Japa Retreat—Questions and Answer Day 02

Giriraj Swami: Well, she says that in the beginning, we were told to put all our problems and issues in the box and forget about them, but some of them keep coming to mind. Well, there are different levels of approach, but generally, when we chant, we have to just let go of all those problems and issues and just focus on the holy name, and we have to have faith that the holy name will. . . Yes, our real business is to take shelter of the holy name and develop our relationship with the holy name, and that the holy name, or Krishna, can solve any problem better than we can on our own. It can give us a better solution than we can get on our own. So, we should have that faith and just let it go. I assume it is something that can wait until after the retreat, right? [laughter]

Devotees: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, just let it go, just let it go. Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, I have a question. We are asked to do japa in a group, which increases our devotion if we chant in a group. Sometimes it becomes too noisy and you can’t focus on your own japa. So, my question is, is it okay if we can chant all by ourselves? And if yes, is it okay if we do that at the beginning of coming into Krishna consciousness, or are there stages where we can chant by ourselves?

Giriraj Swami: She says we were advised to chant in the group because the effect will be greater in the group, but when there is loud chanting in the group, she can’t hear her own japa. So, is it alright if she leaves the group and chants on her own?

Well, there are definite advantages to chanting in the group, but one of the disadvantages is when the sound of the other devotees chanting interferes with your hearing of your own chanting. And in this regard, devotees have used earplugs to keep the sound of the other devotees chanting away. So, I think that is a pretty good solution, because there is a good energy from the concerted effort of the devotees to chant with attention, but certainly, you want to be able to hear your own mantras. So, I think earplugs could help. But it is better, by and large, it is better to chant in a group. Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, [Unintelligible 00:04:34]?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we heard that Srila Prabhupada said that one meaning of the maha-mantra is, “Krishna, please accept me.” There are degrees of being accepted. He has already accepted you. Otherwise, how could you be chanting? How could you be in Barsana? How can you be in the japa retreat? So, He has already accepted you. But there are degrees of being accepted by Krishna, and as we progress, we could pray to be accepted in more intimate service. And how do you know whether you have been accepted? Well, you will know. It is like Prabhupada said, “If you have eaten a meal and you feel satisfied and nourished, you don’t have to ask the waiter, ‘Am I satisfied?’ You yourself will know.” So, of course, you have been accepted, but there are degrees of acceptance. Yes, Lalita devi.

Devotee: Guru Maharaja, earlier you were mentioning the point of sadhu-nindā, even subtle ones will take away [Unintelligible 00:06:54].

Giriraj Swami: Well, she said that by committing subtle offenses against devotees we can lose our taste. But yes, we do distinguish between devotees that we want to come closer to. But in that process, what really determines if we are committing an offense or not is whether we are having offensive thoughts towards the people that we don’t want to be close to. You can decide not to be close to a particular devotee, or not to make a special effort to be close to a particular devotee without being offensive. But you could also do it in a way that is offensive. You could think about it in a way that is offensive. As far as someone having done something that hurt you on a very deep level and being unable to forget it, well, that comes from identifying with the body. Because what could they do to hurt you? And even if you think they did hurt you, Krishna is the cause of all causes, so you are seeing them independent of Krishna, but nothing is independent of Krishna. So you can’t really blame them.

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja. How can we develop the mood of being the servant of the holy name? [Unintelligible 00:09:39].

Giriraj Swami: Yes. How can we develop the mood of being the servant of the holy name?

Well, first we have to understand that we are, that is our constitutional position, jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa, we are the eternal servant of Krishna. Krishna and the holy name are the same, so we are the eternal servant of the holy name, and we serve the holy name by spending time with the holy name, chanting the holy name, hearing the holy name. We serve the holy name by spreading the saṅkīrtana movement, by engaging others in chanting the holy name, and we serve the holy name by serving the other servants of the holy name and assisting them in their service to the holy name. So, there are so many ways in which we can serve the holy name and the other servants of the holy name.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:11:10]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we should hear. Our focus should be on hearing the holy name, but if we are reading Srila Prabhupada’s books about Krishna, about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, or even books about Srila Prabhupada such as Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, then when we chant without making a separate effort to remember the form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord and His devotees, we may naturally remember that. But we are not advised to make a separate effort, that while we are chanting, we make a separate effort to remember the form and qualities and pastimes. But if we are reading about them, hearing about them, then naturally, if we chant nicely, they may automatically come into our mind without our making a separate endeavor. Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, when we hear about the pastimes, sometimes when we hear the holy names, we hear about it as a personality, as nāma Prabhu. But actually, my realization is up to the level of it being a transcendent sound vibration. So, having the knowledge of it being a personality but not having the realization is actually some sort of obstacle, unless we realize it becomes developing that faith. So, how can we develop that faith of it actually being a personality?

Giriraj Swami: He says, I am paraphrasing, we may have theoretical knowledge that the holy name is Krishna, but we may not have the realization.

Well, the realization will come by the endeavor to chant with attention. Krishna will reveal Himself as a living person, and then the holy name will reveal Himself as a living person. You are chanting, you are praying to the holy name, you are trying to develop your relationship with the holy name, and He will reciprocate. But reading about the holy name also helps, hearing about the holy name helps, discussing about the holy name helps, those are all favorable. And associating with people who have more faith in the holy name, more taste, that also helps. And pray, pray, “I have heard this, I haven’t experienced it.” But then again, Srila Prabhupada said, “In the beginning, we chant as a matter of duty, and the other things will follow, if we just do our duty.”

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. A devotee cheated another devotee. How long he should be polite and humble to him?

Giriraj Swami: One devotee cheats another devotee. So, how long should he be polite and humble?

Well, it is a very specific type of question, but generally, we don’t want to instruct a devotee unless we feel it will have a good effect. If we know that speaking to the devotee will not have a good effect, then why should we do it? And it could be a matter of our own false ego or anger. If we are not in a position to correct the devotee or instruct the devotee, we could approach someone who is in a position to correct or instruct the devotee, and present the situation and see if that person will speak to the devotee. It really depends who the devotee is, what your relationship with the devotee is, what the magnitude of the cheating is, what the spiritual position of the devotee is. There are many variables. Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:18:00] to do devotional service much more than their bodies can take, their family life can take, and much, much more. And at the cost of falling ill or damaging their body or spoiling relationships in the family. So, does this kind of devotional service really please Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: She says that a devotee may extend himself or herself more than his body can take, and he might fall sick, or more than his family members or her family members can accept. So, does this kind of devotional service please Krishna?

Well, that is the question, does it please Krishna or not? Sometimes we make a decision. Every decision has its advantages and disadvantages. In life we always make decisions where we gain on one side and we lose on another side. So, as a devotee, ultimately we want to please Krishna, and it is a matter of degree, “How much will it please Krishna if I do something that upsets someone in the family? How much will it disturb my service if the family is upset? How much benefit will I get by doing this service even at the cost of my health? How much will my service be affected later if my health suffers?” If there is a good opportunity to preach to some people and you stay up late to preach, and then the next day you are tired. But then again, if you get a good night’s sleep the following night, and then the day after that, you are in good condition, well, you might consider it is worth it. It is worth making that sacrifice. The same thing with the family members, how upset are they going to be?

One day, my sister invited me for dinner. I think it was just before I was leaving for India last year, and she really went out of her way to cook everything according to my diet and she really tried to please me with everything she cooked. But I had assumed that my secretary would have informed her that it was Ekādaśī. She knows very well what Ekādaśī is, but my secretary didn’t inform her, so she made this whole meal especially for me with all of her care and devotion, and it was not for Ekādaśī. And my cousins were also invited, and it was very tense because she let me know how much effort she put into it and how much care she took. And I just really thought about it carefully, and I concluded that if I broke Ekādaśī, of course, I would have made it up the next day, but I concluded that if I broke Ekādaśī, I would be disturbed. So, that would not be a good thing, even for the evening with the family. And I considered if I don’t break Ekādaśī, even though my sister will be upset temporarily, but ultimately, it will be the better decision. So, I praised her for all the effort she put into it, and I told her how beautiful all the preparations looked, and I was feasting through my eyes, at all the different colors and textures. I tried to make her feel good. There were a couple of things, I had broccoli and a few little things. But afterwards, my cousin said to me, “You passed the test.” [laughter]

So, sometimes you don’t know how people will react. Yes, it really depends how big of a sacrifice you are being asked to make in terms of Krishna consciousness; how much of a sacrifice in terms of family life. In that case, I thought it would have been a much bigger loss to break Ekādaśī than to disappoint my sister by not eating the feast she prepared. Ultimately, it may come to that point. Anyway, you know the story of Prabhupada and his wife. Sometimes it comes to that, but that is extreme. Alright.

Devotee: Maharaja, you mentioned that we should chant and not be in the bodily platform. So, how do we actually do that?

Giriraj Swami: How do we chant and not be in the bodily platform?

Well, we have to hear the philosophy. Every day at lunchtime, I listen to a lecture of Srila Prabhupada’s, and I have been listening to the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, kṣetra kṣetrajña, the field of activities and the knower of the field. So, I was thinking, “Because we are in the japa retreat, maybe I should shift to Prabhupada speaking on the Sixth Canto about Ajamila and the holy name.” But the lecture on the Thirteenth Chapter was all about ‘you are not the body,’ which is really the basis of offenseless chanting. So, hearing and understanding, this is called sambandha-jñāna, that is a prerequisite, and you need to hear; read, hear, to be convinced. And various practices also help us realize that we are not the body. Srila Prabhupada said that deity worship helps you realize you are not the body. So many practices will help you realize you are not the body.

Devotee: Maharaja, [Unintelligible 00:27:27]?

Giriraj Swami: Well, there was a time when I was in Mauritius, and there was no hot water, and it was really cold water. And so, when that cold water was pouring on my body, I realized I am not the body. [laughter] So, although performance of austerity per se is not part of our process, but through the performance of austerity, you can come to realize that you are not the body. But it shouldn’t be austerity for the sake of austerity, it should be austerity in the line of service. So, there was no hot water, and I had to get to maṅgala-ārati. Another example, so many examples, but often, especially in the early days, when we were serving in India when we had very little facility, when I was in a materially uncomfortable situation, I felt the closest to Srila Prabhupada because the only reason I was where I was and doing what I was doing was for the sake of Srila Prabhupada’s service. There is no question that I was there for the sake of sense gratification because from the material point of view, it was a very difficult situation to be in.

So, voluntarily accepting a miserable condition for the sake of service helps reaffirm that you are not the body. And chanting, that is the main thing, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, chanting cleanses the dirt from the mirror of the mind. And the dirt, the basis of the dirt is the conception that, “I am the body.” So, offenseless chanting will remove that. We may not always chant offenselessly, but whatever offenseless chanting we do will help cleanse that dirt. And as that dirt becomes cleansed, then we realize we are not the body, that was just the dirt that was covering the mirror of the mind. And then, when the dust is cleansed, we can see who we are, we can look at the mirror and see who we really are, eternal servants of Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:31:18]

Giriraj Swami: She says that service to the holy name includes giving the holy name to others. So, it may be time to do hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, but at the same time, there might be a class by an advanced devotee, and hearing the class will also inspire us in our service to the holy name. So, what should we do?

Well, we often have such situations where we have to choose between one service and another, all for the same purpose, ultimately to please Krishna. And, we can pray to Krishna within the heart to enlighten us, or we could consult some other devotee, or we can reason it out with our intelligence, what is more important. One calculation could be, “Well, I could go on hari-nāma any day, but it is very rare to hear from this devotee. So, maybe I should hear from this devotee today, and go on hari-nāma the next day and the next day and the next day.” Or it could be that, if you don’t go on hari-nāma, the other devotees will be disappointed, the advanced devotee will be pleased if you go on the hari-nāma. There is no right or wrong.

When Srila Prabhupada revealed to us, or disclosed to us that he might be leaving his body soon, one of the disciples said, “We probably should inform all the devotees because they will want to know that you might be leaving soon.” Prabhupada said, “Yes, you can inform them.” He said, “They all may want to come to Vrindavan to be with you.” Prabhupada said, “Yes, they can come.” And then, one devotee said, “But there may be thousands, how could we accommodate them?” “[Unintelligible 00:34:47] ashram is there.” And then, one devotee said, “But there might be others who feel that they could serve you better and please you more if they stay where they are and distribute books rather than coming to Vrindavan to be with you.” Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, then they can stay, and they can distribute books.” It is not that one is right and one is wrong, there are just different ways of working to the same goal of pleasing Krishna, pleasing Prabhupada.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:35:35]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I mentioned, Srila Prabhupada said that the continuous endeavor to chant without offense is the offenseless state. It is the effort to remove offenses, that is what constitutes the offenseless state. And the pure stage means there are no offences. But the clearing stage, or the offenseless stage, is the stage in which we are making a continuous effort to avoid offenses, to remove offenses.

Devotee: Because there may be some chance, because if we do sixty-four rounds in a day, there may be a chance, out of that sixty-four rounds, we can do sixteen rounds attentively.

Giriraj Swami: So? Even when you are not chanting, you can commit offenses. Inattention while chanting is one offense that you commit while you are chanting, but there are other offenses you commit when you are not chanting. So, you have to be constantly vigilant not to commit offenses, whether you are chanting or not. All these sādhu-nindā, śruti-śāstra-nindanam, guror-avajñā, these are offenses you commit when you are not chanting. So, you have to be endeavoring to avoid offenses all the time. That is what constitutes the clearing stage, or the offenseless stage of chanting.

Devotee: That will help to chant our rounds?

Giriraj Swami: Of course. A lot of how we chant our rounds depends on how we conduct ourselves when we are not chanting. Yes, so every aspect of our life should be such that it is favorable for our chanting. That is true.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:39:07]

Giriraj Swami: She is asking, is it alright to hear the sound of Srila Prabhupada chanting japa in one ear because it helps her?

Well, the real thing is to hear our own japa, but having Srila Prabhupada chanting japa with you can help. I don’t have any experience of what you described. I chant with Srila Prabhupada chanting japa in the background and I find that I could hear my own chanting. I don’t know what it would be like to hear Prabhupada chanting in one ear unless you chant in unison. Are you chanting in time with his chanting, or you are just chanting. . .?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:40:40] [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: Well, if it helps you to hear your own japa, I suppose it is all right. I don’t have any experience with that. I can’t even imagine it, but I guess if it helps you to hear your own japa, then it is all right, it is good.

Devotee: Maharaja, similar question. I chant also like this, and I chant at the same speed like Prabhupada for some rounds, and then I don’t hear myself, I chant very slowly, but I hear Prabhupada speaking at the same time. So, that should not be done? I should be hearing my own voice?

Giriraj Swami: But when you chant with Srila Prabhupada, aren’t you hearing your voice alone with his voice?

Devotee: No, Maharaja, because I am chanting softly at the same pace as Prabhupada, but I am hearing his only because I am soft on mine.

Giriraj Swami: It is a subtle question. Ultimately, the mantra is in the mind. But I heard that once, Srila Prabhupada went into the temple room in Dallas and they were playing his japa tape loudly, and he said, “Why are you playing my japa tape? You should be listening to your japa, not mine.” So, it is good what you described, but I don’t know if it should count as part of your sixteen rounds. Certainly, no harm in it. And japa means we should hear our own voice. All right.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:43:26]

Giriraj Swami: What do you do when you lose your voice?

Devotee: I put the CD on, [Unintelligible 00:43:52]

Giriraj Swami: Well, what some devotees have done when they lose their voice, some people, they lose their voice from time to time, it happens. Some of them record their own japa, so then when they lose their voice, they listen to their own japa. [laughter] Yes. All right, thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Devotee: His Holiness Giriraj Swami ki jaya!