Receiving, Planting, and Tending the Devotional Creeper—50 Years of ISKCON—Part 02

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Thank you for joining us this evening. How many of you have been here for some of the kirtan programs?

So, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu describes the devotional creeper, bhakti-latā-bīja to the Rupa Gosvami. And he says,

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

The living entity, brahmāṇḍa bhramite. The living entity is wandering through so many different universes and planetary systems with so many different species of life, but one who is fortunate by the grace of Guru and Krishna gets the seed of devotional service. Basically, until Srila Prabhupada came to America and then from America to every major continent in the world, bhakti-latā-bīja was not known. And the next verse of Caitanya-caritāmṛta says mālī-hāñā, a gardener and can plant that seed within one’s heart and water the seed by chanting and hearing about Krishna. And then he says that in the process of watering, unwanted creepers may grow like weeds. And Lord Chaitanya says that one has to be very careful to distinguish between the weeds and the bhakti-latā, otherwise the weeds can suck up the water that meant for the devotional creeper.

Then he explains what those weeds are, and those weeds are basically material desires: desires for mukti, impersonal liberation, or bhukti, material enjoyment. He says that those weeds are innumerable, but still he enumerated a few of the important ones like labha, puja and pratiṣṭā, which means desire for material profit, adoration, and distinction. So when we chant the holy name, we should do so with the desire to please Krishna and to purify our consciousness. In that process, we will naturally feel pleasure. I mean, our natural position is to give Krishna pleasure, and when we do, then we also feel pleasure. So, we want to be very careful that our chanting is really meant to purify our hearts and please Krishna and not for any personal material benefit. Then Lord Chaitanya says, there is another danger to the bhakti-latā, and that is hātī-mātā, mad elephant. that you can carefully cultivate your garden and it can be flourishing, but if a mad elephant comes into your garden, it can create havoc. It can destroy everything that you’ve built up in moments, and that mad elephant is the offense of vaiṣṇava-aparādha, offending Vaishnava, especially advanced Vaishnava. One has to protect one’s garden from that mad elephant, and what is the protection? You have to build a fence around your garden, and what is the fence? The fence is the circle of pure devotees. You need to stay in the circle of pure devotees, and they will protect you from that mad elephant of offense.

So although chanting is by nature very blissful—I mean, it is musical, people like to sing, people like to dance—there is also a science to it. If we are aware of that science, we can do it in a better way, and in that way, it will last for a longer time, eternally. Because Lord Chaitanya says that the devotional creeper will grow and grow and grow if it is protected, and it will pierce the coverings of the universe and take shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna in Goloka-Vrindavan and it will bear the fruit that carry pure love of God. But even then, the watering process continues. That means even after we are liberated and have realized Krishna and love for Krishna, even then we can continue our chanting and hearing.

So it is a great science. And Srila Prabhupada, he brought not only the holy name of Krishna but Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and one shouldn’t say he brought them, I mean, he certainly brought the knowledge within them—but he labored to actually give us translations of these books. He would hardly sleep at night. Generally, he might go to sleep at ten and then he would wake up at twelve because after two hours of sleep, he would translate these books so we could have them for our guidance and spiritual nourishment. So we should take advantage of these books and read them and apply them in our lives. Then we will be very well equipped to progress in spiritual life and to navigate the waves of the material world. Because we are in the material world, and it is like an ocean of material existence, there are always waves. Sometimes the waves bring us up, sometimes the waves will overwhelm us and we go under. So all this information is there in Srila Prabhupada’s books, and it can be realized by reading and applying, chanting, and serving. So, I thought it important to discuss this since many of you have been chanting, and we want to really get the full value of the benefit of it and also share this among others, share the knowledge. So this has been some sort of a philosophical introduction, and now I would like to ask His Holiness Guru Kripa Swami to speak.

