SB 10.5.6 – Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So, I congratulate you all for being here on the auspicious occasion of Balarama-purnima. It is a great fortune to celebrate the appearance of Lord Balarama because it indicates that one has come to Krishna consciousness, which is the greatest fortune possible for any living entity. Lord Balarama can be seen from different angles of vision. In terms of tattva, or spiritual existence, He is the first expansion of Lord Krishna. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains that the Absolute Truth is realized in three features; impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Impersonal Brahman is a realization of the sat feature of the Lord, eternity. One knows only that one is not the body, one is ātmā and one is eternal, and one wants to merge into the Supreme Brahman, that’s all.

More advanced than the jnanis, who want to realize Brahman, are the yogis, who want to realize Paramātmā, the Supersoul within the heart. And they experience sat and cit. Cit means knowledge. They know at least that the individual soul and the Supreme Soul are eternal. And the Paramātmā has form.

But everyone wants bliss, as Srila Prabhupada so nicely explained in yesterday morning’s class, everyone wants happiness. And happiness comes in relationship, and that is possible only with Bhagavān, with Krishna. And therefore, Srila Prabhupada left India, crossed the ocean, and came initially to America, to inform us about our eternal, blissful, spiritual relationship with Krishna. In fact, tomorrow is the day on the Vaishnava calendar that we commemorate Srila Prabhupada’s leaving India to come to America. And that desire to give us happiness, to give us the possibility for happiness is what motivated him.

Srila Prabhupada was living in Andheri, which is near Juhu because Srimati Sumati Morarji had offered him a free passage on one of her steamships to come to America. And so, he was staying at the Scindia Workers’ Colony in Andheri. And one of the officers of the company said to Srila Prabhupada, “I know why you want to go to America. You want to see the sights and enjoy. That’s why everyone from India wants to go to America.” Of course, he was joking. And Srila Prabhupada replied, “What have I got to enjoy? This life is almost finished. But I know there is a generation of young people who are confused and frustrated, and I want to see that they become happy.”

So, that was his purpose, and the method was to give us Krishna consciousness. Of course, in broad terms, Krishna consciousness could be a synonym for bhakti. And bhakti is both the means and the end. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā, that bhakti comes bhakti. And our acharyas have explained bhakti comes from bhakti means that prema-bhakti, the perfection, comes from sādhana-bhakti. So, bhakti is the means and the end. So, when we say that we have come to Krishna consciousness, we have come at least to the practice of sādhana-bhakti, and we hope that by diligent practice and divine mercy, we will achieve the goal.

So, Lord Balarama is considered the original spiritual master. Why? The spiritual master has two functions; to give knowledge of Krishna, and to serve Krishna. Naturally, Lord Balarama, being the first expansion of Krishna, would be the first to give knowledge of Krishna. Of course, Krishna Himself does, and in points, you could say Krishna is the original spiritual master in terms of giving knowledge of Krishna, but Balarama is the first expansion so he is the first, also. But the spiritual master has another function, which is to serve Krishna.

In fact, once in Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada asked the devotees, “What is the duty of the spiritual master?” And different devotees gave different answers, and then finally, Srila Prabhupada himself gave the answer, “The duty of the spiritual master is to serve Krishna, and the duty of the disciple is to assist the spiritual master.” And he gave the example that the spiritual master is responsible for the proper running of the temple. So, actually, it’s the duty of the spiritual master, as service to Krishna, to see that the temple is clean. It’s actually the duty of the spiritual master to wash the floor of the temple. But because it’s the duty of the disciples to assist the spiritual master, they will wash the floor of the temple. And the same principle applies to every service; cooking, cleaning, managing, keeping accounts, publishing books, distributing books. Those activities were Srila Prabhupada’s service to Krishna, and we are assisting him.

