Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.10.6
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Лос-Анджелес · 2022
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Recitation and translation of verse six
Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva nuttamaṁ devīṁ sarasvīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet.
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavat-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. Bobinidus, Stam Sarvabu Tahridayam Unimanatos Meikishna.
So today we are reading verse number six from the tenth chapter of the third canto. The chapter is entitled Divisions of the creation. Tapasa edhamānā vidyā-vijñāna-balāṁś ca sambhāsā.
Tapasachy dhamena, tapasakja dhamena, vidya chatma samstaja, Vidya chatma samstajam, Vivridha Vignālo, Vivridhā Vigyanābalahanpayum Shambassa. Napatvajum Samambassa.
Tapasak jdimane, vidya chatma samstaja, Vivridhā Vigyanabal. Nyapatvayam Sambasa Hambassa
Tapasana by penance adhamana increasing vidhya by transcendental knowledge, by transcendental, cha also Atma Self Samstaya situated in the self, Vibridhan matured, Vignana, Vijnana, practical knowledge balaha power nyapada drink vayuma the wind Along with the water.
Translation and purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Long penance and transcendental knowledge of self-realization had matured Brahma in practical knowledge, and thus he drank the wind along with the water.
Brahma's struggle for existence is a personal example of a continued fight between the living entities in the material world and the illusory energy called Maya. Beginning from Brahma down to this age,
the living entities are struggling with the forces of material nature. By advanced knowledge in science and transcendental realization, one can try to control the material energy which works against our endeavors.
And in the modern age, advanced material scientific knowledge and penance have played very wonderful roles in controlling the powers of material energy.
Such control of the material energy, however, can be most successfully carried out if one is a soul surrendered unto the supreme personality of Godhead and carries out his order in the spirit of loving transcendental service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Tapasa Hyadhimaani Vidya chatmasamstaya viridha vijana balow nyapatvayum sahambasam.
Long penance and transcendental knowledge of self-realization had matured Brahma in practical knowledge and thus he drank the wind completely along with the water.
Dealing with material energy through Brahma's example
Nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine नमस्ते सरस्वती-देवे गौर-वाणी-प्रचारिणे । निर्विशेष-शून्यवाद-पाश्चात्य-देश-तारिणे ॥ वांछा-कल्पतरुभ्यश्च कृपा-सिन्धुभ्य एव च । पतितानां पावनेभ्यो वैष्नवेभ्यो नमो नमः ॥ vāñchā-kalpataru-bhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-n Nityānanda Śrī-advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Hare Pradishy Ma Spaceas to Vishwas Sikalah Prasida tam, dryandu bhutani sivam mitodiamana dramva jatata doksaj, ha vesietam no mati rapbya to ki. So we're reading the third canto, and actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives
the gist of the essence of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The meaning of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ultimately is how to deal with material energy.
That's the first problem which any living entity encounters when he comes to this material world. We are thrown into this ocean of material energy and we have no clue how to deal with it.
And as Prabhupada says, there is a continuous struggle for existence. There is a continuous struggle with the illusory energy of the Lord Maya.
And that's the first and the most fundamental problem which every one of us has to deal with and has to somehow rather by one means or another to solve.
So the natural tendency of living entities is to try to solve this problem by material means.
We are dealing with this huge and very fearsome material energy, and you know the natural idea which comes first in the mind is try to solve the material problems by material means.
By using the same material energy, including mind, which is a part of material energy, and by our beautiful mind which is given by God we will figure it out.
So that's exactly the mentality which is depicted here in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in case of Lord Brahmā. He was also bewildered.
As powerful as he was, as he is, with his four heads, he was trying with his four heads to figure out what to do with this material energy.
And he was diving deep and he was looking in all directions and that's why you know four heads appeared on his shoulders.
But despite four heads and great diving abilities, he couldn't really he couldn't really figure out what to do.
He was completely still bewildered and not only that, you know, he he understood at one point that the lotus flower upon which he was sitting started shaking.
That's again exactly the description of our situation in this material world. We are trying to figure something out. In the meantime, you know the earthquake is coming. Everything starts shaking.
And we don't know what to do, you know, anytime we can be thrown out from our beautiful lotus flower which we're sitting on, our position,
whatever it is, you know, sannyāsī, spiritual master, temple president, this is all our lotus flowers upon which we are sitting and at the same time trying to deal with this material energy onslaughts of material energy and you know all these shaky positions in this material world, what to do with this.
