CC Madhya 9.178 – Sita-navami—The Lord’s Property is for the Service of the Lord Only

Giriraj Swami: Today is Sita-navami, the appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the eternal consort of Lord Ramachandra. She appeared as the daughter of King Janaka, one of the twelve mahājanas, great authorities in Krishna consciousness, and thus one of her names is Janaki. To begin, we shall read from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nine: “Lord Caitanya’s Travels to the Holy Places.”

TEXT 178

dakṣiṇa-mathurā āilā kāmakoṣṭhī haite
tāhāṅ dekhā haila eka brāhmaṇa-sahite

TRANSLATION

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived at southern Mathurā from Kāmakoṣṭhī, He met a brāhmaṇa.

TEXTS 179–193

The brāhmaṇa who met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu invited the Lord to his home. This brāhmaṇa was a great devotee and an authority on Lord Śrī Rāmacandra. He was always detached from material activities.

After bathing in the river Kṛtamālā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the brāhmaṇa’s house to take lunch, but He saw that the food was unprepared because the brāhmaṇa had not cooked it.

Seeing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear sir, please tell Me why you have not cooked. It is already noon.”

The brāhmaṇa replied, “My dear Lord, we are living in the forest. For the time being we cannot get all the ingredients for cooking.

“When Lakṣmaṇa brings all the vegetables, fruits and roots from the forest, Sītā will do the necessary cooking.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very satisfied to hear about the brāhmaṇa’s method of worship. Finally the brāhmaṇa hastily made arrangements for cooking.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock, but the brāhmaṇa, being very sorrowful, fasted.

While the brāhmaṇa was fasting, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him, “Why are you fasting? Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so worried?”

The brāhmaṇa replied, “I have no reason to live. I shall give up my life by entering either fire or water.

“My dear Sir, mother Sītā is the mother of the universe and the supreme goddess of fortune. She has been touched by the demon Rāvaṇa, and I am troubled upon hearing this news.

“Sir, due to my unhappiness I cannot continue living. Although my body is burning, my life is not leaving.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Please do not think this way any longer. You are a learned paṇḍita. Why don’t you consider the case?”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “Sītādevī, the dearmost wife of the Supreme Lord Rāmacandra, certainly has a spiritual form full of bliss. No one can see her with material eyes, for no materialist has such power.

“To say nothing of touching mother Sītā, a person with material senses cannot even see her. When Rāvaṇa kidnapped her, he kidnapped only her material, illusory form.

“As soon as Rāvaṇa arrived before Sītā, she disappeared. Then just to cheat Rāvaṇa she sent an illusory, material form.”

TEXT 194

aprākṛta vastu nahe prākṛta-gocara
veda-purāṇete ei kahe nirantara

TRANSLATION 

“Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Purāṇas.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As stated in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.3.9, 12):

na sandṛśe tiṣṭhati rūpam asya
na cakṣuṣā paśyati kaścanainam
hṛdā manīṣā manasābhikḷpto
ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanti

naiva vācā na manasā prāptuṁ śakyo na cakṣuṣā

“Spirit is not within the jurisdiction of material eyes, words or mind.”

Similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.84.13) states:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

“A human being who identifies his body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of his body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of his birth worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than to meet men of transcendental knowledge there is to be considered like an ass or a cow.”

These are some Vedic statements about spiritual substance. Spiritual substance cannot be seen by the unintelligent, because they do not have the eyes or the mentality to see the spirit soul. Consequently they think that there is no such thing as spirit. But the followers of the Vedic injunctions take their information from Vedic statements, such as the verses from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam quoted above.

COMMENT

We know from Srila Prabhupada, from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś: the holy name of Krishna is Krishna Himself; caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ: it is the form of rasa, the reservoir of pleasure. It is pūrṇaḥ, complete; śuddho, pure; and nitya-mukto, always free from material contamination. Why? Because there is no difference between the holy name of Krishna and the possessor of the name, Krishna Himself (abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ). 