So, in terms of tattva, Balarama is the first expansion of Krishna, Bhagavān, and he is also the original spiritual master. There is a verse in the Vedas, bala hina, it means without strength, which comes from Balarama, one cannot make spiritual advancement. Now, as the servant of Krishna, Lord Balarama’s desire is so strong to serve, that He serves Him in different relationships. Of course, with the spiritual master, the relationship is servant to master. There could be a touch of reverential friendship, but mainly, it is servant to master. But in Vrindavan, there are very wonderful intimate relationships. And even in Vrindavan, the relationship of servant is very intimate, and friend, and parent, and even a lover.

So, Lord Balarama, He serves Krishna as a servant. Because He is the first expansion, so naturally, the expansions serve the origin. Caitanya-candrāmṛta explains that every living entity within existence has the sentiment of service to Krishna, even Krishna’s direct expansions. And Balarama has that mood of wanting to serve Krishna. And it’s described that sometimes when Krishna is tired, Balarama will massage His feet. Such a sweet relationship. As friends, as brothers, they enjoy the reciprocation of sākhya-rasa, going out to the pasturing fields with the cows and enjoying playing in the forest of Vrindavan. And because Balarama is the older brother, there’s also an element of parental affection. And sometimes Mother Yasoda will tell Balarama, “Now, make sure that Krishna eats His meals in time.”

So, there’s that aspect. But Balarama’s desire to serve Krishna extends even to mādhurya-rasa, the conjugal relationship. But no one can serve Krishna in mādhurya-rasa unless he or she has the body of a gopī, the form of a gopī. And therefore, Balarama expanded as Ananga Manjari, the younger sister of Srimati Radharani. And thus, as Ananga Manajari, He is able to serve Krishna even in mādhurya-rasa. And of course, Their pastimes continue when They go to Mathura and Dvaraka, but I thought to focus a little more on Vrindavan, because Vrindavan is the place of the most intimate pastimes, and the goal of devotees in the Gauḍīya-sampradāya.

And as I was reading some of the descriptions of Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavan, as if I was reading it for the first time, I thought, I would really like to go there, it sounds just perfect. And I thought how different companies or different states have their travel brochures and books telling you about the features of the place to attract you to come. Of course, generally, their motive is to get you to come and spend money; spend money on your air tickets, spend money on your hotels, spend money in the shops. But in Vrindavan, there is no selfish motive, everyone just wants to serve Krishna and please Krishna and expand Krishna’s pleasure by bringing more people to Him.

So, I will read one brief section from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Fifteen, about a loving exchange of words between Krishna and Balarama. And it shows the mood, which we all can adopt, of encouraging each other and appreciating each other in Krishna consciousness.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

So, Krishna and Balarama are walking through the forest of Vrindavan, and Lord Krishna. . . Well, I’ll just read the translations, it’s just so nice. This is Text Two.

TEXT 2

Thus desiring to enjoy pastimes, Lord Mādhava, sounding His flute, surrounded by cowherd boys who were chanting His glories, and accompanied by Lord Baladeva, kept the cows before Him and entered the Vṛndāvana forest, which was full of flowers and rich with nourishment for the animals.

TEXT 3

The Supreme Personality of Godhead looked over that forest, which resounded with the charming sounds of bees, animals and birds, and which was enhanced by a lake whose clear water resembled the minds of great souls and by a breeze carrying the fragrance of hundred-petaled lotuses. Seeing all this, Lord Kṛṣṇa decided to enjoy the auspicious atmosphere.

COMMENT

So, every aspect of Vrindavan is meant to please the senses of the Lord. And as Srila Prabhupada often said, “The servant of the king enjoys almost on the same level as the king.” So, when we go to Vrindavan, when we are so fortunate to go to Vrindavan, we, as servants of Krishna and Balarama, will enjoy the atmosphere of Vrindavan like Krishna and Balarama, with Them. So, it is mentioned here, the sounds of the bees, animals, and birds. So, that music; that chirping of the birds and humming of the bees, sometimes when we are in a musical mood, we hum a tune, so the bees also hum. So, they also are creating music; the bees, the birds, and the other animals. So, that is pleasing to the sense of hearing. And the breezes, which carry moisture from the lake, create a very pleasing sensation on the skin. So, that is the sense of touch. And then, the beautiful flowers give pleasure to the eyes. Of course, everything in Vrindavan can actually give pleasure to the eyes. And the fragrance from the flowers, hundred-petaled lotus flowers and other flowers give pleasure to the nose, the sense of smell. And the acharyas say that that wind, which carries the moisture from the lake, even gives pleasure to the tongue, it’s like a scented spray. So, every sense is satisfied by the Vrindavan atmosphere.

