unavoidable in this world, but na atihim srena.
And I will allow myself to add something to what Prabhupada has instruction of Lord Kapila, I would say that the very important additional meaning to this Atihim Srena is that that uh we're inflicting pain uh not only by killing animals we're inflicting pain more you know we may not inflict pain by killing the animals, but we very often inflict pain by speaking. And the pain which we cause while speaking is much more severe.
There is a specific verse in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where it is said that if you injure somebody, the wound will take two, three days, maybe one month to heal. At best few months.
But if you target the sharp arrows of your words into the heart of a living entity, the wound will be paining for years and years and years.
So, in my humble opinion, Naati Him Srena means also a very important instruction not to speak ill, not to find faults in others. Without necessity, it may not be completely avoidable.
You have to say sometimes very harsh words to other people. Therefore it is said, nāti-hiṁsreṇa. If you don't have to say this, don't say this.
If you have to say this, say this, uh, and then say kṣamā kījiye and um, yeah. My Hindi is sick though, like, mera Hindi kam hai, isliye main angrezī mein boltā hūn. Adle-badle mein Hindi
Anyway, coming back to the point of atihimsa, Ati-hiṁsā means unnecessary violence. It means be please be careful. Perform your devotional service.
But if we inflict unnecessary violence, it means that we are more or less reinforcing or establishing our position within the modes of material nature.
Actually, the sad effect of fault finding is that you're more or less fixing your position in the modes of nature. You are developing some attachments to your situation.
This is this is how fault finding works, but it doesn't matter. Let's go to the next verse. That's the first verse. So again, in my humble opinion, that's the beginning instructions for the beginning devotees.
Please do your duties, do it without attachment, understand that doing your duties is glorious. Do it with self-esteem.
Do it in a very, you know, with self-esteem, it's it's important to do your duties, but at the same time, do some active devotional service and please be careful about offending other devotees.
Deity worship and spiritual vision
So the next verse is actually very interesting and very beautiful because again, this is something which we would put in the beginning, but that's something which Kapil Dev puts next.
He says: Mād-dhi-śā-darśana-sparśa-pūjāṣv-abhivandanaḥ Bhūteṣu mad-bhāvanayā satvānām asaṁgayena ca. It's a very beautiful instruction. The next instruction again is very important.
He says, mad-deśeṇa means my statue, my form, my vigraha, my archivigraha. Darśanaṁ sparśaṁ pūjāṁ stutiṁ abhivādanam. So basically, he says that the next point of our sadhana is the worship of the deity.
And it is specifically says the darśana sparśa basically means it's your personal relationship with the deity, you touch the deity,
and you stuti, you glorify the deity, abhivādanam, you offer the prayers to the deity, and you do something practical, dress the deity by touching the deity form of the Lord.
So he says that the next point is arcana, which is important, but then he doesn't say just arcana, which is extremely again extremely important. He says, What is the reason why we do arcana?
Because again, sometimes people do arcana, and if they do it in an improper mood, then it's the cause for their pride, for increasing their pride. I'm doing this arcana, I'm offering 64 upacāras, my upacāras are the best.
I'm doing it with the best possible things.
Kapila Deva says buddhiṣu, you know, you have to understand that while we are doing the devotional service to the deity to understand that other living entities are on the same level as the Lord. Mad-bhāvanayā.
You have to understand what is the reason of serving the Lord to understand the spiritual position of every living entity. The connection of every living entity with the Lord, mad-bhāvanayā.
You know, that's the real reason behind arcana.
That ultimately arcana is only successful as much as you develop the spiritual vision and you will be able to understand the spiritual nature of other human beings basically, of other living entities.
If you don't reach this stage, your arcana will become as Kapiladeva will say in a few verses, in 21st verse he will say, it will be as useless as pouring ghee into the ashes.
You know you may pour a lot of ghee into the ashes. And the best ghee from the best gośālā. But no result will be there. If you don't at the same time understand the connection of the living entities. That's the point.
You know, we're trying to serve the Lord to understand the spiritual nature of the living entities and their connection with the Lord.
And of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives a very hilarious example in his purport. He says that it doesn't mean that you have to embrace the tiger because he is a part and parcel of the Lord.
