SB 1.12.17 – Perfect in All Respects

Giriraj Swami: 

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

Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Twelve, “The Birth of Maharaja Parīkṣit,” 

TEXT 17

tasmān nāmnā viṣṇu-rāta
iti loke bhaviṣyati
na sandeho mahā-bhāga
mahā-bhāgavato mahān

TRANSLATION

For this reason this child will be well known in the world as one who is protected by the Personality of Godhead. O most fortunate one, there is no doubt that this child will become a first-class devotee and will be qualified with all good qualities.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The Lord gives protection to all living beings because He is their supreme leader. The Vedic hymns confirm that the Lord is the Supreme Person amongst all personalities. The difference between the two living beings is that the one, the Personality of Godhead, provides for all other living beings, and by knowing Him one can achieve eternal peace (Kaṭha Upaniṣad).

COMMENT

So, it is said, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, there are many eternal living beings who are plural in number, nityānāṁ. And out of them, there is one eternal living being who is singular in number, cetanaś cetanānām. Similarly, there are many conscious being who are plural in number and out of them, there is one conscious living entity singular in number, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. and that one singular conscious eternal being is maintaining and fulfilling the desires of all plural numbers eternal conscious beings. So, as such my nature or by constitution, the Lord is the leader of living entity and protector of living entity. So, why is Maharaja Parīkṣit is called viṣṇu-rāta in particular because he is protected by Vishnu? This is question.

PURPORT (continued)

Such protection is given by His different potencies to different grades of living beings. But as far as His unalloyed devotees are concerned, He gives the protection personally.

COMMENT

I heard one story when I first began to preach in India that one Muslim emperor maybe Akbar, was trying to understand the verse, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ, that the Lord descends to protect the sadhus or the devotees. Here, we are reading that the Lord is the natural protector of all living beings but He gives special protection to the devotees. So, Bhagavad-gītā says, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ, that the Lord descends personally to give protection to the devotees. So, the king was wondering that the Lord has so many potencies, so many energies, so many agents, why does He come personally to protect His devotees? Why not protect them through His various energies? Because the Lord gives protection to all and to others who are not devotees, He gives protection through His energies or agents but to His devotees, He gives protection personally.

So, the king had a Hindu minister and he arranged that one day in the presence of the king the king’s baby son was being given bath and the baby was being held and the water was being poured over the baby and it was being collected in a tub which was full of water. So, actually as a as an arrangement, the person who was holding the baby dropped the baby in the tub full of water and immediately the king rushed forward to pick up the baby that was that he thought was drowning in the water. So, immediately the minister said, “Why did you come and save the baby yourself? You have so many servants and ministers, why didn’t you arrange for one of them to save the baby?” So, the king got the point that out of love and affection, the Lord personally rushes to the aid of His devotee when the devotee is in trouble.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore, Mahārāja Parīkṣit is protected from the very beginning of his appearance in the womb of his mother.

COMMENT

You know from the previous verses that when Maharaja Parīkṣit was in the womb of his mother, Asvatthama released a brahmāstra weapon to kill him and the brahmāstra was a nuclear weapon that could not be counteracted by anyone in the world by any force in the world, so Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu Himself appeared in the womb of Uttara to give protection to Parīkṣit from the brahmāstra.

PURPORT (continued)

And because he is especially given protection by the Lord, the indication must be concluded that the child would be a first-grade devotee of the Lord with all good qualities. There are three grades of devotees, namely the mahā-bhāgavata, madhyama-adhikārī, and the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. Those who go to the temples of the Lord and offer worshipful respect to the Deity without sufficient knowledge in the theological science and therefore without any respect for the devotees of the Lord are called materialistic devotees, or kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, the third-grade devotees. Secondly, the devotees who have developed a mentality of genuine service to the Lord and who thus make friendships only with similar devotees, show favor to the neophytes and avoid the atheists are called the second-grade devotees. But those who see everything in the Lord or everything of the Lord and also see in everything an eternal relation of the Lord, so that there is nothing within their purview of sight except the Lord, are called the mahā-bhāgavatas, or the first-grade devotees of the Lord. Such first-grade devotees of the Lord are perfect in all respects.

