SB 10.2.31 – The Merciful Lord and the Merciful Acharyas—Sri Krishna Janmashtami

Giriraj Swami: We welcome you to our celebration of Sri Krishna Janmashtami. Krishna Janmashtami is very deep because Krishna is so deep.

In his introduction to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Srila Prabhupada explains that the concept of the Absolute Truth is higher than the concept of God. God means the controller, Isvara. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, Krishna is the Supreme Controller. But the concept of the Absolute Truth is even superior. The Absolute Truth is that from which or He from whom everyone and everything emanates. So, as I was chanting the prayers and looking at the deities and pictures and thinking of all the personalities to whom I felt grateful for their contributions to devotional service, but I thought actually, every one of them is coming from Krishna. Krishna is the origin. So ultimately, we should feel grateful to Krishna for everything.

I personally feel very grateful to our founder acharya, my personal teacher, Srila Prabhupada, because from him, I learned about Krishna. Actually, from him, I learned what it meant to be a human being. And it is said that Srila Prabhupada was due to take birth on the Janmashtami day but that he didn’t want to divert people’s attention from Krishna to himself, and so he waited a day and came out the next day, the day after Janmashtami. And that was something that struck everyone who met Srila Prabhupada, that he didn’t want attention for himself, he wanted attention for Krishna.

When Srila Prabhupada and some of his disciples from Europe and America, well, he returned to India with them, we had a big pandal at Cross Maidan in downtown Bombay, and many people, it was sort of the custom among taxi drivers and others to have pictures of little deities on their dashboards. So, people were asking, they wanted one of Srila Prabhupada for their dashboards, and Srila Prabhupada said, “No, they should have Krishna, not me.”

And a little later, at the Ardha-Kumbh-Mela in Allahabad, there was someone who is known as Jagadguru. He was not Jagadguru, he probably never stepped foot out of India, but they called him Jagadguru, and they were carrying him on a big palanquin, maybe even on an elephant. So, some disciples said to Srila Prabhupada, “You are the real Jagadguru, you should be the one riding up there on the elephant.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, Krishna should be riding on the elephant, I will be walking on the ground.” So, many people noted that George Harrison was struck by that quality of Srila Prabhupada.

So, I thought to read a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is relevant to both Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, and that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two, Prayers by the Demigods, Text Thirty-One. Now, please repeat after me.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 31

svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman

bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ

bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te

nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān

TRANSLATION

O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to fulfill the desire of Your devotee, and therefore You are known as a desire tree [vāñchā-kalpataru]. When ācāryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.

COMMENT

Please repeat.

COMMENT

Purport by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

This statement reveals how the merciful ācāryas and the merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead together help the serious devotee who wants to return home, back to Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His teachings to Rūpa Gosvāmī, said:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

          (Cc. Madhya 19.151)

One can achieve the seed of bhakti-latā, devotional service, by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead.

COMMENT

Hare Krishna. Welcome.

So, I’ll read this sentence again because it’s long and deep, and I will relate it to our Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service.

COMMENT

So, people are not generally that willing to engage in devotional service. So, the acharya, and we are citing Srila Prabhupada as an example, finds the ways and means to induce the candidates to render devotional service.

Srila Prabhupada has explained that in the beginning, considering who we were, fallen westerners, he did not immediately introduce the regulative principles, but he engaged us in devotional service. And by our being engaged in devotional service, we became purified and qualified for the complete regular practice of bhakti-yoga.

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead.

COMMENT

So, this is a very important point about Krishna and the acharya, that Krishna will accept the method given by the acharya or the service rendered by the disciples of the acharya because of His favorable nature to the acharya. 

When I first joined, I heard that Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a representative of a company who enters into an agreement, a deal, that even if the company or the proprietor of the concern does not really like the agreement, the company will honor the agreement because their representative entered it on their behalf. So, Srila Prabhupada said that if the spiritual master accepts someone, even if Krishna wouldn’t have wanted to accept that person, Krishna will accept the person because His representative entered into that agreement. When I heard this, I was struck because in a sort of naive way, I thought that there could not be any difference between what Krishna wanted and what Prabhupada wanted, but actually, there is spiritual individuality at every stage.

In Srila Prabhupada’s final pastimes with us, the disciples were asking him to stay, that was also a very deep series of exchanges, and they asked him that, “You said that your Guru Maharaja left earlier than he had to because he was disgusted with his disciples, or some of his disciples.” So, they asked Srila Prabhupada, “Is that the case with you and us?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, if Krishna allows, I will be very happy to remain in your association.”

So, for some days or weeks, it was going on like that, whatever Krishna desires, that was the mood that Srila Prabhupada was exhibiting as far as his staying or going, whatever Krishna desires.

But then at one stage, Srila Prabhupada surprised us, he asked how we felt about his staying or going, and we voiced the same mood that we had been getting from him, whatever Krishna desires. So, Srila Prabhupada surprised us by saying that Krishna has given him the choice. So, although Srila Prabhupada was a soul fully surrendered to Krishna, there was, you could say, interaction between the two of them as individuals. So, he said, “So, what do you want?” He said to us, “What do you want? Not just whatever Krishna wants, what do you want? Do you want me to stay or not?” And then he said, “Of course, my staying means that I will have to suffer so many inconveniences because of my bodily condition.” It wasn’t such a simple thing. So, Prabhupada said, “You all go out and discuss, and tell me what you decide.”

So, we all went out into the anteroom, the foyer, the outer room of Prabhupada’s quarters in Vrindavan. And at that time, Kirtanananda Swami was very articulate and he said, “If Krishna is giving Srila Prabhupada the choice and if Srila Prabhupada has told us to deliberate, that means he is giving us the choice.” So, there was a discussion, and everyone agreed that they wanted Srila Prabhupada to stay. And one devotee remarked, “Well, not all the GBCs are here right now in the room.” And Brahmananda Prabhu, who I adore, he was so attached to Srila Prabhupada. So, Brahmananda Prabhu, in his great, magnanimous, jovial way said, “Come on, what GBC is going to say they don’t want Prabhupada to stay?” So, it was agreed.

And so, we went back in the room, Kirtanananda Swami was designated to be the spokesperson, and when he got in Srila Prabhupada’s presence, he broke down in tears, crying, he couldn’t speak. And Brahmananda Prabhu was sitting behind him, rubbing his back, and then he said, “Well, Srila Prabhupada, if you are giving us the choice, then we want you to stay, we want you to complete translating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and we want you to lead this movement going into the future,” which were some of the points that were made in the discussion outside.

And Srila Prabhupada replied, “So, you have all discussed, and this is what you have concluded?” And Kirtanananda Swami said, “Yes.” Then, Srila Prabhupada sort of yawned, “All right.” And in Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, Satsvarupa Maharaja writes it was probably the most nonchalant decision about life and death ever made.

And then, Srila Prabhupada said, “This is love.” This is love that we wanted him to stay. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada would say people want the kingdom of God without God. They want the kingdom of God, but they want to enjoy it without God. So, it could happen that one would want to enjoy the property of the spiritual master without the spiritual master. So, when the devotee said, “No, we want you to stay,” Srila Prabhupada said, “This is real love.”

So, I’m coming back now to the point of the personal reciprocation between Krishna and the spiritual master as individuals. Prabhupada said, “Krishna has given me the choice.” So, the same thing with the representative of the company accepting entering into an agreement that the company doesn’t really like, but they accept it because their representative made the agreement.

Now, this is very significant because in some ways, you could think or say that the process that Srila Prabhupada gave us was less rigorous or demanding than the process of devotional service given by previous acharyas. That is a point that could be discussed separately, but the immediate point here is that if Prabhupada made that deal with us, “You do such and such and such and such, and you’ll go back home, back to Godhead,” then Krishna will honor that commitment and make it happen.

I’ll read further. Since I unpacked it a little, I’ll re-read the last sentence.

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead. After wandering throughout the universe, a fortunate person within this material world seeks shelter of such a guru, or ācārya, who trains the devotee in the suitable ways to render service according to the circumstances so that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the service.

COMMENT

There is a reciprocation. And Prabhupada knew what Krishna wanted, which is that we practice and preach Krishna consciousness, but he gave us instructions how to practice and preach Krishna consciousness according to the time and the circumstances and the candidates, that’s us.

PURPORT (continued)

This makes it easier for the candidate to reach the ultimate destination. The ācārya’s duty, therefore, is to find the means by which devotees may render service according to references from śāstra.

COMMENT

So, sādhu-guru-śāstra-vākya, these are our three authorities; sadhu, saintly person, shastra, revealed scriptures, and guru, spiritual master. But of those three, shastra is the central point. Sadhu lives according to shastra, and guru teaches according to shastra. So, although there is some flexibility to adjust details, but there is no flexibility to adjust the principles. The principles are fixed.

And once, some of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers came to meet him, and they were rigid, by Prabhupada’s standards, they were rigid about certain matters; women, women associating with men in the temples, and different things. And Srila Prabhupada commented that for all their strictness, they could not do anything to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And Srila Prabhupada made allowances for the time, the circumstances, and the candidates, and he engaged the boys and girls, he would call us boys and girls because of his age, we could say young men and women. He would engage the boys and girls together, preaching, and he said, “It’s been very successful,” and he said, “The ladies are no less than the men when it comes to preaching.”

So, Srutakirti Prabhu, who was Srila Prabhupada’s servant, asked him, “Well, we have faith in you, we know that you wouldn’t compromise on any of the basic principles, but you did make adjustments in terms of the details. So, how do we know what is a principle and what is a detail?” And Srila Prabhupada thought for a moment and said, “That requires a little intelligence.” And even today I see it. On the internet, people are arguing, discussing, arguing, what can we adjust and what can’t we adjust, what are principles and what are details.

But anyway. So here, Srila Prabhupada is saying, “On the basis of shastra,” that means the basic principles are coming from shastra.

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya’s duty, therefore, is to find the means by which devotees may render service according to references from śāstra. Rūpa Gosvāmī, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published such devotional books as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

COMMENT

So, the verse says that the acharyas cross the ocean of nescience but they leave behind the boat by which they crossed so subsequent devotees can also cross. So, the method they leave is, of course, it is explained orally, but primarily, it is explained in books, which is why books are so important. And that’s what Srila Prabhupada is saying here.

PURPORT (continued)

Rūpa Gosvāmī, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published such devotional books as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Thus it is the duty of the ācārya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead.

COMMENT

And Prabhupada did publish eighty books.

PURPORT (continued)

In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, this same path is being prescribed and followed.

COMMENT

So, that sentence, I mean, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books carefully is quite an experience because you see how much he packs into each sentence. So, this method is being prescribed and followed. That refers both to the method of spiritual practice, the science of bhakti-yoga given in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, and also applies to the method of helping other devotees by leaving literature and distributing literature. But coming to our personal practices.

PURPORT (continued)

Thus the devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities — illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling — and to chant sixteen rounds a day. These are bona fide instructions.

COMMENT

I’ll read it again for emphasis.

PURPORT (continued)

Thus the devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities — illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling — and to chant sixteen rounds a day.

COMMENT

Now, some people say sixteen rounds a day is not enough, and of course, it’s good to chant more.

On one morning walk on Juhu beach, Lokanath Swami asked Srila Prabhupada, “Why have you prescribed sixteen rounds?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Not sixteen rounds, minimum sixteen rounds.” And then he said, “But some devotees are fixing other minimums for themselves.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “They can do. You can increase from that figure, but you can’t decrease.”

And then, there was some discussion about imitating Haridasa Thakura, I think he asked, “How do you know if you are imitating Haridasa Thakura?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Imitation is not bad. If you are chanting more rounds, that’s not bad, that’s good.” And then Brahmananda Prabhu said, “Well, but what if there is service and a devotee refuses because he is chanting his extra rounds?” And Prabhupada said, “That is very bad, ‘don’t disturb me, I’m busy imitating Haridasa Thakura,’ that is very bad.”

