Questions and Answers

Giriraj Swami: So, I thought we could see if any of you have any questions, if you would like to have us discuss. Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:34:28].

Giriraj Swami: All right. Yes, I concluded the talk yesterday with the suggestion that we could pray to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and through him, to Lord Krishna, to bless us with a drop of faith in the holy name, or to become better devotees and to be able to chant the holy names better with more faith, and attention, and humility. Bhurijana Prabhu mentioned to me an exchange he had with a devotee, who I believe is a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, but in any case, he is a devotee in the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and he actually found out the Deities of Radha-Madhava that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had worshiped, and for whom he wrote the song Jaya Radha-Madhava that we sing every day.

So, I don’t know if Bhurijana Prabhu himself asked the devotee or someone else asked the devotee, but someone asked how someone can be chanting Hare Krishna for so many years and then have difficulty in Krishna consciousness. And the devotee replied that there are two terms. One is nāmagrāham, and the other is nāmasraya. Nāmagrāham means that one utters the holy name, and nāmasraya means that one takes shelter of the holy name. So, if we take shelter of the holy name, then the holy name will protect us.

And one requisite for taking shelter of the holy name is humility. If we are proud and we think that we can be successful on our own, either materially or spiritually, then we won’t feel we need the shelter of the holy name, or Krishna as the holy name. But if we are humble and we realize that we are very weak, then we will want to take shelter of some superior authority. So, we will take shelter of the holy name, we take shelter of Krishna, and that itself will bring us closer to Krishna. It will help us to be more conscious of Krishna.

And of course, although there are no conditions for chanting the holy name, but there are conditions that may help us chant the holy names better, like getting up early, and chanting in the brahma-muhūrta hours, or in any case, the early hours of the day before we begin the day’s activities. Because the early hours themselves, brahma-muhūrta in particular, which begins about an hour and a half before sunrise, that time especially is conducive for spiritual advancement.

There is a sect of Muslims called Ahmadiyyas, and some of them came to visit me at the temple in Juhu, and they actually wanted to spend the night, and they told me that even in their tradition, they believe that if they pray to Allah before the sun rises, their prayers will be heard better. So, the first thing we can do is get up early and chant during the most favorable period, and also before we begin the day’s activities and our mind becomes full of thoughts of our various works. Then, we can chant in front of the Deities, or in front of Tulasi-devi, we can chant in the association of devotees who have taste for chanting.

And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that if one is prone to be distracted by different sounds and sights around him, then he should lock himself in a room and put a towel over his head and chant. And of course, Srila Prabhupada had said, and he told me personally also, that you can chant loudly. If you are having difficulty hearing, then chant loudly. But the idea is to hear, and I believe that the idea of hearing and the idea of taking shelter of the holy name are basically the same. Because we are not hearing the holy name, we are hearing either the sounds around us, or we are hearing our own mind. So, in either case, we are not taking shelter of the holy name. But if we let go of the world around us and of our own minds and just chant and hear, then in effect, we are taking shelter of the holy name. And that will protect us and accelerate our spiritual progress.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:43:30].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, to rephrase the answer, if one is uttering the holy name but not hearing attentively, one could say that one is chanting offensively. And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that inattentive chanting is the root cause of all other offenses. Because the holy name is like the sun, and it has the power to eradicate all darkness of ignorance and anarthas. But although the holy name is like the sun, if we chant without attention, it is like having clouds between us and the sun. Although the sun is there, we don’t get the full effects of the sun’s rays because of the clouds. And therefore, the power of the sun to eradicate darkness and ignorance is hampered. Whereas if we chant attentively, just the attentive chanting itself is enough to rid us of the darkness of ignorance and anarthas, and thus, destroy the other offenses.

But there are other factors to one’s spiritual advancement. Of course, chanting is the main process, but there are other factors, and one of the most important is association. When I thought about devotees who had difficulty even after chanting for so many years and doing so much service, I’ve seen that one common factor is that they don’t have really close friends that they can open their hearts to and have intimate talks with. So, I think practically, that’s also a very important factor, and it could be because different things could sort of upset our balance in Krishna consciousness.