You know, while you know, you worship the deity and you become so overwhelmed you just ran to the tiger and said, My dear tiger, my dear friend. No, he says no no be normal.
Don't again uh don't distort what Krishna wants to say to us. Krishna wants to emphasize the spiritual nature which we will have to recognize. Ultimately, that's a very important point
because our vision at the present moment is material. We can only see matter. And the progress in devotional service means that we are progressing in our spiritual vision, we're seeing the presence of the
Lord within our heart, within within the holy name, within Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, within the devotees, and ultimately within all the living entities. And in only in this way we will be able to live this life properly.
But again, you cannot give this instruction in the beginning to a neophyte devotee. He will try to embrace the tiger. If you start off with this sort of instruction, he will not understand.
He will become he will say oh everything is nice everything is spiritual. It will be just kalpana just imagination he will not see this and therefore he will not discriminate so therefore the first initial
training is there and then uh this is the next stage, you are performing the worship of the deities with a particular reason in mind or purpose in mind, not reason, purpose, to see all the living entities as the parts and parcels of the Lord.
But there is another very beautiful things here. sattvena anāsaṅgena ca sattvena anāsaṅgena ca, and Prabhupāda even though he translates it He should see this in a spirit of renunciation from the mode of goodness.
Sattvena Anāsaṅgena. See every living entity as a spiritual. It's very interesting because first of all to see other living entities as spiritual you You really have to be very detached.
Because there will be living entities who will be nasty to you.
And if you are attached to your own sukha and dukkha, your own happiness and distress and things like this, you know, you may see somebody who is, you know, who is nice to you as spiritual. To see somebody who is nasty to you as spiritual is very difficult.
It's very difficult. You may make an exception, you know, he's not he's not spiritual.
Basically, what Kapiladev wants to say to us here by saying this: Sattvana Anasangamanacha, you try to do it in a spirit of detachment you try to see the spiritual side of any living entities even though he may have a nasty character or nasty features to relate to a spiritual side this is a this is a very big science you know sometimes we you know we look lose this perspective while dealing with the devotees.
We can see that they manifest some material features. Do they? They do. How not to allow these material features for us to cover the spiritual side.
How to always see that He is this is the soul which is striving towards the Lord, even though imperfectly. So that's an instruction which Kapila Dev said gives here this very fine vision of other living entities.
You see them very soberly, you see their faults and problems, but at the same time you still try to relate to their spiritual
side and Prabhupada says that Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī while commending on this verse says sattvena means dayāveṇa means to be tolerant. Sattvena matlab dayāveṇa, uh, it means basically that uh yeah you know it's not so easy.
Uh you have to be really tolerant because others, you know, others will will still try to cause some problems to you.
And even though they cause the problems to you, you still think about their benefit and especially your counselees.
I don't know about councils your counselees, my counselees cause a lot of problems for me and it's very difficult for me to see them in a spiritual fair connection with the Lord.
They are you know like Hrida Ananda Maharaj said that there are three kinds of sufferings in this world, Ādhi-bhautika, Ādhi-daivika and Ādhyātmika.
But there is a fourth kind for the spiritual masters, that's Ādhi-śiṣyika. Ādhi-śiṣyika kleśa. You know the the sufferings which are inflicted by your counselees.
Sometimes people can be very ungrateful, sometimes people can be very very rude and so many other things. Therefore, he says sattvena means you should be very tolerant.
You should develop this glorious quality of tolerating the imperfections of other living entities and be really fixed in your attempts to see the connection with the Lord. Am I doing okay? Are you still with me?
Okay, so there is only two verses left.
Vaishnava etiquette in personal relationships
So please bear with me.
And the next verse is of course very interesting and again I think it is important to place it within the certain context meaning that this is certain stage of development of spiritual development in the course of our sadhana.
The next verse is very simple, very straightforward.
common instruction which is repeated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam several times in the fourth Kanto and here in the third Kanto mahatām bāhu- mānina you have to treat somebody who is mahatām the great devotee with bāhu-mānina with a lot of respect.
Dīnānām anukampayā the compassion should be there for fallen people and maitrīm ātma-tulyesu that the mood for the equal to you ātma-tulyesu should be maitrīm then friendship.