COMMENT

So, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there are three categories of devotees, and each one deals differently with the world and with other persons. The third-class devotee sees the Lord in the temple and worships the Lord with faith, but he does not know how to recognize or appreciate the devotees of the Lord. We see many popular temples in India where devotees’ throng by the millions. They want to have darshan of the deity, want to offer something to the deity, and want to take remnants from the deity, but they cannot recognize the devotees of the Lord. They cannot recognize that the Lord is in the heart of everyone. So they go to the temple, take darshan, offer some gift to the Lord, and take some prasāda in reciprocation, but they do not appreciate the real devotees of the Lord. They have no genuine attitude of service to the Lord, such that twenty-four hours from morning to night, I should be engaged in the service of the Lord. These are called kaniṣṭhādhikārī or prākrita bhakta, materialistic devotees. Basically, they are still on the material platform, but they have some sense of God, and therefore they go to the temple and worship.

The second-class or madhyamādhikārī has knowledge of the scripture. The third-class devotees have no interest in studying the scriptures; they are satisfied simply to see the deity. But the madhyamādhikārī deliberately and systematically studies the scripture to understand the science of Krishna. Because he studies the scripture, he knows from the scripture that who is a devotee and who is not a devotee. Even among devotees, he can gradually come to recognize who is a kaniṣṭhā, who is a madhyam, and who is a mahā-bhāgavata, and therefore he relates to them differently. He also can distinguish between an innocent person who is open to Krishna consciousness and an envious person who is not open to Krishna consciousness, and he deals differently with each category.

First, he gives his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tries to give his love, then he makes friends with devotees. Again, even in making friends with devotees, there may be some difference according to the grade of the other devotee. Srila Rupa Gosvami in Nectar of Instruction advises that one should associate with and faithfully serve the first-class devotee, offer obeisances to the second-class devotee, and mentally honor the third-class devotee. Association is also described in the Nectar of Instruction as six exchanges of love by which one devotee associates with others. So, the madhyamādhikārī tries to give his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, makes friendship with devotees, shows mercy to innocent persons by preaching—in other words, the madhyamādhikārī is the preacher—and neglects the envious because if he tries to preach to the envious, they will just become more antagonistic and more offensive.

Of course, here in India, you may not have the experience, but we have had the experience in the West that sometimes our parents are envious of Krishna, and if we try to preach to them, they become more angry, argue more, and become more offensive. So, it is better not to preach to such persons. These are the different ways in which the madhyam bhakta relates to different categories: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotees, the innocent persons, and the envious. In other words, his appreciation of the Lord is expanding. He doesn’t see the Lord only in the temple but also outside of the temple, and therefore He can be served outside of the temple as well. He can recognize the devotees because the devotees are not just priests who worship the deity in the temple but are preachers who serve the Lord day and night by trying to spread Krishna consciousness for the benefit of the fallen souls.

The second-class devotee can appreciate the preachers, whereas the third-class devotees may not appreciate the preachers. They may think that they are materialistic, ātmavat manyate jagat. They are materialistic so they think others also materialistic. Just like when Srila Prabhupada first came to the West, one of the persons who met him, although Prabhupada was talking about spreading Krishna consciousness, did not believe that Srila Prabhupada was really serious about spreading Krishna consciousness. He thought that his real purpose in coming to the West was to sell his books, just like any businessman may think that America is a good market, so let me sell my things there. So he thought Prabhupada had come to America to sell his books and that he could find a better market there.

Even if the person had some sympathy for Srila Prabhupada or some sentiment for Srila Prabhupada, he couldn’t appreciate Srila Prabhupada as a preacher. As long as one is on the material platform and is only able to worship the deity in the temple, thinking that service to the Lord just means offering fruits and flowers in the temple, he cannot appreciate the activities of the preacher. He thinks, “Oh, the preacher wants to sell books and make money, the preacher wants to collect disciples and get facilities, the preacher wants to establish a temple to get money and live comfortably.” They cannot actually appreciate the preacher. But the second-class devotee can appreciate the preacher. He can appreciate the fact that the Lord exists outside the temple, lives within the hearts of all living entities, and can see that all living entities have the potential to engage in the service of the Lord. Therefore, they try to preach to those who are open and receptive. But the first-class devotee has such a broad vision that he sees the Lord everywhere and sees that everyone is in the Lord and of the Lord, and that everyone is related to the Lord. Everyone has the potential to serve the Lord, and everyone is, in fact, in a certain mood. The mahā-bhāgavata sees that everyone is, in fact, engaged in the service of the Lord.

