SB 3.29.18 – The Qualities of a Devotee—Part 01

Giriraj Swami: Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-nine, “Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord Kapila.”

TEXT 18

ādhyātmikānuśravaṇān
nāma-saṅkīrtanāc ca me
ārjavenārya-saṅgena
nirahaṅkriyayā tathā

TRANSLATION

A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In order to advance in spiritual understanding, one has to hear from authentic sources about spiritual knowledge. One can understand the reality of spiritual life by following strict regulative principles and by controlling the senses. To have control it is necessary that one be nonviolent and truthful, refrain from stealing, abstain from sex life and possess only that which is absolutely necessary for keeping the body and soul together. One should not eat more than necessary, he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary, he should not talk unnecessarily with common men, and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement.

There are eighteen qualifications mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, among which is simplicity. One should be without pride, one should not demand unnecessary respect from others, and one should be nonviolent (amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā). One should be very tolerant and simple, one should accept the spiritual master, and one should control the senses. These are mentioned here and in Bhagavad-gītā as well. One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the ācārya and should be assimilated.

It is especially mentioned here, nāma-saṅkīrtanāc ca: one should chant the holy names of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — either individually or with others. Lord Caitanya has given special stress to chanting of these holy names of the Lord as the basic principle of spiritual advancement. Another word used here is ārjavena, meaning “without diplomacy.” A devotee should not make plans out of self-interest. Of course, preachers sometimes have to make some plan to execute the mission of the Lord under proper guidance, but regarding personal self-interest, a devotee should always be without diplomacy, and he should avoid the company of persons who are not advancing in spiritual life. Another word is ārya. Āryans are persons who are advancing in knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness as well as in material prosperity. The difference between the Āryan and non-Āryan, the sura and asura, is in their standards of spiritual advancement. Association with persons who are not spiritually advanced is forbidden. Lord Caitanya advised, asat-saṅga-tyāga: one should avoid persons who are attached to the temporary. Asat is one who is too materially attached — who is not a devotee of the Lord, or who is too attached to women or enjoyable material things. Such a person, according to Vaiṣṇava philosophy, is a persona non grata.

A devotee should not be proud of his acquisitions. The symptoms of a devotee are meekness and humility. Although spiritually very advanced, he will always remain meek and humble, as Kavirāja Gosvāmī and all the other Vaiṣṇavas have taught us by personal example. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught that one should be humbler than the grass on the street and more tolerant than the tree. One should not be proud or falsely puffed up. In this way one will surely advance in spiritual life.

COMMENT

Kapiladeva is explaining the process of devotional service to his mother, Devahuti. Although generally parents consider themselves superior to their children, if their children are more advanced than they are in spiritual knowledge, they should be prepared to hear from their children. Once in Los Angeles when I was with Srila Prabhupada in his room, the mother of Hridayananda Maharaja came to meet Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada began by praising Hridayananda Maharaja, saying he was very intelligent. Hridayananda Maharaja’s mother replied, “Yes, Howard was always a good student. Then Srila Prabhupada began to speak about Devahuti and Kapiladeva. He said that although Kapila was the son of Devahuti, because he was advanced in spiritual knowledge Devahuti learned from him. Srila Prabhupada was indicating that even though Hridayananda Hridayananda Maharaja was her son, because he was advanced in spiritual knowledge, she should be prepared to learn from him. Kapiladeva was very kind to his mother, to explain to her about devotional service. The nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master is to be kind and to patiently explain the science of Krishna consciousness to those who want to learn. Even though Devahuti was a woman and considered herself to be less qualified, still Kapiladeva was merciful to her and instructed her, and she considered that only by Kapiladeva’s mercy could she understand spiritual topics.

So here Kapiladeva is mentioning other important characteristics of a devotee. Devotees have activities and they also have personal qualities, and Kapiladeva mentions both. What are the activities of a devotee and what are the qualities of a devotee, although the two are interrelated? So, ādhyātmika anuśravaṇāt, the devotee always hears about spiritual topics. Last night we read about anukīrtanāt; chanting, following the ways of great authorities. So here we are hearing about anuśravaṇāt, hearing, following the ways of great authorities. Aṇu means to follow, so we hear from authentic sources, in other words, from devotees. In Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he is speaking Bhagavad-gītā to him because Arjuna is a devotee, bhakto ‘si me sakhā ceti. So only a devotee can understand Krishna and Bhagavad-gītā. Krishna later says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti, that He can be understood only by devotional service, and the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Krishna, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. So only a devotee of Krishna can be a student of Bhagavad-gītā or Vedic knowledge, and therefore only a devotee can be a teacher of Vedic knowledge. So anuśravaṇāt means that one must hear from an authentic source. In particular, one must hear from a devotee.

