NOI – Nectar of Instruction—Part 04

Giriraj Swami:

The Nectar of Instruction,

TEXT 3

utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt

tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt

saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ

ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati

TRANSLATION

There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of non-devotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Devotional service is not a matter of sentimental speculation or imaginative ecstasy. Its substance is practical activity. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11), has defined devotional service as follows:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

COMMENT

[Fire crackers noise] They are celebrating devotional service!! They are glorifying the importance of this verse because by the definition of this verse, the door to bhakti opens.

PURPORT (continued)

“Uttamā bhakti, or unalloyed devotion unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, involves the rendering of devotional service in a way that is favorable to the Lord. This devotional service should be free from any extraneous motive and devoid of fruitive karma, impersonal jñāna and all other selfish desires.”

COMMENT

So, we have discussed that Sanskrit definitions have two parts; what are the two parts? Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa and taṭastha-lakṣaṇa. And what are the definitions of svarūpa-lakṣaṇa and taṭastha-lakṣaṇa?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa are the intrinsic characteristics—natural characteristics, and taṭastha-lakṣaṇa are the marginal characteristics. The svarūpa-lakṣaṇa is always present, and the taṭastha-lakṣaṇa may be manifest in some circumstances and not others. So, in the definition of pure devotional service, the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa is?

No. Yes, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam - that is the substance of bhakti, to always be engaged in favorable service to Sri Krishna and taṭastha-lakṣaṇa is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ—free from any other desire, jñāna karmādy-anāvṛtam - not covered by karma or jnana or anything else.

So, our enthusiasm is for bhakti, our confidence is in bhakti. We shall examine the definition of bhakti first: ānukūlyena means favorable. We should serve Krishna as Krishna wants to be served. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā Krishna says: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. “If you offer Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water with devotion, I will accept it.”

So, we can’t offer Krishna meat, fish, eggs, or onions because Krishna doesn’t ask for those things. So, serving Krishna favorably means we should be in the mood to please Krishna, and we should actually please Krishna by knowing what Krishna wants and supplying them.

I met one rich man in Bombay who was explaining how devotional he was, and in the course of the conversation, he pulled out a beautiful silver box, and he opened the box—it was full of tulasi leaves. He said that he doesn’t even drink tea without putting tulasi leaves. So, we don’t know if Krishna will accept tea with tulasi leaves, but we should know what Krishna wants and supply Krishna what He wants—that is favorable devotional service. Srila Prabhupada says in the practical sense, we can know what Krishna wants through the spiritual message and as stated here, sato vṛtteḥ from the previous acharyas.

Then anuśīlanam. Anuśīlanam means to cultivate. Srila Prabhupada stresses on the word cultivate in the purport. Actually, śīlanam means to practice or to study and anuśīlanam with the prefix anu means continuous. There should be no break—there is no break in pure devotional service, there is no interruption, there is no break because the pure devotee does not engage in any other activity besides devotional service. He does not engage in fruitive activities or mental speculation or mystic yoga or any other activity. So, anu means continuous, anuśīlanam means continuous cultivation—without any break or interruption, and anu also means to follow. Like we are rūpānugas. Rup-ānugas means to follow Rupa Gosvami.

So, pure devotional service is done following the spiritual master and following the previous acharyas and Krishna. Pure devotional service is rendered in relation to Krishna, not in relation to any demigod, but Krishna also includes Krishna’s incarnations, His name, form, qualities, past times, paraphernalia, and entourage. They are all related to Krishna.

Just like Satsvarupa Maharaja once told me that in the early days he saw that Srila Prabhupada was always chanting, reading, preaching, cooking, writing, doing something for Krishna, but one day he saw Srila Prabhupada just standing by the window. So, he thought, What is happening with Srila Prabhupada? He is just standing and looking across the window. Then afterwards Srila Prabhupada mentioned he was looking at the vehicles passing on the street because he was thinking which vehicle would be suitable for saṅkīrtana. So, in one sense what Srila Prabhupada did may appear to be outside devotional service, but it’s not outside devotional service because he was seeing how to engage the energy of Krishna in the service of Krishna, but that is also devotional service, paraphernalia. Krishna’s energy is Krishna’s paraphernalia meant to be engaged in the service of Krishna.

