SB 2.3.17 – Program at the Home of Hitesh and Pragna Patel

Host: The building of the Juhu temple, and we’re embarking on our own new temple project here. So, we’ll want your blessings upon us to do that. He’s a writer, and Prabhupada asked him to write, and he’s right now, about to publish shortly, we hope, the story of Juhu, which is an incredible story. He’s also written a number of books, they’re available here tonight; Many Moons, Life’s Final Exam, and Watering the Seed, and they’re just beautifully written, full of stories and personal realization. So, I highly recommend adding that to your library.

A few other things Maharaja has done. He was behind the establishment of kirtan ashram, which is a single ladies ashram in Vrindavan, behind the hospice in Vrindavan, and also involved in acquiring the palace at Govardhana Hill. So, his mood has always been to create spaces for devotees, to care for everybody. And I’ve always felt that from your disciples, I have friends who are your disciples, we have some disciples at the temple, and some of my son’s friends are your disciples. I see your grace and kindness coming out through them. So, please give a very warm welcome to HH Giriraj Swami. [applause]

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Welcome to this auspicious gathering on Ekādaśī. We’ll proceed with this evening’s discussion. First, I will sing some prayers to invoke auspiciousness, and you can follow along to your capacity. By the way, I’ve heard it’s more difficult to play the mridanga to a slow beat than to a fast beat. So, be prepared. [laughter]

So, tonight, we shall read a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Three: “Pure Devotional Service,” Text Seventeen.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 17

āyur harati vai puṁsām

udyann astaṁ ca yann asau

tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta

uttama-śloka-vārtayā

TRANSLATION

Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service.

COMMENT

So, the human form of life is achieved after a long process of transmigration, and the human form is meant especially for realizing God, realizing our lost relationship with God, or forgotten relationship with Him. And by being aware of the passing of time, that the rising and setting of the sun is decreasing the duration of life of everything, we should feel an urgency. And therefore, Srila Prabhupada, I mean, every word in this purport is so perfect. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada says, “By acceleration of devotional service.” We’ve been engaged in devotional service, but time is passing and we don’t know how much time we have, so we have to step on it, we have to step on the accelerator and go faster.

PURPORT (continued)

Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada had many friends in Bombay, and one of them was a prominent industrialist named Brijratan Mohatta, who had been the wealthiest man in what later became Pakistan, initially, West Pakistan. And his home was literally a palace, Mohatta Mahal. And after partition, that home became the residence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his family. Anyway, he was a very wealthy man. So, after the partition, he settled in Bombay, and he was a really good friend of Srila Prabhupada. And I learned from him that businessmen have different philosophies of accounting. He said that some businessmen want their accountants just to do what they’re told to do, and others like their accountants to make suggestions about how things could be improved. So, he said he was in the latter category. So, Srila Prabhupada was very expert at speaking according to the mentality of his audience.

So, once, when Mr. Mohatta came to visit Srila Prabhupada in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada brought up this very same point, about utilizing our time. In a ledger, there is profit and loss. And he said to Mr. Mohatta, “In the ledger of your life, any time used in Krishna consciousness is profit, and any time spent outside of Krishna consciousness is loss.” So, every businessman wants to maximize his profit and minimize his loss. So, Srila Prabhupada made that very same point in those terms to Mr. Mohatta.

PURPORT (continued)

So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold.

COMMENT

And that’s true. Our life is made of time. I mean, our duration of life is measured in time, and even one moment lost can never be gotten back. I mean, what’s the date today? May 30th. And what’s the time? 8:10. And how many seconds? [laughter] Well, whatever it is, that time cannot be gotten back for any amount of gold, it’s gone. So, we should utilize every moment for realization of spiritual values, for Krishna consciousness, and not allow it to be wasted.

Now, wasting time can be done in big blocks or small blocks. The big blocks are easier to notice, the small blocks are less so. But if we think, and I’m focusing now on the small blocks, although, I mean, it’s obvious we shouldn’t waste any time, but we’re more aware of the big blocks. But the smaller units that get frittered away on the internet, for example, add up, they do add up. And so, we should be careful to utilize every moment. “Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold.” So, at the time of death, if you want to extend your life, you can’t. You can be willing to pay any amount of money to extend your life, but you can’t extend your life beyond its allotted duration with any amount of money. So, just see how valuable, how precious our time is.