[Prayers]

Guru Kripa Swami: So, Maharaja was speaking about the science of chanting. Chanting is not something mechanical. As Srila Prabhupada explained to us in his introduction in introducing the world the devotees the process of chanting, he said this is not some mental process, intellectual process, it is a transcendental process which means it descends to connect us to Krishna, to transcendence. And science was spoken about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he said that,

bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga dhana

bhakti ye kṛṣṇa-nāma-smarnena kānadana

That bhakti-yoga has three different phases, which is called sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. The introduction where we connect with Krishna in the form of His name and then we chant His name regularly as a service, it is an offering to Krishna. And then we were connected with Krishna and we are chanting to please Krishna, then we get goal, the end result, where Krishna fills are our life and our heart with transcendental knowledge and love. So, that first phase sambandha, or connecting with Krishna, Lord Chaitanya gave five verses that indicate how do we connect. We should understand that the holy name cleanses the heart like a mirror and then cleanses away not only what is on the mirror but the one has caused that impurity to manifest. And then once that happens, then the blessings of the holy name begin to descend upon us and it expands and expands until we feel connected with the holy name. Just like a wife or a husband breaking up your family and we realize that this is what I’ve been looking for at every step of my life. This is the glories of the holy name. And the holy name has unlimited manifestations. Many unlimited holy names each one possessing unlimited power, unlimited potency. Lord Chaitanya is representing us, he says, there is only one problem. I have no attraction. This is my problem. So, what do I do about that problem?

Well, four things, four cardinal rules, that I must develop the humility, I must develop tolerance. Humility means I must always see Krishna as Supreme and intolerance means if I accept Krishna as Supreme, Acyuta, infallible then everything that is happening in my life has a purpose, and understanding with that purpose is not something that I create but something that is bringing closer to Krishna. I thought, I accept. And then I should see Krishna with that within everyone which is within everyone, within everything, and therefore I have great respect. But as Maharaja mentioned the danger is, if I want desire more people should respect me. So, if I follow these four things and then how do I recognize them practically? Well, I should give up the desire for unnecessary wealth, unnecessary things for recognition in this world and for too much absorption in the opposite sex or too much absorption in activities that simply meant to please the senses. The senses are meant to nourish the body and keep the body and the soul and keep us healthy, but they are not meant to be abused. And doing these things and understanding that the real purpose of life is to serve Krishna and please Krishna then when that understanding fully matures, I understand that I am an insignificant spiritual being and my utmost desire is to be situated at the lotus feet of Krishna as a servant.

So, this is sambandha, this is connecting ourselves with Krishna. We come to that point where I am connected to Krishna as His insignificant servant. And then the holy name gives us the end result, the opportunity to really feel it is his effect that to the point where we actually cry, bhakti ye kṛṣṇa-nāma-smarnena kānadana. That the most effective chanting is done, Srila Prabhupada said many times when one cries out to Krishna through the holy name like a child crying for his mother. We have many mothers here, right? How many mothers are here? Many mothers, do you know what that is like? Fathers also know what that is like, but they are not usually as attentive as the mothers. The fathers are more nine to five and the mothers are twenty-four hours attentive. So, if we do that and we cry to Krishna and we feel the effects of the holy name. And then it becomes the bond, it becomes so strong. And we feel like even not chanting, not being connected with Krishna for a moment is like an infinity. And then we come to the final stage which is characterized, how do we know when we are at that stage and we are actually really connected with Krishna, really connected with His holy name. When it doesn’t matter what happens in my life, whether I am happy, whether things go right, things go wrong, but whatever happened, Krishna is my unconditional Lord. Otherwise, my purpose in life is to serve and to please him and to do his will, his desire.

So, this is how Lord Chaitanya explained the science of the holy name. Of course, if anyone chant, like many of you beginning of chanting, I am also beginning, so we should just try to chant. But as we chant like anything you do in life, it is not you try to perfect it. I mean anything we do like, if you do business, you don’t just do some business and then hope that it becomes successful. You have to understand all the aspects of it, and so we have to understand all the different aspects of serving Krishna as we progress and dedicate ourselves. And understand that this is the one thing are the spiritual master of the spiritual master of the spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he said, in this age Kali, the age of materialism, there are only two realities: the soul and the holy name of Krishna. The two spiritual reality. And if we focus on each of the things understanding that I am the eternal servant of Krishna and that Krishna has become accessible in the form of His holy name. And this what Srila Prabhupada gave the bhakti-yoga dhana.