And we all now we all know the advice, the suggestion which is given to us by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the example of Lord Brahma.
Meditating on the Lord as true tapasya
Śrīla Prabhupāda says that here is Lord Brahmā showing his personal example what to do. You know, he has huge tasks at his hands to create the whole universe.
We have considerably smaller tasks in front of us to create little temple or to maintain little temple or whatever task may be or you know to at least to clean a little room which we're living in.
But no matter what task do we have in front of us, we uh have to follow Lord Brahmā's example if we want to be successful. Because even the little task which we have, we may be complete failure. Of us, but we will be a huge failure if we don't really
follow the example of Lord Brahma and ultimately the example of Lord Brahma which he shows is that before trying to solve material problems by material means, we have to concentrate on the source of this energy.
Before rushing into this struggle with the material energy, wrestling with material energy, boxing with the material energy, before being in a hurry to somehow or other find a solution by material means, we have to do tapa.
You know, this beautiful mantra was given to Lord Brahmā in the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, two syllables. And sometimes it's not very clear what kind of tapa Lord Brahma did.
Did he stand on one leg in this lotus flower and try to, like Hiraṇyakaśipu, by raising his hands? Create some tapa? No, but actually by tapa, it's a very important point to understand. What is tapa?
Tapa means meditation on the Lord. Tapa means devotional service. There is no other tapa. You know, the demoniac tapa, which Hiraṇyakaśipu did, is not what is being recommended by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tapa means uh dhyana.
Tapa means meditation on the Lord, as the Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā, Manmanā bhava mad-bhakto. That's the Tapa, that's the essence of tapa.
This is what we are supposed to do if we want to solve the material problems which we're facing, if we want to be victorious over the struggle for existence. There's only one means to do it, one proper means.
Plenty of improper means. No problem. The whole range of improper means are there. You can use any one of those.
But there's only one proper means of dealing with the material problems is to meditate upon the Lord, to really think about the Lord and invoke His mercy.
Purifying the mind to identify root causes
As it is depicted in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam while doing this, at one point, Lord Brahma could by this meditation, what is happening by this meditation our mind becomes more clear, more transparent. And we can see the material world and the problem which we are facing in a more clear way.
Because the main problem is not the The main problem is that our wrong way of seeing the problem. The problem can be solved.
There is no doubt about it, but because we are bewildered by māyā. We don't really see what is the problem.
You know, we're trying to solve not the problem which we are facing, but some after effect of this problem. That's what usually people do. You know, they have some headache. So that's the problem.
No, that's not the problem. That's a you know long after effect of the problem. The problem is much deeper.
And therefore, by trying to solve this uh immediate effect of something which is superficial, something which is on the surface, uh, without going to the root of the problem, we're not solving the problem.
This Albert Einstein said that this is the sheer sign of madness to think that you can solve the problem by remaining on the same level of mind which created this problem in the first place.
You know, the problem which we which you are facing is created by you, and you think that the mind which created this problem can solve this problem. No.
The mind will only exaggerate or will only you know make this problem even worse because this is the same mentality the same mentality created the problem so by trying to solve this problem with the same mentality you only create worse problem.
That's exactly what people are doing now. You know that they created this crisis with the climate in environmental crisis. So how we will solve this problem?
We will solve this problem by you know creating some means of you know material means which will actually worse than the problem.
That's exactly what this is the way of material energy, and this is exactly what Prahlāda Mahārāja is saying, that the people, you know, they're creating, they're Maharaj is saying, that the people, you know, they're creating, they're making the problem worse by trying to solve it.
It's better if they don't solve it, then try to solve it. You created this problem, so sit quiet and see what happens.
But if you try to solve it by material means the result will be exactly the opposite and that's uh that's what is going on and you know thz uh anyway, th there's no even need to give the examples of this. It's just going on and on and on this madness of this vicious circle of creating bigger and bigger problems by using material mind.
So tapa meditation on the Lord is the means to purify the mind.
Because only by pure mind when your mind is pure and transparent, you will be able to clearly see what is the real cause of all the problems which we are facing.
Only by this pure mind can you see the root cause of everything, and try to solve the real problem, not what you think is a problem.