We read Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that after discussing for many days with Lord Chaitanya, at the conclusion of the talks, Ramananda Raya saw that Lord Chaitanya was no longer appearing before him as a sannyasi but was appearing before him as Shyamasundara, Lord Krishna, in a beautiful blackish form. Then, in front of his eyes, Ramananda saw the beautiful cowherd boy change complexion from blackish to golden. So he addressed Lord Chaitanya, saying that for so many days you have appeared before me as a sannyasi, now I see that you have transformed into Shyamasundara himself with a blackish complexion, and then again I see the same cowherd boy assume a golden complexion. From these transformations, I conclude that you are actually Shyamasundara, but you have adopted the complexion of Srimati Radharani to understand the love of Srimati Radharani for you and to relish the mellows of pure devotion enjoyed by Srimati Radharani in relation to you.

Lord Chaitanya replied, “My dear Ramananda Raya, you are a mahā-bhāgavata, always seeing Krishna everywhere, so don’t think that I am anything special. You are special because you are a mahā-bhāgavata; that is why you are seeing Shyamasundara everywhere.” Of course, Ramananda Rai was very intelligent and did not accept Lord Chaitanya’s words. He said, “Please give up all of your philosophical talks and your duplicitous behavior and just admit who you are.” Then Lord Chaitanya, in the meantime, had transformed himself back into a sannyasi and was speaking with Ramananda Raya as a sannyasi. But finally, after Ramananda Raya asked him to give up his serious talks and duplicitous behavior, he revealed himself as the combination of Radha and Krishna, rasa-raj Krishna, the reservoir, and mahā-bhāva of Radharani, the personification of the highest ecstasy.

In discussing with Ramananda Rai and even with Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, Lord Chaitanya cited some verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to explain the vision of the mahā-bhāgavata, who sees the Lord everywhere and who sees everyone as engaged in the service of the Lord like ātmavat manyate jagat. In the service of the Lord, the gopīs are one of the best examples. When the gopīs were feeling separation from Krishna, they would see that all the residents of Vrindavan, even the trees, plants, and creepers, were in the same mood of ecstatic love for Krishna. They would speak to the trees and creepers, asking, “Have you seen Shyamasundara? From the symptoms on your body, you can deduce that you have been touched by Shyamasundara, and therefore you are feeling so much ecstasy.” They saw that the trees were giving flowers and honey or sap because of their love for Shyamasundara. They observed that the trees heavy with fruit, bowing down under the weight, were actually offering obeisances to Shyamasundara.

There are so many examples. The queens in Dvaraka are another example. At night, the queens of Dvaraka could not sleep because they were thinking of Krishna. In their restless state of mind, they would lie in bed and hear the sounds of some birds. They would address the birds, saying, “Oh, are you also afflicted with love for Krishna like us, and therefore you also cannot sleep at night?” This is the vision of the mahā-bhāgavata. He sees that human beings, even animals and plants, share the same mood of devotion for Krishna as they do. It is the principle, ātmavat manyate jagat, that as one himself thinks, he believes others think the same way. There is one story where Lord Krishna asked Duryodhana to go through the world and see how many honest persons there are. Duryodhana went through the world and returned to Krishna, reporting, “I’m very sorry to say that there is no honest person in the whole world. I am the only honest person.” Actually, he was the most dishonest, but due to his crooked mentality, he thought everyone else was crooked because he was crooked.

Then Lord Krishna asked Yudhisthira to travel throughout the world and let him know how many dishonest persons there are. Yudhisthira came back and reported to Lord Krishna, “My dear Lord, I have gone everywhere in the world, and I see that everyone is honest. There is no dishonest person in the whole world at all. I am the only dishonest person.” We tend to think that others are like us. But the mahā-bhāgavata, one who is fully immersed in love for Krishna and engaged in service to Krishna sees that everyone is in love with Krishna and engaged in Krishna’s service.