So certainly, inattentive chanting can weaken us, but also not having the spiritual strength of a close friend, or close friends can also upset our balance. Because like Srila Prabhupada said, man is a social animal, and if he does not have friendships with devotees, then he will have friendships with non-devotees. And then, their association will affect the devotee, it will affect his mood, and eventually, they are going to ask him to do things with them that are not favorable to Krishna consciousness. And then, because we need friendship or we need company, we may get along with their ideas on how to spend time, and then get more deviated.

So, probably the two most important factors are having taste for chanting and hearing, and the other is having real friendship in Krishna consciousness. And of course, associating with more advanced devotees.

Did you want to discuss more, or enough for now? Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:50:00].

Giriraj Swami: Well, there are two tunes that Srila Prabhupada gave us, which were the most standard tunes, at least in the beginning. There is a morning melody, and there is the afternoon melody. And do you know the two melodies? I know, but my voice isn’t that melodious. All right, can you sing the morning melody?

Devotee: [Sings the morning melody].

Giriraj Swami: And the other melody is [sings the evening melody]. Oh no, that’s the same one. [Sings again]. So, that’s the main melody, other than the morning melody that we sing in the morning. And I have practical experience because we used to go in the townships in South Africa and chant, and sometimes we would spend more time singing other melodies, to be easier for them to follow, but when we would leave, they would always sort of follow us and keep chanting, and they almost always ended up chanting the standard melody – [sings again].

So, from my experience there, I guess there is some special potency to that tune, because people never heard the maha-mantra. Even if they heard other tunes for the same amount of time or more time in the first exposure, somehow, that tune caught their minds, and they would chant that tune while we were leaving and after we left.

Any other questions? Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:54:25].

Giriraj Swami: All right, well, I mean, I would begin with the spiritual master’s relationship with his spiritual master, because that’s actually the first point. When one friend of Srila Prabhupada asked him who would succeed him after he left, Srila Prabhupada replied, “He who follows, he can lead.” So, what we are really looking for is someone who follows his spiritual master, because as we discussed yesterday, perfect knowledge comes from Krishna, and He imparts the knowledge to immediate disciples, and then they impart the same knowledge to their disciples, and their disciples impart the same knowledge to their disciples through disciplic succession.

And the service, just as the knowledge descends through disciplic succession, the service is offered up through disciplic succession. So, for example, I will offer a flower to Srila Prabhupada, he will offer it to his spiritual master, his spiritual master will offer it to his spiritual master, but eventually, someone will offer it to Krishna.

So, the spiritual master really just repeats what he has learned from his spiritual master, and he follows the instructions of his spiritual master. To serve really means to follow the instructions. So, that’s basically what he does, and then the disciple does the same thing. First, the disciple hears from the spiritual master, then the disciple repeats what he or she has heard from the spiritual master, and he or she follows the instructions of the spiritual master, or in other words, serves the spiritual master. But it is not really serving the spiritual master, it is serving Krishna through the spiritual master.

Then, there is also the question of initiation, and the basic relationship can exist without the initiation, but the initiation creates a formal contract between the spiritual master and the disciple, that the spiritual master will take responsibility to guide the disciple, and the disciple will promise to follow the instructions of the spiritual master. But the basic instructions are to chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra every day and to follow the four regulative principles.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:58:22].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, but the spiritual master is not the only one, or the spiritual master can be defined in a broader way, to include more guides and guardians then the initiator. And I was also going to mention that in the category of guru, there are two divisions; śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru. So, śikṣā-guru means one who gives instructions, and dīkṣā-guru means one who gives initiation into the mantra. And one may only have one dīkṣā-guru, but one may have more than one śikṣā-guru. And in ISKCON at least, and for many people even otherwise, Srila Prabhupada is the main guru because he has written the books that we read and discuss, and he has established the standards that we follow. So, his position is special because he is the founder acharya.

And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has defined what one should look for in one’s personal spiritual master, with reference to the founder acharya, that one’s personal spiritual master should be well versed in the teachings of the founder acharya, he should be faithful to the founder acharya, and he should be of good character, he should follow the basic principles of Vaishnava behavior.

So, in that broad definition, in Vedic terms, the king also accepts some portion of the sinful reactions of all the citizens in the whole kingdom because he is the king, he is responsible, and he gets some portion of the pious results. And so, the temple president, he may also get some share of sinful reactions and the pious credits. Because in Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says

TEXT 66

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

COMMENT

“If you surrender to Me, I free you from all sinful reactions.” So, because the spiritual master is acting as the representative of Krishna, I mean, he is acting as the representative of his spiritual master, but ultimately, through disciplic succession, he is acting as the representative of Krishna, so he accepts the sinful reactions on behalf of Krishna. There are so many complexities about the spiritual master. So, the temple president, he is also representing Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:03:39].

Giriraj Swami: No, he passes the service onto Krishna, he does not pass the sinful reactions. No, if Krishna sees, “The spiritual master has accepted responsibility on My behalf and he is suffering sinful reactions on My behalf,” if He chooses, He can relieve the spiritual master of some of the sinful reactions. But it is not automatic, it is not the mood of the spiritual master to offer the sinful reactions to Krishna. It is the mood of the spiritual master to relieve the disciple of sinful reactions so that the disciple is better able to make advancement in Krishna consciousness. Because when one is burdened with sinful reactions, he or she cannot progress as easily, he cannot chant as easily and hear as attentively, and it is sort of a burden. So, the spiritual master, out of mercy, will relive the disciple of sinful reactions so that the disciple can progress more easily.

One, two, and three. We will go in order of the hands.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:32].

Giriraj Swami: Once, some people came to Srila Prabhupada from India, and they basically challenged Srila Prabhupada. Because generally in India, men and women do not live in the same ashram, whereas Srila Prabhupada allowed men and women, and so they basically challenged him. So, afterwards, I believe Srutakirti Prabhu was Srila Prabhupada’s servant at the time, he is the one who told me the story that from Prabhupada’s answer, he understood that the basic principle was that people should become Krishna conscious and preach, and that the detail was who lived where.

So, he extrapolated from the immediate question and asked the question, “Yes, we want to preserve the basic principles, but we can adjust the details. So, how can we distinguish between a basic principle and a detail?” And Srila Prabhupada thought for a few moments and replied, “That requires some intelligence,” which does not help us too much, but at least we know what we need.

Another thing Srila Prabhupada said is that there are three categories of disciples, or three levels of disciples. The first-class disciple will know what the spiritual master wants even before the spiritual master tells him. The second-class disciple waits for the order of the spiritual master and then executes it perfectly. And the third-class disciple, as Srila Prabhupada said, will say, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada, I will do it,” and then halfway down the stairs, he will start to think, Now, what was that Srila Prabhupada asked me to do? So, we need first-class disciples who can anticipate what the spiritual master would want or what Srila Prabhupada would want under the specific circumstances.

But otherwise, I think an important factor is discussion, trying to understand why Srila Prabhupada did what he did when he did it, and to extract the principle and distinguish the principle from the details and see how the details can be adjusted to support the principle. Because usually, such issues are quite subtle and complex, and usually, a good discussion among sincere and intelligent devotees can help come to the best conclusion.

Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:11:50].

Giriraj Swami: Well, once, someone asked the same question to Srila Prabhupada, “What is the difference between being initiated and not initiated?” And sometimes he would encourage the person, it would depend on the situation, sometimes he would encourage the person, “As long as you are chanting sixteen rounds, following the four principles, and rendering service, you are as good as initiated.” But then, other times, he would say there is a difference between being initiated and not being initiated. And he gave the example that a student can order the course, he is not officially enrolled in the course, he does not get credit for the course, but he is ordering the course, he is hearing and learning. But someone who is enrolled in the course, they are the same, but at the same, they are not quite the same.