So and that's what again is depicted in this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where Brahma's way of solving the problem is being described.
When he was first meditating on the Lord, and ultimately he could see the Lord very clearly. It is actually explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam then he had this huge task of creating the universe.
But because of the meditation of the Lord, he could in his mind first very clearly see what he is supposed to do. And then it becomes very easy.
You know, usually we rush into the into this trying to solve the problem at hands without first thinking about it.
So it is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam then that by meditation on the Lord you will understand everything very clearly within your mind and then doing it will become very easy. Doing it will become very natural and very spontaneous.
And Lord Brahma he was praying to to material energy to to creative energy of the Lord with the understanding that the Lord is behind this material energy.
You know again the main mistake which we always do is to deal with the energy without understanding who is the master of this energy, without trying to satisfy the master of the energy.
Therefore, Prabhupada, I mean it's an amazingly beautiful purport.
He says that yes, you can try to solve these problems by material science, by advancement in this material science, but ultimately you can only successfully solve the problems if you invoke the mercy of the Lord.
If you really call upon the Lord and meditate upon the Lord and that's the way of doing this.
Gaining practical knowledge through mantra and tapasya
Sometimes people, even devotees, unfortunately, without understanding this methodology described in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, even devotees don't see how to apply our you know very sublime and lofty philosophy in a practical life.
You know, ultimately, the philosophy which we are studying every day in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has to be applied in our day-to-day or even minute-to-minute life because it's practical.
And this is exactly what is said here, because it is said, tapasa kyadihamani na vidyaya, chatma samstaya. So what happened by his tapasa?
By the means of his tapasya or meditation on the Lord and by the increased meditation of the Lord, vidya, and by his concentration on mantra.
Whenever in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this word vidyā is concerned. Vidyā is usually, you know, usual translation of vidyā means knowledge. But more specific translation: what is meant by vidyā in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it's usually mantra.
So these two means are given by Lord Brahmā and his personal example, as Śrīla Prabhupāda says in this report, how to solve the problems first tapasya meditation on the Lord combined with the chanting of the mantra not just chanting of the mantra without meditating on the Lord.
These two things are together. Vidyā and tapasya will bring about ātma-saṁsthayā, they will bring about the us to be established in ātmā, in self-realization, they will help to understand who we really are.
You know, if we do these things. Tapasaṁhyadhīmani na vidyayā. You know, if we chant and try to meditate on the Lord, on His will, on His desire, on his presence in this material life.
Then, you know, and also of course ātma-saṁsthayā is also in instrumental case here. So ātma-saṁsthayā here is also the means to solve the problem.
But as a result of it, the result of tapasya, the result of chanting mantra, and the result of also being established in our spiritual original spiritual position. What is the result? Vivrida Vijnana Balaha.
Vivrida Vijana Balagha literally means that our strengths to solve practical problems will increase. Vivrida means increase, Vijana means practical knowledge as Prabhupada translates and Bala means the strengths.
Our ability, our ability to understand how to solve the practical problems of our life will be increasing, increasing and increasing.
Not just, you know, again, sometimes even devotees think that this is something impractical. You know, that there is my practical life and I have to study Carmi books on management. I'm myself of this kind of person.
I remember that time when it was very fashionable in ISKCON to study Stephen Covey book. And I was also teaching this Stephen Covey book. Seven habits of the most effective people or whatever it is. So that may be okay.
But ultimately we have to understand that the ultimate solution is to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and apply Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Apply the methodology of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And the methodology of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is again very simple.
Tapasa vidya means chanting of the mantra and atma samstaya when we are understanding that there is God and I'm little tiny soul which needs to be connected with the Lord, and by means of this meditation,
I'm trying to connect with the Lord, and that will give us the increased vijana practical understanding and bala, the ability to deal with the difficult problems of our life.
And we can see on this example of Lord Brahmā that his ability of solving the problems become immensely increased because you know the problem is described in the previous verse.
The problem was that the powerful wind started blowing and
this powerful wind agitated the waters of the solution which were there and actually even before Lord Brahma started creating the universe, the universe, everything was threatened to be destroyed.
It is said that this energy of the solution was there in the waters and in the wind.
