Q&A session

0:00Jai Shri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhupita Nanda Sjadvaita Gdata Rasivasadhi Gaura Bhakta Vrinda, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Harehare Hari Rama Hari Rama Rama Ramama Hare Hari Ntak Pravishi Mamma Vachimamam Prasupta Sanji Vaya takila shakti darakswadamna nyam shahasta charana shravanatu gadam, prananda mwama gavate purushaya to gym svasastu Vishwasi Kalah Pasidatam de and Bhutani Shivam Mithudiya Manaschavadram Bajatata Dakshaja Hadesitam Namati Rapya Hay to Kim all right, Hare Krishna.

0:43Recording in progress. Yes. I'm very happy to know that you are here. I cannot say that I see all of you. It's 60 participants, my goodness. Okay. But I see Lakshmimoni, my humble obeisances to her.

1:09All right, so I'm ready to we don't have so much time, but we have at least 35, 40 minutes so we can start. Yes, yes, Rupanuga. Prabhu. I guess I guess tawaraj tawaj. Happy to sit to you, Rakishna. Yes. Maharaj, my question.

1:37My question is related to chanting. Hope you can hear me, Maharaj, clearly.

Meaning of Rama in mantra chanting

1:42Yes, very clearly. Good. So my question is related to the Jappa.

1:49We chant and we hear like there's a consciousness with which like we chant, we approach or we mean holy name. And Prabhupada mentions like how do we address Hare and how do we address Krishna and how do we address specially Rama.

2:09So, like now according to the different relation, different rasas, the devotee approaches the holy name differently.

2:20Like we hear about the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, Bhakti Samsw Thakur, like we we approach Rama as a Radha Madhu or Radharaman, like it's a total Radha Krishna.

2:33And if someone is in in a relation or want to approach Supreme Lord in a more of a friendship relationship Maharaj, so then the mantra nature or the name or the meaning of the mantra would be different Maharaj or according to the different rasas it will be different because it's a name which is living, like it's existing, it's uh like you are talking to someone. I hope you got my question, Maharaj.

3:01Yeah. You're exactly right.

3:03Um you know Krishna and Krishna's names are the same, and uh he has so many different dimensions and he reciprocates accordingly as he himself says, Yayathamamprapayan tetam statanya bhajanyaham.

3:23So if you mean uh by Rama Balaram, that's fine. Krishna accepts this and he will reciprocate with you accordingly. So that's why mantra is how shall I say this? It's it's a subject of your it's

3:52not like a fixed sentence in Sanskrit. It has many dimensions and therefore many different people can use mantra according to their nature.

4:07And for some some people say that Rama is Ram, is Lord Ram. So you know whatever you whatever meaning you invest into mantra Krishna will reciprocate, but we have the particular concept which is transmitted within our sampradaya.

4:28And in a sampradaya, it's of course by Rama, we mean Radharaman. So if we strictly follow Sampradaya, the school of thought, then this should be the meaning which we invest in mantra.

4:47But again as you said within our sampradaya there is a room for sakiras and in this case the meaning may be changed. Yes. Who is next? Somebody should Ramananda. Yeah, Ramananda Prabhu.

5:13Oh, Hare Krishna Maharaj, please have my humble obeisances. Hare Krishna Maharaj, I have four questions. How many can I ask? Somebody tells me one. Radha Pramot tells me one. But you can start with one. Okay.

Stages of spiritual realization

5:31Alright, so I'll ask my first question.

5:33So as far as Brahman Paramatma Bhagavan realization, but devotees that I have asked, every single one says that you don't have to go through different stages of realizations that when you realize Brahman, I'm sorry Bhagavan, then you it's just like the sun. You see the sun, yourself, everything else. It just pops out.

6:02So my speculation is that no, it's more like the dawn gradually rising and then the sun pops out.

6:11Just like you realize all everyone is spiritual, everything is spiritual. You realize the Lord's in everyone's heart, and then gradually then you can see the Lord with your own eyes.

6:23And the uh proof is uh in uh Lord Kapila's teaching in the third canto where he says that uh if you perform deity worship but don't see the Lord everywhere and in everyone then it's like pouring ghee on ashes.

6:38So please It's not the only proof. I completely agree with your understanding that in our spiritual development we have to realize at least to a certain extent the unity of all things, which is Brahman.

6:58Without realizing this, it's very difficult to approach Bhagavān. And uh the main proof uh in my humble opinion uh is well it's not my opinion, the main proof is the teachings of Lord Chaitanya to Rūpa Gosvāmī,

7:22where he explains this metaphor with bhaktilatā-bīj.

