SB 3.9.25 – Always Endeavor in Krishna Consciousness

Giriraj Swami: 

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

Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Nine, “Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative Energy.”

TEXT 25

so ‘sāv adabhra-karuṇo bhagavān vivṛddha-
prema-smitena nayanāmburuhaṁ vijṛmbhan
utthāya viśva-vijayāya ca no viṣādaṁ
mādhvyā girāpanayatāt puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ

TRANSLATION

The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful. I wish that He may smilingly bestow His benediction upon me by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and remove our dejection by kindly speaking His directions.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The Lord is ever increasingly merciful upon the fallen souls of this material world. The whole cosmic manifestation is a chance for all to improve themselves in devotional service to the Lord, and everyone is meant for that purpose. The Lord expands Himself into many personalities who are either self-expansions or separated expansions. The personalities of the individual souls are His separated expansions, whereas the self-expansions are the Lord Himself. The self-expansions are predominators, and the separated expansions are predominated for reciprocation of transcendental bliss with the supreme form of bliss and knowledge. The liberated souls can join in this blissful reciprocation of predominator and predominated without materially concocted ideas. The typical example of such a transcendental exchange between the predominator and the predominated is the Lord’s rāsa-līlā with the gopīs. The gopīs are predominated expansions of the internal potency, and therefore the Lord’s participation in the rāsa-līlā dance is never to be considered like the mundane relationship of man and woman. It is, rather, the highest perfectional stage of the exchange of feelings between the Lord and the living entities. The Lord gives the fallen souls the chance for this highest perfection of life. Lord Brahmā is entrusted with the management of the complete cosmic show, and therefore he prays that the Lord bestow His blessings upon him so that he may execute its purpose.

COMMENT

So, Lord Brahma continues his prayers for creative energy, but here he prays for something more than in the previous verses. In the previous verses, he prayed for protection from the material contamination that could accrue to him from the discharge of his duties in the material world. But here he prays that the Lord may open His eyes and cast His glance upon him and also speak some words of instruction to him and thus remove his dejection. Every living entity desires personal reciprocation and love. We find the same tendency in Lord Brahma himself, who is the first created being within the whole material universe. He wants to serve the Lord and he wants to be protected in the course of his service. But he also wants some personal reciprocation from the Lord in the form of the Lord’s glance or in the form of some words of encouragement from the Lord. And Srila Prabhupada explains that every living entity wants some reciprocation with the Lord, and the process for entering into reciprocation with the Lord is devotional service. So, the whole purpose of the cosmic manifestation is to give the living entities a chance to reciprocate with the Lord in loving service. And Lord Brahma, as the first created being as well as the first spiritual master in the disciplic succession, shows the example. He wants to engage in the service of the Lord, and at the same time, he wants to be encouraged by the Lord’s glance and the Lord’s direction.

So, we serve the Lord in the material world, as Lord Brahma has entered into the process of service within the material world. But there is also service to the Lord in the spiritual world, and by serving the Lord in the material world, we hope to be able to serve the Lord in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that if someone is doing college-level work in high school, then he or she can be promoted to college. So, in the same way, if we engage in the work of the spiritual world while here in the material world, we can be promoted to the spiritual kingdom. And the activities of the spiritual world are devotional service. So, we serve the Lord in the material world, and the service may appear different from service in the spiritual world, but ultimately, service is service. The service may assume different forms or guises, but still, service is service. So, on Saturday, we read how just as Lord Brahma has to deal with the material world to create, similarly, the devotees of Lord Chaitanya have to deal with the material world to preach. Lord Brahma comes in contact with all sorts of persons with all sorts of mentalities and all sorts of bodies in the course of creation. And similarly, the preachers of the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, they also have to come in contact with all sorts of people, some of whom have very materialistic mentalities and have very contaminated bodies. But still, the devotees take the risk to preach because they have been so ordered by the Lord Himself, by Lord Chaitanya, and by the spiritual master.

But just as Lord Brahma prays to the Lord to be protected in the course of his service, so the devotees of Lord Chaitanya also pray to the Lord and the spiritual master to be protected in the course of their service. And Srila Prabhupada says that as long as one very carefully follows the process of devotional service and at the same time prays to the Lord for mercy, he will be protected and he will not fall down. Even if a devotee accidentally falls from the platform of devotional service, if he remains fixed in his determination to continue with his service, he will be rectified by the Lord within the heart. He need not undergo any extraneous process of penitence or atonement. The process of devotional service itself is the best atonement and the only atonement, ultimately. So, the devotees remain fixed in their convictions about devotional service, and they do not give up their service for anything, even if they happen to fall down.