TEXT 4

The primeval Lord saw that the stately trees, with their beautiful reddish buds and their heavy burden of fruits and flowers, were bending down to touch His feet with the tips of their branches. Thus He smiled gently and addressed His elder brother.

COMMENT

Now, this could be a question of vision. For example, the mahā-bhāgavata, the most advanced devotee, he sees everyone is serving Krishna. But that is a high vision, but it is also true, because everything that exists is either Krishna or Krishna’s energy. And when one serves Krishna’s energy, one is also indirectly serving Krishna. So, the mahā-bhāgavata, he sees that everyone is serving Krishna, except himself. But they may not have the consciousness of serving Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada gives the example that in the prison, the prisoners are also serving the state. Sometimes they’re engaged in breaking stones and laying roads, doing hard labor. So, they’re also serving the state, but by force. Whereas the free citizens, they also serve the state, but voluntarily. But they’re all serving, by force or by choice, they’re serving. So, the mahā-bhāgavata, he doesn’t consider the consciousness, he just sees that they’re serving. But in Vrindavan, everything has the consciousness of serving Krishna. It's not just the perspective of the viewer, but it’s a fact that the trees actually do want to serve Krishna and Balarama, they actually want to bow down to Them and offer their fruits to Them. And Krishna is seeing that, and in a sort of light-hearted mood, He addressed His older brother in Text Five.

TEXT 5

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O greatest of Lords, just see how these trees are bowing their heads at Your lotus feet, which are worshipable by the immortal demigods. The trees are offering You their fruits and flowers to eradicate the dark ignorance that has caused their birth as trees.

COMMENT

Now, this is also a very subtle description. Actually, the trees in Vrindavan are conscious and full of love for Krishna. They are not in the darkness of ignorance like ordinary trees in the material world, but they feel that they have taken birth as trees because of their offenses. And why do they have that feeling? They have that feeling out of the mood of separation. The mood of separation is central to Krishna consciousness. And in the mood of separation, one feels that because one is so low, he or she has been denied the association of Krishna. And so, the trees, they are not able to walk like the cowherd boys and accompany Krishna and Balarama in Their excursions in the forest. They have to stand still, waiting for that moment when Krishna and Balarama will come. So, they spend a lot of time in separation. And considering their plight in separation, they condemn themselves, “We’re so offensive, we can’t be like the cowherd boys and accompany Krishna and Balarama. We are just condemned.” But they have that desire to serve.

And Lord Krishna, understanding their mentality, releases an ocean of mercy, dina-bandho jagat-pate, He is an ocean. he krsna karuna-sindhu, He is an ocean of mercy. So, He wanted to encourage the trees, and therefore, He praised them. He looked lovingly at them, and He praised them to His older brother. We already read that about how He praised the trees, “They’re offering their fruits and flowers to You and bowing their heads at Your lotus feet.” Then, he speaks about the bees.

TEXT 6

O Original Personality, these bees must all be great sages and most elevated devotees of Yours, for they are worshiping You by following You along the path and chanting Your glories, which are themselves a holy place for the entire world.

COMMENT

We’ll get to that but I’ll read it again.

TEXT 6

. . . they are worshiping You by following You along the path and chanting Your glories, which are themselves a holy place for the entire world.

COMMENT

Of course, you could say the path is a holy place. But as our acharyas explained, the glories are a holy place, tīrtham.

TEXT 6 (continued)

Though You have disguised Yourself within this forest, O sinless one, they refuse to abandon You, their worshipable Lord.