7:27And he says that bhaktilatā, while growing, first reaches Paravyoma, which is the realm of Brahman, then it reaches the planet of Vaikuṇṭha, and then it takes shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna Himself.

7:48So this realization of bhakti has to be gradual. We are approaching the Lord and you cannot really just,

8:00you know, mm jump to mm Bhagavān realization. Uh yeah uh it's it's it's a certain qualification you need to so I completely agree with your understanding. This is more correct. Wonderful. Thank you.

8:23Can I take two one more? Yes. Okay, so the jīva is sac-cid-ānanda. So, uh, which is synonymous with sandhinī, saṁvit, and hlādinī? There's no difference.

8:37But if there is a difference, would it be that the Sandinis, the Sunvid,

8:42and the hlādinī are different aspects of the svarūpa-śakti? Whereas sac-cid-ānanda is a minute portion belonging to the jīvas, just like you've got the ocean, the reservoir, and then you've got a drop. Or is that just speculation?

9:00No, it's not speculation, uh, it's, uh, sac-cid-ānanda means exactly this that you, because you are a minute, personal uh portion of the Lord, you have the uh the same spiritual composition, so to speak, or the same spiritual uh nature or structure.

9:23And some people say that it's only sat, uh, or sandhinī aspect which is fully developed in jīva, and saṁvit and hlādinī are in the process of making.

9:42But according to strictly, strictly quotations from śāstra, Sat-cit-ānanda is all right there in jīva. So the minute portions of these energies are there in jīva. Thank you Mariah.

10:00I still have two questions, but I'll wait. Okay.

Eternal relationship between Krishna and Arjuna

10:06Tomorrow or the day after, let's see if tomorrow I will be in the position. But anyway. Yes, Mr. Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj. I hope you are doing better. Please accept my humble obeisance.

10:23Thanks to you, I feel deeply inspired to read the Mahābhārata. So my question is related to this. After the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest by Agni deva, Indra agreed to grant Krishna and Arjuna a boon.

10:40So Arjuna asked for celestial weapons and Krishna asked that his friendship with Arjuna may last forever. Why did Krishna favor Arjuna, favor and love Arjuna so much among all the Pandavas?

10:55And does God love his devotees only because of Samhanadyan, our eternal relationship with him, or also because of our unique characteristics and personality, like uh sense of humor, uh gentle nature, bravery, artistic abilities, or are these all uh meaningless because uh it's just uh our material lives and our existence in the material world.

11:24It's not spiritual in nature. Thank you so much. No, of course Krishna and Arjuna they have eternal relationship and every living entity has unique eternal relationship with the Lord.

11:40And there are of course different degrees of closeness and somehow or other Lord likes Arjuna very much. And therefore, he says among uh among Pandavas, yeah. Dananjay. Yeah, I'm Dananjay. Yeah. So I am Arjuna.

12:07Why he likes well it's not a correct question because he likes that's He doesn't need uh any special reasons.

12:20Yes, because Arjuna is yeah, because of so many qualities which you mentioned and because this is a special, very special relationship which they have.

12:32And again, on a superficial level, because uh they are like uh of the same age so to speak. So they are more close.

12:47Like Yudhiṣṭhira he is older than Krishna, older than Krishna, and therefore the relationship are somewhat more distant with Yudhiṣṭhira. Even though Yudhiṣṭhira accepts Krishna as the Supreme Lord, still Krishna takes

13:06uh pays obeisances to use this term. Therefore, uh these formalities uh again on a superficial level do not allow uh the closeness. Whereas in Arjuna there is no this impediment in case of Arjuna.

13:26And also with us, does Krishna love us because just because of sambandha? Because we are a small spark of him or does he also see our personalities uh in this life? How we are?

13:42No, we are We're all unique, even though we're sparks.

13:57Study the reality, we can see that uh even though you know we uh uh tend to uh equate everyone like we tend to consider uh the universals like you know everyone is living entity or you know all the trees are trees and uh in reality, everything is unique.

14:29There is no such thing as a tree. Every tree is individual. In a tree, every leaf is individual. Even though they are similar but they are completely individual and

14:44and in the leaves the the little cells are also individuals. So even though we are all spiritual sparks, we're all unique. And this uniqueness is sometimes overlooked. It's typically Western kind of approach.

15:12In Western approach we tend to see through this principle of samanya, the universals. Everyone is like the same, all atoms are the same. Actually, every atom is unique.

15:33So that's the nature of reality and what to speak about the spirit souls. Spirit souls are also they're all unique and therefore they all have their unique relationship.

15:49And this is explained figuratively in Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where Krishna is sitting there in the center, and the cowherd boys are sitting in rows around him.