So it's again a simple thing, but yamena niyamena ca it is added here. You know, basically what Kapiladev wants to say to us is that we should strictly follow the etiquette in dealing with other devotees.
And really have the code, yamena niyamena have the very strict code how we deal with other people.
Because the problem here is that first of all Again, this is a certain thing, certain uh certain stage of our spiritual development.
We cannot really do this instruction on the outset, because people they just cannot relate properly real compassion anukampayā develops at one point, not immediately.
Real respect to great devotees develops not immediately. The ability to make friendship with the devotees develops at one point.
We cannot really demand this from the beginning because this relationship with other people, proper relationship with other people, implies certain level of purity of the heart.
If the heart is impure, then inevitably people will try to manipulate others or try to, you know, under the pretext of anukampayā or whatever.
So what I want to say is that it's a certain elevated stage of consciousness or our sadhana, which is not so easy to perform because it does require a lot of purity in the heart.
Of course, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja he emphasized it from the very beginning, which is very proper. But because otherwise we will commit a lot of offenses and everything.
But at the same time the ability to enter into very deep and meaningful relationship Is not developed immediately.
The ability to even to uh uh you know live and work in a relationship with our spiritual master is not is not should not be taken for granted. It requires you know very humble ego.
And this humble ego, of course, will be mentioned in the next verse, in the last verse of this series. But again, just not to dwell on this verse because it's quite straightforward and simple.
Still I want to say that this is uh something which is uh which should not be taken for granted and uh which is um because again sometimes I s I hear this emphasis
uh in our preaching, relationship, relationship, relationship. And it's it's a good preaching, it's a proper preaching, but some people just cannot relate to relationship. They're just too selfish, they're too egocentric.
They just they just you know yeah relationship they don't know what to do, they don't know how to function in the relationship. It may not be so prominent in India, but it's very prominent in the West.
It's very prominent because people they have no relationship in the West. Hardly any. No family relationship, you know, they only have relationship with the computer.
That that's the only kind of relationship is still there, you know. You know, the husband is sitting in one room, the wife is sitting in another room and he's sending email to the wife.
So and she's replying back, you know, by email. You know, it's really people went too far and uh you know that they joined uh our society and you you know you emphasize
relationship and they don't know how to do this, and they develop relationship on Facebook, you know, so that's the relationship, I have so many friends on my Facebook, you know, nobody cares about you, but you know, you anyway,
so what I want to say, that Kapiladeva says that this is certain important instruction but it requires certain uh prerequisite uh purification of the heart and developing certain abilities within yourself.
Scriptural hearing for self-introspection
And the last verse is extremely important and extremely interesting for us. It's perhaps the most interesting in the whole of the series with a lot of implications for us.
Adhyatmika Anisravan, Namasam Kirtanachame, Arjavenaya Sangena, Nirahankriya Tattha. Again, all the words in this series of the verses they are in instrumental case in Sanskrit.
Basically, it means it's suddenness, it's different kinds of suddenness, the tools which you have to perform devotional service which will ultimately elevate your consciousness beyond the modes of material nature.
So the first thing I explained it the other day a couple of days back here in this college, Adhyatnika Anusravana, which at the first look seems to be a very simple instruction.
As I promised to you, Anu Sravan, Adyatmi Kausravannan. As I promised to you, Kapiladev at the end will say, you know, you listen, you hear. Hearing is important.
The instruction which we usually give the first, he gives one of one of the last ones, but Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura makes a very interesting point while uh explaining what is meant by this.
He says, you know, if you translate it in a very straightforward way, it basically means you hear about adhyma, about the soul. Just hear some spiritual topics more or less. And do it constantly, anusravanat.
But Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says no, this is not what it means. Because again, sometimes we do hear that just hear about Krishna, just hear about Krishna, just hear about Krishna.
And everything will happen miraculously. It's not. Because we may hear about Krishna and we may again imagine ourselves, you know, oh Krishna, oh Krishna is so nice, and I'm so nice, and we are so united with him.
He Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives a very stern interpretation of this instruction of Kapiladev because again it's the instruction on the level of Vaidi Sadhana Bhakti.
