NOI – Nectar of Instruction—Part 02

Giriraj Swami:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”

śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ

sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ

dadāti sva-padāntikam

“When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?”

Yesterday we were discussing the first verse of The Nectar of Instruction. Has anyone memorized it? Can you recite it?

Devotee:

vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ

jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ

sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt

Giriraj Swami: Very good. So, vāco vegaṁ—the urge to speak. The urge to speak is controlled when we speak only of Krishna. Manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ—the urge of the mind. The mind is controlled. . . How is the mind controlled?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Srila Prabhupada said, “You cannot control your mind. So, just serve Lord Chaitanya, and Lord Chaitanya will control your mind.” Of course, another suggestion given by Srila Prabhupada and other acharyas is to chant Hare Krishna loudly. If other thoughts are entering the mind, chanting loudly can drive them out.

Krodha-vegaṁ—anger. Anger is useful to remove obstacles, but we should not become angry when there are obstacles to our sense gratification because we should not have any desire for sense gratification. But if there are obstacles to Krishna’s satisfaction, we can use anger to remove the obstacles.

Jihvā-vegam—to control the tongue. We can control the tongue by eating Krishna prasāda, but in the purport Srila Prabhupada says that if we take prasāda because of the taste, not because we really need it but because of the taste, then we also come under the dictates of the tongue. But some devotees raised the point that new devotees do not have to worry about how much prasāda they take or why they take it, which is true. And the discussion did raise an important point, which is that different instructions apply in different degrees to different devotees. Throughout Srila Prabhupada’s books and especially in The Nectar of Instruction, we will find many instructions which may even appear to conflict, but actually they do not conflict. But different instructions are meant for different devotees in different situations. And each devotee should be intelligent enough to know what his position is, and what instructions are appropriate for him. For example, in the matter of eating, Srila Prabhupada said that overeating is a good mistake for a young person, and under eating is a good mistake for an old person. So, if I say that if you are in doubt whether to eat more or not you should eat less—it won’t be true in all cases. It may be true for an older person but not for a younger person. And if I say that if you are not sure whether to eat more or not, you should eat more—it also won’t be true in all cases.

So, when we hear the instructions given in the book or in any discussion, we may have to evaluate if there seems to be some contradiction. We may have to evaluate what instruction is actually appropriate for us. And of course, to evaluate properly, we can take help from sadhu, shastra, and guru; they can help us to understand in context which instruction is appropriate.

Then we come to the belly. As Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport, the tongue, the belly, and the genitals, all come in a straight line, and if one gives in to the demands of the tongue, then he can have trouble controlling the belly and the genitals. So in the purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes some instructions of Lord Chaitanya given to Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. So, we’ll read the relevant section of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, [Antya-līlā, Chapter 6].

TEXT 219

keha chatre agi’ khāya, yebā kichu pāya
keha rātre bhikṣā lāgi’ siṁha-dvāre raya

TRANSLATION

It is a custom for some Vaiṣṇavas to beg from the charity booths and eat whatever they obtain, whereas others stand at night at the Siṁha-dvāra gate, begging alms from the servants.

COMMENT

So Raghunatha dasa Gosvami used to stand at the Siṁha-dvāra gate and beg food prasāda from the servants of the temple as they would come out of the gate in the evening.

TEXT 220

mahāprabhura bhakta-gaṇera vairāgya pradhāna
yāhā dekhi’ prīta hana gaura-bhagavān

TRANSLATION

Renunciation is the basic principle sustaining the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees. Seeing this renunciation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is extremely satisfied.

COMMENT

What is the basic principle that sustains the lives of the devotees of Lord Chaitanya?

Renunciation.

TEXT 221

prabhure govinda kahe, — “raghunātha ‘prasāda’ nā laya
rātrye siṁha-dvāre khāḍā hañā māgi’ khāya”

TRANSLATION

Govinda said to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,. . .

COMMENT

Because when Raghunatha dasa came to Jagannatha Puri, he used to take prasāda arranged by Lord Chaitanya’s servants but then he stopped, and he began to beg alms from the servants at the Siṁha-dvāra.