Lord Chaitanya’s secretary in Jagannatha Puri was Svarupa Damodara, and many persons wanted to show their literary works to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but the rule was that they had to show the work first to Svarupa Damodara, and if he approved of it, he would recommend it to Lord Chaitanya. So one man wrote a poetry which spoke about the identity of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha, saying that the Lord has appeared in Jagannatha Puri in two forms, one moving and one non-moving. Well, the poetry sounded very nice, and many of the devotees appreciated it. But when it came to Sorav Damodara Gosvami, he rejected it because he said that the author was distinguishing between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha, that one was moving Bhagavān, and one was non-moving Bhagavān. But actually, there is no difference between the two. And then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami advised the author that one should learn the book Bhāgavata from the person bhāgavata. Unless one learns the philosophy from a devotee who is living according to the philosophy, one cannot understand properly. So anuśravaṇāt, one must hear from realized souls or pure devotees.

Then, saṅkīrtanāc ca me, after hearing one should chant, śravaṇam kīrtanam. First one hears the holy name of Krishna or about the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord, and then he repeats what he has heard. So repeating is called kīrtanam or chanting or glorifying Krishna or preaching. One follows the other. Srila Prabhupada remarked that because he heard nicely from his spiritual master, later he was able to speak nicely. So śravaṇam kīrtanam, first one hears, and if he hears properly, he can repeat properly, and that is kīrtanam. Then ārjavenārya; ārjavenārya means with straightforward behavior. Simple, it is one of the qualities of brahman, simplicity, ārjavena. The opposite of simplicity, is duplicity. We should not be duplicitous. Duplicitous means that we have one motive, but we show that we have another motive. We show that we want to advance in spiritual life, but actually we have some other motive. We want to enjoy. But in the company of devotees, we make a show that we want to advance in Krishna consciousness. But actually, we want to advance in material enjoyment, and we accept things in the name of devotional service that we actually want to use for sense gratification.

Sometimes I tell the story because it seems so humorous and innocent of one, sannyasi who was forbidden to eat fried foods and sweets for health reasons, but actually he was very fond of gulab jamuns. So whenever there was mahā-prasāda, he would immediately tell his assistant that, “Oh, mahā-prasāda has come. Bring gulab jamuns, gulab jamuns.” So, in the name of honoring the Lord’s remnants, he was actually fulfilling his desire to eat gulab jamuns. So, I am sure we can all think of many other examples which may not be so innocent of devotees asking for something in the name of devotional service or Krishna consciousness, but actually wanting to take advantage of the thing for personal happiness. So that is duplicity, a diplomatic behavior, hiding our real motive, showing ourselves in one way, but actually being something else. Then ārya-saṅgena, with association of saintly devotees. Yes, ārya means one who is interested in the progressive values of life, one who is interested in spiritual advancement. At the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, when Arjuna refused to fight, Lord Krishna accused him of being un-ārya, not an ārya. That while speaking learned words, you are lamenting for that which is not worthy of grief. You are lamenting for the body. So Āryans, they know the difference between the soul and the body, and they are interested in the soul more than the body. When Krishna criticized Arjuna for being an Ārya, He also accused him of being kṛpaṇa, or miser.

So in Vedic literatures or in Sanskrit language, a brahman and a kṛpaṇa are opposed. A brahman or an Āryan, he knows the value of life. The value of life is to make spiritual advancement, and the kṛpaṇa is like an animal who identifies with the body and wants to enjoy sense gratification, just like an animal. So, the Vedas enjoined that one should not take birth in joy and die like an animal without making a solution to the problems of life. But one should be a brahman and make a solution to the problems of life. And what are the problems of life? Repeated birth, death, old age, and disease. These are the problems of life. We all suffer from them. We all fight against them, but we do not know how to actually escape them. There are so many hospitals, so many pharmacies, so many doctors, so many nurses, so many medicines, so many machines, all to counteract disease. It is a hard struggle for existence. So, we take so much trouble to try to counteract disease and old age and death, but we can never succeed. And then people become callous that well, disease, old age, death are part of life, we can’t avoid them. They become accustomed. But actually, we can avoid them. We want to avoid them. We are always fighting against them, and we can avoid them, but not by material means, only by spiritual development.