Then anya means other, and ābhilāṣ means desire. One should have no other desire except to please Krishna, but here Rupa Gosvami has added the suffix itā, anyābhilāṣitā, which means that one should not have any other basic motive except to serve Krishna, but as long as we are in the conditioned state of existence, we may manifest some other desire not because we want to. We haven’t come to devotional service to get any material facility or to merge into impersonal brahman. And we are engaging in service for the sake of pleasing Guru and Krishna. That is our basic intention, but sometimes in some extreme situations like if, some person comes to kill us. So, we may pray to Krishna that, Oh Krishna, Krishna please save me. So ordinarily, we won’t pray to Krishna for the sake of the body, for the protection of the body in normal consciousness or in normal circumstances, but in some extreme circumstances, we may forget everything and just pray to Krishna to save us. So, such a temporary prayer, in an extreme situation does not exclude us from pure devotional service because in a moment of calamity, in a moment of danger, we may identify with the body and just think of the preservation of the body and pray to Krishna. But because our basic motive in engaging in devotional service is not material benefit, only because of some extreme situation we just forgot everything and prayed to Krishna to protect us, we are not outside of pure devotional service, although when we become more advanced even in the most difficult situations, even at the time of death, we won’t forget the fact that we are the eternal servants of Krishna. We won’t misidentify with the body and pray for the protection of the body, but in the beginning in some extreme situation, in anxiety, we forget everything and just pray to Krishna to save us. There is no harm. Gradually as we mature in devotional service, we will come to the stage that in any condition, we won’t forget that we are the eternal servants of Krishna. so that’s anyābhilāṣitā.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: It means that in normal circumstances or in normal consciousness one should have no other desire but in the stage of sādhana-bhakti, we cannot be completely free from other desires. But they’re not our real desires, our real desire is to serve Krishna, but because of conditioning because of some habit of false identification with the body or the mind, we may want some relief for mental distress or some protection for the body.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: He wants to understand exactly what the suffix itā means after anyābhilāṣ. Itā means, you could say to be habituated. In other words, one should not be habituated to have any other desire.

Devotee: Devotee recognizes desire other than personal protection situations [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: So, we are discussing pure devotional service. Rupa Gosvami is discussing pure devotional service. So, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. So, varnashrama- dharma comes in the category of karma. So, there is something called karma-miśra-bhakti. Bhakti mixed with karma or karma mixed with bhakti, and from there one can advance to uttamā-bhakti because varnashrama-dharma is the beginning of human life. Without varnashrama-dharma, we are on the platform of animals. So, if one regulates his activities according to varnashrama-dharma, he can gradually advance in his position.

Devotee: [Unintelligible] Bhaktivinoda Thakura. . . [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, here in The Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada makes the point that we have to work to maintain the body. So, the body should be maintained in such a way that the devotee makes progress in Krishna consciousness. So, therefore ati-āhāraḥ—we should not collect more than necessary. Laulyaṁ—we shouldn’t desire things that we don’t need, and Srila Prabhupada gives the hint that the devotee should give 50 percent of his income to Krishna, as a way to make one’s occupational work favorable to Krishna Consciousness. But we can’t judge by one’s position in varna and ashram on one´s advancement because the same activity can be done in a different consciousness.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, yes, anāvṛtam—jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam—anāvṛtam means ‘not covered.’ So how does bhakti become covered by jnana or karma?

If one thinks that if I do some karma then bhakti will develop, that is wrong because bhakti is independent. So, if you think that by karma I can get bhakti, that is wrong, that is covering the real nature of bhakti which is independent. Similarly, if one thinks that if I don’t do some karma, if I don’t take care of my own mother or whatever, if I think that my bhakti will suffer, that is covering the true nature of bhakti, which is independent. But if one knows that bhakti is independent, and he does things just to keep the body and soul together for the sake of serving Krishna, that is not [Unintelligible].

For example, we take care of the body but if we take care of the body thinking that the body belongs to Krishna. The body has to be engaged in Krishna´s service, then taking care of the body is not a risk, it’s a principle of bhakti—bathing, brushing our teeth, taking medicines, etc. If the householder is performing the duties of a householder with the idea of giving up material attachment and ultimately becoming fully engaged in the service of the Lord, then it’s alright. 

