Service Through Saṅkīrtana Yajña

Defining intelligence and spiritual focus

0:05in Hindi [Translated] Audio

0:11Prabhupāda: ….yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña, through that render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB 11.5.32kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁsāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadamyajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyairyajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

0:22In Vedic scriptures two words are often found. One is su-medhasa and the other is alpa-medhasa. The word medhā means brain substance. When there is more brain substance a person becomes intelligence.

0:45And if the brain substance is less then one becomes fool, ass. So two words; one is alpa-medhasa and the other is su-medhasa.

Limitations of demigod worship and material opulence

4:00It is there in the Bhagavad-gītā that one who worships the demigods by giving up the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tad bhavaty alpa-medhasa, he is alpa-medha, his brain substance is less.

6:19Just like you worship goddess Durgā. By worshiping Durgā you achieve material opulence. Dhanaṁ dehi, rūpavatī bhāryāṁ dehi, yaśoṁ dehi; give me wealth, give me beautiful wife, give me reputation, you receive these things.

6:22By worshiping Durgā you get fame, beautiful wife, wealth. Whatever is described in the śāstra is not imagination. It is fact. But this is for whom? It is for him whose medhā or intelligence is less.

6:27Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasa [Bg 7.23] Less intelligent because I have come to your house and you are serving respectfully and while leaving you have given me five thousand rupees also. BG 7.23

6:28You have done all that on this condition that the moment I step out of your house you will snatch away all these things from me. Now I am sitting in your house.

6:30You have collected five or ten thousand rupees and gave to me. But you have given with this condition that as soon as I am about to leave, you will snatch it away. If I take that money then am I not alpa-medhasa?

6:33Am I not a fool? You gave me money on the condition that when I leave you will take it away. So what is the use of taking such money? An intelligent man will say what I will do that money?

6:38If you are going to take it away when I leave then what is need of giving it to me? One who takes, he is alpa-medhasa.

6:40Similarly in this life I have got wealth, property, beautiful wife, but when I will give up this body everything will be taken away from me. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham The Supreme Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gītā.

6:42What is the meaning of mṛtyu or death? Death means whatever you have accomplished, whatever assets you have will be taken away. And you will be awarded another body.

6:45You cannot take with you all these wealth, property and so on. Whatever body you receive according to your karma you have to accept it and suffer the consequences.

6:47Therefore śāstra says…The Supreme Lord Himself said, to beg from the Supreme Lord the material opulence is for whom? antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām [Bg 7.23] All these opulences will be finished when the body is finished. BG 7.23

6:48You can take nothing with you. Therefore one who is hankering after these things he is called alpa-medhasa. And su-medhasa, what is his function?

6:51By developing our relationship with the Supreme Lord, by understanding the Supreme Lord, and by engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord, let us make out lives successful. That is called su-medhasa.

6:53The intelligent persons achieve so much benefit after quitting this body. What the benefit? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9] After giving up this body he will not accept another material body again. BG 4.9

6:56What happens to him? mām eti, [Bg 4.9] he goes back to Godhead. BG 4.9To go back to Godhead one receives a body similar to that of the Supreme Lord. Spiritual body.

Vishnu and incarnations for different ages

6:59Therefore all the śāstras have ascertained that your ultimate goal of life is Viṣṇu. The scriptures also state which incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead one should worship in each yuga.

Appearance and associates of Lord Chaitanya

13:29So for Kali-yuga this is mentioned. That kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ, [SB 11.5.32] the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa Himself has incarnated, and the complexion of His body is akṛṣṇa and not Kṛṣṇa. SB 11.5.32

13:35When Kṛṣṇa appeared, His body was blackish. But the Supreme Lord's incarnation in Kali-yuga, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but His bodily hue is akṛṣṇa. Akṛṣṇa means not blackish. It can be red, it can be white, it can be yellow.

13:46These are the different colors of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different yugas. When Garga Muni was preparing Kṛṣṇa's astrological chart, at that time he said like this.