Now the question arises, “When the Lord is spiritual and beyond the jurisdiction of material senses, how can one with materially covered senses touch, or chant and hear, the holy name of Krishna?” In the next verse of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami explains: 

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

Atah means “therefore,” as in thātho brahma-jijñāsā. Atah: therefore (that is, because the holy name of Krishna is completely spiritual like Krishna) one cannot chant or hear the holy name—touch the holy name—with materially contaminated senses. However, if we engage our senses in the service of the Lord and the Lord becomes pleased with our service, then the Lord will reveal Himself to us.

In other words, although we cannot perceive the Lord with materially contaminated senses, the Lord can reveal Himself to us when He is pleased by our service: He can purify our senses and make Himself visible to us.

When even a sādhaka, a devotee who is practicing devotional service, cannot touch even the holy name of the Lord, how could a demon like Rāvaṇa see or touch Mother Sita, who is directly the spiritual energy of the Lord? It is not possible. What Rāvaṇa saw and touched was not the original Sita but maya Sita, an illusory representation of the original Sita. Thus Lord Chaitanya was consoling the brahman: “Don’t lament that Mother Sita has been touched by the demon Rāvaṇa. The demon Rāvaṇa could not even see her, what to speak of touch her. There is no need to lament.”

TEXT 195

viśvāsa karaha tumi āmāra vacane
punarapi ku-bhāvanā nā kariha mane

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then assured the brāhmaṇa, “Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

PURPORT

This is the process of spiritual understanding. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet: “We should not try to understand things beyond our material conception by argument and counterargument.” Mahā-jano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: “We have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming down in the paramparā system.” If we approach a bona fide ācārya and keep faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy.

COMMENT

In the material world everyone is acting independently. Actually, people are not independent, but they imagine themselves to be independent. They want to think for themselves, see for themselves, make their own decisions, make their own plans. Even when they come to the subject of God, they keep the same attitude: “I don’t need anyone to tell me about God. I can think for myself; I can decide for myself.” Or they may accept some authority according to their liking. Many people go to various authorities and pick and choose what they like from each, and in the end they find confirmation for whatever they thought or wanted to begin with. That is not the way to understand God. Rather, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and surrender. Surrender means no wavering to this side or that side. One must remain fixed in submission and obedience to the spiritual master and accept the spiritual master’s instructions without argument.

Of course, the whole process is based on faith, and therefore Lord Chaitanya’s first words are viśvāsa karaha tumi āmāra vacane: “Have faith in My words.” If you do, He says, you will be relieved. But if you don’t have faith in His words, you’ll go on suffering and nobody will be able to help you.

viśvāsa karaha tumi āmāra vacane
punarapi ku-bhāvanā nā kariha mane

“Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

TEXT 196

prabhura vacane viprera ha-ila viśvāsa
bhojana karila, haila jīvanera āśa

TRANSLATION

Although the brāhmaṇa was fasting, he had faith in the words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and accepted food. In this way his life was saved.

COMMENT

The brahman was fasting because he thought that Rāvaṇa had touched Sita and kidnapped her. He was ready to give up his life, but because he had faith in the words of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he gave up his misconception, took prasāda, and saved his life.

TEXT 197

tāṅre āśvāsiyā prabhu karilā gamana
kṛtamālāya snāna kari āilā durvaśana

TRANSLATION

After thus assuring the brāhmaṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu proceeded further into southern India and finally arrived at Durvaśana, where He bathed in the river Kṛtamālā.

TEXT 199

setubandhe āsi’ kaila dhanus-tīrthe snāna
rāmeśvara dekhi’ tāhāṅ karila viśrāma

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then went to Setubandha [Rāmeśvara], where He took His bath at the place called Dhanus-tīrtha. From there He visited the Rāmeśvara temple and then took rest.

PURPORT

The path from Mandapam through the ocean to the island known as Pambam consists partly of sand and partly of water. The island of Pambam is about seventeen miles long and six miles wide. On this island, four miles north of Pambam Harbour, is Setubandha, where the temple of Rāmeśvara is located. This is a temple of Lord Śiva, and the name Rāmeśvara indicates that he is a great personality whose worshipable Deity is Lord Rāma. Thus the Lord Śiva found in the temple of Rāmeśvara is a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra. It is said, devī-pattanam ārabhya gaccheyuḥ setu-bandhanam: “After visiting the temple of the goddess Durgā, one should go to the temple of Rāmeśvara.”

