SB 1.8.25 – How to Approach Calamities

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So, now we will read one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Eight: “Prayers by Queen Kuntī,” Text Twenty-Five.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 25

vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam

COMMENT

This is Queen Kunti speaking to Lord Krishna when He was about to leave Hastinapur to return to Dwarka. Queen Kunti says:

TRANSLATION

I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord.

COMMENT

So, here Srila Prabhupada is paraphrasing a verse from Bhagavad-gītā, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ, that people who have a pious background in these four categories, they will approach the Lord.

PURPORT (continued)

Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy.

COMMENT

So, these two verses from the Bhagavad-gītā go together, and they contrast two different types of people who face difficulties. The pious ones approach Krishna, and the sinful ones don’t.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.

COMMENT

I chose this verse because, in a way, of course, there are always calamities in the material world, but in a way, with the coronavirus pandemic, the situation seems more calamitous.

PURPORT (continued)

Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.

One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger at every step.

COMMENT

So, in this paragraph, Srila Prabhupada is paraphrasing a beautiful verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that we actually used to sing every morning in the old Boston temple. And it’s so nice—both the Sanskrit is beautiful and the meaning is beautiful—that I will sing that now. This is actually Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Fourteen, Text Fifty-Eight. It comes at the end of the Chapter with Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 58

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

TRANSLATION

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation.

COMMENT

That’s mahat-padaṁ, but mahat also refers to mahatmas, great souls, and He is also the shelter of the great souls.

TRANSLATION

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation [and also great souls,] and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world shrinks and becomes just like the water contained in a calf’s hoof print [just a small, little puddle]. Although there is danger at every step, the devotee crosses right over it.

COMMENT

So, in this verse that I just read, we find the word vipadām repeated many times, and that is the same word that Queen Kunti uses in her prayer to Lord Krishna. In the context of her prayer, vipadām is translated as calamities, “Let the calamities come again and again,” and in the verse we just sang from the Tenth Canto, vipadām is translated as material miseries, which comes to more or less the same thing. So, this material world is an ocean of birth and death, full of miseries, and the boat of the lotus feet of Krishna is a suitable means for crossing over that ocean very easily. So, now I’ll get back to Srila Prabhupada’s purport.

PURPORT (continued)

One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger at every step.

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. 

COMMENT

Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, Krishna uses the word duḥkhālayam, it’s a place of misery. It’s certified by the creator to be a place of misery, but some people try to change this duḥkhālayam, a place of misery, into sukhālayam, a place of happiness, which is not possible. We can find happiness in Krishna consciousness, in the association of the Lord, but not by trying to make material adjustments and improvements.

PURPORT (continued)

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity.

COMMENT

We, fortunately, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada, are aware of the existence of the spiritual world, which is our real home. And so, we have the idea to go back home, back to Godhead by the method of bhakti-yoga, Krishna consciousness.

PURPORT (continued)

They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person… 

COMMENT

I know you all are sane persons, more than sane.

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances.

COMMENT

Now, this is a very important point, and this point is made by Sri Narada Muni in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and by Sri Prahlada in the Seventh Canto. And the point is this: that we all are destined to enjoy and suffer a certain amount. The example is given that no one prays for calamities or miseries, no one asks for calamities or miseries, no one tries for calamities or miseries, but they come automatically of their own accord. So, just as the miseries will come of their own accord, happiness will also come of its own accord. They both will come of their own accord, in accordance with our karma or our destiny. And so, the authorities such as Narada Muni and Sri Prahlada advise that rather than waste time and energy trying to increase our happiness and decrease our distress, which we cannot do in any case, we should use our time and energy to become Krishna conscious. And that’s the same point being mentioned in the purport here, and it’s a very important point.

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the sane person is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities.

COMMENT

As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, tans-titikṣhasva bhārata, we have to tolerate. They will come, we cannot stop them, so we have to tolerate. What else can we do?

PURPORT (continued)

The duty of the sane person is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life.

COMMENT

This statement calls to mind another verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is very important, and which Srila Prabhupada quotes in The Nectar of Devotion and says this should be the guidance of all devotees. And that verse also comes from Lord Brahma’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter.