So, when one comes to the human form of life, he shouldn’t just live like cats and dogs; eating, sleeping, mating, defending, and dying, but he should actually be serious about the problems of life, how to solve them, not by material adjustment, but really solve them by spiritual development. So, we have to be serious. So many persons think, well, when I become old, then I will take to Krishna consciousness. So even within ISKCON, we may have the same mentality. Although we are in ISKCON, but still, we might think, well, we are young, we can enjoy, we will get serious when we are older. After all, we just have to think of Krishna at the time of death. So, before the time of death, I will become serious and now we can enjoy. Devotees do not want to engage in gross sinful activities because they know how much they will suffer if they do. But they might think in a pious way. Well, we are young, we can enjoy. Become serious later. So, Ārya means that we have to associate with persons who are serious about spiritual advancement, who really want to make a solution to life’s problems, not just have a good time. And nirahaṅkriyayā, without false ego. Ahaṅkrar, the very ingredients of the word ahaṅ—I, and krar means to do. So ahaṅkrar, false ego means we think, I am the doer. And again, duplicity; when something good is there, we are the doers. When something bad is there, we are not the doers. Somebody else is the doer.

In India, we heard a story or a joke that one man killed a cow and he was summoned by Yamaraja, by the lord of death, to be punished. So, the man said, “Well I am not the doer. I didn’t really kill the cow; everything is happening by the will of the Lord.” So, Yamaraja released him temporarily for some purpose. He allowed the man to go back to his life and then Yamaraja came in disguise to the man’s garden, and he started to go through the garden with the man and he said, who planted this beautiful tree? “Well, I did.” And who cultivated these beautiful flowers? “I did.” And so on and on he was asking who had done all the nice things in the garden and every time the man said, “I did, I did, I did.” And then Yamaraja in disguise asked him who killed the cow? “I uh.” So, when there is some good achievement we want to take the credit, I did it, and if something bad happens, well, it was the Lord, we can’t, we are nothing, we cannot do anything, the Lord is doing. But actually the devotee’s mood is the opposite. If something good happens, he gives the credit to the Lord and if something bad happens, he takes the blame. But ordinary persons are the opposite, so they are also duplicitous. They use the Lord when it suits their convenience, they take the predator and since their convenience.

As Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport, the same items that are mentioned here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā explains the process of knowledge. Eighteen items [Break in audio] principles from them which he has listed in The Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, and The Nectar of Instruction Upadeśāmṛta. And so we may recognize in the purport, Srila Prabhupada was listing the principles enunciated by Rupa Gosvami which spoiled one’s devotional service. Again, there are positive injunctions and negative prohibitions. So, in one verse in Upadeśāmṛta, Srila Rupa Gosvami mentions six things that spoil one’s devotional service and Srila Prabhupada mentions them in the purport. One should not eat more than necessary, and he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary. Atyāhāraḥ means one should not eat more than necessary or collect more than necessary or accumulate more than necessary. These are symptoms of lust and greed which actually destroy our devotional progress. Then he should not talk unnecessarily with common man; that is prajalpoa and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose that is niyamāgrahaḥ. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement.

So, the same instructions are given again and again in different places because the process is scientific. It is not a matter of one man’s opinion or one man’s speculation but it is a scientific process. And although different persons may explain it in different language or in different ways, but ultimately we always come to the same principles and they are repeated in The Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and so on. So, in the end, Srila Prabhupada advises that one should not be proud, one should not be proud of his material assets because again whatever we have material has come to us by the grace of the Lord in consideration of our past activities. And because we are in the world of duality, we always have some assets and some defects. We always have some good qualities and we also have some bad qualities. So, if we are going to be proud of our assets, then what about our defects? We are going to be proud of our good qualities and what about our bad qualities? So instead of being absorbed in the duality, we should be neutral, we should be detached, we should not identify with the body. So, if we have some material asset, we shouldn’t identify with it and if we have some material defect, we shouldn’t identify with it. But we should be aloof from the body and the concerns of the body and then identify ourselves as the soul and engage in developing our relationship with the Supersoul. Then we can make steady progress. Otherwise, if we become proud on the basis of the body, our advancement will be disturbed.

