The Greatest Benediction

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna. We welcome you to this evening’s festival. Are any of you here for the first time? If you’re here for the first time, raise your hand. And

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:00:23]

Giriraj Swami: Good, welcome. And are any of you here for the second or third time only? [Unintelligible 00:00:41]

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:00:46]

Giriraj Swami: All right, thank you.

The Krishna consciousness movement was brought to America in 1965 by our founder-acharya, Srila Prabhupada. But the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and the practices of Krishna consciousness are actually eternal. They have no beginning and no end. Lord Krishna, who is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared on Earth five thousand years ago and spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. Actually, He spoke it for all of us, but Arjuna was the immediate recipient of the instructions of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gītā. And there, Lord Krishna says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave ‘bravīt, that “I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun God, Vivasvan, millions of years before.” So, from the historical record of the Bhagavad-gītā, we could say that the knowledge is two million years old. But actually, it is eternal because even before Krishna spoke it to Vivasvan, it existed.

Now, at the end of the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. Man-manā means always think of Krishna. Mad-bhakto—become a devotee of Krishna. Māṁ namaskuru—offer obeisance to Krishna- Mad-yājī—offer worship to Krishna. Māṁ namaskuru—offer obeisance to Krishna. And sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ Vraja, give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender to Krishna.

Now, why should we do these things? Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has nothing to gain from us if we serve Him, and He has nothing to lose if we don’t serve Him. But He advises us to surrender to Him and become His devotee for our benefit, because we are part and parcel of Krishna, and our constitutional position is to serve Him, īvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘Nitya-dāsa.’ That is our normal condition. And when we do so, we are happy and all of our desires for love are fulfilled. Every living being desires to love and to be loved.

One great sage said that these are the most essential needs or desires of the living being—to love and to be loved. But in the state of ignorance in the material world, we try to express that need or desire in the wrong way, in the wrong places.

We falsely identify with the body, and therefore, we conceive of love on the basis of the body. But actually, we are not the body. We use the body as a machine, but we are not the body. And we, the spirit soul, have no real relationship with the body; our body, or anyone else’s body. Our real relationship is with the Supreme Soul, and our desire to love and to be loved can be fulfilled only really in relation to the Supreme Soul, or Krishna. And when one re-establishes his relationship with Krishna, he is satisfied. Otherwise, nothing in the material world can satisfy us.

There’s one history recorded in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of a young boy named Dhruva. When Dhruva was five years old, he was playing on the lap of his father. His father was a great king. And in those days, even recently, but in those days, Kings could have more than one wife. And Dhruva’s stepmother was favored by the King, not his own mother, but his stepmother, and she was very envious.

So, when she saw Dhruva playing on the lamp of his father, she said, “You cannot sit on the throne because you are not born from my womb.” And although these words were very insulting and pierced the heart of Dhruva, his father, out of weakness or excessive attachment to his co-wife, remained silent. So, Dhruva went to his mother and told her what happened.

And different people are born with different natures. Now, it doesn’t matter in what nation or culture, but people are born with different natures. In Vedic civilization, the natures are utilized in a systematic way. At the age of five, in the traditional system, the boy is sent to the gurukula, to the ashram of the guru, to be educated. And the guru can see the nature of the student and teach the student in such a way as to take advantage of his nature and train him to execute his duties in life in the best way.

There are examples even in relatively recent history. The last ruler of undivided greater India, Chandragupta, he was playing in the forest, and a very wise and clever Brahman named Canakya Pandita saw him. And he could see, even in that young child, the potential for him to rule over India, India then was divided into many smaller states, but he saw within him the potential to unite India. And although he was just a young boy, he said, “I will train you in such a way that you will be able to reunite all the states of India and make it a very powerful nation.”

So, anyway, Dhruva, at the age of five, he had that controlling tendency, improving tendency. And so, he felt very insulted, and he approached his mother and told her, “My stepmother said that I cannot sit on the throne because I’m not born of her womb, and I want my kingdom.” He was so hurt and angry that he said, “I want an even bigger kingdom than my father.” And his mother said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you because it’s a fact that your father loves my co-wife more than he loves me.” So, Dhruva said, “Then who could help me?” And she said, “I think only God can help you.” And he said, “Where do I find God?” And she said, “Well, I don’t know, but many sages and saintly persons go to the forest to find God. So, maybe you can find Him there.”

