SB 5.8.30

Giriraj Swami: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Five, Chapter Eight, “A Description of the Character of Bharat Maharaja,” 

TEXT 30

ity evaṁ nigūḍha-nirvedo visṛjya mṛgīṁ mātaraṁ punar bhagavat-kṣetram upaśama-śīla-muni-gaṇa-dayitaṁ śālagrāmaṁ pulastya-pulahāśramaṁ kālañjarāt pratyājagāma.

TRANSLATION

Although Bharata Mahārāja received the body of a deer, by constant repentance he became completely detached from all material things. He did not disclose these things to anyone, but he left his mother deer in a place known as Kālañjara Mountain, where he was born. He again went to the forest of Śālagrāma and to the āśrama of Pulastya and Pulaha.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It is significant that Mahārāja Bharata, by the grace of Vāsudeva, remembered his past life. He did not waste a moment; he returned to Pulaha-āśrama to the village known as Śālagrāma. Association is very meaningful; therefore ISKCON tries to perfect one who enters the society. The members of this society should always remember that the society is not like a free hotel. All the members should be very careful to execute their spiritual duties so that whoever comes will automatically become a devotee and will be able to return back to Godhead in this very life. Although Bharata Mahārāja acquired the body of a deer, he again left his hearth and home, in this case the Mountain Kālañjara. No one should be captivated by his birthplace and family; one should take shelter of the association of devotees and cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

Bhagavad-gītā explains that whatever one thinks at the time of death will determine one’s next birth. Bharat Maharaja had become so advanced in devotional service that he could leave his wife and family, his friends and relatives, his opulence as emperor of the world, and go to the forest to execute devotional service. But when he went to the forest, somehow or other, from some sense of compassion or some sentiment, he gave shelter to one baby deer who had lost its mother. Having given shelter to the deer in his ashrama, he gradually became attached to the deer, so much so that even while he was engaged in the worship of the Lord, his mind would be thinking of the deer, and sometimes he would even leave his worshipping and go and look for the deer. And somehow or other, at the time of death, he was also thinking of the deer, and so he was given the body of the deer in his next life. But as a special case, by the grace of Vasudeva, Krishna, he was allowed to remember his past life. So he remembered that he had been Bharat Maharaja, the emperor of the world. He had given up everything to go to the forest to worship God, and he became attached to a deer, and ultimately, he had to accept the body of a deer.

So generally, people are very attached to their parents, to their brothers and sisters, to their homes and places of birth. But Bharat Maharaja, in the body of the deer, left his mother and his home to go to the ashrama of Pulastya Muni and Pulaha Muni to associate with saintly devotees, even in the body of the deer. So here we can understand the process of Krishna consciousness, that one must give up one’s material homes and material relations and go to some place, bhāgavata-sthānaṁ, where the Lord is worshiped and where the devotees reside. Srila Prabhupada has formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to create bhāgavata- sthāna throughout the world, where one can render service to the Lord and associate with the devotees. Srila Prabhupada wanted that only sincere devotees should live in the temple. Every devotee must follow certain principles and perform certain duties. For example, he must rise in the morning by four o’clock, take baths, put on fresh clothes, and go to the temple for maṅgala-ārati. He must chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra on beads, and he must attend Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class daily, and he must render some sort of practical service throughout the day. But following such programs and performances is not enough; one actually has to be sincere about becoming Krishna conscious, about making spiritual advancement.

For many people, even earning money and maintaining the body is not easy in Kali-yuga or in countries like India. So they think that if they come to the ashrama or to the temple, they can get everything they need. They can get a nice place to sleep, they can get nice food, and they can live quite comfortably and easily without much trouble. One time, some older ladies, like widows, thought that they could come and join the ashrama as devotees and live peacefully and comfortably. For them, to rise early in the morning, attend the programs in the temples, and chant rounds was not difficult. They were pious ladies, old ladies, but actually, they were not coming here to become Krishna conscious. They were coming here to find some place where they could stay, where they would be secure, where they would get lodging and boarding and everything else without much difficulty. So I asked Srila Prabhupada, “Is it sufficient that they follow the temple programs, follow the regulative principles, chant Hare Krishna, and do service, or should they actually be serious about making advancement in Krishna consciousness?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, they must be serious about making spiritual advancements; otherwise, they cannot stay here.”

So the main requirement for someone who comes to the temple or the ashrama is that he should want to make spiritual advancement. He should want to serve the Lord and serve the devotees then bhāgavata-sthānaṁ has value. But if he comes to bhāgavatam-sthānaṁ with the idea of living easily and enjoying comfortably, then he will not get the benefits, the real benefits of the association of Bhagavān and the bhāgavatas. So Srila Prabhupada formed ISKCON to establish centers where people could associate with devotees, and therefore the centers have to be inhabited by devotees who are sincere and serious about Krishna consciousness. Now, another time on a morning walk, once Srila Prabhupada asked about devotees who do not follow the principles or who do not attend the programs or who do not do what they are supposed to do. What can be done? So one disciple replied that we have to educate them more. Another disciple replied that we have to supervise them more. Different devotees gave different answers. Then Srila Prabhupada gave his answer, which was that unless the devotees are sincere, there is nothing that you can do.