In fact, we have utsāhā. Utsāhā means enthusiasm but there is also over-enthusiasm. Like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami ran from home to pursue Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sent him back, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Don’t be over-enthusiastic. You should live at home with your father, children, and wife, be detached, and do bhajana and gradually when the time comes, Krishna will free you from household life. But don’t be a crazy fellow. Don’t be a monkey renunciate.” Like in the forest there are so many monkeys, and they appear to be very saintly because they don’t have clothes. They don’t have a house. They don’t have anything, and they just appear to be very renounced. They just eat fruits and berries and things, but actually Srila Prabhupada says every monkey has two dozen girlfriends. So, they appear to be renounced, but actually they’re not renounced. So, Lord Chaitanya used Raghunatha dasa Gosvami as the example for householders that they can stay as householders, but be detached and internally serve Radha and Krishna. Then when the time came Raghunatha dasa was freed from the family and joined Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So, we shouldn’t be over-enthusiastic otherwise we may fall down. Prematurely we try to leave grihastha ashram, varnashrama-dharma, we can fall down. So, it’s better to follow the example of Raghunatha dasa and the instructions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Raghunatha dasa to stay in the family and not be a crazy fellow and leave the family.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Okay he is asking about kaniṣṭhādhikārī. We are coming to kaniṣṭhādhikārī in Text Five.

Okay so enthusiasm, what is Srila Prabhupada’s definition of enthusiasm?

Devotee: Endeavoring with intelligence.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, endeavoring with intelligence. For? Yes, Krishna. So now, confidence is very important. In fact, the whole commentary quoted by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura quoted in the purport is about confidence. That one should be confident that by bhakti, he will achieve everything. And even without karma, jnana, or anything else, he will achieve everything just by bhakti alone. And he should be confident that by beginning the process of devotional service, he will be dragged to success in the end. Karma, jnana, yoga, and so on, he cannot get any [Unintelligible]. So, this is confidence. It’s like faith, like faith.

Then patience. Patience is also related to confidence. If you are confident you’ll be successful in the end, then you can be patient but if you are in anxiety, Will I be successful or not? then you’ll be impatient because you don’t know whether you’ll be successful or not. But if one has confidence that I will be successful in the end then he can be patient because he knows that by his honest endeavors and Krishna’s mercy, he will be successful.

Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, that means engaging in practical devotional service especially śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam. Now is tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt same as kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ? And there are two divisions in both. One is to engage in positive activities in devotional services like śravaṇam kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam, and the other is to avoid unfavorable things. So, in the list of sixty-four items of pure devotional service, the first ten are positive injunctions, you should do. Like guru-pādāśraya—take shelter of guru, and the next ten are things that we shouldn’t do like commit offenses. So, anuśīlanam, cultivation of devotional service, includes both—doing things that we should do and not doing things that we shouldn’t do. And tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt is the same, it means doing things that we should do like chanting the holy name and not doing things that we shouldn’t do like committing offenses.

Saṅga-tyāgāt that means to give up bad association, which we already discussed. Jana-saṅga—association with ordinary people destroys bhakti. So saṅga-tyāgāt, we should give up bad association. Bad association means karmis, jnanis, yogis, non-devotees, or people who are attached to sense gratification.

And sato-vṛtteḥ, following in the footsteps of the previous acharyas. Like Rupa Gosvami is the main acharya after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So, we follow the instructions of Rupa Gosvami and all the acharyas in the line of the Gosvamis: Jiva Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and so on.

So, these items, I printed some verses from Bhakt-rasāmṛta-sindhu to amplify some of the points in Upadeśāmṛta. So, if you see ‘six preliminary items of devotional service.’ So, number four sādhu-mārgānugamana, to follow the path of the sadhus, to follow the footsteps of the sadhus. It’s the same thing as sato-vṛtteḥ. There are six preliminary items so one is sādhu-mārgānugamana—follow the path of the previous acharyas, follow the path of the saintly persons.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: It’s on the second page, the fourth line of the first verse quoted sādhu-vartmānuvartanam. Vartmā means ‘path,’ mārga means ‘the path.’ sādhu-vartmānuvartanam like vartma-pradarśaka-guru—the guru who shows the way. Sādhu-vartmānuvartanam—follow the path shown by the sadhus.