PURPORT (continued)

Human life is simply awarded to a living entity (jīva) so that he can realize his spiritual identity and his permanent source of happiness.

COMMENT

Everyone is looking for happiness, but as Srila Prabhupada often said, people don’t know where to find it, especially permanent happiness.

PURPORT (continued)

A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity.

COMMENT

So, Vedānta-sūtra says ānanda-mayo ‘bhyāsāt, the Absolute Truth, janmādy asya yataḥ, the Absolute Truth is he from whom everything and everyone emanates. So, we emanate from that Absolute Truth, who we know to be Krishna, and ānanda-mayo ‘bhyāsāt, the nature of the Absolute Truth is ānanda, bliss. So, that’s our nature too, but because we’ve fallen into the material world and are covered by the material mind and senses, we are not experiencing that happiness. But that’s our actual nature, and that’s our constant endeavor, to find happiness, permanent happiness. And that can be realized in Krishna consciousness alone.

PURPORT (continued)

A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada gives the example of the fish out of water. When the fish is in water, it’s in its natural environment, and it can be happy as a fish can be happy. But if you take that fish out of the water, even if you put it in a golden bowl and fill that bowl with precious gems and jewels and light incense and create everything favorable in the environment of that fish, that fish will not be happy. The fish can be happy only in water, only in its element.

So, we are part and parcel of Krishna, part of the spiritual atmosphere, so we can never be happy in the material atmosphere, no matter how much material opulence we have or don’t have. So, the whole program to become permanently happy is to revive our relationship with Krishna, which all of you are trying to do. This is a very important point.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him.

COMMENT

So, we can be happy, we can be reconnected with our original self, in a way, our original source of permanent happiness, by being connected with Krishna. So, what does it mean to be connected with Krishna? His name, His form, His qualities, His pastimes, His entourage, they are all Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.40) the Lord has explained such contact in the following words: “Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure. A slight beginning of such activities is sufficient even to deliver a person from the great ocean of material fears.”

COMMENT

So, many of you are familiar with this verse. And the idea is that even a slight beginning will protect you from the ocean of material fears. In the human life, if one is somewhat awakened spiritually, the fear is that one will not take birth as a human being again, and thus lose the opportunity to progress in bhakti-yoga. And there really is no guarantee. Some people have the mistaken idea that in the transmigration of the soul, the soul can only go up. Well, in a way, that’s true. In the lower species, the soul will naturally progress. But when it comes to the human form of life in which the living entity has more highly developed consciousness, and therefore, greater responsibility, if one misuses one’s free will, minute independence, one can again descend into the lower species.

So, that is the greatest fear. But if one makes even a slight beginning in devotional service, he will get a chance in the next life to continue. That means he or she will take birth in a human form, and therefore, be able to make further progress. In a purport in The Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada says that if one is a devotee and then falls down and engages in sinful activities, he or she may be born in an unfortunate situation in the next life. One may get a lower birth in the next life, but one will get a human birth. And consequently, one will be able to resume one’s spiritual progress.

PURPORT (continued)

As a highly potent drug injected intravenously acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected.

COMMENT

Where are they injected? No one looking at your cell phones can answer. [laughter] Yes, through the ear.

PURPORT (continued)

As a highly potent drug injected intravenously acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected through the ear by the pure devotee of the Lord can act very efficiently.

COMMENT

So now, what does this mean, pure devotee? Because this verse and purport are addressed to us, and from a certain point of view, we might consider that we’re not pure devotees, in the sense that we’re not fully realized souls, mahā-bhāgavatas. But there are different definitions of a pure devotee, and one definition is one who does not engage in devotional service for any material benefit, either sense gratification or impersonal liberation. So, if we have that qualification, at least, these topics will be very effective, that’s the point. And I think we all have that qualification, more or less. More. [laughter] 

PURPORT (continued)

As a highly potent drug injected intravenously acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected through the ear by the pure devotee of the Lord can act very efficiently. Aural realization,

COMMENT

That’s a-u-r-a-l, through the ear.

PURPORT (continued)

Aural realization of the transcendental messages implies total realization.

