SB 10.14.8 – Inheriting the Kingdom of God

Host: Hare Krishna. We feel very blessed and fortunate today to have the merciful association of His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. Maharaja is famously known in our ISKCON community, but for those devotees who have joined newly, we would like to briefly introduce him. Maharaja was born Glenn Philip Teton, he is the only son of a respected Chicago lawyer, who was appointed as a judge later. Maharaja met Srila Prabhupada in 1969 while studying at Brandeis University, Boston. After graduating from the university, Maharaja accepted formal initiation from Prabhupada. Soon after, Maharaja became a leading member of the Boston center. In 1972, he was appointed by Prabhupada to be the president of ISKCON Bombay and trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Since then, Maharaja made many significant contributions to Srila Prabhupada’s mission and most notably the development of Hare Krishna Land in Juhu. Also Maharaja was instrumental in acquiring and developing Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Govardhana and led the development of Kirtan Ashram for women, and Bhaktivedanta Hospice as well as VIHE. Maharaja is renowned for his austerities and his loyalty and dedication to Prabhupada’s mission. After the departure of Prabhupada in 1977, Maharaja was awarded a renounced order and appointed the president of ISKCON’s board of trustees in India, and in 1982, he was appointed to ISKCON’s GBC.

Maharaja is presently based in California. Maharaja is now focusing on one of the main personal instructions that he received from Srila Prabhupada, which is to write. Maharaja has written many transcendental gem-like books like Watering the Seed, Many Moons to name a few, and upcoming soon is I Will Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. We wholeheartedly thank Maharaja for sparing his valuable time and request him to kindly enlighten us on today’s topic. Please accept our humble obeisances Maharaja, thank you for joining us today. 

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, my pleasure. So we’ll begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan, and then we will discuss today’s topic.

[Giriraj Swami leads kirtan]

I request all the devotees, as far as possible, to put on your videos so I can see you, and it will be more personal. Thank you. Before I read today’s verse, I will read what Srila Prabhupada wrote about the verse in The Nectar of Devotion. This is in Chapter Ten, and the heading is “Expecting the Lord’s mercy.” Srila Prabhupada writes: In the Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, Verse Eight, it is said, “My dear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the resultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated, for it has become his rightful claim.”

And Srila Prabhupada continues, and this is very significant, “This statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be the guide of all devotees. A devotee should not expect immediate relief from the reactions of his past misdeeds. No conditioned soul is free from such reactionary experiences because material existence means continued suffering or enjoying of past activities. If one has finished his material activities, then there is no more birth. This is possible only when one begins Krishna conscious activities because such activities do not produce reaction. Therefore, as soon as one becomes perfect in Krishna conscious activities, he is not going to take birth again in this material world. A devotee who is not perfectly freed from the resultant actions should therefore continue to act in Krishna consciousness seriously, even though there may be so many impediments. When such impediments arise, he should simply think of Krishna and expect His mercy.”

So it’s actually an item of devotional service, to expect the Lord’s mercy, it’s devotional service to expect the Lord’s mercy. “When such impediments arise, he should simply think of Krishna and expect His mercy. That is the only solace. If the devotee passes his days in that spirit, it is certain that he is going to be promoted to the abode of the Lord. By such activities he earns his claim to enter into the Kingdom of God. The exact word used in this verse is dāya-bhāk; dāya-bhāk refers to a son’s becoming the lawful inheritor of the property of the father. In a similar way, a pure devotee who is prepared to undergo all kinds of tribulations in executing Krishna conscious duties becomes lawfully qualified to enter into the transcendental abode.”

So in this material world we are suffering, as Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. One should always be aware of the miseries of repeated birth, death, old age, and disease. And as long as we are in the material world, we have to suffer. There are sufferings, there is ādidaivika, sufferings caused by acts of nature; ādibhautika, sufferings caused by other living entities; and adhyātmika, sufferings caused by our own mind and body. So, at any time, we are always afflicted by some kind of suffering. I see one of the devotees has the fan running in her room, that fan is there to counteract the suffering of the heat. 

So, at every moment practically we are afflicted by some suffering to some degree, which we are trying to counteract. But we can get complete relief when we go back home, back to Godhead. And how to qualify for going back home, back to Godhead, is mentioned in that verse that was described in The Nectar of Devotion with that word dāya-bhāk.That just as the son or daughter has the right to inherit the father’s property, the devotee who acts as described in that verse has the right to inherit the Kingdom of God, is the lawful inheritor of the Kingdom of God. 

