BG 10.9

Giriraj Swami:

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Reading from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Ten, The Opulence of the Absolute, Text Nine.

TEXT 9

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

TRANSLATION

The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Pure devotees, whose characteristics are mentioned here, engage themselves fully in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Their minds cannot be diverted from the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Their talks are solely on the transcendental subjects. The symptoms of the pure devotees are described in this verse specifically. Devotees of the Supreme Lord are twenty-four hours daily engaged in glorifying the qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Their hearts and souls are constantly submerged in Kṛṣṇa, and they take pleasure in discussing Him with other devotees.

In the preliminary stage of devotional service they relish the transcendental pleasure from the service itself, and in the mature stage they are actually situated in love of God. Once situated in that transcendental position, they can relish the highest perfection which is exhibited by the Lord in His abode. Lord Caitanya likens transcendental devotional service to the sowing of a seed in the heart of the living entity. There are innumerable living entities traveling throughout the different planets of the universe, and out of them there are a few who are fortunate enough to meet a pure devotee and get the chance to understand devotional service. This devotional service is just like a seed, and if it is sown in the heart of a living entity, and if he goes on hearing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, that seed fructifies, just as the seed of a tree fructifies with regular watering. The spiritual plant of devotional service gradually grows and grows until it penetrates the covering of the material universe and enters into the brahma-jyotir effulgence in the spiritual sky. In the spiritual sky also that plant grows more and more until it reaches the highest planet, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana, the supreme planet of Kṛṣṇa. Ultimately, the plant takes shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and rests there. Gradually, as a plant grows fruits and flowers, that plant of devotional service also produces fruits, and the watering process in the form of chanting and hearing goes on. This plant of devotional service is fully described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nineteen). It is explained there that when the complete plant takes shelter under the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, one becomes fully absorbed in love of God; then he cannot live even for a moment without being in contact with the Supreme Lord, just as a fish cannot live without water. In such a state, the devotee actually attains the transcendental qualities in contact with the Supreme Lord.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also full of such narrations about the relationship between the Supreme Lord and His devotees; therefore the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very dear to the devotees, as stated in the Bhāgavatam itself (12.13.18). Śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ purāṇam amalaṁ yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyam. In this narration there is nothing about material activities, economic development, sense gratification or liberation. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the only narration in which the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord and His devotees is fully described. Thus the realized souls in Kṛṣṇa consciousness take continual pleasure in hearing such transcendental literatures, just as a young boy and girl take pleasure in association.

COMMENT

So, the description of pure devotees is given here. And we discussed some of the descriptions on Sunday. But the basic principle of the pure devotee is that he is fully engaged in the service of the Lord with body, mind, and words, at all times. He engages his body in serving the Lord, he engages his mind in thinking of the Lord and the Lord’s service, and he engages his words in glorifying the Lord and the Lord’s devotees. So, they have no other activity besides Krishna consciousness. But the process is gradual, and therefore, Srila Prabhupada had recited the section from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta about the devotional creeper.

TEXT 151

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

COMMENT

There are so many living entities wandering throughout the material universe in different species of life and on different planets, but when the living entity is fortunate, he gets the seed of devotional service by the mercy of guru and Krishna. Sometimes we hear, and Srila Prabhupada also makes the same point in the purport, that by the mercy of Krishna, one gets guru, and by the mercy of guru, one gets Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada explains that the Lord is within the heart of every living entity, and He knows the sincerity of each person. So, when He sees that someone is sincere about Him, He brings the person in touch with the Krishna consciousness movement, where he gets the association of devotees. And from within the heart, the Lord leads the person ultimately to a bona fide spiritual master. Then, by following the instructions of the spiritual master on how to perform devotional service, the candidate makes gradual progress in devotional service, until he comes to the stage of pure love of Godhead. And in the stage of pure love of Godhead, he gets Krishna in the fullest sense. Krishna actually gives Himself to the pure devotee. But the process is gradual. When one receives the seed, Caitanya-caritāmṛta explains, one should be a gardener and plant the seed within the heart and water the seed by the process of hearing and chanting about Krishna.

So, here in the description of pure devotees, we find that the pure devotees are always hearing and chanting about Krishna. But the hearing and chanting continues even after the devotee achieves pure love of Godhead, as we shall see when we discuss the example of devotional creeper in more detail. But to begin, the devotee waters the seed by hearing and chanting about Krishna. And Caitanya-caritāmṛta also advises that the devotee should beware of weeds. Just like an ordinary plant may be attacked by weeds, so similarly, the devotional creeper can also be attacked by the weeds of material desire, a desire for anything other than Krishna consciousness.