And we have access to it as Maharaja was saying: by hearing and chanting the holy name and taking advantage of the treasure house of transcendental literature that Srila Prabhupada painstakingly labored to give us that opportunity to deepen our faith and our understanding of this holy name of Krishna and this process of bhakti-yoga. So, we should anyway to this is just a very brief explanation that science to understand what fully takes a lifetime. But if we cultivate Krishna consciousness with sincerity and very quickly, we started the whole purpose of this these days, we’ve been together chanting is to get the taste but then after getting the taste then we have to cultivate it, cultivating, and cultivating. Not that we come to the festival, now it is over, now back to the grind. Back to my routine but actually this is my launching pad from which I will continue to progress more and more in Krishna consciousness. These are some thoughts on that science.

Giriraj Swami: The Nectar of Devotion also explains that there are two ways of chanting: one is loudly in kirtan, and the other is softly, which means japa, like we have our chanting beads and so we chant one mantra on each bead.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

And we have one hundred and eight beads. If we go one mantra on each bead and go around one time, that is called a round. That is also part of our spiritual development. For devotees to be initiated, they must chant, and of course, continue to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds per day. And you can begin from any number, one or two or three or four, and when you become steady in that number, naturally you will increase. It is sort of like exercise; you are making so many repetitions, but as you get stronger, you can do more. This is very important, and Srila Prabhupada has written of all the instructions of the spiritual master, the instruction to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds daily is most essential. Along with kirtan, we have this process of japa, and you can do that by yourself. Of course, everything is supported when we have the association of devotees. That is a very important practice. We are entering the new year, so this would be a good practice to add, and if you are already doing it, maybe increase the number. His Holiness Guru Prasad Swami mentioned the statement that Srila Prabhupada said that one should chant; chant like the genuine cry of a baby for its mother.

From what I understand, babies cry for different reasons, and attentive parents can distinguish different types of cries. Sometimes the baby might cry just because it wants attention, or it might cry because it is frustrated with something, or it might cry because it is really in danger and really in need. His Holiness Niranjana Swami told a story of a child in the Boston Temple. His father was a pūjārī, like a priest who would be engaged in the worship, and the child would run around and play. Many of the devotees in the temple knew this child and no one had a problem, and sometimes the boy would cry. That is okay. One night, it started like that the boy was crying, and nobody paid too much attention. Then the boy started to cry louder and louder, almost hysterically. Everyone thought, Oh, there is something seriously wrong, we have to find out. Everyone’s attention went to the boy crying, and then eventually they found out that he had locked himself in the bathroom and couldn’t get out. So he was really crying because he thought he could just be stuck there. That also has another layer of significance because Srila Prabhupada said this material world is like a schoolhouse; we should just do our business and get out. When we have that understanding, we can really cry out to Krishna.

This is a little different, but how people can chant with different moods, we can tell that ourselves. I don’t know how many of you have been to Vrindavan in India, but there is a market in Vrindavan called Loi Bazāra. In Loi Bazāra, there are many shops, and they sell all sorts of things. They are businessmen, merchants, and they know that the people who come to Vrindavan are sort of pious and devotional, so they gear their sales approach to that audience. It is like a village, and it is all open doors. They will see some devotees and say, “Hare Krishna Prabhu, Hare Krishna! Krishna!” He is chanting Hare Krishna but what is his mood? Is he calling out to the Lord, “Please engage me in your service?” No, “Hare Krishna,” we know what he said. He said, “Come to my shop, spend your money, let me become rich.” Even we limited living entities can distinguish the quality of a cry or the quality of a chant.

