SB 2.8.6 – Coming Home—Part 02

Giriraj Swami: This evening I thought to read the verse that we quoted yesterday, along with the purport, and then proceed to another verse.

First, we read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Fourteen, “Brahma’s Prayers to Lord Krsna.”

TEXT 8

tat te ‘nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

PURPORT

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains in his commentary that just as a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.

The word su-samīkṣamāṇa indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects of previous sinful activities. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma. However, because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions. The purpose of the entire creation of God is to rectify the living entity’s tendency to enjoy without the Lord, and therefore the particular punishment given for a sinful activity is specifically designed to curtail the mentality that produced the activity. Although a devotee has surrendered to the Lord’s devotional service, until he is completely perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he may maintain a slight inclination to enjoy the false happiness of this world. The Lord therefore creates a particular situation to eradicate this remaining enjoying spirit. This unhappiness suffered by a sincere devotee is not technically a karmic reaction; it is rather the Lord’s special mercy for inducing His devotee to completely let go of the material world and return home, back to Godhead.

A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord’s abode. Therefore he willingly accepts the Lord’s merciful punishment and continues offering respects and obeisances to the Lord with his heart, words and body. Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of God, as indicated here by the words dāya-bhāk. Just as one cannot approach the sun without becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa, without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by the personal hand of the Lord.

COMMENT

This verse and purport are very encouraging for devotees. They explain that when a devotee surrenders unto the Lord, he comes under the Lord’s personal protection and the Lord frees him from sinful reactions. The question may be asked, “Why, then, do devotees suffer even after accepting the process of devotional service?” The Bhāgavatam answers that the devotee is not really suffering karmic reactions but is actually being purified by the Lord’s special mercy. Even after a devotee surrenders to the process of devotional service, he may maintain vestiges of the sinful mentality that he had before coming to the association of devotees. But the devotee really wants to be completely purified, not only in his actions and words, but even in the mind, and so the Lord reciprocates.

As stated in the purport, by the Lord’s arrangement the sinful reactions that are meted out to sinful people within the universe are meant to curb the sinful mentalities that gave rise to the particular sins they commit. Even though a devotee has given up sinful activities, he or she may still maintain some enjoying spirit. Thus he or she will appear to suffer a sinful reaction, but it is actually a personal arrangement of the Lord to help the devotee to give up that enjoying spirit completely, to let go of the material world, so that the devotee can more easily go back home, back to Godhead. And because the devotee is so sincere in his desire to gain the Lord’s service and association in the spiritual world, he perseveres in devotional service, accepting the suffering as personal purification—a small price to pay for the supreme benefit of attaining the Lord’s personal association and service.

Thus, in spite of all difficulties, the devotee continues with the process of devotional service. The devotee does not turn against God. Sometimes people feel, and it may be a natural reaction, “I have been a good person. Why is God punishing me? I am a good person. There are so many bad people. Why isn’t God punishing them? Why is He punishing me?” They question God’s wisdom, or the justice of God’s actions. But a mature devotee sees that whatever suffering he is encountering is actually less than what is due to him, that actually the Lord is minimizing his suffering, and that the portion of suffering that the devotee is enduring is actually the Lord’s mercy to teach him something about the material world, about the material body, and about the true goal of life. Therefore the devotee continues to offer respects to the Lord with body, mind, and words, even in spite of different calamities.

What is the result for such a devotee? He earns the right to go back home, back to Godhead. That is all a devotee has to do—continue with the process of devotional service in spite of all difficulties—and in the end he goes back to Godhead. He is like a soldier. He doesn’t have to be a hero. He doesn’t have to go behind enemy lines and capture a gang of terrorists, or into the mountains or jungle and track down Osama Bin Laden. He just has to serve his time—and tolerate the difficulties in service. In the army there are so many austerities, and on top of these there are dangers, but if the soldier just continues to serve, when his time is over he gets to go back home, and there will be a joyful reunion. So the same applies to us. We just serve out our time in this body engaged in devotional service and at the end we get to go back home, back to Godhead. So it is not that difficult. We just have to do it.