Srila Prabhupada says one should not be puffed up by borrowed plumes. Whatever we have, nothing really belongs to us anyway and to become puffed up over it is really foolish. So, we should be aloof from the body from the dualities of the body. We shouldn’t think we are the doers. We shouldn’t think that people are coming to Krishna consciousness because of us, and certainly not because of our expertise. But we should understand they are coming to Krishna consciousness because of Krishna consciousness, because of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON, and not falsely take any credit for ourselves. Srila Prabhupada said whatever we do if we give the credit to Krishna then we will be successful. But if we try to take the credit for ourselves then there will be so many problems. So, we should be aloft from the bodily concept of life. We shouldn’t think because of that the little extra that we are adding to the philosophy or the process people are being attracted. But we should see that they are being attracted by Krishna. Srila Prabhupada showed the example in his last public preaching program in Bombay. He said that people say, “Swamiji, Swamiji, you have done wonders. You have done wonders.” Srila Prabhupada said what wonders? And that He has just presented Bhagavad-gītā as it is. He has just presented Krishna as He is. And even though he hasn’t presented the subject very well but because the subject itself is so valuable, people are attracted.

So that should be our attitude, not that well the subject is not very good but I can embellish it with my nice words or with my enthusiasm or with my nice voice and that will attract people. But we should actually be convinced that the subject of Krishna is all attractive, that people are attracted by the subject and that whatever we can do we should just not get in the way of people’s appreciation of the subject; project ourselves as great personality or great abilities to attract people. We should understand that what is really attractive is Krishna and Krishna consciousness and we should just try to stay out of the way. Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:37:45]

Giriraj Swami: Very good question. Raghunatha Prabhu said that we come to spiritual life, we are trying to come out of the material world but even in spiritual life we find we are playing the same game and committing offenses at the same time. So how do we get out of that? Well, if you could it would help you.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:39:00]

Giriraj Swami: Basically, the problem is even after coming to Krishna consciousness, we still identify with the body, and we still want to make arrangements for the gratification of the mind and senses in Krishna consciousness. So like you said, we repeat the same things we used to do in the material world, in Krishna consciousness and there is some truth to what Vishwambhar Prabhu said because one of the material faults is pride and the Bhāgavatam says that the way to overcome pride is to serve great souls. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada introduced the term prabhu. We should address each other as prabhu, which means master. So, when we address the other person as prabhu, we are humbling ourselves to the position of dasa, servant. But even then we may have the same mentality of wanting to be the masters and not the servants. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada commented we shouldn’t say “Oh prabhu, come here, bring my shoes." That is not the meaning of prabhu. So that is the problem, we want to be the masters and we want others to serve us. So, we have to come out of that diseased mentality to see others actually as Prabhu as our masters and ourselves as their servants.

Devotees tend to be humble and submissive. So, if one is in a position of authority, he can lord it over the devotees, which is really very sinful. And they will cooperate because they are devotees, and they think, and actually it is true, that Srila Prabhupada will be pleased if they cooperate with the authorities. But if someone is in the position of being an authority to use the position to lord and over the devotees, that is very bad for his spiritual life. So, we really have to be the servant. Once one devotee approached Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur and complained about the management; that this is wrong and that is wrong, they are not doing this and they are not doing that. So, Srila Prabhupada said, “Well why don’t you become the temple commander if you think you can do it better,” sort of as a challenge. Anyway, the devotee came out of Srila Prabhupada’s room and started telling everyone that Srila Prabhupada has made me the temple commander. So now you have to do what I say. He started bossing people around. So then, some complaint came back to Srila Prabhupada, now he is advertising that Prabhupada has made me the temple commander and he is bossing everyone. So, Srila Prabhupada spoke to the boy and he told him that, “First you become the servant of everyone, then you become the temple commander.” In other words, our positions are meant for becoming more the servant, not the lord or the master or boss. So that is actually how we can be authorities in ISKCON, that is by being the servant of everyone. Of course, if someone has the desire to be the lord, he may fulfill the desire in ISKCON, but he won’t become a devotee. He may become a big leader and become a big manager, but he won’t become a devotee. Devotee means really servant of the servants of the servant of Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:46:45]