In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu Rupa Gosvami says that the path of the sadhus is shown in the scriptures. Or to put in another way, the sadhus are the persons who follow the scriptures. So, following the path of the sadhu means following the regulations of the scriptures. So there Rupa Gosvami quotes one verse—śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi- pañcarātriki-vidhiṁ vinā [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101] that if one does not follow the path of the sadhus. . . If one does not follow the śruti that means the Vedic literatures, smṛti is supplementary to Vedic literatures, Puranas, he simply creates a disturbance in devotional service.

In other words, we must follow the path of the previous acharyas. We must follow the scriptures. Otherwise, what we may think is bhakti or what we may say is bhakti, may actually create a disturbance. Of course, the example given in The Nectar of Devotion, is the example of the Buddhists, that they may think that they’re doing bhakti to Buddha, but they’re not. Because they’re not following the path of the sadhus. They’re not following the scriptures. So, they’re actually atheists. Although they think that they’re devotees, they’re actually atheists. And similarly in modern days sahajiyās, they may think that they are devotees, but they actually create disturbances. They’re not really following the previous acharyas, not following Rupa Gosvami or other acharyas. 

Tyāgaḥ kṛṣṇasya hetave, one should be prepared to give up everything for the sake of Krishna. That is the last of the six preliminary items of devotional service—tyāgaḥ kṛṣṇasya hetave.—we should be prepared to give up anything for the service of Krishna or everything for the sake of Krishna. And in the purport, Srila Prabhupada quoted also from Bhakti- rasāmṛta-sindhu, that one should be prepared, one should do everything for the sake of Krishna. It is the same idea but different terms.

So, if we go back to the nine stages of devotional services—ādau śraddhā—in the beginning there should be firm faith. So that is the beginning niścayād, confidence and enthusiasm based on faith—that love for Krishna is the goal of life and love for Krishna can be obtained by bhakti-yoga. If one begins bhakti-yoga, he will be successful. If he is sincere and doesn’t commit offenses, he will be successful and there is no need for karma, jnana, yoga, tapasya, or anything else. It’s also mentioned that jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, besides, karma, jnana, yoga, tapasya, and other such practices, one’s bhakti should not be covered by laziness. Then comes ādy, ādy means ‘etc.’ So, laziness is there. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. So ādy, bhakti shouldn’t be covered by karma, jnana, etc., so included in ‘etc.’ is laziness.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, it is mentioned in the commentary. Maybe Visvanatha Thakura decided not to. . . Yes, out of politeness maybe, Prabhupada didn’t mention it.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: In the definition of uttamā-bhakti anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy ādy—ādy means ‘etc.’

So, now we’ve really come to the stage of shraddha in Text Three and in Text Four we will learn about sādhu-saṅga. Of course, in order to develop shraddha, there must be some preliminary association with devotees. In the purport, Srila Prabhupada gives the example of hearing from the guru. When you hear from the guru or a devotee, you develop faith and when you develop faith, then you begin to systematically associate with devotees, systematically hear from the guru. So how to associate with devotees? How to associate with the guru? How to associate with different types of devotees? How to associate with devotees will come in the next verse. Then how to deal with different grades of people will come in the verse after that.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: So-called devotional service performed without reference to the revealed scripture simply causes disturbance for the sincere devotees.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, we want people to chant. Now if they hear the chanting from a non-devotee, they’ll get other things with the chanting. Like we don’t know what the priest may say. If he says, if you chant then your diseases will be cured. Like they say, if you accept Jesus in your heart, then your diseases will be cured. So, it’s not really bhakti. It’s not really bhakti because they have selfish desires. But it will become bhakti and [Unintelligible] sukriti. It will be like a pious activity which can help them come to bhakti later.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: That’s good. No, we want people to chant Hare Krishna because by chanting Hare Krishna they become purified and when they become purified, they can understand bhakti. So we can’t say that the priest or the yoga instructor is on the platform of bhakti, but he is chanting and he is getting others to chant, so that’s good. We always want people to chant, then by chanting they’ll become purified and then they can enter the process, there is a process. So, in the beginning we say do whatever you are doing, just add Hare Krishna because gradually if they’re purified by chanting, then they’ll gradually understand everything and then they’ll voluntarily enter the process.