All these elements, very powerful elements which we have to deal on a daily basis, you know, sometimes you are living here in America sometimes some uh hurricane is coming and it's it's usually called by very beautiful uh uh feminine name hurricane Maria or whatever, this huge stuff is coming.
So, and how to deal with this, you know. But Lord Brahmā was in this fix in this dilemma.
You know, I'm supposed to create this universe, but before I create this universe, you know, this powerful wind and the water will destroy everything even before I start creating something.
But in this verse it is said, but you know, when this problem came, because of his increased knowledge, he just drank both water and the uh the hurricane which we which came.
Can you imagine you know if you by intense meditation on Lord Krishna obtain the same power, you know, the hurricane comes and you just, you know, you open your mouth and you say, and that's it, the problem is solved. No no no hurricane anymore, everything is fine.
Everything is calm and peaceful. That's exactly what Lord Brahmā did. He just that's it. Now we can peacefully create the universe according to the order.
So again, what I want to say is that Śrīla Prabhupāda is beautifully describing the very essence of the third canto. If we want to understand the third canto, it's just enough to understand this one purp.
Because again the meaning of third canto is how to really live within this world which is full of problems and how to do it by meditating on the Lord. How to do it properly by the proper, again, proper meditation on the Lord.
It's a scientific process. It may not be that easy as I'm trying to describe here. But therefore uh liberation is there. The whole sixth canto elaborately describes this, but that's the essence.
And the mistake which we can do is to try to deal with the material energy separately from the Lord of the material energy.
If we're trying to deal with the material energy without dealing with the Lord, without trying to please the master of the material energy, then we will be a failure. You know, we may be successful for some time.
Like some people, they may, you know, they may feel very proud, oh I'm so successful in dealing with this material energy. I achieve so much, this much and that much.
And all these useless Hare Krishna, they are just, you know, they are just escapists, they're trying to escape from the problems. No. Yeah that's a fact.
The true purpose of the devotional movement
Sometimes we do try to escape from the problems by living in our little room in the brahmacārī-āśrama. But uh that's not the purpose of Hare Krishna movement.
That's not the purpose of um of Hare Krishna temple and uh uh Hare Krishna Ashrams.
The purpose of this glorious establishment is to teach us how to solve the problems in a proper way and to teach others to help us to understand this, our self-supply in our life and to teach others how to solve these problems.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda, that's what he did. He was not creating this movement for some, you know, misfits who are just trying to hide from the material energy. No, he created this movement.
He wanted to create superhumans who like Lord Brahmā can just you know in one gulp solve the problem
you know because of this increase of vijñāna vivṛddha vijñāna-balaḥ increase of bala, increase of practical ability in this life. And that's what we're supposed to do here.
That's the task which we're supposed to deal, whereas in reality unfortunately it doesn't work all the time.
But nevertheless, as Prabhupada says, Lord Brahma is showing us practical example and we should try to follow his practical example how to properly struggle with the forces of material nature and how to ultimately become victorious.
Because again, any other means of trying to solve material problems will end up in complete failure. You know, Parabhava Stavat Abodha Jata.
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva in the fifth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he says that everyone is born in ignorance, and because everyone is born in ignorance, everyone ends up in complete parabhava. Parabhava means defeat.
The ultimate result of everyone's life, unless we are enlightened by this philosophy, the ultimate result of everyone's life is parabhava, defeat, failure, total failure.
You know, you may be very successful for some time,
but then ultimately you know the inglorious death will come, as as in the case of Hiraṇyākṣa, who was also very successful, extremely successful, in trying to conquer our material energy. He failed.
And the lesson of this verse and the whole third canto and this particular chapter or section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is: if we want to be successful, we should really learn how to solve the problems of our life by meditating on the Lord, by praying to the Lord, and by invoking His ultimate pleasure and mercy.
That's that's it.
Surrendering to Krishna versus material solutions
Thank you very much, Hare Krishna. Thank you for a very wonderful question. I just wanted to get clarification on something.
So say we adopt the correct methodology of trying to solve the problems, surrendering to Krishna, but is it that we can expect that the problem will be solved on a material level or say I have a financial problem.
I'm a devotee, I have a financial problem.
Well, somebody else and they decide, okay, how do you have to—I'm not going to try to just work harder, I'm going to try to connect with Krishna to solve this financial problem. Is it reasonable, is it philosophically correct to think that my financial problem
would be solved as a result of surrendering Krishna or as a health problem? Is it philosophically correct to think that my health problem will be solved as a result of?