Now I’ll read this very instructive verse and purport from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto Ten, Chapter Fourteen, Text eight. Please repeat after me.

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

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 at this stage, as I read the purport I will be commenting and so it would not be very fruitful to have the purport on the screen, but you’ll get the purport as I speak.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Srila Sridhara Swami explains in his commentary that just has a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Krishna consciousness following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God. 

COMMENT

I thought of this verse in relation to my disciple Arca Vigraha devi dasi, who left her body in Vrindavan in 1994 in a very exalted state of Krishna consciousness. And she received a lot of mercy at the end from many senior devotees who would come and spend time with her, read to her, chant with her. And I was thinking at that time, “How did she achieve this position?” And then this verse came to mind, she actually exemplified this verse because she had a very severe cancer that was extremely painful, but still, she continued in this vein, as mentioned in this verse, patiently suffering the reactions and offering respectful obeisances with heart, words, and body to the Lord. And thus liberation became her rightful claim. So, these verses are meant to guide and instruct us how we should live our lives, and we have by Krishna’s grace examples of contemporary devotees who have followed these instructions. 

In fact, while I’m on the subject of mother Arca Vigraha, I’ll read a beautiful Vyasa-puja offering that His Grace Bhurijana dasa wrote to Srila Prabhupada appreciating mother Arca Vigraha, and although he doesn’t mention this verse, but you can see how she followed it. Bhurijana Prabhu writes, “My dear Srila Prabhupada, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. We pray that your powerful preaching potency continues forever. As I write this, mother Arca Vigraha is still alive. By the time this offering is read by the devotees, she will be gone. She now lies bedridden within her Ramana-reti house. Her thin, almost white hair cropped close and with śikhā. The May Vrindavana heat glares and her body burns as if filled with poison from one thousand scorpions, that’s how she described it. Only her left arm near the shoulder is fat because the cancer spreads from her lymph gland. The rest of that arm lies thin and useless at her side like the arm of a doll, but burning with pain.”

So, within this offering, Bhurijana Prabhu intersperses quotations from a talk that Srila Prabhupada gave in New Vrindavana in 1969, “Good and bad in the material world are the same thing, they are our mental creations. All is actually distress, for we must die. Human life is meant for Krishna consciousness, why should we lose this chance? A Krishna conscious person is not under the laws of material nature.” Then, Bhurijana Prabhu continues, “Arca Vigraha was a famous South African artist. She took initiation from His Holiness Giriraj Swami years ago, and developed deep faith in you Srila Prabhupada, in her Guru Maharaja, in Krishna consciousness, in the holy name, in Vrindavan dham, and in the Vaishnavas. Now, in her final days, her face is gaunt; deep crevices rim her eyes. Yet she is neither miserable nor morose nor fearful. Mother Arcaremains either silently Krishna conscious or jolly.”

And then again, Bhurijana Prabhu quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, “One who is Krishna conscious is never afraid or disturbed in any condition of life. This is the effect of Krishna consciousness. Therefore, Narada is trying to convince Vyasadeva,‘You preach Krishna consciousness. Whatever you have so far written is useless. Now you write something that by reading, one will become immediately Krishna conscious.’ Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so nice that by reading, immediately one can capture the Supreme Lord within his heart. Our whole program is that Krishna is very kind, always kind upon us.”

And Bhurijana Prabhu continues, “She hasn’t eaten any solid food for about seven weeks and has been subsisting on less than 500 milligrams of juice a day—which is not much. Her life has been sustained by kṛṣṇa-kathā, which she longs to constantly hear. And mother Arca still preaches despite her pain. As long as she can speak, she greets all with good spirits, encouragement, and Krishna conscious advice, “Most problems don’t seem important from this perspective, do they? The body is useless, isn’t it?” “Jaya, jaya Sri Radheeee-Syama!”