Giriraj Swami: Well, if he comes to Krishna consciousness to make spiritual advancement, but he is just conditioned, just habituated wanting to be the lord, and even after coming to Krishna consciousness, he can’t help himself, he does the same thing, then by associating with pure devotees, he can see his own position and he can think that is this really what I want? When he sees an advanced devotee, how peaceful [Unintelligible 00:48:03], just be doing the same old thing again, in the guise of a devotee, and I could actually be relishing Krishna consciousness, which is what I really came for. We have to make efforts, like chanting and dancing, make an effort, or even if one is able go to the holy places, walk barefoot, actually exert oneself, then one can get some result. It doesn’t just happen so easily. But by chanting and dancing in the kirtan, one actually begins to feel bliss on the spiritual platform. As I have seen in the temples that are the most successful, the projects that are the most successful, there is a lot of chanting and dancing together for hours. Then it really begins to take off.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:49:50]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, one has to like throw oneself into the process. It can’t be like a business. It is like another business; to actually throw ourselves into the process. Everything, especially chanting and dancing. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:50:30]

Giriraj Swami: He says that in Krishna consciousness, one can fulfill subtle material desires better than in the material world.

That is true. We can’t fulfill the gross ones, but because we give up the gross ones, we can fulfill the subtle ones better. The other day we were talking about yoga siddhis. There was a verse in the Purport in Bhagavad-gītā, and the actual purpose of yoga siddhis as one yogi told me personally, is that when one engages in ashtanga-yoga, one never really knows if he is making any progress. Because to actually come to the stage where one sees the Lord in the heart, one has to really work hard for many years. And until then, one does not really know if he is making progress. So, he was saying that as one practices, different yoga siddhis become manifest and they are just meant to encourage the yogi that yes, you are on the right track, you are going forward. They are like signposts; if you are driving to Durham for so many miles. But if a yogi wants to enjoy the siddhis, then he is considered to have deviated and fallen down because the siddhis are not meant to be enjoyed. They are just meant to be indications to the yogi that he is making progress towards the goal. So in Krishna consciousness also, even from the stage of bhajana-kriyā, people become attracted and then they offer the devotee name and fame. They praise them, they appreciate him, they glorify them, they give gifts, they offer material facilities. So, if the devotee wants to take advantage of the sentiments of the persons who are attracted to him or of the offerings of the persons who are attracted to him for sense gratification, either gross or subtle, then again, he is falling down, just like the yogi wants to enjoy siddhis. But it is true. The glory and the facility that a devotee can get even from the stage of bhajana-kriyā, which is not so advanced, is very great compared to ordinary people.

So that is why Prahlada Maharaja and other authorities say that by devotional service, one gets the results of fruitive activity and mental speculation without separate endeavor. But if we want to enjoy the fruits, then we become entangled. But if the fruits come and then we offer the fruits back to Krishna, to Krishna’s service then we make progress. It is easier to make when our lives are simple. People may offer us nice things, but if we accept too many nice things, then we may become attached again. But of course, we also take risks when we preach because by offering us things, people, they do benefit. From their side, they do benefit. But we should accept the offering only on behalf of Krishna, for Krishna’s service. We shouldn’t try to enjoy the offerings.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:56:40]

Giriraj Swami: Well, in principle, we are supposed to do our duty and not be so concerned with the result. Srila Prabhupada gives the example of the lawyer. That the lawyer argues the case and the case may be won or the case may be lost, but the lawyer gets paid anyway because he did his duty. He did his best. So similarly, we serve Krishna and we do our duty. We do our best. But in any particular instance, we may be successful or not successful from the material point of view. But from the spiritual point of view, because we did our best to serve Krishna, we are successful. So, we should speak the truth even if we are afraid that the people won’t appreciate it. But of course what you wanted to tell the boys was not directly in relation to Krishna consciousness just in relation to normal safety and behavior. If you were absorbed in Krishna consciousness and they were just playing and ultimately got injured, nobody would blame you because it is really not your business to monitor the activities of the children. But, probably based on what you said, in the future maybe you will speak because people make advancements if they appreciate a devotee. Even if they do not know what a devotee is they may be advancing so even on the material platform if you helped someone and he appreciates you, then he makes little advancement which is not to say that we should engage in mundane welfare work but just little things that come up in the course of life, like. If you are driving or standing in a queue and you let someone go ahead of you they will appreciate it. And by appreciating your nice gesture they will make advancements.