So, he left home at the age of five and went to the forest, and in his own way as a child, he was very seriously looking for God. He would look under the logs, in the bushes, behind the stones, very seriously looking for God. And God, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati, God is in the heart of everyone. So, he could see, “This boy is very seriously looking for Me.” And so, God sent a guru to instruct Dhruva, because one cannot approach God directly. One can approach God by the mercy of the guru, through the instructions of the guru.

So, God sent Narada, the great spiritual master Narada. And Narada told Dhruva, “You’re only five years old. Now is the time to play and enjoy. You shouldn’t take things so seriously. Your stepmother’s insult, you shouldn’t take it so seriously. Your future position, you shouldn’t worry about it now.” And Dhruva said, “Although your advice is very good, I cannot follow it. If you can help me to find God, I will be very happy. But if you want to tell me to go home, then you can go home.” So, Narada understood that “This boy is very serious.” It is said that one must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, so, in a way, Narada was testing Dhruva to see how determined he was. And when he saw that he’s so determined, nothing can dissuade him, then he accepted him for instruction. And he taught him to chant mantra, like we chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, so he taught Dhruva a similar mantra with the name of Krishna and gave him instructions on how to perform austerities in the jungle while chanting the mantra. And Dhruva followed the instructions of his spiritual master so strictly, with such firm determination and faith, that within six months, God Himself came to see Dhruva.

And this is another principle that Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master emphasized, and which Srila Prabhupada conveyed to us, which is, “Don’t try to see God, but act in such a way that God wants to see you.” For example, if you want to meet a very big man, say the President or the Prime Minister, you may not be able to get a personal meeting with him. But if you do some extraordinary service to the nation, and the king or the Prime Minister or the President wants to see you, to recognize you for your contribution, then who can stop him?

So, Lord Krishna was so impressed with Dhruva’s devotion that He came and blessed Dhruva, and he asked Dhruva, “I have come before you. I’m the Supreme Lord, and I’m ready to give you whatever you want. I’m so pleased with you, I’m prepared to give you whatever you want.” And Dhruva said, “I don’t want anything.” In fact, seeing the beauty of the Lord and the mercy of the Lord, he felt sorry that he had come with that material desire to get a kingdom that’s bigger than his father’s and grandfather’s kingdom. So, he was regretting that he came with that faulty material desire. So, when the Lord asked him, “I’m prepared to give you any benediction. What do you want?” Dhruva replied, “That kingdom was like a piece of cut glass, and in You, I have found the most precious jewelry. So, I’m fully satisfied. I do not want anything more, svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce.” But still, the Lord, although Dhruva didn’t ask for it at that stage and didn’t even want it, still, the Lord fulfilled his desire and gave him a kingdom that even his father and grandfather did not possess.

So, the idea is that one who gets Krishna, which comes really only from developing love for Krishna, is fully satisfied. He has no other demand or desire. When Alexander the Great was conquering the world, he came to the outskirts of India, and there he saw a yogi in meditation, in the blazing hot sun. So, Alexander was very impressed by this, and he got down and approached the yogi. He said, “I’m very impressed by your concentration, and I’m prepared to give you whatever you want. I’m Alexander the Great, I’m conquering the world.” And the yogi said, “I have only one request. Please move to the side because you’re blocking the sun.” Now, that sun was creating heat. He was performing his austerity, his meditation in the blazing sun, and by Alexander’s casting a shadow on him, he felt that his austerity was being diminished. So, that’s all he wanted. He wanted to continue with his meditation on Krishna.

So, this is Krishna consciousness. When one has Krishna consciousness, he’s so satisfied he doesn’t want anything else. He wants only to serve Krishna, only to remember Krishna in all circumstances. Anything else may happen. We’re in the material world, there are always upheavals, there are always dualities, but the devotee wants only one thing, which is to always remember Krishna, to never forget Krishna in happiness or distress and good health or illness and riches or poverty, that will go on. As Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, jivena marana, “In life or in death, I pray only to remember the lotus feet of Krishna.”

And in that state, one is satisfied. It doesn’t mean that if one becomes a devotee, the dualities of the material world will stop. They will continue. Pleasure and pain, happiness and distress, heat and cold, sickness and wellness, those things will go on. As a member of the material world, when we have a material body, those things will go on. But a devotee doesn’t mind, he just wants to have that benediction, that whatever happens in whatever situation, that he will always remember Krishna, and he let what may come.