Now, the acharyas have raised the question: Is the vision of the mahā-bhāgavata an illusion? They say that everyone is engaged in Krishna’s service, but is it an illusion or what? The answer is given that no, it is not an illusion. It is a fact that everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord, either directly or indirectly, because everything is either the Lord or the energy of the Lord, and the energy and the energetic are not different. So, everyone is by nature a servant, everyone is by constitution a servant. Even if he is serving his senses, his senses are the energy of the Lord, so ultimately he is serving the Lord. If he is serving the world, ultimately the world is the energy of the Lord, so ultimately he is serving the Lord. The devotee may not be able, until the most advanced stage, to see that others are engaged in the service of the Lord directly, but he can see that everything is the Lord’s energy. Therefore, everyone has a relation with the Lord, and everyone should be engaged in the Lord’s service. Everything should be engaged in the Lord’s service. That vision we can contemplate and develop.

When we see a tree, we see a combination of the Lord’s energy. The body of the tree is made of the Lord’s external energy, or material energy, and the soul within the body of the tree is made of the Lord’s spiritual energy, or superior energy. Therefore, when we see a tree, we can think of the Lord because the tree is the Lord’s energy. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that when the sun rises, as soon as there is light in the sky, immediately people wake up and begin their duties. In the same way, as soon as the devotee sees the energy of the Lord, he thinks of the Lord. If he is in the mood of a preacher, and Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be in the mood of preachers, then we will think, “How can the Lord’s energy be engaged in the Lord’s service? How can the superior energy, the living entities, be engaged in the Lord’s service? Even the material energy, how can it be engaged in the Lord’s service?” He sees everything in relation to the Lord and wants everything to be engaged in the Lord’s service. Therefore, he is very enthusiastic to preach. He is not afraid of coming in contact with other people or with the material energy because he knows that they all have a relation with Krishna and are meant to be engaged in Krishna’s service, and he tries to engage them.

He has a very broad vision. vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. So, mahātmā thinks Vasudeva is the origin of everything; he is the cause of all causes, and therefore everything has a relation to Krishna and should be engaged in Krishna’s service, sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. Sometimes people have a sentimental idea about a mahā-bhāgavata, or they try to imitate a mahā-bhāgavata artificially. Sometimes I tell the story of Srila Prabhupada when he visited Indore. In Indore, one man came to discuss with Srila Prabhupada, and the man was attached to some popular gurus of India. Srila Prabhupada was criticizing them.

It is another sentimental notion that we should not criticize others, especially not gurus or demigods or even imposters, if people are sentimentally attached to them. But Srila Prabhupada never compromised; he spoke the truth frankly and openly. When Srila Prabhupada started criticizing the philosophies of some of the popular religious leaders of India, the man became upset and told Srila Prabhupada that he should not criticize others. He quoted the verse from the Bhagavad-gītā: paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ, that a pandit or a learned person should see everyone equally. He should see equally a gentle and learned brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog eater. He should see them all equally and should not criticize anyone. It is true in one sense that a mahā-bhāgavata sees everyone equally; he sees they are all engaged in the service of the Lord, so he doesn’t criticize, he doesn’t preach, because he sees everyone is already engaged. Srila Prabhupada replied, “Why is someone born as a brahman, and why is someone born as a dog? If someone engages in pious activities, he takes birth as a brahman, and if someone engages in sinful activities, he takes birth as a dog. So, if someone doesn’t distinguish between a brahman and a dog, it means he doesn’t distinguish between pious activities and sinful activities, which is mahā-bhāgavata.”

Srila Prabhupada said, “But I am not on that level. I make distinctions, and I see you are doing nonsense, and I say stop it. But I’m not on that level.” Then, later in the discussion, Srila Prabhupada explained how he had spread Krishna consciousness all over the world and had given everyone the chance to engage in Krishna’s service. Then he said to the man, “That is my sama-darśinaḥ, that I saw everyone equally. I saw everyone has an equal right to serve Krishna, and I gave them the chance, and they took it.” The man was very impressed. This is mahatma. He has a very broad vision. He sees that anyone and everyone can engage in the Lord’s service, He wants to engage them, and He gives everyone an equal chance to serve Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

A devotee who may be in any of these categories is automatically qualified by all good qualities,

COMMENT

So, Maharaja Parīkṣit is described here as mahā-bhāgavato mahān. Mahān means qualified by all good qualities. Srila Prabhupada says that even a third-class devotee even a second-class devotee and went to speak of the first-class devotee, they all have good qualities.