TEXT 8

tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

COMMENT

So, the last phrase in this verse is dāya-bhāk. Dāya-bhāk means rightful heir. And the commentators on this verse, it says jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. So, jīveta means to live. And the authorities say that one has simply to remain alive in Krishna consciousness. You don’t have to do anything extraordinary or spectacular, you just have to remain alive in Krishna consciousness by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and following the regulated principles and associating with devotees. All of the basic principles of Krishna consciousness. You just have to remain alive in Krishna consciousness, and just like a son or daughter who is the rightful heir to the father’s property has to do nothing but remain alive long enough, all we have to do, as devotees, is remain alive in Krishna consciousness, and mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk, we will inherit the Kingdom of God. We will go back home, back to Godhead. So now, back to Srila Prabhupada’s wonderful purport.

PURPORT (continued)

Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false.

COMMENT

Because we are not the body, and really, we have nothing to do with the material world. We are here by chance or misfortune, but we really have nothing to do with the material world. It’s not our home.

PURPORT (continued)

A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams.

COMMENT

Yes, this whole material existence is a dream. It’s real, like a dream, in a way, is real, but it’s temporary, very temporary. There was a time when Srila Prabhupada was in Juhu, Bombay, and he was speaking a lot on this theme, that at night, we have night dreams, and during the day, we have daydreams. Meaning our life, when we are awake, is also a dream. It’s not real because it’s temporary. Like a dream, you could say, is real, but it’s very temporary. And similarly, this material world is temporary and our life here is temporary.

PURPORT (continued)

All calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain.

COMMENT

So, here we are back to that point that in a dream, where is the gain or loss? It’s all illusory. What’s real is Krishna and service to Krishna. So, that’s where we should put our attention.

PURPORT (continued)

If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a step forward on the path going back to Godhead.

COMMENT

So, yes, Prahlada Maharaja. . . These nine processes of devotional service were enunciated by Sri Prahlada. His father, a great demon Hiranyakasipu, asked him what was the best thing he learned in school. His father, Hiranyakasipu, had turned his son over to two other demons; Amarka and Sunanda, who are sons of Sukracharya, who is the priest of the demons. And they were teaching him, as his father wanted, everything about materialism; how to divide and rule, how to engage in politics and diplomacy and warfare. And Prahlada was only five years old, and his father asked him like we might ask a child, “What did you learn in school today? What’s your favorite subject?” So, Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada, “What’s the best thing you learned?” And Prahlada replied, “Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam,” the nine processes of devotional service.

Śravaṇaṁ—hearing, kīrtanaṁ—chanting, viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ—remembering, and so on. And Hiranyakasipu became furious because he considered Vishnu to be his enemy. Because Vishnu, in the form of Varahadeva, had killed Hiranyakasipu’s brother Hiraṇyakṣa. So, he considered Vishnu to be his enemy. And when Prahlada spoke favorably about Vishnu, Hiranyakasipu became very angry. And one could say that Prahlada’s life was full of calamities in the sense that his father tried to torture him in so many ways, and not only torture him, but actually, kill him. But Prahlada was fixed in remembrance of Krishna, and he was protected by Krishna. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.

Well, Krishna says to Arjuna, “My dear Arjuna, O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.” And Krishna asked Arjuna to make the declaration rather than Himself making the declaration, because Krishna’s affection for His devotee is so great that sometimes, for the sake of His devotee, He will break His own promise, rarely but occasionally. But He will never allow His devotee’s promise to be broken, and therefore, He asked Arjuna, “You declare it, kaunteya, son of Kunti, you declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.”

So, there are so many examples. Of course, eventually, we all will die. And our practice in this life to remember Krishna will be tested at the time of death, if we can remember Krishna then. So, we should practice very seriously, especially chanting the holy names, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, so that we can remember Krishna at the time of death, and we should chant with the heart.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example that a parrot can also chant, a parrot can learn to chant – “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,” but when death comes, when the cat grabs hold of the parrot, then as Prabhupada says, “There is no more ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,’ There is just, ‘ka, ka, ka, ka.’ So, we shouldn’t be like that, that we chant like a parrot and then at the time of death ‘ka, ka, ka, ka,’ but we should really chant from the heart, so that at the time of death, we will remember Krishna and chant His name.

So, Hare Krishna. Thank you for joining us. We have a few minutes. Somehow, I ended up as the host of this program, and I’ve never done it before, but I guess if you want to say anything or ask anything you can raise your hand, and I will unmute you, or maybe I’ll change a setting and you can unmute yourself. So, do any of you have any questions or comments? You can raise your hand.