TRANSLATION

Govinda said to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “Raghunātha dāsa no longer takes prasādam here. Now he stands at the Siṁha-dvāra, where he begs some alms to eat.”

TEXT 222

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard this, He was greatly satisfied. “Raghunātha dāsa has done well,” He said. “He has acted suitably for a person in the renounced order.”

TEXT 223

vairāgī karibe sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana
māgiyā khāñā kare jīvana rakṣaṇa

TRANSLATION

“A person in the renounced order should always chant the holy name of the Lord. He should beg some alms to eat, and he should sustain his life in this way.”

TEXT 224

vairāgī hañā yebā kare parāpekṣā

kārya-siddhi nahe, kṛṣṇa karena upekṣā

TRANSLATION

“A vairāgī [a person in the renounced order] should not depend on others. If he does so, he will be unsuccessful, and he will be neglected by Kṛṣṇa.”

TEXT 225

vairāgī hañā kare jihvāra lālasa

paramārtha yāya, āra haya rasera vasa

TRANSLATION

“If a renunciant is eager for his tongue to taste different foods, his spiritual life will be lost, and he will be subservient to the tastes of his tongue.”

TEXT 226

vairāgīra kṛtya — sadā nāma-saṅkīrtana

śāka-patra-phala-mūle udara-bharaṇa

TRANSLATION

“The duty of a person in the renounced order is to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra always. He should satisfy his belly with whatever vegetables, leaves, fruits and roots are available.”

TEXT 227

jihvāra lālase yei iti-uti dhāya

śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya”

TRANSLATION

“One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Kṛṣṇa.”

COMMENT

So here is the real point that we want to attain Krishna, love for Krishna, and if we become subservient to the demands of the tongue and the belly and the genitals, we will not be able to attain Krishna and love for Krishna. Therefore, Rupa Gosvami has given the instruction not to become subservient to the urges of the tongue, the belly, and the genitals so that we can progress step by step by following his instructions in Upadeśāmṛta and ultimately attain Krishna, that is the purpose.

TEXT 228

āra dina raghunātha svarūpa-caraṇe

āpanāra kṛtya lāgi’ kailā nivedane

TRANSLATION

The next day, Raghunātha dāsa inquired at the lotus feet of Svarūpa Dāmodara about his duty.

TEXT 229–235

 “I do not know why I have given up household life,” he said. “What is my duty? Kindly give me instructions.”

Raghunātha dāsa never even spoke a word before the Lord. Instead, he informed the Lord of his desires through Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Govinda.

The next day, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī submitted to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Raghunātha dāsa has this to say at Your lotus feet.”

“I do not know my duty or the goal of my life. Therefore, please personally give me instructions from Your transcendental mouth.”

Smiling, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Raghunātha dāsa, “I have already appointed Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī as your instructor.”

“You may learn from him what your duty is and how to discharge it. I do not know as much as he.”

“Nevertheless, if you want to take instructions from Me with faith and love, you may ascertain your duties from the following words.”

TEXT 236

grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe

bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe

TRANSLATION

“Do not talk like people in general or hear what they say.”

COMMENT

This is controlling the tongue. grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe—do not speak ordinary news. Grāmya-kathā nā śunibe —do not hear ordinary talks. Grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe—do not speak ordinary news. Bhāla nā khāibe—do not eat opulent foodstuffs. Āra bhāla nā paribe—do not dress in luxurious garments.

TRANSLATION

“Do not talk like people in general or hear what they say. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely.”

TEXT 237

amānī mānada hañā kṛṣṇa-nāma sadā la’be

vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sevā mānase karibe

TRANSLATION

 “Do not expect honor but offer all respect to others. Always chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and within your mind render service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.”

COMMENT

So, here Lord Chaitanya has given the same instructions as Rupa Gosvami has given here; ‘Do not eat very palatable food’ means to control the tongue and the belly. And do not dress very nicely. Why? ‘Do not dress very nicely’ means do not be in the bodily concept of life, and especially do not dress thinking of how to attract the opposite party.