16:06But Krishna is looking directly into each and every one of them. And each and every one of them thinks that Krishna is looking at me only.

16:16And during Rāsa dance the same thing happens. You know, Krishna is dancing individually with every gopī in the Rasa dance and every Gopi thinks, you know, Krishna is only dancing with me.

16:31And So that's that's the beauty of Krishna. He can reciprocate with unlimited uh number of living entities in a very unique and individual way. Thank you so much for that. Yes.

16:57Manohar Krishna Prabhu is the next according to Zoom.

Identity of Srimati Radharani

17:03Hare Krishna, daṇḍavat praṇām. Hare Krishna, daṇḍavat praṇām to you. But Raj, I have a question.

17:14In this entire cosmic and ādhyātmika universe, universe, broadly things, everything is quite raised into two different entities that is Purusha and Prakriti.

17:28And Krishna is the only Purusha, and everything else comes under the prakriti.

17:35So when we see Radharani, how do we see Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī as so though she is a part and parcel of Krishna only, should we consider her as prakṛti or puruṣa? She is Krishna's energy.

17:52And being Krishna's energy, she belongs to this to the category of Shakti. So she's not Prakriti, you cannot say that she is Prakriti, because Prakriti means material energy.

18:10And this duality developed by Sāṅkhya philosophers, Prakriti and Purusha is specifically for this material creation where the living entity plays the role of Purusha and Prakriti is material nature.

18:29But Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī is not prakṛti, she is the origin of the origin of the origin of Prakriti. So she is the original energy of love, but she belongs to energy category, not not.

18:53Thank you, Mahārāja. But not prakriti by far. Okay, Mahārāja. Thank you. Yes. Śiva Kumar Prabhu. Śiva Kumar Prabhu.

19:20Mahārāja, one question I had, Mahārāja, of the three levels of realization, the Brahman, Paramātmā, and the Bhagavān.

19:28Our siddhānta is the Brahman realization is partial and then the full complete realization is Bhagavān, and in between is this Paramātmā.

19:39So I was just thinking, Mahārāja, when somebody is just satisfied with Brahman realization, he is just a spirit soul, but he is not a servant of Krishna. When he stops with peace.

19:57And I was just thinking, I am that point not only stops this realization of the observer, it should simply be the it was a simple maybe maybe you can switch off your camera. Your voice is breaking.

20:16Maybe you can switch off your camera. Because I didn't hear completely your uh question. Yes, Maharaj.

Limitations of halting at Brahman

20:26Yeah. Switch of your camera. Yes, Maharaj search. Is it better, Maharaj? It is better. Yeah, it is better.

20:35So I'll just asking as the uh three of the three levels of realization when somebody stops at realizing self as spirit soul and he does not want to go beyond the interpretation that he is servant of Krishna. So please.

21:10Yeah. Yeah, maybe you can type your question on the chat and I will read it. Yeah. Then Div Chantamani is there. I'm here. Very happy to see you in a good space. My question is not philosophical. Am I audible?

21:39Yes, you are audible. And uh um I just heard a bit of a class, my mom was listening in the morning, and you have mentioned there that people are struggling with anger control, and I relate it deeply.

21:57And you maybe might suggest me some practical steps

22:03or advice to manage because I get sometimes uncontrolled anger, which I regret later. I go and speak with people to whom I might say harsh words, and I don't really know what to do with this after so many years of practice.

22:23Again, so your question is how to deal with angry people or how to control your own anger. I didn't understand. My own. My own. I have a temper. Well, I'm sure I will not say anything new

22:46by answering your question, but the anger is a manifestation of our understanding that we are controllers. That everything. Unfulfilled desire, true. Yeah, unfulfilled desires ultimately, and you

23:08know this subconscious understanding that everything should be the way I want it to be, and everyone should be the way I want them to be. And things like this. We have expectations and even demands.

23:30So the only way ultimately to deal with this problem at the root is to say that I'm not the doer, I'm not the controller, ultimately, you know, Krishna is behind everything.

23:47Unless you see that Krishna is behind everything, you will be angry, and ultimately you will be angry at Krishna because it will never be the way you want it to be.

24:02It's always something different, and we become angry, and ultimately we're angry at Krishna.

24:13It's just today I started listening some fifth canto classes uh to meditate and in the very beginning Lord Brahmā comes to Priyavrata and he says you should not be angry at the fate. You should accept whatever you're supposed to do.

24:41You should accept the reality, uh, you should accept your fate because ultimately it's good for you. Uh, if this understanding is there that whatever is happening is good for us. Why are we angry?

24:56We are because we think that it's not the way we want and it's not it should be. So if we understand that it's the way it's the best way. And it should be like this, then the anger will be a little less.