In this area there are twenty-four different holy places, one of which is Dhanus-tīrtha, located about twelve miles southeast of Rāmeśvara. It is near the last station of the Southern Railway, a station called Ramnad. It is said that here, on the request of Rāvaṇa’s younger brother Vibhīṣaṇa, Lord Rāmacandra destroyed the bridge to Laṅkā with His bow while returning to His capital. It is also said that one who visits Dhanus-tīrtha is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and that one who bathes there gets all the fruitive results of performing the yajña known as Agniṣṭoma.

COMMENT

It is said that when Lord Rama was on the way to Lanka, He worshipped a deity of Lord Shiva. Some ignorant people say, “Because Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva is the Supreme and Lord Rama is subordinate to him.” But actually the opposite is true: Lord Shiva himself is a great devotee of Lord Rama. Sometimes, however, the Lord likes to serve His devotees, as in the case of Krishna and Yasoda. Krishna used to obey the dictations of Yasoda, but that doesn’t mean that Yasoda is God. Krishna used to carry the shoes of Nanda Maharaja, but that doesn’t mean that Nanda Maharaja is God. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna, but that doesn’t mean that Arjuna is greater than Krishna. Krishna washed the feet of Sudama Vipra, but that doesn’t mean that Sudama is superior to Krishna. The Lord takes pleasure in worshipping His devotees. Lord Ramachandra wanted to glorify His devotee Shiva, and therefore He may have worshipped him.

Other ignorant people say that because Rāvaṇa was a devotee of Lord Shiva, Rama approached Lord Shiva to ask his permission before killing Rāvaṇa. Once, at Juhu Beach, a disciple mentioned this idea to Srila Prabhupada, and Prabhupada replied that people who say that Lord Rama had Lord Shiva’s permission to kill Rāvaṇa want to say that Lord Shiva is a rascal, that he would give permission for someone to kill his devotee: “Oh, yes. He is my devotee, but it’s all right—you can kill him.” Prabhupada said they want to prove that Lord Shiva is a rascal. Rather, he said (and he quoted the shastra) that when Rama was in the process of killing Rāvaṇa, Mother Parvati asked Lord Shiva, “Rāvaṇa is your great devotee, and now he is in trouble. Why don’t you do something to help him?” And Lord Shiva replied, “Lord Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; when He wants to kill Rāvaṇa, what can I do?”

TEXT 200

vipra-sabhāya śune tāṅhā kūrma-purāṇa
tāra madhye āilā pativratā-upākhyāna

TRANSLATION

There, among the brāhmaṇas, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu listened to the Kūrma Purāṇa, wherein is mentioned the chaste woman’s narration.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks that only two khaṇḍas of the Kūrma Purāṇa are now available, namely the Pūrva-khaṇḍa and Uttara-khaṇḍa. Sometimes it is said that the Kūrma Purāṇa contains six thousand verses, but according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the original Kūrma Purāṇa contains seventeen thousand verses. It is considered the fifteenth of the the eighteen Mahā-purāṇas.

TEXT 201

pativratā-śiromaṇi janaka-nandinī
jagatera mātā sītā — rāmera gṛhiṇī

TRANSLATION

Śrīmatī Sītādevī is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord Rāmacandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of King Janaka.

TEXT 202

āvaṇa dekhiyā sītā laila agnira śaraṇa
rāvaṇa haite agni kaila sītāke āvaraṇa

TRANSLATION

When Rāvaṇa came to kidnap mother Sītā and she saw him, she took shelter of the fire-god, Agni. The fire-god covered the body of mother Sītā, and in this way she was protected from the hands of Rāvaṇa.