The next verse we shall read makes the same point in a different way, but in such a way that we could actually be inspired to perform heroic acts in the service of the Lord. We read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Eight, “Questions by King Parīkṣit.”

TEXT 6

dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-
pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ
pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā

TRANSLATION

A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

One who is not a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is not completely cleansed in the heart. But a perfectly cleansed person never quits the devotional service of the Lord. In discharging such devotional service, as ordered by Brahmājī to Nārada in the preaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sometimes a representative of the Lord engaged in preaching work meets various so-called difficulties. This was exhibited by Lord Nityānanda when He delivered the two fallen souls Jagāi and Mādhāi, and similarly Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by the nonbelievers. But such difficulties are very gladly suffered by the devotees in preaching because in such activities, although apparently very severe, the devotees of the Lord feel transcendental pleasure because the Lord is satisfied. Prahlāda Mahārāja suffered greatly, but still he never forgot the lotus feet of the Lord. This is because a pure devotee of the Lord is so purified in his heart that he cannot leave the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances. There is no self-interest in such service. The progress of culturing knowledge by the jñānīs or the bodily gymnastics by the yogīs are ultimately given up by the respective performers, but a devotee of the Lord cannot give up the service of the Lord, for he is ordered by his spiritual master. Pure devotees like Nārada and Nityānanda Prabhu take up the order of the spiritual master as the sustenance of life. They do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives. They take the matter very seriously, as the order comes from the higher authority, from the representative of the Lord, or from the Lord Himself.

The example set herein is very appropriate. A traveler leaves home to search for wealth in far distant places, sometimes in the forest and sometimes on the ocean and sometimes on hilltops. Certainly there are many troubles for the traveler when he is in such unknown places. But all such troubles are at once mitigated as soon as the sense of his family affection is remembered, and as soon as he returns home he forgets all such troubles on the way.

A pure devotee of the Lord is exactly in a family tie with the Lord, and therefore he is undeterred in discharging his duty in a full affectionate tie with the Lord.

COMMENT

We all suffer difficulties in the material world; that is the first point. Whether we want them or not, they come. Earlier, in the First Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Narada stated that just as nobody wants miseries but the miseries come of their own accord, so happiness will come as well. Generally, people in the material world try to increase their happiness and decrease their misery. In fact, practically everything they do is meant to increase their happiness and decrease their misery. But still the miseries come. Nobody goes to church or temple to pray to God, “Please send miseries.” But distress comes anyway. Similarly, without us making any effort, happiness will also come, because we are all allotted a certain amount of pleasure and pain as a result of our past activities, or karma. We cannot artificially increase our happiness, and we cannot artificially decrease our misery. Therefore devotees accept as their destiny whatever happiness and distress come to them, and they do not try uselessly to increase the one or decrease the other. But gradually they use all their time, their energy, their intelligence, to become Krishna conscious, because only by becoming Krishna conscious and going back home, back to Godhead, is one released from the world of duality, the world of happiness and distress and pleasure and pain.

That is the focus of the devotee: how to become liberated from the cycle of birth and death. And as the devotee makes advancement, he may not even try for liberation per se; the devotee will just think, “How can I serve Krishna? How can I please Krishna?” And liberation becomes a natural by-product of such Krishna consciousness. So the devotee engages in various activities to preach the message of the Lord and serve the mission of the Lord, and naturally encounters many difficulties along the way—as do ordinary people. The difference is that when an ordinary person faces difficulties and miseries, he or she just suffers. But the devotee, although appearing to suffer adverse conditions, is thinking of the Lord, that the Lord will be pleased, and so, internally, he is happy.

