SB 11.21.9 – Service in Separation—Part 02

Giriraj Swami: 

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

Reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Eleven, Chapter Twenty-one, “Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Explanation of the Vedic Path,”

TEXT 9

karmaṇyo guṇavān kālo
dravyataḥ svata eva vā
yato nivartate karma
sa doṣo ‘karmakaḥ smṛtaḥ

TRANSLATION

A specific time is considered pure when it is appropriate, either by its own nature or through achievement of suitable paraphernalia, for the performance of one’s prescribed duty. That time which impedes the performance of one’s duty is considered impure.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Having discussed pure and impure places, the Lord now discusses different qualities of time. Certain times, such as the brāhma-muhūrta, the last few hours before sunrise, are always auspicious for spiritual advancement. Other times, not auspicious in themselves, become so by achievement of material prosperity that facilitates one’s mission in life.

Political, social or economic disturbances that obstruct the execution of one’s religious duties are considered inauspicious times. Similarly, a woman is considered contaminated just after childbirth or during her menstrual period. She cannot perform ordinary religious activities at such times, which are therefore inauspicious and impure. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that the most auspicious of all times is the moment one achieves the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one neglects the loving service of the Lord, being carried away by sense gratification, he is certainly living in most inauspicious times. Therefore that moment in which one achieves the association of the Supreme Lord or the Lord’s pure devotee is the most auspicious time, whereas the moment of losing such association is most inauspicious. In other words, the perfection of life is simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by which one transcends the dualities of time and space caused by the three modes of material nature.

COMMENT

So, the Vedic path of fruitive work involves many considerations of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, and of purity and impurity. But Krishna consciousness is always auspicious, and the absence of Krishna consciousness is always inauspicious. Therefore, devotees need not concern themselves much about material auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. They simply have to absorb themselves in Krishna consciousness, and then everything is all auspicious. In fact, one of the six qualities of pure devotional service is that it brings all auspiciousness, śubhadā. And auspiciousness means welfare activities that are beneficial for all living entities.

In The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada explains that anyone in any part of the world at any time can take to the process of Krishna consciousness and benefit. There are no material qualifications or disqualifications. And even living entities in other forms of life beside the human form can benefit. Animals can benefit by hearing the holy name, even plants can benefit by hearing the holy name. And every living entity can benefit by taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda or even drinking the water that has been offered to the Lord. So Krishna consciousness is all auspicious. It is beneficial for the person who spreads Krishna consciousness, and it is beneficial for the people who come in contact with the devotee. It is all auspicious. And because Krishna consciousness is carried by the devotee, the association of the devotee is considered the most auspicious opportunity in life, and the loss of the association of the devotee is considered the greatest calamity. When Lord Chaitanya was discussing with Ramananda Raya, what is the most painful experience? The answer was given that that separation from the devotee of the Lord is the most painful experience. But Srila Prabhupada has explained that association can be of two types: vāṇī, which means by words or instructions, and vapuḥ, which means physical presence. And vapuḥ may or may not be available, but vāṇī is always available. And Srila Prabhupada often told us that he always felt his spiritual master’s presence because he always engaged in following his spiritual master’s instruction.

But does it mean that the devotee or the disciple who is always engaged in devotional service will not feel separation? I would say no, it does not mean that. Because even very highly elevated devotees felt terrible separation when the Lord and the Lord’s intimate associates departed. We read the story of some of the associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the separation they felt after the Lord left. And then after Lord Chaitanya left, one by one, so many of his intimate associates also left—Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Gadadhara Pandit and other. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami felt so much separation from the Lord and his associates that he decided to give up his own life. And he went to Vrindavan with the intention of jumping from Govardhana Hill and giving up his life. But when he got to Vrindavan, he first wanted to meet Rupa and Sanatana. So he met them and they appealed to him, “Please, do not leave us. You had the intimate association of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, so you should stay with us and tell us about the Lord’s pastimes there.”

And Sanatana Gosvami had earlier thought that he would give up his body because he had come to Jagannatha Puri to get the Lord’s association there. But on the way, he had contracted some skin disease and he had itching sores that oozed foul liquids. And whenever Lord Chaitanya would meet Sanatana Gosvami, He would embrace him. And Sanatana Gosvami would feel terrible because the foul liquids from his body were coming onto the Lord. And he felt that he was just committing offenses against the Lord. So he felt, I have come to Jagannatha Puri to obtain auspiciousness, but I think I am getting nothing but inauspiciousness. So he formulated the plan to give up his life under the wheels of Jagannatha’s chariot during Ratha-yatra. But Lord Chaitanya understood his mind and He questioned Sanatana Gosvami that, “If you give something to someone, is it proper to take it back or is it proper to destroy it once you have given it?” And of course, the answer is, no.