COMMENT

It is very significant.

PURPORT (continued)

Just as fructification of one part of a tree implies fructification of all other parts. This realization for a moment in the association of pure devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī prepares one’s complete life for eternity. And thus the sun fails to rob the pure devotee of his duration of life, inasmuch as he is constantly busy in the devotional service of the Lord, purifying his existence.

COMMENT

So, this verse is very striking. By rising and setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, that we all can accept easily, except those who utilize the time in discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. Well, how is that? Because when we utilize the time in Krishna consciousness, we are actually preparing ourselves for eternal life. So, the rising and setting of the sun decreases the life of everyone else because they’re just getting closer to death, but it’s not decreasing the duration of life of a devotee, because the devotee is getting closer to his eternal life.

PURPORT (continued)

This realization for a moment in the association of pure devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī prepares one’s complete life for eternity. And thus the sun fails to rob the pure devotee of his duration of life, inasmuch as he is constantly busy in the devotional service of the Lord, purifying his existence. Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being.

COMMENT

So, ordinary people think that death is just part of life, it’s natural. But actually, it’s not natural, it’s really a symptom of the diseased condition of material life that we have to suffer death. In the healthy condition of Krishna consciousness, there’s no death.

PURPORT (continued)

Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being; only due to material infection is the eternal living entity subjected to the law of birth, death, old age and disease.

The materialistic way of pious activities like charity is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life.

COMMENT

Did you all hear that? Now, listen.

PURPORT (continued)

Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa (without brahminical qualification) the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times.

COMMENT

I mean, there may be many investment advisors out there, but I don’t think any of them can offer an opportunity like this. [laughter]

PURPORT (continued)

And if the money is given to a veda-pāraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication.

COMMENT

So, let me discuss that. I mean, the path of the Vedas, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ, the purpose of the Vedas is to know Krishna. And certainly, Srila Prabhupada was such a vedapāraga. Now, how can that money be returned in unlimited multiplication? Everything in the material world is limited, so that return will be realized in the spiritual world. And I’ll tell you a story that involved Srila Prabhupada and eventually, me, in Juhu.

So, Srila Prabhupada was in Hong Kong, and Bhurijana Prabhu had arranged for him to be received at the airport in a Rolls-Royce limousine, and then taken to the penthouse suite in maybe the Hilton Hotel, whatever, the best hotel in Hong Kong, for a press conference.

So, one of the reporters asked, “You’re supposed to be a spiritual person. Why are you riding in this Rolls-Royce car?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “I come from the spiritual world, and in the spiritual world, everything is made of cintāmaṇi jewels, spiritual gems. So, even if they had collected me in a solid gold Rolls-Royce, or even a solid diamond Rolls-Royce, it wouldn’t have been good enough. So, you’re asking why I rode in that limousine? Well, the answer is that that was the best they could offer, so I had to accept it.” But it’s true, it wasn’t fake.

Anyway, one of the other questions they asked him was about Guru Maharaja Ji who was earlier known as Balyogeshwar. And Guru Maharaja Ji, he was a boy, and he was, I guess, supposed to be God. So, they asked him, “What do you have to say about Guru Maharaja Ji?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Someone who says he’s God, he is dog. And he may be able to cheat some of the people for some time, but when he meets Krishna, he will realize that Krishna is an even greater cheat than him, and Krishna will take away everything from him.”

Now, that question and answer appeared in Time Magazine. And one of our friends in Juhu brought me that magazine, and I read that, and I was struck. Prabhupada put the whole philosophy into that answer. Everyone is part and parcel of Krishna, but Krishna is the supreme in everything, including cheating. And it did happen. There’s a little bit of history, if you want to call it that.

So, Balyogeshwar’s mother had two sons, and apparently, Balyogeshwar, Guru Maharaja Ji, got married to an American disciple’s secretary or something. His mother didn’t like that. So, it came on the front page of the Illustrated Weekly of India, that the mother had taken away the title of God from that son and given it to the other son. [laughter] So, he lost everything. [laughter]

But anyway, when Prabhupada came from Hong Kong to Juhu, he related that whole incident on the press conference. And at the end, after describing how he replied to that question, “Why did you ride in a Rolls-Royce limousine?” He said, “What else can you say to such envious people?” But there’s a serious point here, and the point is that if you give to a vedapāraga like Srila Prabhupada, your investment will be returned in unlimited multiplication, which means only in the spiritual world.