Host: This is Sabita.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, Sabita. Okay, [laughter] very good. So, how do we unmute her?

[Unintelligible 00:44:21-00:44:32]

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, Sabita.

[Unintelligible 00:44:32-00:44:43]

Sabita: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I had a question. Is it just enough to just live in Krishna consciousness or just following the regulatory principles and chanting, or do we have to do more like preaching, distributing books. Is that also necessary?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, what Srila Prabhupada has said, and again, because he said it and Krishna makes sure that His devotee’s word is kept, what he has said if you just chant your sixteen rounds daily, follow the four regulated principles, and do your best to spread Krishna consciousness, then you will go back home, back to Godhead. So, yes, following Prahlada Maharaja and others, we are not bhajanānandīs who are concerned about our own happiness, but we are goṣṭhyānandīs, we want to bring others back home, back to Godhead. Yes, good question.

Sabita: Thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Any other questions or comments?

Host: Maybe it says, there are two things in the chat. [Unintelligible 00:46:38-00:47:00]

Devotee: Is there any. . . Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Thank you for the wonderful class. Is there any way we could stop this kind of calamity by chanting, preaching, or is it just inevitable, we should be happy?

Giriraj Swami: [laughter] Well, some calamities are inevitable, but not all. For example, at one stage, Srila Prabhupada was talking about a third world war, and he was quite certain, based on the sinful activities of the people on the planet, that a third world war was going to come. But then, the devotees asked, “Well, can we do anything to avert it or to avoid it?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, if you distribute enough of my books and spread the chanting of the holy names, then the third world war could be avoided.” So, a lot of the reactions, such as the Coronavirus pandemic, they are reactions to people’s sinful activities. But as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ, if someone surrenders to Krishna, He will protect them from all sinful reactions. Mā śucaḥ, do not fear.

So, it is possible that by large-scale chanting, distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books, distribution of prasādam, that the sinful reactions that are due to this planet, to us inhabitants of this planet, can be mitigated. It is possible. And certainly, for any individual, it’s possible. All right, thank you for that nice question. And I see a question here.

Host: [Unintelligible 00:49:47]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, okay. Oh, all right.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Thank you for the beautiful class. Maharaja, Krishna says, “You come to Me, do My service, I’m taking care.” But now, the situation of devotees sometimes going outside doing service, distributing prasādam. So, they are also affecting devotees. So, in this situation, what do you need to do? Krishna says, “Come to Me, do My service, I’m taking care,” right? In Bhagavad-gītā,

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Devotee:Krishna says, “I am taking care of My devotee.”

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Devotee: So, devotees go to distribute prasādam or do some service and it affects them. So, what kind of [Unintelligible 00:50:40] for Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: Oh, you mean now, during the Coronavirus pandemic?

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Well, I wouldn’t suggest going out into the public. As Srila Prabhupada said in his conversation with Brahma Tirtha Prabhu, which is recorded in the book Perfect questions, perfect answers, that becoming a devotee doesn’t mean that I challenge everything, that I challenge the laws of nature, that if there is a tiger in the jungle and I know the tiger is there, it doesn’t mean that as a devotee, I go into the jungle and challenge the laws of nature. Srila Prabhupada said, “That’s foolishness.” So, if we know that the Coronavirus is there, then we should take precautions to avoid it. All the different protocols that have been advised, social distancing, depending on the situation, wearing masks, and we should observe those. And we can still serve Krishna. We can serve Krishna at home. We don’t have to go out to serve Krishna. And when the circumstances change, we can go out and serve Krishna.

But I would say we should follow all the recommendations that have been provided from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), and we should be good citizens and Krishna conscious. Does that answer your question?

Devotee: Oh, thank you, Maharaja. Another question. Right now, the situation, the devotees can’t go to the temple. So, in New York City, or any metro city, two-bedroom house, one-bedroom house, kids and all family members are in one house, staying close to twenty-four hours there.

Giriraj Swami: [laughter] So, this situation is very difficult. Not me, but it happens to a lot of devotees.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Devotee: So, how to prepare for that day? Can you guide us, please? Forty days, one house, almost staying for twenty-four hours in one house. Please guide us.

Giriraj Swami: Well, try to be absorbed in Krishna consciousness, that will be good all-around. Do you have balconies? Can you go out on your balcony? Garuda Prabhu,

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami:  Do you have a balcony? Can you go out on your balcony and get fresh air, open your windows? Well, yeah, it’s difficult. It is difficult. And sometimes it’s said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” But you should avoid seeing your family members in a mundane way, but see them all as devotees, spirit souls, servants of Krishna, and use the time to encourage each other in Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: I am just requesting, Maharaja, maybe you [Unintelligible 00:54:51] on the East Coast and West Coast, how temple program is going on morning, maṅgala-ārati, japa retreats, Bhāgavatam class, like this. West Coast set up anybody to join this group. This way, everybody is feeling like we are a temple. Everybody knows that this time is a difficult time, maṅgala-ārati time, this is japa time, this is Bhāgavatam class time. It’s a morning session, an evening session. This way, anybody who’d like to join is joining. One place, you stay thirty days, forty days in one house like this. So many activities at the same time, I think.

Giriraj Swami: Well, that’s a good idea. That’s a good idea. I’m sure that there are temple programs that you can access through the internet, but also, if you go to Mayapur TV, they give a lot of options for spiritual programs. So, I think there is an ample opportunity for association, if you go to Mayapur TV.

Devotee: The timing is different.

Giriraj Swami: No, no, no. Mayapur TV has a whole menu of programs that are going on in different places. It’s not just what’s happening in Mayapur, but it’s a website, Mayapur.tv. So, you go to Mayapur.tv, and it’ll show if something’s happening in New York and Dallas, whatever’s happening in different parts of the world. I mean, it was a good idea what you suggested, but there is already a facility.

Devotee: New York Temple, whenever huge people join, it’s more interesting. You do Japa together, maṅgala-ārati together, like how we are in class right now, watching together. So, people are according to time, go there, joining, who have it up in our one hour together.

Giriraj Swami: All right. Well, that is a good idea. I suggest you approach your local GBC. I’m a retired GBC, ask your local GBC. It’s a good idea. Ask him to take it up. I don’t think I can do more. Okay. Thank you, Gauruda Prabhu. Hare Krishna. Vrajasundari?

Vrajasundari: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Vrajasundari: Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya!

Vrajasundari: Thank you so much for involving us through this media, Zoom. Guru Maharaja, actually, I had a question, and the question is that the parents generally love their children more than anyone else. So, how come Hiranyakasipu has, because for his brother’s case, Hiraṇyakṣa, he even wanted to kill Prahlada Maharaja, his beloved child.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Well, demons, they can kill anyone. Kamsa was ready to kill Devaki on the day of her marriage. So, demons, for their selfish desires, for their personal ambitions, they can kill anyone. They don’t operate the way ordinary human beings do. I mean, he was affectionate to his son, but when he saw that his son was favorable to the enemy, to Vishnu, he considered his son to be an enemy. There is logic. The friend of my enemy is my enemy. He considered him to be an enemy. And he used the logic of amputation. If your arm is diseased and the disease can spread all over your body, you amputate it, you cut it. So, he considered Prahlada to be a disease in the dynasty of the demons. And so, to avoid that disease spreading, he felt that limb had to be amputated. In other words, he felt that Prahlada had to be killed.

Vrajasundari: Thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Host: There is one more [Unintelligible 01:00:25]

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Oh, Preeti Radhika.

Preeti Radhika: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Daṇḍavat-praṇāmās.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Priti Radhika: Maharaja, I just wanted to share my realization on the vein of tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo verse.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: We had a discussion on that, that for a devotee, even complex situations become very easy, and for non-devotees, even simple situations become complex. Because since I became a devotee, it’s not that calamities stopped coming, they came, it’s just that I had a better support system and anchoring hari-nāma that I can handle them better. So, I just wanted to share that.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect.

Priti Radhika: Thank you very much, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Priti Radhika: Hare Krishna.

Host: I think her name is Constantina.

Giriraj Swami: Where?

Host: Talking, left, but one underneeth.

Giriraj Swami: Is she asking?

Host: Her hand is raised.

Giriraj Swami: Constantina?

Constantina: Yes. Haribol, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Haribol.

Constantina: Can you hear me?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I can.