PURPORT (continued)

and thus a mahā-bhāgavata devotee like Mahārāja Parīkṣit is certainly perfect in all respects. And because Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his birth in the family of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he is addressed herein as the mahā-bhāgavata, or the greatest of the fortunates. The family in which a mahā-bhāgavata takes his birth is fortunate because due to the birth of a first-grade devotee the members of the family, past, present and future up to one hundred generations, become liberated by the grace of the Lord, out of respect for His beloved devotee. Therefore, the highest benefit is done to one’s family simply by becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.

COMMENT

So the Lord is so affectionate to His devotee that He blesses the devotee’s family members that they may also be liberated. Not only the present family members of the devotee but the past family members, past generations of this family, and past generations from the devotee’s past lives—they all become liberated, and even the future generations, they also become liberated. So we don’t have to feel that by leaving my family, I have done harm to them. If you leave your family and become a pure devotee of Krishna, you are actually, doing the greatest good for your family is because automatically, just by your presence in their family or dynasty, they will all be liberated. The example is Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇyakaśipu was the greatest demon, but because Prahlada Maharaja took birth as his son, not only Hiraṇyakaśipu but the whole dynasty of Hiraṇyakaśipu were liberated. So we should never hesitate or doubt the words of Krishna when He says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

At the end of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna says, “Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender unto me.” Someone may think that if I give up all other duties and surrender to you, I may be committing some sin because we have so many duties, and if I neglect my duty, I am sinful. But Krishna says, no, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. “No, don’t worry, don’t hesitate, don’t think that by surrendering to me you will lose something or your friends or your family will lose something. mā śucaḥ, don’t worry, by my mercy you will be freed from sins, and not only you, but all of your family members for so many generations past and future, they will also be liberated from all sinful reactions. So do not fear.” This is the mercy of the Lord upon the devotee.

The Lord is so kind to His devotees, so affectionate to His devotees. It is said that the Lord was so fond of Srivasa Thakura that He loved anyone and everyone in the house of Srivasa Thakura, including the dog. Of course, the dog didn’t live in the house, but he was still accepted as part of Srivasa Thakura’s household. The Lord has so much love for Srivasa Thakura that He loved the dog also, so what to speak of other family members and what to speak of other devotees. So there is no question. We should simply have faith in the words of Krishna and surrender fully to His service through His representative.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!

Are there any questions or comments? Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:01:51]

Question: He says that in the verse which says that the family members of the devotee are liberated, is it applicable only to the mahā-bhāgavata, or is it also applicable to the madhyam-bhāgavata? Because if it is only applicable to the mahā-bhāgavata, where is the question of future generations?

Giriraj Swami: Well, there is no future birth of the mahā-bhāgavata, certainly, but he may have other generations that exist even while he is present. You understand? Take Srila Prabhupada. When he left the planet, he had his sons and daughters, and they also had sons and daughters, so they are considered future generations. And even if we say that the children are liberated or the grandchildren are liberated, it doesn’t mean that they won’t have children. So the generations may continue, but the family members will be liberated. Maharaja Yudhisthira was also mahā-bhāgavata, but he had a son, his son had a son, Maharaja Parīkṣit, he also had a son. So it doesn’t mean that because one is a mahā-bhāgavata, he won’t have children. But if someone is fortunate enough to take birth in the family of a mahā-bhāgavata, he will be liberated.

Devotee: The third-class devotee has no genuine attitude of service to the Lord, that is the kaniṣṭhādhikārī, and he has no interest to study the scriptures. But he might just go looking at the deity, appreciate the deity, but then somewhere we have read that Srila Prabhupada says that even when a person comes into the temple, he might not know the scriptures, he might not know the philosophical background, but when he just appreciates the beauty of Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani, he attains love of God. So, what is the difference between the two? Is he also kaniṣṭhādhikārī?