So, the genuine cry of a child for its mother—that is what we require. Of course, chanting for a material purpose is offensive, but there is another category of chanting in which the person chants unknowingly, and that is beneficial. Even if they chant unknowingly in the beginning, like sometimes Lord Chaitanya, Krishna Himself, in the guise of a devotee, sometimes children would chant to sort of taunt him. He would say, “Oh, don’t, don’t, don’t say that. Don’t say that.” Of course, that would encourage them. They were being successful in taunting him, so then they kept chanting more and louder. That is nothing but sort of innocent chanting. At one stage in India, a movie came out called Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The theme of the movie, anyway it was not the movie. But anyway, I was in Madras, and I started hearing the song from the movie playing all the time. It was on everyone’s radio. I don’t know if it is changed, but back then, people used to play their radios very loudly. Once Srila Prabhupada remarked that they wanted everyone to know they had a radio. I kept hearing this song, and one pious gentleman invited us for lunch. I was hearing it so much, I asked, “What is this song, Dam amaro dam, Hare Krishna Hare Rama?”

So, he said, “Oh, it is with every breath that I take, Hare Krishna Hare Rama.” Wow, that sounds pretty good. But later, I found out, maybe he was being polite or something, that the real translation is “with every puff that I make, Hare Krishna Hare Rama.” It was about basically hippies puffing hashish with chanting hari-nāma. It was directed at Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON. From Madras, I went to Calcutta, and the film was playing in quite a market area. I thought, “Well, this is good. We’ll go to the theater, and we’ll do our hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana in front of the theater, distribute books.” It was actually quite successful. So then, when it was time for the last show, I thought, Let me sneak in. Let me just see what this is. It was very impressive, like a big theater with very loud amplification of the sound and images on a huge screen. It begins with waves of the ocean coming in and the narrator with this very sonorous voice saying, “For centuries, India’s spiritual culture remained within the shores of India, but one man,” and then it flashed a picture of Srila Prabhupada, “he took this outside of India.” Then it showed a map with an arrow, like Prabhupada left India. And then it flashed on London Ratha-yatra. It was so impressive, this huge chariot on the screen and kirtan. I was like, “Wow, this is fantastic!” Then it flashed on hippies smoking hashish, marijuana, chanting Hare Krishna, and then I walked out.

That was the idea that it was directed at Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON and implying that hippies are coming and doing all nonsense, taking drugs, having free sex, and chanting Hare Krishna. It was really meant to make us look bad, but Srila Prabhupada said, “In the long run, it will help us because eventually, people will forget the dam maro dam part and just remember the Hare Krishna Hare Rama.” And actually it came to pass. And then I came from Calcutta to Bambay, and then I was placed in Bombay. At first, when we would go out, all local street merchants, children would come up and mimic smoking a pipe, trying to taunt us, “Dam maro dam, dam maro dam.” It was quite hellish in a way. But then, after six or nine months, it sort of changed. They would still come up and taunt a bit, “Dam maro dam, dam maro dam.” but then there’d be more of the “Hare Krishna Hare Rama.” After another six or nine months, Dam maro dam, dam maro dam part, it completely dropped out, and they would just see us and say, “Hare Krishna Hare Rama.” As Srila Prabhupada predicted it. Because he knew that Dam maro dam were mundane sound vibrations and people would get tired of them. But Hare Krishna Hare Rama is spiritual, and they never get tired of it. It is really the spiritual sound, and it is Krishna, Radha-Krishna. And we can chant and chant and chant.

There was a magazine cartoon with a man and a woman next to each other. The woman was saying, “Chant, chant, chant,” and the husband was saying, “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” It was very funny. Srila Prabhupada referred to it, but it really is like with the same effort that he was saying “Can’t, can’t,” he could have chanted. That is sort of a symptom of the times or the rebellious nature of the conditioned soul. It won’t chant Krishna’s name; it doesn’t take any effort. In fact, it takes more effort to resist, but because of that sort of causeless aversion, they can’t accept it. But if we can induce people to chant, even unknowingly, they will benefit. Of course, if you can attract them to our festivals and make them chant with pure devotees and with information about what the holy name is and how to chant, that is even better.