Devotee: Two divisions of engaging in devotional service – engaging in positive and avoiding unfavorable I’ve heard the terms [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, very good terms.

Devotee: [Unintelligible] Is there any difference between those two terms, are they basically the same?

Giriraj Swami: Basically, the same. Pravṛtti means things that we want to get, and nivṛtti means things we want to give up and vidhī means a positive injunction, you must do this and the niṣedha means a negative prohibition you must not do that. Rupa Gosvami says in Bhakti- rasāmṛta-sindhu that the basic vidhī, ‘Always remember Krishna,’ and the basic niṣedha, ‘Never forget Krishna,’ include all others. Or all other injunctions and prohibitions are servants of the one basic injunction, ‘Always remember Krishna’ and the one basic prohibition, ‘Never forget Krishna.’

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: No, pravṛtti means we want to remember Krishna, nivṛtti means we want to avoid forgetfulness of Krishna. Pravṛtti means we want the association of devotees, nivṛtti means we want to give up bad association.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, I see why you are saying this. It’s a good question. That in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema - the love of Krishna is eternally situated in the heart of living entities, but by śravaṇam kīrtanam it is awakened. So, this statement that its substance in practical activity seems to be contradictory. Well in the beginning, śravaṇam and kīrtanam help us to awaken our dormant love for Krishna. So, there must be śravaṇam and kīrtanam. And when we actually have love for Krishna, there will also be śravaṇam and kīrtanam as an expression of one’s love for Krishna. So, śravaṇam and kīrtanam will continue. Now when Srila Prabhupada says that the substance is practical activity, he is trying to counteract the idea that just by silent meditation one can do bhakti and just by imaginative ecstasy, one has bhakti. He wants us to be practical in our understanding of devotional service that there must be activity, especially śravaṇam kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: What strong desire?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: That’s the desire for liberation. That’s not bhakti. Why do you want to go back to the spiritual world? No, I’m not saying it’s bad but I’m asking you, “Why do you want to go back to the spiritual world?”

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: So that is. . . So we want to get out of the material world out of material suffering, and we want to get peace and happiness, and all can be achieved through bhakti, correct?

But when we do sādhana-bhakti we may have the idea that by sādhana-bhakti I’ll be relieved from all miseries, which is true and by sādhana-bhakti you’ll go to Krishna and enjoy happiness with Krishna, which is also true, but in the development of sādhana-bhakti, we should come to the stage where the desire for escape from the material miseries becomes secondary, and the desire to go to the spiritual world for our own happiness becomes secondary. And the primary desire is just to please Krishna and then when we come to the stage of bhāva-bhakti even the desire for liberation is not there because in the stage of bhāva-bhakti, one is actually liberated. So, these are not wrong desires or not bad desires, but they can be as we make advancement, they will be replaced by the higher desire which is just to please Krishna. Understand?

Well, like in the material world we may be influenced by the modes of material nature. So, Srila Prabhupada said a devotee who is influenced by the mode of ignorance will think that I’m the only devotee. Everyone else is nonsense. One in the mode of passion will think, I want to be the best devotee. I want to be famous as being the best devotee, to be the biggest. And someone influenced by the mode of goodness will think that I want to go to Krishna, like you said, and someone who is transcendentally situated will think I just want to serve Krishna, like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. “Life after life, I just want to serve You.” He doesn’t even want liberation. Of course, someone may want to go to the spiritual world to serve Krishna, and when we serve Krishna in the spiritual world, we are automatically happy.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Both, but what is the standard of perfection?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well definitely, purity of purpose is more important because our purpose should be to please Krishna. We should want to perfect our service to please Krishna, but we can also want to perfect our service for other reasons, to become famous, or to become popular then Krishna won’t be pleased. But if someone’s not as expert materially, but he really sincerely wants to please Krishna, and Krishna will be more satisfied with him. Like there is the example of Duryodhana, he prepared a royal banquet, and he invited Krishna to come but Krishna didn’t come because Duryodhana had no devotion. Rather He preferred to go to the house of Vidhura who was very poor. And when He came the only food in the house was bananas and the devotee and his wife were in so much ecstasy when the Lord came, they brought the bananas and in their ecstasy, they were peeling the bananas and feeding Krishna the skins and throwing away the fruit, and Krishna was eating the skin, and He was relishing. He was saying that I’ve never relished such nectar because of the devotion. So, the main thing is the devotion, not the material features.