If so, what is the meaning of that verse in the tenth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?
Which suggests that we just have to tolerate. Uh you know problems don't get solved on the material level. They just continue on, but uh the the the the ultimate solution is that we just we're elevated to a higher state of spiritual consciousness and we're able to see things in the proper perspective, but the problems are still there.
I would say that both things are correct.
The problems, you know, this we're living in a very problematic world, the problems will continue, there's no doubt about it. Uh, there is no end of material problems, that's the way of this world. Uh, and by surrendering to the Lord, we definitely acquire, we become more equipped to deal with these problems internally in the sense that these problems will not throw out us out of balance,
that these problems will not be exaggerated, as usually people do. They have little problems and in their mind it becomes total, complete monster.
You know, they instead of solving the problems, they exaggerate the problems and the problem becomes even more huge than it usually is.
Definitely this we should expect, and that's the most important way of dealing with the problems.
But at the same time, by surrendering to the Lord, first of all, we acquire different consciousness, which helps us to see the problem more clearly and to try to find the solution.
Because surrendering to the Lord doesn't mean that we become really passive and you
know, I'm just surrendered to the Lord, and, yeah, yeah, I'm here, yes, yes. Uh, it gives us, uh, also some, uh, more clear understanding how to deal with the problem and it gives us more strength how to deal with the problem and it may also solve the problem.
So I wouldn't separate this completely.
I think that these both things are together, because, uh, you know, acquiring a more clear consciousness uh we also become better equipped in uh in finding the proper solution to the problem.
Without any other miraculously, without any other, our, you know involvement. No. But, you know, as human beings, naturally we have the tendency, you know, we have a problem at hand, health problem.
So we have to deal with this problem. Surrendering is first the most important step in dealing with the problem, but it's not the last step. By surrendering, we also can understand how to deal with this problem properly.
The personal example of Srila Prabhupada
Or, you know, if we understand that this is, like, for example, Maharaja Pariksit. Maharaja Pariksit, he, you know, he was dealing with the problems very valiantly, in a very heroic way, but then, at one point, you know, he understood the Lord wants me to do something else, just to surrender to Him and not to deal with the problem of Takshaka the snake. You know, so it really depends. But you know, oftentimes we have to deal with the problem at hand and that will help. Yeah.
Thank you very much for very nice class. I think on this particular point we have we have an example of that of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Yeah.
You know, the course of his life, you know, he was a young man, you know, he he lost everything. Uh you know, he kept endeavoring, endeavoring, he planned to sannyas, got gored by a bull, almost died.
Never forgot the instruction of his spiritual master, and by that principle alone, I think he was successful because he came to America on the way to America, had two heart attacks.
When he landed in New York, it was the coldest winter storm in the history of that particular part of the country. And Prabhupāda came with just a little coat and these little Indian shoes.
The amount of suffering and uh pain that Prabhupāda went through in order to accomplish his particular goal is a it's the a uniqueness of a surrendered soul.
And even if we take a margin of that, not not necessarily the whole the whole thing, but if you just take a piece of that in terms of our life, we can become successful.
So Srila Prabhupada set the example of what it means in this material role of a devotee who is absorbed in tapasya as you were speaking.
And the result of that tapasya was that even after Prabhupāda became quote successful in terms of where he was previously. He never ever forgot what his mission was.
You know, sometimes Prabhupāda would say, you0 we have so many centers, and in each center there's so many devotees, and in each center, lots and lakhs of Lakṣmī is being utilized to spread the Krishna conscious movement.
Never did Prabhupāda ever become over-enamored by that or even by his so-called success. He just simply focused on maintaining his tapasya, his goal of becoming, you know, going home back to Godhead.
And he never, he never deviated and he was fully absorbed in the instruction of the guru.
So, an example for us would be to take the example of our guru, uh, try to focus our our life on that particular instruction and we will be successful. It doesn't mean you're not going to suffer.
It doesn't mean that sometimes you're going to be so poor you're not going to be able to even, you know, maybe even eat for that matter.
That's not what we're saying, but that whatever the circumstances that the tapasya has to go to go back on that. Businessman in India in Mumbai, in Bombay at the time.