Constantina: Okay. [laughter] Thank you so much for this wonderful lesson today. I was distributing food, not prasādam, but with an organization that distributes vegan food to the homeless and substance abusers in Harlem, and I stopped once the Coronavirus started. And the difficulty was to teach them not to eat meat, chicken. They’d always ask for meat and chicken, and we’d say, “No, we don’t do that.”

However, it was very difficult to omit onions and garlic, because we don’t even give them dairy. They don’t get cheese, they don’t get milk, they don’t get butter. So, I had not been offering it to Krishna. I’ve been preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and wonderful vegan meals three times in the past two weeks, and I feel guilty. I feel this tremendous guilt because in trying to convert them or make them aware that they can have very healthy meals and they can take a rest from their substance abuse and freshen up and take a shower at the center and wash their clothes and try to have some balance, I still feel this guilt. We can’t serve them anymore. We have to pack the food and drop it all off with a mask and gloves and sanitize and then jump back in the car.

I almost feel like I’m offending Krishna by doing this. I don’t offer it, but I keep preparing, dropping off, and I’m not offering it because of the onions and the garlic. What is your opinion on what it is I’m doing? It’s a matter of time before I start omitting the onion and garlic.

Giriraj Swami: And what would be the reason not to omit it immediately?

Constantina: Because they will not eat. They walk out when they don’t see the chicken, they walk out if they see tofu. So, I ask this man if I can try something different, and I’ve tried. In many cultures like Latino community, Italian, Greek, this familiarity, la familia, this is my food, this is how I eat it. If you are going to make pasta, you don’t use a little garlic, they don’t understand, they won’t eat it.

Giriraj Swami: [laughter]  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Constantina: Now, I won’t put meat in it, that’s where I draw the line. I won’t put anything like that in it.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I feel onion and garlic will develop a relationship. Once I omit this, and I can start very soon, I feel like I’m offending Krishna. That’s really my problem, my guilt in doing it.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. And what do you want from me?

Constantina: Well, and that’s the thing. Am I offending Krishna, or am I just not? In fact, it’s really being serviceable from that perspective, because no one there is a devotee, no one in the organization even understands this. They’re just feeding the homeless.

Giriraj Swami: Aha. Okay. And how did you get connected with that particular organization?

Constantina: I’m sorry, you cut out.

Giriraj Swami: How did you get connected with that particular organization?

Constantina: I was standing in line at the supermarket, and I asked this woman a question. She invited me to a holiday party, which was all vegan. She then introduced me to this organization that feeds the homeless, and they’re all throughout the United States, it’s not just New York. And this man spoke to me and said, “Yes, please come and help us.” And I did. They’re substance abusers. They even have a hard time eating.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Constatina: They’d rather have their substance than an apple, a banana. They’ll come in and look at it, but they can’t bring themselves to eat. I want to say it’s heart-breaking, but it’s also encouraging, because they’re curious what’s going on outside of their mayhem, they want to come in and see what’s happening, “What are they offering us? What are they giving us?” And they do come in.

And the last time, I actually served out of the pans and off the tables into plates. Every drop of food that was donated and I prepared was gone. There was nothing left for the staff, and they said that was a lot of food. So, I can’t take any credit for that, but it encouraged me to keep cooking. And I stopped because I feared spreading this virus. And until about two weeks ago, I started again. I said, “Do we drop food off?” They said, “Yeah,” and I didn’t want them to accept food and throw it out.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

I don’t want them taking rice and beans and throwing it out because it doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t taste familiar. I want to make it so that they feel I’m meeting them where they’re at, then I’m going to bring them where I’m at. That’s my whole strategy, if I can use the word strategy in a sense of true ego, not false ego, and I don’t want it to be an offense.

I don’t undermine them either, I tell them straight out, “There is no meat, there is none of that. Don’t walk out.” But apparently, they’re taking the food that I’m dropping off right now.

Giriraj Swami: To answer your question directly.

Constantina: Yes, please.

