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Bhakti Vriksha User Guide for

Sevaks

Sri Guru Charana Ashraya

Bhakti Vriksha User Guide – Sri Guru Charana Ashraya

2 | P a g e I S K C O N N e w R a j a p u r J a g a n n a t h a D h a m , B e n g a l u r u

Contents

The Transcendental Gardeners ..................................................................................................... 3

Preface .................................................................................................................................................... 5

Bhakti vriksha – Summary .............................................................................................................. 6 Objective ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Vyuha ................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Guidelines to help members commit to Sri Guru Charana Ashraya level ......................................................... 11 Follow-up table ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Bhakti Vriksha sevak’s assessment tool ............................................................................................................ 13

Preparatory notes for Bhakti Vriksha Sevak .......................................................................... 14 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Lesson 46: Five Angas of Bhakti & Importance of Holy Dham ......................................................................... 15 Lesson 47: Sadhu sangha .................................................................................................................................. 19 Lesson 48: Discussion of sastras ...................................................................................................................... 22 Lesson 49: Deity worship ................................................................................................................................. 25 Lesson 50: Chanting of the holy names ............................................................................................................ 31 Lesson 51: Nama aparadha(Chanting with offences) ........................................................................................ 35 Lesson 52: Protection of bhakti lata ................................................................................................................. 39 Lesson 53: Vyuha 7-Japa workshop .................................................................................................................. 42 Lesson 54: Vaisnava aparadha – part 1 ............................................................................................................. 43 Lesson 55: Vaisnava aparadha – part 2 ............................................................................................................. 47 Lesson 56: Dealings amongst devotees ............................................................................................................. 49 Lesson 57: Vyuha 8 – Vaisnava etiquette .......................................................................................................... 51 Lesson 58: Varna .............................................................................................................................................. 52 Lesson 59: Ashrama ......................................................................................................................................... 59 Lesson 60: Vyuha 9 - Seminar on Grhastha / Brahmacari ashram ..................................................................... 62 Annexure 1 - Siksha level practical checklist for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya eligibility .................................. 63 Annexure 2 - Attendance Sheet ........................................................................................................................ 64

Version 2.0

Bhakti Vriksha User Guide for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya


The Transcendental Gardeners

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to all the people of the world

ekalä mäläkära ämi kähäì kähäì yäba ekalä vä kata phala päòiyä viläba (CC Adi lila 9.34)

ataeva ämi äjïä diluì sabäkäre yähäì tähäì prema-phala deha’ yäre täre (CC Adi lila 9.36)

ataeva saba phala deha’ yäre täre khäiyä ha-uk loka ajara amare (CC Adi lila 9.39)

“I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I pick and distribute? Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Kåñëa consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere. Distribute this Kåñëa consciousness movement all over the world. Let people eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death.”

Suno suno Nityananda, suno haridasa, Sarvatra amara ajna koroha prakasa, Prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa,

Bolo Krsna, bhaja Krsna, koro Krsna siksa (Caitanya Bhagavata Madhya-lila 13.8-9)

“O hear Me, hear Me Nityananda! Hear Me Haridasa! Simply disseminate My order everywhere. Go from house to house and beg the residents as follows: Speak about Krsna, worship Krsna and teach others about Krsna.” In Sri Godruma-Kalpatavi, Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, one of the pioneering acaryas of our parampara, describes the structure of the Nama Hatta. The spirit of his endeavor exactly matched the mood of Lord Nityananda, who was personally ordered by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thakura established over five-hundred Nama Hatta sangas (associations).

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati instructed his disciples to broadcast the glories of Sridham Mayapur and Navadvip parikrama, to print books and establish Nama Hatta. Of these three activities, brhad mridanga, or the massive distribution of books has been considered the primary method of expansion. But nowadays with ninety-eight percent or more of our devotees being congregational members, Nama Hatta is more relevant to ISKCON today than it was at the beginning of our movement.

In a letter Srila Prabhupada appreciates home preaching, “Your home to home preaching is very good. The important thing is to make arrangements that they hear and chant. That will make your preaching successful. Once they begin chanting then automatically they will want to follow the rules and regulations, attend arati, take prasadam, etc.” (Letter to Tusta Krsna Maharaja, 9th January, 1976)

In the introduction to the translation of Sri Godruma Kalpatavi HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja says that, “In this modern age it is most practical to apply the Nama Hatta form of preaching - cultivating people through small groups formed of the congregation. Nama Hatta groups can begin anywhere, without restrictions, whereas in a temple there are so many restrictions, not only spiritual but also material, in the sense that so many expenses must be met.



Today we have different kinds of Nama Hatta programs, such as counsellor groups, Bhakti Vrikshas and various other groups, all of which are included in the broad category of the Nama Hatta.”

Implementation of Nama Hatta for the present time in the form of Bhakti Vriksha was introduced by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. The Bhakti Vriksha program’s structure follows the same format as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Nama Hatta organization, adapted for the current times.

Inspired by Srila Prabhupada and HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja a team of devotees in ISKCON New Rajapur Jagannatha Dham (NRJD), Bengaluru have made an insignificant attempt in compiling this user guide for the benefit of the devotee community.

This user guide has been produced to help Bhakti Vriksha sevaks to help their members to systematically advance spiritually.

Devotees who have any queries, suggestions or would like to seek any clarification on this Bhakti Vriksha user guide or congregational preaching may reach out to us on [email protected].

Your servants,

Caitanya Avatari Das and Rasamayi Devi Dasi

(On behalf of the Editorial team, ISKCON - NRJD, Bengaluru)

P.S.: If you are interested in successfully implementing Bhakti Vriksha in your Yatra / area please contact the Congregational Development Ministry (phone: +91 (3472) 245619, email: [email protected])



Preface

In the introduction to the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Srila Prabhupada writes tasmat sarveshu kaleshu

mam anusmara yudhya ca mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mam evaishyasy asamsayah

“Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” (BG 8.7) “He (Krsna) does not advise Arjuna simply to remember Him and give up his occupation. No, the Lord never suggests anything impractical. In this material world, in order to maintain the body one has to work. Human society is divided, according to work, into four divisions of social order – brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and sudra. The brahmana class or intelligent class is working in one way, the kshatriya or administrative class is working in another way, and the mercantile class and the laborer, merchant, administrator or farmer, or even if one belongs to the highest class and is a literary man, a scientist or a theologian, he has to work in order to maintain his existence. The Lord therefore tells Arjuna that he need not give up his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he should remember Krsna (mam anusmara) (BG 8.7). If he doesn’t practice remembering Krsna while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Krsna at the time of death. Lord Chaitanya also advises this……. Therefore we have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty four hours a day, by chanting His names and moulding our life’s activities in such a way that we can remember Him always.” The commitment level to practice Krsna consciousness varies depending upon the involvement of the practioner and also the help/guidance given by the Bhakti Vriksha sevak /Bhakti Vriksha Sector sevak. Whatever may be the level of commitment Krsna Himself promises in the Bhagavad Gita, “There is no loss or diminution in this endeavor and even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most fearful type of danger.” (BG 2.40) In order to encourage the members to systematically advance spiritually, different shiksha-levels of commitment and standards of devotional service are recognized by ISKCON. These standards are prescribed for the devotees who are practicing Krsna consciousness from home. The Shiksha program helps the congregational devotees to consolidate and increase their spiritual practices. The different shiksha-levels of commitment and standards prescribed are: Shraddhavan Krsna / Gauranga Sevak Krsna / Gauranga Sadhak Srila Prabhupada Ashraya Sri Guru Charana Ashraya Diksha

This implementation guide covers the requirements and standards of devotional service for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya level.



Bhakti vriksha – Summary

Objective

Everyone has a natural tendency to love Krsna.In a lecture dated May 1st, 1973 at Mumbai, Srila Prabhupada has said “…natural tendency to love Krsna is there in everyone's heart. So our Krsna consciousness movement is how to invoke that natural tendency to love Krsna. That is our business…”.The objective of the Bhakti Vriksha program is to invoke this natural tendency.

This Bhakti Vriksha user guide focuses on how the Bhakti Vriksha Sevakcan conduct the various Bhakti Vriksha sessions to systematically help in the members’ spiritual growth. It lists the preparatory activities to be carried out upfront by the Bhakti Vriksha sevak, typical Bhakti Vrikshaprogram structure and time to be allocated for each component, activities to be included within each component and how the progress of the participants could be tracked on an ongoing basis.

Introduction

The Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12 tells us clearly, “One must approach a spiritual master if he desires spiritual realization.” Also, “The aspirant should surrender to a spiritual master if he is genuinely inquisitive about the highest goal of life” (SB 11.3.21). The Puranas talk about many so-called gurus whoare experts in plundering the money of their disciples, but rarely can one find a spiritual master who can free his disciples from all material anxieties.

In Srila Prabhupada Ashraya we discussed about the need for a guru and how to approach him. In the Bhagavad- Gita Lord Krishna says, “Just try tolearn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (BG. 4.34).

A member might have a question, “But if I’m sincere, why can’t I become self-realized just on thestrength of my sincerity?” The fact is that you can, but only by sincerely following the right process. Suppose you sincerely want to become a doctor. That sincerity is the first thing you need. But if you’re genuinely sincere, you won’t try to become a doctor by buying some medical textbooks in the college bookstore and studying at home. No. You’ll goto medical school, study under qualified experts, and in this way gradually become a qualified doctor yourself. In the same way, if you’re sincere about becoming self-realized, you should sincerely try to find a bonafide spiritual master and study under him. (Back to Godhead #11-08, 1976)

In this Siksha level –SriGuru Charana Ashraya - we learn the various aspects of bhakti like importance of holy dham, sadhusanga, discussion on the sastras, deity worship, chanting the holy name, the offences which need to be avoided while chanting, etc. Also we will discuss about the varna and ashrama systems.

Guidelines for Sri GuruCharana Ashraya Level

Ambience

The Bhakti Vriksha Sevak/host has to create the ambience and mood for devotion before the members start coming in for the weekly program. A simple yet attractive altar could be set in a place where everyone can have



darshan. It would be nice if the program could be held in the same room where the altar is. This would bring a nice spiritual atmosphere and facilitate the members to offer arati (ghee lamp/incense-agarbatti) to their lordships while kirtan is going on.

The altar could have deities of Their Lordships Gaura-Nitai and Jagannath-Baladev-Subhadramayi. If deities are not there, photos of Radha-Madhav, Panchatattva, Narasimhadev and Guru-parampara could be setup.

Soft kirtan of Srila Prabhupada can be played in the background. Srila Prabhupada kirtan is preferable because we have seen how powerfully it influences the members’ consciousness. The whole environment gets spiritualized. The strong vibration in this environment is experienced and appreciated even by newcomers.

A few Krsnaconscious materials like Back to Godhead, handouts, magazines etc may be kept for those members who come early, to browse through. The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to start the program ON TIME –start at the TIME COMMITTED. This is very important because the members also realize that we respect and value their time.

Seating arrangement

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak/host could layout the mats or carpets for people to be seated. Chairs could be kept for those people who cannot sit on the floor. The idea is everybody should feel comfortable and wanted,so that theylook forward tothe weekly programs enthusiastically.

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak could request the members to be seated in a circular fasion. This helps in interacting with everyone.

Program schedule

Recommended program schedule

Activity Description Time spent

Kirtan & arati 15 Min

Ice breaker 15 Min

Interactive session 60 Min

Japa 15 Min

Importance of preaching 15 Min

Prasadam 15 Min

Total 2 Hr 15 Min

The program schedule could be explained to all members before the program starts. Based on the convenience of the members the components of the program could be interchanged except ice breaker. The purpose of having these interactive programs is to make the members participate and get involved. Keeping this in mind the program components can be interchanged.



Kirtan

Kirtan, like in any ISKCON program, involves a lead singer and the group singing responsively. We could sing the invocation prayers to Srila Prabhupada, Panchatattva mantra and Hare Krsna maha-mantra.During kirtan the members could be encouraged to offer agarbatti to the photos/deities in the altar.

Icebreaker

Ice breakers could be questions, games or anything which reveals interesting details about people’s history, thought process, life and values, and can sometimes provide insights into their personality. This would help the Bhakti Vriksha sevak to assess how much a member can absorb and therefore mentally plan the interactive session accordingly. It is advised when members share their thoughts on the ice breaker topic, other members present may maintain silence and observe them speak and not to join them in giving their opinion. The facilitator has to emphasis at the beginning of the ice breaker session that during this time only one member speak and all others listen to them till the time they get their turn to speak. Every ice breaker should have a conclusion and interface with the topic for the week’s discussion. For further details, The Book of Ice breakerspublished by ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry could be referred. Ice breakers for each week for this level have been provided for reference.

Interactive session

The interactive session is based on the passage which is generally from Srila Prabhupada’s books and his teachings. The content for discussion in the interactive session has been compiled in the book Bhakti Vriksha Lessons for Members.

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak has to circulate the lesson sheet, consisting of a passage for the week with lead questions, excerpts from the books ‘Sri Namamrta’ and ‘Preaching is the essence’ book. . This has to be in the language in which the member is comfortable in reading. The discussion should be in the language which all the members understand.

The members could be asked to read one paragraph each. After which they could begiven 5 minutes to read the whole passage by themselves before starting the interaction. The questions given under Discovery, Understanding and Application are lead questions for better facilitation. They could be broken down into smaller questions based on the passage for better interaction with the members.As a takeaway the Bhakti Vriksha sevakas to summarise the right Krsna conscious message.

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak could start the session by requesting the participants to share what was discussed in the previous week. The revision of what was covered in the previous week could also be used as the topic for the ice breaker session.

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak could also suggest that the members read any particular section from Srila Prabhupada’s books and share the important points during the session.

Application part of the interactive session is an important component of Bhakti Vriksha. During this session members learn to practically implement the topic they discussed in their day to day life. The Bhakti Vrikshasevak should inspire every participant to share his /her views in response to the Application questions. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak can provide a tailor made solution for each member’s practical application.If required, the tailor made solution could be discussed with the members individually.



For every lesson the most relevant teachings of Srila Prabhupada have been included. This would facilitate the Bhakti Vriksha sevak to prepare for the program.

Japa

Before the Japa session, the Bhakti Vriksha sevak could read the excerpts from the ‘Namamrta’ book which is included in the lesson.This would help the devotees appreciate the importance of chanting the Lord’s holyname.

Importance ofpreaching

An extract from the book “Preaching is the essence” has been included in the lesson. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak should read this aloud during the session so that from the very beginning the members get to appreciate the glories of preaching. By this the members feel enthused to share their knowledge in Krsna consciousness with others, inspire them and bring them to the programs.

Prasadam

Prasadam could be planned depending on what time the program is held. If it is held in the afternoon or early evening, then simple prasadam like fruit salad or mayapur khaja or anything simple but not heavy could be offered. In case it is a late evening program, and people need to travel far after the program, a light but sumptuous dinner could be planned. It’s better not to have a high standard of providing an elaborate dinner. People may hesitate to have the program in their house if they think they may need to maintain that standard.

Attendance Sheet

The Bhakti Vriksha sevak has to fill the attendance sheet for the week immediately after the members leave.During the week the Bhakti Vriksha sevak has to update the Sector sevak about the program. The Sector sevak would guide appropriately.(Refer to Annexure 2 for a sample of the Attendance Sheet)

Follow-up

It is suggested that during the week, the Bhakti Vriksha sevak could be in touch with the members in order to build a friendly relationship with them.It could be either on phone or meeting them personally. When a good rapport is established, it is easy for the Bhakti Vriksha sevak to guide them in their spiritual journey. Whenever theBhakti Vriksha sevak plans his visit, he should carry some GauraNitai mahaprasadam.It is easier to convince a new member by the mercy of Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s mahaprasadam.

Vyuha

A vyuha program involves the participation of two or three Bhakti Vriksha groups together in a combined program. This program is a break in the format from the regular Bhakti Vriksha programs. The members need to have something different andrelaxing periodically.This would also encourage them to be more participative and involved in the Bhakti Vriksha meetings. This is also an opportunity for the Bhati vriksha members to introduce new members.

Here we actually try to put all our past fewweeks of spiritual learning into practice. We are part of the Lord and our constitutional position is to serve Him-to put this into practice,the Bhakti Vriksha sevaks need to provide an opportunity for all their members to serve the Lord to the best of their capacity. For example some members



could be engaged in inviting people for the program, some could be involved in purchasing,some in altar decoration, some in cleaning the area and so on. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak has to assess their capability, take directions from the Sector sevak and allot them services accordingly. A meeting should be arranged a week before the program to discuss and allot responsibilities and services based on the members’ skills and interests.