13:51"O Nanda Mahārāja, this son of yours, He has previously, BG 10.34SB 10.8.13śuklo raktas tathā pītaidānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ

13:57This son of yours had previously appeared in red color in Satya-yuga, sometimes in white color, sometimes in yellow color. He had already incarnated like that before.

14:02But now this child who has come as your son, His complexion is blackish. So akṛṣṇa may mean red, or white, or yellow. But in Kali-yuga, this Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is yellow or golden.

14:11Therefore śāstra says, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ, He is none other than Kṛṣṇa, but His bodily complexion is akṛṣṇa or yellow. And sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam [SB 11.5.32] He is surrounded by His associates. SB 11.5.32

14:16Just like we sing the song, Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. They are all His associates. These topics are described in the eleventh canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

14:24What color in which yuga, what kind of bodily features, these are all described.

14:27So about Kali-yuga it is said that His color is akṛṣṇa, yellow and He will be surrounded by His associates. kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam [SB 11.5.32] And this form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ, this incarnation of the Supreme Lord will be served and worshiped by those who are intelligent, whose brain substance is plentiful through the performance of the congregational chanting of the holy name. SB 11.5.32

Simple worship and congregational chanting

14:30By installing the Deity forms of Nitāi and Gaura and performing kīrtana which you just saw, the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completed. It is so simple.

14:36Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nitāi-gaura, the Pañca-tattva, keep Their pitctures and perform kīrtana of Hare Kṛṣṇa along with all of your family members. That is service to the Supreme Lord. Not very difficult.

14:44Not difficult at all. Very simple. Keep Nitāi-Gaura's photo at home and there are family members. Sit down together and perform kīrtana just like these boys did. You served the Supreme Lord. No need of complication.

15:00Whether you build a temple or not, you make your house a temple. Those who have wealth they should utilise it all in the service of the Supreme Lord. But those who have nothing, for them what is the difficulty?

15:09Keep a pitcture of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the family members together sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the loss? And you attain the shelter of the Supreme Lord.

15:17Simply by this much action a person attains God. This is the advantage of Kali-yuga.

15:22Whether you can offer something to the Supreme Lord or not, He is neither a beggar nor is He poor, but out of love and devotion if someone offers Him something then the Lord eats.

15:25BG 9.26patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁyo me bhaktyā prayacchatitad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

15:28The rich man can offer so much to the Lord. But one who has nothing, a poor man, for him the Lord says, "Don't feel sad. Give me a leaf, leaf is available anywhere, and give Me a flower, tthat is also available.

15:36Give Me little water." Even the poorest man can collect all these things.

15:39Suppose a poor man comes to your house and says, "Sir, may I take a flower from your house?" "What will you do?" "I will offer it to God." You will say, "Yes, yes take it." Everyone will say like that.

15:42There is no such fool who would say "No." Of course there are such fools in Europe and America. There are many trees filled with fruits in their garden. They would rather let the fruits fall to the ground and rot.

15:50But if anyone asks for it, No. They say this is beauty. The fruits rot and dry in the sun, this is beauty. Anyway, BG 9.26patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁyo me bhaktyā prayacchatiAnyone can collect this.

16:07Keep Gaura-Nitāi's picture anywhere and whatever little you can collect, there is no need of education, the whole world is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They are not taught A.B.C.D. Simply by hearing the sound they chant.

16:15Now even the young boys have started clapping their hands. There is no difficulty at all. This is the practice of Kali-yuga. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. SB 11.5.32

16:26Those who are wise and intelligent they worship the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya through the process of saṅkīrtana-yajña. That's all. yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.

16:31Everyone of you can do this in your own house. To serve the Supreme Lord one should be careful not to commit any offense. While serving Kṛṣṇa there is consideration of offense. That is called sevāparādha.

16:42Whereas Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Jagannāthajī do not take any offense. You get as much benefit as you offer service to Them. So let us do some more kīrtana.