And this state can be achieved by the grace of Krishna and Guru. Sometimes it is said, “By the mercy of Krishna, one gets Guru. And by the mercy of Guru, one is trained in such a way that one will get Krishna.” And it’s illustrated in the case of Dhruva Maharaja.

So, we here in the Krishna consciousness movement are fortunate because Srila Prabhupada. We were in the forest of material enjoyment. And Krishna, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through paramparā, through Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master sent Srila Prabhupada into this jungle, and Srila Prabhupada has given us instructions. And if we follow those instructions, just like Dhruva followed the instructions of his spiritual master Narada, we can also realize Krishna. We can fully satisfy ourselves, our desires to love and be loved and be happy. But we have to follow the process. And if we do, the results are guaranteed in the due course of time.

And for us, the mantra is the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And so, we must chant that mantra regularly. For initiated disciples, Srila Prabhupada has fixed a minimum of sixteen rounds on the mālā. Each mālā has 108 beads. So, 108 mantras is one mālā, or one round, and minimum sixteen for initiated disciples. And that can take about two hours. It can take a little more, it can take a little less. It doesn’t take that much time. And when one chants, one should chant according to the instructions of the spiritual master, and the instructions come to us through paramparā originally, or sadhu, shastra, and Guru.

The shastra Padma Purāṇa, a very important ancient text, advises that one should chant without offense, which means we should not offend the holy name. And more recent acharyas, such as Bhaktivinoda Thakura, said that one offense, which is inattentiveness, is the root of all the other offenses. If one can chant with attention, then he or she can remove all of the other offenses. But if one chants inattentively, then all the other offenses can flourish. So, it is a type of meditation, chanting, Naam Japa, it is a type of meditation. And the central point in meditation is to control the mind. So, when we chant, we also have to practice controlling the mind. Because of being conditioned and ignorant, the mind has a tendency to wander all over the universe, and it tends to dwell on material thoughts, hankering for material things that one hopes to get in the future, or lamenting for material things that one lost.

But one of the rules of devotional service, of bhakti-yoga, is that one should not be under the spell of lamentation in loss, or under the spell of jubilation in gain. Because again, these are dualities of the material world. Sometimes we gain something, sometimes we lose something. It will go on. So, one should not be overly elated when some gain comes, nor should one be overly distressed when there is some loss. One should be equipoised and fixed in Krishna consciousness.

So, if we notice our mind’s activities, and when we try to chant with attention, we will see how the mind is working and going here and there. We’ll see that it has that tendency, hankering and lamenting. 

But whatever it is, we have to somehow or other bring the mind back to the sound of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and that will purify our hearts, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, and remove the dirty things from within the heart, the false identification with the body, considering, “I’m the body and everything related to the body is mine,” and to realize, “Actually, I have nothing to do with the body. I’m the spirit soul, and my real relationship is with Krishna, the Supreme Soul.”

So, sometimes we are tested. And we can be tested both ways. Our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, said that in the beginning, Krishna tested him by taking everything away from him. Now, sometimes we may have some degree of Krishna consciousness, but a test comes and Krishna takes something away. So, are we going to go chasing after that thing? Or are we going to reject Krishna because He took something away from me? Or he didn’t stop something from being taken from me?

So, Srila Prabhupada said, “First, Krishna tested me by taking everything away, and then he tested me by giving me everything.” So, that’s another test, that Krishna gives you so much, are you just going to forget Krishna and enjoy what Krishna gave you? So, both tests. And, Srila Prabhupada said Krishna tested him first by taking everything away, and then later, He tested him by giving him everything.” But in both cases, Srila Prabhupada remained fixed in his determination to serve Krishna. He wasn’t under this way of lamentation in loss or jubilation in gain. He saw everything as Krishna’s, and so everything's meant to be dedicated to Krishna.

So now, that applies to us. Yes, Dhruva was five years old, of course, he wasn’t married, and he went to the forest. Of course, he did have his mother, but he went to the forest to find Krishna. But even people who are married, with husbands, wives, children, parents, or various obligations and responsibilities, can progress in Krishna consciousness, as long as they keep Krishna as the focal point. Our tendency in the material world is to keep ourselves in the center. As one of my godbrothers said, “It’s as if each of us is living a movie, and in that movie, each one of us is the star, the hero or the heroine, and we think that everyone else should be supporting actors and actresses to fulfill our idea of what we want our story to be. And if someone doesn’t support us in our role as the hero or heroine, we become upset.”