Amānī mānada—do not desire honor for yourself but give all respect to others. This is a demand of the mind to be honored, to be worshipped, to be praised. So, we should give up such mental concoctions. And always chant the holy name of Lord Krishna—that engages the tongue, and within your mind, render service to Radha and Krishna—that engages the mind.

So, these are some of the qualities of devotees. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam lists so many qualities of devotees, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta following Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also lists twenty-six qualities like truthfulness which is also austerity of speech. Or not eating more than necessary is also one of the twenty-six qualities, but again the twenty-six qualities in and of themselves are not bhakti except for one, that is kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa—complete surrender to Krishna. So, the other twenty-five qualities are important when they are in relation to surrender to Krishna, but without surrender to Krishna the other qualities have no special value. As we discussed yesterday Hiraṇyakaśipu was extremely austere. When he was standing on the tips of his toes and keeping his arms up stretched, he tolerated every urge of the tongue, the belly, the genitals, the mind, but the purpose was not to please Krishna, the purpose was not to develop love for Krishna—the purpose was to get some material power, which he actually wanted to use against Krishna.

So again, the principal process is hearing and chanting about Krishna and along with the principal process, we should learn to tolerate the urges of the senses or control the senses by engaging them in service when required or not engaging them at all. Bhagavad-gītā gives the example of the tortoise—that the tortoise extends its limbs outside the shell when there is need to use the limbs for some work. Otherwise, the tortoise keeps the limbs within the shell. You understand, tortoise?

So, in the same way, we should engage our senses externally when there is need for Krishna’s service, but if there is no need for Krishna’s service, we should be satisfied within. Satisfied within means chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and thinking of how to serve Radha and Krishna, how to serve Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, how to serve guru and Vaishnavas.

After some time, Raghunatha dasa gave up the practice of begging alms from the servants, and he finally came to the point where he would go to the booths where prasāda was distributed, and the prasāda that had gone bad after one or two days and thrown in the ditch for the cows to eat, Raghunatha dasa used to take those old grains of rice and remove the outer portion of the grain and just eat the inner portion. He became so renounced, so renounced. So Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is our acharya, our exemplar.

TEXT 313:

prāṇa-rakṣā lāgi’ yebā karena bhakṣaṇa

tāhā khāñā āpanāke kahe nirveda-vacana

TRANSLATION

Whatever he ate was only to keep his body and soul together, and when he ate he would reproach himself thus.

TEXT 314

ātmānaṁ ced vijānīyāt

paraṁ jñāna-dhutāśayaḥ

kim icchan kasya vā hetor

dehaṁ puṣṇāti lampaṭaḥ

TRANSLATION

“If one’s heart has been cleansed by perfect knowledge and one has understood Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Brahman, he then gains everything. Why should such a person act like a debauchee by trying very carefully to maintain his material body?”

COMMENT

So here we also get a clue how to restrain the senses or tolerate the urges. We should know that we are not the body. Ātmānaṁ ced vijānīyāt—if one understands ātmā—there are two ātmās—jīvātmā and Paramātmā. So, we should understand that we are not the body; we are ātmā, and we are servants of the Supreme ātmā or Krishna. If one has this knowledge, then why should he run here and there trying to gratify the senses of the body?

So, in the last line of this verse, someone who’s able to control the urges or tolerate the urges is called what?

Dhīra. And what is the definition of dhīra? It is given by Krishna in Bhagavad-gītā- sober. But what verse describes a sober person in Bhagavad-gītā?

Yes,

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

[Bhagavad-gītā 2.13]

One who does not identify with the body, who’s not bewildered by the changes of the body is dhīra. So, the biggest change is death, but there are so many changes within the present body as well. Child’s body becomes a youth's body, youth’s body becomes an adult's body, an adult's body becomes an old body, but one who is dhīra, will not be bewildered by such changes. So, in the same way, he won’t be bewildered by hunger, thirst, or any of the demands of the body. He will tolerate them, and he will be fixed in his duties through Krishna.

So Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, even though he was so exalted or because he was so exalted, he would reproach himself, thinking of himself as an ordinary man who was worried about the body trying to take care of the body and so on, like a debauchee.

TEXT 315

prasādānna pasārira yata nā vikāya

dui-tina dina haile bhāta saḍi’ yāya

TRANSLATION

Lord Jagannātha’s prasādam is sold by shopkeepers, and that which is not sold decomposes after two or three days.

TEXT 316–321

All the decomposed food is thrown before the cows from Tailaṅga at the Siṁha-dvāra gate. Because of its rotten odor, even the cows cannot eat it.

At night Raghunātha dāsa would collect that decomposed rice, bring it home and wash it with ample water.

Then he ate the hard inner portion of the rice with salt.

One day Svarūpa Dāmodara saw the activities of Raghunātha dāsa. Thus, he smiled and asked for a small portion of that food and ate it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara said, “You eat such nectar every day, but you never offer it to us. Where is your character?”

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard news of this from the mouth of Govinda, He went there the next day and spoke as follows:

TEXT 322

‘kāṅhā vastu khāo sabe, more nā deha’ kene?’
eta bali’ eka grāsa karilā bhakṣaṇe

TRANSLATION

“What nice things are you eating? Why don’t you give anything to Me?” Saying this, He forcibly took a morsel and began to eat.

TEXT 323

āra grāsa laite svarūpa hātete dharilā

‘tava yogya nahe’ bali’ bale kāḍi’ nilā

TRANSLATION

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking another morsel of food, Svarūpa Dāmodara caught Him by the hand and said, “It is not fit for You.” Thus, he forcibly took the food away.

TETX 324

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Of course, every day I eat varieties of prasādam, but I have never tasted such nice prasādam as that which Raghunātha is eating.”

COMMENT

What is the meaning? Why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say so? Can anyone guess?

Lord Chaitanya was showing His appreciation for Raghunatha dasa, saying that ordinary people might think that one who’s enjoying varieties of palatable food is more fortunate, but according to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Raghunatha dasa is more fortunate. Even Lord Chaitanya said that although He eats varieties of food every day, He is not able to taste such nectar as Raghunatha dasa, and actually the nectar is Krishna consciousness, nectar is Krishna consciousness. So, by giving up all other interests except Krishna consciousness, Raghunatha dasa was tasting the greatest nectar. And sense gratification is actually poison. It kills the desire for self-realization.

Seeing the severe penances performed by Raghunatha dasa in the renounced order, the Lord was greatly satisfied. I’ll read one more verse that came at the beginning, in conclusion.

TEXT 309

ananta guṇa raghunāthera ke karibe lekhā?
Raghunāthera niyama, — yena pāṣāṇera rekhā

TRANSLATION

Who could list the unlimited transcendental attributes of Raghunātha dāsa? His strict regulative principles were exactly like lines on a stone.

COMMENT

Lines on the stone can never be erased, so Raghunatha dasa’s regulative principles could never be washed out. 

TEXT 310

sāḍe sāta prahara yāya kīrtana-smaraṇe

āhāra-nidrā cāri daṇḍa seha nahe kona dine

TRANSLATION

Raghunātha dāsa spent more than twenty-two hours out of every twenty-four chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and remembering the lotus feet of the Lord. He ate and slept for less than an hour and a half, and on some days that also was impossible.

COMMENT

So, the real point is that he had so much taste for chanting Hare Krishna and remembering Lord Krishna that he lost taste for the sense enjoyment. He didn’t even want to sleep. He hardly slept because of his strength of Krishna consciousness.

When we were in Gorakhpur in 1971, Srila Prabhupada was speaking on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So, after one class Srila Prabhupada asked one disciple, no, one disciple approached Srila Prabhupada and said that the class was wonderful, or Srila Prabhupada asked him, “How did you like the class?” He said, “The class was wonderful.” Then Srila Prabhupada asked, “What the other devotees thought of the class,” and the disciple replied, “Well, frankly speaking Srila Prabhupada, most of the devotees were sleeping while you were speaking.”