“Devotees approach her to offer solace but find shelter in her Krishna conscious strength.” And this excerpt from Srila Prabhupada’s talk, which Bhurijana Prabhu quotes here really sort of, echoes the verse that we are discussing now. “The pure devotees, if they are put into difficulty, they think, ‘This is Krishna’s grace. It is Krishna’s grace.’ They take it in this way. ‘I was to suffer hundreds of times more due to my bad activities in my past life, but You are giving me only a little of it, so it is Your grace.’ I really did see mother Arca Vigraha as someone who was exemplifying this verse. I'll read again the first paragraph because it’s so nice. 

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada 

Srila Sridhar Swami explains in his commentary that just as a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Krishna consciousness following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.

The word su-samīkṣamāṇa indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects of previous sinful activities. Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma.

COMMENT

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
[Gītā 18.66]

Lord Krishna says, “Give up all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me and Ishall free you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” When a devotee genuinely surrenders to Krishna, he or she becomes freed from all sinful reactions. So if that’s the case, when a devotee suffers, what is the devotee’s suffering, what’s actually happening? Because he has already been relieved of all sinful reactions by Krishna because he has surrendered to Krishna.

PURPORT (continued) 

The word su-samīkṣamāṇa indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects of previous sinful activities. Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma. However, because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions. 

COMMENT

So, this is really the essence of the discussion. The devotee has surrendered to Krishna, he has been freed from all sins, but even though he no longer commits sinful activities, he still may have the vestiges of the sinful mentality that caused him to commit the sins. And Krishna wants to purify the devotee and the devotee also wants to be purified. Krishna wants to purify the devotee even of those remaining vestiges of the sinful mentality, and therefore, the Lord gives the devotees punishments that appear to be sinful reactions, but they’re not actually sinful reactions, but they are a painful situations that the Lord has engineered to free the devotee of those last vestiges of a sinful desire. So it’s actually purifying, or as Srila Prabhupada said on one occasion that “Lord Krishna uses the devotee’s sinful reactions for the best benefit of the devotee.” You surrender to Krishna, Krishna takes all our sinful reactions, but we still might have some vestiges of a sinful mentality. And then those sinful reactions that Krishna’s taken, He will release from time to time to purify us, and that’s His mercy. 

PURPORT (continued)

The purpose of the entire creation of God is to rectify the living entities tendency to enjoy without the Lord, and therefore the particular punishment given for a sinful activity is specifically designed to curtail the mentality that produced the activity. Although a devotee has surrendered to the Lord’s devotional service, until he is completely perfect in Krishna consciousness he may maintain a slight inclination to enjoy the false happiness of this world. The Lord therefore creates a particular situation to eradicate this remaining enjoying spirit. That’s the Lord’s mercy.

This unhappiness suffered by a sincere devotee is not technically a karmic reaction, it is rather the Lord’s special mercy for inducing His devotee to completely let go of the material world and return home, back to Godhead. A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord’s abode. Therefore, he willingly accepts the Lord’s merciful punishment and continues offering respects and obeisances to the Lord with his heart, words, and body. 

Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of the Lord, as indicated here by the words dāya-bhāk. Just as one cannot approach the sun without becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Krishna, without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by the personal hand of the Lord. 

COMMENT

So a devotee. . . Well first of all, a devotee’s suffering is different from an ordinary person’s suffering because the devotee’s suffering is meant to purify him, and that suffering is administered to the devotee personally by the Lord, for the sake of the devotee’s purification so that in the end the devotee can go back home, back to Godhead. An ordinary person suffers the reactions to his sinful activities as the mechanical working of the law of karma, but a devotee is not suffering reactions just by the mechanical workings of the laws of karma, but he is being punished personally by the Lord, who is very considerate of His devotee and does only what is best for the devotee, to help the devotee ultimately come back up, back home, back to Godhead.

So, we are fortunate to be under the merciful arrangements of Lord Krishna because we have surrendered to Him through His representative, the spiritual master, through SrilaPrabhupada and the disciplic succession. As Srila Prabhupada writes in one purport, very very beautiful verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, āyur harati vai puṁsām, that “Both by rising and setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except for one who utilizes the time in discussing topics of the all good Personality of Godhead,” and at the end of his purport, Srila Prabhupada writes that “A devotee’s disease is but an impetus to the devotee to make further progress in Krishna consciousness, so that he can attain his eternal spiritual life which is beyond birth, death, old age, and disease.”