And they asked him, Swamiji, can you show us some miracle? And Prabhupada said, I went to America with 40 rupees and I came with millions of dollars.
Financial management and spiritual perspective on debt
Is it a miracle? They said, yes, it's a miracle. You're
I was — Thank you for a wonderful class, and not just the way you analyze the verse, but very very practical use that word a lot today, practical example of how to give a class. Thank you very much.
Right now we have your schedule to speak again on Satur— I think I think I'm in San Diego tomorrow.
So just on this last question that's been totally not my preparable. Prabhupada gave us practical solutions to almost everything. The goal is really aim. Prabhupada told us more aim.
So when it comes to financial problems, which seems to be the motivating factor in this question, Prabhupāda gave very simple advice. Don't borrow money unnecessarily. And don't lend money unnecessarily.
Because if I borrow money from you and I lend it to somebody else and you don't repay me, then I become a thief. Prabhupāda said. So don't do that.
However, on the spiritual platform, he said his spiritual master deliberately put the money into debt so that the boys would not become complacent and just sit down and eat all the prasāda. Go out and collect, go out and preach.
So this — this is eye-opening. You deliberately put your men into debt so that the boys don't have to look, yes. So the spiritual vision is way above the material. On the material platform, you don't want to go into that.
You want to say that as much as possible. But on the spiritual platform, you may go into that deliberately so you can work harder for Krishna. Thank you for your wonderful class.
Uh, I just wanted to take up one point that you mentioned, and that it's the principle of surrender as a means to ultimately solving all of our problems. Surrender to Krishna, of course. Not to just anyone in the street.
Krishna knows everything and Krishna can give us a part of that omniscience. If he so wants it, he feels it's in our best interest and it's the best interest of everyone else.
So Krishna gives us a very nice uh solution in the Bhagavad-gītā, and all activities, just surrender to me. And all activity just surrender to me. And I will free you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. Just yeah.
So that was not what I wanted to say, by the way.
No longer, just depend upon me and work always under my protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of me. If you become conscious of me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by my grace.
If however you do not work in such consciousness, but act through false ego. Me, me, me, me, me, I, I, I, I, I. If you act, I didn't say I, but I just added that to make it clear. For those who don't know what ego means.
So if you if you if if you are surrender unto me and work always under my protection, you will be free of all of the problems, which is what we've been talking about though.
You'll be free of all your problems because Krishna is omniscient. He knows everything.
And if we if we plead to him, if we beg him, if we uh cry out to him that look I don't know the answer to this, could you please help me out? He will be very happy to give us help.
I do that every day, not once a day, but many, many times. Answers come because he knows everything. If I come and get the answers just for my own head by scratching it, it just doesn't come.
So therefore, depending upon Krishna, the word is dependence. Uh to depend on Krishna is the greatest.
To just depend upon ourselves without taking shelter of aid of guidance from Krishna is to trick or cheat ourselves unfortunately. Thank you. Anybody else? Oh well, thank you very much.
Practical application of social and environmental principles
Thank you Maharaj. Uh one point that I thought the bodies because we get affected we're so conditioned that sometimes even if we know that what we're doing is uh not good, but okay we'll take a practical way.
So I give you an example. The environment, you mentioned the environment. So we have the knowledge, but to carry on to solve the problem it becomes a little bit difficult.
For example, the plastic thing, you know, when we use so much plastic, then eventually there's a lot of consequences when we don't cooperate with the good environment and pesticides would.
So even in our in our own temples, we focus of course, you know, book distribution, preaching, but the practical example of ourselves doing something, so the work and see is still lacking. Anything we can probably talk about.
Yeah, you're exactly right. There is very conspicuous lack of uh practical uh examples which we give. So and pr and therefore Prabhupada said I I only accomplished half of my mission.
The other half is as he said varnashama means how to live in this world, how to deal properly with this material energy in uh harmonious ways so that it would not uh exasperate the problem, it will not increase the problems, but will give the solution how to live in this material world in a sustainable manner.