The devotees have to be sincere, and he gave the examples of what is called drinking water underwater on a fast day. Certain days where the devotees are supposed to fast, and in strict fasts, they don’t drink even water. So in the name of going to the river or going to the ocean to take baths—well, not the ocean, the river or the lake—they go to take a bath, and then when they go under the water, they drink something. They put some water in their mouth, and then they come up and swallow it. In other words, they cheat. So this is called drinking water underwater on a fast day. So Srila Prabhupada said that if the devotee wants to cheat, he can always cheat by the method of drinking water underwater, and no matter how much good instruction you give him or good association, he can always cheat. So unless the devotee is sincere, there is no way that you can prevent him from cheating. Therefore, the first requirement of the devotees is that they should be sincere, and when the devotees are sincere, then they will attract other sincere persons who are serious about making spiritual advancements. Srila Prabhupada also explains that the more we are sincere, the more we will attract sincere souls to come and associate with us to make spiritual advancements.

So the devotees should be sincere and serious, and being sincere and serious, they will naturally execute their duties in Krishna consciousness. Once, on another occasion when Srila Prabhupada emphasized the importance of sincerity, one devotee asked after the class, “How do we become sincere?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “You become sincere by following all of my instructions, no matter how big or small.” In other words, if one is sincere, then moment to moment he will be thinking of the spiritual master. He will be thinking of Srila Prabhupada: “What would Srila Prabhupada want me to do now?” Whatever activities we perform, either so-called big activities or so-called small activities, we will do them in accordance with the instructions of the spiritual master.

Once, Srila Prabhupada told one disciple that “You should not even move your pen from here to here without my permission.” In other words, as Srila Prabhupada said another time, we should not engage any of our senses without first taking permission from the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, we should not be independent in any activity, but we should always consult sadhu, shastra, and guru, and act only in accordance with the directions of the Lord and the guru then we will become more sincere. Some basic sincerity must be there, and the basic sincerity can be developed by strict adherence to the instructions of sadhu, shastra, and guru. When the devotees are sincere, serious, and strict, . . . [some noise] This is called attachment.

So association is very effective. When the devotees are sincere, serious, and strict, then a sincere soul who comes to their association will also become serious devotees. On the other hand, if the association is not good, then by such association someone can become worse. Here also, Srila Prabhupada gave some significant instructions. He quoted a verse or a saying that anyone who goes to Lanka becomes a Rāvaṇa. Now, in what context did Srila Prabhupada quote this? He quoted this in relation to our temples. Surprisingly enough, he quoted this in relation to our temples. In the beginning, we did not have local devotees here, but Srila Prabhupada began the movement by bringing devotees from the West. In the West, the devotees were used to doing all of the service themselves. They would cook, they would clean the pots, they would clean the bathrooms, they would do everything. But when they came to India, they got in the habit of having servants do the work. So one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada about this, and then Srila Prabhupada quoted the verse: “The one who comes to Lanka becomes a Rāvaṇa.” Before they came, they were ready to do all of the services without difficulty, but as soon as they get here, they want to have servants do everything for them.

So one of the devotees who was questioning Srila Prabhupada, he asked Srila Prabhupada, “How has this happened?” Srila Prabhupada said, “You ask the leader.” So then the devotee thought and then he said, “So in other words, Srila Prabhupada, if we follow all of your instructions, then all of the problems will be solved, is that right?” Srila Prabhupada said, “Oh, now you have also become a Rāvaṇa. The fact that you are asking me whether it is true that by following my instructions all of your problems will be solved shows that you have become a Rāvaṇa.” In other words, obviously, we have to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, and if we start thinking, “Well, maybe we should, maybe if we do, it will be good for us,” it means we have already become Rāvaṇas. We have deviated so much from the most basic understanding of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada has established ISKCON in pursuance with the instructions of the scriptures and the previous acharyas. Here, in one verse, we get the whole pattern of spiritual advancement: that one leaves his family, leaves his native place, and comes to the ashrama to associate with devotees. He is very careful about becoming entangled in any sort of material activity or material attachment that could cause one to fall down.

Generally, when one comes to the ashrama, he leaves the previous attachment to family and so on. Srila Prabhupada wrote one drama, a one-act comedy play called the morgy mission. Morgy means chicken, so the drama was called the morgy mission. In the drama, [break]