PURPORT (continued)

The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ). There is a guarantee of money’s being returned if given in charity, regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead.

COMMENT

So, you’ll see how brilliantly these points are brought together, that the proportion may vary, but if you give in charity, it is guaranteed that you’ll get money back in the next life. And in the same way, if you spend even a moment of chanting and hearing in the association of pure devotees, it’s guaranteed that sooner or later, you will go back home, back to Godhead. I’ll read that again.  

PURPORT (continued)

There is a guarantee of money’s being returned if given in charity, regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate.

COMMENT

This is Lord Krishna speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, one who attains to his abode never comes back again to the miserable material world.

PURPORT (continued)

In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life. A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.

COMMENT

Now, this is something we all experience, and as we get older, we experience it more.

PURPORT (continued)

A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.

COMMENT

In other words, disease and old age remind us that the material world is not a happy place, the physical body is not a happy place. And so, we should accelerate our devotional service to ready ourselves for going back home, back to Godhead.

And of course, I mean, the chanting and hearing is a general instruction, and specifically the chanting of the holy name, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is recommended. Now, the problem with the chanting, because as Srila Prabhupada said, the chanting is easy, but the determination to chant is not easy. And the reason it’s not easy is because we don’t have taste for it.

We were just at the sadhu-saṅga kirtan retreat in Boone, North Carolina, and one devotee spoke to me in a very honest way. He said actually, he doesn’t have taste for the holy name. For him, it’s bitter. He said at the kirtan mela, that bitter medicine is sugar-coated with nice music, so it goes down easier. [laughter] But actually, if it’s just him and the holy name, he doesn’t have that taste.

So, this problem is discussed in the Upadeśāmṛta by Srila Rupa Gosvami, translated for us as The Nectar of Instruction. And Srila Rupa Gosvami explains that just as a person suffering from jaundice (the disease of avidya, which means ignorance), cannot taste the sweetness of sweet things, to the diseased person, sweet things taste bitter. I had that, actually, in India, I had jaundice. But the ayurvedic remedy for jaundice is sugar candy, or rock candy. And even though it tastes bitter, one accepts it because it’s the medicine. And as one is getting cured of the disease, one tastes that rock candy as sweeter and sweeter. And then, when one is fully cured, he or she tastes that rock candy as it is, sweet like nectar.

So, even though we might not have taste, or so much taste, or we might have taste sometimes but not other times, we should still do it as a regular practice. Just like the physician gives orders, and we may like it or we may not like it, but if we want to be cured, we follow the doctor’s orders. And that will gradually have its effect, and then we will relish it. But we shouldn’t avoid the practice because we don’t relish it, but we should persevere, and the taste will come if we don’t commit offenses. And of the offenses, I mean, there’s so many, well, not that many, ten, but the ten have a lot of varieties. But the first offense, sādhu-nindā, to blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord, we should really avoid that.

Of course, it’s very simple, committing sin on the strength of chanting, that’s very simple, but then, the last. . . Well, it depends how you break up the Sanskrit, but the last offense can be translated as inattention. And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that if you chant with attention, all the other offenses will be destroyed. And if you chant inattentively, they’ll be allowed to flourish. So, we should work on those.

My godbrother Bhurijana Prabhu gives seminars on japa, he wrote a whole book called Japa, a very good book. So, in one of his seminars, he gave his students some homework, and there were two parts to it. One part was to avoid criticizing devotees, and the other was to chant attentively. And then, the next morning, he asked the students for their report. So, one devotee honestly said that she had every intention not to criticize, but she fell into some company that was criticizing, and she couldn’t help herself. So, Bhurijana Prabhu said, “Well, there are two choices here. One is that you change the environment.” And he said, “If you want to change the environment, good luck, because the environment doesn’t want to change. The environment wants to criticize. So, the other approach, which is more feasible, is that you remove yourself from that environment.”