I have to add one thing. Later, I found out because they had filmed the London Ratha-yatra as part of the movie, Hare Krishna Hare Rama. Later, I found out that they had gone to some park in London where hippies would hang out and actually sleep in the park at night. The producers of the film offered these hippies money to play the part of hippies in this movie because they didn’t have real speaking parts. It was a big thing for them because they didn’t have much. Years later, I met a devotee in India. He was British or American, and we were talking about how he came to Krishna consciousness. He was a hippie sleeping in that park, and when the producers came to recruit hippies to play in the movie, he was one of the ones who got recruited. And he became the devotee. You can be any sinful person before you begin to chant, but by chanting, you develop attraction to Krishna.

It is 7:30, so we can open up the floor to questions or comments and then move on to the next scene. Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:43:50]

Giriraj Swami: When you are in the kirtan, the first principle of chanting is to hear. Are you able to chant your rounds in the kirtan and hear your chanting of your rounds? If the answer is no, I would suggest you find some place to chant where you can hear your chanting. That was a good question.

Devotee: I have a short question. One of the ten offenses is that you should not disclose the glories of the holy names to a faithless person, right? But when we are preaching or talking to someone about chanting, that person may or may not have faith or the information, so how do we reconcile that? Tell them about the holy name and also avoid that offense?

Giriraj Swami: Well, we always have to judge our audience. I mean, even in any interaction, you judge your audience. You can tell them to chant, and they will feel happy, or they will feel peaceful. You can tell them that. That is not preaching the glories exactly. Preaching the glories is like, the holy name of Krishna is Krishna. It really depends on how receptive they are. There was one conversation when Srila Prabhupada was in Sweden, and he was speaking with a professor. One of the disciples was like feel to tell the glories of the holy name, and the professor was not ready to hear that. We really need to begin with, “You are not the body.” That doesn’t require faith in the scriptures. That can be established by logic and reason: that you are not the body. But to really appreciate the glories of the holy name, you have to have faith in the scriptures and in the person who is speaking on the basis of the scripture. So, Prabhupada interrupted that disciple and said, “That could be offensive here.”

So, within the last few days, I told the story of flying to Kashmir with my father. We had the book Easy Journey to Other Planets, which presents the philosophy in scientific language. So I thought, okay, I will try to preach to my father on the basis of Easy Journey to Other Planets. When he heard me talk about how by yoga, one can fly to different planets, I could just see from his face that it was like, “Son, I thought you were crazy. This is more than I even imagined.” He didn’t say it, but I could just see it on his face. I realized this is an offense. It is like preaching to someone who doesn’t have faith, preaching in a way that requires the person to have faith. Like I said, you are not the body and things like that. They don’t have to have faith in the scriptures to hear that. So we do need to judge our audience. You want them to chant, but can we say too much too soon? It will create doubts, it is illusion or brain-wash, make things. . . something like that. And that is with anything. You need to sort of judge your audience, how much you can say, how much they are ready to hear.

Guru Kripa Swami: There was one conversation with Prabhupada and this professor. The professor asked Srila Prabhupada, “Can you explain me the esoteric pastime of Radha and Krishna.” He was an Indologist, and Srila Prabhupada said, “Who are you?” He thought maybe he doesn’t understand my English. But really, what he wanted to know about Radha-Krishna. Srila Prabhupada said, “We are not speaking about Radha and Krishna, I wanted to know, who are you?” Profess looked down. Prabhupada said, “You are not this body. First you understand this then speak about Radha and Krishna.” So, Srila Prabhupada illustrated this. Sometimes people think they know something about Radha-Krishna, but they have no faith. It is information they read about or were taught in an academic way. But faith means people actually experience something because it touches their heart, puts out some feeling.

Until that is there, I am going to just speak about the body. The first thing to understand is, even if we practice Krishna consciousness for fifteen or twenty years, we may theoretically understand we are not this body. Until we live on that platform, actually accept that I am not body, meaning that Krishna becomes my priority in life, we still haven’t really understood. One type of professor here in Dallas asked me many years ago, “Why does your Prabhupada say so many times: I am not this body, I am not this body?” He was smoking a cigarette, his hand shaking, and he said, “You haven’t even realized that this is detrimental to your health.” With his hand shaking, that made me realize.