And the problem is that everyone is thinking like that, “I’m the star and everyone should just support me.” And so, there’s always conflict. And that can enter even, I mean, in the workplace, yes, but even in the family, it can enter. Everyone is thinking, “I’m the master. You should serve me.” But if we have the proper orientation and keep Krishna in the center as God, and if we see that we are servants of Krishna and everyone, all the family members, everyone is meant to serve Krishna, then our relationships can be very harmonious. Because then, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya, only Krishna is the master, supreme master, and all others are His servants. So, all of the family members are one in purpose, which is to serve Krishna, please Krishna, and love Krishna. And then, our relationships in the family can be very harmonious.

I mean, we are conditioned souls and we do have false egos. So, in the process, there may be some conflicts, but we shouldn’t take them so seriously. We should see it’s just a crash of false egos, and that’s not really me and that’s not really him or that’s not really her, that’s not really you. But really, we are all servants of Krishna, and we can only be satisfied in loving service to Krishna.

So, being married does have obligations and responsibilities, but even then, one can proceed with Krishna in the center, and that’s pure devotional service, just to always remember Krishna. That’s the desire of a pure devotee, to always remember Krishna, and not forget Him under any circumstance. And that is something that we can all do, whatever the situation is, go on chanting, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krishna. So, are there any comments or questions? Yes?

Devotee: What’s the difference between always remembering Krishna and not forgetting Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: He’s asking, “What’s the difference between always remembering Krishna and not forgetting Him?” Well, why are you asking this question?

Devotee: I want to know the difference between the two.

Giriraj Swami: Well, in Vedic injunctions and in ordinary life, there are always positive injunctions and negative prohibitions, “Do this, don’t do that.” So, this phrase, “Always remember Krishna and never forget Him,” it’s part of a verse. And if you understand the whole verse, you’ll understand why both parts are there. And the verse says, “Always remember Krishna, and never forget Him.” And all the other positive injunctions and negative prohibitions mentioned in the Vedas are servants of these two; to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. So, if you always remember Krishna and never forget Him, you’re fulfilling all the other injunctions and prohibitions in the Vedas, because they’re all meant to help us remember Krishna and not forget Him.

For example, we mentioned, “Don’t be inattentive while chanting.” There are so many ‘don’ts.’ So, those ‘don’ts’ are meant to help us not forget Krishna. If we’re inattentive while chanting, we can forget Krishna. “Don’t take intoxicants.” Because if you take intoxicants, you’ll forget Krishna. Your consciousness will be included, and you will forget Krishna.

And the same with the positive ones, “Chant Hare Krishna.” If you chant Hare Krishna, you’ll remember Krishna. You hear kṛṣṇa-kathā, you remember Krishna. So, that’s why both are there, because the Vedas are full of injunctions and prohibitions. But the purpose of all the injunctions is to always remember Krishna, and the purpose of all the prohibitions is to never forget Krishna. Any other questions? Yes, sir?

Devotee: How do you search for a guru?

Giriraj Swami: How do you search for a guru? Well, the main requirement is to be serious. Dhruva Maharaja was very serious. Although he was only five years old, he was very serious. He was so focused on finding God, that nothing could stop him and nothing could distract him. And Krishna is in the heart, so He sees if you’re serious and sincere, so He’ll fulfill your desire. He knows your desire and He’ll fulfill your desire. Are you serious in this, or were you just inquiring? You are serious. Okay, that’s good. And have you read any of the Vedic literature that Srila Prabhupada has translated?

Devotee: I’ve read the Bhagavad-gītā.

Giriraj Swami: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is?

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Good.

Devotee: I’ve also read Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Giriraj Swami: Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, okay. So, what is your estimation of Srila Prabhupada’s position?

Devotee: Well, I am conflicted.

Giriraj Swami: What is the conflict?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:48:26]

Giriraj Swami: Well, that conflict between the Personality of Godhead and the impersonal effulgence of the Personality of Godhead, it doesn’t have to be a conflict. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that the non-dual, advayam, the Absolute Truth, is realized as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān.

So, Brahman is the impersonal effulgence coming from Krishna, Paramātmā is Krishna within the heart, and Bhagavān is Krishna in His original form, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, they’re not opposed to each other, but they’re just different features of the same Absolute Truth. The question is, what do you want?