So Lord Chaitanya said, “You have surrendered your body to Me, to My service, so how can you take it back or destroy it? How can you destroy the property of someone else once you have given it to someone else?” So then Sanatana Gosvami understood that Lord Chaitanya did not approve of his plan to give up his body. So when Raghunatha dasa Gosvami came to Vrindavan and met Rupa and Sanatana, Sanatana Gosvami may have shared his experiences with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, with Raghunatha dasa. And Raghunatha dasa agreed to stay and Rupa and Sanatana accepted him as their younger brother and cared for him. And every day, they would meet for hours and Raghunatha dasa would tell them about the pastimes of the Lord in Puri. But then after some years, Rupa Gosvami left. And Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was so attached to Rupa Gosvami that he could not bear the separation. As you know, if you have read some of the poems of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, as Srila Goswami Maharaja and I regularly use to do together when we were in Vrindavan. He wrote some verses after the disappearance of the Rupa Gosvami. Raghunatha dasa was completely attached to Govardhana Hill. And he wrote so many prayers, Dāsakama Prayers, praying for residence at Govardhana, praying for the mercy of Govardhana. And he made his residence at Radha-kunda, which is non-different from Srimati Radharani, who was the supreme object of Raghunatha Gosvami’s love and attachment.

But after Rupa Gosvami left, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami felt so much separation, he felt that Govardhana Hill had become just like a python and Radha-kunda had become just like the gaping jaws of a tiger. So it is natural for devotees to feel separation. Although it is true that by following the instructions, one associates with the spiritual master. But one can also feel separation from the spiritual master, even though one is following the instructions, especially, in the earlier stages of the physical separation.

I remember one of the most poignant statements Goswami Maharaja made, at least to me, was in 1978. As you know, Srila Prabhupada left on November 14, 1977. And then we stayed for two weeks in Vrindavan according to tradition. And then, after two weeks, we had the festival of separation. And there was a festival and a feast. According to Srila Prabhupada’s desire, we invited different mahats from the temples of Vrindavan and different godbrothers, Gaudiya Vaishnavas to come and speak and honor prasāda. And then, maybe the day after the festival, we left for Calcutta and Mayapur. And after the ceremonies in Mayapur, we came to Bombay because the Juhu temple was scheduled to open on January 14th. So, in accordance with Srila Prabhupada’s desire, different disciples of Srila Prabhupada began to act as spiritual masters and accept disciples. So Goswami Maharaja and I were living together in one room at the back of Hari Krishna Land in Juhu. When I think back at the time, the room seemed very opulent because it was a proper room. It wasn’t a shack like we were used to living in. It was a proper room. It was one of the apartments that belonged to, that was occupied by one of the tenants who left. It was a very simple, small room, and we each had a thin mattress on the floor. And there was a little bathroom attached to it, just with a sink and shower, I think. And then there was a common toilet. But anyway, we were sharing the room, and the first new devotees were coming.

I remember one doctor, Omprakash Agarwal. He was one of the first devotees that began to come after Srila Prabhupada left. And he was so eager to get Srila Gurudeva’s association. It was like a whole new, wonderful experience for him to have met a spiritual master and to begin to develop a relationship with the spiritual master. So one day, he came back to the room where Goswami Maharaja and I were staying. And he was just so eager and so happy. And of course, Goswami Maharaja spoke very nicely to him. And he was completely satisfied and completely enlivened. And, at the end, he offered his obeisances and left the room. And after he left, Goswami Maharaja commented to me that, he is experiencing the ecstasy of meeting, and we are experiencing the ecstasy of separation or the pain of separation. So it was very poignant. It was almost paradoxical how the paramparā was working that here, Dr. Agarwal had come, and he was feeling the ecstasy of meeting. And Goswami Maharaja and I were feeling the pain or ecstasy of separation. But gradually, we learned to experience Srila Prabhupada’s presence and separation by following the instructions. Not just following the instructions but learning to get further instructions.