Giriraj Swami: Well, if one just comes in the temple and appreciates the beauty of the deity, he will eventually develop pure love of Krishna. That is true, but he will still go through stages. First, he will become initiated. I mean, first he will associate with the devotees, then he will take initiation, then he will become free from anarthas, and he will progress step by step. But if he just begins, he can attain the goal. If someone begins a journey, he begins the journey with one step, but if he continues on the journey, he will ultimately reach the destination.

Devotee: It is also said that everybody is engaged directly or indirectly in service of the Lord, although one may be gratifying the senses, because his senses are the energy of the Lord, he is indirectly serving the Lord. So we also know that the difference between a Gosvami and a godāsa, does that mean that the godāsa is indirectly serving Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Srila Prabhupada gives the example that everyone in this state is serving the government. But there are two categories: the free citizens and the prisoners. So the free citizens are serving the government, they are following the laws voluntarily, and the prisoners are also serving the government. They may be cracking rocks and making ropes, and they are also following the law by force. But both are serving the government, but one is direct, which is voluntary, and the other is indirect, which is forced.

Devotee: One day, the godāsa who is indirectly serving the Lord will also attain love of God because he is engaged with his family and his near and dear ones and is trying to serve his senses.

Giriraj Swami: No, but if he gets the mercy of the devotee, and by the mercy of the devotee, he engages in direct service to Lord Krishna, then he can develop love for Krishna. If the godāsa gets the association of a Gosvami and he becomes a Gosvami, then he can develop love for Krishna, but not while he remains a godāsa.

Devotee: In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we find so many definitions of different devotees are given that who is kaniṣṭhādhikārī, madhyamādhikārī, uttama-adhikārī. At the same time, we are told to not judge. So, what is the clear line of demarcation between trying to understand which is the best version to associate with and what is the meaning of passing judgment so as not to commit vaiṣṇava-aparādha?

Giriraj Swami: Well, the qualification of the madhyamādhikārī is that he studies the scriptures, and the scriptures describe who is a devotee and who is not a devotee, and among devotees, who is first class, who is second class, and who is third class. So the madhyamādhikārī, he tries to understand the scriptures and apply the knowledge in practice. So he judges, is this person a devotee, is this person innocent, is this person envious, because he has to deal differently with different types of persons. But if someone is a kaniṣṭhādhikārī, he is not really studying the scriptures under proper guidance, so he may judge on a material basis, and he should not do that. So it is better that he doesn’t judge because he cannot judge properly. But when one is a madhyamādhikārī, he will make judgment, so he will be able to deal appropriately with different people. But the judgment should not be done with hatred or envy. That hatred or envy itself is a sign of kaniṣṭhādhikārī.

In other words, Rupa Gosvami says that we should mentally honor anyone who is chanting the holy name. So we may judge that he is just a madhyamādhikārī, and therefore we won’t associate with him intimately, but within our minds, we will respect him. It is not that within our minds we should hate him, “Oh, he is only a kaniṣṭhādhikārī, I am a preacher, he is kaniṣṭhādhikārī. He doesn’t appreciate me, he only wants to see the deity.” We shouldn’t have such thoughts. So if judging people means that we become hateful of them, then we shouldn’t judge them. Better we think about Krishna, think of the deity, and not think with hatred of anyone, and appreciate everyone for whatever they are able to do.

Devotee: About the liberation, the descendants of the devotees, they get liberation. So what is the definition of this liberation? Do they get pure devotional service, or just they get freed from material entanglement?

Giriraj Swami: The direct meaning of liberation does not necessarily include pure devotional service, but of the five types of liberation, four of them do involve devotional service, and those are real liberation. So we hope that the family members of the devotee will really be liberated in one of the four categories and be engaged in pure devotional service, but they may need the association of devotees and practice, because by nāma-ābhāsa, one is freed from sinful reactions and liberated. So Ajamila chanted the holy name in nāma-ābhāsa at the time of death, so he was freed from the sinful reaction. But still, he went to Haridwar and engaged in devotional service. When he was mature in devotional service, the four devotees—the three devotees-Vishnudutas, whose association he got and whose instructions he heard, they came and took him back to Godhead. Bu by nāma-ābhāsa, he was liberated. He was liberated from all material attachment because he was so attached to his wife, who was the prostitute, and he was so attached to his son, but he left them all. That means he was liberated. He had no material attachment, but still, he didn’t have love of God. By the association of the Vishnudutas, he got the idea of devotional service. He went to Haridwar, engaged in devotional service, and when he became perfect, the Vishnudutas came and took him to back to Godhead.