Certificates could be issued to those members who are regularly chanting at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna maha mantra, attending the programs regularly and reading SrilaPrabhupada’s books. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak should speak to the members individually to share the importance of consolidating and committing to the siksha standards. Thus he should encourage them to take-up such spiritual commitments. The recommended standards for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya level are mentioned in the section ‘Guidelines to help members commit to Sri Guru Charana Ashraya level’ (below). Cultural activities could also be planned for the vyuha to drive home some scriptural points.

Vyuha Schedule

Tulasi arati and/ or kirtan

By now the members would be trained to do tulasi arati. Encourage one of the members to sing the Tulasi arati song and another member to perform the arati. In this way the members feel inspired and would want to take up more commitments going forward.

Gaura arati/Maha arati

By now the members would be trained to do Gaura arati. Encourage one of the members to sing the Gaura arati song and another member to perform the arati. This provides an opportunity to inspire the members so they would want to take up more commitments going forward.

Lecture

Yatra sevak or the most senior member of the yatra can deliver the lecture. The members’ details could be provided to them so that they can appropriatelyhelp them.

Description Duration Tulasi Arati and/orKirtan 15 minutes

Gaura Arati/MahaArati 30 minutes

Lecture by Yatra Sevak/Sector Sevak

45 minutes

Siksha Ceremony 15 minutes

Culturals 30 minutes

Prasadam 45 minutes

Total timing 3hrs



Siksha ceremony

The most important part of this program is to encourage the members to commit to the spiritual standards for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya. Brief them on the importance of taking such spiritual commitments and the benefits they would reap by making such commitments. Ensure the recommendation sheet is filled once the member commits to the spiritual standard. In recognition of their commitment a certificate is awarded during the vyuha (certificate templates are available with ISKCON CDM office).

Culturals

It is a wonderful service where the relationship between members could become strong. It is also an opportunity to build a nice Krsna conscious relationship with members and their family.

Guidelines to help members commit to Sri Guru Charana Ashraya level

The prime objectiveis to

1. Help members understand the importance of accepting the shelter of a guru 2. Help members learn the various aspects of bhakti. 3. Facilitate the start of a sastra study group on a day other than the Bhakti Vriksha program. 4. Members should be chanting at least sixteen rounds of Hare Krsna mahamantra everyday.

Completes reading the following

1. Bhagavad Gita Chapters 13 to 18 2. Spiritual Master and Disciple 3. Teachings of Lord Caitanya 4. Nectar of Devotion

The following books could be suggested to members who show more interest to read:

Narada Bhakti Sutra Bhakti yoga - the art of eternal love Sri Namamrita Songs of vaisnava acaryas

Follow-up table The appended follow-up table would help the Bhakti Vriksha sevak assess his members against the expected Shiksa standards. It would also reflect where the member needs to focus. Accordingly the Bhakti Vriksha sevak could tailor-make a Krsna conscious solution for them.

It is prudent to follow a prescribed flow of activities in each Bhakti Vriksha session. Given the varied kinds of persons (with different tastes, attitudes and levels of understanding) who attend these sessions, it is important that the topics follow a pre-defined flow. Also, it must be ensured that not too many new subjects are introduced or sought to be discussed in these sessions, otherwise it would make it difficult for the participants to absorb and thus feel left behind.



Attached is a matrix that captures the gist of how each of the Bhakti Vriksha sessions can be structured. Along the X-axis (horizontal plane) is the listing of each week’s session. On the Y-axis (vertical plane), the components to be discussed in the Bhakti Vriksha session are listed.

As a standard process, certain topics will be part of all Bhakti Vriksha sessions. These topics include Ice Breaker Question, kirtan, Sri Namamrita, Interactive Session, Questions & Answers, Application, Preaching Session and Prasadam.

As one looks through the sheet across various weeks, it is clear that almost every week new topics will be introduced.This sheet will thus help the Bhakti Vriksha sevak in preparing for each session.

Topics ↓ \ Weeks → 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Shiksha level Sri Guru Charana Ashraya

Chanting (number of rounds) 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

Follow up with members

Encourage members to bring a Relative/Friend

House visitation with Gaura Nitai Prasad

KC E-mail/SMS/Phone/FB/twitter, etc

Srila Prabhupada's books to be read Refer list below*

Start listening to lectures of the guru from whom the member is aspiring to take shelter (atleast twice a week)

Every day hear lectures of Srila Prabhupada for atleast half an hour

Follow up that the members perform Tulasi arati at home everyday

Follow up that the members perform mangal arati atleast two times a week (before sunrise)

Inspire the members to chant during brahma muhurta

Follow up that the members perform mangal arati atleast four times a week (before sunrise) Handover a copy of the handouts (1 & 2) to the members

Facilitate the start of a weekly sastra (books of Srila Prabhupada) study group (on a day other than the Bhakti Vrikshaprogram day)

Follow up of weekly sastra study group

Handover copy of the handout ‘Whose worship is deity worship?’

Handover copy of the ten offences to be avoided against the Holy name

Members should be encouraged to learn (by heart) the ten offences to be avoided while chanting the holy names

Handover handouts (1 & 2) on protection of bhakti lata



Books to be read for Sri Guru Carana Ashraya Level

1. Bhagavad Gita Chapters 13 to 18 2. Spiritual Master and Disciple 3. Teachings of Lord Caitanya 4. Nectar of Devotion

Bhakti Vriksha sevak’s assessment tool

The following table helps to assess the quality of the Bhakti Vriksha program conducted and identification of areas for improvement. This assessment tool can be used by the Bhakti Vriksha sevak for self-assessment or it can be used during the Train the Trainers’ program.

Assessment of the Bhakti Vriksha sevak No. Criteria Demonstrated Partially

demonstrated Not

demonstrated

5 Points 2.5 Points 0 point 1 Enthusiasm 2 Confidence 3 Established norms of behavior 4 Eagerness to learn from members 5 Fair & respectful treatment of everyone 6 Acknowledged and valued the members contribution 7 Allowed the members to speak & waited for their

response 8 Made members think and answer the questions 9 Questions were clear and concise

10 All the members participated 11 Managed the unacceptable views well 12 Heard the members points carefully 13 Body language was pleasing 14 Paid equal attention to all members and gave

opportunity for all members to speak 15 Kept the discussion on track 16 Members followed the norms 17 Maintained the timelines at every stage 18 Aovided unwanted discussions 19 Key take aways were discussed 20 The members left enthusiastically after learning new

topic Total score



Preparatory notes for Bhakti Vriksha Sevak

Introduction

This chapter provides the preparatory notes for the Bhakti Vriksha sevak’s reference for each week’s program.

The ‘Flow of the Program’ defines the topic for the week and also the topics already discussed in the previous sessions. It includes the Aim (what message is sought to be conveyed to the participants), the Ice breaker question followed by the topic for the week and direction of the discussion. Further, the chapter also includes a set of teachings by Srila Prabhupada relevant to the topic being discussed for that week. The Bhakti Vriksha sevakcould use these notes in preparing for the said week’s session. It lays out the boundary of issues and topics that need to be touched upon for the respective week. It is strongly recommended that the week’s discussions are centered on the points listed under “points and flow for the week” in this chapter. If the discussion is found to be meandering beyond these points, the Bhakti Vriksha sevak should re-direct the same and bring back the focus to the key points suggested herein. It is suggested that the Bhakti Vriksha sevak should print these preparatory notes prior to the respective week’s session, read the materials a number of times to assimilate his thoughts and thus mentally be prepared as to how he would want to facilitate the Bhakti Vriksha session. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak could make his own notes which would include examples, stories and realizations that will strongly drive home the message and topics for the week among the participants. These preparatory notes are meant only for the Bhakti Vriksha sevak and need not be shared with the participants.



Lesson 46: Five Angas of Bhakti & Importance of Holy Dham

Flow of the Program

Link

In our earlier discussions we learnt about the need for a guru and the duties of a disciple. Today we will carry forward our discussion on how to take care of our devotional seed better by pursuingthe five important angas of bhakti.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the five angas of bhakti and identify the activities that each member can engage in Krsna consciousness.

Icebreaker

Question: What are the three things you have done and /or love to do again and again in Krsna consciousness?

Summary: Today we will discuss the five kinds of devotional activities which can strengthen our devotion.

Points and flow

• We need practice if we want to achieve perfection • Service is to engage our senses in the service of the Lord. • Some of the senses are meant for acquiring knowledge and some are meant for executing the conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. • Devotional service is the original instinct of every living entity. • Practice makes our original instinct become natural, e.g. walking. • There are certain prescribed methods which will awaken our dormant Krsna consciousness. • Rupa Goswami has stated five angas/ devotional activities which will invoke and strengthen our devotion. • A little attachment to any one of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neophyte. • "Persons who are impelled by pure devotional service in Kåñëa consciousness and who therefore go to see the deities of Viñëu in the temple will surely get relief from entering again into the prison house of a mother's womb." • Read and discuss the glories of Vrindavan , Mathura and Navadwip. • Also make them understand that these glories are real and not imaginary, by quoting examples. • Highlight the importance of not committing any offences in the holy dham. • Handover a copy of the handouts (1 & 2) to the members

Action items for the Bhakti Vriksha sevak

1. Inspire the members to start listening to lectures of the guru from whom they are aspiring to take shelter. 2. Handover a copy of the handouts 1 & 2 to the members.



Srila Prabhupada Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.10

Geneva, June 1, 1974

Prabhupada:

bhavad-vidha bhagavatas tirtha-bhutah svayam vibho tirthi-kurvanti tirthani svantah-sthena gadabhrta

So tirthi, tirtha. Tirtha means holy place of pilgrimage. In every religion there is the system that the followers, they go to the holy place of pilgrimage. Just like in India, there are many holy places: Gaya, Prayaga, Mathura, Vrndavana, Haridvar, Ramesvaram, Jagannatha Puri, Navadvipa. Many. Some of them are very prominent, and still there are many nonprominent. Similarly, the Muhammadans they go to Mecca, Medina. The Christians they go to Jordan. What is that?

Bhagavan: Jerusalem.

Prabhupada: Jerusalem. So human society, there must be some religious process; otherwise, it is animal society. And in every religion there is recommendation to go to the place, holy places of pilgrimage. This is one set up. Another set up is that bhagavatas tirtha-bhutah. Those who are devotees, they are themselves maha-bhagavata. They are first-class devotee. They themselves are the holy place. Not only they are themselves holy place, but wherever they go, they make that place holy place, pilgrimage. This is the idea.

It was spoken by Maharaja Yudhisthira when Vidura came back home... Vidura left home. Although he belonged to the royal family, his nephew Duryodhana behaved with him not very nicely, so he left home. Before the beginning of the Battle of Kuruksetra, he was very fond of his eldest brother Dhrtarastra. So he was always giving him good counsel, "My dear elder brother, why you are intriguing against the Pandavas?" But he would not hear the younger brother's advice. So his son, Dhrtarastra's son, Duryodhana, he understood it that "This, my uncle, is always instigating my father not to take part in the matter of the vanquishing of the Pandavas." So he used very harsh word, because Vidura, although he was the son of king, but he was not born of the queen. He was born of a maidservant. Formerly, the queens had many maidservants, and they also sometimes begot children by the king. So they were called dasi-putra. By legal significance, they were not inheritor. So Vidura was born like that. He was not born of the queen, but of the maidservant. But his elder brother Dhrtarastra liked him very much. He got him raised -- he was younger -- very nicely. He got him married and gave him sufficient property. He was very kind upon him. And therefore Vidura was also very much obliged to his eldest brother, and he was always giving him good advice, and a great devotee.

So on this account of family dissension, he left home. And after the battle of Kuruksetra, when everything was finished, so still, he had affection for his eldest brother, "My dear brother, now everything is finished, your all sons, for whom you intrigued so much. And you are still living, I mean, shamelessly. Because you treated Pandavas, your nephews, very badly -- you wanted to kill them in so many ways -- you fell. Then there was battle. So your sons and grandsons all finished. And still, you are shamelessly living in the house of your nephew, with whom you treated so badly. You have no shame." So in this way he very strongly criticized his brother, and then he surrendered, "My dear brother, what do you want me to do?" So he said that "You immediately come with me. Don't remain here." So immediately he left home, and then he underwent tapasya, and then he got salvation.

So here when Vidura came, returned back, so Yudhisthira is receiving the uncle. He was also... He knew that "Our uncle Vidura was always in our side and tried to protect us." So he was very pleased. So Vidura, during the time of war between the two sections, he was traveling in the holy places of pilgrimage and talking with his spiritual master, Maitreya. So therefore because he was traveling in holy place, Yudhisthira Maharaja wanted to inform him that "My dear uncle, you are so exalted devotee, you do not require even to travel in the holy places of pilgrimage,



because wherever you stay, that will turn into pilgrimage." Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says in his song, tirtha-yatra parisrama, kevala manera bhrama. He says, "To go to the holy places of pilgrimage, it is also a mental satisfaction." Actually, if one is fully surrendered to the lotus feet of Krsna, he is so exalted that wherever he lives, that is a holy place of pilgrimage. That was Narottama dasa Thakura's... And actually, that is the fact. The pure devotee of Krsna, he is always thinking of Krsna. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. They cannot forget Krsna even for a second, carrying Krsna. Therefore, because Krsna is with the devotee, such devotee, wherever he goes, that becomes a place of pilgrimage.

It is also said that ordinary persons, they go to the holy places of pilgrimage, and they leave their sinful activities there in the holy place. That is the purpose of going to the holy place, that "During the whole life, whatever sinful activities I have done, now I leave it here, and I become purified." That's a fact. One becomes purified. But the ordinary man, he does not know how to keep purified life. Therefore again comes back home and again commits the sinful activities. And sometimes again he may go. Just like in your, the Christian church, they go to the church weekly, and they, what is called, atone, atonement. So this kind of business is not very good. Once purified, you remain purified. So when the holy places of pilgrimage become piled up with all the sinful reaction of common man, a saintly person when he goes there, he makes the holy place clean. The holy place becomes unclean due to the common men's coming there and leaving their sinful reaction. So holy place becomes overburdened with the sinful results of other people. But in that holy place, when a devotee goes, then again the holy place becomes cleansed. This is the idea. Bhavad-vidha bhagavatah.

So bhagavatah. Bhagavata means one who has his relation with Bhagavan. From Bhagavan... Bhagavan comes from the word bhagavata, and anything in relationship with Bhagavan, the Personality of Godhead, is called bhagavata. Just like this book is called bhagavata because it has nothing to do with any other thing except the activities of the Supreme Personality of... So Bhagavata. So there are two kinds of bhagavata: the book Bhagavata and the person bhagavata. So both of them are so pure that wherever Bhagavata reading is going on... And Bhagavata reading should be performed by the bhagavata, person bhagavata. Then it is very nice. Bhagavatas tirtha-bhutah. They are already purified, holy place of pilgrimage. Mahad-vicalanam nrnam grhinam dina-cetasam. Therefore, the bhagavatas, they travel all over the world to purify the ordinary human being because they are dina-cetasa. Dina-cetasa. Dina means poor. They are thinking... Materialistic persons, they think, "It is my duty to live comfortably, to give all facilities to the family or to the society or to the nation, earn your livelihood and spend for sense gratification." This is their philosophy. They do not know anything more than that. Especially in the Western countries, they are very expert how to adjust materially for sense gratification. Just like we had been immediately to the park, very nice park. They know how to live comfortably in the material world, but there is no spiritual information. Missing point. That is the defect of the Western civilization. They have got some vague idea of God, practically no idea. But human life is not meant for that purpose, simply living very comfortably in material life. The other necessity is that they should know Bhagavan, become bhagavata. That is another necessity.

72/11/12 Vrndavana

Following the footprints of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as enunciated by the six Gosvamis,

sri-rupa sanatana bhatta-raghunatha sri-jiva gopala-bhatta dasa-raghunatha

So we have to follow the authorities. We cannot manufacture. There is no need of research work. Simply if we follow the chalked-out path given by the great authorities that will help us. Yes, go on.

Pradyumna: "Here is a general description of devotional service given by Sri Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Previously it has been stated that devotional service can be divided into three categories -- namely, devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy, and devotional service in pure love of God. Now Sri Rupa Gosvami proposes to describe devotional service in practice. Practice means employing our senses in some particular type of work. Therefore devotional service is practice means utilizing our different sensory organs in service to Krsna. Some of the senses are meant for acquiring knowledge, and some are meant for



executing the conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. So practice means employing both the mind and the senses in practical devotional service. This practice is not for developing something artificial. For example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is not unnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, and simply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly..."

