Mangala-acarana at Balaram Prasad and Siddhesvari Priya’s Home Program

Giriraj Swami: I am going to read a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that specifically discusses the responsibilities of teachers, fathers, mothers, husband, guru, which covers a lot of us, and indirectly, sons and daughters. So we read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Five, Chapter Five, “Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s Teachings to His Sons,” Text Eighteen.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 18

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

TRANSLATION

One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

There are many spiritual masters, but Ṛṣabhadeva advises that one should not become a spiritual master if he is unable to save his disciple from the path of birth and death. Unless one is a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot save himself from the path of repeated birth and death. 

COMMENT

So, although at this point in the purport, Srila Prabhupada is referring to spiritual master, we have to keep in mind that the same principle applies to teachers, fathers, and mothers, husband, and so on. In other words, in order to properly discharge their duties, they must be pure devotee.

PURPORT (continued)

Unless one is a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot save himself from the path of repeated birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna. 

COMMENT

That is a line from Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ, one who know the transcendental mystery of Krishna’s appearance and activities, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar jamna naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna, he goes to Krishna. But one can understand Krishna only by devotional service. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti, he can be understood only by devotional service and enter into the mysteries of his understanding. So, we have to be devotees and we have to read the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

PURPORT (continued)

One can stop birth and death only by returning home, back to Godhead. However, who can go back to Godhead unless he understands the Supreme Lord in truth? Janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ.

We have many instances in history illustrating Ṛṣabhadeva’s instructions. 

COMMENT

Now, at this point in the purport, Srila Prabhupada is citing examples of those who are not real guru or mother, father, or husband, and how they were rejected. I first became aware of this verse in Juhu, the day after a long struggle, Srila Prabhupada got Juhu land. We didn’t have the land, we didn’t have a place where Srila Prabhupada could stay on the land, so he would stay in a small bungalow belonging to an industrialist, whose main residence was in Malbar Hill in Bombay, but he had a week-end cottage in Juhu Beach. So the day after the convenience was signed, I and another devotee named, Mahahamsa who came from quite a respectable wealthy Parsi family, were sitting in Srila Prabhupada’s room. And he quoted this verse and I think, he was definitely encouraging us openly that if your mother and father cannot deliver you from the path of repeated birth and death, they are not real mothers and fathers. And therefore you don’t have to listen to them when they tell you not to become devotee, not to become Krishna conscious. At the time he was speaking to us, he quoted Srila Sridhra Swami, the great commentator, the original commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who gave examples of devotees who had rejected their so called mothers, fathers, gurus, and husbands who were not helping them become Krishna conscious, but to the contrary advising them against Krishna consciousness, against surrendering to Krishna. So here in the purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes the very same examples that he cited when he speaking to us in Juhu.

PURPORT (continued)

Śukrācārya was rejected by Bali Mahārāja due to his inability to save Bali Mahārāja from the path of repeated birth and death. Śukrācārya was not a pure devotee, he was more or less inclined to fruitive activity, and he objected when Bali Mahārāja promised to give everything to Lord Viṣṇu. Actually one is supposed to give everything to the Lord because everything belongs to the Lord.

COMMENT

Since this is a housewarming celebration, I will tell a story that was relevant both to the occasion and to the purport. I just read “Actually one is supposed to give everything to the Lord because everything belongs to the Lord.” Balarama Prasad, okay, this is for you, for everyone actually, especially for you. So a sadhu visited a man’s house, and he was very much appreciating his house, they were all appreciating the house. And so he said to householder, “Oh, you have a such a nice house.” And he said, “It is not my house, it is Thakurji’s.” Thakurji means deity. He said, “Oh, you have a such a wonderful wife.” And he said, “It is not my wife, it is Thakurji’s.” He said, “You have such beautiful children.” “They are not my children, they are Thakurji’s.” So everything was Thakurji’s. and eventually, they came to the deity, and the man said, “That is my Thakurji’s.” [Laughter]

PURPORT (continued)

Consequently, the Supreme Lord advises in Bhagavad-gītā (9.27):

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” This is bhakti. Unless one is devoted, he cannot give everything to the Supreme Lord. Unless one can do so, he cannot become a spiritual master, husband, father, or mother. Similarly, the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifices gave up their relatives just to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

So this account is given in the Tenth Canto in Kṛṣṇa book. That Krishna and Balarama and other cowherd boyfriends went to the forest when they were hungry. And some brahmans were performing the Vedic sacrifice, and so Krishna sent the cowherd boys to beg some food from the brahmans but brahmans refused. So, they came back, and Krishna encouraged them that that is the way of begging; you cannot expect to be successful every time. Then he said, “Go to their wives, they are good devotee and they will give.” So, they went to wives and the wives gave. And in effect, the wives were defying their husbands, but that was not. . . Although it is the duty of the wife to obey the husband, that was not considered a fault because the husbands were not real husbands because they were not acting in such a way as to deliver their wives from the path of recurring birth and death. They were not helping them to become Krishna conscious.

PURPORT (continued)

Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja rejected his father, 

COMMENT

It is the duty of the son to defend the father if the father is attacked. When Prahlada’s father, Hiraṇyakaśipu attacked by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Prahlada did not do anything to defend his father. That was not his fault because Hiraṇyakaśipu was not a real father.

PURPORT (continued)

and Bharata Mahārāja rejected his mother (jananī na sā syāt). 