COMMENT

And this is such a nice purport, I will read it.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word gūḍham is significant in this verse. It indicates that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Kṛṣṇa or Balarāma appears like an ordinary human being within the material world, great sages always recognize the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. All the transcendental forms of Godhead are eternal and full of bliss and knowledge, exactly the opposite of our material bodies, which are temporary and full of misery and ignorance.

COMMENT

So, we hear about Krishna and Balarama, we learn that Krishna is the Original Personality of Godhead, and Balarama is the first expansion. But if They were to disguise Themselves as ordinary human beings, we probably wouldn’t recognize Them. And muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ, even great demigods are illusioned by the appearance of Krishna as an ordinary cowherd boy. And we know from the pastime of Lord Brahma stealing the cows, He couldn’t believe that this cowherd was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And same with Indra when he sent rain to punish the inhabitants of Vrindavan. But Krishna is glorifying the bees, “They know that You, Balarama, are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore, they are following You and singing Your glories.”

So, the way Krishna is encouraging, of course, He is encouraging His older brother Balarama, but He is also encouraging the trees and the bees out of love for them. They’re serving Him out of love, and He is reciprocating out of love. So, we should not consider any service that any living entity renders to be insignificant. This, of course, can happen when we are absorbed in obsession with ourselves, which many of us are, most of the time. That is false ego. And Srila Prabhupada told this story about Hanuman and the spider. Now, there is a little question here, because the Rāmāyaṇa speaks about a squirrel. And this is one of the phenomenons of the early days of ISKCON, that the devotees were not used to Srila Prabhupada’s accent. And I would say maybe his Indian way of speaking, if you will, was more pronounced when he first came, and they had little, or in most cases no background in the philosophy or the histories.

So, it’s possible that Srila Prabhupada said squirrel, but they heard spider. And so, it was passed around ISKCON, Hanuman and the spider. But that’s fine, the purport of the story is the same. And out of respect for that, we will be fair to both. But I first heard it as a spider.

So, Lord Rama had come to the shore of the ocean, and he wanted to cross the ocean to reclaim Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana. And so, Hanuman and the other monkeys were heaving these huge boulders into the ocean, and the ocean, or you can say Lord Rama’s potency, were making the boulders float. And so, they were making a bridge. And so, Hanuman is lifting these huge boulders and heaping them into the ocean, and there’s this little spider/ squirrel flicking grains of sand or dust into the ocean. And so, Hanuman chastised that spider and said, “What are you doing? You’re getting in my way. Can’t you see I am throwing these big boulders into the ocean? And what are you doing? You’re just getting in my way.”

So, Lord Rama overheard this talk, and He was not pleased. He intervened and he said, “Hanuman, you are serving me to your capacity, and this spider is serving me to his or her capacity. So, in my eyes, both of your services are equal, because each of you is serving to your capacity. And besides, I’m the one who’s making the boulders float. Why are you taking the credit?” So, He sort of chided him. So, this is very important, to appreciate every person’s devotion and every person’s service, however small we might think it is.

And Srila Prabhupada actually exhibited that. I’m sure there are many, many examples, but I’ll quote one from Juhu, or the Juhu scheme. But, at the time, the devotees were still struggling, Srila Prabhupada was still struggling to get the permission to build the temple in Juhu. And there was no place for Prabhupada to stay on Hare Krishna Land in Juhu. And one of Srila Prabhupada’s staunch devotees, grihastha devotees, Mr. P. L. Sethi—he was building a house in the Juhu scheme, just behind the Hare Krishna Land, and he offered Srila Prabhupada that he could stay there. It wasn’t fully finished and it wasn’t furnished, but it was something. So, we brought some very basic furniture for Srila Prabhupada, and he was staying there on the second floor.

And one morning, Prabhupada was sitting behind his low table, speaking to the important devotees. And a laborer came to the door, and he was recognizable as a laborer because he was just wearing a little white gamucha, but probably not a gamucha, but just a little white piece of cloth, a short dhoti or a lungi. And you could see he was very muscular from labor and had a sort of dark complexion. And somehow, he came into the house and walked upstairs, and came to the door of Srila Prabhupada’s room. And everyone looked at him, and we didn't know what was going to happen. And he walked up to Prabhupada’s desk, and he placed a bunch of flowers on the table and bowed his head down and walked out.