Prabhupada: Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabhu naya. Not that by practicing something external, not natural, we become accustomed. That is also sometimes there. But this devotional service, Krsna consciousness, is not that type of practice. It is there already. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabu naya. Not actually by artificial prac... It is there. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya. It is to be awakened. Exactly just like the, the child, by nature, he can walk, but still, if some help is offered to the child, he walks very nicely. So this practice, vidhi-marga, devotional service, is simply to awaken the dormant Krsna consciousness within the human being. Just like it is happening in our preaching work in the Western countries. These European, American boys, they never heard the name of Krsna four years ago, but they have taken to Krsna consciousness seriously because it was already dormant in them. It has been simply awakened. By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, this pure vibration of transcendental sound has enlivened them, and they are awakened to Krsna consciousness. It is not that artificially they have taken. It is sure. Anyone can test how much they have advanced in Krsna consciousness, how they are firmly convinced in Krsna consciousness. Because it has been awakened. The nature, which was dormant, that has been awakened by...

That is the propaganda work of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He wanted that in every town and every village of the world, on the surface of the globe, His name, the preaching of sankirtana movement, inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, should be preached. The purpose was the dormant Krsna consciousness is there everywhere. That we are experiencing. Now in Africa also, who are supposed to be not very advanced in civilization, they're also very nicely taking part in this Krsna consciousness movement. European, Americans, they are advanced, civilized people, but even in Africa we are having very good success. They are becoming Vaisnavas.



Lesson 47: Sadhu sangha

Flow of the Program

Link

Last week we saw about the five angas and we discussed in detail one of them – importance of visiting holy dhams. Today we will try to understand the importance of sadhu sanga and discussion of sastras.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the importance of sadhu sanga.

Icebreaker

Question: Can you recall an incident when you glorified someone or someone glorified you recently? Kindly share your experience.

Summary: Everyone likes being glorified. But we should know who is to be glorified and the spiritual benefits of such glorification.

Points and flow

• Of all kinds of worship, worship of Vishnu is the highest level of worship. • Even higher than the worship of Vishnu is the worship of devotees. • Service to devotees actually gives bhakti and removes material contamination. • Just seeing a devotee removes all sins. • Krsna says that only a person who is a devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee. • The most important thing is to find a pure devotee, accept him as guru and serve him. • Association acts like a crystal stone.




In the Skanda Puräëa there is a similar statement: "Persons whose bodies are marked with tilaka, symbolizing the conchshell, wheel, club and lotus—and who keep the leaves of tulasé on their heads, and whose bodies are always decorated with gopé-candana—even seen once, can help the seer be relieved from all sinful activities."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.11-12

Mayapura, June 25, 1973

sat-sangan mukta-duhsango hatum notsahate budhah kirtyamanam yaso yasya sakrd akarnya rocanam tasmin nyasta-dhiyah parthah saheran viraham katham darsana-sparsa-samlapa- sayanasana-bhojanaih

"The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad, materialistic association, can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard them only once. How, then, could the Pandavas tolerate His separation, for they had been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him face to face, touching Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?"

Prabhupada:

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

Satam prasangat. Sat-sanga. Sat-sanga. Sat means devotees, and asat means nondevotees. Even in moral instruction of Canakya Pandita, he advises: tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam. Canakya Pandita ad... Although he was a politician, a great politician, still, a learned brahmana and knowing all moral instruction, he gives this advice: tyaja durjana-samsargam.

This is the crucial point of advancement in human life. Tyaja durjana-samsargam. Try to avoid. Not try; must. You must avoid the association of the materialistic persons. Materialistic person means those who are after money and woman. That's all. They are materialistic. Those persons, simply hankering after money and woman, they are materialistic. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised to associate with this class of men, hankering after money and women, it is better..., death is better, preferred, than to associate. When He was requested to see King Prataparudra... Because he was king, he's supposed to be always in association with money and women. He refused to see him: "No, I cannot see the King." When He refused to see, He quoted one verse: bhava-sagarasya, niskincanasya bhava-sagarasya. Niskincanasya jigamisor bhava-sagarasya.

So actually who has associated with sadhu, he cannot make any more association with asadhu. Therefore it is said that sat-sangan mukta-duhsangah. Mukta-duhsanga. Mukta means completely liberated. Such person, hatum notsahate budhah, such person cannot give up the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Kirtyamanam. He may try to go away, but he'll not be happy. He'll not be happy. We have seen practically. Some of our boys who have left, they come occasionally. Even he protests externally, internally he understands that he has committed a mistake by associating. Kirtyamanam. Kirtyamanam yaso yasya sakrd akarnya rocanam. The sankirtana, chanting



of this holy name, is so pleasing that one cannot avoid it if once he has associated with devotees. This is the position.

Therefore for the Pandavas... Of course, the holy name of the Lord and the Lord, they're identical. There is no difference. But still we are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and if the Lord comes personally, how much we shall be engladdened. So we are chanting Hare Krsna, Krsna's name, but the Pandavas, they were practically associating with Krsna. So if a person associating with devotees, becomes interested in chanting the holy name of the Lord, how much it is impossible, how much it is impossible for the Pandavas to give up His association. Because they are so fortunate that darsana-sparsa-samlapa-sayanasana-bhojanaih. They're in intimately friendly terms with Krsna, that they're lying together, they're sitting together, they're eating together, always seeing Krsna. How they can tolerate His separation? It is impossible. If a..., satam prasangat, if a devotee cannot give up this chanting of His holy name, how the persons who are actually seeing Krsna, associating with Krsna, can tolerate separation from Him? This is the purport.



Lesson 48: Discussion of sastras

Flow of the Program

Link

Last week we saw about sadhu sangha, one of the five angas. Today we will try to understand the importance of discussion of sastras.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the importance of sadhu sanga and discussion of sastras

Ice Breaker

Question: When was the last time you referred to a scripture to explain to someone about a spiritual topic? What did you refer to?

Summary: We should ensure that whatever we speak is in accordance with guru, sadhu and sastra.

Points and flow

• Krsna becomes pleased with a person reading transcendental literature. • Veda is the aggregate of all knowledge. • Srimad Bhagavatam is the ripened fruit of the vedic tree. • Reading Bhagavatam makes us devotees • We need to hear Bhagavatam from a devotee (bhagavata). • Srimad Bhagavatam should be received in disciplic succession. • Srimad Bhagavatam is relished even by liberated persons like Sukadeva Goswami. • Devotees should relish the purport of Çrémad-Bhägavatam through the discussions of authorized devotees.


Start a sastra study group to read Srila Prabhupada’s books on a day other than the Bhakti Vriksha program.




Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18

October 29, 1972, Vrndavana

The real prescription is given here: nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Every day or every moment, you should remember Bhagavatam. Then nasta-prayesu abhadresu, the dirty things which are within our heart, that is the... The process is going on to wash the dirty things. And the process is hearing about Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness movement, is that, that you hear about Krsna patiently and the dirty things within your heart will go away. What is the dirty things? The dirty things is the rajas-tamo-bhavah. That will be explained. So by hearing about Krsna from Krsna or from His devotee, nasta-prayesu, not completely finished... The contamination is there.

Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah [BG. 9.30]

Nasta-prayesu, one who has taken to devotional service, hearing about Krsna, he has not become completely perfect even. Because, due to his past habit, he may do something wrong. Just like one was habituated in smoking. And he has taken initiation, and he has taken to Krsna consciousness, but due to the influence of some friend, he sometimes, suppose he smokes. So if unconsciously induced by others he commits some sinful activity, that is excused. But if he consciously does something sinful activity, that is not excused. Krsna says therefore that api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. If he sticks to the devotional service sincerely, but due to his past habit, if he's seen that he has committed something wrong, so Krsna said, "Still, he's sadhu." Sadhur eva sa mantavyah, samyag vyavasito hi... [Bg. 9.30]. Because his faith in Krsna is there. Therefore he is sadhu.

Now one may say that "He's not following strictly the rules." But intentionally, if he's doing so, then it is very risky. He'll fall down. But by chance, if he does so, the next line says, ksipram bhavati dharmatma. Because he's sticking to Krsna consciousness, he will be again reformed. Ksipram. Very soon, he'll be reformed. These are, the things are there. Therefore it is said, nasta-prayesu. Not that completely one becomes perfect. Even prayesu, almost perfect, still, almost, not that completely, abhadresu, he has, he's trying to give up all bad habits, unwanted things. Nasta-prayesu abhadresu. How it is possible? Nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Not saptaham bhagavata-sevaya, officially. This is karma-kandiya. "I sit down for one saptaha in a year, and then 357 days I do all nonsense." No. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. One has to serve bhagavata.

Bhagavata means this, one who is related with Bhagavan. Bhagavata. From bhagavat-sabda, from the word bhagavata, bhagavata. So bhagavata means the grantha-bhagavata, the book Bhagavata, and the devotee bhagavata. So either you read Srimad-Bhagavatam... But Srimad-Bhagavatam should be relished, understood through person bhagavatam. It is recommendation. Svarupa Damodara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's secretary, personal secretary, he chastised one brahmana. He wrote something wrong, and after all, he gave him advice that "If you want to study Bhagavata, then bhagavata paro giya bhagavata sthane(?), try to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam from a devotee, not from a professional man who is earning his livelihood by reading Bhagavata." He must be practical bhagavata. Then you will gain. Sanatana Gosvami has also said that avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam. Hari-katha, amrta, nectar, but still, although it is amrta, it is not to be received from the mouth of a non-devotee. One must be practical devotee, pure devotee. When he speaks, you should receive Bhagavata, the message of Bhagavata, Bhagavad-Gita from him. Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam, sravanam naiva kartavyam. Do not hear. Reject. Professional readers. Reject immediately. Those who are earning their livelihood by the Bhagavata reading profession, you should immediately reject. This is the injunction. Not that "Oh, here is Bhagavata. Here is Bhagavata. I must sit down." No. Sanatana Gosvami says no. Sravanam naiva kartavyam.



Why? Hari-katha. "He may be whatever he may be, but he's speaking Bhagavata. What is the harm to hear from him?" One can argue like that. No, Sanatana Gosvami says, "Yes, sarpocchistam yatha payah. Milk is amrta, nice, but as soon as it is touched by the tongue of a serpent, it is, it is poison." Sarpocchistam yatha payah. He has given this very example. Milk is very nice, undoubtedly. Everyone will agree. But as soon as it is touched by the lip of a serpent, you cannot drink it. Then you'll die. Now Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also warned like that, that mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa. If you hear from a Mayavadi who misinterprets things according to their whims, so then you'll be spoiled. You'll not get any benefit. And Svarupa Damodara, secretary of Lord Caitanya, he has also the same thing, that bhagavata paro giya bhagavata sthane. Those who are practical bhagavata, life bhagavata, from them, from him try to understand Bhagavata.



Lesson 49: Deity worship

Flow of the Program

Link

In the last couple of weeks we have been discussing about theangas of bhakti. Today we will discuss about another one of the angas – deity worship.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the importance of deity worship.

Icebreaker

Question: When you want to offer prayers which deity would you approach? Why? Summary: Everybody has an ista-devata, whom they would like to develop a relationship with. Today we will see how important it is for us devotees to establish a relationship with the deity form of the Lord and serve Him.

Points and flow

• Worship may be saguëa or nirguëa—of the Supreme possessing or not possessing attributes. • The form of the Lord at the temple it is not an idol, He is the deity • Reference from Padma Purana: arcye viñëau çilä-dhér guruñu nara-matir vaiñëave jäti-buddhiù çré-viñëor nämni

çabda-sämänya-buddhiù, etc. "One should not consider the Deity of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider the authorized spiritual master an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure vaiñëava to belong to a particular caste, etc."

• Without worshipping the personal form of the Lord advancement in Krsna consciousness is troublesome. • Explain how the deity is the Lord Himself even though He is present everywhere. It is special because even

in the material elements He manifests his real form, example – Sakshi Gopal. • The arca vigraha is an incarnation of the Lord. • By engaging in deity worship we can realize that we are not this body, but spirit soul

Note: We find that in many religions of the world there is great aversion to this idea of worshiping of deity in the temple; they call it idol worship. Idol worship is one of two things – when one simply concocts one’s own superstitious imaginary reasons for some form and concocts a method of worship, with no scientific scriptural guidelines; or, when one worships simply for material ambitions to be fulfilled. This is idol worship.

In the western countries, 40 years ago, the general population was ignorant of Vedic principles and there was no conception of the beautiful scientific method of prana pratistha, of calling the Lord to accept our love and service in His holy form of the vigraha, the deity. Therefore the imaginary, speculative, superstitious process of idol worship was projected on the scientific process of deity worship. But that principle of focusing the mind on a form of God is always there and even the practitioners of religions which condemn so-called idol worship, are doing it themselves; they have to have a focus.

For the Sikhs, their whole focus is their work; it is their worshipable deity – a form they can experience God in. The Muslims, where ever they are in the world, bow down towards Mecca; that is their deity, which is where they are reaching out for the essence of God. It is a physical place, a form. And the Christians, in every church, they stand before the crucifix, the cross, and they kiss it, they kneel down before it, they pray to it, they beg mercy from it. The Jews have their Torah which they keep on the altar and on certain days they decorate it with crowns and jewellery, and they kiss it, bow down before it and worship it. In this way every religion sees the great need to gather together around a form which they perceive as the essence of God. We find that every religion is doing it, every religion is performing deity worship. But in the Vedic religion it is a very scientific process which has been given by God Himself and which has been followed and amplified by all of great previous saints.


1. Handover a copy of ‘Whose worship is deity worship’ to members. 2. Commence weekly follow up to ensure the sastra study group is continuing effectively.




On deity worship

72/10/23 Vrndavana

arcayam eva haraye ya pujam sraddhayahate na tad-bhaktesu canyesu sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah

In the lower stage, the devotee is engaged in Deity worship. It is not that Deity worship is lower than meditation. We don't mean that. Deity worship is the beginning of devotional service, as it will be mentioned in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, how to approach the Deity, how to cleanse the floor, how to change the dress, flower, how to make aratrika, everything in detail there are.

So in the beginning certainly one who is not advanced, he cannot see Krsna properly. Krsna, when we speak of Krsna, Krsna is not alone. Just like if we speak of king, "The king is coming," it does not mean the king is coming alone. The king is coming, his ministers, his secretaries, his military commanders, his queens, his servants, so many other servitors of the king, they are also coming. Similarly, when we speak of Krsna, Krsna does not mean alone Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. Krsna is the root of all emanations. Krsna's energies, Krsna's expansion, Krsna's different types of energies, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. He has got multi-energies, out of which the acaryas have taken three principal energies, the external energy, the internal energy, the marginal energy. Krsna's incarnation, expansion. All together means Krsna. So the kanistha adhikari, in the lower stage, he thinks that he's worshiping the Deity very nicely, he has realized Krsna. No. Na tad-bhaktesu canyesu sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah. We have to make further advancement. Krsna does not mean alone. Especially Krsna's devotees. They are always with Krsna. Therefore when we can recognize a devotee of Krsna and offer him the respect as devotee of Krsna, that is further advancement.

In the madhyama adhikari, or in further advancement of devotional service, one can see four categories.

isvare tad-adhinesu balisesu dvisatsu ca prema-maitri-krpopeksa sa bhakta madhyamah

Isvara. When we are further advanced, we do not see only Krsna, but we see His devotees also. We can recognize, "Here is a pure devotee of Krsna." But in the lower stage, a, the devotee's concerned with the Deity worship, but he does not take much care of the devotees. But when one is advanced further, he can see Krsna and His devotees also. Isvara tad-adhina. Tad-adhina means devotees. Devotees are always under the service of Krsna. So anyone who is giving service to Krsna, we should take care of them also. We should offer our respect in... You'll find in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, it is stated somewhere, that if, if a devotee is coming, then another devotee who is engaged in worship of the Deity may stop Deity worship for the time being and should go immediately to receive the devotee. So Krsna also says, mad-bhakta-puja abhyadhika. Krsna is satisfied more when a devotee worships His devotee. Krsna says, "If one is worshiping Me and one is worshiping My devotee, then the person who is worshiping the devotee, he's more important than the person who is worshiping Krsna."



Worship the Absolute Truth, Not the Relative Truth

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Truths of this world are ever-changing and can never pacify us. We should turn our attention to the unchanging, ever-lasting truth.

janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat tene brahma hrdaya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

Vyasadeva is offering his obeisances to satyam param, the Absolute Supreme Truth, not to the relative truth. Everyone has to offer obeisances to somebody. In our practical life, at least, we have to offer obeisances to the police constable. When you go on the street, as soon as they say, "Stop," we have to obey. So how you can avoid obeying? They are saying that "We don't believe in God. God is dead. I am God." But why you are offering obeisances even to the small constable? That means you have to offer your obeisances to somebody. That is your position.