COMMENT

So Bharata Maharaja was a younger brother of Lord Ramachandra, and his mother wanted him, she devised a plan by which Rama would be sent into exile so that her son Bharata could occupy the throne. But Bharata did not agree; he remained humble servant of the Sri Ramachandra and lived very austerely, perform penances and waited for the return of the Rama.

PURPORT (continued)

The word daivam indicates a demigod or one who accepts worship from a dependent. Ordinarily, the spiritual master, husband, father, mother or superior relative accepts worship from an inferior relative, but here Ṛṣabhadeva forbids this. First the father, spiritual master or husband must be able to release the dependent from repeated birth and death. If he cannot do this, he plunges himself into the ocean of reproachment for his unlawful activities.

COMMENT

So this is the duty of the residents of this house and of every householder to become pure devotee and to deliver their dependents from the path of repeated birth and death, which showed by to dependents by pure devotee. All of the activities in my household should be aimed towards that goal. Otherwise, it is śrama eva hi kevalam, simply waste of time.

PURPORT (continued)

Everyone should be very responsible and take charge of his dependents just as a spiritual master takes charge of his disciple or a father takes charge of his son. All these responsibilities cannot be discharged honestly unless one can save the dependent from repeated birth and death.

COMMENT

So one point here is that the devotee sons and daughters of parents who are not proper mothers or fathers can deliver their parents. Ordinarily, the parents should deliver the children, but the child can deliver the parents. And we see that in the case of Prahlada Maharaja. His father wasn’t a real father, but Prahlada prayed to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to deliver his father. And also Dhruva Maharaja, of course, his mother was a real mother because she guided him to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But when he was going back to Godhead on a Vaikuntha airplane, he thought of his mother and he desired that she should not be left behind, but she should also come to back to Godhead with him. And as soon as he had that thought, his desire was fulfilled. So devotees are naturally soft-hearted, kind-hearted. They don’t want to give in to their parents, but sometimes they can’t help it because the parents are opposed to their Krishna consciousness. But the parents are not without benefit. They get benefit from their children’s Krishna consciousness.

It is just an example, but Srila Prabhupada referred to it. He had a disciple named Kartikeya, and when Kartikeya’s mother was dying, he went to visit his mother in the hospital. When she saw him, she said, “How is your Krishna?” And just after that statement, she left her body. And Srila Prabhupada said, this is an example of how a devotee son can deliver non-devotee parents. So, Krishna consciousness is all-auspicious. It is mentioned in The Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, one of the generic characteristics of devotional service, is that it is all-auspicious. All-auspicious means it benefit everyone.

So, I am very fortunate to come in touch with Krishna consciousness by the grace of Srila Prabhupada and to be supported in Krishna consciousness by all of you. I remembered, I first met Srila Prabhupada in Boston. One person asked him, challenging him, “Are you really happy?” And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “When I was in India, I had five children, and there were always so many problems. And now that I have surrendered to Krishna and Krishna consciousness, I have five hundred children, and there are no problems. Do you agree?” Then the man said, “That is sort of material.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “I have many other platforms of happiness but I am giving you that example because you can relate to it.”

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Gaura-Bhakta Vrinda ki jaya!

Devotee: I would like to ask Giriraj Swami that this saying that you cannot be mother, father, or relative, practically eliminating everybody out in which we can’t do that unless you a pure devotee. We have discussed this [Unintelligible 00:57:20]

Giriraj Swami: That is the very good question. That is question in everyone’s mind. According to this purport, Srila Prabhupada says you cannot discharge your duties properly as a spiritual master, father, or husband, or mother unless you are pure devotee. So Maharaja is asking the question, what is the definition of a pure devotee?

So, there are different definitions, but the basic and most common definition that Srila Prabhupada gave is that one who is surrendered to order of the spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada had a disciple named Tushtta Krishna. He was a very nice devotee. He was originally a follower of a devotee in Hawaii of Sai, who then surrendered to Srila Prabhupada and became Siddha-svarupa. So somehow, Tushtta Krishna got the idea that Sai, Siddha Svarupa is pure devotee. And he should follow him and not others. And Srila wrote back a beautiful letter in which he said, “Why do you want to go back to Godhead with Siddha Svarupa.” He said, “Shyamasundara Prabhu will go who was the GBC of Hawaii, [Unintelligible 00:59:45] everyone will go, only Mr. Nair will remain behind.” And that was humorous but it was significant in the sense that Tushtta Krishna was the first to have met Mr. Nair. So he said that, “If you think that only Siddha Svarupa is a pure devotee and he should be followed and others should not be followed, then that is not done. But anyone who is surrender to order of spiritual master is a pure devotee. And I think that is a workable definition. There may be subjective calculations but it cannot be relied on because they are [Unintelligible 01:00:45].

Devotee: What is the duty of the husband towards the wife, and vice a versa to help each other achieve supreme goal?

Giriraj Swami: I think the answer is contained in the question. That husband and wife should help each other to achieve the supreme goal. That could manifest in a different way such as Naimiṣaraṇya Prabhu looking after the children while [Unintelligible 01:02:35] the satsaṅga or vice versa. Yes, cooperating, help each other to become Krishna conscious and help the children become Krishna conscious. It is important.

So, Balarama Prasad Prabhu, according to the schedule, there is twenty-five minutes left. And we have His Holiness Ṛtadhvaja Swami here. Also we have here Visvambhara Prabhu. So how would you like to allocate. Oh, we have Nityananda Prabhu also.