So, this is something that we need to be aware of, because it can happen so easily. We don’t even think about it, we’re so used to casually criticizing devotees, we do it without thinking. But we should avoid that, that will make a huge difference in our chanting, and consequently, in our spiritual lives and our realization of our eternal life.

One reason we might criticize others is they’re not doing what we want them to do. And here, Bhurijana Prabhu gave such a wonderful example in that seminar. Because we know, we’ve come into the material world because we wanted to be God. So, he said it’s like every one of us goes through life envisioning our life as a drama, or a movie, in which we are the hero or the heroine, and we want everyone else to be the supporting cast. And when they don’t act the way we want to support us in our role as heroes or heroines, we don’t like it and we might criticize them.

He said, it’s like everyone is walking around. . . This is the psychology; I don’t think literally, but everyone is walking around, and they want to say, “Excuse me, please, I have an important announcement to make. I am the center of the universe, and you should all do what I want.” That’s the psychology of every conditioned soul. So, we have to see that Krishna is the hero, Radha and Krishna are the hero and the heroine, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada, and that we’re all supporting their happiness and their service. And then, we’ll be happy and we’ll have our needs in our relationship. Hare Krishna. [applause]

Are there any questions or comments or reflections? Devakinandana Prabhu?

Devakinandana Prabhu: In his purport, Prabhupada said that the materialistic way of pious activity, like charity, is recommended in smriti sastra. So, when it is given to vedapāraga, then it turns and becomes special?

Giriraj Swami: Someone may want to do pious activity, they don’t realize the benefit of giving to a vedapāraga, they may not know it. A lot of people respected Srila Prabhupada as a sadhu, but they didn’t really understand who he was, the world acharya who came to fulfill the prophecy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the previous acharyas, but they gave. So, they would get that benefit, but it’s not a material pious activity, but in their mind, they don’t know it’s not a material pious activity. But yeah, they hit the jackpot.

There is a book. . . It’s funny. Anyway, there’s a book called Stumbling on Happiness written by a professor at Harvard University. And basically, the theme of the book is that we’re very poor at predicting what will make us happy. And in fact, most people are taught that if they get a good education, if they have a lucrative occupation, if they have a beautiful wife or handsome husband, bright children, and go on fabulous vacations, then they’ll be happy.

So, what happened was there was a whole generation of people, not the first immigrants who came over who had to struggle, but their children or grandchildren, and there’s a whole generation or two of them who did everything that they were told would make them happy. And guess what? They weren’t happy. So, this gave rise to a whole new field in psychology, what makes people happy. And they’ve actually found that doing altruistic activities for the benefit of others makes people happy, there’s a few things.

So, this stumbling unhappiness, the idea of that is that people are very poor at predicting what will make them happy, but you might just stumble on. So, someone who’s engaging in material pious activities might stumble on a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada and achieve eternal happiness. I mean, very few of us. . . Well, I mean, there could be exceptions depending on your cultural background, but say my background, I wasn’t looking for Krishna consciousness, I was looking for perfect happiness, and in that quest for perfect happiness, I stumbled on Krishna consciousness, so to speak, and then I found it. I’m realizing it, gradually at least. Any other? Yes?

Devotee: So, Maharaja, you mentioned about attentive chanting, that it’s very important. Can you give some tips on how to do attentive chanting? Because we try, and it does not work. So, any advice, tips?

Giriraj Swami: He’s saying that I’ve advised attentive chanting, but it’s not easy. So, do I have any tips? There are a number of them. Nothing is a guarantee, but they help. One is to get up early in the morning. If you can get up during the brāhma-muhūrta like Srila Prabhupada recommended or required for those living in the temple, that helps. Chanting with other devotees who are serious about chanting helps. Chanting with devotees who have taste helps. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura recommends that. Chanting in front of Tulasi-devi helps. So, we should do it, but it is a struggle.

In one of Bhurijana Prabhu’s talks in the seminar, he said that when you chant, your mind is going to rebel, and you are going to have to fight with your mind. And he said it’s a struggle, but he said that fight must be fought. You can’t avoid it, it’s not that you can take a pill, “Now my mind is fixed.” As one devotee quoted earlier, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna says, “The mind is more difficult to control than the wind.” And Krishna says, “Yes, but it’s possible by practice and detachment.” So, keep at it, Krishna will help you, certainly. Don’t give up the fight.