And he says, on the Vaid Sadhana Bhakti, Adhyatmika Anusravanam means you listen the scriptures how they describe your doshas and your gunas, your faults and your good qualities.
While listening the scriptures, while listening the words of our Shastra, we have to really see how it describes my own faults and my own good qualities.
In other words, the instruction here, very important instruction that we are listening anushravanam constantly for our introspection for self-introspection the purpose of listening is not just listening because sometimes we're listening and we are just, you know, it's the food for our false ego.
As I said, it can be the food for our false ego.
We're listening, yeah, no, I'm I'm very spiritual. I'm Kator Bhakta, very fixed up devotee. But he says, Adhyatmikanus Ramanan, you should listen and the goal, the purpose of your listening should be to understand how it describes the fault of my heart or of my mind.
Doṣa and guṇa. So specifically you shouldn't uh you know the the one implication of this instruction is that you shouldn't be too much in a hurry uh about listening about Krishna's līlās.
And Srila Prabhupada was very emphatic about this. He says, you know, yeah it's the most important but don't be too much in a hurry. Rāsa-līlā is for you, but not now. Just listen about your problems.
And specifically, it's also a very interesting point which Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura makes here. Uh he says that uh while listening you will He says that while listening, you will inevitably...
you will inevitably develop some dambha, dambha means pride, dambha means pretension. It's unfortunately a side effect of devotional service. In many cases, we become very proud.
I am such a great devotee I've been chanting this for 16 rounds without fail for five years and you know I'm so so really the best. I mean not the best but best. And of course deep in the heart I know I'm the best. You know everyone else is ah yeah oh yeah they're crying.
And at one point they will reach the stage which I am already now and so on and so forth.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says nāma-sāṅkīرتana-cchāyā, you chant in saṅkīrtana, but then the pride is there, dambha will be there. Dambha will be there. It will.
You know, because why the dambha will inevitably appear within our heart? Because there is so much glorification of devotional service in the scriptures. And because we are performing devotional service we naturally think
that the scriptures are talking about us. When the scriptures are glorifying devotional service, we naturally, in a very natural way we think, oh yeah, yeah, right, right, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, I am great. I am great.
Overcoming pride through simple association
So then therefore, Kapila-deva gives the next instruction. He says ārjavānurāgeṇa.
To avoid dambha, how to avoid dambha, how to avoid pride, how to avoid hypocrisy in our relationship towards devotional service. There is only one recipe. There is only one remedy for this. This is arya sangamena.
You should associate with ārja, how ārjavena you should be very simple with great high grade devotees. Ārya means they are very noble souls.
Those basically the instruction here to associate with the high class devotees in a very simple, unpretentious way. Don't try to show off how great you are. Just associate with them in a very humble and simple way.
Ārjava, Ārya-saṅgama and nirahaṅkriyā yathā. At the very end he says what you should do you should really work with your false ego. Nirahaṅkriyā tathā. That's the last instruction which basically brings us to the point
of tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mādanena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ and uh which again Manadana Kirtaniya Sadahari and uh which again in my humble opinion uh makes or describes the path of devotional service through the stage
of sādhana and bhajana-kriyā and anartha-nivṛtti.
Bringing us to the point of niṣṭhā, which is described in tṛṇād api su-nīcena verse, where the real taste for devotional service Pinisunichna verse, where the real taste for devotional service may manifest within our heart.
And from that stage on the practice of devotional service is very simple and joyful. Before that it may be somewhat troublesome because of the influence of material modes of nature.
Niṣṭhā basically means you are practically beyond the modes of material nature, almost beyond. You may be in the higher stages of sattva-guṇa, but because ruci already gives you the higher experience.
So so uh that's uh again uh basically uh what is
described in this verses and to finish it I will read the nineteenth verse, the the next verse, mad-dharmān mad-guṇān etān samāśu śraddhayā pumān samāpadyeta tat-kālam mayi bhaktir ajāyata. Retai Parisam Suda Asha Purushaya
Samāśu śraddhayā pumān samāpadyeta. He basically repeats the same thing which he said before while describing
the pure devotional soul as śruti-mātra-guṇa-guṇī-bhūtam. He repeats the same thing, śruti-mātra-guṇa-guṇī-bhūtam. You hear a little bit about the Lord. Just very little.