And Caitanya-caritāmṛta further explains that sometimes the weeds very closely resemble the devotional creeper, but one has to be careful to be able to distinguish from the devotional creeper and separate the weeds from the devotional creeper. Otherwise, the water that is meant for the devotional creeper will be sucked up by the weeds. So, we have to be expert enough to distinguish between the weeds and the creeper, or between Krishna consciousness and other desires that may resemble Krishna consciousness or take the guise of Krishna consciousness.

And of course, the neophyte devotee may not be so expert, and therefore, we have the association of devotees, so that devotees who are more expert and more experienced than ourselves can help us distinguish between the weeds and the creeper. Then, Caitanya-caritāmṛta further describes that the gardener or the devotee must fence the creeper on all sides, otherwise the mad elephant of offense can enter one’s beautifully cultivated garden, and in no time at all, completely repave the garden and uproot the creeper.

So, what is fencing? What is the fencing that will protect us from offenses? The fencing that protects us from the mad elephant of offense is the circle of pure devotees. If we stay within the circle of pure devotees, the mad elephant of aparādha, or vaiṣṇava-aparādha, or guru-aparādha cannot enter. But if we leave the circle of pure devotees, then we have no protection from the mad elephant, and the mad elephant can reactivate at any time.

So, we continue to water the devotional creeper by hearing and chanting about Krishna, we are always vigilant to see that no weeds of material desire develop alongside the devotional creeper, and utilize the water that is meant for the creeper. And we stay in the circle of pure devotees so that the mad elephant of offense cannot enter and uproot the creeper. And then, what happens is the creeper grows; it grows and grows and grows, it penetrates the covering of the material universe, it goes through the brahmajyoti effulgence, and ultimately, takes shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna in Goloka Vrindavana.

And even after the creeper reaches Goloka Vrindavana, the process of watering, the process of hearing and chanting about Krishna continues. In other words, even when one is liberated, even when one has reached the spiritual abode of Krishna, internally, as long as one remains in one’s physical body in the material world, he continues the process of hearing and chanting about Krishna. Or in other words, one can be both in Goloka Vrindavana internally, and at the same time, one can be in the material world; one can be in both places at the same time. And the process of hearing and chanting continues. And in the spiritual world, the creeper will bear fruit, and the fruit is love of God. And again, the watering process here continues.

So, we never give up hearing and chanting about Krishna, and that is the statement here in Bhagavad-gītā about pure devotees, that they always engage in hearing and chanting about Krishna, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss by discussing Krishna among themselves. And that is what we do. Srila Prabhupada formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness so that we would have the association of devotees, so that we can hear about Krishna from them in the beginning, and after we have heard properly, we can repeat what we have heard. In other words, we can chant, we can preach, we can discuss. And such hearing and chanting continues. It is the means and the end.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā, that bhakti comes from bhakti. Prema-bhakti comes from sādhana-bhakti, or chanting comes from chanting. Once, one newspaper reporter sort of challenged Srila Prabhupada, “What does this chanting accomplish?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Chanting accomplishes chanting.” The more we chant, the more we want to chant. And the more we chant, the more we become purified. The more we become purified, the more pure the chanting becomes. The more pure the chanting becomes, the more relishable the chanting becomes. And therefore, the pure devotees just want to chant and chant and chant, more and more.

In the beginning, we chant as a matter of duty, because the spiritual master has ordered we must chant sixteen rounds every day. But later, we chant as a matter of pleasure, more than pleasure, as a matter of life. Srila Prabhupada mentioned in the purport that just as a fish cannot live without water, the devotee cannot live without Krishna, without Krishna consciousness, without hearing and chanting about Krishna.

When Haridasa Thakura was apprehended by the Muslim magistrate, first, the magistrate said, “You are born Muslim, you are born in a good Muslim family, why are you chanting the name of the Hindu God?” Of course, God is not Hindu, or Muslim, or Christian. But still, in terms of the mentality of the Muslim magistrate, he said, “Why are you chanting the names of the Hindu God?” And Haridasa Thakura replied, “So many Hindus have become Muslims, so what is the harm if one Muslim becomes Hindu?” So, the Muslim magistrate was not very happy with Haridasa’s reply. He became more and more angry, and ultimately, he threatened him, “If you do not give up chanting Krishna, we will kill you.” And Haridasa Thakura replied, “You can cut my body into hundreds of pieces, but I will never give up chanting hari-nāma.”

