Visit to Goswami Academy

Student: My question is, how is Krishna made? How did he come back to life?

Teacher: Okay, let us give Maharaja a chance to answer your question, so we get to be good listeners.

Student: Yes, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: It is your question. She asked it first. All right. Now, listen very carefully because this is a very difficult subject. But there are two kinds of realities: material and spiritual. And material things have a beginning and an end, and spiritual things have no beginning and no end. So, one very important book describes Krishna, anādir ādir—that He is the origin of everything, but He has no origin. Now, this is very hard for us to understand, because everything in the material world has a beginning and an end. So we think that Krishna must also have a beginning and an end, but He doesn’t. And you can think of it like this. You were created by your father, and your father was created by his father, and his father was created by his father. But if you keep going back further and further, eventually you will come to someone who is the original father but he has no father, and that is Krishna. Do you understand?

Student: Yes, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Good. Now, what are the other questions?

Student: For me, I don’t have any questions.

Teacher: You ask me all your questions?

Giriraj Swami: You don’t have one?

Student: How did you become. . . I don’t know. [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: You question was how I became. . .

Student: How did you become a teacher?

Giriraj Swami: Well, every teacher. . .

Student: Wait! Wait, I have got another question! [Unintelligible 00:03:59] then what brings you to started being a teacher? Preaching? [laughter] [Unintelligible 00:04:14]

Giriraj Swami: Okay. So, let me begin that every teacher begins by being a student, and he becomes a teacher by learning from his teacher, and then he repeats what he learned from his teacher.

Student: Oh. So the first teacher taught somebody else, then somebody taught him, yes?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Student: And then it goes from order, right? [Unintelligible 00:05:05] And then it goes on.

Giriraj Swami: That is right.

Student: And then it goes on, on, on, on, on, never stops.

Giriraj Swami: That is right.

Student: It never stops.

Giriraj Swami: That is right.

Student: [Unintelligible 00:05:22]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. This is a general principle for learning, whether it is material or spiritual. You learn from a teacher, and then you repeat what you learn from your teacher, and that way, you become a teacher.

Student: A teacher?

Giriraj Swami: Teacher. So, I have a teacher, my spiritual teacher is Srila Prabhupada. He had his spiritual teacher, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

Student: Would he let me have a picture?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is good, we should have pictures of our teachers and their teachers and their teachers.

Student: If we have that, we should know who are the teachers.

Giriraj Swami: There is a list.

Student: A list of teachers?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, there is a line. I learned from Prabhupada. Do you know who the first teacher is? The teacher of all the other teachers?

Student: Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: Krishna.

Student: How is Krishna the first? That is my question.

Giriraj Swami: That is your question.

Student: And why is Krishna the first? Is it because He was born first?

Giriraj Swami: Well, he was never born. He is the original. Everything comes from Him. He has no beginning.

Student: I don’t know what, how did. . .who created him?

Giriraj Swami: Nobody. He is the creator of everyone.

Student: [Unintelligible 00:07:29] How can God make Himself if He is not even there?

Giriraj Swami: But he always was there. There was never a time when He wasn’t there.

Student: [Unintelligible 00:08:00] never stop?

Giriraj Swami: They never stop. It means Krishna is the original guru, then He taught Brahma, and he became the next teacher. Then Brahma taught Narada and he became the next teacher. So, there is a chain of teachers. The student becomes the teacher. When he is a qualified student, he becomes a teacher. And if there is no qualified student, then Krishna comes, and He becomes the teacher. He starts a new chain. If for any reason the chain is broken, then Krishna comes and He starts a new chain.

Student: Does He start building a new chain?

Giriraj Swami: Sorry?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:09:13]

Giriraj Swami: Our chain is many thousands of years old; it has been going on for a long time.

Student: Oh, what do you mean, like 1753, or more years than that?

Giriraj Swami: More.

Student: Maybe 18 something.

Giriraj Swami: Way more.

Student: Way more? Okay, must be thousands of years backwards.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Student: Or maybe [Unintelligible 00:09:54], you know?

Giriraj Swami: Alright. I am going to ask you a different kind of question. By the way, do you have any questions? Because I am going to ask you a different kind of question. Who are those special parents that have you as their children? In other words, what are your parents’ names? Yes?

Student: My dad’s and mom’s name is Balarama and Vishakha.

Student: That is it? I don’t think that is the name. [Unintelligible 00:10:45]

Giriraj Swami: [Unintelligible 00:10:50] You asked?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:10:58]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. And. . .?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:11:11]

Giriraj Swami: Can you say it again more slowly?

Student: Okay. My mom is [Unintelligible 00:11:25], my dad’s name is [Unintelligible 00:11:28].

Teacher: [Unintelligible 00:11:33]

Student: No, not [Unintelligible 00:11:38]

Teacher: And what is your dad’s name?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:11:49]

Giriraj Swami: [Unintelligible 00:11:54] and your mother’s name?

Student: Did anyone heard that? [Unintelligible 00:12:00]

Teacher: [Unintelligible 00:12:07]?

Student: You know.

Teacher: No, I don’t. [Unintelligible 00:12:10]?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:12:11]. What is taking you so long?

Teacher: Because you are talking fast, we can’t understand you. You need to slow down.

Student: [Unintelligible 00:12:19] and I just can think very fast.

Teacher: Slow down.

Giriraj Swami: You see, I must tell you something about being a teacher.

Student: Yes?

Giriraj Swami: One thing is that you should know the subject, but the other is you should be able to explain it so people understand.

Student: To be a teacher?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Student: Okay, but it takes a long time to be a teacher?

Giriraj Swami: Well, there is degrees of teachers, there is levels of teachers.

Student: Okay.

Giriraj Swami: Who are your parents?

Teacher: What is your mom’s and dad’s name?

Giriraj Swami: I think that I know [Unintelligible 00:13:33].

Students: [Unintelligible 00:13:38]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Shh, shh.

Teacher: [Unintelligible 00:13:55]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, [Unintelligible 00:13:57]? [laughter]

Student: [Unintelligible 00:14:03]

Giriraj Swami: All right, well, I think I have shared all the knowledge I can share with this particular group at this particular time. It was a pleasure meeting you and hearing your questions and speaking with you, and I hope you continue with your learning, and that you all become good teachers yourself. Anything else?

Teacher: Yes, Maharaja, thank you for the meeting. And if you want to hear from the story book that we learned today. . .  Can you tell Maharaja what did you learn?

Student: [Unintelligible 00:14:58]

Teacher: What did you learn today?

Student: If you have something and you lose it, if it was super precious to you, and you lost it, how would you feel? That is what we learned.

Teacher: But what did you learn from [Unintelligible 00:15:22]?

Students: Yes.

Teacher: And then what happened?

Student: Then he got in trouble by Jack’s dad.

Teacher: What did his dad say?

Student: Jack’s dad said you have to return it to Mathew.

Teacher: What did you learn about stealing?

Student: Don’t steal.

Teacher: Don’t take things that don’t belong to you, right? Even if you like it, even if it is the toy or something that you like.

Student: Or TV. How could you carry it?

Teacher: Could you tell Maharaja what toil means? You learned about “toil” and farming.

Student: Toil means to work hard and how to take care of a cow or oxen.

Giriraj Swami: That is nice. Mulch. It is also the same idea.

Student: [Unintelligible 00:17:25]

Teacher: [Unintelligible 00:17:35]

Giriraj Swami: I saw.

Student: Yes. [Unintelligible 00:17:43]