Of course, when Prabhupada left, there was a certain momentum from his presence. And, there was an immediate continuity of his instructions and our service. But as time passed, times changed, circumstances changed. And we could no longer continue to just do what Srila Prabhupada told us then, that was appropriate then, because time had moved on and circumstances had changed. So how to know what Srila Prabhupada wanted? That was also a challenge. And that was also another way of saying, how to get Srila Prabhupada’s association, how to get his continued guidance. And Goswami Maharaja always, I think he felt Prabhupada manifest his will through Goswami Maharaja’s godbrothers. Goswami Maharaja always used to consult his godbrothers. And he actually commented about me that I was more intuitive, that I could,  go up to Prabhupada’s quarters and chant and then get some intuition of what Prabhupada wanted. But Goswami Maharaja felt strongly that the way that Prabhupada manifested his will to him most definitively was through Goswami Maharaja’s godbrothers. So that was another challenge.

I remember the first time Goswami Maharaja was staying in New York, in Lower Manhattan. And he was working on his drama. And he had a question about his service. Actually, it was a bit extra. Anyway, Goswami Maharaja always did extraordinary services. But to write the dramas according to Sanskrit rules, he had to study about Sanskrit drama. And at the time, devotees really weren’t used to studying other books besides Srila Prabhupada’s books. Anyway, Gosvami Maharaja called a number of his godbrothers to discuss with them, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, Bhurijana Prabhu, and get their guidance. And he felt that through his discussions with them, he could understand Srila Prabhupada’s will.

Jaya Sri Sri Radha-Madhava ki jaya!

Well, of course,  I think the most prominent characteristic of Goswami Maharaja, in one sense, was his surrender to Srila Prabhupada. It was his dedication to Srila Prabhupada. So it was crucial to know what Prabhupada wanted him to do at every moment. But say, at every moment, he always wanted to please Srila Prabhupada. And so, that was an adventure. I remember his mood at the time. He was actually very excited. I think he was just starting to actually realize that he could call godbrothers, very senior devotees, and they would actually come and give their time to discuss his ideas and give him their opinion. And of course, he reserved the right to make the final decision. But he often felt that the will of the Vaishnavas, especially mature devotees who were his well-wishers, indicated Srila Prabhupada’s will. So, it was actually an adventure. And Goswami Maharaja was very enthused by the process. And he was always enthusiastic, always enthusiastic to serve, always enthusiastic to preach. The separation was there immediately after Prabhupada left and for some time thereafter. But his enthusiasm to serve and preach never waned up until the end.

So again, reading the statements here in the purport that the moment in which one achieves the association of the Supreme Lord or the Lord’s pure devotee is the most auspicious time, whereas the moment of losing such association is most inauspicious. That definitely does not apply to physical association because physical separation is inevitable. Even when Prabhupada was present, we were separated from him for some time. And we would meet him. And it is inevitable as Prabhupada even said about himself, it is inevitable that he would leave this world. So what is inauspicious is not physical separation because the physical separation is inevitable. Even in the spiritual world, there is always meeting and separation. And they are different variations of ecstatic love and reciprocation. So what is inauspicious is forgetfulness, to lose the association through forgetfulness. That is inauspicious, most inauspicious. And therefore, there is one verse that says that one moment of forgetfulness of Vasudeva, Krishna is the greatest anomaly, the greatest calamity, and the greatest loss. So that is the danger, not the danger, but that is the calamity. Nothing external.

So as long as we remain conscious, Krishna conscious, conscious of Krishna, conscious of Krishna’s devotees, then everything is auspicious, even in the presence of meeting and separation. Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:47:55]

Giriraj Swami: She says, separation is part of our lives, but when we feel separation, we have to occupy our minds.

And yes, specifically, we should occupy our minds in the service of the person we miss. And that actually will make us feel close to the person, and the person will reciprocate with us and give us his mercy in appreciation of our service. That is the way it works. If separation makes us so depressed that we can’t function, well, that is not favorable. But if the separation serves as an impetus that, now I miss the person, I want to be close to the person, but what is the method? How do I get close to the person again? The method is to follow his instructions, to serve him, to do things that would please him. And because he actually is present, he will reciprocate. And one will gradually be able to feel his presence more and more through service.