TEXT 203

‘māyā-sītā’ rāvaṇa nila, śunilā ākhyāne
śuni’ mahāprabhu haila ānandita mane

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing from the Kūrma Purāṇa how Rāvaṇa had kidnapped a false form of mother Sītā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very satisfied.

TEXT 204

sītā lañā rākhilena pārvatīra sthāne
‘māyā-sītā’ diyā agni vañcilā rāvaṇe

TRANSLATION

The fire-god, Agni, took away the real Sītā and brought her to the place of Pārvatī, goddess Durgā. An illusory form of mother Sītā was then delivered to Rāvaṇa, and in this way Rāvaṇa was cheated.

TEXT 205

raghunātha āsi’ yabe rāvaṇe mārila
agni-parīkṣā dite yabe sītāre ānila

After Rāvaṇa was killed by Lord Rāmacandra, Sītādevī was brought before the fire and tested.

TEXT 206

tabe māyā-sītā agni kari antardhāna
satya-sītā āni’ dila rāma-vidyamāna

TRANSLATION

When the illusory Sītā was brought before the fire by Lord Rāmacandra, the fire-god made the illusory form disappear and delivered the real Sītā to Lord Rāmacandra.

TEXT 207

śuniñā prabhura ānandita haila mana
rāmadāsa-viprera kathā ha-ila smaraṇa

TRANSLATION

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard this story, He was very pleased, and He remembered the words of Rāmadāsa Vipra..

TEXT 208

e-saba siddhānta śuni’ prabhura ānanda haila
brāhmaṇera sthāne māgi’ sei patra nila

TRANSLATION

Indeed, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard these conclusive statements from the Kūrma Purāṇa, He felt great happiness. After asking the brāhmaṇas’ permission, He took possession of the manuscript leaves of the Kūrma Purāṇa.

TEXT 209

nūtana patra lekhāñā pustake deoyāila
pratīti lāgi’ purātana patra māgi’ nila

TRANSLATION

Since the Kūrma Purāṇa was very old, the manuscript was also very old. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took possession of the original leaves in order to have direct evidence. The text was copied onto new leaves in order that the Purāṇa be replaced.

TEXT 210

patra lañā punaḥ dakṣiṇa-mathurā āilā
rāmadāsa vipre sei patra āni dilā

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to southern Mathurā [Madurai] and delivered the original manuscript of the Kūrma Purāṇa to Rāmadāsa Vipra.

TEXTS 211–212

sītayārādhito vahniś
chāyā-sītām ajījanat
tāṁ jahāra daśa-grīvaḥ
sītā vahni-puraṁ gatā

parīkṣā-samaye vahniṁ
chāyā-sītā viveśa sā
vahniḥ sītāṁ samānīya
tat-purastād anīnayat

TRANSLATION

“When he was petitioned by mother Sītā, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of Sītā, and Rāvaṇa, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false Sītā. The original Sītā then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord Rāmacandra tested the body of Sītā, it was the false, illusory Sītā that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sītā from his abode and delivered her to Lord Rāmacandra.”

PURPORT

These two verses are taken from the Kūrma Purāṇa.

TEXT 213

patra pāñā viprera haila ānandita mana
prabhura caraṇe dhari’ karaye krandana

TRANSLATION

Rāmadāsa Vipra was very pleased to receive the original leaf manuscript of the Kūrma Purāṇa, and he immediately fell down before the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and began to cry.

TEXTS 214–218

After receiving the manuscript, the brāhmaṇa, being very pleased, said, “Sir, You are Lord Rāmacandra Himself and have come in the dress of a sannyāsī to give me audience.

“My dear Sir, You have delivered me from a very unhappy condition. I request that You take Your lunch at my place. Please accept this invitation.

“Due to my mental distress I could not give You a very nice lunch the other day. Now, by good fortune, You have come again to my home.”

Saying this, the brāhmaṇa very happily cooked food, and a first-class dinner was offered to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that night in the house of the brāhmaṇa. Then, after showing him mercy, the Lord started toward the Tāmraparṇī River in Pāṇḍya-deśa.