And Srila Prabhupada was so moved by that, he was actually choked up, he couldn’t speak. He was having an important discussion with some leaders, he couldn’t speak. And he quoted this verse, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, and he said, “Who is this person? You don’t know who is this person? How did he know I was here? How did he know where to find me? How did he get the idea to pick those flowers? And where did he find those flowers?” And Prabhupada was just so struck by that simple laborer’s act of devotion. And then, he said, “I’m just an ordinary living being. So, I’m overwhelmed by this devotion. And Krishna is so great. Even He is overwhelmed by the simple act of devotion of offering a leaf or a flower.”

So, that is the Lord’s and the pure devotee’s nature. All of us are meant to appreciate any little act of service. So, yes, Krishna was glorifying the trees, now He’s glorifying the bees. Now, coming back to the word tirtha.

PURPORT (continued)

One meaning of the word tīrtha is “the means for crossing beyond material existence.” Simply by hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord or by chanting them, one immediately comes to the spiritual platform, beyond material existence. Thus the Lord’s transcendental glories are here described as a tīrtha for everyone in the world.

COMMENT

So, we experience this too. When there’s some talk of Krishna, we forget hunger and thirst. HH Krishna dasa Swami, I don’t even know how old he is, he’s a very elderly Indian preacher, sannyasi, but he’s quite sick. But when he speaks about Krishna, something takes over him. He doesn’t feel his age or his infirmity, but he’s just so powerful.

I mean, this is just to illustrate the point, not about me, but I have various Deities in my temple room in Santa Barbara. And sometimes people come at somewhat odd hours, and I might not feel that energetic. But I feel, They’ve come, at least I should introduce them to the Deities. And as soon as I start speaking about the Deities. . . I think, There are so many Deities, I’ll just speak about one. I say, “Well, I’ll tell you about that one.” Pretty soon, hours passed and I didn’t even notice it. I’m sure we all experienced that, and that’s because kṛṣṇa-kathā elevates us to a different platform. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that when one hears the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā from pure devotees, one becomes free from hunger, thirst, and lamentation.

Then, gāyantaḥ.

PURPORT (continued)

The word gāyantaḥ indicates that great sages give up their vows of silence and other selfish processes to glorify the activities of the Supreme Lord.

COMMENT

So, this is also very much Prabhupada’s mood, and Prahlada Maharaja’s mood, naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās. And he mentions that, maunaṁ caranti, that generally, saintly people avoid the towns and cities, and wander in the forests and mountains, observing vows of silence. But Prahlada Maharaja says, “I am not like them. I do not want to go back home, back to Godhead alone, but I want to bring as many of these fools and rascals with me. And that was Prahlada’s mood, and that was Srila Prabhupada’s mood. And therefore, he left Vrindavan, the beautiful, enchanted land of Vrindavan, and came to New York City and Boston and San Francisco and Los Angeles, major cities all over the world. So, that vow of silence is considered a selfish desire. So, Lord Krishna, using the example of the bees, is saying, “They are like great sages who have given up their vow of silence and are following You, Balarama, chanting Your glories.” And so, yes, that’s our position, that’s our life.

Once, I went to Bombay City from Juhu, and I came back and I was quite enlivened and enthusiastic from the trip, and Srila Prabhupada said, “How was the preaching?” And so, I said, “Srila Prabhupada, I like this preaching.” And Prabhupada said, “Not, ‘I like this preaching.’ This preaching is my life.” So, it’s not something we like, “I like rasagullā,” but it’s our life.

PURPORT (continued)

The word gāyantaḥ indicates that great sages give up their vows of silence and other selfish processes to glorify the activities of the Supreme Lord. Real silence means to not speak nonsense, to limit one’s verbal activities to those sounds, statements and discussions relevant to the loving service of the Supreme Lord.