So, chanting becomes the life of the devotee, he cannot live without chanting. Just like a fish cannot live without water, we cannot live without air, so the pure devotee cannot live without chanting. The possibility of living without chanting does not exist for a pure devotee.

Similarly, there is one verse that a pure devotee cannot forget the Lord even for a moment. So, one of the previous acharyas made the remark that if someone were to approach a pure devotee and say, “If you give up remembrance of the Lord for one moment, I will give you the entire universe, and you can use the entire universe in the service of the Lord.” But even then, the pure devotee cannot do it. It is beyond his capacity to forget the Lord even for one moment. Consciousness is the symptom of the soul, it is the symptom of the presence of life. And for the pure devotee, consciousness means Krishna consciousness, he has no other consciousness. Therefore, his life cannot be separated from Krishna consciousness, the two are synonymous. So, he cannot forget Krishna.

And the gradual development of the devotional creeper, there are different stages, as we mentioned. And Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has discussed them, and he explains how one’s consciousness gradually becomes transformed to Krishna consciousness by gradual advancement in bhakti-yoga, and he explains that in the beginning, we chant, but our minds wander We don’t even know how our minds wander.

Just the other day, one gentleman approached me and told me that he tries to chant and he begins, and then he does not know what happens. Then sometimes later, he realizes that his mind was wandering, and then he brings it back. So, in the beginning, we try to chant, but our mind wanders, we don’t know how it wanders, how it got to where it went, then eventually, we realize it’s somewhere else and we bring it back. And that sort of continues in the earlier stages.

But then he says that when one becomes more advanced, one’s minds wander to Krishna. It becomes the opposite, that for a moment, we might think of something other than Krishna, but then our mind will wander back to Krishna. And we don’t know how it got back to Krishna. And then in the perfect stage, it is always merged in Krishna, it never leaves Krishna. So, it is a gradual process, but it begins now. Just like if you plant a seed and water it, take out the weeds, protect it from wild animals, it will grow. I mean, it may take time, but it will grow.

So, in the same way, we all have to receive the seed of devotional service. Most of us have received the seed of devotional service. And if we keep it carefully, plant it within our hearts and water it by hearing and chanting, it will grow. It may take some time, and it will grow, and we can’t force it to grow. I mean, you plant the seed and water it, you take out the weeds, you protect it, and you pray, but you can’t force it to grow, it will grow naturally. So, Krishna consciousness also grows naturally. If we follow the process, it grows naturally.

So, we need two things. We need enthusiasm to follow the process, but we also need patience to allow the process to work. Srila Prabhupada said if we just have enthusiasm, but if we don’t have patience, then we can develop the desire to control, “Why isn’t it growing faster?” We try to pull it and make it, and that won’t work. And similarly, if we have patience without enthusiasm, that can become lethargy, “I am patient enough, the soul is eternal, it may take this life, or ten lives, or hundred lives, or million lives, let me enjoy and when the Lord wills, I will become Krishna consciousness.” So, we need both. We need enthusiasm to follow the regulative principles, to engage in devotional service, and we need patience, to allow the process to work. And the combination will work.

Now, we have been hearing and speaking about hearing and speaking about the Lord. But what do we hear about the Lord? What do we speak about the Lord? Yes, we come to the temple and we hear the devotee speaking, but from where? And in the purport, Srila Prabhupada gives the answer—from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam contains transcendental narrations of the Lord in all respects; His name, His form, His qualities, His pastimes, His reciprocation with His devotees. Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so dear to devotees. So, even the books of the followers of Lord Chaitanya like Caitanya-caritāmṛta or the books of the Six Gosvamis like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, they are based on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Srila Jiva Gosvami has explained in detail with various arguments in evidence that the supreme evidence is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

And therefore, Srila Prabhupada considered his life’s work to translate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and only when he had translated the first three volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then he felt ready, “Yes, now I can come to America, now I can preach because I have books, I have Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.” So, devotees read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And one of Srila Prabhupada’s last instructions to us before he left was recorded in one of his last purports to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and that was, “Discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam daily, as much as possible, each and every word is transcendental, mahā-muni-kṛte, it was compiled by Vyasadeva in his mature stage.” And the more you discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the more the subject becomes clarified. So, that’s what we are meant to do, we are meant to discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam every day as much as possible.

Once in Juhu, when we were still struggling to get the permission to build and we just had a small shed of a temple, we had a discussion. It began as a class and somehow, we had a discussion. And the discussion was, what is the difference between kṛṣṇa-līlā in the material world, in Vyoma Vrindavan, and kṛṣṇa-līlā in the spiritual world, in Goloka Vrindavan? And different devotees made different points, and we came to the conclusion that two of the differences were that in Goloka Vrindavan, there are no demons, and in Vyoma Vrindavan, demons come, but in Goloka Vrindavana, there are no demons.

And the second difference was that in Goloka Vrindavana, there are no husbands. Let me explain. Let me explain. In one category of Krishna’s pastimes in Goloka Vrindavana, one category of husband, so called husband, gets in the way of the wives who are devotees of Krishna, engaging in Krishna’s service. So, the type of husband that gets in the way of the wife’s service to Krishna is not there in Goloka Vrindavan, but they are present in Vyoma Vrindavana during the pastimes.

And the presence of the demons and the so-called husbands makes the pastimes on earth, on Vyoma Vrindavan, more relishable than the pastimes in Goloka Vrindavan. Because when something is difficult to achieve and when one achieves it after a long time of difficult struggle, one appreciates it more. The presence of opposition makes the pastimes more relishable. It is like a meal. If all you had to eat was sweet rice, I mean, you might be happy at first, but eventually, you would get bored, “Can’t I have something salty? Can’t I have something bitter?” So, when we have all the varieties of taste, all the different preparations; dal, sabji, rice, chapatis, savories, bitters, chillies, and chutney, then it is more relishable. And then in the end, when we have sweet rice or rasagullā or gulābjāmun, it is even more relishable.

So, the pastimes in Vyoma Vrindavana are actually more relishable because of the demons and the so-called husbands. So, that was the conclusion of our little discussion in the temple in Juhu. So, after the discussion, Tamal Krishna Goswami went to Srila Prabhupada and reported to him about our discussion, and Srila Prabhupada was very pleased. He said, “Yes, this is what you should be doing. You should be discussing the philosophy; you should be discussing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.” And that’s described in the verse here.

TEXT 9

The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

COMMENT

Hare Krishna. So, are there any questions or comments, Maharaja? Wonderful, wonderful, please enlighten us.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:52:00].

Giriraj Swami: The pastimes in the material world are considered eternal. But there is also another phenomenon, which is that the pastimes in the material world, after they finish in one universe, they begin in another universe. But as far as I understand, all the different pastimes in the different ages exist simultaneously in the spiritual world. So, there is one verse in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu or Caitanya-caritāmṛta that in His Kumara age, He made vātsalya-rasa successful. In His paugaṇḍa age, He made sākhya-rasa successful. And in His Aisvarya age, He made mādhurya-rasa successful. But He exists in all the different ages simultaneously in the spiritual world.

So, in one section, the elderly gopīs will be playing with baby Krishna, and in another section, the cowherd boys will be tending cows with Krishna, and then in another section, the gopīs will be dancing with Krishna. So, they all exist eternally and simultaneously.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:00:30].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, the material world is the reflection of the activities in the spiritual world.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:00:52].

Giriraj Swami: Well, the reason we don’t have his pictures is because when Srila Prabhupada taught us how to set altars in ISKCON, he did not include the picture. And we just, basically, followed the standard that Srila Prabhupada set. We do have Haridasa Thakura here being carried in the arms of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and some devotees actually have Deities of Haridasa Thakura made from this wood of the set of Bakul tree where he chanted in Jagannatha Puri. When we say the prema dhvani prayers, we say nāmācārya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jaya! Haridasa Thakura himself set the example and he chanted Hare Krishna in front of the tulasi tree, so we always have the tulasi tree, and we worship the tulasi tree.

So, I think that we have enough opportunity to remember Haridasa Thakura and serve Haridasa Thakura with the present configuration of altars and activities. But I am sure there is no objection to having a picture of Haridasa Thakura. But I mean, it is true, we say ananta koṭi vaiṣṇava-vṛnda—kī jaya! Ananta means unlimited, and koṭi means crores. So, I don’t know what to say.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:12].