COMMENT

The chastity of Mother Sita is glorified in similar terms in the summary of the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra in the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because Rāvaṇa had been cursed by the anger of Mother Sita, his armies were vanquished and ultimately he was killed.

te ‘nīkapā raghupater abhipatya sarve
dvandvaṁ varūtham ibha-patti-rathāśva-yodhaiḥ
jaghnur drumair giri-gadeṣubhir aṅgadādyāḥ
sītābhimarṣa-hata-maṅgala-rāvaṇeśān

“Aṅgada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Rāmacandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses and chariots of the enemy and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs and arrows. Thus the soldiers of Lord Rāmacandra killed Rāvaṇa’s soldiers, who had lost all good fortune because Rāvaṇa had been condemned by the anger of mother Sītā.” (SB 9.10.20)

After Rāvaṇa had been killed, his wife, Mondadori, praised the power of Mother Sita’s chastity, addressing her husband:

na vai veda mahā-bhāga
bhavān kāma-vaśaṁ gataḥ
tejo ‘nubhāvaṁ sītāyā
yena nīto daśām imam

“O greatly fortunate one, you came under the influence of lusty desires, and therefore you could not understand the influence of mother Sītā. Now, because of her curse, you have been reduced to this state, having been killed by Lord Rāmacandra.” (SB 9.10.27)

In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada explains that any woman who follows the example of Mother Sita’s chastity and service can attain similar power—and that, in fact, women should follow her ideal example: “Not only was Mother Sita powerful, but any woman who follows in the footsteps of Mother Sita can also become similarly powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, Mother Sita is among them. Mondadori, the wife of Rāvaṇa, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahma and Narada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sita, Mondadori, and Draupadi. By staying chaste and faithful to her husband, a woman enriches herself with supernatural power.”

Although Mother Sita was completely pure and chaste, some ignorant citizens criticized Lord Rama for accepting her back after she had been abducted by Rāvaṇa, and to preserve His authority as king—for the benefit of the citizens—He was obliged to consign her to the care of the great sage Valmiki Muni.

By her transcendental qualities and devotional service, Sitadevi attracted her husband, Lord Ramachandra, the Personality of Godhead. And after she completed her pastimes on earth, He remained absorbed in thought of her—while perfectly executing His royal duties—until He followed her, to continue their eternal līlā in the spiritual world.

munau nikṣipya tanayau
sītā bhartrā vivāsitā
dhyāyantī rāma-caraṇau
vivaraṁ praviveśa ha

“Being forsaken by her husband, Sītādevī entrusted her two sons to the care of Vālmīki Muni. Then, meditating upon the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra, she entered into the earth.” (SB 9.11.15)

ac chrutvā bhagavān rāmo
rundhann api dhiyā śucaḥ
smaraṁs tasyā guṇāṁs tāṁs tān
nāśaknod roddhum īśvaraḥ

“After hearing the news of mother Sītā’s entering the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was certainly aggrieved. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of mother Sītā, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.” (SB 9.11.16)

Of course, the Lord’s grief upon hearing the news of Sita devi’s entering the earth was not material. In the spiritual world there are also feelings of separation, but such feelings are a manifestation of the Lord’s internal pleasure potency (hlādinī-śakti) and give rise to transcendental bliss—although they resemble the miserable feelings experienced by ordinary men and women who are materially attached to each other.

tata ūrdhvaṁ brahmacaryaṁ
dhāryann ajuhot prabhuḥ
trayodaśābda-sāhasram
agnihotram akhaṇḍitam

“After mother Sītā entered the earth, Lord Rāmacandra observed complete celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra-yajña for thirteen thousand years.” (SB 9.11.18)

smaratāṁ hṛdi vinyasya
viddhaṁ daṇḍaka-kaṇṭakaiḥ
sva-pāda-pallavaṁ rāma
ātma-jyotir agāt tataḥ

“After completing the sacrifice, Lord Rāmacandra, whose lotus feet were sometimes pierced by thorns when He lived in Daṇḍakāraṇya, placed those lotus feet in the hearts of those who always think of Him. Then He entered His own abode, the Vaikuṇṭha planet beyond the brahmajyoti.” (SB 9.11.19)

Sri Sri Sita-Rama ki jaya!

