SB 3.23.51

Giriraj Swami:

SB 3.23.51

devahūtir uvāca
sarvaṁ tad bhagavān mahyam
upovāha pratiśrutam
athāpi me prapannāyā
abhayaṁ dātum arhasi

TRANSLATION

Śrī Devahūti said: My Lord, you have fulfilled all the promises you gave me, yet because I am your surrendered soul, you should give me fearlessness too.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Devahūti requested her husband to grant her something without fear. As a wife, she was a fully surrendered soul to her husband, and it is the responsibility of the husband to give his wife fearlessness. How one awards fearlessness to his subordinate is mentioned in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One who cannot get free from the clutches of death is dependent, and he should not become a spiritual master, nor a husband, nor a kinsman, nor a father, nor a mother, etc. It is the duty of the superior to give fearlessness to the subordinate. To take charge of someone, therefore, either as father, mother, spiritual master, relative, or husband, one must accept the responsibility to give his ward freedom from the fearful situation of material existence. Material existence is always fearful and full of anxiety. Devahūti is saying, “You have given me all sorts of material comforts by your yogic power, and since you are now prepared to go away, you must give me your last award so that I may get free from this material, conditional life.”

COMMENT

The Fifth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states, gurur na sa syāt, no one should become a spiritual master, a father, a mother, a husband, or a superior relative, unless he or she can deliver his or her dependence from repeated birth and death. In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that one can be delivered from the repetition of birth and death, only by devotional service. Therefore, the guru, the father, the mother, the husband, the ruler, must give instructions to the dependent so that the dependent can engage in devotional service and thus become free from the cycle of birth and death. Acharya—acharya means one who teaches by example, and therefore the spiritual master, the mother, father, husband, and other superior relatives, must not only give instructions on the science of devotional service, but they must also set the example of how to execute devotional service. And here we find that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, did the same.

When Lord Krishna came personally five thousand years ago, He demanded sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, surrender unto Me; ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ, and if you surrender to Me I will deliver you. And how does one surrender to Krishna? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, one must become a devotee of Krishna. One must always think of Krishna and worship Krishna, and bow down to Krishna or surrender to Krishna. So Krishna gave the instructions in Bhagavad-gītā, but people did not know how to follow the instructions. And therefore Krishna came again as Sri Krishna Chaitanya to show, by personal example, how one can surrender to Krishna, how one can always think of Krishna and worship Krishna and bow to Krishna. So we also have the same responsibility. Almost every one of us is the superior relative to someone, either as teacher or father, mother, or husband, or temple authority. Almost every one of us has someone who depends on us or learns from us, or has someone who renders service to us or takes care of us. So we have a responsibility to grant them fearlessness. As long as we are in the material world, we must be fearful because the material world is full of fearful conditions. As we were reminded by the events on Saturday, death can come at any moment. We have our bodies, we have our possessions, we have our relatives, we have so many things related to the body and dependent on the body, but at any moment death can come and take it all away, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham, and we can do nothing.

So we should not think that well it happened to him or it has happened to others but it won’t happen to me. How do we know; how can we say? So we don’t know how much time we have and therefore with whatever time we have left, we should utilize the opportunity to engage in devotional service and prepare for the ultimate test, for the final moment, so that we can think of Krishna at the time of death and go back home back to Godhead. Of course there is a little paradox here, because one book of moral instruction, Hitopadesha, says that for economic development, one should think that he will live forever. And for religious performances, one should think that he could die at any moment. So just like the story that Srila Prabhupada told of the yogi. He was destined to live until all the hairs in his body fell out and I think one hair fell out every thousand years. And he was living on the beach without any dwelling and someone asked him, “Well, why don’t you build yourself a house or a hut?” And he replied that, “This life is so temporary, why should I spend my time building a house? I will have to leave it anyway. I should use my time to become God-conscious.”

But of course we do have to protect the body. The body is also Krishna’s property and meant for Krishna’s service. So to protect the body, we have to make some arrangements. And in the modern civilization one may have to work very hard just to get the money to keep the body and soul together. But in the process one will become so exhausted, that even if one wants to engage in devotional service one feels he has no time or energy, because he is just so exhausted with the hard struggle for existence. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada wanted farm communities for householders, so that they wouldn’t have to be subjected to the competition for survival or the competition for success in the big cities. They could live peacefully and happily, just by depending on the land and the cows. And actually one can live happily in such a situation, especially if one is elevated to the mode of goodness, which again is possible through chanting Hare Krishna and Krishna consciousness as Srila Prabhupada explained in the class yesterday. But because people generally are in the lower modes of nature, rajas and tamas, they want some excitement. They want some excitement and therefore they prefer to live in the cities. And then to live in the city they have to work hard. And then in the process, they have very little time and energy left for Krishna consciousness. But the great advantage of living in the city is that one can preach. And the value of preaching is so great that it practically makes all the struggle worthwhile; that is the struggle to preach. And therefore Srila Prabhupada opened centers in the biggest cities of the world, like Los Angeles, so that we can meet the conditioned souls and bring them to Krishna consciousness. And the mercy we get by bringing people to Krishna consciousness is so great, that we can be delivered by the mercy of guru Gauranga, just by the effort we have made to spread Krishna consciousness.