Now, say impersonal yogis and jnanis, they may want to merge and become one with that impersonal Brahman, but then what do they get? They get realization of the eternity aspect of God. God is sac-cid-ānanda. So, they get the realization of this sat feature. But ultimately, we want ānanda, we want bliss. And that is realized in loving reciprocation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And therefore, one is fully satisfied only in that relationship.

Now, the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains, vimukta-māninah, that those who consider themselves to be liberated, but if they neglect the lotus feet of Krishna, patanty adhah, they fall down.

So, that impersonal position is very hard to maintain, almost impossible to maintain, because by nature, we’re persons. So, we can artificially stop our personality for some time, even if by chance, and it’s very remote, but even if by chance, we are able to reach that impersonal Brahman, we cannot remain there because our personal nature will become restless. And if we don’t have any information about devotional service to Krishna, then we’ll fall down into material activities.

So, the impersonal Brahman, that attempt to realize the impersonal Brahman, first, it’s almost impossible to realize, and second of all, even if you do manage to get there, it’s almost impossible to stay there.

So, that’s why in this verse, Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate, the realization of Bhagavān is considered the last word. That is the ultimate goal.

And even in terms of process, if one engages in pure bhakti-yoga, he can realize Krishna. But if one mixes karma-yoga or jnana-yoga, it makes the bhakti weaker. But if one engages in karma-yoga or jnana-yoga or ashtanga-yoga without some touch of bhakti, he will fail. There must be some touch of bhakti, for even karma-yoga or jnana-yoga or ashtanga-yoga to be successful.

So, that’s sat, that you get from Brahman realization, that’s automatically included in Bhagavān. In other words, Bhagavān realization includes the realization of Brahman, plus more. It’s like if you get a million dollars, then ten dollars is automatically included. You don’t have to work separately to get ten dollars.

Actually, your question reminds me of when I first met Srila Prabhupada. Last night, one of the devotees asked me to relate that story, and I thought of it, but I didn’t think it was relevant. But now that you’ve asked that question, my experience is extremely relevant, because I was also looking for a guru. And I had met many of the popular gurus and famous gurus in America at the time, but I wasn’t satisfied by any of them, and I was also sort of confused because each one was recommending a different process, and each one was saying that his process was best.

So, when I finally met Srila Prabhupada, (I’m not telling the full story but just the part that’s relevant to your question), I asked him the same question, “There are so many different swamis and yogis and each one is recommending a different process and each one says that his process is best. So, how do I know which is best?” And he replied very intelligently, “What is your goal?” Because I was asking what is the best means, but first you have to know what is the end. He said, “What is your goal? Do you want to become God, or do you want to serve God?” He said, “If you want to become God, it means that you’re not God now. And how can not God become God?” And he said, “Krishna is always God. He doesn’t become God by practicing yoga or meditation, but He’s God when He’s playing on the lap of Mother Yasoda, He’s God when He’s singing the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. He’s always God. He doesn’t have to become God by yoga or meditation.”

So, he said, “If you want to serve God and you water the seed of service to God with chanting and hearing about Krishna, then God will provide the sunlight and fresh air and all the circumstances favorable to make your service to Him grow. But if you want to become God, you’re only cheating yourself. Because why should God help the competition?” He said, “God is in your heart. He’s there to help you. You can become godly, but you cannot become God.” So then, he said, “So, what do you think? Do you want to serve God, or do you want to become God?”

Now, while Srila Prabhupada was speaking, I got the distinct impression that he was seeing right through me, through the walls of the temple, through the neighboring areas, into my apartment where I was living, into my bathroom, and to the wall of my bathroom where I had inscribed a sign in my own handwriting in different colored letters. And I felt that he was looking right at that sign. And that sign said, “YOU ARE GOD” I had to remind myself, I had to make the sign to remind myself that I was God. That’s the kind of God I was. So, I felt Srila Prabhupada knew. And so, he said, “So, what do you think? You want to become God, or do you want to serve God?” And I wanted to say that I want to serve God, but I knew that he knew, I couldn’t cheat him. So, I said, “I want to serve God, but I realized that actually, I wanted to become God.” He said, “Yes.” So then, I knew I had met my perfect master for whom I had been searching. He was the only one who was so clear. I felt he knew exactly my mentality, and he knew exactly my defect or my ignorance. And then I knew I’d found my perfect master, and then I offered obeisance to him and surrendered.