There is an important lesson for all of us here, whether we are in the bodies of men or women: Sitadevi is the energy of Lord Rama, the property of Lord Rama, and to take the property of the Lord for one’s sense gratification is demonic. Rāvaṇa was a scholar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, and he had many, many good qualifications. However, he had one fault that put him in the category of demons: he wanted to take the Lord’s property and enjoy it for himself. As we have been discussing—and maybe realizing—people in Kali-yuga have two sides: the devotee side and the demon side. The demon side wants to take the property of the Lord and enjoy it, like Rāvaṇa. So we must be careful that the demonic side does not become predominant. Otherwise, just as Rāvaṇa and his whole dynasty were destroyed, our spiritual life will be destroyed.

What is the difference between material and spiritual? When people challenge us, “You are living in a marble palace, you are using telephones, computers, tape recorders, and automobiles, so you are involved in materialism,” how do we reply? We reply, “We are using everything in the service of the Lord. What is used in the service of the Lord is no longer material but becomes spiritual.” And it is true. The temple is spiritual because it is dedicated to the service of the Lord, and all the paraphernalia used in the Lord’s service is spiritual. So there is no contamination. However, if we use the paraphernalia meant for the service of the Lord for our own sense gratification, then it is no longer spiritual. It becomes maya. Rāvaṇa wanted to take Rama’s Sita, but he couldn’t touch the original Sita. He could get only the maya Sita. Similarly, the Lord’s paraphernalia is spiritual when engaged in the Lord’s service, but if we try to use the same things for our sense gratification, they become maya.

We should not be complacent and assume, “I am a devotee and everything I do is spiritual. Even if I handle money, it is spiritual because it’s for Krishna.” If it is for Krishna, it is spiritual, Lakshmi, but if it is used for our sense gratification, it becomes material, maya. So we must be careful in every situation—in every activity, every transaction—to consider: Am I doing this for Krishna or for sense gratification? If an activity is done for Krishna, it becomes spiritual, but if that same activity is done for sense gratification, it becomes material. All the things we have, all the paraphernalia, which are meant for Krishna’s service, become maya if we use them for sense gratification. So we should be very careful, especially if we take donations from the public, directly or indirectly. Even if we don’t directly take donations, we are using donations for our service, so we should take care that the donations we take from the public are used exclusively in transcendental devotional service and not one cent is used for sense gratification. If we use any of it for sense gratification, we are implicated in a cheating process, because the public think they are giving the money for Krishna’s service but in fact we are using it for sense gratification.

Srila Prabhupada said that if we take money in the name of Krishna’s service and then use it for sense gratification, we become debtors to the people who gave us the money. In other words, we are supposed to be only peons, carrying the money from the donor to the Lord—like Hanuman. He went to liberate Sita from Rāvaṇa, not to keep her for himself but to deliver her to Lord Rama. We should be like Hanuman: we should liberate Sita from the hands of whomever and deliver her to Rama. We are not meant to touch her. If we do, we’ll have to come back in another life and pay our debt to the people from whom we took the money. These are subtle laws, and Srila Prabhupada was concerned that we should not become victims of our desires for sense gratification. Therefore he explained everything very clearly, so that we can be conscientious and use the Lord’s property only for the Lord’s service. Then we will be like Hanuman, the great devotee who got the mercy of Lord Rama. But if we try to use the Lord’s property for our sense gratification, we become like Rāvaṇa and we will be destroyed.

On this occasion, we pray to Mother Sita to bless us to become pure-hearted servants like Hanuman, Lakshman, and Mother Sita herself—and to save us. Whatever Rāvaṇa-like demonic tendencies we have, let them be vanquished by her mercy, by her will, so we may continue in our devotional service without any impediment and ultimately attain pure love (prema), our ultimate goal.

Sri Sri Sita-Rama-Lakshman-Hanuman ki jaya! 
Sri Sita-navami ki jaya! 
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! 
Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!