Giriraj Swami: I don’t think Krishna is offended. I think He knows that eventually, you want to phase out the onions and garlic, so you can offer the food to Him. And you are showing care and compassion, which are good qualities. So, no, I don’t think He is offended. I mean, a little guilt is okay, because that’ll be an impetus for you to eventually phase out the onions and garlic and offer the food, [laughter] but I don’t think Krishna is offended, and I think He is patient. He’ll be patient with you. [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: [laughter]

Constantina: Okay. May I mention one more thing, very disturbing, that occurred three days ago? Would that be okay?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Constantina: About three days ago, I found out that someone I knew had taken their life, and I had been very concerned with the virus taking people radically. And I believe that many people, once they’re about to leave this world, they forget God. And I heard this, and I realized I didn’t understand what was happening to my friend. She would say things to me that weren’t making any sense. She would say, “Please forgive me. Don’t think less of me because I don’t contact you anymore.” And I thought, What an odd thing to say to me.

And I feel horrible because she asked me many times. She said, “I want to do yoga with you.” She didn’t know what she was saying, she thought it was an exercise only, asana, not bhakti. But she never followed through and she kept it a secret that she was under psychiatric care. I didn’t know that. She was a highly intelligent woman. It just took me by such surprise that she took her life. And I want to volunteer at the hospital in New York. I got a call from the state of New York. If I could hold the hand of anyone who is on a ventilator or anybody who is not going to make it, or in fact, take them from a very bad place and be by their bedside, and hopefully, they can pull through. And just tell them about Krishna, if they leave or if they don’t, because this is the problem I’m struggling with from the beginning.

People are leaving the planet who don’t really know Krishna or who are forgetting. Even if they’re not Krishna conscious, they’re Catholic, they’re Jewish, they’re Buddhist. These things don’t concern me as they once used to, because I feel all roads lead to God, and yet, they’re leaving and I’m hearing how they’re frightened and they’re not with their loved ones and their family can’t be with them. And putting myself in that position, how much am I helping them? I mean, by no means am I a guru, I’m not a teacher, or someone who’s a scholar in Vaishnavism or in Sanskrit studies, I’m just an average person.

Giriraj Swami: Well, you definitely have a good heart, a caring heart. And there are many details and variables in the different situations that you’ve described, and I think if you pray sincerely to Krishna to guide you, He will give you the intelligence how to proceed. And I don’t know, do you chant japa?

Constantina: I chanted japa very much, and then met devotees who didn’t chant japa. And I was surprised and I said, “I’m exhausted.” I get up very early to chant japa and my days are just cluttered. I mean, I have so much going on. I’m not married. I’m completely independent. I run out of time constantly. And this was the interesting thing, that devotees were telling me they didn’t chant japa or they didn’t finish their japa and they were okay with it. And I thought, Am I in a new phase of practicing bhakti? Has something changed in the past twenty years? So, chanting has not continued as it once did.

Giriraj Swami: Well, the reason I brought it up is because I was saying that you are dealing with different situations that have different variables, and that Krishna would give you intelligence. And the reason I brought up the japa is because if you chant good japa, you get a lot of insight, a lot of inspiration, a lot of guidance. And yeah, I would definitely take that up. I mean, I don’t know all the details of your lifestyle, but if you can get up and chant japa early, that’s ideal.

And there is no new phase of the practice of bhakti-yoga. I mean, there may be adjustments in terms of outreach, how we present it to others, how we package it, so to speak, but the actual practice of bhakti-yoga has not changed from what Srila Prabhupada gave us. So, I would really earnestly appeal to you to start chanting japa, resume chanting japa. You don’t need to aim for sixteen rounds, that may be too much for you now, but fix some number, some minimum number, whatever, and just stick to that, don’t miss that. If by chance, you miss one round on one day, then make it up the next day. I really think that will help you, both personally, and in terms of your care and service to others.

Constantina: Thank you, Maharaja. Thank you so much.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Constatina: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. Hare Krishna. So now, Garuda Prabhu is raising his hand again.

Devotee: Maharaja, I can see Mataji too. I’m also living in New York, Mataji. You need help, I can help you. I am a professional cook in Hilton group. I am teaching a business group coming to America to take classes with me. I’m making a Hilton group to come, different kitchens to come in. So, I’m teaching how to make gluten-free and vegan food. So, I’m making two meals daily. They prefer lunch and dinner, protein, iron, calcium. Mataji, if you need help, I may teach you how to make meals without onion and garlic also.

Giriraj Swami: All right. Well, thank you for joining us. It was wonderful to have your association and discuss Krishna consciousness with all of you. So, we’ll end now, but before we end, we will offer Vaishnava praṇāma.

Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord who are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

[Prayers]

So, thank you very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and all glories to your service. Hare Krishna.