But of course to preach we have to be exemplary at least to the extent that we chant sixteen rounds and follow the regulative principles. That will give us the potency to preach and that will also make us exemplary enough, so that people can be inspired to take up the practices of Krishna consciousness. And by such activities, Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai will be so pleased, that they will Themselves bring us back home back to Godhead. But if one is not preaching, and of course even householders can preach as we all know, but if one is not preaching then it is better not to live in the cities. It is better to live on the farms and live peacefully and happily there, without demanding too many material things and engaging one’s time in Krishna consciousness.

In 1977 we attended the mahā Khumba-mela with Srila Prabhupada in Allahabad. As most of you probably know, the Khumba-mela takes place every twelve years in Allahabad, at the confluence of the Ganges river and Yamuna river and Sarasvati river, and holy people from all over India come there to give association to ordinary people and to other saintly persons. And without any advertising, millions of people come. It is the largest gathering on earth. I think when we were there the camp itself had about twelve million people, and then on certain auspicious dates, special dates, when one is supposed to bathe and get extra benefits, I think there were up to twenty million people, and they are all coming for liberation basically. They are all coming for liberation and they have faith that if they take bath at the auspicious moment in the sacred waters, that they will be liberated. But Srila Prabhupada has explained that the real purpose of the Khumba-mela, is to give people the chance to associate with saintly people, and there are all sorts. There are devotees, there are yogis, there are jnanis, but still they are all pursuing the goal of liberation.

So after the program ended at the mahā Khumba-mela, Srila Prabhupada and most of the disciples left for Bhubaneswar, and a few of us stayed behind to dismantle the camp and pay the bills, get the refunds, and whatever else. And in the end, we were just living in not even. . . what can I say? Anyway there were three of us and there was just a tent, I guess you could say a tent but it was more like a hut, and it was so pleasing just to live on the sand near the river, not that close but near the river in this grass hut and just chant and associate. And I actually felt I didn’t want to leave; it was just so nice. There were no toilets or anything. We might think we can’t live without toilets, but of course the system is such. But there, you just go out with your lota and you don’t need a toilet. So it was so simple and so nice, and felt so peaceful and so happy, we actually felt we could just live our life like this, we don’t need anything else. And I remember the train ride back to Bombay. Most of India is rural although India has a huge population, but actually most of India’s is rural and it was still nice, chanting on the train. But then, as we got close to Bombay there were more signs of civilization and I could feel like my whole body was becoming tense. It was like, “Oh no!” And then, first the buildings on the outskirts and the buildings got closer and closer together; then the traffic and the traffic got more congested, the buildings got still closer together, and finally we were back in hell. But when I was sick, when I got sick in India and came here, actually to LA to recuperate, and Prabhupada wanted me to go back when I was ready, when I was well enough, and he said, “Back home back to Bombay.” But obviously the phrase echoed, back home back to Godhead, and the implication was if I go back to my service in Bombay, I will go back home back to Godhead.

So that is the paradox also that Bombay is hell, but it is also back to Godhead. Going back to Bombay means back to Godhead if you are serving and preaching. The same applies to any of us in any situation. So if we are not going to really practice simple living and high thinking in farm communities, then we should preach. And that will make us eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead and free us from fear. And in the process we are giving the instructions to others how they can also become free from fear. One man approached Srila Prabhupada in Bombay saying, “Swamiji, Swamiji please save me. Please save me. You are the only one who can save me. I know you are; I know you are. Please save me. Please save me.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “I cannot save you. You have to save yourself, but I can give you the instructions by which you can save yourself.” So of course, the relationship between the surrendered soul and the superior authority is that the surrendered soul follows the instructions, and the superior authority gives the proper instructions. And if the dependent follows the instructions, then the dependent can be delivered. So we have to ourselves, śravaṇam kīrtanam, we have to hear from Srila Prabhupada, hear from the Vedic literatures, hear from the saintly persons, what is the process for liberation and we have to follow the process. And then, śravaṇam kīrtanam, we repeat the same instructions to our dependents and at the same time set the proper example. And then all of us can be delivered by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the disciplic succession, and be delivered from the fearful existence of material life, where there is danger at every step. Hare Krishna.

So are there any questions or comments? (Unintelligible 00:26:59) Prabhu?

Devotee: Maharaja, is part of the reason why Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees to go to the Mayapur festival, as often as possible, to give them a break from the intensity of preaching in the cities? I know part of the reason was, of course, to get association, but was that aspect there as well? Did he ever express that, in other words?

Giriraj Swami: Well, of course the holy dhāmas are transcendentally situated and Srila Prabhupada wanted us to get the association of the dhāma and the deities in the dhāma, and of course, the devotees. And the Bhāgavatam says that the same practices performed in the dhāmas are multiplied a thousand times in values. So we definitely get great spiritual benefit. Of course, the Bhāgavatam also says they are multiplied a thousand times in the temple. But maybe at the temple in Mayapur, they multiplied a thousand times a thousand. But I would say that we need balance; we all need balance. Even the Bhagavad-gītā says that one should be regulated in his eating, sleeping, work, and recreation. And again, the Bhāgavatam says that the desire to travel and see places, should be used in the process of pilgrimage. So I think when Srila Prabhupada introduced a program in Krishna consciousness, especially an important one like attending the Mayapur festival or visiting the holy places in India, he did so with many purposes in mind, and so it is the balance. Even in the material world, people get two weeks holiday and I am sure that they have realized that the balance between work and recreation is important, so that the people continue with their work.

So with us the balance is also important, but with us it is all Krishna conscious. It is all absolute because it is all Krishna conscious. I think once Srila Prabhupada wanted to punish some devotee, so he told the devotee he had to distribute so many Kṛṣṇa book. So it is like there is no duality; there is no good and bad in Krishna consciousness, it is all good on the absolute platform. So working hard to preach is good and going to the festivals to associate and get some relief from the particular type of stress involved in preaching is also good. But because they are all filled with Krishna consciousness, they are all the same on the absolute platform and they are all absolutely wonderful, but still the balance is helpful.

Archida raised his hand first but you are the temple president; Archida Prabhu.

Devotee: Maharaja, in relationship to the recent passing of (Unintelligible 00:31:17), sometimes when devotees would die, especially in car accidents, Prabhupada would say that this devotee died prematurely. But then on the other hand we know there is pre-destiny, there is your shards, there is not a blade of grass moving without Krishna’s sanction. So where is the question of prematurely? If something happened, then it was supposed to happen. So can you talk a little bit about that; this business of premature death as opposed to something happening when it should happen?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I am just taking the word premature; mature means you mature. There is a natural cycle. The fruit is raw and it gradually matures, and when it is fully mature it falls off the tree. So premature means that we haven’t reached the full maturity of old age in the life cycle. It doesn’t mean that it is before Krishna’s plan for us. It just means it is before the full maturity of the bodily process of aging and maturing. Because we know from instances in the Bhāgavatam that Krishna arranges for devotees to leave early, so that they can come back to Godhead sooner by the arrangement of Krishna.

Devotee: This particular verse, it was discussed about fearlessness. So it is stating that if one is really in Krishna consciousness, one becomes fearless. So my question is, it appears that devotees, when you are young age-wise, it seems you are really fearless. And as you mature in age, it appears that this fearlessness dissipates, seems to poof away. In fact, they have a saying that, it says something like fool’s tread where angels don’t go, something like that. So I am just trying to distinguish as to what is real. We are talking about this fearlessness but still as a devotee, I have fears. I am fearful of certain situations. If I see something, and I think hmm. . . that is. . . I don’t want to be there. Whereas, someone else may say well, ”I don’t really care.” So when are you a fool and when are you really fearless?

Giriraj Swami: Good question. As with everything, there are two types, material and spiritual. So there is material fear and there is transcendental fear. Here I think of one verse from the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where Devaki and Vasudeva were fearful for the life of Krishna, although of course Krishna can never be killed. But out of parental affection, they were afraid for Krishna’s life. And in the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that the Krishna consciousness movement is Krishna Himself and nothing can stop the Krishna consciousness movement. But still sometimes when there are difficulties, when there are attacks of demons or other difficulties, we feel concerned, we become fearful for the Krishna consciousness movement just as Vasudeva and Devaki became fearful for Krishna’s life, out of affection. So if we are afraid that something will happen to the movement, something will happen to the temple, that is not necessarily material. In fact, that is spiritual.

Once when Satsvarupa Maharaja was the temple president in Boston, he wrote to Srila Prabhupada saying that he was always in anxiety. Srila Prabhupada wrote back that, “You are in anxiety for Krishna, so it is transcendental.” Now, if we come to the body, the body is meant for Krishna’s service but until we are completely liberated, we also have material attachment to the body. So I would say in the case of most of us, there would be some proportion of material fear and anxiety, and some proportion of spiritual anxiety and fear. And really, all we can do is continue the process of hearing and chanting and serving, and then the spiritual proportion will increase and the material proportion will decrease. But we do feel fear. Even Srila Prabhupada, in the purport I quoted, said that he felt fear for the movement. But otherwise his name, Abhay Charan, means one who is fearless having taken shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna. So in that sense we have no fear, but out of love for Krishna, the devotee may feel fear for Krishna and Krishna’s movement. And Srila Prabhupada said that to become a devotee doesn’t mean to defy the laws of nature; that I am a devotee so let me put my head in the mouth of the tiger. So in our youth we might have been a little bit naive about the laws of nature, or even about what Krishna consciousness was. So we might think, “Oh, I am a devotee. Let me put my head in the mouth of the tiger.” But Srila Prabhupada said that is not Krishna consciousness. We take normal precautions for the body. We go to doctors, we try to eat properly, exercise, and take normal precautions for the body. But in the end, we have to depend on Krishna and try to chant Hare Krishna, so that no matter what happens we will be assured of continued service.

All right. Thank you very much.

All glorious to Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna.