SB 10.14.58 – Final Instructions for Going Back Home—with Mauritian Devotees

Giriraj Swami: I see you are surrounded by beautiful pictures of Deities and a big sign with the maha-mantra. So this is what you have to do now to fix your consciousness completely on Krishna. I was just listening to a talk by Srila Prabhupada yesterday and he was talking about just fixing one’s gaze on the beautiful form of the Lord that even if you are not able to chant or read but if you just fix your eyes on the beautiful form of the Lord and absorb your mind in the beautiful form of the Lord you can be Krishna conscious. And of course devotees are there to chant for you and read to you and devotees all over the world are aware of your wonderful service, the exemplary life you have led up until now and they are getting great inspiration from your example and they are also praying for you and sending their prayers and good wishes and appreciation and affection to you.

I spoke with your family and other devotees yesterday. They are completely fine in all respects. Everything has been arranged and so you are completely free now to just focus on Krishna, Radha and Krishna, Krishna-Balarama, Gaura-Nitai, and our guru-paramparā. So has become a little late but I would like to sing the Nṛsiṁha prayers for you:

[Sings Nṛsiṁhadeva prayers]

So now I would like to sing a beautiful verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The meaning of the verse is that the material world is like a great ocean but for one who takes shelter of the boat of the lotus feet of Krishna the vast ocean of material existence becomes just like a small puddle contained in the hoof print of a cow. Although there is danger at every step in the material world the devotee crosses right over it. His goal is Vaikuntha, the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety, not the material world where there is danger at every step. We actually used to sing this verse every morning in the Boston temple when I first joined. It is a beautiful verse in Sanskrit and the meaning also is sublime.

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ

mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ

bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ

padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

I will read the meaning of each word:

Āśraya, we know the word āśraya: shelter.

The idea is that the lotus feet of Krishna are mahat-padaṁ. Padaṁ here means “shelter.” The lotus feet of Krishna are the shelter of the whole cosmic manifestation and they are also the shelter of great souls who themselves are the shelter of many fallen souls. 

And Srila Prabhupada’s translation:

“For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.”

So this verse describes your situation. By taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord which is the shelter of the whole cosmic manifestation the vast ocean of material existence becomes just like the water in the hoof print of a calf. And your goal is paraṁ padaṁ, the spiritual world where there are no miseries, not the material world where there is danger at every step. So this is the most critical time in a person’s life, the time when the soul can actually achieve the supreme destination of the spiritual world. 

We love you. You have been such an example. For years you would use all of your spare time just for Krishna conscious activities. In the morning you would chant your rounds and I guess read and worship, do ārati, and then when you would return home from work you would bathe, honor prasāda, complete your rounds, and read. Whenever you had spare time you would read Srila Prabhupada’s books. So for your whole life in Krishna consciousness you have been preparing yourself, not only preparing yourself, but showing an example for others, but preparing yourself so that at the end of life you would have no other activity and no other preoccupation besides Krishna consciousness. 

The period prior to leaving the body can be very painful physically and of course we also feel pain when we see you in pain but the pain also can be an impetus to fix the mind on Krishna. We had the experience with Mother Arca-Vigraha who was in terrible pain from the cancer but the only thing that would give her relief was hearing the pastimes of Krishna, hearing the words of Krishna and it was amazing, she could be in agony but as soon as there was some discussion of Krishna, some reading about Krishna, she would fix her mind on that subject and her mind would not be on the pain and instead of being in terrible agony she was actually in bliss. So pain also serves a purpose. It helps us to become detached from the material body and it teaches us to find relief in the lotus feet of Krishna.

So you know these things, I don’t have to tell you, but the topic itself is relishable, all topics of Krishna are relishable. So discussing the process of fixing the mind on Krishna, the wondrous effects of fixing the mind on Krishna is also a relishable topic for discussion. And of course, chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Today also I listened to Srila Prabhupada singing a song of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, gāy gorā madhur sware, and at the end Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that at the end of life we should take shelter of the holy names of the Lord. In fact, he says that all of us are approaching the end—we do not know how much time we have so in a way all of us are approaching the end—and therefore we should take shelter of the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

So would anyone like to say anything?

Devotee (1): Guru Maharaja, this evening I read the Introduction to your book that you sent, I read it to Prabhu and he listened very intently.

Giriraj Swami: Good. As far as the pain killers, the whole idea is that Baladeva’s consciousness should be free to think of Krishna. So the pain can sometimes be a distraction but the painkillers themselves the way they affect the consciousness can also make the situation worse so it is really a delicate balance—not too much and not too little. Whatever it takes so that his mind can be the most free to think of Krishna. I don’t know what’s available there and I don’t know how bad the pain is but certainly if he can tolerate it and fix his mind on Krishna that is the best but if the pain itself becomes too much then some intervention that won’t affect his consciousness too much would be helpful

All right Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu, you know we have so much respect and adoration for you. You have been so exemplary during your life and you are exemplary now. We really offer our respects to you and I really want to spend more time with you. So we will try to start earlier so that we can spend more time together chanting and hearing and remembering Krishna. 

I will try to phone back as soon as possible. There is no harm in having a shorter call also and then when the circumstances are favorable I would be happy to spend a lot of time with you. Hare Krishna.

Sri Sri Radha-Goloka Nanda ki jaya!
Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

I am very encouraged as I said the other day I am very encouraged how you are coming forward.

Krsna-candra dasa: Thank you very much for caring at this final stage we are [hearing] so much directly from Guru Maharaja which will put in our heart for Baladeva and other devotees in course of time.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it is very good, it is important, it is essential that we support each other at all times and in all respects and especially at the end of life that is the most important time. I am also encouraged by the way you all are coming forward to support Baladeva Prabhu and his family.

Thank you all.