Then one morning, while Srila Prabhupada was speaking, he noticed that almost all the devotees were asleep while he was speaking. So, Srila Prabhupada himself raised the question, “Why are you sleeping while I’m speaking? What to do? So, one devotee suggested that we shouldn’t eat heavy prasāda before we take rest. Another devotee suggested that they should take rest earlier. So, different devotees made different suggestions, but Srila Prabhupada concluded that none of the ideas would work. He said even if you don’t take any food at night, you’ll still sleep during class. Even if you rest early, you’ll still sleep during class. He said you will give up sleeping when you feel that Krishna consciousness is so important that you have no time to sleep.

So again, positive interest in Krishna consciousness is the only real way to overcome the demands of the body. Of course, it develops gradually and in the meantime, we have to struggle, but really we have to become Krishna conscious.

Like Srila Prabhupada used to get up early like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. He would only sleep one or two hours, and he would get up in the middle of the night and translate, write books. Why? Did anyone tell him that he had to do it? Was anyone watching him, ready to report him if he didn’t do it? No. But he himself felt the urgency of presenting his translations of the scriptures, and he felt ecstasy. He said that his purports were his personal ecstasies, so he felt ecstasy in his service, and therefore he left eating, sleeping, and everything. So, this is the only real way to succeed, but still we should try to tolerate the urges of the senses and that will help us progress.

TEXT 311

vairāgyera kathā tāṅra adbhuta-kathana

ājanma nā dila jihvāya rasera sparśana

TRANSLATION

Topics concerning his renunciation are wonderful. Throughout his life he never allowed his tongue sense gratification.

COMMENT

After Raghunatha dasa Gosvami left Jagannatha Puri, he came to Vrindavan to Govardhana to Radha-kunda, and he would only eat one leaf cup of buttermilk (chaas) every two or three days. So, one time Raghunatha dasa fell ill, and some of his devotees were concerned about his health. So, they called a doctor. So, the doctor felt his pulse and gave his diagnosis that Raghunatha dasa was suffering from indigestion due to overeating. All the disciples became astonished, and they didn’t accept the doctor’s diagnosis but then Raghunatha dasa himself said, “Yes, it is true. Because last night in the spiritual world, we had a big feast, and I ate too much. It is true.”

TEXT 312

chiṇḍā kāni kāṅthā vinā nā pare vasana

sāvadhāne prabhura kailā ājñāra pālana

TRANSLATION

He never touched anything to wear except a small torn cloth and a patchwork wrapper. Thus, he very rigidly executed the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

COMMENT

So now I come to the point which Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The principle of very rigidly carrying out the order of the spiritual master must be observed. The spiritual master gives different orders to different people. For example, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Jīva Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Sanātana Gosvāmī to preach, and He ordered Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī to strictly follow the rules and regulations of the renounced order. All six Gosvāmīs strictly followed the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

This is the principle for progress in devotional service. After receiving an order from the spiritual master, one must strictly try to execute the order. That is the way of success.

COMMENT

So again, the spiritual master may give different instructions to different disciples. So, the success of the disciple will be how far he executes the order of the spiritual master given to him in particular. But here, these are general instructions for everyone—that we should be sober and tolerate the urges of the senses so there will be no impediment or no distraction in our service to Krishna. and then at the end of the purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes the verse of Prahlada Maharaja in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

PURPORT (continued)

“For those who have decided to continue their existence in this material world for the gratification of their senses, there is no chance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, not by personal endeavor, by instruction they are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.30.]

COMMENT

So that’s why we have to control the senses so we can, on the one hand, save ourselves from going to hell, and on the other hand, make advancement towards the goal of Krishna consciousness.

So, we’ll go on to [NOI] Text Two:

TEXT 2

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca

prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ

jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca

ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati

COMMENT

So atyāhāraḥ means too much eating or too much collecting of things. If one wants to enjoy too much palatable food, or if one wants to amass too much material opulence, it destroys one’s devotional service, and it involves him in prayāsaś, over-endeavor.