In Mauritius, there was a politician named Paul Berenger, and he was an atheist. And I guess he was French, from his name, he was French, and the island of Mauritius was a French colony, but I think 51 percent are Hindus. And so, he would always run for prime minister, and he would always lose. And every time, the day after the election, he would have banners up everywhere, “La Lutte Continue,” the battle continues, the fight continues. So, that should be us, in our mind, when we lose the battle with the mind, “Okay, la lutte continue, it’s not the end.” [laughter] Yes?

Devotee: Thank you, Guru Maharaja. Guru Maharaja, I was wondering, how does one determine if one is serving to the best of his capacity? And how does one balance serving to the best of our capacity, and at the same time, trying to accelerate our devotional service?

Giriraj Swami: I’m not catching the contrast.

Devotee: Well, I’m trying to figure out, at a certain point in time, I may think that I’m serving to the best of my capacity, that’s the most I can do, but I do want to accelerate at the same time.

Giriraj Swami: We should never think that we’re doing the best we can, we should always think that there’s room for improvement. But, I mean, yeah, you’re doing the best you can in the sense that you’re engaging in Krishna consciousness, but you’re not doing the best you can in Krishna consciousness. Very early on, one of the first times when Srila Prabhupada asked me to speak in front of him in Bombay, afterwards, I felt I hadn’t spoken well. And I approached and I said, “I think I could have done better.” He said, “Well, that’s good. We should always think that we could do better in our service, but you shouldn’t think you could do better in terms of the topic. You can’t do better in terms of the topic, but you can do better in terms of the presentation of it.”

Devotee: Maharaja, I have a question regarding the charity. There are some people who are unfortunate; somebody’s sick, they don’t have money, and you want to help them. God has given you some resources, you want to go and help them in charity. And some devotees said that it’s their karma that they’re suffering. We don’t need to do it, we don’t have any obligation, we don’t have any reason to help them, they’re going to suffer, this is their karma.

Giriraj Swami: Well, that doesn’t sound very compassionate. [laughter]

Devotee: I agree with you 100 percent. I do not agree with the devotee either, but I wanted to bring this question to your attention and see what your thoughts are.

Giriraj Swami: I mean, in one sense, by serving Krishna, you’re watering the root of the tree, so you don’t have to water the leaves or the twigs and branches separately. In fact, that’s not the process, to water them separately. But if we can help hungry people with prasāda, then that’s good for them materially and spiritually. I would do that in Bombay. I would always carry a dabba, a container with mahā sweets, and at least then, when we came to an intersection, there would often be street urchins that would come out and they wanted money. But we didn’t really know what would happen if we gave them money, but we’d give them mahā-prasāda, and they were happy with us.

Devotee: That’s great, prasāda is great, but if somebody’s sick, they need medicine, they need surgery. So, you need the money to do the surgery. Is it okay to do that?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I mean, it’s better to do it with devotees. Because the thing is, all right, someone’s sick, you give them some money to get better. . . I mean, I don’t know if you’re talking about someone you know or just these people you don’t know, a general charity. You don’t know what they’re going to do with their good health. They could use their good health for bad purposes.

Devotee: We don’t know that.

Giriraj Swami: Well, that’s why it’s not very safe to give to people who are not devotees.

Devotee: So, what you’re saying is if it’s a non-devotee and he’s dying and you can give some money to save their life, they need some surgery, then that’s not the right thing to do?

Giriraj Swami: Well, it seems like you’re changing the terms of the question. [laughter] If someone is on the verge of death, you’re a devotee, you give him some money to have an operation and save his life, he’s going to feel very obliged and indebted to you, he’ll be very appreciative, that will help him spiritually. But that’s okay.

Devotee: When you’re doing something in charity, you go there, you see somebody suffering you don’t know, and he may not be a devotee, but it’s kind of cruel not to help the person when God has given you resources to help this person, that’s my thought.

Giriraj Swami: How many can you help? I mean, in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada was very concerned about how he utilized the space. And when he came, he would periodically ask how the rooms were being used. So, there was one block. There was vacant land at the front where we built the temple, then at the back was some old tenement building. So, he asked how the rooms were being used. So, in one room, I had allowed, or put, a young man and his wife. He was from America, she was from India. And Prabhupada actually didn’t want the men and women to live together on the temple property, which I knew. So, he said, “Well, why did you do that?” So, I said, “Well, I wanted to save him because he was going down outside.” He said, “Like that, if you’re going to offer a room with light and fan, and a husband and wife can sleep together, the whole of Bombay will come to be saved.” [laughter] So, how many people can be saved like that? Better to sort of water the roots. Any other questions or comments? Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, you talked about accelerating our spiritual progress, and you also talked on charity towards Krishna consciousness. If you are giving charity towards Krishna conscious movement, like ours, can that be seen as accelerating our spiritual progress?

Giriraj Swami: Well, if your charity increases, it would be accelerating. If it decreases, it wouldn’t be accelerating. But if you want to accelerate it, then give more. [laughter] Yes?

Devotee: So, going back to the verse, the first part of the verse says that as we get older, with every day and night, we see we are getting older. So, I can experience that, I have first-hand experience, I see it’s happening. But the second part of the verse where it says that if it’s used for Krishna, then the effect is opposite. I accept it, but I don’t experience it as much. So, how do we actually experience that we are growing spiritually?

Giriraj Swami: So, both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, (that you relate to), except those who utilize the time in discussing the topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. Well, that’s true, because by using that time in that way, you come closer to your eternal life. And I think what you’re alluding to is what Srila Prabhupada mentioned in the last sentence, that a devotee’s old age and disease are an impetus to his accelerating his devotional service.

I mean, it isn’t evitable, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, birth, death, old age, and disease are inevitable, even if we’re devotees. But they affect the body, and as you become more realized in Krishna consciousness, you identify with the body less, and it won’t affect you in the same way. But they will be there. Old age will be there, disease will be there. But when they come, we should think, Okay, I have to get serious, I really have to make progress. Otherwise, I’m going to come back and suffer more birth, death, old age, and disease. So, does that answer your question, or is something left.

Devotee: It does. The one thing which I always try to understand is that I don’t experience as much the spiritual side in terms of growth, being closer to Krishna, closer to eternal life. I accept that it’s happening, but I do not experience it, I cannot relate to it. So, that’s what.

Giriraj Swami: And what are you doing to accelerate your spiritual life?

Devotee: It’s a steady-state sort of split that we chant our rounds, do devotional service, we’re doing it for not so much increase, I would say.

Giriraj Swami: I’ve heard from businessmen that you always have to keep increasing your business. Otherwise, it decreases. I mean, I don’t know, I was never a businessman, but that’s what I heard from businessmen in Bombay. So, if you want to stay on the same level, you’re going to go down. You have to be striving to come to a higher level. Higher means more standard, more dedication. I mean, if you’re in the middle of the ocean and you’re treading water, I mean, how long can you keep treading water? You’re going to drown. I mean, you have to make positive progress. Okay, thank you. Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, you were talking about attentive chanting.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I was.

Devotee: The moment I hear about attentive chanting, three things come into my mind. One is my intention to chant attentively, and then the capacity, it doesn’t meet that intention. And on the other side, there is all-merciful Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: There is what?

Devotee: All-merciful Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, yes, yes, yes, all-merciful Krishna.

Devotee: Is there a way to attract his mercy?

Giriraj Swami: Well, that’s your effort. That principle was demonstrated in the dāmodara-līlā. Mother Yasoda was trying to bind Krishna, but she couldn’t, as you know, the ropes were always two inches or two fingers too short. She was trying to catch Him. And then, eventually, Krishna allowed Himself to be caught and bound by her. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam mentions two words. Pariśrama, which means hard labor, and kṛṣṇa-kṛpā, which is Krishna’s mercy. So, the two fingers that the ropes were too short by, were bridged, our acharyas tell us, by that combination. On the one side, pariśrama, hard labor, and kṛṣṇa-kṛpā, Krishna’s mercy. And in that way, Krishna was bound. So, if we want to, so to speak, bind Krishna in our minds while we’re chanting, we need those two elements; our hard effort, which we’ve discussed, and Krishna’s mercy, for sure, we need Krishna’s mercy. That combination will work. Thank you, a very good question. Yes?