Devotee: Maharaja, I wanted to know your thoughts on a petition I saw online about a new movie coming out. [Unintelligible 00:52:25]

Giriraj Swami: First of all, what is X-Men?

Devotee: I haven’t seen any of the series. I don’t know. It is just apparent. It is somebody else. It is a superhero comic book.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, I see. And then who is the villain saying, “I am Rama and Krishna"?

Devotee: He is the bad guy, and he is like, “I am Rama and Krishna, and I am here to destroy,” or something like that. But some devotees have been upset, and they are launching a petition for directors to change that.

Giriraj Swami: I tried to tell because, if I mean, that is demonic to say that you are Rama or Krishna or God. So in that way, if it is portrayed that he is like a demon because of that false conception that he is God, and he gets destroyed by the heroes, I think that is okay. [laughter] This is Mulunda dasa. This is like a professional filmmaker. He made a film that is Paul Walker.

Devotee: What happened? Does he realize?

Devotee: I just saw the trailer because it is not out yet. But it is what Maharaja said. He is portrayed as the villain who has a God complex and says, “I came as Krishna,” etc., but he is a crazy person. So it is not a problem for us.

Devotee: Yes, and there is been a lot of devotees who are upset, and they’ve launched a petition. So I don’t know the whole thing about that.

Guru Kripa Swami: Srila Prabhupada said, if they say the name of Krishna, this is just totally off. Like if you say, “This crazy man is saying I am God,” and they say it Hare Krishna, then it is beneficial. People, as Maharaja, you said, know all the other X-Men will go away.

Giriraj Swami: I am just going to see if I can find something here. If I can find it, it’ll be better. Otherwise, I will paraphrase it.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:55:25]

Guru Kripa Swami: Srila Prabhupada emphasized that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would count the chanting. Principle is that you should count your chanting. Even nāmācārya Haridasa Thakura, he chanted three hundred thousand names. In order to chant three hundred thousand names, you have count it. There are many people who say, “I chant all the time. May be chanting sixteen rounds,” and then I said, “Well, maybe you should know.” It will help us. So yes, we chant on beads and count and it is recommended by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Prabhupada emphasized that. And also, it is not only just for counting, but you engage the sense of touch. Firstly, you have tulasi beads, you get the benefit of spiritual purity of Krishna’s best plant-devotee. And you engage your sense of touch. It is going to take your tongue, engage your ear. Just like if you only chant and don’t hear, then it is like if I have a pen and try to stand it up and keep it standing, it is very difficult with one point. Even with two points, it is very difficult. But if you have a big point, if you have a tripod, then it is very stable. So by engaging the touch, the hearing, and the chanting, you have a stable practice.

Giriraj Swami: I just paraphrase. So, in April, the devotees, headed by Anuttama Prabhu and a devotee scholar Radhika Raman, and I think one other, are organizing a program for academics in Boston to celebrate fifty years of ISKCON. So, they are going to have several days, and it is very good topics. Then they are going to collect the talks of all the scholars and publish in a book. I believe it will be held in a hall at Harvard University, but the first day, the inauguration, is going to be held in a small hall where Srila Prabhupada spoke at the Harvard Community School. Well, it was 1969, so you can do it right now. I happened to be at that program.

At the program, Srila Prabhupada spoke, and then afterwards, the students asked questions and shut up them all. One of them said, “You are saying that chanting Hare Krishna can solve problems can be solved, but in Russia, there was a movement where people were chanting the name of Jesus, and it didn’t really help the people. What really helped was the revolution and social action.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Well, are the people in Russia happy now from the revolution?” He said, “No.” Prabhupada said, “Then what is use of revolution.” Then he said, “Even if it gets better for a while, it will get worse again.” Another boy’s hand shot up, and he asked, “You are saying we should chant Hare Krishna, but couldn’t you just as well chant one, two, three, one, two, three, and just repeat the numbers, and will have same effect?” Srila Prabhupada said, “Of course, that is not possible, but you can try counting. When you get tired of counting, you can try chanting.” Then another one asked, “Are you truly happy?” Srila Prabhupada said, “If I tell you falsely that I am truly happy, will you believe me?” The boy said, “No, I won’t.” “Then what is the use of asking question?”

