BG 3.23 – Maha-satsanga

Giriraj Swami: So, we welcome you to this evening’s program. I shall read a verse from the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The Bhagavad-gītā is the literal record of God’s spoken words. Bhagavad means in relation to Bhagavān, Krishna, and Gītā means song. When God speaks, He doesn’t speak in ordinary prose like we do, but He speaks in poetry and song.

The Lord, Krishna, descended on Earth or appeared on Earth five thousand years ago, and He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna at Kurukshetra. Kurukshetra is still there in India, north of Delhi, there is a train stop. And in the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna gives us direction on how to live life happily in this life, and how to attain liberation in the end. And that is the theme of the verse that I’m going to read tonight. So, we’ll do this in a little interactive way, so please repeat after me.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

So, again, we read from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Three, Karma-yoga, Text Ten. Again, repeat.

TEXT 10

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā

purovāca prajāpatiḥ

anena prasaviṣyadhvam

eṣa vo ‘stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk

TRANSLATION

In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”

COMMENT

Listen carefully because I may ask you some questions.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Viṣṇu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home – back to Godhead.

COMMENT

Vishnu is another name for Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT (continued)

All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT

So, the material creation is created for what purpose, to give people a chance to what?

Devotees: Go back home, back to Godhead.

Giriraj Swami:

PURPORT (continued)

The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Viṣṇu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home – back to Godhead.

COMMENT

All living entities within the material creation are conditioned, why? In what circumstance? Yes, yes. And you don’t even have a device to look at the purport on, thank you.

PURPORT (continued)

All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him.

COMMENT

So, the Vedic principles are meant for what purpose? Yes, and a little bit more expanded? Yes. I’m sitting in an assembly of wise sages.

PURPORT (continued)

The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patiṁ viśvasyātmeśvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (2.4.20) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:

COMMENT

What does pati mean? P-a-t-i. Someone says master, someone says husband, both are correct.

PURPORT (continued)

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:

śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir

dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ

patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ

prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ

The prajā-pati is Lord Viṣṇu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone.

COMMENT

So, pati means Lord, and along with that, it means protector.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord created this material world.

COMMENT

Now, listen, we are going back here, so why did the Lord create the material world? You raised your hand.

Devotee: To go back to Godhead.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, to give the conditioned souls a chance to go back to Godhead. So now, there is a further elaboration here by Srila Prabhupada in the purport.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety,

COMMENT

Who wants to live very comfortably without anxiety? Everyone.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God.

COMMENT

Who wants to enter the kingdom of God after finishing this present material life? Everyone.

PURPORT (continued)

That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajña, the conditioned souls gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali.

COMMENT

What yajña is recommended?

Devotees: Saṅkīrtana-yajña.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

PURPORT (continued)

In the Age of Kali, the saṅkīrtana-yajña (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age.

COMMENT

So, Lord Chaitanya appeared about five hundred years ago, Lord Krishna appeared about five thousand years ago. And we use the word appear because They don’t take birth like ordinary conditioned souls, but They appear, They manifest Themselves, or you can say They descend to Earth. And Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, according to revealed scripture, but He has come in the guise or in the role of a devotee of Krishna.

When Krishna came personally five thousand years ago, He instructed, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, “Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender to Me,” man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, “Always think of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me, and worship Me.” But it is said that example is more important than precept, so although Krishna instructed, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, that we should always think of Him and become His devotees, He didn’t show us how to do that.

And so, Krishna came again five hundred years ago as Sri Krishna Chaitanya, in the form of a devotee, to show us how to be devotees and how to always think of Krishna. And so, it is very easy for us now to just follow both the example and the precept of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. And He demonstrated by His own example the importance of the saṅkīrtana-yajña, the combination of chanting of the holy names.

PURPORT (continued)

By performance of yajña, the conditioned souls gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali.

COMMENT

Yes. Now, what is the age of Kali? In cosmic time, there are four ages; Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. And in each age, the good qualities and the duration of life decrease, and in each age, a different method of worship or self-realization or God realization is recommended.

So, in Satya-yuga, the recommended method was meditation. In Treta-yuga, the recommended method was Vedic sacrifices. In Dvapara-yuga, the recommended method was temple worship. But in the present age, which is Kali-yuga, the recommended method is saṅkīrtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. And it is said in scripture that whatever results you could get in Satya-yuga by meditation and Treta-yuga by Vedic sacrifice and Dvapara-yuga by temple worship, you can achieve in this age of Kali-yuga by saṅkīrtana.