But here, the point is, I’ll read the next sentence after ‘chant sixteen rounds a day.’

PURPORT (continued)

These are bona fide instructions.

COMMENT

Prabhupada is saying very clearly, “These are bona fide instructions.” Even though he didn’t say, “Chant sixty-four rounds,” but, “These are bona fide instructions.”

PURPORT (continued)

Because in the Western countries constant chanting is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but should follow this method.

COMMENT

And then he says, and this is the crucial point.

PURPORT (continued)

Kṛṣṇa will accept a devotee who strictly follows the regulative principles and the method prescribed in the various books and literatures published by the authorities.

COMMENT

In other words, Krishna will accept this prescription of the four regulated principles in sixteen rounds. And Srila Prabhupada said on various occasions, “If you just chant sixteen rounds and follow the four regulated principles and do your best to spread Krishna consciousness, then at the end of this life, you’ll go back home, back to Godhead.”

Of course, there is a lot involved in that, such as associating with devotees. It’s very hard to maintain chanting sixteen rounds and following the regulated principles without the association of devotees. One devotee left the association and came back, and Srila Prabhupada said, “You are not chanting your sixteen rounds.” And the disciple said, “How did you know?” And Prabhupada said, “Because you are not associating with devotees.”

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord.

COMMENT

So yeah, the all-merciful acharyas and the all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead, they work together.

PURPORT (continued)

This method is called ācārya sampradāya. It is therefore said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ (Padma Purāṇa).

COMMENT

The translation, which is not given in the purport, is that if you don’t really receive the mantra through disciplic succession, your chanting of the mantra will not be fruitful.

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya sampradāya is strictly bona fide.

COMMENT

So, Prabhupada is coming in the ācārya sampradāya, that’s bona fide, and the instructions he gave are bona fide.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore one must accept the ācārya sampradāya; otherwise one’s endeavor will be futile. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings:

tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa

janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa

COMMENT

Does anyone know the translation? Yes?

Devotee: Worshiping their lotus feet and associating with the devotees, this is my desire life after life.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. So, tāṅdera, you would need to know the whole poem or song, but it refers to the followers of the Six Gosvamis, that I want to serve the lotus feet of the followers of the Six Gosvamis and live in the association of devotees life after life. That is my desire.

PURPORT (continued)

One must worship the lotus feet of the ācārya.

COMMENT

This is Srila Prabhupada’s conclusion or paraphrase.

PURPORT (continued)

One must worship the lotus feet of the ācārya.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada.

PURPORT (continued)

And live within the society of devotees. Then one’s endeavor to cross over nescience will surely be successful.

COMMENT

So, there is one famous line of the Bhagavad-gītā. Lord Krishna says kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati. Which means?

Devotee: “Declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.”

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Lord Krishna is telling Arjuna, “Declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.” So, commentators have raised the question, why did Krishna tell Arjuna to make the declaration? Why didn’t He make the declaration Himself? And the answer is that although Krishna is very truthful. . . In fact, I read the sixty-four qualities of Krishna, they are beautiful, it’s from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, The Nectar of Devotion. Lord Krishna is truthful, but He may, out of affection for His devotees, break His own word for the sake of His devotee.

And one example took place during the battle of Kurukshetra when Duryodhana chided Bhīṣmadeva, “You are partial to the Pandavas, and therefore, you are not fighting to your full capacity.” And this was an insult to grandfather Bhīṣma. Then Bhīṣmadeva took a vow, “Tomorrow, I will fight so heroically that either Krishna’s friend Arjuna will die, or Krishna will be forced to break His promise not to take part in the fighting.” And Bhīṣmadeva fought so valiantly that actually, Arjuna was in trouble. And to protect the word of Bhīṣmadeva and also to protect His devotee Arjuna, Krishna picked up a broken chariot wheel as a weapon and was rushing towards Bhīṣmadeva.

So, the idea is that for the sake of His devotee, Krishna may break His own promise. He promised He wouldn’t take up weapons, but He broke it for the sake of Arjuna. So, when Krishna says kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati, “You declare it,” the purport is that yes, Krishna is truthful, but sometimes, for the sake of His devotee, to uphold His devotee’s word, He will break His own word. So, if Arjuna makes that declaration, then Krishna is sure to uphold Arjuna’s word.

And so, this is very good for us because Srila Prabhupada has made the declaration, “You chant sixteen rounds, you follow the four regulated principles, you give this life to Krishna, you do your best to spread Krishna consciousness, and you’ll go back home, back to Godhead.” And because Srila Prabhupada has given us that promise and because of Krishna’s affection for His devotee, we are confident that Krishna will support Srila Prabhupada’s promise, and we can or will go back home, back to Godhead, by their grace. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: You might have been on some of the discussions that he had with Srila Prabhupada, so I’m just curious. Even at this time in China, there is a debate among some of the leaders whether the devotees can use soy sauce and mushrooms in their cooking and in their offerings to Krishna. And I’ve heard varieties of arguments on both sides. And so, I would like to know, first of all, when it comes to this issue, can you tell us what would be the principle and what is the detail that’s trying to be adjusted?

Giriraj Swami: Well, the principle is to spread Krishna consciousness. I heard that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told his disciples who were going to England to preach. . . No, I think it was when, or maybe both times, when some British officers came to Mayapur, he said, “They could serve them meat.” So, I would say soy sauce and mushrooms are a milder adaptation. I mean, I don’t have much direct experience related to China, but I did preach in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, and Srila Prabhupada said, “They could have a deity of Buddha in the temple.” So, Prabhupada really had a very magnanimous heart, he wanted, yena tena prakāreṇa, “Somehow or other, engage people in Krishna consciousness.”

Personally, for my health, I follow Ayurveda, and soya and mushrooms are not recommended. But if that’s the way you can attract people and it would be hard to attract them without, then I would say it’s all right, it’s a detail that can be adjusted.

Devotee: Thank you very much.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Akruranatha Prabhu, you two decide.

Devotee: Oh, you already have one.

Devotee: I might be a little off topic, but I’m really interested in why we fast on Janmashtami and how it helps us and what the significance of it is?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I think the basic idea of fasting is to perform some austerity for the Deity or the personality that one is worshiping that day, and it also decreases the time we spend eating, and it frees us for chanting and hearing and serving. That’s what Prabhupada said about Ekādaśī, “Fast to reduce the demands on the body and stay up all night chanting and hearing.”

Devotee: Thank you.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. Thank you for your wonderful discourse, Maharaja. My question is about since it’s very important that we share the holy name with as many people as we can, in your talk, you said, “Unless the name comes down from disciplic succession, it will not be successful,” which made me think then, that seems to contradict how important it is to engage others in chanting Hare Krishna. For example, if they can’t be successful, if they don’t go all the way with it, and they don’t take initiation in the disciplic succession, what will the success be?

Giriraj Swami: Excuse me. Srila Prabhupada was saying that the holy name should be received through the disciplic succession. Someone asked Srila Prabhupada in his talk on chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, which he recorded early in the movement, he says that the chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee. So, someone asked Srila Prabhupada, “Well, what about the people who hear the holy name from us?” And Prabhupada said, “Well, you heard it from me and they are hearing it from you, so it’s the same as they are hearing it from me.”

Devotee: Okay. How do we know that somebody is an acharya? Because this verse can be misappropriated by somebody, they might say, “I am an acharya and whatever path I am showing is a bona fide path because Krishna will approve it.”

Giriraj Swami: It reminds me of a conversation that Srila Prabhupada had in Bombay. This is also very interesting, he was speaking on The Nectar of Devotion, it was in an apartment. Basically, with his disciples, he was speaking from the Nectar of Devotion but if someone from outside would happen to come in, he would change the level to the Bhagavad-gītā. So, a Hindu leader came in and he said, “Swamiji, India is a land of sadhus and mahatmas. So, how is it that in the land of sadhus and mahatmas, we have so many problems?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “The reason you have so many problems is you don’t know who is a sadhu or mahatma.”

And then, in the course of that conversation, one lady quoted someone saying of himself that he was a mahatma. Because like you were saying, anyone can say, “I’m the acharya.” So, Prabhupada said, “Well, they may say they are mahatma, anyone can say ‘I’m a mahatma,’ but you have to know what is a mahatma.” And then he quoted mahatmanas tu mam partha and sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. So, anyone could say, “I’m mahatma,” anyone can say, “I’m acharya,” but you have to know from shastra. Shastra is the central point. You have to know what are these symptoms of an acharya, what are the qualifications of an acharya.

How appropriate that on those words, Vaisesika Prabhu walked in. Any other questions or comments? I think we are all ready to hear from you, Maharaja.

Devotee: I was just a little confused by the verse, but I think you explained it well. But it said that the acharyas leave the means of the method for going back to Godhead on earth with behind, and then they say Krishna accepts the same method, doesn’t it say that? Could you back up to the actual verse? I remember when I was hearing that, I was thinking hmmmm... what exactly? This same method. And then you explained how the acharya and Krishna cooperate, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāda. But could you show the actual verse’s translation, please, for me? You accept this method to help them, you are very immersed. So, you explained how the agent can make a deal with the customer and the business accepts it.

Giriraj Swami: The method to cross is to get in the boat of the lotus feet of Krishna, which is the method of bhakti-yoga. So, they leave the boat for others to cross means they leave that method, especially in the form of literature, giving directions on how to practice bhakti-yoga.

Devotee: And then Krishna accepts.

Giriraj Swami: He accepts that method out of mercy for the devotees who are practicing it and out of His, you could say, obligation to the acharya, His sense of obligation to the acharyas. I will read a line from the purport for your pleasure.

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya’s duty, therefore, is to find the means by which devotees may render service according to references from śāstra. Rūpa Gosvāmī, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published such devotional books as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Thus it is the duty of the ācārya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord.

COMMENT

Now, it just came to mind because sometimes we need to balance what we say. And so, one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “Between reading your books and hearing from you directly, which is better?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Well, hearing from me is better because the books can’t pull you by the ear.” It’s possible, although it’s very unlikely in good association of devotees, sādhu-saṅga, but it is possible that one could read the books and come to a contrary conclusion if one is not open-hearted. Prabhupada said in an early lecture of his that I heard in Boston that Krishna consciousness is simple for the simple, but difficult for the crooked. So, if you are crooked, it’s not simple, but if you are simple, it’s easy.

Just on this point of being simple. So, I was based in Juhu, Bombay, for many years, and the situation there was very complicated because the owner of the property, called Nairwadi, which later became known as Hare Krishna Land, was very crooked and he was trying to cheat Srila Prabhupada. And so, at one stage, Srila Prabhupada had been away for a while, and then when he came back, Tamal Krishna Goswami told Prabhupada how Mr. Nair had bluffed me. And I’m pretty sure, I can’t say 100 percent, I’m pretty sure Tamal Krishna Goswami was expecting Prabhupada to chastise me.

And I had such a wonderful relationship with Tamal Krishna Goswami. Very early when we came to India, there was a huge color spread in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which was like Life magazine was when Life magazine was popular. So, they had many pictures, and there was a picture of me with my hand in my bead bag looking like this. And Tamal Krishna said to Srila Prabhupada, “Look at that picture of Giriraj. They say he is meditating. Do you think he was meditating or do you think he was sleeping?” So, anyway, he said that Nair had bluffed me and Prabhupada just said, “Well, what can be done? Giriraj is simple.”

So, that was in my mind as a fault, that I was simple. And then, maybe two years later on a morning walk on Juhu beach, we were reading from Kṛṣṇa book. Often, Srila Prabhupada would have these arguments and debates with Dr. Patel, but sometimes he would say, “Okay, now no more argument, we’ll just read from Kṛṣṇa book.” And it’s quite appropriate to the appearance of Lord Krishna.