I remember when I was serving Srila Prabhupada in India in the early days of the mission there, if I had to do something that I would never do for own my sake, that I would never want to do, I would feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence more. Of course, the situation has changed in India, and now the movement is very well established there, so the devotees do not have to do many of the things that we used to do. But I remember one night, maybe eight o’clock, I had to go to the telegraph offices and send a telegram to Srila Prabhupada. Now, unless you have been to India, or some other third world country, you cannot imagine what an Indian post office or telegraph office can be like. [laughter] To begin with, that particular night was very hot and humid, and at most there might have been an old fan turning and squeaking. [laughter] Then there were these tables from which you got the telegram forms, and usually there were all sorts of forms covered up and thrown in different corners of the table and on the floor. There were different types of forms, and the differences between them were so subtle that you really had to look very carefully to make sure you had the right form. Then you had to find a place to write the message and make sure everything was right. If anything was a little wrong, they wouldn’t accept it at the counter, and even if by chance they did, it wouldn’t reach its destination. Even if everything was right, it still might not reach, but if anything was wrong, it definitely would not. [laughter] And then you had to stand in a queue, in line, and that could take a long time. The queue could be quite long, and it could move quite slowly. As it was, you already felt uncomfortable from the heat and humidity, and then you had to stand in line almost interminably, wondering whether you could even make it to the counter and whether the office would still be open if you could, which only added to the misery.

Of course, we faced worse than that, but that was an example of an incident when I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t be doing this for myself. The only reason I am here is because of Srila Prabhupada, to serve Srila Prabhupada.” That thought made me feel so close to Srila Prabhupada and so enlivened that although externally it was a hardship, within myself I experienced a kind of pleasure, feeling so close to Srila Prabhupada.

And that is not to mention getting back to the place where we were staying at night, because the buses stop running at a certain hour and you have to find some other way home. Sometimes you find a driver who is not in the mood to take you. [laughter] He wants to take rest for the night. Or whether he really wants to take rest or not, he puts up a big show that he does not want to take you, so that you have to offer him more than the right price—and even then he is doing you a favor by taking you.

But internally we were blissful, because we were doing this for Srila Prabhupada, and in doing so we were thinking of him and he was reciprocating. So that is the difference. Although a devotee may be in situations that are uncomfortable from the material point of view, he gladly suffers them, because he is doing them for the pleasure of the spiritual master, for the pleasure of Krishna. And in that reciprocation there is so much pleasure that he does not mind the inconvenience.

So that is the first part, that in the course of his service, in the midst of the difficulties, by thinking that he is doing this for Srila Prabhupada, for the spiritual master, for Lord Krishna, he feels happy. “Srila Prabhupada will be pleased if I send this telegram. He needs this information.” And then when one actually returns home, back to Godhead, all the difficulties endured along the way are completely forgotten. One is welcomed back home, and all the difficulties are forgotten.

I have seen it in the lives of great devotees, our contemporaries. His Holiness Radhanath Swami once told me the story of a devotee from New Vrindavan named Kunti. She endured so many tragedies and heartbreaks in her life: Her husband left her. Her children were taken from her by her authorities and severely mistreated by them. She gave twenty years of her life to collecting funds, keeping not even one penny for herself, and when she was in need there was nothing for her and no one to help her financially. And then on top of all that, she became very ill. But in the end she was in such exalted consciousness. She had no complaints about anything that had happened along the way. She could have blamed her husband. She could have blamed her authorities. She could have blamed the movement. But she didn’t. She felt that there was no point in being negative. Somehow everything that had taken place along the way led her to the position where at the end she was thinking of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, and getting ready to go back to Godhead. She took it all in a completely positive, loving, and grateful spirit: “Krishna is giving me the most wonderful, merciful opportunity to remember Him and give my life fully to Him.”

Other devotees, such as His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, have made similar remarks. Whatever happens along the way helps one to the ultimate destination. “All is well that ends well.” Whatever happens along the way, as long as a devotee ends up in Krishna consciousness, he or she will look back and see, “This actually helped me. This misery helped me to become more detached, to become more humble, to let go of the material world—and take more shelter of Krishna consciousness.” So although from the material point of view we may think that something is bad, actually nothing is good or bad. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami in Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that conceptions of good and bad are just mental speculations. There is no good and bad in the material world. Or, one could say that everything in the material world is bad—unless it is used for Krishna consciousness, and then it becomes good. So we might think that something is bad, but as long as we take it in the spirit of Krishna consciousness, whatever it is, ultimately it will help bring us closer to the final goal of Krishna, going back home, back to Godhead.

As for destiny and what Srila Prabhupada said—devotees “do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives"—I think of a story that I may have told before but still will repeat again. We have a godbrother named Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who is based in Philadelphia. At one stage there was some difficulty with one of our devotee communities. The leader of the community had engaged in many illegal activities and was being investigated by a grand jury. And we, the leadership of ISKCON, had to make a statement that he was not one of us. So Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu proposed to call and chair a meeting of the North American Temple Presidents and GBCs to expel, or excommunicate, the leader from ISKCON. Before the proposed meeting, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu received a veiled threat that his life was in danger, and even some of his own colleagues warned him about the possible consequence of opposing the community’s leader: “martyrdom.” So Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu actually feared for his life. And in fact, one devotee had already been killed.

On top of everything, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu was a householder; he had a wife and children. So he had to think not just of himself but of them as well: “If I take a strong position and somebody takes some action against me, well, okay, I can give up my life for the service of the Lord, but what about my family? What will happen to them?” While he was in this dilemma he came across this purport: “Pure devotees like Narada and Nityananda Prabhu take up the order of the spiritual master as the sustenance of life. They do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives.” And he thought, This is an instruction from Srila Prabhupada.

Then he thought of a story from Persian literature: One morning a wealthy man sent his servant into the market in Baghdad, and while in the bazaar the servant was jostled by Death personified. The servant saw Death look at him in a very menacing way, as if he had come to take him. So the servant panicked and ran back to the master’s house. He told the master what had happened and then decided to flee: “I am not staying here. I am going to Samara.” In the meantime, the master decided to go to the marketplace and take up the matter himself. He found Death personified and said, “You frightened my servant. You jostled him and looked at him in a menacing way, and you completely terrified him.” Death personified replied, “I was not looking at him in a menacing way. I was just surprised to see him here in Baghdad, because this afternoon I have an appointment with him in Samara.” Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu reflected on the story. The narration illustrates the principle of karma, or destiny, that one is bound to get what one is destined. And He thought of Hamlet’s famous lines: “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.” One cannot escape one’s karma.

“Not a whit, we defy augury; there is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. . .If it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all.” So on the material platform, he considered that he would get whatever he was destined, no matter what; he could not escape it. And on the spiritual platform, he knew that he should be ready to do his duty, whatever was required for the service of the spiritual master. “Pure devotees. . . do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives.” Still, he felt that he should present his conclusion to his wife. And when he did, repeating the concerns that others had expressed, she replied immediately: “What!? You can’t let that leader and a couple of goons push this movement around. Anyway, Krishna will protect you.” She was so staunch, so supportive and encouraging.

So yes, all we have to do is stay in the association of devotees and chant our rounds and follow the principles, but at the same time we do have to do our best to serve the mission. And what our best is will vary from person to person. It is not that everyone has to risk their life, or go to China or Africa and open many temples and make many devotees and distribute many books, but we should be prepared to do whatever is required, to our capacity. If our capacity is less, that’s okay. That is not a disqualification. But we must serve to our capacity. We must not hold back. We must not hold back, thinking and calculating, Oh, if I do this for Krishna then I will suffer in this way, or If I give this to Krishna, I will have so much less for myself. Or even, If I go there for Krishna I might gain some personal benefit.

While our Shyamasundara and Malati Prabhu were serving Srila Prabhupada in Bombay, another of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, Krishnadasa, arranged for His Divine Grace to go to Russia. It was about this time of year, June, and as Srila Prabhupada was preparing to leave, Malati said, “Srila Prabhupada, you are leaving just when the mango season is beginning.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “For me, preaching in the snows of Russia is sweeter than any mango.” So that is the idea. A devotee gets so much pleasure from service that he does not consider what is favorable or unfavorable in a particular situation from a material point of view; he just accepts whatever is favorable for devotional service, and in the service he relishes reciprocation with the Lord—with the spiritual master and the Lord. Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: Can you mention some sinful activities? What do you consider sinful activities?

Giriraj Swami: Very good question, very important. Let us begin first with the principle: What is a sinful act? Just like you might ask, What is a crime? By definition, a crime is any action against the laws of the state. Similarly, a sin is any action against the laws of God. There are books, Vedic literatures, that define for us what are the laws of God, the laws of nature. So, any action against the law of God is sinful, and there is a reaction. Take the sin of killing. The Bible also says, “Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not murder.” Now, in killing there are different degrees of offense. Killing a human being is most serious. Killing an animal is less serious, but also serious. Killing a plant is less serious still. But they are all killing. And according to the degree of seriousness of the crime, one suffers the reaction.

The Vedic literatures mention four sinful activities in particular that give rise to all other sinful activities. They are considered the pillars of sinful life. If you take away the pillars of a structure, the structure will collapse. The pillars of sinful life are eating meat, taking intoxicants, having illicit sex, and gambling. If we can avoid these four pillars of sinful life, it becomes easier for us to advance in spiritual life and avoid other types of sinful activity. So, when we talk about the basic requirements for a devotee, they are to chant Hare Krishna and follow the four regulative principles: no eating meat, fish, or eggs; no intoxicants; no gambling; no illicit sex.

Devotee: What is the best thing to do while suffering?

Giriraj Swami: As mentioned in the verse, we should take shelter of Krishna and expect His mercy. This does not mean, however, that if you become ill you should not go to the doctor. We do take normal remedies. That is also part of Krishna consciousness—and to take normal precautions. For example, if I am in India and notice that some water may be infected, I won’t just drink the contaminated water because I think, “This is my destiny; that’s all there is to it.” The devotee considers the body to be Krishna’s property. “This is not my property. This is Krishna’s property. It is meant to be used in Krishna’s service. So I have to take care of it.” If possible, the devotee will arrange to drink purified water—for the sake of Krishna’s service. Suppose there is a temple vehicle. We have to maintain the vehicle in proper running order so that it can do its work for the temple. The body is also a vehicle that we use in Krishna’s service. So, just as we take care of a motor vehicle, we also take care of the physical body. It is also a vehicle. But at the same time, we don’t identify with the body. We don’t think, This is my body. I want to pamper this body so that I can enjoy. We want to take care of the body so that we can use it to serve Krishna. Because we are in the material world, the physical body is always subject to disease, old age, and death. We expect that there will be miseries along with the body. And when the miseries come we do what we can to take care of the body, because it is Krishna’s property and we are Krishna’s servants. So we do have to take care of Krishna’s property. But within ourselves we also know that what we are suffering is a reaction for some sin that we have committed in the past. We tolerate the pain and take shelter of Krishna. We take shelter of God, by chanting or by reading or by associating with devotees or by any other process of devotional service

If someone hits the car, we will take care of the car. We will take it into the shop and try to have it repaired. But we won’t get so disturbed about it that we forget Krishna. Rather than lament, “Oh, someone has dented my car,” it is better to chant. Reversals like this happen all the time. After all, the material world is a dangerous place; there is danger at every step. So in all circumstances, at every moment, we should take shelter of Krishna and chant.

Devotee: A devotee commits a sin after coming to Krishna consciousness and feels guilty about it. What is the remedy? How can his chanting relieve his guilt, or what is the solution to that problem?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it may happen that by accident a devotee commits a sin. Just like when a child is learning to walk, the child might fall down. So the child gets up again and tries to walk. The scriptures tell us that when we do commit a sin by accident, not willingly or willfully, we should repent; we should feel bad—"I did not uphold the principle"—and we should very sincerely resolve not to make the same mistake again, and continue to chant and engage in devotional service. Again, depending on how severe the sin or offense was, we may have to suffer for some time, but that is also Krishna’s mercy, to teach us a lesson so that we do not forget and make the same mistake again.