We can take these impediments, if you will, as the Lord’s mercy to make us realize that this body and this material world are not a happy place, and instead of focusing our attention on the vain pursuit of material happiness in this world, we should rather focus our attention on engaging in devotional service, and going back home, back to Godhead, inheriting the kingdom of God. And our main process is to chant the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Chant the holy names and hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Those two activities will keep us on the right course back home, back to Godhead.

So we have a little time left and I would like to use this time to give you all an opportunity to share your thoughts and reflections or ask questions. So, if you have any questions or comments, please raise your hand and our hosts or hostess will call upon you. But yes, thank you all for joining; it’s nice to see you. 

Host: Hare Krishna [00:55:47 inaudible] to please kindly ask a question. 

Devotee 1: Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to assembled devotees. Maharaja, I wanted to ask you that it’s the second or third time I heard you quoting from Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja offerings, so I wanted to ask you that, do you always read those offerings? And what inspires you to read those offerings? 

Giriraj Swami: Well, I do read the offerings depending on time and circumstances. I might read all of them or I might read selected ones, but some of my god brothers are very—of course, they’re all attached to Srila Prabhupada and they have deep realizations, and I like to read their offerings. In fact, I usually keep the Vyasa-puja book by my bedside, and before I take rest. . . I mean I do read before I take rest, and sometimes I read the offerings because they’re very inspiring, they increase one’s faith in Srila Prabhupada. Of course they increase one’s appreciation for Srila Prabhupada, and they also give us an insight into the love that Srila Prabhupada’s disciples have for him, which is also encouraging. 

Devotee 1: Thank you Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Any other questions or comments? 

Host: Sri Giriraj Prabhu, please ask a question.

Devotee 2: Hare Krishna Maharaja, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. Hare Krishna, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. This is Sri Giriraj das, thank you so much Maharaja for your wonderful class, and I really appreciate your time and spending with us giving your online association. Thank you so much. You started off with the verse 10.14.8,

tat te ‘nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo

bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam

hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te

jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. 

Maharaja, this verse—of course, a living entity suffers so many—how patiently he has to suffer, and he has to feel that kind of consciousness, that state of mind, how do we get that kind of consciousness Maharaja? I mean, we are practicing Krishna consciousness, sometimes as devotees we feel, “What’s happening in my life? What’s going to happen? Why is this happening?” So how do we maintain and confidently practice? And how do we—that kind of state of consciousness, how do we get that Maharaja? Please shed some light and please give your mercy. Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: Recently one devotee wrote that usually when bad things happen, we think, Why is this happening to me? Why did this happen to me? But what about the good things? Getting the association of devotees, coming in touch with Srila Prabhupada and Krishna consciousness. Why is that happening to me? What did I do? And the only real answer is mercy, because we didn’t really do anything to deserve it, it’s just the causeless mercy of the Lord and the devotees. So, we should be grateful for what we have. As far as suffering. . . I mean, as we read, suffering does play its part in purifying a devotee, and in fact Srila Prabhupada discussed that topic of a devotee’s suffering on a morning walk in Juhu, and I should be able to find it because it’s in my forthcoming book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu. I’ll try to find it. 

Host: Next question is from Her Grace Jami Priyamati, we would like to request her to kindly put up her question. 

Devotee 3: Hare Krishna Maharaja, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. Thank you so much for the precious time you spent with us, it is so precious for us. Yes, you correctly said that what about the mercy we got? We got so much mercy. I feel so grateful that I came under the loving shelter of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, he initiated me. Though I feel I was definitely not deserving, but the mercifully accepted me. And yes, correct, when Iremember this I feel that the little little sufferings in our life can be soaked, remembering that what a mercy we have got coming under Srila Prabhupada, Srila Gurudeva. And yes, of course like your Holiness, our śikṣā-guru and so lovingly would you treat us, thank you so much. 

My question is Maharaja, as you said, that while going to bed you always read SrilaPrabhupada’s offerings written by your godbrothers, it is very very inspiring so I feel that I want to—if I want to read, I want to read about Gurudeva, is that correct? Or should I only read about Srila Prabhupada? Or, I mean, the offerings my godbrothers wrote about Srila Gurudeva, can I do that practice? That I should read about their offerings? 