So, you need to fix up your goal. What is your goal? Do you want to serve God, or become God, become one with God? And then, when you fix up your goal, you can find out who can help you realize your goal, and then it won’t be so difficult. Then you’ll be looking within a category of devotees. Because if you want to realize God, you can do that only by the mercy of the devotee coming in paramparā. And then, there’s just a matter of some details, but you have to fix up your goal. So, are you more clear now about what your goal is?

Devotee: Yes, thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:02:54]

Giriraj Swami: Well, Dhruva was only five years old, and he was looking for God very seriously, so God sent him a guru. But in our stage, if we understand that we need a guru, then we should make some effort. In every activity, there are two ingredients. One is our own effort, and the other is God’s mercy. So, if we think that by our own efforts alone we will be successful, that’s not true. We also need God’s mercy, so we need to pray for God’s mercy. But if we do nothing and simply pray for God’s mercy, that’s also not complete. We have to make some effort.

Now, Dhruva also wasn’t just sitting and waiting for God to send a guru, he was very active in searching for God. And therefore, God did send him a guru. So, you should think about what are you doing to find God, or what are you doing to find a guru that indicates that you’re so sincere and so determined, like Dhruva, that God will send a guru. And the thing is that if you’re looking for a guru and you’re sincere, then Krishna will help. But if you’re not sincere, a guru could be standing right in front of you and you wouldn’t recognize him, because you’re not really looking. Because guru means surrender, I mean, Krishna means surrender and guru is Krishna’s representative, so it means surrender.

Now, as I mentioned, there are different stations in life. So, it doesn’t mean if you surrender to the guru, he’ll tell you to quit your job and shave your head and live in the temple, but he will give you instructions that will help you to advance in Krishna consciousness. But the beginning is faith, ādau śraddhā, the beginning is faith. And that’s a big talk. So, are you looking for a guru, or are you waiting for Krishna to send one?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:07:10]

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, you wanted him to stop looking. [laughter] Any other questions or comments?

Devotee: Maharaja, I have a question.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, this will be the last one.

Devotee: I have two questions.

Giriraj Swami: You have two, okay.

Devotee: When you’re in distress, when you’re in loss, you should also remember Krishna. And when you’re in the debilitation mood, then also, you should remember Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: But by human nature, when you are in distress, you’ll be lamenting by default. How do you come out of that and try to remember Krishna? That is one thing. And also, the same thing, the jubilation, it applies to that.

Another question is that while chanting, when you fix, “I will be chanting sixteen rounds daily,” by default, sometimes your mind will go out, right? Maybe it’s going into maya. And how do you continue chanting? And also, you should chant attentively. So, how do you continue chanting attentively?

Giriraj Swami: All right. Well, the first one, one should not be overwhelmed by lamentation and loss, or by jubilation and gain. So, when there’s some loss, a devotee thinks, I deserve worse, but Krishna is so kind, He is minimizing my punishment. And in gain, he thinks Krishna is so kind, He’s giving me some facility to serve him. This is all in the context of devotional service.

So, if I suffer some loss, I should think, I’m such a fool, I’m such a rascal, I’ve done so many bad things, I deserve worse than this. Krishna is so kind, He’s making it less. And if I have some gain, I should think, Krishna is so kind, He knows I want to serve Him. So, He’s given me this facility to serve. And then, the other question is about controlling your mind.

Devotee: And chanting, when you get into lust, or maya.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Well, it’s described that just like when you make ghee from butter, you heat up the butter, and then the impurities come to the top, and then you take them out, then you keep the butter on the fire and more impurities come off, you remove them. And then eventually, all the impurities will be gone and it will be pure ghee.

So, when we chant, impurities may come up, and generally, the prescription is just to tolerate them, not to act on them, just let it go. And if something keeps coming back, you can pray to Lord Nṛsiṁha, bhakti vignavinashak, He removes all the obstacles. So, you can pray to Him. There are many examples, but you mark that desire for destruction by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. And you can pray. I mean, prayer is very powerful, sincere prayer. So, pray to the holy name, “Please let me be fixed on You. Please don’t allow me to be distracted, to forget You.” And keep chanting, keep chanting. All right, thank you all very much. [applause]