One after the other, it was really messing the field and they were asking all these challenging questions. Afterwards, I was sort of mingling among the students, just listening to their talk. Suddenly, one of the lady devotees came running up and affectionately imitating Srila Prabhupada, she said, “So, where is the driver?” I was the driver. The temple didn’t have a car, and I had a car. I was just coming for a couple of days, but I started to drive Srila Prabhupada and devotees. So, we got in the car, and I could find the place during daylight, but now it was dark, and I didn’t have a clear idea of how to get back to the temple. It was a storefront that we rented apartment for the Srila Prabhupada across the street. Anyway, I thought I will figure it out, but I got the sinking feeling that we were really lost. So, I asked the devotee that I didn’t know how to get back to the temple, and no one knew. And Srila Prabhupada was on front seat and he said, “Isn’t the driver supposed to know the way?” I didn’t know that I was the driver, and have some duties. I just thought I was being a good guy.

So, when we got to temple to Srila Prabhupada apartment. I got out, opened the door, and I said, “Srila Prabhupada, I am so sorry that I got us lost.” He smiled with so much love and compassion and said, “That is all right.” I had seen how he had demolished all these students, and I knew if he wanted, he could have totally destroyed me in a moment. Even though he could, he was kind and compassionate, trying to encourage me to improve. I was already convinced, but it made me even more convinced that he was the perfect master I was looking for. So, Anuttama Prabhu asked if I had been at that program and what recall of it. I sent them a piece based on something I had written earlier about that program. Then he said that they had met a Muslim professor at Harvard who had been present at that lecture where Srila Prabhupada gave. He said that even though he was Muslim, whenever he was in difficulty, facing some sort of crises, he doesn’t think of Quran or Allah, he thinks of Srila Prabhupada. When he tells the story of how he recalls Srila Prabhupada in most critical times, he becomes so choked up that tears come to his eyes, and he can’t even speak. Anuttama explains that, that was the effect of Prabhupada’s talk; he never would have expected it. Srila Prabhupada was really so purely potent, kind and compassionate, intelligent, and everything good, like Krishna. It is Krishna’s empowerment.

All right, what is next? There is another question.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:07:09]

Guru Kripa Swami: Just like Maharaja said that everything depends on the motive. There are many excuses, like they have to chant in a place where circumstances make it impractical. If they are using it because they are driving, it is nice to chant while driving, but that shouldn’t be counted as dedicated japa. Srila Prabhupada mentioned chanting with beads, and that was his preference. Srila Prabhupada said that Lord Chaitanya chanted on beads. So, what is good for Lord Chaitanya and Srila Prabhupada is good for us. But there could be some reason and reason is when I am talking with people or driving, and I just count on counter.

Giriraj Swami: Generally, it is better that to chant with japa-mālā, tulasi beads. When Srila Prabhupada was taking on train back from Amritsar to Bombay, we were small group of people from Delhi that to see what we can do. He knew some people before he went to America. He said that we will meet them and try to make them life members. So, there was one man who was quite wealthy, he has big estate and lot of property. But he was kind of proud and impersonalist. He would say that Swamiji was in bhakti and I was Vedanta. And he was just talking and one thing I can say about him that whenever I speak about philosophy, he had the hand over his hand. There could be times when someone speaks nonsense, and you can’t really contradict yourself.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:11:09]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, he was. Yes, that is very good. Yes, thank you.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:11:35]

Giriraj Swami: The main thing is to hear. So if you are hearing the holy name, that is the main thing. There may be music to support it, or it may be fast or slow, but the main thing is to hear.

So thank you for patiently and intelligently listening, and now we’ll continue this program.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Hare Krishna maha-mantra ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta Vrinda ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!