But I do not think the greatest lesson to be learned from that incident is that you should tell boys not to fool around. The greatest lesson is that as long as we are in the material world there is danger at every step, and the real thing is to help people get out of the material world. Because like you said, if it didn’t happen at this station it might have happened in the next station if it didn’t happen today it might have happened the next day because the very principle of the material body is his suffering. So from one point of view we could say he was suffering the results of his past activities and no matter what we would have done if he was destined to suffer he would have suffered, although it is our duty to try to relieve people’s suffering and help people avoid suffering. But as long as we have the body it is a fact, we are going to suffer that maybe this stop or the next stop; maybe this car or the next car but we are bound to suffer. So you saw it happen so it was very vivid for you but it is happening all the time. Every moment someone is suffering some horrible agony somewhere and the only real solution is Krishna consciousness.

So, we have to be convinced of that without Krishna consciousness no one can really be happy or safe, and temporary efforts to give protection may at most be temporarily effective. They may not even be effective but they may be temporarily effective like you said for few minutes until they go to the next step; car, transfer to the next station. But whatever the duration is it is temporary because eventually the body is destined for destruction. So the real solution is to get out of bodily existence, that is the only real solution. So when we want to help people we should think really in terms of just how to get them out of the body forever. As long as they are in the body they are going to suffer birth, disease, old age, death, so many other miseries. But in the mood that everything is Krishna’s property; the boys were also Krishna’s property, we can speak. Once some devotees were on the morning walk with Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles and they passed by a tap a water tap in someone’s garden and it was running or at least leaking. So the devotee just jumped over and tightened it so the water was not coming out. And Srila Prabhupada said that is Krishna consciousness. Even though from one point of view we can say it is material but from another point of view everything is Krishna’s property everything is Krishna’s energy. So he was saving Krishna’s energy by closing the tap. Unless one has some more important service for Krishna there is no harm in doing something which is materially good it doesn’t take away from Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:07:07]

Giriraj Swami: That is always the risk that some accidental calamity will come upon a devotee and his consciousness may not be so good. So that is why we have to practice always remembering Krishna never forgetting from right now; not waiting till we are older. That is true death can come at any time. We may imagine, well I am only twenty-five years old so I am still a young man, but you do not know actually when death will come. We hope it will come much later but we do not know for sure. So we should try to be in such consciousness all the time that if death came or some sudden calamity came we would be able to meet it in Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:08:44]

Giriraj Swami: Well, we have to take it as a warning from Krishna to be more prepared next time; more prepared means more Krishna conscious.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:10:45]

Giriraj Swami: So is when she warned you, especially with devotees, if we foresee some danger we should warn them. Sometimes we might think that a devotee is driving too fast or devotee is sleepy while driving, but then we might think well maybe we shouldn’t say anything because maybe the devotee will get offended but actually it is better to say something even at the risk of the devotee getting a little annoyed but to avert the danger. If devotees are not on the platform of false ego, they should accept the good advice. To react and defend that is like an animal platform. Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending that somebody says something, and one want to react and to defend, that is like animal conscious. If we really think that the other devotees are Prabhus, masters, then we will think that the master is giving me an order, we must obey. But actually we are still thinking we are the masters so we have to obey. How dare the servant instruct the master; it is very hard actually to change from material consciousness to spiritual conscience. It is not so easy that you just attempt to change the dress; but it is not so easy.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:14:35]

Giriraj Swami: She asked that if one sees a family member is about to do something that will be harmful materially, should one say something?

Well I would say yes, because why are you spending time with the family? Either because you want to preach to them or because there is some family affection or both so either way if you help the family member avoid some calamity it will be better. But the thing is that in material affairs sometimes we can’t really predict and sometimes we might give what we think is good advice and it might end [audio cut]