25:18Just say Krishna is behind this. Understand this, logically fully get it, but in the moment it is really easier said than done.

25:32In the moment the all the uh intelligence is covered and uh memory is gone, and only thing that is there is this uh destruction power, destructive power that something is not as I need it to be.

25:54And Krishna himself says that you know that after anger, dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ from krodha from anger, samoha, uh, bewilderment or

26:17complete covering of consciousness takes place.

26:21So it's therefore when when you are angry it's too late and uh the chain reaction already started and you cannot stop it in between. Therefore, you have to work when you're not angry with your consciousness by explaining that you know everything is

26:48fine, everything it should be, and you know nah and um uh uh when the anger comes it's too late I agree with you.

27:04But the work should be done before that, to nip the root cause of anger, which is the desire to control things.

27:18I am not the controller. I am not the doer. I am not the main person. Everything should not be the way I want to be.

27:27So and start start doing it with the small things, then ultimately you will be able to do it in real-life situations. Thank you very much. This is very helpful. Next way.

28:01So there is this question from Sriv Kumar of the three levels of realization of absolute truths as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, one who chooses to stop with Brahman realization is considered to be partial or incomplete. That his realization is spirit-soul and not as a servant of Krishna.

28:27At this point, in sense, jīva not only chooses the realization of absolute truth to be limited but also his own self to be just spirit, soul and not more than that.

28:41Does that mean the scope of realization is limited not only on the absolute truth but also on the choice but also the choice is limited how we want to realize his own self. Yes, absolutely. Are we?

29:06No, that's something different. Yes, we are free and if we want to stop on this level, Krishna gives us the facilities for this, Krishna gives us the practices, Krishna sends the you know spiritual masters who teach you.

29:31There are so many Māyāvādīs who teach you that you are spirit soul and your spirit beyond matter. So that's definitely your choice.

29:52And if there is no association, most probably this is a very comfortable choice, just to be a spirit soul. It's very very comfortable choice. Uh yeah, what can I say? But you're free to choose. There is no doubt about it.

30:19And Krishna gives facilities for you to choose. So, how shall we do this? Shall we alternate? Because there are some questions on the internet. Hands.

Role of the observer position

30:34Then Tadas is next. And then Ramananda is and then we'll we'll ask this. Yeah. Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj. Yes. Hare Krishna. Yes, Hare Krishna. Happy, happy to see. Happy to see you. Yes.

30:50Um so my question is related to your um several of your lectures have heard you know about the position of witness like to witnessing uh um to witness what's happening around you, right?

31:05Not to not to be how to say not to be attached to your body, but somehow to disattach by witnessing what happening with your body and with your mind and such practice should help you to understand to get basically Viviana the chew on this this body, right?

31:25Yeah. Which I'm trying to do and actually it's quite uh interesting and uh I like it basically I like to do that that to be in that witnessing position. But uh the the what happening with me actually so um I

31:45I started to recognize that I have uh like enough will or power to witness like myself what's happening with me, but it in that witness opposition I do, not have enough strength to change something.

32:06Like for example, if my body is willing to do something, I'm witnessing that, but I do not change, like I do not, I do not even have um uh uh how to say I do not want to change anything what my body wants to do.

32:23Somehow it it happens that we live two separate lives, so like like roommates, my body's doing you know whatever he needs and I do whatever I need and somehow we try not to interact with each other, not to, you know, not to how to say not to gain each other way.

32:41Which I do not mind, but but then recently I was listening your

32:46other lecture on you know like on the crisis on spiritual path where you where you know compare the development of small child, you know, like through the stages and the development of uh uh devotee.

33:02And you mentioned that uh crisis of the spiritual path are very good and very welcome, you know.

33:09And there you said, you know, that if you uh not uh if you if you pass the uh crisis properly, then two outcomes there are you are become wholesome, which means that your inside and outside becomes the same, and then also uh you are become integrated into the devotees society, which means that you uh like to serve and so on, so on and so on.

33:40So from that I see that because I'm I'm quite enjoying living this you know like life when I'm not wholesome basically because my in i in how say internal myself and my body are kind of separate.

33:58So what I want to say, I see that somewhere I failed, you know, with that crisis in my life. And I do not know where. And I do not know what to do because you know uh from what I understand this is not right. Right?

34:17Will that price will that price come back again to me that I could you know like do it properly or what should I do? Okay.

34:25So what I will do because it's already seven thirty Indian time, I will answer your question and the question by Krishna Kamini. Long question. And please save other questions till tomorrow or the day after when we meet.