And the service is not necessarily just the service of doing the work that he wanted us to do, because hearing and chanting and remembering are also items of devotional service. And when devotees come together to hear and chant and remember the beloved persons, then also he is present. Krishna says, “I am not in Vaikuntha and I am not in the heart of the yogis, but I am there wherever my devotees are chanting my glory.” And Yudhisthira Prabhu was telling me how he had, I think he had two dreams that Goswami Maharaja had come to Vyasa-puja in Dallas. And I actually had a dream the night before, or maybe it was the morning before I woke up, that there was a Vyasa-puja book. And when the Vyasa-puja book opened up, Goswami Maharaja came out and he was present. So following the instructions means both kinds of instructions, hearing and chanting and remembering, and one’s practical service for the saṅkīrtana movement. By following both kinds of instructions and associating with like-minded devotees, our beloved manifests.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:52:00]

Giriraj Swami: Well, Goswami Maharaja had many desires, and Krishna fulfilled them. He desired that the movement should come together, and by his departure at the time he left and in the place he left, brought all the devotees together in appreciation of him and glorification of him. And because sometimes devotees would say, “Why did you leave us now?” as if he had some control over it. But actually, I think the idea is also correct, because Krishna fulfills the desires of the devotee. And as you know, Goswami Maharaja was working on the article Dying the Good Death. And as you know, the executors and other senior devotees wanted Garuda Prabhu and Tripurari and myself to somehow deal with Goswami Maharaja’s academic work. And so, Tripurari forwarded Garuda and me the pages of the essay that Goswami Maharaja had written. And when I read what he wrote, the basic idea was that Mother Kirtida had exemplified dying the good death. But when I read what he wrote, I was struck by how much love he had for Mother Kirtida. I mean, that was the main thing that struck me. And I read it, I thought, he really loved Mother Kirtida and now he is going to join her.

So I think that Goswami Maharaja had many desires. I mean, one was the idea of leaving his body at Govardhana. But I think more prominent were his desires for the movement, desires in terms of his relationship with the devotees, desires in relation to Mother Kirtida. And that is why I feel that taking everything into consideration, Krishna fulfilled his desires the most by arranging his departure in the way He did. And as far as Govardhana, well, I think that is basically what I would say. I mean, there are esoteric answers I could give, but I don’t think that is so important right now.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:57:05]

Giriraj Swami: You are saying someone is separated, but he has the desire to be with the person?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:57:40]

Giriraj Swami: You mean when the spiritual master leaves the planet?

Well, I mean, all the books say that the way to get the person’s association is through service to the person’s instructions. And we have experienced it to whatever degree we could. But, it may take time. I mentioned the first time when I spoke in Dallas, that after Prabhupada left, it took me years and years and years before I could actually feel his presence. I mean, I can remember the exact moment. I mean, yes, we feel the presence in a vague way, but I can remember the exact moment when I felt the presence in a more tangible way. And I don’t know why, but, I was in Pakistan. One Muslim friend there, is actually a wonderful devotee, Muslim man. So he had a nice house in Clifton, which is a suburb by the sea, the suburb of Karachi. It is very similar to Juhu in relation to Bombay. And I was chanting on the terrace, on the roof. And suddenly, I just felt Prabhupada’s presence, to the point that, whatever question I had, I could present, whatever desire I had. And I can’t remember exactly when that was, but it was maybe seven years after Prabhupada. But having gone through the experience with Prabhupada and having matured to whatever extent I had in the twenty-five years now since Prabhupada left, I can feel Goswami Maharaja’s presence more quickly.

But whether it takes seven years or seven minutes, it is the same process. It is the same process of service. And I don’t think he would mind if I mentioned it, but Bhakta Carlo, he told me the day after Vyasa-puja that on Vyasa-puja day, he had a little glimpse of Goswami Maharaja’s presence, not just as a philosophical idea or theoretical concept, but I mean, I don’t also want to make it sound like some sahajiyā cult or something. But that is the process, and it works. And it may take different amounts of time and may happen in different ways, but there is no other process. And  it is not that you follow the instructions and you get the experience of the person’s presence, and that is the end of it. You have to constantly be following the instructions. And  feeling separation is natural, but after feeling separation, I, or maybe it is just me, the way I think, that sometimes when I feel separation, I think apart from just missing the person, I think, well, does he want me to do something that I am not doing? Is the feeling of separation meant to remind me that, I am supposed to be doing something that I am not doing? And is the pain of separation  meant to be an impetus to move me forward in my service? So there will always be some dynamic of meeting and separation. Even in the physical sense, we are separated, but in the internal sense, there will be a dynamic of meeting and separation and meeting and separation, feeling the presence more, feeling of separation more, even in separation. And that was Goswami Maharaja’s life, that was his example, it was a legacy, service, constant service to Srila Prabhupada, Krishna. We have a glorious example to follow. Okay, thank you very much.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!