COMMENT

So, we should be aware of this, we should avoid prajalpaḥ, one of the six items that destroys bhakti, and we should also be sensitive to time and place, even in kṛṣṇa-kathā. His Holiness Ṛtadhvaja Swami has been staying with me for about two months. And so, we like to chant japa together, and actually, the more the merrier. So, sometimes he’ll want to say something to me, and I’m pretty sure it’s not prajalpaḥ, it’s Krishna conscious, but it’s like our time for japa. So, when he has that urge, he sort of preaches to himself, and he immediately quotes the verse vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ, “I gotta control this vāco vegaṁ and not disturb Maharaja.” Sometimes, if it is really necessary, he says, “Forgive me for being a japa terrorist, disturbing the japa.” [laughter]

PURPORT (continued)

Real silence means to not speak nonsense, to limit one’s verbal activities to those sounds, statements and discussions relevant to the loving service of the Supreme Lord.

COMMENT

Now, this next verse is very important and significant.

PURPORT (continued)

The word anagha…

COMMENT

Do any scholars know what the literal meaning of anagha means? It means sinless. Agha means sin, like Aghasura. Agha means sin, and anagha means sinless.

PURPORT (continued)

The word anagha indicates that the Supreme Lord never performs sinful or offensive activities.

COMMENT

It’s in the Īśopaniṣad, [Unintelligible 00:55:32], he is sinless.

PURPORT (continued)

The word also indicates that the Lord immediately excuses a sin or offense committed by a sincere loving devotee who may accidentally deviate from the Lord’s service.

COMMENT

So, we see the contrast that the Lord, Krishna, if there is even a slight service performed, or even a slight desire to render service, He makes a big thing out of it. And if a devotee accidently commits a sin, He makes light of it. So, of course, when one is in a position of management, one has to maintain discipline. And therefore, different qualities mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā pertain especially to people in different positions in varnashrama. One of the first qualities of a brahman, that is said to be the quality that beautifies a brahman, is the quality of forgiveness.

But Srila Prabhupada said a kshatriya cannot forgive. Because if he would have forgiven all the miscreants, they would take advantage of it and create havoc. So, there may have to be some adjustments, but the inner heart of Krishna and of the devotee is to magnify the good in a devotee, and take little account of an accidental deviation.

PURPORT (continued)

In the specific context of this verse, the word anagha indicates that Lord Balarāma was not disturbed by the bees who were constantly following Him (anupatham).

COMMENT

If ordinary bees were to hover around us, we’d probably get pretty disturbed. So, here, Lord Krishna is calling Lord Balarama anagha, sinless, meaning that He doesn’t take offense that these bees are hovering around and humming.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord blessed them by saying, “O bees, come into My confidential grove and feel free to taste its fragrance.”

COMMENT

Instead of feeling bothered, or disturbed, or annoyed, He welcomed them, “Please come, enjoy the fragrance of My garden.” And Srila Prabhupada was like that. I mean, he really did tolerate a lot, but he just discounted our disturbing natures and welcomed us, “Come to my garden. Come to ISKCON. Come to Goloka Vrindavan.” Hare Krishna. Are there any questions or comments? Vijaya Prabhu?

Devotee: You said that the kshatriyas shouldn’t be forgiving, but you know that [Unintelligible 1:00:39].

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, It’s a good question.

Devotee: Actually, [Unintelligible 1:00:57].

Giriraj Swami: The question is that I said, quoting Srila Prabhupada, that brahmans forgive but kshatriyas cannot forgive, otherwise, miscreants would take advantage. But Vijaya Prabhu said that Parīkṣit Maharaja, although he was ready to kill the Personality of Kali for torturing a cow, forgave him, he didn’t kill him. And in a way, that is true. But there’s another principle here, the kshatriya principle, that if someone surrenders, you don’t kill him but you give him protection. And that principle is there when we surrender to Krishna.

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

If you surrender to Krishna, He accepts your sinful reactions, or He frees you from your sinful reactions. And the spiritual master, on behalf of Krishna, performs that function. So, he surrendered, and therefore, Maharaja Parīkṣit spared him.

And an acharya, he has to do both; forgive when appropriate, and discipline when appropriate. So, there was an incident in Vrindavan when a man stole from the temple, and the devotees caught him and they were going to hand him over to the police. And he said that he wanted to see Prabhupada, and they said, “Alright.” So, the man surrendered to Prabhupada. He said, “I’m surrendering. Don’t give me to the police. I’m surrendering.” So, Prabhupada said, “All right. Then you live in the ashram, you follow all the regulative principles, you chant the holy name, you do service in the temple, and we won’t prosecute you.” So, he was living in the temple and following all the principles and practices of devotees.

And then, one morning, after a few weeks, or however long it was, the devotees found him trying to abscond, he was trying to sneak out. So, the devotees caught him and brought him before Prabhupada. And Prabhupada said, “You came to me and surrendered. And so, I forgave you. I protected you, but now you’re going back on your surrender?” So, then he told the devotees. “Okay, now hand him over to the police.”

So, there’s a lot of subtleties and intricacies, and it’s sort of like that with Krishna. We’ve been in maya, we’ve engaged in sinful activities, we’ve surrendered to Krishna, and He gives us protection, even from sinful reactions. But then, if we leave Krishna, of course, that’s a little subtle point because Krishna doesn’t let us go because we did do some service, but in a way, when we leave Krishna, then we’re on our own again, but not really because Krishna never lets us go. Yes, [Unintelligible 01:05:31]?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:31]?

Giriraj Swami: What’s the question? What’s the highest service?

Devotee: Which is the highest service? Among all the services that we render to Krishna, which is the highest service?

Giriraj Swami: [Unintelligible 01:06:18] is asking, “Of all the services we render to Krishna, which is the highest?” Well, I guess you could say the highest is the one offered with the most love, or the highest love. But there are many answers to this question. But what you said is true, we shouldn’t feel that we’re rendering the highest service, so we’re better than others.

And it did happen like that, apparently, in Atlanta. One of the saṅkīrtana devotees would ask Srila Prabhupada, “What’s the highest service?” Maybe thinking, and as they tell the story, Prabhupada would say, “Book distribution.” And Prabhupada replied, “If you love Krishna.”

But even among those who love Krishna, one can, from a certain perspective, make distinctions. And so, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā,” that of all types of worship of Krishna, the method of the gopīs is the highest. But then, if you expand that, what is their mood? Their mood is to bring other gopīs to Krishna. They don’t want to enjoy with Krishna directly, they want to bring other gopīs to Krishna, to increase Krishna’s pleasure. And therefore, the mood of the preacher is to bring others to Krishna, to increase Krishna’s pleasure by bringing more souls to Him. One could say that is the highest, but it’s all accepted by Krishna on the absolute platform and it all contributes.

I’ve heard stories about the wonderful early days in the Los Angeles temple, how the devotees would go out and do saṅkīrtana and want to bring people back to the temple, and how the pujaris wanted to serve the Deities very nicely and decorate the Deities very gorgeously. So, the saṅkīrtana devotees would get inspired, and then when they came back with the new people, the new people would be enchanted by the sight of the Deities. So, it wasn’t separate, nothing was separate; the cooking, the prasāda, [Unintelligible 01:09:23], make nice prasāda for the Lord, and to encourage the devotees, so they’re enlivened in their service.

So, it’s really a matter of consciousness. Everything about ISKCON, the way Srila Prabhupada established it, it’s all meant to bring others to Krishna, to expand the Krishna consciousness movement. So, any service; cleaning the temple, decorating the Deities, keeping the accounts, cooking the offering, it’s all meant to contribute to the same goal. So, it’s all one on the absolute platform.

All right, thank you all very much. Today, the whole day is Lord Balarama’s appearance day, so there will be another program in the afternoon with procession and fire yajña and abhiseka, and then the talk, and then there’ll be a feast, and there’s an engagement ceremony. Many wonderful activities today, and everyday, in New Dwarka dhāma. Hare Krishna.