There is one nice verse in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which says that sometimes the devotee knows that material desires and material activities lead only to misery. But in spite of such knowledge and in spite of the determination not to engage in material activities, sometimes the devotee cannot help himself and he engages in material activities of sense gratification. But even then, the devotee should not become overly depressed. He should have confidence in his relationship with the Lord, that the Lord ultimately will help him. The Lord is like a kind father to the devotee, and even if the devotee stumbles and falls, the father will lift him up. And if the devotee falls again, and again the father will lift him up. And therefore, although the devotee laments for the fact that he has fallen, but at the same time, he feels happy and confident in his relationship with the Lord, that ultimately the Lord will help him up and purify him from within the heart. So, therefore, devotees are always encouraged in their devotional service, even if they fail from time to time because they have great hope that ultimately the Lord will uplift them and protect them. And actually, the Lord does so. But what is the result of all of our efforts? What is the result of our efforts to follow the practice of devotional service and preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? The ultimate goal is that we will enter into direct reciprocation with the Sri Krishna.

And here Srila Prabhupada gives the example of the rasa-līlā, which is the highest perfection of reciprocation between the living entities and the Supreme Lord. The Lord has two types of expansions: one there are the personal expansions who are Vishnu-tattva, and then there are the separated expansions who are jiva-tattva and, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’. The constitutional position of the living entities or jivas is that they are the eternal servants of the Supreme Lord or Krishna, and therefore they can only be happy and satisfied in their natural position.

Now, when one actually does realize his original position, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ one will find that one serves the Lord in one of four or five mellows: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, and mādhurya-rasa. And although the devotee is completely satisfied in whatever his particular eternal relationship with the Lord is, and all of them are on the same absolute platform, still by analytical study and comparison, the devotees in mādhurya are the highest. The pleasure that they give the Lord is the greatest, and consequently, the pleasure they derive from such service is also the greatest. But in whatever position one is in, one is always in the mood of service. Here Srila Prabhupada has warned us not to take the rāsa-līlā as something material. Of course, every relationship with Krishna in the spiritual world has its counterpart in the material world, but generally, the relationship of lover and beloved in the material world is most powerful, and it can be most perverse. And therefore, devotees are cautioned not to rush into the topics of rāsa-līlā because the topics of rāsa-līlā can remind one of the perverted forms of sense gratification in the material world, and thus one, instead of elevating one’s consciousness, one’s consciousness will become degraded. But still, to enter the Lord’s association in the rāsa dance is the highest perfection. In one purport to one song, Srila Prabhupada says that the goal of the Krishna consciousness movement is to enter into the dancing party of Radha and Krishna. So that is the goal. But by service in the material world, we reach the goal in the spiritual world. And specifically, by service to Lord Chaitanya, Lord Chaitanya Himself is the combined form of Radha and Krishna, Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. And by serving Lord Chaitanya in the material world, we will achieve the service of Radha and Krishna in the spiritual world.

There are traditional practices by which one cultivates the mood of service to Radha and Krishna in the spiritual world, but Srila Prabhupada did not recommend them for us. Rather, he recommended that we chant the holy names, follow the regulative principles, and serve the saṅkīrtana movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And by such service, one will naturally be elevated to the platform of intimate service to Radha and Krishna. So we really do not have to make any artificial endeavor to attain the service of Radha and Krishna or the reciprocation of rāsa-līlā, but we simply follow the same instructions that Srila Prabhupada gave us, which are, in fact, the same instructions Lord Chaitanya has given. And that is to chant the holy names, follow the regulative principles, and serve the saṅkīrtana movement. And if the devotee follows the process as strictly as possible and prays to the Lord and the spiritual master for protection, the devotee will be protected. He will not fall down. But not falling down is just the negative side. But what is there on the positive side? On the positive side, one will be uplifted and ultimately promoted to the spiritual world to serve the Lord in loving exchanges, which ultimately culminate in the rāsa dance. So we need not be diverted by different discussions or different instructions that suggest that we have to do something different in order to achieve the rāsa-līlā. But if we continue in the association of devotees, following the regulative principles, chanting the holy names, and serving the saṅkīrtana movement, we will naturally be promoted to the highest perfection. And even if we fall down sometimes, even then we shouldn’t become overly depressed. But we should continue with full faith in the Lord’s protection.

Sometimes devotees wonder how is it possible that people as fallen as we can be promoted to the highest perfection, which is not only unapproachable for jnanis and yogis but is also unapproachable for most devotees who follow the path of vidhi-marga in the mood of reverence, which is the case for most devotees. So how is it possible that such an exalted achievement and such a rare achievement can come to people as fallen as us? And Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given a beautiful example. He says that a king may become completely inebriated or intoxicated, and in his intoxicated state, he can go into his treasury and take out the most precious gems and jewels and then go out on the street and give away the most valuable gems to the poorest beggars on the street. And no one can stop him. No one can tell him otherwise because they are his gems, and he can do with them what he wants. So similarly, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is so intoxicated with love of God that he is just going into his storehouse of the most valuable jewels of love of God and giving them out to the most fallen souls in Kali-yuga. And all we have to do is accept them. And the way we accept them is the same method that we have discussed today and that we discuss every day. And that is to chant the holy names, follow the principles of devotional service, and as far as possible, encourage others also to follow the process and chant the holy names.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Hare Krishna.