34:47So regarding your question, the Sakshibhav, the position of an observer, it is uh it is explained uh basically by Lord Krishna in the fifth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, where Krishna says that at one point the jīva who is living in this body with nine gates, is just absorbing what body is doing.

35:18The body is eating, the body is sleeping, the body is evacuating, and the jīva is just absorbing this.

35:28So this position of observer or witness or Śākṣī-bhāva, this is what they practice in mindful meditation also. This is more or less Buddhist sort of practice.

35:51You just observe what is going on, and you try to stay detached from it. But in our case, this is uh what shall I say?

36:11This is When you observe what is going on with the body, it basically gives you control over the body because only if you have the point of view outside, then only you get the instruments to control. To control your mind, to control your body.

36:45This position of observer or witness as you say, sakhsibh is not just to have fun and uh you know kind of uh look uh this crazy mind is doing his crazy things, you know. So nice. This is not for this purpose.

37:12The real purpose of being in this position is actually ultimately to gain control over what your body or your mind is doing.

37:26If if you see that the mind is doing something stupid, you should say, you know, my dear mind, you know this is not good. Uh I see please don't do it.

37:45It's like When a child is alone and nobody watches him, then the child will do all kinds of nonsense. Yes, exactly.

38:01But when the child knows that somebody is observing him, that somebody is witnessing him, as you say, or somebody is overseeing him, that he behaves nicely.

38:15So, this position of being an observer is only necessary to ultimately gain control over the mind and the body, not just to let them do whatever they like. So this is your next step.

38:34First you separate yourself but then try to also control your body and your mind by using this as an instrument. Okay, so I will only ask, uh answer another question, and we will have plenty of time to meet again.

Overcoming offensive tendencies through association

38:57I'm really sorry I was late today, but because Krishna Kamini wrote her question long back, I will answer it. My question is about how to overcome one's offensive nature.

39:13I have an example of one devotee who left his practice because he started to commit offenses.

39:22The interesting thing is that when an astrologer was checking his chart, he could see that he was a serious practitioner in his previous life. However, he left the practice because of serious offense.

39:41In this life, he had a chance to continue his spiritual path.

39:49And after meeting the devotees in this life, his practice also very quickly became intense with preaching and following everything, but within a few years offensive mood came back and he couldn't resist it.

40:08And now he came back to his material life with hate towards everything related to God in his heart. One his example, it seems to me impossible to overcome this situation.

40:30To really get back to spiritual path, is it truly so, or there is some solution to this kind of situations? Yeah, there is solution to this kind of situations, universal solution.

40:49You please save all your questions for tomorrow or the day after. Yes, we are conditioned. And yes, sometimes our conditioning is very very strong because we committed very serious things in our previous lives.

41:13And the only solution against uh all these problems which will be coming and which astrologers can see uh is uh uh the association. If we sincerely appreciate senior association, and if we strive and if we cherish,

41:41if we value association, then the offensive nature will be subdued. We all know when we deal with our peers or with somebody, then we may become a little negligent or contemptuous or familiar, uh, with

42:06them. But, uh, if we see somebody who is higher than us and we really appreciate his position uh then we try to behave nicely and we subdue our offensive nature. We become very respectful.

42:24So, I don't know exactly the details of the story of this particular devotee, but if he would be more conscious and in his interacting with at least with those more advanced devotees whom he met, he could have subdued his nature.

42:57And ultimately, we can overcome our nature. For that, the position of observer which was there before is asked the previous question by Tadas. You know, we can absorb the tendencies which are there.

43:18The offensive tendencies are very clear. And we have always to be in this neutral position in the sense that we are standing not within our mind.

43:33If we only trust our mind, then we're totally dependent on our karma, on our chart. But Shastra is there, and Senior Association is there.

43:49And this facility to observe the tendencies which we have and subdue these tendencies is also there.

43:57So if we want, we can subdue. But we want and, we need to desire strongly. And sometimes the nature is even stronger than our desire, but we can develop good spiritual desires by reading Shastra,

44:18by associating with devotees, especially more advanced devotees. But there is no other solution. If we only trust ourselves and if we become proud, then of course we will become offensive.

44:35But if we remain humble, then the humility which is coming in the association of devotees can subdue our offensive nature. There is no other solution. There is no other solution, there is no other solution.

44:56So again, I'm really sorry for all those who already have uh raised their hands, but we will have a chance to meet soon, maybe even tomorrow or the day, for sure the day after tomorrow. I'm not 100% sure about tomorrow.

45:15But now I I really have to go. It's late here. So again, thank you very much for everyone for taking part in this session. I'm surprised 75 people now here. Okay, thank you, Hare Kṛṣṇa.