Now in the purport, Srila Prabhupada describes the materialists who want to enjoy more and more good food and more and more material opulence, and he says that if they want to enjoy more and more and amass more and more, they have to work very hard and thus they miss the chance for devotional service. But the same impediments can come in the lives of devotees if they are not careful, and we’ve seen in the movement it has happened.

We had one godbrother, for example, he wanted to have a big castle, not only one. He had one, and then he wanted another one. And in order to finance the second castle, he had to engage the devotees in collecting. The whole body of devotees was engaged mainly for collecting in order to pay the expenses of buying and maintaining the castle.

So, in the guise of preaching, wanting facility to preach, or whatever, we can also become involved in the items mentioned here which we should avoid. We should really understand the principle of yukta-vairāgya. Yukta-vairāgya means that anāsaktasya viṣayān without any attachment to the objects of the senses, we can engage the objects of the senses in the service of Krishna. But it’s very important anāsaktasya viṣayān—without attachment because if we have attachment then our motivation will not be purely to serve Krishna; our motivation will be to have facilities for sense gratification in the guise of devotional service.

This is another impediment called duplicity. That we say that we want something for Krishna’s service, but actually we want to use it for sense gratification. Of course, in the beginning we can’t distinguish very easily, so we try to engage everything in Krishna’s service and if we become entangled, we should notice it and check ourselves and become more careful, but as we make advancement, we should be able to distinguish genuine desires to serve Krishna from other desires mixed with the desire to serve Krishna, otherwise we become duplicitous. We have two purposes—one to serve Krishna, and the other to enjoy sense gratification. And we try to get facilities in the name of serving Krishna, but actually we use the facilities for sense gratification. That is atyāhāraḥ.

And then in order to get the money to acquire the facility or maintain the facility, we become involved in prayāsaś—over endeavor.

Prajalpaḥ is very common, unfortunately. It is somewhat common. The ordinary form of prajalpaḥ is gossiping about others and the worst form of prajalpaḥ is blaspheming devotees, criticizing devotees, and this is especially dangerous. It is especially harmful. Because by taking shelter of the Lord, one becomes free from all sinful reactions, and if one offends the Lord, he can actually become free by taking shelter in the holy name, but if one offends the holy name then he actually has no recourse. And the worst offense against the holy name or the greatest offense against the holy name is to blaspheme devotees. So, we should be very careful about this.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has analyzed the offense of blaspheming devotees, and he first raises the question: who is a devotee? Because unless we can know who is a devotee, we cannot determine if we are offending a devotee or criticizing a devotee. So, he says, “A devotee is one who has the primary characteristic of surrender to Krishna, like we mentioned kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇam, he is fully surrendered to Lord Krishna.” The other twenty-five qualities may not have developed fully in the devotee. Some of the qualities may have developed more and some of the qualities less, but if he has the primary qualification of surrender to Krishna or surrender to the holy name of Krishna, he is a devotee—he is considered a devotee. And the absence of some or even all of the other twenty-five qualities do not disqualify him as a devotee, and they do not justify criticizing him, blaming him, blaspheming him.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also mentions that one may criticize a devotee on account of his birth—low birth. One may criticize a devotee on account of his past activities—sinful activities or material activities. One may criticize a devotee because of present traces of past activities, or one may criticize the devotee for lack of development in some of the qualities of devotees. But Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that none of – means past sins or traces of past sins or low birth—they’re not grounds for criticizing a devotee, and if one criticizes a devotee on account of such faults, he becomes implicated in Vaishnava or sādhu-nindā, and bhakti recedes at the first trace of sādhu-nindā. In other words, as soon as we begin to criticize a devotee or blaspheme a devotee, bhakti goes away, bhakti goes away. So, we should be very careful about this.

Of course, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises. The negative injunction is—don’t blaspheme devotees, don’t criticize devotees. The positive injunction is to appreciate devotees and glorify them.

Anyway, it is a big subject, and almost all of the points in the present verse come in the subsequent verses so we may discuss them in more detail there. So, are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, he says, “What’s the connection between the first verse and the second verse?”

The connection is that if the devotee is not able to tolerate the urges of the mind and senses as described in the first verse, he’ll become implicated in the activities described in the second verse, which destroy bhakti. For example, atyāhāra – wanting to collect more than necessary—it’s a demand of the mind. So, because one is not able to control the mind, he wants to acquire more and more which he doesn’t really need. Or atyāhāra—he wants to eat more than necessary because he can’t control the urge of the tongue, so he eats more than necessary. So, the result of not being able to tolerate the urges described in Verse One result in becoming implicated in the activities described in Verse Two which destroy bhakti.

Devotee: As we are wondering if you could clarify the point about stealing mahā-prasāda—whether it’s actually a bonafide transcendental activity or is it for sense gratification?

Giriraj Swami: What do you think?

Devotee: I’m afraid my tongue. . .

Giriraj Swami: That it’s all right to steal mahā-prasāda? Steal from whom?

Devotee: Say for instance, I know in the temple I come from in the morning time after the maṅgala-ārati, they put all the burfis in the plate, and I wait for some time to go and take all the burfis. [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: And what happens to the burfis if it’s left in the cooler. Yes, well that’s a good point that if you think that someone else is going to steal it before it’s distributed, then you should steal it. Yes, in the back?

Devotee: Why is a mahatma called broad-minded?

Giriraj Swami: Mahat means great, so a mahat or devotee is a person who surrenders to mahat or Krishna who is the Supreme Great. So, by thinking of Krishna—because Krishna includes everything—by thinking of Krishna, we think of everything and everyone because we see that everything and everyone is the energy of Krishna, and everyone and everything should be engaged in the service of Krishna. In other words, everyone should get the chance to serve Krishna. So, the devotee is broad-minded; he is not thinking in terms of me and you, or we and you, or us and them, but he sees everyone equally because he sees everyone as part and parcel of Krishna, and everyone has the right to serve Krishna, and everyone should be given the chance to serve Krishna, and everything should be used in the service of Krishna. Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: The prasādam doesn’t become contaminated but you can become affected, you understand?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: True, because again different devotees have different levels. Prahlada Maharaja was administered poison, but he had such faith in prasādam, he was not affected, but we cannot imitate Prahlada Maharaja, and if we take prasāda which is infected we may become diseased but Prahlada Maharaja would not become affected. So, we should not imitate—the same point—we should know our level and act accordingly. Actually, everyone should get some mahā-prasāda. We shouldn’t be lusty to have more and more mahā-prasāda, and we should be broad-minded that why should I take all the mahā and everyone else gets nothing?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Actually, everyone should get a little mahā-prasāda.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: You asked a very good question, and it will come in the subsequent verses to know that we should deal differently with different levels of devotees, and therefore we have to be able to evaluate different grades of devotees. If we do so with the idea of understanding how to deal with different devotees appropriately, it is not offensive.

Here we are talking about prajalpaḥ—just for nothing, finding fault, criticizing, backbiting. But if we are seeing the behavior of a devotee or the qualities of the devotee so we can know to whom we should surrender, with whom we should make friends, who we should respect from a distance, and so on, there is no offense, there is no offense. And even if we see a fault in a devotee, and we don’t have any malice towards the devotee, nor any ill will or any envy, but for the sake of the devotee or for the sake of the movement, we want the devotee to improve, then also there is no offense. So being aware of a fault in a devotee does not in and of itself constitute an offense. What constitutes an offense is the mentality of finding fault, criticizing, blaspheming for nothing without any constructive end at all. And it is actually the duty of the authority of the devotee to correct the devotee if he makes a mistake. And if it’s serious enough and if it needs to be mentioned, then you should correct the devotees.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: You see the madhyama-vaishnava should distinguish. The kaniṣṭhā-vaisnava cannot distinguish in any case, he can’t distinguish, and he tends to think that he is better than everyone else. Everyone else is lower than him. The madhyama-vaishnava he can distinguish, he can understand the scripture, he studies the scripture, he can understand the scripture, and he can apply it and see—who is in what position, relatively in devotional service and the uttamā-vaishnava, he sees that everyone else is devotee except him. He sees that everyone is higher than him. So, we should not. . . I’m not saying that you are not an uttamā-vaishnava but if you are not, I don’t want to commit any offense. But if you are not, you shouldn’t artificially try to see that you are the lowest, and everyone else is higher than you. That vision will automatically develop as you make advancement, but in the intermediate position when you are seriously studying the scriptures and trying to understand how to apply the teachings in practical devotional service then you should distinguish as Rupa Gosvami advises later in Upadeśāmṛta. So I think. . . Okay we’ll take one more question. Okay, three more but if they’re going to come up—if the answers will come up later, we may answer them later. Yes?