PURPORT (continued)

In the Age of Kali, the saṅkīrtana-yajña (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Saṅkīrtana-yajña and Kṛṣṇa consciousness go well together. Lord Kṛṣṇa in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32) as follows, with special reference to the saṅkīrtana-yajña:

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

“In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence.

COMMENT

Do you have sufficient intelligence? Well, you can develop it.

PURPORT (continued)

“In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.”

COMMENT

So, this is a very important verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ. So, kṛṣṇa means Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and varṇaṁ has two meanings. One is category, like we have the four varṇas, four categories. And another meaning of varṇaṁ is to describe. So, this incarnation, Lord Chaitanya, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ, is in the same category as Krishna and He is always describing, glorifying Krishna.

And tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ, ākṛṣṇa means not Krishna, and kṛṣṇa can also mean black, so He is Krishna, but He doesn’t come in the blackish color of Krishna, as Krishna appeared in Dvapara-yuga. When Krishna appeared in Vrindavan, Gargamuni, the priest of the family, came and did the horoscope of Krishna and said so many things. He told Nanda Maharaja, Krishna’s father, “Your son has appeared in various ages and He always gives protection to His devotees, just like Lord Narayana.”

And he describes that in different ages, He appears in these different colors including yellow. So, you could say by process of elimination, Krishna appeared in Dvapara-yuga in a blackish color, and then He appeared in previous ages in other colors, and the only color left was the yellowish color. So, that is Lord Chaitanya, yellowish or golden color.

Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, He is associated by His pārṣadam, His associates. Āstra means weapon. In previous ages, the Lord appeared, Krishna and Ramachandra, as kshatriya, and He had weapons with which He would kill the demons. But in Kali-yuga, He appears as a brahman, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is not kshatriya. And so, He doesn’t kill the demons with weapons, but He kills their demonic mentality through saṅkīrtana, which He performs with His associates.

Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ means very intelligent. In the Bhagavad-gītā, there is a contrary word, alpa-medhasah, which means less intelligent, one possesses a poor intelligence.

Can anyone tell me in what context that word is used? It’s used in reference to demigod worshipers. Krishna is the Supreme Lord, but there are many demigods. And this is also a confusing point for some people because they don’t really understand the difference. So, some of the better-known demigods are Brahma, Shiva, Durga, Ganesh, and so on. And people who don’t really understand the Bhagavad-gītā or the truth of the reality, they may think that all of these different demigods are the same, as good as any other.

But in the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says that those who worship the demigods are alpa-medhasah, are less intelligent because the fruits offered by the demigods are limited and temporary. So, you can worship Shiva, you can worship Durga, you can worship Ganesh, and they may fulfill your desires, but there are two points. One is that the fruits are limited and temporary, and the other is that they cannot do anything without the sanction of Krishna. So, without Krishna’s sanction, the demigods cannot fulfill your desire.

So, therefore, Krishna says that those who worship the demigods are less intelligent, alpa-medhasah, and those who worship Krishna, as stated here, especially by saṅkīrtana-yajña, are su-medhasaḥ, very intelligent, like all of you, very intelligent.

PURPORT (continued)

“In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.” Other yajñas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this Age of Kali, but the saṅkīrtana-yajña is easy and sublime for all purposes, as recommended in Bhagavad-gītā also (9.14).

COMMENT

So, I won’t ask you what 9.14 says, but if anyone wants to volunteer, you can raise your hand. Yes?

Devotee: I have it on my device.

Giriraj Swami: It’s like an open book exam, okay.

TEXT 14

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

TRANSLATION

Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, correct. So, it’s the same thing, the same thing is corroborated here. And all the Vedic scriptures, especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, corroborate the statements of each other, that means confirm the statements of each other. So now, everything is clear. Is everything clear? It’s very clear how to be happy in this life and how to achieve liberation at the end. Hare Krishna. And the chanting of the holy names is achieved primarily through the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

So, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ, we should do that all the time, as much as possible, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ. Okay, so are there any questions or comments? All right. So, what is next?

Devotee: So, at this point, are there any questions? Maharaja can take one or two questions.

Giriraj Swami: Yes?

Devotee: In the verse that we just read, Sri Krishna talks about yajña, the Vedic sacrifices. And in many of those yajñas, there are hymns to the demigods. But then you just explained, you quoted the other verse from the Bhagavad-gītā that says only men of small intelligence are worshiping the demigods. So, why is He talking about both these yajñas that have hymns that worship various demigods, but it’s actually men of small intelligence who do that?

Giriraj Swami: How do you know that they have hymns that worship the demigods?

Devotee: I’ve been told that. I’m not a Vedic scholar, but the hymns of the Vedas, they at least praise the demigods.