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes. I began by singing the vande ‘haṁ, and in the vande ‘haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca, so we worship the guru along with his devotees. And certainly His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja is one of Srila Prabhupada’s principal associates and most worthy sons. So yes, I would say the answer is yes. I’ll just read something—so related to that vande ‘haṁ, Srila Prabhupada explains, “The offering of respect to the spiritual master means offering respect to all the previous acharyas. gurūn means plural number. All the acharyas, they are not different from one another because they are coming in the disciplic succession from the original spiritual master, and have no different views. So we offer respect to the predecessors, but we also offer respect to the followers,” because Srila Prabhupada explains further, “Spiritual master means they must have many followers, who are all Vaishnavas. They are called Prabhus and the spiritual master is called Prabhupada because at his lotus feet there are many Prabhus. pada means lotus foot. And all these Vaishnavas are Prabhus, so they are also offered respectful obeisances. Not the spiritual master alone but along with his associates, and these associates, his disciples, are all Vaishnavas. Therefore, they should also be offered respectful obeisances.”

So, that was Srila Prabhupada’s explanation on the maṅgala-ācaraṇa, and I remember discussing the ritvik theory with His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. He said that the difference between the Ritviks and us is that the Ritviks want Srila Prabhupada in the center, without associates, and we want Srila Prabhupada in the center with associates. 

Devotee 3: Yes, beautiful, beautiful Maharaja. Yes, yes, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you Maharaja. I will read one offering by someone for Guru Maharaja every day. It is so inspiring, thank you Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes.

Devotee 3: Thank you. 

Host: Thank you Maharaja. Would like to request Subhir Prabhuji to please read his question. 

Devotee 4: Hare Krishna Maharaja. daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. Thank you so much Maharaja for your wonderful association. I have been seeing you since the morning, it’s I think your third class continuously, [01:08:10 inaudible]. I’m so touched by your compassionate nature and your merciful nature, thank you so much Maharaja for being so generous. My question is that in the grihastha life, how can we only focus on akarma? Because in karma we have some positive things and negative things, and vikarma we avoid them after coming to devotional life. So how can we always remain engaged in akarma for the pleasure of Hari, Guru, and Vaishnavas in a grihastha life? 

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s a good question. And just to unpack a little of what you said for devotees who might not be so familiar with the terms, but there are three words karma, vikarma, and akarma. Karma means prescribed duties but they bring some result, that’s karma, we know karma. Then, vikarma means forbidden activity. So we want to avoid those. And akarma means transcendental activities, which bring no result. And, as we’ve been reading in The Nectar of Devotion and in the Bhāgavatam, that a devotee engages in akarma, he engages in activities that bring no reaction. Although he may be suffering reactions from past sinful activities, or actually, not really reactions but something that resembles reactions by the grace of the Lord for the devotee’s purification. 

So the question is, how can one in a grihastha ashram engage always in akarma? And the answer is to do everything for Krishna. And that depends on our consciousness and that depends on our mentality. Yes we do engage in activities as householders that ordinary householders engage in. As Srila Prabhupada explains, there are two terms: grihastha,which means spiritual householders, and gṛha-medhīs, which means materialistic householders. So as grihasthas, we dovetail everything in Krishna consciousness. Yes, we work, we earn money, which for someone else could be karma or even vikarma, but we do it to maintain our Krishna conscious lifestyle, and so it’s a part of devotional service. We take care of our wife so that she can progress in Krishna consciousness, and same with our children so they can progress in Krishna consciousness.

Ultimately, it’s all done in Krishna consciousness, and it’s done to please Krishna.But also, charity is recommended specifically for householders, and so householders should also give in charity, specifically for serving Lord Krishna and spreading Krishna consciousness. And then you are free, your hands are clean. 

Devotee 4: Thank you so much Maharaja, thank you so much Maharaja. I’m truly grateful to you, and I express my deepest gratitude to you for being so merciful. I’m seeing you from the morning in class in Pune and then holy festival and then this. So we are giving your hundred percent Maharaja, we are so much inspired. And you pray for us that we also serve Srila Prabhupada and all of the Vaishnavas in Krishna consciousness and become sincere and serious in our devotional life. 

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, yeah, why not? 

Devotee 4: Thank you Maharaja, thank you so much. 