So, the Kṛṣṇa book said that Vasudeva had warned Nanda Maharaja to be careful of Krishna and Balarama, and then later, when there were all these difficulties of demons coming to Vrindavan, Nanda Maharaja considered that Vasudeva was a great foreseer, that he could see into the future that this would happen. But in a way, it was sort of obvious. So, the Kṛṣṇa book says that because Nanda Maharaja was a simple agriculturalist, he thought that Vasudeva was a great foreseer. So, I saw this word ‘simple’ being applied to a pure devotee. And for the two years, I was carrying that conception that it was a fault, “What can be done? Giriraj is simple.”

So, I brought this up to Srila Prabhupada, that being simple is not a fault, and Srila Prabhupada said that for an agriculturalist like Nanda Maharaja it’s not a fault, or for a brahman it’s not a fault, but for a kshatriya like Vasudeva who has to be aware of political and military dealings, it is a fault. And then he said that in one sense, it doesn’t matter because for Nanda Maharaja, the central point was Krishna, and for Vasudeva, the central point was Krishna. So, our mentality should be whatever we are, the central point should be Krishna. So, if you are simple and you are properly placed and you are being simple for Krishna, it’s okay. And if you are complicated and worldly wise and savvy and acute and the central point is Krishna, that’s also wonderful. Both are equally good for Krishna.

So, I think I’ll tell one last story about Tamal Krishna Goswami and me and Srila Prabhupada, which I found very instructive. And you’ll get the purport when I tell the story.

So, this was in Srila Prabhupada’s last months, he was in Juhu, but he was very ill, and basically, he wasn’t coming down to give class and devotees were not allowed up, so he was there with his personal staff. And one day, I came up to meet Tamal Krishna Goswami, who was Srila Prabhupada’s personal secretary. So, Srila Prabhupada was in his room, darshan room, then there was a set of doors that were closed, then there was a sort of anteroom and those set of doors were closed, and then there was the room where the secretary would sit. So, when I came up, Tamal Krishna Goswami greeted me very warmly, and we walked to just the edge of the quarters, as far away as we could be, so as not to disturb Srila Prabhupada.

So, he had some checks and he said, “I want you to deposit these in the bank.” So, I said, “I’m the temple president. Anyone can deposit checks in the bank, I should rather use my time to do things that others can’t do and let someone else deposit the checks.” So, we suddenly heard the bell ring, and so Tamal Krishna Goswami and I sort of ran around and came into Srila Prabhupada’s room. And it was a very. . . I mean, the more I think of the way Srila Prabhupada dealt with us, it was so subtle and so expert. You see it in the books, even in his spoken words he is so expert and subtle.

So, he was saying, “How is your preaching?” Because I always liked to preach, I preferred to preach rather than manage. And then he was saying, I don’t remember all the details, unfortunately, but eventually he said, “If the spiritual master sends you to the bank and you refuse, then where is the surrender?”

So, first I thought, did Prabhupada hear us? And then I thought, look, it’s not possible, we were speaking quietly, we were almost outside the corridors and there were so many closed doors in between. Although I mentioned this to our godbrother, Tejas Prabhu, and he said it is possible he could have heard it because he thought that Srila Prabhupada’s senses were very acute, but I didn’t see that at the time. But I thought Krishna was inspiring Srila Prabhupada to say what I needed to hear. And from that, I got that I shouldn’t see Tamal Krishna Goswami, and I think we can sort of extrapolate from this principle, just as a godbrother, but as the representative of the spiritual master.

And then, I had the thought or realization that if I did see Tamal Krishna Goswami in that way, then I wouldn’t find it to be a botheration. When Prabhupada was speaking to me, “How’s your preaching?” And then he said, “You have so many things to do, so much botheration, but they have to be done.” So then, at the end, reflecting on the whole conversation, I considered that yes, if I saw him as Prabhupada’s representative, then I wouldn’t see it as a botheration, I would see it as an opportunity to serve Srila Prabhupada.

So, I think that’s a general principle, we shouldn’t see each other in mundane ways. Yeah, I had a. . . Anyway, that would be a digression. The servant of the servant, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, servant of the servant of the servant.

And once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “There is so much conflict in the temple, what can we do about all the conflict?” And Srila Prabhupada said that if each devotee is thinking I’m the servant of the servant of the servant, then there won’t be any conflict.