But we are offering obeisances to the relative truth. That has been explained here that tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa. We are offering obeisances to a temporary manifestation of tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayah. Tejah means fire, vari means water, and mrt means earth. So you take earth, mix with water, and put it into fire. Then grind it, so it becomes mortar and the brick, and you prepare a very big skyscraper and offer obeisances there. Yes. "Oh, such a big house, mine." Tri-sargo 'mrsa. But there is another place: dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam. We are offering here obeisances to the bricks, stone, iron. Especially in Western countries, there are so many statues – the same thing, tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayah. But when we install Deity, the eternal form of Krishna, nobody offers obeisances. They'll go to offer obeisances to the dead. In the British Museum, people stand in queue to offer obeisances to a dead body. It has no value, but they are wasting time there. But here, if they are invited, they will say, "Oh, they are worshiping idol. Why shall I go there?" This is called illusion.

So Vyasadeva here offers obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, satyam param dhimahi. There is no more truth beyond that. And as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, mattah parataram nanyat kiticid asti dhananjaya [Gita 7.7]. Mattah, "Beyond Me there is no more superior power." So Vyasadeva is offering his obeisances to the person above whom there is nobody. In our experience we see that one controller is controlled by another controller. Nobody is absolute controller. Therefore nobody is Absolute Truth. But Vyasadeva is offering obeisances to the Absolute Truth, "the source of all emanations."

Now, what is that source of emanation? As we have got experience, in everything there is a cause and the effect. So the supreme cause means one who has no more cause, or one who is the cause of all causes, sarva-karana-karanam [Brahma-samhita 5.1]. I am caused by my father, my father is caused by his father. His father, his father … go on making research, who the ultimate father is. There must be some ultimate father. We can see up to two, three generation upwards, and beyond that, we cannot see. That does not mean that the great-grandfather had no father. There must have been some father. Anyone can understand. Although I cannot see with my limited potency, but with my reasonable knowledge, I can understand that either he may be great-grandfather or above that, above that, he must have some father.

So Lord Brahma is therefore called pitamaha, "grandfather," because he is the original father within this universe. He is the first created being, and he begot so many children. So all the living entities, they are born of Brahma, He is called shrishti-karta, or "the creator of this universe." And there are innumerable universes. In each universe there is one Brahma, and all these Brahmas are created by Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Therefore vishnu-tattva is the Absolute Truth.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives reference of Srimad-Bhagavatam with Brahma-samhita. That means Srimad-Bhagavatam also is eternal. They are not man-made, manufactured books. The Vedic literature means, as it is stated in this verse, tene brahma hrda. Brahma means Vedic literature, sabda-brahma. Vasudeva, the original



person, the Absolute Truth, transferred this Vedic knowledge into the heart of Lord Brahma, Brahma was alone; he could not see Krishna eye-to-eye. But isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Gita 18.61]. Krishna is everyone's heart, so he taught him from within. Krishna's name is chaitya-guru, "the spiritual master from within." So Krishna is trying to help us from within, and He manifests again externally also as spiritual master, directly teaching. So from within, from without, He is trying to help us. Krishna is so kind.

This Brahma-samhita was written by Lord Brahma, and in Brahma-samhita the name of Krishna is there. Originally in the Brahma-samhita there were hundred chapters, but only fifth chapter is now available. In the beginning of that fifth chapter, Brahma says isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, [Brahma-samhita 5.1]. So how can these rascals conclude that Krishna lived some few thousand years ago, there was this blue boy, He was very powerful …. So in this way, these rascal so-called scholars have misled the public. Therefore we call them simply rascals. They do not know what the truth is, and still they write unauthorized books and commentaries and mislead the public. This is going on. Krishna is not manufactured. In the Brahma-samhita, there is complete description of Krishna:

isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Brahma-samhita 5.1]

The cause of all causes. janmadyasya yatah. The Vedanta-sutra says, "The Absolute Truth is the original cause." The scientists are trying to find out the original cause of creation, but they are creating their own imagination: "There was a chunk, and it burst out, and then planets came out." Like that (laughter). And where from this chunk came, you nonsense? So this is going on.

So if you actually want knowledge, then you have to take knowledge by this disciplic succession, because you cannot speculate. By speculation, you can never arrive to the Absolute Truth. That is not possible.

athapi te deva padambuja-dvayam prasada-lesanu grhita eva hi janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno na canya eko 'pi chiram vicinvan [Bhagavatam 10.14.29]

Chiram means perpetually you may speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God personally. Just like Krishna, Krishna' s name is mentioned in the Bhagavata and Brahma-samhita. That means Brahma knew Krishna, That means Krishna was before Brahma's birth, original. Aham evasam agre. Before creation, Krishna was present. Not that Krishna is a product of this material creation, like us. This body is a product of material creation. My father and mother created this body. Their bodies were similarly created by somebody. But Krishna' s body is not like that. Krishna' s body is beyond creation – aham evasam agre – because there was no creation, and Krishna was existing before creation. So how can you say that Krishna's body is material? That is not possible.

Therefore Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, janma karma ajo 'pi san avyayatma: "I am born," avyayatma, "eternal body; still, I take birth." Bhutanam isvaro 'pi san: "I am the Lord of everyone; still, I appear." These things are to be understood. This is not ordinary knowledge. Divyam, transcendental. His appearance, His disappearance, His work, His activity, His pastimes – they are all transcendental. Even Sankaracharya, the impersonalist, says narayana parah avyaktat: "Narayana is beyond this material creation." Avyakta means there is a total stock of material..



Whose Worship is Idol Worship? July 1st, 1975 by Jayadvaita Swami (Source: Back to Godhead Magazine #10-07, 1975)

Are the Hare Krsna devotees idol worshipers? A senior member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness resolves this question by explaining the authenticity of the Deity form of the Lord.

It's natural for us to want to know what God looks like, just as it's natural for a child who's never seen his father to want to know what his father looks like. And just as such a child may imagine, "Maybe my father looks like this" or "Maybe he looks like that," so we, too, speculate about what God must be like. The artist Michelangelo, for example, knowing God to be the original person, speculated that He must actually look old, with white hair and the features of an aged man. In this way, perhaps all of us have at one time or another formed at least some mental picture of God from whatever little we knew of Him. Imagination, however, is not reality, and therefore the Supreme Lord, both in the Bible and in other scriptures, warns us not to engrave our imaginary conceptions in wood or stone and thus offer homage to our illusions,

But the soul hankers to see the beautiful form of God, and if he cannot do so, he is likely to try to satisfy himself with the beautiful but temporary things to be seen in the material world. Or worse still, in frustration he may conclude that there is no such thing as God or that God really has no form at all. However, actually seeing the form of God in the Ratha-yatra festival can rescue the soul from the perils of materialism and the hopelessness that comes from thinking that God is void or dead.

Sometimes people unfamiliar with the meaning of the Ratha-yatra festival think that the devotees singing and dancing with their arms in the air are offering homage to a statue. Indeed, sometimes they condemn the entire celebration as paganism. Or else they hesitate to join the Ratha-yatra parade, for they remember that God is "a jealous God" who commands, "Thou shalt have no other God before Me" and "Thou shalt not worship a graven image." What about this? Are the Hare Krsna people really idol worshipers?

Golden Calf

To know for sure, first we must define what idolatry is. Concisely, idolatry is the worship of a material form of God imagined by the human mind. The classic example occurs in the Bible. When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, in his absence the Israelites molded a golden calf and began to worship it as God. This, indeed, was idolatry, for instead of worshiping God, they had worshiped their own whimsical creation.

But aren't the Hare Krsna people also worshiping statues made of metal and wood? To understand what is actually going on in the Hare Krsna temples and the Ratha-yatra parade, first we must think about Krsna, or God (Krsna is a name of God), as a real person. We must overcome false notions that God is impersonal or void, for such ideas arise only from a poor fund of knowledge. A child who sees a satellite floating in space may think that it's traveling on its own, but the enlightened father knows that great teams of scientists are applying their intelligence and energy to guide the satellite in its orbit. Similarly, a thoughtful human being must know that directing all the greater satellites we call the stars and planets is a supreme intelligence, a supreme person. The cosmos, with its seemingly unlimited wonders, could not have just hatched from some void or impersonal force. Such an idea is absurd. "Force" implies that ultimately a person must be applying the force. We may not know who that person is, but that is no excuse for denying that He exists.

Honest Ignorance

Granting, as we reasonably should, that such a person does exist, why should we deny Him a name, form and other personal qualities? We may honestly admit that we don't know what they are, but to say that what we don't know about cannot exist betrays a narrow, unreasonable mind. If God is the Supreme Person, the Supreme Father, He must have all the qualities of a person. Otherwise, how could personal qualities appear in His sons? The emanations cannot have more than their source; the parts cannot have more than the whole; the tiny drop cannot have more than the ocean. Just as an ocean of water has the same chemical makeup as its individual drops,



the Supreme Living Being must have all the personal qualities found in the innumerable living beings who are part and parcel of Him. Therefore, God must also have a name, form and senses.

So if God has a personal form, what is it? Our limited, imperfect mind and senses cannot tell us, for He is beyond them. Indeed, God is beyond the entire universe. (How else could He be its creator?) Therefore if we want to know about the personal qualities of God, we must receive this information from God Himself, through the revealed scriptures. We may also learn from a self-realized saint or spiritual teacher, but the qualification of such saintly teachers like Jesus Christ, for example is that they always speak on the basis of the scriptures and refer to the scriptures to support their own words. They never invent anything new.

However, although the scriptures of the West consistently speak of God as a person, they give only scanty information about His personal form, qualities and kingdom. If we want more detailed information about God, we must turn to the Vedic scriptures of the Krsna consciousness movement. These are books like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and other scientific scriptures, which were first compiled in writing in India some 5,000 years ago.

This is the call of the Krsna consciousness movement: if you indeed want to understand God in His full glory as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you must turn to these scriptures, for nowhere else will you find the details of His spiritual name, form, qualities, pastimes and abode.

Consider this excerpt from the Bhaktivedanta purports of Bhagavad-gita As It Is: "The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is described in the Brahma-samhita as cintamani-dhama, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Krsna, known as Goloka Vrndavana, is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees called 'desire trees,' which supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi, which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (laksmis) and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes. The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds His eyes are like lotus petals and His bodily color like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck and a peacock feather in His hair."

Not Imagination

It is to be stressed that these are not imaginary conceptions, like those of a poet or an artist. These are the explicit descriptions of the revealed Vedic scriptures. The Vedic scriptures tell us God's name Krsna and they describe in minute detail His qualities, pastimes, entourage and abode. And most important for resolving the question of idol worship, they describe in detail His form.

The forms of Krsna on the Ratha-yatra car and in the Krsna consciousness temples are not imaginary creations. They are fashioned exactly according to the descriptions of the Vedic literature. The Deity is not a whimsical icon. When we see the form of the Deity of Krsna, what we are seeing is the actual form of God.

But even if we accept that the Deities in the Krsna consciousness temples accurately represent what God looks like, this still does not explain why the Hare Krsna people worship the form of the Deity as if it were actually God Himself. This is a matter that requires some philosophical astuteness.

The reason the Deity is accorded such reverence is that the form of God is God..



Lesson 50: Chanting of the holy names

Flow of the Program

Link

In the last few weeks we have been discussing about the five angas of bhakti. Today we will discuss about the last anga – chanting of the holy names

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the glories of chanting the holy name.

Icebreaker

Question: When was the last time you offered prayers and felt transcendental bliss and how do you chant your japa?

Summary: Stress on the importance of ‘quality’ chanting.

Points and flow

• Glories of chanting • Chanting without offenses is important • Sankirtan • Japa




Prabhupäda: (sings) Govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi **. (audience responds) So Kåñëa consciousness movement means to approach the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa. This is Kåñëa consciousness. Directly. This is a special gift of Lord Caitanya that... In this age there are so many anomalies, defects in the life of human being that gradually they are giving up the idea of Kåñëa consciousness, or God consciousness. Not only gradually they are giving up, they have already given up. So Vedänta-sütra therefore says, athäto brahma jijïäsä. It is not that a different type of religious system we have introduced. It is a great necessity of the present day. Because we say that either you follow scripture, Bible, or you follow Koran or you follow Vedas, the aim is God. But at the present moment, due to the influence of this Kali-yuga... Kali-yuga means the age of quarrel and disagreement. So in this age people are embarrassed in so many ways. First disqualification is that they do not live for long time. The average duration of life in India is thirty-five years, and I do not know exactly what is the average age here, but in India the people are overcrowded. They have no such intelligence, or they did not care to go outside India, colonize. Everyone went there to exploit, but they never thought of exploiting other places. That is their cultural... They do not try to encroach upon others' property. Anyway, India's position is very precarious, because they have left their own culture and they're trying to imitate the Western culture, which they cannot due to so many circumstances, and therefore they're put into, between the horns of Scylla and Charybdis. You see.

So this age is like that. Not only in India, in other countries the difficulties are in a different way. The problems are different. But there are problems, either in India or in America or in China. Everywhere, they are trying to make so many schemes for world peace. In your country also, in America even, there is no safety of life for big men like Kennedys, you see. Anyone can be killed at any moment, and there is no action. So there is another problem. In Communist country they are, by force, they're ruling on the citizens. So many Russians, so many Chinese, they are going away out of their country. They do not like this Communist idea. So problems are there due to this age. Due to this age of Kali, the problems are there. And what are the problems? The problems are that in this age people are very short-lived, their duration of life. We do not know when we shall die. At any moment. It is said that during Lord Rämacandra's rule, a brähmaëa... (aside:) It's not working? ...he came to the king, "My dear king, my son has died. So please explain why, in the presence of father, a son shall die." Just see how much the king was responsible. An old father came to complain to the king, "What is the reason that in the presence of the father, a son dies? Please explain." So just see how much responsible government was there. The government is responsible if the son dies before the father. Naturally, the father is older than the son, so he must die first. So such responsible government was there. Now in the civilized world anyone can be killed by anyone, but nobody cares for it.

So duration of life is very uncertain in this age. At any moment we can die. But this life, this human form of life, is meant for a sublime gain. What is that? To make a permanent solution of the miserable condition of our life. In this... So long we are in this material form, this body, we have to change from one body to another, one body to another. Janma-måtyu-jarä-vyädhi [Bg. 13.9]. Repeated birth, repeated death. Soul is immortal, eternal, but changing, just like you are changing the dress. So this problem they do not take into account, but this is a problem. The human life is meant for making a solution of this problem, but neither they have any knowledge, nor they are very much serious about solving these problems. So duration, if you get a long duration of life, then there is chance you may meet somebody, you may meet some good association that you can make the solution of your life. But that is also impossible now because our duration of life is very short. Präyeëa alpäyuñaù sabhya kaläv asmin yuge janäù mandäù. And even whatever duration of life we have got, we are not properly utilizing. We are utilizing this life just like animal, simply eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. In this age, if anyone can eat sumptuously, he thinks, "Oh, my day's duty is finished." If anyone can provide a wife and two or three children, he is to be considered as a very big man. You see. He is providing a family. Because mostly they are without family, without any responsibility. This is the symptoms of this age.

So even if we have got short life, we are not very serious. Mandäù, very slow. Just like here, we are preaching this Kåñëa consciousness movement. Nobody is serious about to learn or to understand what is this movement. And if somebody is interested, they want to be cheated. They want something cheap or cheap something for self-realization. They have got money, they want to pay somebody some fees, and if he says that "I'll give you some mantra and you will, fifteen minutes meditation, within six months you'll become God," these things they want. Mandäù manda-matayo. Manda-matayo means very foolish conclusion. They do not think that "Solution of the



problems of life can be purchased only by paying thirty-five dollars?" They have become so foolish. Because if we say that to make a solution of your problems of life you have to follow these principles, "Oh, this is very difficult. Let me pay thirty-five dollars and solve it, make a solution." You see? So they want to be cheated. They are called manda-matayo. And cheaters come and cheat them. Mandäù sumanda-matayo manda-bhägyä [SB 1.1.10]. Manda-bhägyä means they are unfortunate also. Even God comes and canvasses Himself, "Please come to Me," oh, they don't care for it. You see? Therefore unfortunate. If somebody comes and offers you one million dollars, if you say, "I don't like it," then are you not unfortunate? So Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that

harer näma harer näma harer näma eva kevalam kalau nästy eva nästy eva nästy eva gatir anyathä [Cc. Ädi 17.21]

"For self-realization simply you chant Hare Kåñëa and see the result." No. They'll not accept. Therefore unfortunate. If you are canvassing the best thing, the easiest process, but they'll not accept, they want to be cheated... You see? Mandäù sumanda-matayo manda-bhägyä hy upadrutäù [SB 1.1.10]. And harassed by so many things—this Draft Board, this board, that board, this, that, so many things. This is their position. Short life, very slow, no understanding, and if they want to understand, they want to be cheated, they are unfortunate, and disturbed. This is the position of the present days. It doesn't matter whether you are born in America or in India, this is the whole position.