Devotee: Why did Swarupa Damodar stop Mahaprabhu from eating stale rice that was 200% devotion?

Giriraj Swami: You see Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was taking Raghunatha dasa’s rice but out of love, Swarupa Damodar stopped Him. He said, “This is not fit for You.”

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Krishna was eating the devotion. So, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was eating the rice, He was also tasting the devotion of Raghunatha dasa, but we should want to offer the best to the Lord with devotion. If we think, Oh, it’s with devotion, we can offer anything. If you think or anyone thinks, I have devotion, I can offer Krishna banana peels, is that good?

Devotee: No consciously, you should not do that.

Giriraj Swami: Okay so when Vidhur and his wife were offering the skins, they were not consciously offering the skin but because of the devotion Krishna was relishing but Swarupa Damodar Gosvami was conscious that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was eating something which was not fit for Him.

Devotee: But he was very pleased. [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, a baby might like something which is not good for him. So, a parent may restrain him even though he is enjoying it. Now when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was enjoying transcendental ecstasy, but He was rubbing His face against the wall. . . Sometimes His limbs were coming out of His joints, yeah so internally He was enjoying, but Swarupa Damodar Swami used to restrain Him and try to bring Him back to external consciousness, and when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to external consciousness, He was lamenting that, “I was with Krishna and you brought Me here.” So, if Swarupa Damodar is a real devotee of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he should only want that the Lord should be pleased. So, if the Lord is pleased in ecstasy, why is he bringing Him back?

Devotee: He is conscious, and He loses His life, He was not conscious.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, because he thought that the Lord will hurt Himself although internally the Lord was relishing ecstasy but externally the Lord could hurt Himself and feel pain later. Like a drunk is enjoying himself, but we know that he is harming himself. But these are. . . Yes, because it looks like Swarupa Damodar is going against the principles of pure devotion because he should only be pleasing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but when he would bring Chaitanya Mahaprabhu back to external consciousness Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not pleased, “Why did you bring Me back here? I had a chance to see Krishna.”

Devotee: There is another point, Damodar Pandit asked not to mix with that young boy of that young widow. He did it out of his pure attention. He did not consider to be the who cannot be harmed by anything whatsoever that even that did not seem to like it, and he sent it back to be the guardian of course these are very delicate points and not for us to decide.

Giriraj Swami: Swarupa Damodar was on the highest level of devotional service to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and everything he did pleased Mahaprabhu. Sometimes but Damodar pandit was not on the same level as Swarupa Damodar, and there was some offense in what Damodar Pandit said.

Devotee: That he did it out of pure love so that people may not end up in the wrong impression about Mahaprabhu and making wrong remarks about him, and in order to study at the root he wanted Mahaprabhu not to be. The intention was very pure that maybe his inspiration was rather [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Anyway, it brings up one of the first points, which is that all devotees are not on the same level, and one should not imitate. Swarupa Damodar Gosvami was so close to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he understood all the inner moods of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and he facilitated Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in every way. Damodar pandit was not on the level as Swarupa Damodar and although he had love, but there was some implied criticism of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that He was entertaining the boy of the widow, and that people may think something and criticize Him. And Srila Prabhupada comments that he didn’t want people to criticize Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but in his own way he was also criticizing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Devotee: His intention was very good.

Giriraj Swami: Anyway Swarupa Damodar never saw any fault in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He only restrained him because he wanted something better for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, not that he thought he was doing anything wrong. Damodar Pandit thought he was doing something wrong.

Devotee: That was an offense.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Okay, so we will go to ārati now, and tomorrow we will discuss Text Four.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!