But what would be the problem? Because there is one famous purport where Srila Prabhupada says that one who is reluctant to take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master cannot make progress. So, I mean, there may be extenuating circumstances, but in your case, if I may enquire, what is the problem that makes you hesitate?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:14:05].

Giriraj Swami: Well, the basic idea is to follow the instructions of the spiritual master. Now, again, in ISKCON, the spiritual masters are representing Srila Prabhupada. So, in a general sense, they will just repeat the instructions that Srila Prabhupada has given for all of us, and in a specific sense, if a disciple has a particular question, he or she can ask.

So, it is sort of like I said, it is like a contract. Many of us have experience that we’ll get a friend, the temple will find a friend to do the work, as a service, like a lawyer, an architect, or whatever, but there is no obligation. And sometimes we find that the person will say, “Yes, I will do this for you, and I will do that for you,” and then they don’t do it because there is no obligation. If there is a contract, then they are obliged to do it. So, I think the contract creates a sense of responsibility on both sides. The disciple is responsible to follow, and the spiritual master is also responsible to give guidance.

So, I think it is more of a matter of responsibility in that particular relationship, and I think we do need specific guidance, we all need specific guidance, that’s sort of what I was saying about friendship and association with more advanced devotees. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada formed the society.

Well, I suppose each devotee will have to see what he or she needs. And if you don’t feel the need for initiation, then certainly, there is no need to take initiation just for social reasons. But if a time does come when you need that relationship, then the possibility is there, by Srila Prabhupada’s grace.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:17:36].

Giriraj Swami: Well, we basically associate with three categories of people; superiors, equals, and juniors. And with superiors, we take instruction from them and offer service to them; with equals, we make friendship; and with subordinates, we show affection and guide them. So, the relationship will be different according. . .

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:18:55].

Giriraj Swami: There can be an element of friendship, but the basic relationship is of service. But Srila Prabhupada, in his concluding words to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, refers to his spiritual master as his eternal spiritual master, guide, and friend. So, there can be an element of friendship, but that usually comes on the disciples somewhat more advanced and purified. But basically, the relationship is of servant. Someone wrote Srila Prabhupada and asked, “Just like there are five rasas or five different types of relationships that we can have with Krishna, can we have the same with the spiritual master?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, there is only one relationship—servant.”

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:20:12].

Giriraj Swami: In Mahābhārata, there is a story of Ekalavya, who wanted to accept Dronacharya as his guru for martial arts. Not a spiritual master, but a teacher for archery. And Dronacharya refused to accept him as his student. So, he made a Deity of Dronacharya and began to serve the Deity. And by the transcendental process, he became an expert archer. And Dronacharya actually was sort of training Arjuna to become the foremost archer, but Ekalavya, by worshiping the Deity of Dronacharya, became so expert that he became a threat to Arjuna.

So, when Dronacharya saw how advanced Eklavya had become in archery, and Eklavya disclosed that he had become proficient by the mercy of Dronacharya because he worshiped the Deity of Dronacharya, Dronacharya said, “Well, then if you have accepted me as your guru, then you have to give me guru-dakṣiṇā.” And so, Eklavya said, “Yes, what you say is true.” So then, Dronacharya asked for his thumb, and he gave his thumb, and he couldn’t hold the bow and arrows after he gave his thumbs.

So, in bhakti in particular, the idea is to please Krishna and to please the spiritual master, to please Krishna by pleasing the spiritual master. But Eklavya’s mood was not to please Dronacharya, his mood was to get something from Dronacharya that he wanted to use for his own purposes. So, because he did not have the proper mood, in the end, he lost what he tried to get.

So, again, the same thing, we surrender to Krishna through the spiritual master. The mood of surrender is, “You can do with me what you want,” like Lord Chaitanya prayed to Krishna, “You can handle me roughly by Your embrace or make me broken hearted by not being present before me, but You are always My worshipable Lord, unconditionally.”

So, that is the principle of bhakti, and that was shown especially by the residents of Vrindavan, by the gopīs. They were ready to do anything for the pleasure of Krishna without any personal consideration. And that’s the mood of the preacher also.

Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:24:28].

Giriraj Swami: Well, the question is what do they mean by cult? I don’t know what they mean by cult, but what we take as a cult as opposed to what Krishna consciousness actually is, a cult is where you worship a man like God or you follow a man like God, like who was that, Jonestown? They were not worshiping God, they were not following God. They accepted a man and they followed him as one would follow God.

So here, we worship God, we worship Krishna, we follow God, we follow Bhagavad-gītā. We are not a cult that has gathered around Srila Prabhupada to worship him independent of Krishna. And Srila Prabhupada always said that he is just presenting the message of Krishna as it is, he is not adding anything or subtracting anything. And he always said, “Don’t worship me, worship Krishna. Don’t serve me, serve Krishna.” Yes, it is somewhat a sophisticated understanding that we can worship Krishna by worshiping the devotee; or serve Krishna by serving the devotee. But otherwise, Prabhupada never said, “I am God, you should worship me, you should serve me.” He always said, “Krishna is God, you should worship Krishna and serve Krishna.” So, that’s not a cult.

And Bhagavad-gītā, at least the present version of Bhagavad-gītā, is five thousand years old. It is followed by millions of people all over the world, millions of Hindus, and even others who are not born Hindu are reading Bhagavad-gītā and following. So, how is it a cult?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 02:28:01].

Giriraj Swami: Jaya Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji ki jaya!

Should we stop now, or answer this?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:28:29].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we need to do both. One who is Krishna conscious automatically becomes humble. So, the primary process is to become Krishna conscious, which means especially chanting the holy name and serving the devotees. But at the same time, we also can practice. Srila Prabhupada said that we address each other as Prabhu. Prabhu means master, so by addressing the other devotees as Prabhu, as master, we place ourselves in the position of a servant, to do what the Prabhu orders. He said that it’s not that we say, “Prabhu, could you please bring me my shoes?” That is not the meaning of Prabhu, Prabhu means master. “You are my master, please order me.” So, we want to develop the mood of the servant of the servant of the servant, that will bring humility.

So, we will join the ārati.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:30:18].

Giriraj Swami: That’s sort of an intricate discussion. I mean, definitely, we reject Mayavada philosophy. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said māyāvādī aparādhī, that Mayavadis are great offenders against Krishna. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa, if we become involved in hearing Mayavada commentaries, then all of our Vedic studies will be ruined.

But Shankaracharya, although he preached Mayavada philosophy, in his actual identity, he is Lord Shiva, who is the greatest Vaishnava. But he preached the Mayavada philosophy, mainly to bring the Buddhist or Voidists back to the Vedas. But because the Buddhists were basically atheists, you could say, so to bring them back to the Vedic authority, he presented the Vedas as if they were atheistic, because the Buddhas were atheistic, and they would like the atheistic idea. But the whole process was completed by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In other words, the Vedic followers were misusing the Vedas to kill animals in the name of sacrifice, so Buddha came. He is also an incarnation of Krishna. So, Buddha came and He said, “Well, in the name of the Vedas, you are killing innocent creatures. You can’t make any advancement as long as you kill innocent creatures. So, leave aside the Vedas and just practice non-violence.” That is what Buddha said. Then, Shankaracharya said, “Okay, you have left the Vedas and become atheists, but actually, you should follow the Vedas. You can still be atheists, but you can follow the Vedas through this impersonal interpretation.” And then, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and He completed the process, and He said, “This is what the Vedas really say, Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth and we should surrender unto Him.”

So, here we clear the land, we build up the earth. So, because there was so much misuse of the Vedas, Srila Prabhupada said, “Buddha cleared the land, Shankaracharya built the temple, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu installed the Deity.”

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Nita-Gaura premānande. Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji ki jaya! Shayan ārati ki jaya!