So definitely, if one is a family member of a devotee, and because the Lord wants to benedict the family members, the Lord Himself will arrange for them to get the association of some devotees so they can become qualified to go back to Godhead.

Devotee: Maharaja, you said that kaniṣṭhādhikārī, we should not judge, but at the same time, it is said that one within a kaniṣṭhā level should rise to a madhyam level by associating with a madhyamādhikārī. So, how does a kaniṣṭhādhikārī recognize madhyamādhikārī? And at the same time, how does he associate with other kaniṣṭhādhikārī because it said that one should not associate with other kaniṣṭhādhikārī and associate with madhyamādhikārī and uttama-adhikārī?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada wanted in ISKCON act as madhyamādhikārī. As soon as someone comes to ISKCON, he begins to read Srila Prabhupada’s books, begins to apply them in his own life, and begins to engage in Krishna’s service—not just when he is in the temple but also when he is at home. He begins to assist the preachers. From the very beginning, they are on a progressive path by which they come out of being kaniṣṭhādhikārī and gradually become madhyamādhikārī.

Devotee: How they associate with other kaniṣṭhādhikārī in the beginning. There are a lot of new people coming in, so how do you associate with them?

Giriraj Swami: Well, if we are preachers, we should show mercy to them, instruct them, and engage them. If we are in a similar position to them, then together with them, we should study the books and serve the mission. Together with them, we will progress. It is a very nice and natural arrangement by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy that anyone and everyone who comes, he is immediately engaged in activities that will make him madhyamādhikārī.

Devotee: To attain the perfection of life, to attain pure love of Godhead, the path suggested and emphasized by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the same as what Srila Prabhupada emphasized or slightly different?

Giriraj Swami: The process Srila Prabhupada is giving us is the same as the process given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but he has presented it in a special way according to time, place, and circumstance. But the essence is the same.

Devotee: The path that Srila Prabhupada said, to be specific, in many of the places, Srila Prabhupada explains that being a part of material activities not to engage in. That is, I mean, apparently, we appreciate it for grihastha and other people who are engaged in material activities, but many times there is a very clear statement saying to give up all material activities. But when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was discussing with Ramananda Raya, he appreciated the material platform, sthāne-sthita is higher than sarva-dharmān parityajya? Can you explain it?

Giriraj Swami: There is some difference because when Sri Chaitanya was discussing with Ramananda Raya, he rejected varnashrama-dharma. He said it is external. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to implement varnashrama-dharma. When one devotee questioned that, “Lord Chaitanya rejected varnashrama-dharma but you Prabhupada wanted to introduce varnashrama-dharma.” Srila Prabhupada replied that, “Lord Chaitanya was a sannyasi and had nothing to do with this world.” But we are merciful, and we know that because Lord Chaitanya introduced chanting, just by chanting, one can achieve perfection. But people are so disturbed, they can’t even chant; they have no time to chant. So Srila Prabhupada wanted to introduce varnashrama-dharma so that they would be peaceful in their work, peaceful in their family lives, so they could gradually chant more and more. We cannot chant twenty-four hours like Lord Chaitanya’s disciples. So, to make our life peaceful and calm, we should follow varnashrama-dharma and also chant.

So, Srila Prabhupada said that yes, compared to Lord Chaitanya, he was merciful. Lord Chaitanya had no interest in this world, but Srila Prabhupada was merciful, and even people who are stuck in the world, Srila Prabhupada wanted to help them. “Okay, follow varnashrama-dharma and chant Hare Krishna.”

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Ok, there are some more questions, but we will end now because some people may have to leave. Any devotees who wish to ask me more after guru-puja, they can ask me.

Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!