Host: Thank you Maharaja for that wonderful answer. Thank you Subhir Prabhuji. We prayed for the same Maharaja. Next question is from Jaya mataji, I would like her to kindly state your question. 

Devotee 5: Hare Krishna Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. Thank you so much Maharaja for this wonderful lecture. [01:13:23 inaudible] we are not on a pure platform, so how do we understand that these sufferings are the cause of our karmic reactions or Krishna’s arrangements? 

Giriraj Swami: Well, the real point here is to surrender to Krishna and take up the process of bhakti-yoga. It’s not a question of being on the pure platform, but just by surrendering to Krishna and taking up the practice of bhakti-yoga, you fit the description in this verse and purport. You are included, so don’t worry about that, just don’t leave, don’t leave Krishna consciousness. As long as you stay in Krishna consciousness, remain alive in devotional service, you are covered. You are on your way back home, back to Godhead. 

Host: Thank you Maharaja. Would like to request Meera Mishra Mataji to ask her question.

Devotee 6: Hare Krishna Maharaja, please accept my most humble obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet. Maharaja, in your last lecture you mentioned how Krishna consciousness is basically to always be in remembrance of Krishna, which is Krishna consciousness. So I was looking up the meaning of consciousness, and of course the dictionary says it’s awareness, but I wondered if there is a deeper explanation to consciousness, and I thought that you should be the right person to ask this question. 

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, consciousness, as Srila Prabhupada explains, means consciousness of something. There is no such thing as consciousness without being conscious of something. So ordinary consciousness means consciousness of things that are not Krishna, and Krishna consciousness means consciousness of Krishna and things related to Krishna, seen in relationship to Krishna. Otherwise, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gītā, the consciousness is spread throughout the body, the soul is located in one’s place but the consciousness is spread throughout the body. And there is the individual consciousness and the Supreme consciousness or the jīvātmā and the Paramātmā. So Srila Prabhupada explains that: “I’m conscious of the pains and pleasures in my body, you are conscious of the pains and pleasures in your body, but you are not conscious of my pains and pleasures and I’m not conscious of your pains and pleasures. But Krishna, the Paramātmā, He is conscious of the pains and pleasures in every body.” So that’s the difference between His consciousness and our consciousness. 

Devotee 6: Thank you so much Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: My pleasure. 

Host: Any other devotee has any questions? 

Giriraj Swami: Chandni Doshi is raising her hand. Chandni Doshi, can you unmute yourself? Please unmute yourself and ask your question. You were unmuted for a second and then it went back on mute. Okay. 

Devotee 7: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee 7: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for your nectarean sessions Guru Maharaja, very nice and — I had a question because I’m not — you made very beautiful points saying that for devotees who are surrendered, that Krishna takes their sinful reactions, but they have anything in their mind, then He gives which externally appears to be suffering, but it’s actually mercy to bring them closer to Krishna. But I also remember reading in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I’m sorry I don’t know the verse, but in the Kali-yuga we don’t get offenses committed by the mind. So that’s for people who are not surrendered, not practicing Krishna consciousness [01:19:48 inaudible].

Giriraj Swami: What was the last phrase?

Devotee 7: So is that for everybody? That verse? 

Giriraj Swami: Oh yeah, that’s for everybody. Yeah, in Satya-yuga, when people are more pure and the environment is better, you get credit for doing devotional service, only if you actually perform it. But in Kali-yuga, because the atmosphere is so bad and people are so fallen in Kali-yuga, if you think of doing some service, even if you don’t do it, you get some credit, you get some benefits. Of course, we don’t want to just daydream about doing service, we want to actually do it. But even that daydreaming, you do get some benefit because at least you are thinking of service. But you get more benefit and you are of more benefit to others if you actually do it, of course. 

Devotee 7: Thank you so much. So in regards to going to Krishna we have to be completely purified by mind and. . . 

Giriraj Swami: Well, yeah, I mean if the main thing is to think of Krishna at the time of death yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ, that whatever you think of at the time of death determines your next life and ante nārāyaṇa-smṛti, the goal is to remember Narayana or Krishna at the end of life. But to think of Krishna at the time of death, we should be practicing thinking of Krishna throughout our lives. And if we love someone, we’ll naturally think of them. So we develop love for Krishna, then we’ll naturally think of Him during our life and at the time of death. 