Devotee: I have a question about charity. So, lots of times, we have a natural tendency to give charity to people, like social welfare. We feel good about it when we give money. Somebody is hungry, somebody needs education. So, we feel that we did good, pious activities. But most of the time, it does not happen when we give to the temple, or spread Krishna consciousness. People say it’s not that good of a feeling rather than giving to the hungry people. So, how can we increase charity to the Krishna consciousness movement?

Giriraj Swami: Is Ananda Vrindavan Ashwari here? [laughter] He wants to know how he can feel better by giving to the Krishna consciousness movement. [laughter] Can we help him? [laughter]

Devotee: We have many physicians friends, business people, like someone fully mentioned that people have millions of dollars, but they like to give charity to the social welfare, building the school, hospitals. But when you talk about that we need to build a temple, they’re not interested. So, how can we encourage people to feel that this is the more important charity?

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Well, most people identify with the body, so they can relate to giving charity to help someone’s body. And then, maybe a little higher, they identify with the mind, so they can feel good if they give charity for education or something. But very few people identify with the soul, and so they don’t feel that giving to a temple or some cause that will help people with Krishna consciousness is that valuable, because it’s beyond them because of their material identification. So, if we can preach to them and enlighten them with spiritual knowledge and help them purify themselves, then they’ll appreciate the value of giving to Krishna consciousness.

I mean, there are devices that fundraisers have to encourage people to give, but really, if they understand they’re not the body, they’re part and parcel of Krishna, eternal servants of Krishna, and if they come to Krishna, all their problems will be solved. And anyone who comes to Krishna, all their problems will be solved. You’re a fundraiser. Do you want to say something? [laughter] 

Devotee: Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. First, you have to have a relationship and do something, and naturally, they will give. Sambandha has to be there. And you rightly said, people have too much sambandha with their body, they’re going to identify with some suffering, but they have no sambandha with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That’s where our thing comes.  

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. One thing Srila Prabhupada said is that every businessman is calculating his profit and loss. So, he has to be convinced that by giving to Krishna, he will gain. And he said that’s preaching, that when they’re convinced, they voluntarily want to give. It’s done by preaching, association. And association means chanting, hearing, prasādam. Prasādam, I knew I forgot something. [laughter] Okay. So, thank you all very much. [applause]

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja. Since I have a habit of speaking after the class in the temple, I’ll speak. So, I would like to thank everyone, but I’d like to thank Prabhupada and the family for organizing  this wonderful program. [applause] And the reason I’m actually here is I would like to wish Nimai a happy birthday.

Nimai: Thank you!

Devotee: Okay, please come up. [applause] So, you get a special blessing from Maharaja. [applause]

Giriraj Swami: Coincidentally, I mean, they weren’t arranging it so it would be on his birthday, but coincidentally, it is his birthday. And you had quite a birthday celebration. I hope you have a wonderful year and years ahead of you in Krishna consciousness by the Lord and the devotees’ grace.

Nimai: Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. [applause]

Devotee: So, on behalf of our family, I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for coming out on a busy Thursday and taking time to hear Maharaja who has traveled from California. We’re all blessed to have Maharaja come today and thankful to Maharaja for taking time on his very busy schedule to nourish us with spiritual knowledge. As we all proceed in our journey of Krishna consciousness, Maharaja is a great example for us all of his selfless love and devotion to Prabhupada, to Krishna consciousness, and to his devotees around the world.

I’ve always had a deep admiration for his conviction as a westerner in India, against all odds and in the face of significant adversity, to set the seeds for the majestic Juhu Bombay temple, which is now blooming like a lotus flower. A center of everyone’s life in the Juhu area. Maharaja has touched countless lives, and I would, once again, like to thank Giriraj Swami on behalf of us all for coming today.

I would also like to thank another special guest, Devakinandana Prabhu, who is here representing the Juhu temple, visiting us from Mumbai. So, thank you. Hare Krishna. [applause] I would like to thank Chaitanya and the entire prasādam team for all their help. Maharaja, we pray that you always remain in great health and visit us often, every year. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee: So, now, Maharaja will offer puṣpa-abhiseka, followed by ārati, and kirtan will go on. After that, prasādam.