So there is a great need of this movement, and we are spreading this Kåñëa consciousness movement, and this is practical, very easy, and just suitable for this age. It doesn't consider how much you are qualified. It doesn't consider. Whatever your past life may be, you simply come here, chant Hare Kåñëa with your tongue—God has given you a tongue—and taste Kåñëa prasäda, Love Feast, and make your life successful. Very easy process. So this is our program. So invite anyone to join this movement, and you'll be benefited. And you will see practically. It is pratyakñävagamaà dharmyam. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said that this process of self-realization is directly perceivable. Directly perceivable. Pratyakñävagamaà dharmyam. Just like when you eat, you can understand that you are eating, you can understand that your hunger is being satisfied, you can understand that you are getting strength. So you haven't got to take certificate. You can yourself understand it is so nice thing. Pratyakñävagamam. Pratyakña means directly, avagamam. You understand it directly. If you meditate, so-called meditation, you do not know how far you are making progress. You see. You are in oblivion. You do not know. But here, if you chant Hare Kåñëa, you'll directly feel, directly feel. I have got so many students, so many letters, how they are feeling directly. It is so nice. Pratyakñävagamaà dharmyaà su-sukhaà kartum avyayam [Bg. 9.2]. And very nice to perform. Chant and dance and eat. What do you want more? (laughter) Simply chanting, dancing, and eating nice sweetballs, kachori. So su-sukham and kartum avyayam. While performing, while practicing this process, it is very pleasurable, and avyayam. Avyayam means whatever you do, even if you execute one percent of this movement, that is your permanent asset. Permanent asset. If you do two percent, three percent, four percent... But don't wait for next life. Finish, cent percent. It is not very easy to execute; therefore finish. Don't wait, that "Let me finish in this life a certain percentage of self-realization, and next life I shall do." And what is the test of realization, finishing full percentage? The test is how much you have learned to love God, Kåñëa, that's all. You have got your love, you love somebody, but if you divide your love, that "I shall love this country and my society, my girlfriend and this and that, or boyfriend, and I shall try to love Kåñëa also..." No. That is also nice, but if you give predominance, all predominance, simply to love Kåñëa, you'll automatically love other things, and your life will be perfect. Other loving affairs will not be minus. Just like a Kåñëa conscious person, he loves not only his family and society; he loves even the animal, he loves even the ant, his love is so much expanded. It is so nice thing. How much you can love? Anything, as soon as there is some misunderstanding, the love is broken. But Kåñëa love is so sound that you'll never break, and your love will be expanded universally. It is so nice thing. And love you have got. You have simply misplaced your loving capacity to so many things. You just revert it to Kåñëa, and when you perfectly love Kåñëa, you'll see that you're loving your country, your society, your friend, more than what you loved before, it is so nice thing.

So take to this Kåñëa consciousness movement and be happy in this life and next life. If you can finish your loving affairs to Kåñëa in this life, then you have done cent percent. If not, whatever percentage you have executed in this life, that will remain with you. It will not go. That is assured in the Bhagavad-gétä, that çucénäà çrématäà gehe yoga bhrañöo saïjäyate [Bg. 6.41]. One who cannot execute this yoga process completely cent per cent, he is given next birth a chance to take birth in a rich family or to get birth in a very pure family. Two alternatives. So



either you take birth in pure family or in rich family, at least your birth as a human being is guaranteed. But if you don't take to this Kåñëa consciousness movement, you do not know what is your next birth. There are 8,400,000 different species of life, and you can be transferred to any one of them. If you are transferred to become a tree... Just like I've seen in San Francisco. They said that "This tree is standing for seven thousand years." They stand up on the bench for seven thousand years. The boys are sometimes punished by the teachers in the school, "Stand up on the bench." So these trees are punished, "Stand up," by nature's law. So there is chance of becoming a tree, there is chance of becoming a dog, a cat, or even a rat. So many lives there are. Don't miss this opportunity of human form of life. Perfect your love of Kåñëa and be happy in this life and next life.

So this initiation... As many of our students are initiated, so some of our students are going to be initiated this evening. The initiation means the third stage of joining this movement. The first stage is çraddhä, a little faith. Just like our students are going in the marketplace, they are chanting, and many people are contributing some money; somebody's purchasing our Back to Godhead. This is the beginning of faith: "Oh, here is a nice movement. Let me cooperate." Ädau çraddhä. Then, if he becomes little more interested, then he comes here, into the class. "All right, let us see what these people are teaching, this Kåñëa consciousness." So they come. So that is the second stage. The first stage is automatic sympathy for this movement. The second stage is joining or associating with this, our activities. Just like you have kindly come here. You are hearing me. Similarly, if somebody becomes more interested or his faith is still further advanced, then he comes, that is the second stage. And the third stage is... Ädau çraddhä tataù sädhu-saìga atha bhajana-kriyä [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Now, the initiation means beginning of the activities. Beginning of the activities. How one can develop Kåñëa consciousness to the perfectional state, that is called initiation. It is not that initiation means finished. It is the third stage. Then the fourth stage will be, one who is initiated, if he follows the rules and regulation, and if he chants Hare Kåñëa with a fixed-up counting, then gradually his all misgivings will vanish. What are the misgivings? We ask our students to refrain from that illicit sex life, nonvegetarian diet, and intoxication, and to take part in gambling. These four things. So ordinarily these four things are very prominent in the society, especially in the Western countries. But these students who take initiation and follows chanting, they very easily give up these four things without any difficulty. That is called anartha nivåtti. That is the fourth stage. The fifth stage is then he becomes fixed up: "Yes." Just like one student, Mr. Anderson, I've not seen him, but simply by associating with our other devotees, he has written that "I wish to devote my whole being for this Kåñëa consciousness." This is called niñöhä, fixed up. Tato niñöhä tato ruci. Ruci means they get a taste. Why these boys are going out? This chanting, they have got a taste. They have developed a taste. Otherwise for nothing they are not wasting time. They are educated, they are grown up. So taste. Fixed up, then taste, tathäsaktis. When the taste is, then attachment. He cannot give it up. And I receive so many letters. Some students, they could not cope with their Godbrothers, they go away, but they'll write that "I cannot go. I cannot go." He's captured. You see? Umäpati has written that letter, that he becomes in difficulty, he cannot live, he cannot l-i-v-e or l-e-a-v-e. He's in Dallas. You see? He cannot quit the company, or some misunderstanding, he cannot live with Godbrothers. But that is temporary. So that is called asaktiù, attachment. Tathäsaktis tato bhäva. Then gradually increasing, some ecstatic position, always thinking of Kåñëa. And then perfectional stage, that he loves Kåñëa cent percent. So this is the process.

So this initiation means the third stage of Kåñëa consciousness. Those who are being initiated, they should remember that they have to follow the rules and regulations. Just like if a man wants to be cured from a certain type of disease, he has to follow the regulation given by the physician, and that will help him to recover from the illness very quickly. So these four principles of restriction they should follow, and chant at least sixteen rounds daily, and gradually he'll get fixed up in this conviction and will have attachment and taste, and then love of Kåñëa will automatically... It is there in everyone's heart. Love of Kåñëa, it is not a foreign thing that we are imposing. No. It is there, everywhere, in every living entity. Otherwise how these American boys and girls are taking it if it is not there? It is there. I am simply helping. Just like matches: there is fire, and one can help only simply rubbing, that's all. There is fire. You cannot get fire rubbing two, I mean to say, sticks, if there is no, that chemicals on the top. So Kåñëa consciousness is there in everyone's heart; simply one has to revive it by this association, this Kåñëa consciousness association. So it is neither difficult, nor impractical, nor very unpalatable. Everything is nice. So our request to everyone that let them take this munificent gift of Lord Caitanya, Kåñëa consciousness movement, and Hare Kåñëa chanting, and you'll be happy. That is our program.

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances)



Lesson 51: Nama aparadha(Chanting with offences)

Flow of the Program

Link

In the last week we discussed about the importance of chanting the holy names. Today we will discuss about the offences to be avoided while chanting the holy names.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the offences to be avoided whilechanting the holy name.

Icebreaker

Question: What has been your biggest mistake so far? How did or will you correct it?

Summary: Make them realize the importance of chanting the holy names without offenses.

Points and flow

The three stages of chanting are namaparadha (offensive chanting), namabhas (offenseless chanting) and shuddhanam (pure chanting) By committing offenses against the holy name, we lose our taste for spiritual activities Through continuous, long-lasting spiritual practice the devotee can nullify the consequences of nama-aparadhas and regain his taste for the holy name Bhaktivinoda Thakura states that inattention or distraction while chanting is the root of all offenses One should chant offenselessly and with all humility (refer Siksastakam) atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah "No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Krsna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him." (Padma Purana) Chanting is not equivalent to atonement (Refer SB 6.1.9, SB 6.1.10 and 6.1.11)

Suggested activity for members: Allocate the 10 offences among the members and request each of them to present their understanding. The Bhakti Vriksha sevak should help clarify their understanding based on Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.


1. Handover a copy of the ten offences to be avoided against the holy name, to the members.




Madhudviña: Çréla Prabhupäda Should I read the ten offenses?

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Madhudviña: We have them here.

Prabhupäda: Just see. Go on reading. Yes, you read.

Madhudviña: "The ten offenses to avoid while chanting the mahä-mantra. Number one: Blaspheming the Lord's devotee."

Prabhupäda: Now just try to understand. Any devotee of Lord should not be blasphemed. It doesn't matter in any country. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he is a great devotee. And even Muhammad, he's also a devotee. It is not that because we are devotee and they are not devotee. Don't think like that. Anyone who is preaching the glories of God, he is a devotee. He should not be blasphemed. You should be careful. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number two: Considering the Lord and other demigods on the same level or assuming there are many Gods."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Just like there are many nonsense, they say that demigods... Of course, you have no affairs with demigods. Vedic religion there are hundreds and thousands of demigods. Especially it is going on that either you worship Kåñëa or Lord Çiva or Kali, the same thing. This is nonsense. You should not, I mean to, place on the same level with the Supreme Lord. Nobody is greater than Lord. Nobody is equal than the Lord. So this equality should be avoided. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number three: Neglecting the orders of the spiritual master."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Spiritual master's order should be as your life and soul. Then everything will be clear. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number four: Minimizing the authority of the Vedas."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Nobody should minimize the authorized scripture. This is also offense. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number five: Interpreting the holy names of God."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Now just like we are chanting Hare Kåñëa, just like the other day some boy was: "a symbolic." It is not symbolic. Kåñëa... We are chanting "Kåñëa," addressing Kåñëa. Hare means addressing Kåñëa's energy, and we are praying that "Please engage me in Your service." That is Hare Kåñëa. There is no other interpretation. Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. The only prayer is, "O the energy of Lord, O Lord Kåñëa, Lord Räma, please engage me in Your service." That's all. There is no other second interpretation. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number six: Committing sin on the strength of chanting."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Now this initiation, from this day your account, past life, all sinful activities, is now what is called, adjusted. Closed. It is finished. Now because by chanting Hare Kåñëa you can finish your sinful activities' reaction, that does not mean that you will repeat: "Oh, I shall commit sinful activities and I shall chant. It will be adjusted. The balance will be nil." No. Not like that. Don't commit that. Whatever is done is done. No more. Now there should be pure life. No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating. Finished now. It is not that "Oh, I am chanting Hare Kåñëa. Let me go to the hotel and take some meat." No. Then it will be a great sin. Don't do that. Then the chanting of Hare Kåñëa will not fructify if you commit offense. Next?



Madhudviña: "Number seven: Instructing the Lord's name to the unfaithful."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Unfaithful, those who have no faith, that Lord and His name are absolute. Just like here in this material world, the name and the person is different. Suppose your name is Mr. John. So if I chant "John, John, John," so John may be a hundred miles away. There is no response. But the name, holy name of God, God is present everywhere. Just like the television. Television is being, I mean to say, released in some place. If you have got the machine, immediately the picture is in your room. If it is, materially, it can be so possible, how much possibility there is in spiritual Kåñëa name? Immediately you chant Kåñëa's name, that means Kåñëa is immediately on your tongue. So what is that?

Madhudviña: Seven? "Instructing the holy name to the unfaithful."

Prabhupäda: So, one who has no faith that the name of the Lord and the Lord Himself the same, there is no difference, one should not be instructed about the glories of the Lord. He should be instructed to understand, but if he's unable to understand, then he should not be initiated. He should require some time to understand. But you should always remember that näma cintämaëiù kåñëaç caitanya-rasa-vigrahaù: [Cc. Madhya 17.133] Kåñëa and Kåñëa's name nondifferent. As soon as you chant Hare Kåñëa, that means Kåñëa is dancing on your tongue. You should be careful in that way. Just like if Kåñëa... As you offer so much respect to your spiritual master as soon as he's present, so if Kåñëa is present on your tongue, how much careful you should be. So you should always know that Kåñëa is there. Kåñëa is always everywhere. God is everywhere, but we have no realization. But this particular chanting, as soon as chant holy name, that means you must know. So by associating with Kåñëa you become purified. Çåëvatäà sva-kathäù. Just like associating with fire you become warm, similarly, associate with Kåñëa means you become purified. Gradually you become spiritualized. No more material. Finished. This is the process. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number eight: Comparing the holy name to material piety."

Prabhupäda: Yes. Now this function is being done. It should not be taken that we are doing something, religious rituals. No. Religious ritual is different thing. This is... Although it appears like rituals, but it is transcendental. It is above all kinds of religion. It is postgraduate study. The process is how to develop love of Godhead. This is above all rel... Religion means, generally, some kind of faith. But it is not the question of faith. It is actually developing, how much you are loving Kåñëa, or God. So it is above all religions. It is not ordinary religion. Religion means... Suppose you are Christian, I am Hindu. As soon as this body is finished, my Christianism or religion, everything is finished. But this love of God will not finish. It will go with you. Any birth you go, it will develop. If you can finish, then you go directly to Kåñëa, back to Godhead, and finish your all material connection. Even if you are not able, then it goes with you. Asset. It is... The bank balance will not be diminished. It will increase. Then?

Madhudviña: "Number nine: Inattentive while chanting the holy name."

Prabhupäda: Yes. While you are chanting we should hear also. That is meditation. Hare Kåñëa, these two words, Hare Kåñëa, you'll hear also. If you hear, then your mind and your tongue both captivated. That is perfect. Therefore meditation, the first-class yoga, hearing and chanting. Then?

Madhudviña: Then finally number ten: "Attachment to material things while engaged in the practice of chanting."

Prabhupäda: Yes. The whole process is that we are going to transfer our love from matter to God. So we should try to minimize. It will be automatically. Bhaktiù pareçänubhavo viraktir anyatra syät [SB 11.2.42]. If you actually develop love of Godhead, then naturally you forget to love all these material nonsense. That is sequence. But you should try also. You should... This will happen. Just like if we eat, then gradually you minimize your hankering after eating. When you are full, then you say, "I don't want any more. Yes, I am..." Similarly... [break] ...so nice that with the progress of Kåñëa consciousness you forget the so-called material nonsense enjoyment. And when you are in perfect stage, oh, you don't care for anything of this material nonsense. This is the test. You cannot say "I am progressing in meditation by my material attachment to all sense gratification" is the same. That is no



progress. Progress means that you will minimize your material attachment for sense gratification. This is progress. Now you can chant... Ah, you have got... Chant Hare Kåñëa. (end)

Prabhupada:

athainam mapanayata krtasesagha-niskrtam yad asau bhagavan-nama mriyamanah samagrahit [SB 6.2.13]

The most important word here is mriyamanah samagrahit. Ordinarily there are discrimination of nama, namabhasa, and namaparadha-suddha-nama, pure name; namabhasa, almost pure; and namaparadha, chanting the holy name with aparadha. There are ten kinds of offenses, that nama... Namnad... Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the most offensive chanting is namnad balad yasya hi papa-buddhih. One aparadha is guror avajna. If we neglect the orders of guru and chant Hare Krsna, then it is aparadha, offense. Guru-avajna sruti-sastra-nindanam. The Vedic literature, whatever injunction is there, if I don't obey or I decry -- "Oh, there are so many rules. It is not possible" -- sruti-sastra nindanam. Nama artha-vada. We interpret in our own way about the nama. And to consider the holy name of Visnu and other name equally potent, that is namaparadha. And namnad balad yasya hi papa-buddhih. And because one is chanting Hare Krsna, he thinks, "Even if I do something sinful, it will be counteracted." That is aparadha. And to instruct to a person who has no interest in hari-kirtana, that is also aparadha. So we should not be very much interested to preach Krsna consciousness if one is not very much interested. But tactfully, if you can, just try to give him a book. In this way there are ten kinds of offenses. We have discussed many times, and I think all of you know it.

So here it is said, mriyamanah samagrahit. Because at the time of death he has uttered "Narayana," so now there is no question of offense. There is no question of. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita that yesam tu anta-gatam papam: by chanting Hare Krsna mantra, one gradually becomes free from all sinful reaction. Yesam tu anta-gatam. Te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah [Bg. 7.28]. And the proof is, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram yah prayati sa mad-bhavam yati nasty atra samsayah [Bg. 8.5]

If at the time of death one can chant Hare Krsna, then he is glorious. Nasty atra samsayah. Here is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gita, nasty atra. Anta-kale: "At the time of..." I have several times said, the test will be examined at the time of death. They say in Bengal, bhajan koro pujan koro murte janle haya.(?) Your austerity, penances, chanting of the holy name, all these things... Just like there is examination. Before promotion to the higher class, one is examined in the school, and the, if the marks are sufficient, then he is promoted. So our promotion will depend at the time of death, where we are going. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. We are going to change our... Death means we are going to change our body. So this change of body will be decided at the time of death. It is already decided what kind of body we are going to get, but the final decision will be taken at the time of death. That is said by Krsna. So how the test... You... Everyone can understand. If at the time of death one chants Hare Krsna, then you know certainly that he has gone to Vaikuntha. There is no doubt about it. Anta-kale. And even there is aparadha, that is not taken into consideration, because at the time of death he has uttered. This is special consideration. Anta-kale.

These are the three stages of chanting: chanting with offense, chanting as a liberated person and chanting in love of God(Namaparadh, Namabhas and Shuddanam).



Lesson 52: Protection of bhakti lata

Flow of the Program

Link

In the last week we discussed about the offenses to be avoided while chanting the holy names and we saw that the root of all offenses or anarthas is inattention. So we need to protect the tender creeper of bhakti. Today we will see the other factors that endanger the creeper of bhakti or the weeds that grow along with the tender creeper of bhakti.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants aware of the weeds that grow along with the tender creeper of bhakti.

Icebreaker

Question: Recently when did you commit a vaisnava aparadha? What was your experience?

Summary: We can see that vaisnava aparadha disturbs our devotional service, and we are not able to execute our devotional service properly. So it is essential that we protect our tender bhakti lata by taking care not to offend devotees.

Points and flow

Mad elephant offense Defending against mad elephant offence Weeds that grow along with the creeper of bhakti Other impediments while engaging in devotional service Prohibitions required in order to advance in devotional service In pure devotional service there can be no desire other than the desire to advance in Kåñëa consciousness The body is bound by so many designations One has to be careful while watering the plant of devotional service Duty of a neophyte devotee Pure devotional service means engaging all one’s senses in the service of the Lord


1. Handover a copy of the handouts 1 & 2. 2. Members should be encouraged to learn (by heart) the ten offences to be avoided while chanting the holy names




Śrī mad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.33

Vrndāvana, November 20, 1976

So Durvāsā Muni, he was a great yogi, and he became very much envious that "Here is a person who is a gṛhastha and a kṣatriya, he is not even a brāhmaṇa, and he does not practice anything. He is always engaged in his royal activities, and this man is so famous as a great person, great devotee. So I'll chastise him. I'll show." So he wanted to pick up some quarrel with Ambarī ṣa Mahārāja, and on dvādaśī day he approached there with sixty thousand disciples and he said, "Mahārāja, arrange for our prasādam. We..." "Yes, welcome." But his purpose was different. So he went to take bath in the Ganges and Yamunā, and then he came late. In the meantime he had to observe dvādaśī -pāraṇa. With the advice of the brāhmaṇas he took little water. The brāhmaṇas advised, "Mahārāja, water is food and no food. It has no actually food value. So your guest has not returned as yet. You can take little water and observe the completion of dvādaśī ." So he did it, and Durvāsā came very angry, that "I am your guest, and you have taken food?" That is not food, little water. So he wanted to chastise him. He created a big giant to kill the Mahārāja.

So immediately Kṛṣṇa's promise... Kaunteya pratijānī hi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31]. Immediately sudarśana-cakra came and killed that demon immediately, and then he pursued Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni first of all approached Lord Śiva because he was devotee of Śiva: "Please give me protection." He said, "Oh, it is not possible for me. If sudarśana-cakra is after you, I cannot do anything." Then similarly, he approached Brahmā. So he also said, "No, this is not possible." Then he was so powerful that he approached Lord Viṣṇu even, personally, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka. He refused to help him. He said, "Durvāsā Muni, unless you beg pardon from Ambarī ṣa Mahārāja, there is no question of excusing you. The sudarśana-cakra will not excuse." Therefore Vaiṣṇava aparādha is very, very offensive. You should be very careful. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned vaiṣṇava aparādha, hātī mata. Vaiṣṇava aparādha, offense at the feet of Vaiṣṇava, is exactly like mad elephant. If a mad elephant enters your garden, then he spoils everything. This has been given. Vaiṣṇava aparādha means hātī mātā. Mātā means mad, and hātī means elephant. So we should be very, very careful not to commit any offense at the feet of Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava does not take any offense. He does not care who is offender, but Kṛṣṇa takes care. Kṛṣṇa will never tolerate if a person is Vaiṣṇava aparādha. Mind that. Just like a big man. You can offend him, he doesn't mind. But if he does something harmful to his child, so he becomes very angry.

Similarly, here also, Lord Viṣṇu... Just see how much powerful was Durvāsā Muni that he could cross over the material universe and go to the Vaikuṇṭha universe and see the Lord personally. How much powerful yogi he was, just you can... There is no such yogi, at least at the present moment. He could see, but he was refused by Lord Viṣṇu, and he came back to Ambarī ṣa Mahārāja, and Ambarī ṣa Mahārāja was standing without taking any food, that "This brāhmaṇa came at my place. Somehow or other, unnecessarily he became angry and he has left. So unless he comes back, I cannot take any food." So he took only one year. The modern scientists, they are estimating that to go to the topmost planet of this universe, it will take forty thousands of years. That is their estimation. Now, Durvāsā Muni, by his yogic power, he not only crossed over this material space and the material universe, but he went to the other space, paravyoma, where he saw Lord Viṣṇu, and he came back within a year. So that is yoga. One can reach even the sun planet by the beams. This is yoga practice. By touching the beams he can go to the sun planet. There are so many wonderful things. So Durvāsā Muni was a great yogi. He knew all these things. Still, he was defeated before a Vaiṣṇava. He had to come and immediately fall down, "Mahārāja Ambarī ṣa, kindly excuse me. I have done offense." Mahārāja Ambarī ṣa was so humble that "You are in trouble, brāhmaṇa, so whatever I have got, asset, whatever I have done austerity, penance, and..., you take immediately and be excused." This is Vaiṣṇava: "You take all my asset." So there was very friendly. Then both of them took prasādam, and then Durvāsā Muni could understand what is the power of devotee. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. So be very much careful to remain a spotless devotee. Then all success is there. There is no doubt about it. There are so many instances.

Śrī mad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.8



Calcutta, March 5, 1972

Just like if a man becomes angry, so somebody tries to satisfy him. Just like somebody...sometimes our small child becomes angry and cries very loudly and the parents satisfy, "My dear boy, you are so nice, why you are crying? You can take this," just to pacify. Similarly, when Nṛsiṁhadeva became very angry for killing, because He was angry because Hiraṇyakaśipu teased his devotee, Prahlāda, so much. Therefore, He was very, very angry. Vaiṣṇava aparādha. If anyone offends a Vaiṣṇava, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he is the greatest offender. Kṛṣṇa never excuses. That I explained yesterday. It is very... Vaiṣṇava aparādha is the greatest dangerous offense. Therefore, Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His teaching to Sri Rūpa Goswāmī , He has especially, vaiṣṇava-aparādha hātī mātā, you are doing everything. He has compared Vaiṣṇava aparādha as mad elephant. He has very nicely metaphorically explained this. Just like you have a nice garden, very good garden, you are watering, you are giving protection, giving manure, everything. But if in that garden a mad elephant enters, then it will destroy everything, all your labor will go to hell immediately. It will destroy everything. Similarly, you may do anything very nicely; but if you commit offense at the feet of a pure Vaiṣṇava, then all your assets will be immediately vanquished. Vaiṣṇava aparādha. Because Kṛṣṇa is very angry. Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram yoniṣu [Bg. 16.19]. In the Bhagavad-gī tā it is said, Kṛṣṇa said, dviṣataḥ krūrān. Dviṣataḥ, those who are envious upon Vaiṣṇava and Viṣṇu, the more dangerous position is to be envious of a Vaiṣṇava. Viṣṇu aparādha can be excused, God is very kind. But He never excuses Vaiṣṇava aparādha. That is His vow.



Lesson 53: Vyuha 7-Japa workshop



Lesson 54: Vaisnava aparadha – part 1

Flow of the Program

Link

In the previous weeks we learnt about the five angas of bhakti which are favourable for our spiritual growth. But we also need to be aware that if we have to grow spiritually we must avoid committing offences. We have already discussed about the ten offences against the holy name that are to be avoided and how they can be rectified. Today we will see the other offences which inhibits our spiritual advancement.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand the seriousness of vaisnava aparadh.

Icebreaker

Question: Out of anger have you ever criticized someone when you are not expected to?

Summary: Make the members realize the importance of not being emotional while dealing with devotees.

Points and flow

Causes for vaisnava aparadhas Main cause is asat sanga Four kinds of non-devotees One should even avoid the association of those who criticize devotees for not wanting to keep company of

non-devotees Scriptures describe three ways of association Our appreciation for the devotees will decrease by asat sanga. This will lead tocommitting vaisnava

aparadha Vaisanava aparadha completely destroys our bhakti Criticizing others can be avoided by becoming tolerant and accepting them as they are




72/11/06 Vrndavana

Out of all kinds of aparadhas, offenses, vaisnava-aparadha is the most dangerous. Most dangerous. So vaisnava-aparadha is not excused by Visnu. The instance is... What is called? Su... I forget his name. Ambarisa and...?

Devotee: Durvasa?

Prabhupada: Durvasa. Yes, Durvasa Muni. Durvasa Muni, because he offended to Ambarisa Maharaja, he was not excused even by Visnu. He had to fall down on the feet of Maharaja Ambarisa. Yes. Ambarisa upakhyana. So vaisnava-aparadha is the greatest offense. Even a great sage like Durvasa was not excused. He was so great, Durvasa, that he could go personally to all the lokas, Brahma-loka, Siva-loka, Visnuloka. Personally he could go, by his yogic power. Just imagine how much he was powerful. He saw face to face Lord Visnu and requested Him to give him protection from the sudarsana-cakra, and Visnu refused: "So I cannot give you protection because you are offender to a Vaisnava. Only Ambarisa Maharaja can give you protection." Just see. He was so exalted yogi that he could see personally Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Visnu, but still, he was not excused on account of his offense to a Vaisnava. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has warned very severely: tara madhye vaisnava aparadha hati matta. Vaisnava-aparadha is the greatest offense. We should be very careful. In... According to our Vedic civilization, a Vaisnava, a saintly person, was never under the government laws. They, they were not under the govern... Why government laws? Even Yamaraja's law. That is also stated. Yamaraja also warned his servants not to approach Vaisnava. So Vaisnava's position is so great.

72/10/23 Vrndavana

So when one is advanced, he can see the importance of devotees.

Advanced devotee never disobey or disrespect another devotee. Disrespect to another devotee is a great offense. Vaisnava aparadha. Vaisnava aparadha is very serious offense. Therefore we teach to address amongst the devotees, "Prabhu", "Prabhu", "Such and such Prabhu." This should not be simply spoken by the lips. It should be realized. Everyone should think other devotee as his prabhu, master. Not he should try to become master.

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena...

Manadena. We should be always ready to offer respect to all, not only devotees, but everyone. Everyone. Because every living entity is originally a devotee of Krsna. But circumstantially, being covered by the coat of maya, he's playing like demon. But his original nature is a devotee of Krsna. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsnera dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Everyone is eternally servant of Krsna. But being influenced by maya, when he gets this body, given by maya... Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27], when he's conducted by the three gunas of maya, he thinks himself otherwise.

Bhagavad-gī tā 6.47

Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great politician, you know, he also says: tyaja durjana-saṅgam, tyaja durjana-saṅgaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. Tyaja durjana-saṅga. Give up association with bad elements. What are the bad elements? That is also explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. A devotee asked him that what should be the behavior of a person who is spiritually inclined, or Vaiṣṇava? Spiritually inclined means Vaiṣṇava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that: asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra [Cc. Madhya 22.87]. Those who are interested in spiritual life, or to become a devotee, the first business is to give up the association of bad elements. Asat-saṅga-tyāga vaiṣṇava-ācāra. In one line. Then next question is then who is asat? Asat eka strī -saṅgī kṛṣṇa-abhakta āra. There... He



has described who is asat. Strī -saṅgī . Strī -saṅgī means those who are unnecessary addicted to women. Unnecessary. One should be married. One must have children. That is not illicit association. But otherwise... Kṛṣṇa also says: dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Kāma, lust, sex life, which is not against religious principles, that I am. That kind of lust I am. So dharma... So according to religious system, people should not be cats and dogs or hogs in the matter of sex life. They must have married wife, married husband. And only for nice children, they should unite. These are the descriptions given by the... Viṁśati prakāra dharma-śāstra manu-saṁhitā. Not otherwise.

Therefore it is called gṛhastha-āśrama. Āśrama. The sannyāsa-āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama, vānaprastha-āśrama. Everything is āśrama. We can understand, as soon as this word is used, āśrama, it means there is some spiritual tint or spiritual life. So gṛhastha, that is also spiritual life. One may live with wife and children, and execute spiritual life. All the associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were all gṛhasthas. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Himself, also was gṛhastha. So to become gṛhastha is not a disqualification. But to live as a gṛhastha according to the injunction of the śāstras, that is required. That, Kṛṣṇa says: dharmāviruddhaḥ kāma, which is not against religious principle, that sort of lust I am. So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: asat eka strī -saṅgī , that means one who is not satisfied. His, I mean to say, religious life with wife. That, that kind... He's asādhu. He's asādhu. Kṛṣṇa... Strī -saṅgī and kṛṣṇa-abhakta. He summarizes the description of asādhu in two words. One who is too much addicted to sense enjoyment and one who not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He's asādhu.

So Kṛṣṇa is also describe that

na māṁ duṣkṛ tino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛ ta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

[Bg. 7.15]

So there are many descriptions in many śāstras that one should avoid asādhu and try to associate with sādhu. Then his life will be successful. Because human life is meant for spiritual advancement of life, not for advancement of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is cats and dogs life. Human life means advancement in spiritual life. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. We have to purify our existence. That people do not know, what is impure existence and pure existence. They do not know. There is no education, there is no science. The... Because we do not, do not understand that we are living entities, we are part and parcel of God. God is eternal, so I am also eternal. God is always fresh. I am also fresh. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇaḥ. Although Kṛṣṇa is the oldest person. Kṛṣṇa is ādi-puruṣa. He must be the oldest. But He... Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanam [Bs. 5.33]. This is Kṛṣṇa's feature. He is the ādi-puruṣa, the oldest.

Śrī mad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.11-12

Māyāpura, June 25, 1973

This is the crucial point of advancement in human life. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. Try to avoid. Not try; must. You must avoid the association of the materialistic persons. Materialistic person means those who are after money and woman. That's all. They are materialistic. Those persons, simply hankering after money and woman, they are materialistic. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised to associate with this class of men, hankering after money and women, it is better..., death is better, preferred, than to associate. When He was requested to see King Pratāparudra... Because he was king, he's supposed to be always in association with money and women. He refused to see him: "No, I cannot see the King." When He refused to see, He quoted one verse: bhava-sāgarasya, niṣkiñcanasya bhava-sāgarasya. Niṣkiñcanasya jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya.

Conversations : 1968 Conversations : March, 1968 : Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco : 680309iv.sf :



These things are, I mean to say, impetus for development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So the more you enthuse yourself with these six principles, patience, enthusiasm, then confidence, then engaging in the activities, keeping association with devotees and avoiding association with non-devotees. That is also another thing. Just like if you want to ignite a fire then the more the dry wood is, you get good fire. If you get wet wood, the fire is very difficult to burn. Therefore we should keep ourself dry from being wet by the association of non-devotees. That is also another process. You see. If you come to our class and go to some other class, some nightclub class, then it is counteracted immediately. You see. So you have to, if you want to ignite fire you must protect it from water. And if you ignite fire and pour water then what is the benefit? Nothing. So to make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you have to keep company with devotees. Similarly, you have to avoid the company of nondevotees.

Questions and Answers September 6, 1968, New York

sādhu saṅga sādhu saṅga sarva śāstra kaya lavamātra sādhu saṅge sarva siddhi haya

So this association is required. If you can make your Kṛṣṇa consciousness society perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious, wherever you will go, they will become Kṛṣṇa conscious, simply by your presence. So you have to become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There should be no adulteration. That adulteration means that knowledge and fruitive activities and material desires. If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is freed from these three kinds of contamination, then that is pure. (end)



Lesson 55: Vaisnava aparadha – part 2

Flow of the Program

Link

In the previous week we discussed about the causes for vaisnava aparadh and how it affects our devotional service. Today we will discuss about the different kinds of vaisnava aparadhas, what the Lord says about vaisnava aparadha and whether it can be rectified or not.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the devotees become aware of the different kinds of vaisnava aparadhas so that they can identify them and avoid committing them.

Icebreaker

Question: How easy or difficult is it for you to aplologise when you have committed a mistake, and the other person expects an apology from you?

Summary: Most of the time we are trying to justify our actions. We feel exploited when we accept our mistakes, but actually we gain a lot of strength when we accept our mistakes and aplogise. By this action we endear ourselves to the Lord, as we save ourself from committing vaisnava aparadha.

Points and flow

The three kinds of vaisnava aparadhas Offences develop in the mind and are expressed later in the gross level Whoever blasphemes vaisnavas falls into hellish condition Vaisnava aparadha is not tolerated by the Lord Lord Caitanya personally delivers that person who has given up the tendency to critisize others By the mercy of Lord Caitanya offences committed in the mind are extinguished Vaisnava aparadha can be rectified by honestly repenting Chanting ‘Vanca kalpa tarubyas ca..’ will not rid one of the vaisnava aparadha. Unless we sincerely repent,

go to the offended vaisnava and seriously beg for forgiveness and the vaisnava forgives ,we are not rid of the effects of the offence.




"An Advanced Devotee Never Disrespectsanother Devotee"

72/10/23 Vrndavana

So when one is advanced, he can see the importance of devotees.

Advanced devotee never disobey or disrespect another devotee. Disrespect to another devotee is a great offense. Vaisnava aparadha. Vaisnava aparadha is very serious offense. Therefore we teach to address amongst the devotees, "Prabhu", "Prabhu", "Such and such Prabhu." This should not be simply spoken by the lips. It should be realized. Everyone should think other devotee as his prabhu, master. Not he should try to become master.

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena...

Manadena. We should be always ready to offer respect to all, not only devotees, but everyone

Krsna book – Chapter 89

It is said that an offense can be committed either with the body, with the mind or by speech. Bhrgu Muni's first offense, committed towards Lord Brahma, was an offense with the mind. His second offense, committed towards Lord Siva by insulting him, criticizing him for unclean habits, was an offense by speech. Because the quality of ignorance is prominent in Lord Siva, when he heard Bhrgu's insult, his eyes immediately became red with anger. With uncontrollable rage, he took up his trident and prepared to kill Bhrgu Muni. At that time, Lord Siva's wife, Parvati, was present. Her personality is a mixture of the three qualities, and therefore she is called Trigunamayi. In this case, she saved the situation by evoking Lord Siva's quality of goodness. She fell down at the feet of her husband, and with her sweet words she talked him out of killing Bhrgu Muni.



Lesson 56: Dealings amongst devotees

Flow of the Program

Link

Last few weeks we saw about offenses. Today we see about how to deal with devotees.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the basic dealings we should have with devotees.

Icebreaker

Question: Can you recall you glorified someone or someone glorified you recently? If so share your experience?

Summary: We should always try see positive qualities in devotees.

Points and flow

• Six type of dealing with devotees. • Listen to seniors. • Even in material transactions these exchanges are there • ISKCON created to have these types of dealings amongst devotees • Accept charity and also feed them prasadam




Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given one line of Vaisnava behavior: asat-sanga tyaga ei vaisnava acara. Simply to give up these rascals' association. The rascal means the Mayavadi, karmi, jnani, yogi, all they are rascals. It is our open declaration. So we have to give up the company of these rascals. If we actually serious about advancing in Krsna consciousness, we should not mix with them. We should not even invite them. Neither we shall take their foodstuff, accept their foodstuff. Dadati pratigrhnati bhunkte bhojayate ca... Guhyam akhyati prcchati ca. Bhunkte bhojayate caiva sad-vidham priti-laksanam. Priti. If you want to make one friends, then these six kinds of dealings must be there. Dadati. Dadati means there must be... One must give something to the other, a friend. Just like I am friend. You are friend. I give you something. In return you give me something. Dadati pratigrhnati. Guhyam akhyati prcchati ca. I open my mind to you, you also inquire confidential things from me. Or I inquire. Guhyam akhyati prcchati ca. And then bhunkte bhojayate. Whatever you give me, I eat. And I give you, you eat. By these six kinds of dealing, priti, love increases.

So in our Krsna consciousness movement, we practice this. As far as possible, we are giving and taking. We are... We have made this program, life membership. We are giving our books, knowledge. Whatever we have got, little knowledge, we have written in our books, we are giving them: "Take it." And they are also giving: "Take this eleven hundred rupees." So this is dadati pratigrhnati. And they also come here to inquire: "Swamiji, your movement is very nice. What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of that?" Guhyam akhyati, expresses their mind. Prcchati. They explain, "This is my position. I cannot do it. How can I do it?" And the Vaisnavas reply them. Then we invite them in our love feast. In all our centers, we have got this arrangement. We invite everyone: "Come on, take prasadam." And if somebody gives us something to eat, we also eat, provided he's not a mayavadi, karmi, jnani. Otherwise, we should not take. We can..., we cannot accept anything from these classes of men, atheist class. Then we'll be... Sangat. Sangat sanjayate kamah. If we associate with these mayavadi, atheist class, karmi, jnani, yogi, then we'll infect their quality. So if we infect the Mayavadi quality, karmi quality, jnani quality, yogi quality... I see some of the students, still they practice some yoga asana. That quality is not yet... He's not yet free. But this is nonsense. This is nonsense. We should, by promise, we should not associate with any of their qualities. That is...

asat-sanga-tyaga -- ei vaisnava-acara stri-sangi -- eka asadhu krsnabhakta ara

Asat. Asat means bad element, bad association. So asat-sanga. We have to give up asat.

"So who is asat, Sir?" Caitanya Mahaprabhu's speaking: asat-sanga-tyaga ei vaisnava-acara. Vaisnava's behavior, Vaisnava's character should be simply to give up the company of the asat. Now there are so many nice people, gentlemen. So if we give up, if we say everyone is asat... So we must know. The Caitanya Mahaprabhu next line gives: "Yes, asat eka stri-sangi." Eka stri-sangi. One asat is stri-sangi. Stri-sangi means too much attached to women. Or attached to women. Or attached to women. Too much or little -- it doesn't matter. Attached to women. He's asat. And krsna-abhakta -- and who is not a devotee of Krsna. So these mayavadis, karmi, jnani, yogi, they are not krsna-bhaktas. They'll say, "Krsna is not God. I am God. I am also God. Krsna is not God. I am God. But Krsna is not God." This is their version. Therefore they're rascals. "I am God." They'll declare, "I am God. You are God." But Krsna is not God. Except Krsna, everyone is God." This is their version.



Lesson 57: Vyuha 8 – Vaisnava etiquette



Lesson 58: Varna

Flow of the Program

Link

During the last few weeks we discussed in detail about the five angas of bhakti. Today we will understand how the society is divided based on varna and ashrama. This would help us respect and behave in the society according to our nature.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the four varnas.

Ice Breaker

Question: Have you ever felt that you wanted to do something but you ended up doing something else?

Summary: Often we end up doing things that is not natural to us. The varnas are designed to avoid such issues.

Points and flow

• The Bhagavad-gita (4.13) declares that the social division, known as varna-asrama, is based on guna-and karma.

• Discharging one’s occupational duty as a means of rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life

• Qualities of brahamana, kshatriya, vaishya and sudra– BG 18.42 to 18.44 • Birth based caste system is false and not vedic • Varnasrama offers the best springboard to catapult us to our spiritual birthright • We need daivi varna-ashrama system to help us achieve perfection




Lectures : Bhagavad-gītā2.31 —London, September 1, 1973

So a kṣatriya... These four principles must be there in the society, brāhmaṇa, kṣat... The brāhmaṇa will not be required to fight. A brāhmaṇa will not be required to work like śūdra. A brāhmaṇa will not be required to work like vaiśya. Therefore brāhmaṇa can beg. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dānapratigrahaḥ. This is brāhmaṇa's business. He must be good scholar in Vedic literature and he must teach others. Not that "I have learned everything; I'll not teach anything." No. Brāhmaṇa must be well-versed in the Vedic literature and he must preach also, make others also brāhmaṇa, paṭhana pāṭhana. Not that "I have become brāhmaṇa. So there is no need of others becoming brāhmaṇa. There will be competition." Just like in India they have become very much afraid that I am making Europeans and Americans brāhmaṇas, so they are very much against me. They come to fight with me. In Hyderabad they came to fight. "Sir, you are making brāhmaṇas, these Europeans and Americans? This is not good." "And why not?" So we had some discussion. So actually it is not that brāhmaṇa is made by birth. Brāhmaṇa means, cātur-varṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. By quality and work. Similarly, everything, by quality and work. This is confirmed by NāradaMuni.

yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁproktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet [SB 7.11.35]

Yadanyatra. If the brahminical qualities are visible, manifest, elsewhere. Elsewhere, may be he's śūdra, may be caṇḍāla. Tat tenaiva vinirdiśet. So you, one should accept him as brāhmaṇa. Similarly, if one is born in brāhmaṇa family but his qualities are like śūdra, tat tenaiva vinirdiśet [SB 7.11.35]. He should be accepted as śūdra. This is the injunction given by NāradaMuni. Not ordinary person. Tat tenaiva vinirdiśet. And upon this the greatest authority of comment on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,Śrīdhara Svāmī, he has commented that janma, birth, is not the chief requisition to become...śama-damādi. One must be qualified with śamo damas titikṣāḥśuci. Then he should be accepted.

So it is the duty of the kṣatriya... Unfortunately, the so-called government men, they are also śūdras. The so-called priests, they are also śūdras. The so-called vaiśyas, they are śūdras. The whole world is now full of śūdras. So you cannot expect anything very nice in this situation because everything is being conducted by śūdras. So Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna that "This fight is not ordinary fight. It is dharma-yuddha, and you should accept it, you should not hesitate. After all, the soul is never killed. It is the duty, it is the duty of different dharma." Sva-dharma, sva-dharma means so long one is in the bodily concept of life, this sva-dharma means this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is sva-dharma. And Arjuna belonged to the kṣatriya; therefore his sva-dharma, his occupational duty, is to fight. So, and real sva-dharma is spiritual sva-dharma. In the spiritual. So when you go deep into the matter, when you understand that "I am not this body; I am soul," then that is real sva-dharma. And what is the occupation of that sva-dharma? That is to be engaged in the service of the Lord. Jīverasvarūpahayanitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa [Cc. Madhya20.108-109]. Actually that is sva-dharma. Every soul is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual sva-dharma. And material sva-dharma means this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.

Therefore the sva-dharma changes. Sva-dharma changes as soon as one is elevated to the spiritual platform. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Saguṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāyakalpate [Bg. 14.26]. Who? Brahma-bhūyāyakalpate. One who is engaged in devotional service. A devotee's position is transcendental. He has no, no more sva-dharma in the bodily concept of life. Because he's neither brāhmaṇa, neither kṣatriya, nor vaiśya nor śūdra.CaitanyaMahāprabhu has said, "I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a śūdra, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a sannyāsī." In this way He negativated all the eight items because sva-dharma means varṇāśramadharma. Varṇa and āśrama. Four castes: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And four spiritual order: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So CaitanyaMahāprabhu denied, that "I am not this, I am not this, I am not that, I am not that." Then what you are? Gopī-bhartuḥpada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya13.80]. Jīverasvarūpahayanitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa [Cc. Madhya20.108-109]. Gopī-bhartuḥ means this

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maintainer of the gopīs,Kṛṣṇa. Gopī-bhartuḥ. Gopī-bhartuḥpada-kamalayoḥ. "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant who is engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa [Cc. Madhya13.80]."

So this is... Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who have decided to serve Kṛṣṇa only, they are no longer in the categories of sva-dharma, the bodily sva-dharma, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or brahmacārī, vānaprastha. He is transcendental. That is confirmed in every śāstra. So so far we are concerned, Kṛṣṇa conscious, so long our bodily concept of life is not completely eradicated, we must follow the sva-dharma of the body. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, ity ādi. But when actually advanced, that is mahā-bhāgavata. We should not imitate that, but our process is the more we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become transcendental to this bodily concept of life, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. But Kṛṣṇa says:

māṁca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogenasevate saguṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāyakalpate [Bg. 14.26]

So anyone who engages himself without any reservation to the service of the Lord, he is not within the category of these eight varṇāśrama-dharma. He's transcendental. Sabrahma-bhūyāyakalpate. So as a Kṛṣṇa consciousness person, he can act like anything by the order of Kṛṣṇa. He can act as a brāhmaṇa, he can act as a śūdra, because his main business is to carry out Kṛṣṇa's order. He's no longer within the category of this sva-dharma. So Kṛṣṇa asking Arjuna, that "If you are thinking in the bodily concept of life, then also..." Means "First of all, when I have ordered, I have sanctioned, you can work it beyond the bodily concept of life. But if you are thinking still that you are in the bodily concept of life, then, as a kṣatriya, it is your duty to fight." Kṛṣṇa is trying to put Arjuna in the dilemma, "This way or that way, you must have to fight. If you think that you are not in bodily concept of life, then it is My order, 'You must fight.' If you think that you are in bodily concept of life, then you are a kṣatriya, you must fight. Both ways you have to fight." This is Kṛṣṇa's conclusion.

Bhagavad-gītā4.13 — New York, April 8, 1973

Prabhupāda:

caturvarṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasyakartāramapimāṁ vidhy akartāramavyayam [Bg. 4.13]

This is a verse from Bhagavad-gītā. Most of you know this book, Bhagavad-gītā. It is very famous book of knowledge. And we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any adulteration.

So Kṛṣṇa says four classes of men, caturvarṇyam... Catur means "four", and varṇameans "division of society". Just like varṇa means color. As there are division of color, red, blue and yellow, similarly human being, human society should be divided according to the quality. The quality's also called color. Caturvarṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. So there are three qualities in this material world. Three qualities. Or three colors. Red, blue and yellow. You mix it. Then you become eighty-one colors. Three colors, three upon three, multiplied, it becomes nine. Nine upon nine, multiplied, it becomes eighty-one. So there are eight million four hundred thousands different forms of living entities. Due to this mixture of different qualities. Nature is manufacturing different types of body according to the association of the living entity to the particular type of quality.

Living entities are part and parcel of God. Suppose God is the big fire and living entities are just like sparks. The sparks, they are also fire. Sparks also, if one spark falls on your body, on your garment, it burns. But it is not as







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powerful as the big fire. Similarly, God is all powerful. God is great. We are part and parcel of God. Therefore, our greatness is very, very small, infinitesimal. God is great. Therefore, He has created so many universes. We cannot account for even one universe. This one universe which we see, the sky, the dome, within that sky, outer space, there are millions and trillions of stars, planets. They're floating. Floating in the air. Everyone knows.

We can float one sputnik in the sky, and we take so much credit that we have become very, very great scientists. We don't care for God. This is foolishness. Foolish person will say like that. But one who is intelligent, he knows that God is floating millions and trillions of planets in the sky, and what we have done in that comparison? This is intelligence. So we have become very much proud of our scientific knowledge, and therefore, at the present moment, we defy the existence of God. Sometimes we say that "I have become God now." These are foolish statements.

You are nothing in comparison to the intelligence... He's also intelligent. Because we are part and parcel of God, therefore we can study what is God if we simply study ourself. Just like if you study a drop of sea water, if you analyze chemically, you'll find so many chemicals in that drop. So you can understand what is the composition of the sea. The same composition. But in greater quantity. That is the difference between God and ourself. We are small gods, we can say, small gods. Teeny, sample gods. Therefore, we are so much proud. But we should not be proud because we should know that all our qualities are taken from God. Because we are part and parcel. So originally all these qualities are there in God.

And therefore Vedānta-sūtra says what is God, what is the Absolute Truth? Athātho brahma-jijñāsā. When [we] inquire about God, about the Absolute Truth, the answer is immediately given: janmādy asyayataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything comes, everything emanates. So everything is coming from God. He's the original source of all supplies. Now what is our position? There are innumerable living entities. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānāṁ (KaṭhaUpaniṣad 2.2.13). That is Vedic information. God is also a living entity, like us, but He's the chief living entity. And we are also living entity.

Just like one father. Father may have got twenty children. Twenty sons. Formerly, they used to have one hundred sons. Now the fathers have no such power. But in the, up to five thousand years ago, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra gave birth to one hundred sons. Now we are... We say, we are saying that we are overpopulated. But that's not the fact. At the present moment, where there is the question of overpopulation? Now how many of us giving birth hundreds of children? No. Nobody. But formerly, a father could give birth to one hundred children. So there is no question of overpopulation. And even there is overpopulation, we get information from the Vedas: ekobahūnāṁ yo vidadhātikāmān. That one chief living entity, God, He can maintain innumerable living entities.

There is no question of overpopulation. This is a false theory. If God can create, He can maintain also. And actually, this is the fact. I am travelling all over the world. There are so much vacant places upon the surface of the globe that, that ten times more than the present population can be easily maintained. But we, we, we do not know how to use it. In Africa, in Australia, in your America, enough land still lying. But because we have encroached upon the land of Kṛṣṇa, the difficulty's there. China is overpopulated. India is overpopulated. But we, if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these difficulties will be over within a second.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to take everything Kṛṣṇa's. I am also Kṛṣṇa's. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Actually, that is the fact. Everything... Kṛṣṇa means God. Everything belongs to God. I also belong to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁsarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God. That's a fact. But we do not not accept the fact. We take something illusory. Therefore, it is called māyā.

Just like the Americans. They are claiming this land is for the American group. Similarly, other nations, they're... but the land actually belongs to God. The land, the sky, the water, and the products in the land, in the sky, in the water, everything belongs to God. And we are children of God. We have got the right to live at the expense of father. Just like we live, small children. They live at the cost of father. Similarly, we also live by the arrangement of God. Why should we claim that this is our property?

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This is the idea of spiritual communism. In Bhāgavata these things are stated, how to feel spiritual communism. In the spiritual communism... The present communists, they are thinking of the human being only. And the animals are being sent to the slaughterhouse. Although the human being and the animal is born in the same land... Actually, they are also nationals. National means one who's born in that particular land. So why not these animals, nationals? But because they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they cannot think so broadly. They think nationalism means it is limited to the human being, not to the animals, not to the trees.

But when you become Kṛṣṇa conscious you understand that the trees, the plants the reptiles, the aquatics, the human beings, the beasts, everyone, each and everyone, part and parcel of God. According to their karma, they have got different bodies, the color, as I explained. According to kāraṇamguṇa-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu [Bg. 13.22]. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. One has got a different type of body according to his karma. Karmaṇādaivanetreṇa jantor dehaupapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. By karma we create next body.

So this is a great science. People do not know how things are taking place, how there are so many species of life, how one is so-called happy, one so-called distressed. Why one is rich, one is poor. Why there are so many planets. Why some of them are demigods and some of them are human beings, some of them are animals. It is a great science But there is no cultivation of this knowledge in the modern universities or educational institutions. Perhaps we are the only group of men, we are trying to propagate this science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is a perfect science to understand the position.

Now Kṛṣṇa says: caturvarṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. Now the... When we are animals... We had to pass through animal bodies. By evolution, we have come to this human form of body. Now it is an opportunity to get out of this cycle of birth and death. This is our real problem. But people, because they have no education, poor fund of knowledge... There is no educational institution how transmigration of the soul takes place. They do not know. Big, big M.A., Ph.D's. But they do not know what is the actual position of the living entity. But that is the real problem. They do not know the real problem.

The real problem is... It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg. 13.9], birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. Nobody wants to take birth. At least nobody wants to die. Birth and death. Wherever there is birth, there must be death. Anything which is born must die. So janma-mṛtyu. And old age. So long you live, you have to change your position. So one position is this old age. Just like we have become old. There are so many complaints. Jarā. And vyādhi. And when we become diseased. Everyone should become diseased. Everyone should become old. Everyone must die. This is the problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhiduḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

We are trying to mitigate all our miserable conditions of life. That is struggle for existence. We are scientists. We are discovering many counteracting processes to get out of distresed condition. But the difficult position, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, we are avoiding. Because we cannot do anything. We cannot even... The so-called science, they cannot solve this problem. Although sometimes they falsely become proud that (indistinct) By science we shall be come immortal and so on. (indistinct) These things were tried before also by atheistic class of men like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu. But it is not possible to become successful, to stop birth, death, old age and disease. That is not possible. If there is any possible process, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you can get a body. Not get... You have already got the body, spiritual body. And upon that spiritual body, this material body has developed. Just like dress. Your coat is cut according to your body. Similarly, this materially body is cut according our spiritual body. So we have got our spiritual body. This material body is covering. Vāsāṁsijirṇāni.

Just like dress. Your shirt and coat is the covering of your real body. Similarly, this body, gross body and subtle body, made of material elements... The gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire. And the subtle body's made of mind, intelligence and ego. This is the shirt and coat. Within this shirt and coat, there is the soul. So the soul is now encaged in this material body. And our business in the human form of body. In animal form of body, we cannot do this. But the human form of body we can understand that "I am not this body." The body, this

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material body, is a outer encagement, and, because I have got this body, I am subjected to birth, death, old age and disease.

Now, in the human form of body... (indistinct) I understand it. So if I take the process, how to get out of this cycle of birth and death, then our human life is successful.

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. How, we are helping people how to get out of this material body, and revive your own spiritual body and, in that spiritual body, you go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process. Tyaktvādehaṁpunarjanma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. But people are so attracted to this material body that they are prepared to become cats and dogs next life, but they are not prepared to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the problem.

So why this problem? Because the human society is in chaos. A chaotic condition. There must be division of four classes. One class must be brāhmaṇa, intelligent class of men. And one should be kṣatriya, one class, the administrators. Because human society, they require good consulting brain, good administrators, good producers and good worker. That is the division of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: caturvarṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭam [Bg. 4.13]. In order to keep smooth facilities for human life, there must be four divisions. If you say that don't, "We don't require brāhmaṇa,"... If you don't require brāhmaṇa, then you'll suffer.

Just like you have got this body. And if you think "This part of the body's very expensive, always eating. Cut it off." Then you'll dead. Similarly, just to keep your body in good condition, in living condition, you must have your head, you must have your arms, you must have your belly, you must have your legs. You cannot say that "I can avoid this part of the body." No. Similarly, caturvarṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭam [Bg. 4.13], the four divisions of the society must be there. Otherwise it will be chaotic or dead body.

So at the present moment, the difficulty is there is no brāhmaṇa, there is no kṣatriya. There are only the vaiśyas and the śūdras, belly, vaiśya means belly and śūdra means the leg. So if, out of the four divisions, one is wanting, the society must be in chaotic condition. The four must exist. Although comparatively head is the most important part of the body, still you cannot neglect the leg also. This is a cooperative combination.

So we have to cooperate. It doesn't matter. One is very intelligent. One is less intelligent. One is less intelligent. The four classes are there. The most intelligent class is the head, brain. And the next intelligent class, the administrator, government. The next intelligent class, the industrialists, merchants. The next intelligent class is the worker. All of them are required. But at the present moment, there is only this mercantile industrialist and worker. There is no brain. How to conduct society? How to become perfect human society, how to fulfill the mission of human society, for these things, there is no brain.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is creating some brain of the human society. Brāhmaṇa. And this brain. Brāhmaṇa's business is... Brāhmaṇa, this word, very word comes,

namobrahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāyaca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāyanamonamaḥ

So brāhmaṇa means one who knows God. That is brāhmaṇa. And keeping in view God, they teaches others to become God conscious. Without becoming God conscious, the human society's simply animal society. Because animals cannot be God conscious, however you may go on preaching amongst the animal, cats and dogs. It is not possible. Because they have no brain to understand what is God. So in the human society, if there is no brāhmaṇa who can teach about God, who can elevate persons to God consciousness, then it is also animal society. Simply eating, sleeping, and sex life and defense, these are the business of the animals also. The animals also know how to eat, how to sleep, how to enjoy sex life, how to defend. They know in their own way.


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So simply to do these business does not mean human being. Then human, the mission of human being will not be fulfilled. There must be the four classes of men, as Kṛṣṇa recommends: cātur-varṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭam [Bg. 4.13]. There must be a brahminical class of men, a kṣatriya class of men, a vaiśya class... There are already. But they're not very scientifically settled, as it is propounded in the Bhagavad-gītā. Cātur-varṇyaṁmayāsṛṣṭam [Bg. 4.13]. These are guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Guna means according to quality. So in India, these four classes of men are there, but they are in the name. Actually it is also in the chaotic condition. Because nobody is following the prescription as given by Bhagavad-gītā, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. In India, although a person born in a brāhmaṇa family, but his guṇa, qualities, are less than śūdra, but still he's being accepted as a brāhmaṇa. That is the difficulty. Therefore, India's condition is so chaotic.

But this is a scientific process. You Western people, you should try to understand that. And our boys and girls, who have joined, they're trying to understand, and execute the principles. So if you take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is meant for the brāhmaṇas, if you become brāhmaṇa by quality, then your, the Western nations will be... Especially in America, they'll be first-class nation. They'll be first-class nation. You have got intelligence. You have got resources. You are also inquisitive. You catch up good things. So you have got good qualities. You take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously and you'll become the first-class nation of the world. That is my request. Thank you very much. HareKṛṣṇa. (end)






























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Lesson 59: Ashrama

Flow of the Program

Link

Last week we commenced our discussion on varnas and ashramas, and discussed about the varna system. This week we will continue our discussion on ashrama.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand about the four ashramas.

Icebreaker

Question: At any stage in your life have you felt frustrated for want of knowledge?

Summary: Often we end up doing things without having adequate knowledge, which leads to frustration. The ashrama system is to train us to lead a regulated life to help us advance spiritually.

Points and flow

• The 4 ashramas • Brhamacharya is for training and learning from guru • Brhamachari is taught to control sex desire and sleep • Grhastha trained in brhamacharya leads a regulated life • Grhastha should support other 3 ashramas • Vanaprastha is retired life, entrusting house-hold affairs to the oldest son, and taking more spiritual

commitments • Sannyasa is renouncing material things • Sannyasishelps materialy engrossed householders progress in spiritual life • In spiritual life the most advanced person serves all the others and brings them to Kåñëa consciousness




Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 1: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973 : 730724BG.LON :

So Arjuna is in gṛhastha-āśrama. He wants to serve Kṛṣṇa. He's Kṛṣṇa's friend. He is a devotee. Kṛṣṇa has already recommended. In the Fourth Chapter He will declare, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me [Bg. 4.3]. "You are My dear friend. You are My devotee." So he is qualified, gṛhastha-āśramī. He is devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but he is also family man. He has his wife, children. So here the problem is what is śreyas? What is ultimate good? That is mistaken here. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is required. He is thinking that "Kṛṣṇa is not so important. My family is important. My family." Although he is devotee. Therefore kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, in the lower stage of devotee, in the lower stage of devotion, one may be interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but his real interest is how to improve this material life. Just like: "O God, give us our daily bread." So he has gone to God not to serve God, but to take bread. Ārtaḥ arthārthī. That is also good. But he... Because he has gone to God to ask for bread, he is better than the rascals who do not care for God. He has gone to God. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā. Ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna [Bg.7.16]. "Arjuna, four kinds of people, they become devotee." Who are they? Ārta. Ārta means distressed. Arthārthī, one who is poor, wants some money; jijñāsu, inquisitive; and jñānī, and a man of knowledge. So ārtaḥ arthārthī, this is meant, this is referred to the gṛhastha. The gṛhasthas, they become sometimes distressed. The gṛhastha-āśrama means unless there is Kṛṣṇa or full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, it is simply miserable, simply miserable. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Simply working hard day and night, then there is, child is sick, then wife is not satisfied, the servant is not satisfied... So many things, problem. But if there is Kṛṣṇa in the center, the all problems will be solved. But people do not know this. They think that "I shall be happy with wife, children, servants, house, and this and that." No. That is not possible. Therefore one should be in gṛhastha-āśrama. Not only in family life. Family, the dogs have got family life. He has got wife, children. The cats and the hogs, a big family. Because a hog begets, at a time, one dozen children. What you beget? You are afraid of begetting one child even. This contraceptive method. But they are not afraid. They beget one dozen children at a time, twice in a year. So to live with family, wife, children... Then the hog accepts family life. No. That is not family life. You live with wife, children, peacefully, if you like, but bring in Kṛṣṇa in the center. That is gṛhastha-āśrama. (More...)

Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 1: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973 : 730725BG.LON :

So anyway, the family attraction is required for regulated life. If there is no family attraction, there is no regulated life. We have got very good experience of these things. So family attraction required. It is not that it is rejected. It is required for regulated life. Unregulated life cannot make any progress. Therefore, in the Vedic civilization, the gṛhastha-āśrama is recommended. Everyone should be married and everyone should live. If possible let him live—a brahmacārī. First of all the brahmacārī-āśrama is given there, austerity, under the guidance of the spiritual master. So the idea is not to be entangled. Brahmacārī has no connection with worldly affairs. He's simply interested with the order of the spiritual master. That is called brahmacārī. So one is trained up as a brahmacārī, and he is sufficiently given knowledge, that "Don't be entangled with these material affairs. Don't be entangled. Try to avoid. But if you are still unable, your sex impulse is very strong, all right, then you go and marry." This is the process. First of all he is taught to be vairāgī. Vairāgya. This whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement may be called vairāgya-vidyā. Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he wrote one verse on Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He wrote one hundred verses. Out of that, two verses or four verses are available. When he composed the verses eulogizing Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and it was shown to Him, because it was self-eulogization, He immediately tore up the paper. So still, the devotees collected and got two or four verses. So one of the verses written by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya is: vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam [Cc. Madhya6.254]. This bhakti-yoga is vairāgya-vidyā, how to teach people to be detached from this material attraction. This is vairāgya-vidyā.

Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 4: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966 : 660812BG.NY :

http://prabhupadabooks.com/d.php?g=1449



http://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/1/31/london/july/24/1973?d=1&h=asrama%20varna&f=260135#260135




Āśrama, this very word, indicates that it is spiritual. And perhaps most of you know that āśrama means... Āśrama, this very word, means that this place... Just like temple or church. There are so many buildings on this Second Avenue. And when you see a church or a temple, you at once understand that "This building is meant for spiritual understanding." Similarly, when we call āśrama, āśrama means that that, I mean to say, function is meant for spiritual realization. So all the four classes of social order—the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, and the vānaprastha and the sannyāsa—they are called āśrama. Āśrama means they are meant for spiritual emancipation. The student is also given instruction so that before entering family life, he gets complete instruction of spiritual life so that when he enters into family life, he is not just like a cat and dog, so-called sense gratification. They are meant for... Although they live with wife and children, they are meant for spiritual emancipation. This is called āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama.



Lesson 60: Vyuha 9 - Seminar on Grhastha / Brahmacari ashram

Action item for Bhakti Vriksha sevak: Inspire members to perform mangala arati every day (before sunrise)



Annexure 1 - Siksha level practical checklist for Sri Guru Charana Ashraya eligibility

chanting the Hare Krsna Mahamantra atleast sixteen rounds in a day (each round consists of chanting the maha mantra 108 times)

follow the four regulative principles accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead perform / attend Tulasi arati everyday at home / temple perform / attend mangala arati, guru puja and gaura arati atleast four times a week at home / temple listen to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures everyday listen to lectures of the guru from whom I am aspiring to take shelter (atleast twice a week)

Learn Guruvashtaka prayers Narasimha prayers Tulasi prayers and arati Bhoga offering mantras Guruvandana song Gaura arati song the ten offences to be avoided against the Holy name

Read the following books by Srila Prabhupada:

1. Bhagavad Gita Chapters (all chapters) 2. Spiritual Master and Disciple 3. Teachings of Lord Caitanya 4. Nectar of Devotion 5. Srila Prabhupada’s other books (if any)

To

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

I confirm that the bhakta / bhaktin, _______________________________ has complied with the above eligibility requirements for shiksha level of Sri Guru Charana ashraya.

Name and Signature of the Bhakti Vriksha sevak



Annexure 2 - Attendance Sheet

bhakti vriksha sevaks - iskcon naperville...bhakti vriksha user guide – sri guru charana ashraya 2...

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