Devotee 7: Thank you Guru Maharaja, thank you. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you Maharaja. We wish to know if you have some more time, there are a couple of few more questions. 

Giriraj Swami: I do.

Host: Okay. Next question is from Anandamayi Radha mataji, I would like her to unmute herself and ask a question please.

Devotee 8: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I don’t know Maharaja why, but since the last lecture I was there I heard your lecture and now also, I really want to—- I really feel like asking this question, and if this is beyond my adhikaar, I ask forgiveness from you and all the assembled devotees. But I really want to ask that, how are you Maharaja? 

Giriraj Swami: How am I?

Devotee 8: Yes. 

Giriraj Swami: What do you mean? 

Devotee 8: Physically and your health-wise, are you fine? Because you are in America and later, so I don’t know why but I wanted to ask this question from you. 

Giriraj Swami: Oh, I’m all right. Yeah, we take all the precautions recommended to avoid the coronavirus. Yes, by Krishna’s grace, I’m all right. Have a little arthritis, but not too bad, and yeah I have some good ayurvedic creams that help with it. But otherwise, I’m good; I have nothing to complain about. I’m probably better than I deserve to be. Yes, thank you for asking. 

Devotee 8: Thank you Maharaja. 

Host: Thank you Maharaja, we are happy to know you are fine and safe. Subhir Prabhu has one more question, could I ask him to unmute himself and kindly ask? 

Giriraj Swami: Yes. 

Host: Okay he has lowered his hand probably. . . His Grace, Radhan Charan Prabhuji has one question. Would like to request him to unmute his mic.

Devotee 9: Hare Krishna. Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to your Holiness. Actually mine is not a question but a comment, my feeling of gratitude. We are hearing your third class today, and in this holy name class also you give very very wonderful practical aspects about how we should concentrate on chanting, and give the priority to chanting with Prabhupada’s quotes, wonderful quotes. And this time also you gave very very inspiring aspects, how we should see and deal with the sufferings, which are eventual. But more than that Guru Maharaja, what I am feeling in my heart looking to your dedication of you and your godbrothers to Srila Prabhupada, your loyalty, your dedication, your enthusiasm and all these things—this is the only source of our inspiration to sustain Krishna consciousness and maintain some enthusiasm. 

Otherwise, just by reading the books, even by association with the devotees, there are so many reversals, so many obstacles. We are going to definitely get down and cool down, but because of your dedication, your life, your struggles, your way of handling things, and the way sustaining all these enthusiasm and taking all, is still at this age, such a long time, taking so much pain for the devotees, for Srila Prabhupada, the only source of inspiration. 

Otherwise there is no hope that this movement can even run and the devotees can preach comfortably, practice comfortably, or sustain their Krishna consciousness. We are very much thankful from the core of our hearts. And please bless us, so that we can just understand your perfect mood, follow it, imbibe it and continue to preach it also. It is wonderful, so many wonderful things. 

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. Yeah, you can do what you said that you want to do. 

Devotee 9: We need your blessing Guru Maharaja, for all the aspects. And the more we grow up, we need more help, more blessings, more safety. 

Giriraj Swami: Blessings. Blessings. 

Devotee 9: Thank you very much, thank you very much.

Host: Thank you so much Maharaja, would like to express our deep-hearted gratitude to you on behalf of all the participants. Thank you so much for sparing your valuable time and extending yourself. We’ve been hearing your classes throughout the day and it has been a very packed schedule for you, so I really want to express my gratitude to you for this wonderful webinar. It was really nice to hear that the whole seminar, especially the examples of Her Grace Arca Vigraha Mataji, was really touching. Thank you Maharaja and thank you for inspiring us so much, and so practical giving us the answers of all the questions, which is very practically applicable in our life. Thank you so very much. Our humble obeisances onto you, again and again. Thank you Maharaja once again. 

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. 

Host: Hare Krishna. daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. 

Devotee 9: Guru Maharaja, this is our daughter-in-law, Vraja Vallabhi.

Giriraj Swami: I know, I know. She is the best thing that ever happened to your family. 

Devotee 10: (Vraja Vallabi) It’s my good fortune Maharaja that I’m under the shelter of your disciples. Thank you so much Maharaja, thank you. 

Giriraj Swami: If we are ending now then I suggest that we conclude with Vaishnava praṇāma.

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