The basic answer is we repent; we feel sorry for our sin and resolve not to repeat it. And we may take some extra precautions so that we don’t commit the same mistake again, and try even harder to chant nicely so that we cleanse our heart, so that we will have the spiritual strength not to fall again. And Krishna will forgive us. If we accidentally commit a mistake and really repent and resolve not to make the same mistake again, and continue with devotional service, then Krishna will forgive us.

Devotee: I have read in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā and mostly in Srila Prabhupada’s purports that as our devotion becomes more pure the attraction or even the ability to perform sinful activity falls away. So if I am having sinful thoughts, even if I don’t do sinful things, but I have thoughts, is that a reflection of my spiritual practice?

Giriraj Swami: As we advance in Krishna consciousness we do not like to even think of sinful activities, and if our mind does wander into some forbidden territory, then that bothers us. Madhavendra Puri, a great devotee, was so elevated in his consciousness that he would just accept whatever prasāda Krishna sent; he would not even beg. Once, he visited a temple, and the pujaris, the priests, were about to offer some sweet rice to the Deity. Within his mind he thought, “If, without my asking, they give me a little sweet rice, I can taste it and make a similar preparation for my Deity, Gopala.” And he felt ashamed. He considered that he had committed an offense by desiring to eat what was being offered to the Deity. So he immediately left the temple and went to a vacant place in the village and began to chant. That is how sincere and pure and elevated he was.

But the Deity did not see it the way Madhavendra Puri saw it. The Deity thought, “He is such a pure devotee. He just wanted to taste some of My remnants. I must give him some.” That night the Deity came in a dream and told the pujari, “I have hid a pot of sweet rice for Madhavendra Puri. You will find him sitting in the vacant marketplace. Please deliver this pot of sweet rice to him.” So, Madhavendra Puri was so sincere and so earnest that he had condemned himself just for that thought. But the Deity knew that he was pure and had condemned himself only out of humility. So the Deity sent him the pot of sweet rice. And that temple is still there, the Kṣīra-corā Gopīnātha temple, where the Deity hid the sweet rice for Madhavendra Puri.

So that is what devotees are like; they do not tolerate any fault within themselves. Of course, even if you do commit an offense, you should not get depressed, or discouraged from performing devotional service. On a very high platform, the devotee does not even want to think about sinful activities. But for us, if we avoid them, even if we sometimes think of them, it’s good enough. In Kali-yuga in particular, if one just thinks of a sinful activity but does not engage in it, he is not punished.

Devotee: Maharaja, Krishna says, “Even if one commits the most abominable sinful activity and still he is engaged in My service, then he is considered to be saintly.” So even if the person commits sin, still he is considered to be saintly?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. You are referring to the verse (Bg 9.30):

api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

“If someone is fully engaged in devotional service and by chance engages in sinful activities, he is still to be considered saintly.” It is the same idea. You are in the battlefield. You are serving Krishna, and somehow you stumble and fall. Even then, you are a hero. You are still a hero. You are in Krishna consciousness. You haven’t given up the fight. So to find fault with a devotee for an accidental fall down is inappropriate; it is against Krishna’s instructions. So we should not find fault with the devotee: “Oh, he was in the battlefield and he tripped and fell.” He is in the battlefield. He is fighting for Krishna. He is a hero. It doesn’t matter that he fell down.

Devotee: Maharaja, one question. A poor man comes to the temple and asks Krishna to make him rich. And a rich man comes to the temple and asks Krishna to make him richer. But the poor remains poor and the rich becomes poor. Both have resentment against Krishna. How do you solve that?

Giriraj Swami: How would you solve it? [laughter] My solution is that you chant Hare Krishna and forget about becoming rich. Become rich in Krishna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande ki jaya!