Giriraj Swami: Well, I will forward your request to the authorities.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:59].

Giriraj Swami: It means that the basic principle of vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti is to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. So, there are different ways that we can remember Krishna. So, one way for the neophyte in the spiritual life is to consider the universe as the universal form of the Lord. So, the trees are the hair from the body of the Lord. But that’s neophyte. Can you read the quotation again?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:07:30].

Giriraj Swami: No, I have it, but I thought you had it on a piece of paper.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:07:45].

Giriraj swami: Yeah, that’s what I thought. Neophyte here means neophyte on the spiritual path. The neophyte on the spiritual path is not able to appreciate the spiritual form of the Lord, and is advised to conceive the universal form. But even a neophyte devotee in the temple can appreciate the form of the Lord as the deity. And that is more appropriate for us, and He can conceive of the universe as the creation of the personal form of the Lord. The sun and the moon, instead of seeing it as the eyes of Krishna, the eyes of the universal form, we see it as the creation of Krishna.

Once, when we first got the property of Juhu, Srila Prabhupada went on a walk at the beach with some disciples, and he pointed to the ocean and he asked, “What is this?” And one disciple said, “Srila Prabhupada, that is the Arabian sea.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, I know it is the Arabian sea. Philosophically, what is it?” So then, one disciple said that it is Krishna, because in the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says, “All bodies of water, I am the ocean, I am the sea.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “That is not scientific.” Then finally, Srila Prabhupada gave the answer, “It is the energy of Krishna.”

So, there are different levels, but the level that Prabhupada wanted us to have in ISKCON is to understand the personal spiritual form of Krishna, to understand that the Deity is identical to the personal spiritual form of Krishna, and that the personal spiritual form of Krishna is the origin of everything, and that what we see here; the sun, the moon, the higher planets, the little planets, the lower planets, the rivers, the grasses, all the items that are included in the universal form are the energy of Krishna. That’s the way we should see.

Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:10:55].

Giriraj Swami: Well, the whole Goloka has different sections, and there is a Vrindavan section and a Navadvipa section. And in the Vrindavan section, there is kṛṣṇa-līlā. In the Navadvipa section, there is caitanya-līlā. And depending on the devotee’s attachment for the Lord, he can join kṛṣṇa-līlā, or he can join caitanya-līlā. Or if he has strong attachment to both, he can simultaneously be in kṛṣṇa-līlā and caitanya-līlā. Just like so many of the associates of Lord Chaitanya in caitanya-līlā, they have their identities in kṛṣṇa-līlā.

So once, one disciples asked Srila Prabhupada, “How can the same soul be present both in kṛṣṇa-līlā and in caitanya-līlā?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “In the liberated stage, the soul has inconceivable potency.” That’s true.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:13:07].

Giriraj Swami: Well, yes, we are simultaneously one with Krishna and different from Krishna. We have the same qualities, but in lesser quantities. But we have the ability to be in kṛṣṇa-līlā and caitanya-līlā at the same time. But for example, in Dvaraka, Krishna married 16,108 queens, and He was present in each palace with each queen. But we don’t have that. Krishna can expand Himself to be in the heart of every living entity, within every atom, in the spaces between the atoms. We don’t have that, but in the liberated stage, we do have the ability to be in kṛṣṇa-līlā and caitanya-līlā at the same time. We can be in more than one place at one time.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:14:49].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by the grace of the Lord, by the will of the Lord, that is true. He is the enjoyer, and we are the enjoyed. That is the basic difference.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:15:15].

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada went to Indore to attend Gita-jayanti, and the organizers of the conference gave Srila Prabhupada a house near the grounds of Gita Bhavana. And so, different people would come and meet Srila Prabhupada and speak to him. So, Srila Prabhupada began to criticize, as he often did, some impersonalists and impersonal philosophy. And the guests were sort of offended, and they were saying, “You should not criticize. You should see everyone equally, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ, you should not criticize.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “I am not on that level.” To quote the whole verse, he said that the learned sages see with equal vision the brahman, the cow, the elephant, the dog, and the dog eater.

So, Srila Prabhupada said, “Why is one born as a brahman, and why is one born as an animal? If one performs pious activities, he will take birth as a brahman, and if one performs sinful activities, he will take birth as a dog. So, to see brahman and a dog equally means that one does not distinguish between pious activities and sinful activities. But I distinguish, and if you are doing nonsense, I say you are doing nonsense, and you should stop it.” So, it was a long conversation, but Prabhupada was basically just representing the disciplic succession.

And at one stage, they started to find faults with the scriptures and criticize Vyasa. And he said, “Now you are criticizing Vyasa, I cannot listen to you.” So then, they were saying that we should go beyond. It is a very interesting topic. They were saying that we should go beyond what Vyasa has written, we can make improvements. And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, I only repeat. I don’t make any improvements.” And they said, “But every acharya is supposed to make some contribution beyond what the previous acharyas have said and done.”

So, it was a long conversation, and eventually, the topic turned to Srila Prabhupada’s disciples in America, and Europe, and other places, and the gentlemen were actually impressed of how Srila Prabhupada had spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And then, Srila Prabhupada said, “This is my sama-darśinaḥ, that I have not distinguished who is qualified and who is not qualified, but I have given Krishna consciousness equally to everyone all over the world. That is my sama-darśinaḥ, and that is my contribution to the previous acharyas. No other acharya before me has done this.”

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:20:56].

Giriraj Swami: Why do you have this conception that you are a neophyte?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:22:16].

Giriraj Swami: That’s etiquette. There is a difference between etiquette and feeling, but we still observe the etiquette. Srila Prabhupada’s secretary and his wife had a little girl when they were serving Srila Prabhupada, and the girl was more attached to the father than to the mother. And Prabhupada used to comment about it that officially, she is the mother, but actually. . . But etiquette, we must observe the etiquette.

I thought of one story from later, which means after Srila Prabhupada left, about spontaneous chanting. Maharaja reminded me of it. I guess I should start at the beginning. But Tamal Krishna Goswami and I had discussed the idea of getting a place at Govardhana, and there was a palace at Govardhana, at practically the best location at Govardhana. It was just outside the town. So, it was convenient because it was near the town, and it was safe. But it was far enough outside the town that you felt that you were in the country, and it was opposite Govardhana Hill, at practically the highest point. So, you had a beautiful darshan of Govardhana Hill.

So, we found out that the palace belonged to the Maharaja of Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh. So, I wanted to go and meet him and ask him to give us the palace, and I took a lawyer from Mathura with me. So, actually, he had two palaces, huge ones; one in Chhatarpur, and the other in [Unintelligible 01:25:13], a famous tourist place. [Unintelligible 01:25:18]. We halted at [Unintelligible 01:25:25] and we went to his palace there, and we found him sitting there just like an old man, by his old mattresses, sitting in his chair in front of his palace.

So, he had a small palace, I would not even call it a palace, but they had so many buildings and he turned it into sort of a guest house. And he had me and the lawyer spend the night there. So, at about nine in the night, he said he would send dinner for us. So, at nine at night, some servant boy came with a newspaper, and inside the newspaper was a big [Unintelligible 01:26:33] of very oily halavah, and a few stacks of very oily puris, and some very oil pakoras.

So, it was nine o’clock, I was trying to be very strict and staunch, and I looked at it. So, the lawyer [Unintelligible 01:27:11], have some, have some.” I said, “No, it’s late, I won’t be able to get up early, and so on. It is very heavy at night, and so on.” He said, “Well, anyway, I am a vrajavāsī, so I am going to eat.” And then, he had a lot of pakoras and puris and halavah.

So, I guess within me, in my fallen condition, there was some subtle rivalry between me and him. I do not think it was within him. So, at four o’clock, I got up, and he was sound asleep, snoring, and I felt really sort of proud of myself. So, we had our rooms, and there was the courtyard, and there were the stairways, if you went up, and then an upward level around the courtyard, and there was a shower room. Shower room means you fill your bucket with water and pour the water over your body with a loofah. And then, there was another room, that was the toilet, which is just a loo.

So, it was quite cold. And it was cold, but I was staunch, I did it, and then I bundled up and I was chanting my rounds in front of Tulasi-devi in the courtyard. So, it took longer because it was a bit awkward, I wasn’t used to the place. Maybe by quarter to five, I was chanting my rounds.

Then at six or 6:15, Sonarilal got up. I felt very good, I was chanting Hare Krishna in front of Tulasi-devi, and he went up the stairs and he was taking his bath. And suddenly, I hear his voice, “Radhe, Radhe Govinda, Govinda Radhe.” And I thought, Wait a minute, I wasn’t chanting when I took my bath, I was freezing, but I was going to show I was austere, and I was regulated, and I was pure. I wasn’t chanting, but he was chanting, and I thought, Well, this is advancement.

And there was another part to it that I did not tell, but that night, when I was sleeping, I had a dream that Sonarilal and I were on the street in [Unintelligible 01:30:19]. It’s not much of a main street, but there are a few shops on the side. And I don’t know how he got it, but he must have bought him from the street, some samosas. This is in the dream. And in the dream, he was standing in the street, eating samosa, deep fried and [Unintelligible 01:30:48], whatever, and sort of swaying back and forth, and he was singing, “Radhe Radhe Govinda.” But when I woke up, I had forgotten about the dream.

And then, when I heard him singing in the shower, then I thought about the whole dream, and then I thought it was wrong that I was proud because I did not eat the puris and halavah. He was eating samosas, probably he bought some samosas, it was a pretty long bus ride, so maybe he bought some samosas. [Unintelligible 01:31:34]. But he was chanting, he had devotion. So, that made me realize a few things about pride and austerity, but mainly, that the real thing is devotion. And he had that spontaneous devotion, chanting. He wasn’t doing it because anyone was watching him or keeping track. Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:32:13].

Giriraj Swami: Well, one comes to mind. Different ones come to mind at different times, but this was in November in 1977, within the last two weeks of Srila Prabhupada’s stay. And Srila Prabhupada was executing a document called the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. And so, I mean, I am not sure but usually, I would do this type of work. And of course, Goswami Maharaja was Srila Prabhupada’s secretary, so they would discuss, and then he gave it to me, and he said that I should go with Bhagat ji to Mathura and get the document registered.

So, it was hot, it was very hot, and I went with Mr. Bhagat ji and we had to find a typist and some primitive typewriter typed it up, official paper, and we took it and got it registered and brought it back. So, I thought pretty good about myself because I went to Mathura in the heat and got the job done. So, I went to take rest, and I don’t know when it was, maybe two in the morning or something, Goswami Maharaja came to my door, he was banging on my door. So, I opened the door and he said. . . I don’t really remember the words, I just remember the mood. But the idea was, “You bungling idiot, you registered it as Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust, it is supposed to be Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust.”

Bhaktivedanta Swami is the name of Srila Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta is a title, a noun, or something. So, he said, “Srila Prabhupada was furious that it wasn’t Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust and you have to go tomorrow and do the whole thing properly. So, I was actually very blissful after this [Unintelligible 01:36:03] of transcendentally angry words. And the reason I was blissful is because, I mean, I knew it, but it was just another confirmation that Goswami Maharaja’s relationship with Srila Prabhupada was the most important thing to him, more important than mundane friendship, which our friendship would have been if Srila Prabhupada was not at the center.

So, I was very pleased actually. I mean, I wasn’t looking forward spending the next day in the hot sun in Mathura, and I was not looking forward telling Bhagat ji that we made a mistake and that we had to do the whole thing again, but I felt very blissful that when he came into my room, he was concerned only about one thing; Prabhupada’s pleasure and Prabhupada’s service, what I liked about him and loved him for. And that pleased me, that he was not trying to cultivate some relationship with me on the basis of mundane friendship, but everything for him was Prabhupada’s pleasure, Prabhupada’s service. Is that alright?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:37:39].

Giriraj Swami: Well, as far as the incident with Prabhupada, I think that I can respond that the man who came to give him the advice about the planetarium was actually bluffing about his qualification. In India, not only in India, everywhere, but also in India, there are many bluffers, and in the context to pay someone an air fare to India is quite a big thing. Then, people would go by train. Even now, people go by train, they don’t fly. So, I think there, Prabhupada’s point was that he was a bluffer, he misled the devotee into thinking that he was more qualified than he was, and based on his false representation of who he was, Prabhupada offered the return air fare. But then, when he realized he was a bluffer, just like an ordinary person, he thought he should make his way back by train. It is not that he was not able to help, I am not taking it that the problem was that he wasn’t able to help Prabhupada. The problem was that he falsely presented himself as being something that he wasn’t, and on that basis, Prabhupada sent him away.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:42:37].

Giriraj Swami: You and your funny bone. Okay, we should join the ārati now.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Srila Gurudeva ki jaya! Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda ki jaya! Nitai-Gaura premānande Haribol!