Giriraj Swami: She says what if somebody is engaged in atyāhāra—collecting more than necessary but they are dovetailing it by giving the fruits to Krishna. That’s the way of dovetailing?

It’s good, it’s good because prior to bhakti-yoga comes karma-yoga, and in karma-yoga one is attached to a particular type of work, and he tends to be attached to the fruit of the work, but by giving some of the fruits to Krishna, he becomes detached from the fruits, and when he becomes completely detached that is called niṣkāma karma-yoga, and that is considered the gateway to bhakti. But if someone is on the platform of bhakti, he should avoid it. But not everyone is really on the platform of pure bhakti; they may be on the platform of mixed bhakti, bhakti mixed with karma, so the karma part can be purified by sacrificing the fruits to Krishna, and then gradually he can come to pure bhakti. Is that all right?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we see that some devotee makes a mistake or tends to make the same mistake again and again, and we see that the devotee should be corrected, but at the same time we are not free from envy, there could also be some malice mixed with our concern for the devotee or for the project. So again, by avoiding correcting the devotee, it doesn’t mean the malice will go away. And by correcting the devotee, it doesn’t mean the malice will go away either. The malice will go away by advancement of Krishna consciousness, by purification, by introspection, and so on. So somehow either by our own deliberation or in consultation with others, we should try to decide objectively whether it will be beneficial to say something to the devotee, and if so, how? Directly or through some other authority of the devotee or through some other friend of the devotee. So, we consult what is really the best for the devotee and the project and the movement. Then there are more chances that the final decision will be based on Krishna consciousness rather than personal vendetta, and gradually by engaging in service the pure part remains, and the impure part should disappear.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, one of the items of devotional service mentioned in The Nectar of Devotion is one should not give pain to any living entity so actually we should not be envious of any living entity, and we should not find fault with any living entity without reason. But Krishna and the holy name take offense especially when we offend a devotee. So, although we shouldn’t offend anyone, we shouldn’t cause pain in the mind of any entity, but it is considered more painful to Krishna because bhakti means to please Krishna, not to cause pain to Krishna. It is more painful to Krishna when a devotee is offended. And again, the higher the devotee is or the more near and dear to Krishna the devotee is, the more Krishna feels pained when the devotee is blasphemed or offended.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: He is saying that one who surrenders to Krishna is a devotee even if he doesn’t have other qualities. So how can we determine if one is surrendered to Krishna? Well, if he follows the process of surrender, tries to follow the process of surrender, he is surrendered. You know the process of surrender? Yesterday we mentioned the first two items—anukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam accept what’s ever favorable and reject whatever is not favorable, and there are four others. But the main one is to think that Krishna is one’s guardian and protector like a parent, and just like a child is surrendered to a parent, the devotee is surrendered to the Lord. That’s the basic principle of surrender, and just as the child is obedient to the father, the devotee is obedient to the Lord. He obeys the orders of the Lord. So, we will have to discuss surrender, the actual definition of surrender. It’s like an ocean Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu says, it’s like an ocean. And this is just like. . . even one drop is an ocean. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!! Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!!