The example of this is about of course Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi and Mukunda and Gadādhara. You know, he hears just one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and he's in ecstasy. And we have heard this verse so many times and we never fainted, you know, somehow or other. Why?
Because because of this very point, that this is the stage of pure devotional service and we have we have to really uh understand what it means.
It means uh really Really beyond the modes of material nature means that you know we listen a little bit and
immediately our whole uh and the same Anjasa immediately our whole heart is just going and mat-dharman-gunair-etai, anyway basically, Kapiladeva repeats the same thing.
He says: you know, if you follow this practice in a very conscientious way, you will be able to reach these things. But don't be in a hurry because it will take a lot of time.
Please remember that Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī translates the word sahana means dhairya, means you have to tolerate, and Śrīla Prabhupāda specifically says it means that it will take a lot of time. It will not happen immediately, it's not something, it's not some instant
you know recipe you know instant uh coffee or whatever such you can do very quickly. It's an it's a very elevated stage of consciousness, the highest evolution of human consciousness.
And the practice is there it's available for us to do. We have just to know all these intricacies.
And again after that he will emphasize starting from the verse 21, the need uh to respect all living entities again and again and again, the same point.
Don't offend anyone, respect everyone according to his position, and that's basically it.
So that's what I wanted to tell you please forgive me for my imperfections and offenses and I hope it was proper. Thank you very much. We have a few minutes for questions. Yes. Yes, Madam.
We brought up this very important and important point of contemplating hearing. That means till now till you spoke That kind of hearing and so far I was saying just here. Just here everything will be taken care of.
Of course, it might have its own implications that some we need to do. But contemplating hearing will definitely give a lot of risk.
While you are doing this contemplation on your own, you know where you are, and you are situated somewhere here, down now, and you actually speak about it behind like that.
But the problem in the devotional society is that people are too eager to elevate you. How do we deal with that? Don't take it seriously. What else can we say? Just say who you are. Therefore it says arjava.
You should be very kind of unpretentious. You should be very simple and straightforward. And um, you know, because, of course, the uh false ego will very happily, will very happily try to appropriate all the praises.
Yeah, yeah, right, right. Finally somebody recognized me. Or whatever. But uh, you know, that that's why, anuśravena, uh, we have to constantly hear about our faults. Not just once in a while.
We have to hear it again and again and again and again and again and again, contemplate about the problems which are there. And as Prabhupada said, you know until you have this material body you will have problems.
The karma will be there within the body and the mind. Some lust will be there and pride will be there and greed will be there.
So therefore, this medicine of hearing properly with the introspection and contemplation is completely very important, otherwise the disease will be aggravated through the practice of devotional service.
Therefore, you know it's it's not just listening, it's ādhyātmikānuśravanam.
And basically what Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wants to say is that ādhyātmika here doesn't mean about the soul, spirit; ādhyātmika means about you.
Anuśravana, anuśravanena, you anuśravana ādhyātmikānuśravanam: you listen as if it is directly spoken about you.
Which is the notion described in svādhyāya. Words which we know studying the scriptures, but Svadhyaya literally means self-introspection. We study the scripture, what is the purpose of it?
To introspect, to see what's going on within our heart. Yes, dāsa. Your observation is very perfect when you said that the increase in ahaṁkāra is a side effect of bhakti. It's very profound the statement you have made.
When we are expecting that it will be otherwise now.
But nonetheless observation around in the society confirms your statement as being true. And that's all often to be seen within ourselves and people around us. Now, where does this come from?
Because uh is it it is just as you said bringing name, is it just the uh you're thinking thing is not proper, is that the only reason or why does see why does it seem to happen so also so frequently?
Yes, see we are fruiting by nature and uh ahaṅkāra is the and as I said ahaṅkāra is a very special thing, you know you are as a doctor know that some organs in us they can grow uh even if we cut part of it they can grow into full extent, you know you can grow uh you know you can cut two thirds of your liver and it will grow to full liver after some time.
You know ahaṅkāra is such an organ that if you cut it ninety-nine point nine percent, it will still grow to the full extent. Hundred percent of some time, even if even if a little trace of it is left.
So that's how it works.
That's you know you you may be very humble, you know, up to the one point you know zero point one percent but still you know after some time and very quickly too not like liver you know liver requires two three years ahaṅkāra can grow overnight. So uh basically why does it so?
Because uh it gives us some pleasure and because we're liking some uh pleasure or some experience, some pleasurable experience, we try to uh substitute uh unconsciously substitute this sort of lacking which we may have.
Instead of looking for the pleasure where it really is, for Anant, for the bliss where it really is, we are trying to substitute it with a very nasty thing.
And therefore in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa one of the last verses is that Swapratishtha it deals with everything. It deals with practically every possible aspect of our sadhana.
And then the very last verse it is said, or one of the very last verses it is said there that you know you may do this but please do remember that svapratiṣṭhā or pratiṣṭhā-āśā the desire for name and fame.
It's still there and it's a very dirty thing, and it's like Sukarera Vishta, it's the stool of the hog. And don't touch it, you know, don't come close to it. So basically again the same meaning is there.
We may do a lot of things, but still some of this svapratiṣṭhā pratiṣṭhā will remain there and if we touch it ourselves, if we you know kind of allow ourselves to associate with it.
It maybe they are lying, you know, like the stool of the hog, maybe they are lying and you're carefully avoiding it.
But as soon as you touch it within yourselves, as soon as you kind of uh identify yourself with the stool of the hog, party wolf, you know, all your sudden goes to drain.
It's in the in the eyes of the Lord it's not so important. Therefore, you know, we have to remind ourselves again and again and again that this is stool of the hulk. And we have a lot of this stool of the hulk within us.
A lot of this valuable stool which we accumulated. Maharaj of this uh twenty-nine point fifteen we you nicely explained how it is so important for us to just do our duty.
Whether we are brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, whatever is our propensity, according to that we do it, which is glorious.
So and we see outside in the material world Maharaj that you know uh people who are doing a particular type of work are given a certain amount of status as compared to others who are doing a so-called materially lower quality of work, let's say in a company, you have a managing director.
So, you know, he has a huge big office and he has a board outside, saying managing director. Whereas, you know, a person who's working in a factory, you know, he may not have even a place to sit.
So that sort of a distinction is there out in the material world.
But and sometimes we see that same thing is also coming into our society, although we have this understanding that at the end of the day, you know, whether he is a temple president or whether he's a person who is washing the toilet, you know, from a spiritual point of view and from Krishna's perspective, you know, they are the same.
So my question Maharaj is uh that in spite of so much understanding you know of the philosophy and as Kapila Purāṇa is explaining over here, still we also fall into the same trap and you know we have like the temple president who will wear a particular dress or you know in silk clothes or you know we'll have the temple president having a beautiful office with his name outside and so on and so forth.
So so that also suddenly plays into our consciousness saying that I am having this particular position compared to a and from the outside world also the same thing happens that a person who is coming into the temple, he automatically gives a higher position to a person who is a temple president as compared to a person who is just washing vessels.
So you can see it very clearly during Kumbamella, you know people are very particular who will take snāna first. And if you if you happen to be not in order according to the your level of advancement so people are extremely particular about this.
Thank you for this question. I'm thinking a lot about this question because I was recently and I'm still reading a very interesting book about the culture, how the culture and organizations develops.
And in this book, it is said that you have to analyze the culture on three levels. One is the level of artifact, something which you can see.
Another one is the level of proclaimed or the the values which people speak about. And another one is the attitudes which are much deeper.
So and the author uh he explains that unless you understand the whole three levels you will not be able to figure out what's really going on in this particular group or organization because the proclaimed values may be a different set than the real values which are there within our heart and the attitudes.
And his basic advice is that if you really want to develop the proper culture you have to put it in a proper perspective so that the proclaimed values are not really different than the real attitudes within the heart.
And that is reflected in the artifacts, as you said: the plagues and the dress and the you know sitting place and so on so forth.
So the and uh uh and it's a very difficult thing because in the material society and even in Varnashrama society the hierarchy will be somewhat external. society the hierarchy will be somewhat external.