So, and that's definitely the call of the day, the need of the day, because the world uh increasingly becomes more and more difficult place to live. And unless we really show the example, then you know then the whole
iscon of the Krishna consciousness movement will be failure because people, especially now, they need some practical models how to live. So uh and that's uh basically
what we should think about, you know, what what kind of principles because sometimes people have this idea that varnashama means you live somewhere on the land and you you know you plough the land with the bulls it may not happen it may happen sooner than we think, you know,
when the whole civilization will crash, but but uh it's not necessarily the only thing which we should model,
you know, even even here in this temple we should or in Little Namahata we can establish some varnashama principles, the principles of interacting, interaction with the people, the principles of helping each other.
Varnashama is not only plowing the land and counting ourselves as brahmanas and everyone else as shudras. It's not the only definition of varnashama.
Varnashama means the healthy interaction between the people based on the proper principles and they may vary the principles of varnashama of course eternal, they're not uh they're not they don't vary, but
you know the application of this principle, for example in this particular temple community or Namahata or whatever, they may be little different, you know.
And therefore first we should understand the principles and then see how they should be applied properly.
The example which you gave is plastic, yes, definitely we should try to, you know, try to uh eliminate plastic for our life, otherwise you know the whole world is becoming more and more plastic and everything.
And perhaps the first step to start eliminating plastic is to get rid of plastic smiles in our faces and and and deal with each other properly uh in uh proper vaiṣṇava ways. So but uh it's a it's a big topic, you know, but it it's definitely the need of the day.
Uh what does it mean uh to live in this world and to deal with this material energy as as a Vaishnava, without destroying the world but with a but with with the improving the world. Yeah.
I it's definitely w what what what we should think all the time and uh try to you know I I'm trying to do it now, I kind of uh formulated certain principles besides principle of Varna and Ashrama, which are definitely very prominent.
Constant meditation through scripture study and preaching
But there are some other very important principles which make Varnashrama social structure saying what are these eternal principles of social interactions of social you know structure which will uh help to create more healthy society, uh society which we can live and die peacefully Thank
you very much for the uh loving task. Um in the from the words today you mentioned that Vidya uh means uh mantra and uh Vidya means mantra mantra.
Right now you also said that um we have it is very important to uh chant the mantra as well as uh meditate on the law.
So uh um the question I have is is chanting simply only considered as uh meditating on the Lord or chanting a daily round at a certain given time and then throughout the day while solving the problems of this material world is it it is also important to meditate on the Lord's presence Yeah
absolutely no meditation should be constant. We try to create or develop the habit of meditating on the Lord all the time.
He is here, He is present, He's with me, He's in my heart, He's in the heart of every living entity which I made. And you know by this meditation only we can solve the problems, yes. Uh not only during mantra.
And actually the meditation on the Lord in our case, you know, I I remember very clearly actually Japa Prabhu who was I I believe it was him or somebody else, he told me you should think about Krishna. In the very beginning, it was 40 years back or something.
And I tried to think about Krishna, but it didn't really work. I didn't know what to think about him, how to think about him, or how to meditate about him.
So the practical way of meditating on Krishna is just to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and study Bhagavad-gītā. That's the practical way. Everything else isn't practical for for us.
Meditation for us, tapasya means study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā and preach Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, that's the tapasya. Thank you very much.
Okay. Okay. I don't know. Speaking to the changing discourse, yeah. Tapa, tapa, meaning of tapa, meaning of uh tapa, so changing or something.
No, tapa, tapa means, tapa means austerity. She's asking what is the meaning of tapa. Tapa means literally fire. The literal meaning of tapa fire, it means that
uh, you know, certain, certain actions, certain certain uh austerities which we do which create increased the fire, the fire of our mind, the fire inside.
So the, and translating it in practical terms tapa means meditation on the Lord, which will increase the power of our intelligence and mind. Because the intelligence has this nature of fire,
and when we meditate on the Lord in a proper way, then the power of intelligence is increasing. So ekādaśī? Ekādaśī is a part of tapasya definitely, is a part of tapasya, definitely. There's no doubt about it.
And you can even physically feel that when you fast on ekādaśī then the body temperature will increase at the end of the day. But anyway. Okay. Thank you very much.
Um, in the previous verse it is said that Brahmā did uh hundred celestial years of tapasya. I mean, isn't that the lifetime of Brahmā? Sometimes the celestial years means that the years of demigods.
So in this particular case, it doesn't mean his own uh lifetime. It's uh hundred years of demigods. That's what it means. Okay, thank you very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ki jaya! Gaura premānande!