So, are there any questions or comments? Oh, yes!

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:36:45]

Giriraj Swami: I am,

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:37:20]

Giriraj Swami: He hears the name Radha and he thinks that Radha is some. . .

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:37:32]

Giriraj Swami: True, the safest guidance is the guidance given by Srila Prabhupada. There are many statements by Srila Prabhupada, and some statements warn us not to indulge in such topics, and other statements themselves cover such topics. Once the editors of Back to Godhead asked Srila Prabhupada about the subject, and Srila Prabhupada said that it is not that the gopīs are banned, but we should be cautious. Srila Prabhupada spoke about Krishna and the gopīs, but he did so with care and caution, and he did so in a certain proportion in relation to other aspects of Krishna consciousness. In other words, he did speak about Krishna and the gopīs, but he also spoke about Krishna and Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. He spoke of Krishna and the cowherd boys. He spoke of, to a lesser extent, but he spoke of Lord Rama and Lord Vishnu. And he spoke about the process of devotional service and he spoke about the identity of the living entities and the nature of the material world, the nature of the Supreme Lord, and the relationships among the living entities and the Supreme Lord and the material nature and the spiritual nature, and so on.

So, there are basically three divisions of Vedic knowledge: sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. So I was referring to them indirectly in what I just said. And so Prabhupada emphasized sambandha because that comes first. And when we preach to new people, we have to begin with sambandha so they know who they are. They are not the body, they are the soul within the body. And they know who God is, that yes, He has an impersonal feature and a localized feature, but the ultimate feature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And we, the living entities, are the eternal servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And then we have to act in our relationship with Him. Our relationship is service. And the service begins here in the material world, and that is abhidheya. But knowledge is not complete without prayojana. What is the goal? The goal is pure love of God. And within that category of love of God, there are gradations, and the highest is the love of the gopīs for Krishna.

So Prabhupada gave us knowledge of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. and prayojana, all way up to Krishna and gopīs. And among the gopīs, Radharani is the most beloved of Krishna. But in proportion, sort of like a pyramid, maybe. The greater proportion of discussions were on the more basic levels of sambandha. And then next, which is roughly speaking, we could say is Bhagavad-gītā. And then next in proportion would be abhidheya or the process of devotional service, which is The Nectar of Devotion. But there would also be discussions of prayojana, of the goal, so that we know what we are working for, what we are praying for. So if we stick to the same proportion in which Srila Prabhupada presented the topics to us, I think we will be safe. And Srila Prabhupada was not extreme in anything. We won’t go into what he has given us, but he has given us a lot. I mean from 4:30 in the morning, Mādhurya-līlā… nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyaiyā, Tulsi ārati, it is there, but it is balanced. So we should follow in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps and be balanced. But if we have to err, it is probably better to err on the side of caution. That is, probably safer. Srila Prabhupada gave so many instructions to the effect that one should read the first nine cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam before one comes to the Tenth Canto, that one will understand properly. And even in the Tenth Canto, one only comes to Krishna and the gopīs after more than twenty chapters. But then again, practically before we got beyond the Second Canto, Srila Prabhupada gave us the Kṛṣṇa book. And one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada that, “You always say that we shouldn’t jump to the Tenth Canto, but we should only come to the Tenth Canto after we have studied the first nine. So how is it you have given us the Kṛṣṇa book?” And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “Sometimes to get the child to eat the rest of the meal, you have to give him the sweet first.” So that is also there.

Any other questions or comments? Yes, Triveda Prabhu.

Triveda Prabhu: [Unintelligible 00:46:10], the whole context here about prayers seemed to be the beginning of creation. [Unintelligible 00:46:25] And when he wakes up again, there is another creation to do. And the reason why we ask questions is because there seems to be twice that is looking through the translation. And Krishna, when he appears from God, he answers his prayers. Now he says, “Don’t worry, you will understand that as you did it before, [Unintelligible 00:47:00] you about four of them, that your words are actually there forty-four chapters.” And it seems to be then just being reminded of what we did before. We have this other scenario, whereas the beginning of creation is created for the first time. [Unintelligible 00:47:10] So how do we understand this idea of having done it before and yet the whole [Unintelligible 00:47:20]

Giriraj Swami: Any other questions or answers?

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!        

Saṅkīrtana-yajña ki jaya!

Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!