You will give bigger respect or higher respect according to the external things. In the society of devotees, the real hierarchy is according to the level of his bhakti or his love, which is very difficult to recognize.
Therefore Bhaktivinoda says yes we externally we accept some some sort of external hierarchy. He has been in the movement for so long, therefore, a bigger amount of respect is given to him.
But at the same time, internally, we have to try to develop the proper vision and you know to to give the real respect to somebody who has real bhakti even though he may not be so externally rewarded, so to speak.
So, first of all, we definitely have to reward people according to their real qualities and our system of values. Our reward system or punishment system should be according to this.
But at the same time, as far as our personal that that's on a system of organization. As far as the organization is concerned, we have to be very conscientious. What do we reward?
Braj Bihari Prabhu once told a very beautiful story.
He said when he first became Braj Bihari from Washington DC, when he first became the temple president it was during the marathon and of course the talk is always uh as always in our temples is about cooperation but what he saw uh in uh in reality uh everyone was competing with each other, up to the point that they were putting some sugar into the into the you know, into the cars uh where the petrol is and you know so that others would not be uh would not distribute so many books or just you know uh boom anyway so so many things he noticed uh and then he realized that the reward was that one who distributes the most books will go to India for vacations for two months, and therefore the race was there. So he thought a little bit about this and and then uh he came and he you know
called everyone and he said we all go to India if we distribute hundred and fifty thousand books that will be the reward of the uh the whole temple, everyone who is there in the temple will go no matter what if we distribute so many books.
And all of a sudden the whole modus operandi changed and nobody would put sugar anymore into the you know this.
So first of all on the level of organization we definitely have to be very careful what our you know proclaimed values and the reward and punishment system.
At the same time, in our dealings, we have to give the external respect to people who are in a higher position that's necessary to keep the peace and the proper functioning of the society because in the society it's inevitable.
There's nothing wrong with it. But at the same time we also have to develop the vision how to recognize the real qualities of devotion within and relate with others according to this scale as well.
So that's what I can say. I I'm afraid that I'm already 10 minutes late, so I don't really know. I can take this one question. Can you please choose the questi But
sometimes when we are conducting sevā, as regular sevā, it is notice that sometimes your physically is contained and happy. Sometimes totally disturbed. We have not made any mistake, but totally disturbed.
Sometimes in between. So this absorption keeps on changing. Now even the Kapurav says to his mother that my devotees are so much absorbed in the devotional service even they don't think of any other thing.
So how to get this, how to achieve this absorption? I spoke about this the whole lecture. That was the topic.
How to get this absorption because now we're absorbed in our mind. And because material mind is always fluctuating, then we are deriving sometimes happiness, sometimes distress from the emotional service.
But the point is that we have to gain this absorption and basically all these instructions are to get to this level and that's what I was trying to explain. Last question. Yeah. Yes.
Pray for children devotional life while performing devotional service. So in which mode this devotional service comes? And should we leave it on God or should we pray for our children's devotional life?
Ah so if if you really want that your children will become devotees and you try to force them a little bit. Encourage them. So which more do we can stay? So it's a fruit of the activity.
Yeah, there is nothing wrong in having this desire. It's just you shouldn't be too attached to this desire and too attached to the result.
If this desire is not fulfilled somehow or other, you should not be too much disappointed. The desire itself is not wrong because it's it's a good desire, it's a devotional desire. Naturally we want others to be devotees.
What's wrong with it?
But uh if we become too attached uh to uh our uh that that our children and and become angry uh or uh you know then that's definitely you know this desire in itself may be in the modes of nature it may be transcendental totally transcendental desire I just want uh that Krishna gets more pleasure from this particular soul and he serves the Krishna as transcendental.
If you desire this because you know that your child will help you to get liberation as usually in India you know if the child is doing something good it will
be good for me that maybe sattva-guṇa, if if you're attached to your position in the society to say, you know, my child is the best and your child is such a nonsense, that may be rajo-guṇa and so on and so forth.
So uh uh so in itself this desire is not bad. Uh just uh see what what you want to gain from this desire when it is fulfilled. And ultimately our gain should be only one that the Lord is pleased.
Pleased with me and pleased with my child which is the best the best desire which I may have. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for this amazing talk.
More than a talk, it was a I guess I felt it was a very serious surgery that you give. And thank you for this.
And I'm sure all of us uh felt the same because uh anaesthetic surgery we all got very deeply uh brought uh so uh we thank Maharaj and
we go on for the next uh session uh discussion uh two uh yesterday's discussion that we had about the EC B about the discussion that they had with your maybe I thought we could just stand up and extend ourselves for the next two minutes and oh yeah yeah who's who is living with us very good very good because his mother tongue is here.
Very good very good and very happy. Very happy. Thank you very well. So tomorrow you want that meeting to Bombay, right? Yeah. Sunday. Lecture is at one o'clock. It'll take around two and a half hours. 9.30 is okay with you.
Thank you so much for that. Thank you. When will you come? When will you come to Russia? We have some development, something is going on.
I'll meet you more of us today. I'll meet you in your room. And today and tomorrow I'm here, so we'll find some time. Sure. Thank you. Deep deep analysis. Krishna Prabhu. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, Krishna Prabhu. So happy to see you. Thank you so much. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you very much. Nice. Thank you. There is your service going on in Bhaktivedanta Hospital.
Yes, yeah, just uh under the guidance of Vaishnavas trying to put things as it is required to take care of the patient's body, mind and soul and uh things are working out. Patients are appreciating our uh attempts to take care of them as a whole unit management.
Thank you. Yeah, I see a lot of people. A lot. I I was there on the way here. I may go there tomorrow as well. On the way back because I'm going to Chopati.
You'll be there for uh for class, yeah I yeah I will give classy tomorrow tomorrow Sunday. Yes sir. Once I met along with Janak Prabhu in the Rabbi. Yes, yes, yes, yes, I remember. My name is Paramas Das.
I just wanted to ask one thing. uh Lord, you know, dasya. Uh-huh. There is there is group active. They it is called the website name is Sirius. Sirius-Eng.net. I don't know. I don't know, this is good. Ascended what?
Ascended Masters Messages. There's no messenger, she's supposed, she's getting you know, she's able to connect to the higher Channel Channel. Channel something like that.
And I have no idea because plenty of these people don't know about that. Thank you all. Nanda Prabhu. Thank you very much. Always such a pleasure to hear from you. I owe my life to you. And we are the servants.
The thing is there is so much of description of glories of devotional service and all the devotees get attracted. That's how they follow the path. Yeah.
But uh gradually we realize that although we are practicing devotion, devotion is the perfect path. But due to influence of modes of material nature, it doesn't work out. Because we are not practicing it.
perfectly. The point is that we we have to do it. You know, and a as soon as you start doing it perfectly you will feel the results. Otherwise the results will not be there, that's the point. And it's it's a science.
That's what I was trying to say. So should should the society not evolve this sort of uh education system? Yeah, definitely, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely.
It has to yeah it has to come with this system because we are too mechanical and too we're taking devotional service for granted. That's what that's what I wanted to say. That was the main message.
We're just taking it too cheaply for granted. That I am engaged in devotion, so it's fine. I'm already there. I'm not there. I know within a year I could learn Bhagavad-gītā and could preach, could be a preaching is simple.
It's fun. Suddenly I become preacher, I get recognized, I get you know, but the internal purification has not taken place. Yeah, because because of this, because of these imperfections.
That's why that's that was exactly my point of what I was trying to explain, that we shouldn't take it for granted that we are engaged in pure devotional service.
be uh a system of evaluation and training absolutely for qualitative qualitative development of self-evaluation definitely, definitely. Thank you, Paramātmā. Mahaprabhu Prabhu. You wanted to come to Russia? Yeah.
You still want? I will be happy to come. Uh, of course it should be summer. Now it's already quite cold. At that time. Give me give me your uh passport copy and we can arrange. How long you are here? I'm here.
And tomorrow I will go to uh to Sochi. I'm here I'm here till 24th. Hare Krishna Hare Keshava. Thank you. So every time you come you make us uh realize our situation, where we are. It's my situation I'm describing.
Last year last time you came here, So you you said nothing is going to happen naturally, you have to put your efforts.
It's natural, but you still have to put efforts. Natural because it's according to the nature of the soul but otherwise.