Giriraj Swami: So, there is a point, there is a good point there. And it’s good you raise the question because I meant to give this example anyway, but I didn’t earlier, and that is that the demigods, Krishna is like the king, and the demigods are like ministers in the court of the king. So, most of them are ordinary living entities, like a minister in the court of the king is a citizen just like anyone else, but because of his faithful service to the king and competence in particular areas, he was made a minister.

So, the different demigods are like ministers or governors. You could say Brahma is the minister of creation, Shiva is the minister of destruction, Sarasvati is the minister of learning and music and culture. And then some are in charge of different planets. Indra is in charge of the heavenly planet, Chandra is in charge of the moon. So, they are generally living entities like we are, but because of their piety, they are given these important responsibilities in universal management.

So, in these Vedic sacrifices, there are places for the demigods who also get a share of the sacrifices, but it is understood that Vishnu is the Supreme. And so, to worship Vishnu with the demigods, with the proper understanding, is not wrong. But to think of the demigods as independent Gods or equal Gods is wrong, it’s actually an offense against Krishna. So, to worship the demigods independently of Krishna is less intelligent, but in these Vedic sacrifices, one does invite the demigods to have a share along with their master, Vishnu.

But it’s said in the Bhāgavatam that just as by feeding the stomach, all the different limbs of the body are nourished, and just as by watering the root of a tree, all the limbs and branches and twigs and leaves are watered, so by serving Krishna, all living entities, including the demigods, specifically the demigods, are also nourished and satisfied, because they are also devotees of Krishna. Good, thank you.

Yes, sir?

Devotee: It says that Krishna came as some vegetable. I want to know that one vegetable Krishna came as?

Devotee: In source of [Unintelligible 00:53:08].

Giriraj Swami: Can someone with a device find that? Where is it?

Devotee: It’s in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, 1.3, yeah, yeah. It says He comes as a vegetable?

Devotee: Yeah.

Giriraj Swami: Well, young man, Krishna comes in the form of any vegetable that you offer to Him with love and devotion as prasāda. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, “If one offers Me a patraṁ, a leaf, a fruit, a flower, or even some water with love and devotion, I accept that.” So, there will be prasāda after tonight’s program, and there will be vegetables, and Krishna is coming in the form of all those vegetables as prasāda. Is that okay? Are there any other questions or comments? Okay, good.

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja. Hare Krishna. So, Maharaja will be here [Unintelligible 00:55:23]. Then we have scheduled programs, I hope you receive our emails. If you do not receive our emails, anybody here please, [Unintelligible 00:55:33].

Giriraj Swami: Can you please stand up, so we know who you are? He raised his hand, but just by looking at the hand, I don’t know if I would have been able to recognize him, but this is better.

Devotee: We also have a signing sheet, you just give us an email. Also, I want to just take a moment to introduce the three books HH has written. This is the first book, which came out, it’s called Watering the Seed. These are all the instructions he personally received from Srila Prabhupada, some of the anecdotes, some of the loving exchanges they had. He also has elaborated on some philosophical questions, “Why do we worship Deities?” “Why do we worship Krishna?” So, some of those points get elaborated, and Srila Prabhupada told Giriraj Swami about that. This is called Watering the Seed.

The second book, which came out, is called Many Moons. Srila Prabhupada said that this Krishna consciousness movement will give this world many more like devotees. So, some of the devotees HH had the opportunity to serve with, to associate with, those for whom he has very deep appreciation, he combined the most reflection of departed Vaishnavas in Many Moons.

And this is the third book, which came out, called Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective. So, this is a series of lectures, essays by different devotees. He also has written a journey of his own father and mother passing away and the inspiration and the realizations he received from that, and many other essays in Life’s Final Exam.

So, these are three books, and they are available for sale, and he will also be happy to sign those books for you. If you want to purchase them today, they are twenty dollars each. So, that’s that.

Now, we will all chant together one round of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The essence of Maharaja’s talk was that the best sacrifice for this age is chanting of the holy names. So, we are passing around japa-mālā, japa beads, and I would request HH Giriraj Swami to just show everybody how to chant on these beads. Anybody here for the first time or who have never chanted on beads before? Okay, some devotees in the back, we’ll show you how to chant. Okay, so we’ll just pass the beads along here.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Does everyone over the age of five have a japa-mālā now? Okay. You have? Okay, good. So, the typical string of beads has a hundred and eight beads, it’s an auspicious number, plus one bead at the top, which is called the head bead. And we don’t chant on that, but we go around. One way, that’s a hundred and eight beads, and on each bead, we chant the full Hare Krishna mantra.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare