SB 10.8.1–4 – Krishna Shows the Universal Form within His Mouth

Host: Hare Krishna. On behalf of ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, We are very happy to welcome His Holiness, Giriraj Swami Maharaja. Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya! We were always eagerly waiting for Maharaja’s visit to Mumbai and today we are very fortunate to have His Holiness, Giriraj Swami Maharaja back home, back to Bombay, on the virtual platform. So Maharaja is very busy giving classes for various yatras around the world and also I am personally aware that he is sitting through so many Vyasa-puja proceedings and so many devotees from around the world, they were making glorification to him and Maharaja sits through long sessions, long proceedings and in spite of all those busy schedules, Maharaja had accepted his invitation to give today’s Sunday Bhāgavatam class here.

Maharaja we are very-very thankful to you for that and with that I request Maharaja to start the Bhāgavatam class. Over to you Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Yes Maharaja, we are able to hear Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: It is a great honor and pleasure for me to be with all of you on this auspicious occasion of Bhāgavatam class, during the auspicious Puruṣottama adhika-māsa. So I will begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leaving a short kirtan and then we will discuss today’s verse. In the meantime, I would like to request the participants on Zoom to put on your cameras so I can see you better. It’s more personal. Nice. Thank you.

[Prayers]

Hare Krishna. So we are beginning a new Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Eight: “Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth.”

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

So again to the participants on Zoom, as far as possible keep your camera on so I can see your moon-like faces and it is more personal.

So before we come to today’s verse I will read the Chapter summary. Chapter Eight: “Lord Kṛṣṇa Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth.”

CHAPTER EIGHT SUMMARY

The summary of the Eighth Chapter is as follows. This chapter describes the ceremony of giving a name to Kṛṣṇa. It also describes His crawling, His playing with the cows, and His eating earth and again showing the universal form to His mother.

One day, Vasudeva sent for Garga Muni, the family priest of the yadu-vaṁśa, and thus Garga Muni went to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, who received him very well and requested him to give names to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Garga Muni, of course, reminded Nanda Mahārāja that Kaṁsa was looking for the son of Devakī and said that if he performed the ceremony very gorgeously, the ceremony would come to the notice of Kaṁsa, who would then suspect that Kṛṣṇa was the son of Devakī. Nanda Mahārāja therefore requested Garga Muni to perform this ceremony without anyone’s knowledge, and Garga Muni did so. Because Balarāma, the son of Rohiṇī, increases the transcendental bliss of others, His name is Rāma, and because of His extraordinary strength, He is called Baladeva. He attracts the Yadus to follow His instructions, and therefore His name is Saṅkarṣaṇa. Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā, previously appeared in many other colors, such as white, red and yellow, and He had now assumed the color black. Because He was sometimes the son of Vasudeva, His name is Vāsudeva. According to His various activities and qualities, He has many other names. After thus informing Nanda Mahārāja and completing the name-giving ceremony, Garga Muni advised Nanda Mahārāja to protect his son very carefully and then departed.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī next described how the two children crawled, walked on Their small legs, played with the cows and calves, stole butter and other milk products and broke the butter pots. In this way, he described many naughty activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

COMMENT

Incidentally Srila Prabhupada had said that naughtiness in a child is a sign of intelligence. So if any of you have naughty children or grandchildren you can keep that in mind.

CHAPTER EIGHT SUMMARY (continued)

In this way, he described many naughty activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The most wonderful of these occurred when Kṛṣṇa’s playmates complained to mother Yaśodā that Kṛṣṇa was eating earth. Mother Yaśodā wanted to open Kṛṣṇa’s mouth to see the evidence so that she could chastise Him. Sometimes she assumed the position of a chastising mother, and at the next moment she was overwhelmed with maternal love. After describing all this to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, at Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s request, praised the fortune of mother Yaśodā and Nanda. Nanda and Yaśodā were formerly Droṇa and Dharā, and by the order of Brahmā they came to this earth and had the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son.

TEXT 1

śrī-śuka uvāca
gargaḥ purohito rājan
yadūnāṁ sumahā-tapāḥ
vrajaṁ jagāma nandasya
vasudeva-pracoditaḥ

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the priest of the Yadu dynasty, namely Garga Muni, who was highly elevated in austerity and penance, was then inspired by Vasudeva to go see Nanda Mahārāja at his home.

TEXT 2

taṁ dṛṣṭvā parama-prītaḥ

pratyutthāya kṛtāñjaliḥ

ānarcādhokṣaja-dhiyā
praṇipāta-puraḥsaram

TRANSLATION

When Nanda Mahārāja saw Garga Muni present at his home, Nanda was so pleased that he stood up to receive him with folded hands. Although seeing Garga Muni with his eyes, Nanda Mahārāja could appreciate that Garga Muni was adhokṣaja; that is, he was not an ordinary person seen by material senses.

TEXT 3

sūpaviṣṭaṁ kṛtātithyaṁ

girā sūnṛtayā munim

nandayitvābravīd Brahman

pūrṇasya karavāma kim

TRANSLATION

When Garga Muni had been properly received as a guest and was very comfortably seated, Nanda Mahārāja submitted with gentle and submissive words: Dear sir, because you are a devotee, you are full in everything. Yet my duty is to serve you. Kindly order me. What can I do for you?

COMMENT

So here Nanda Maharaja is setting a wonderful example of how to receive and treat a saintly person, by asking him how he could serve him.

Text four and this is the first verse with the purport and this is the verse that we will discuss in detail. So again.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 4

mahad-vicalanaṁ nṝṇāṁ

gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām

niḥśreyasāya bhagavan

kalpate nānyathā kvacit

TRANSLATION

O my lord, O great devotee, persons like you move from one place to another not for their own interests but for the sake of poor-hearted gṛhasthas [householders]. Otherwise they have no interest in going from one place to another.

COMMENT

So, as I read the purport I will be commenting so it won’t be very useful to keep the purport on the screen.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As factually stated by Nanda Mahārāja, Garga Muni, being a devotee, had no needs.

COMMENT

so that is expressed in the Sanskrit that he is full in himself.

PURPORT (continued)

Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes He has no needs, for He is pūrṇa, ātmārāma. 

COMMENT

Pūrṇa ‘Complete,’ ātmārāma ‘self-satisfied.’

PURPORT (continued)

Nonetheless, He descends to this material world to protect the devotees and vanquish miscreants (paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām).

COMMENT

So Krishna has no personal reason to descent but He descends for the benefit of His devotees and Srila Prabhupada is making the comparison with Gargamuni who also had no personal reason to visit Nanda Maharaja but to give benefit to Nanda Maharaja.

PURPORT (continued)

This is the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and devotees also have the same mission. One who executes this mission of para-upakāra, performing welfare activities for people in general, is recognized by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as being very, very dear to Him (na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ). 

COMMENT

So here Srila Prabhupada is referring to almost the last verse of the Bhagavad-gītā where Lord Krishna glorifies the preacher. In Bhagavad-gītā 18.68, he says

TEXT 68

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ

mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati

bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā

mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

TRANSLATION

For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and in the end he will come back to Me.

COMMENT

And then this, the next verse.

TEXT 69

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu

kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ

bhavitā na ca me tasmād

anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi

TRANSLATION

There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

COMMENT

So this is yeah and Srila Prabhupada really emphasized preaching and how much Krishna appreciates preaching. How important preaching is that Krishna Himself comes into the material world to preach. Once in the earlier days of ISKCON in Bombay, before we even got the Juhu land, Srila Prabhupada sent one of his disciples, named Rishi Kumar, to preach in Africa and Srila Prabhupada said that he was always worried about him because the preachers take risks.

But at the same time preaching is so important Srila Prabhupada said that he felt compelled to send his disciples to different places. And again, that it was so important that Krishna Himself came to preach.

So yeah one who executes the mission of para-upakāra that means welfare work for the benefit of other. Oh, yeah Prabhupada says that:

PURPORT (continued)

One who executes this mission of para-upakāra, performing welfare activities for people in general, is recognized by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as being very, very dear to Him (na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ). Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised this para-upakāra, and He has especially advised the inhabitants of India:

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra

“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Cc. Ādi 9.41)

COMMENT

Of course, Bhārata-varṣa also means the planet earth and therefore this verse also applies to any inhabitant of the earth planet.

PURPORT (continued)

“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Cc. Ādi 9.41) On the whole, the duty of a pure Vaiṣṇava devotee is to act for the welfare of others.

COMMENT

As Srila Prabhupada often used to say that generally people from India would go to America to beg, whatever, give me rice, give me wheat, give me arms but he said of himself, he didn’t go to beg but he went to give and that’s the mood of a Vaishnava. He doesn’t go to places or deal with people to exploit them but he goes to benefit them.        

PURPORT (continued)

Nanda Mahārāja could understand that Garga Muni had come for this purpose.

COMMENT

That is to act for his welfare, to act for the welfare of others, to act for the welfare of him and his children and family.

PURPORT (continued)

Nanda Mahārāja could understand that Garga Muni had come for this purpose and that his own duty now was to act according to Garga Muni’s advice. Thus he said, “Please tell me what is my duty.” This should be the attitude of everyone, especially the householder. The varṇāśrama society is organized into eight divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Nanda Mahārāja represented himself as gṛhiṇām, a householder. A brahmacārī factually has no needs.

COMMENT

As Srila Prabhupada said a brahmachari, all he needs is a little service with some prasāda and six feet of space on the ground or on the floor, to take rest. He basically, he doesn’t need anything.

PURPORT (continued)

A brahmacārī factually has no needs, but gṛhīs, householders, are engaged in sense gratification. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.44), bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām.

COMMENT

So that’s a very significant verse.

TEXT 44

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ

tayāpahṛta-cetasām

vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ

samādhau na vidhīyate

TRANSLATION

In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.

COMMENT

So, because householders generally are inclined to sense gratification as described in this verse and therefore are weak in their determination to engage in devotional service. Saintly persons, mahatmas, or sadhus, Such as Gargamuni visit them to try to inspire them and encourage them in devotional service.

PURPORT (continued)

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.44), bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām. Everyone has come to this material world for sense gratification, and the position of those who are too attached to sense gratification and who therefore accept the gṛhastha-āśrama is very precarious. Since everyone in this material world is searching for sense gratification, gṛhasthas are required to be trained as mahat, great mahātmās. Therefore Nanda Mahārāja specifically used the word mahad-vicalanam. Garga Muni had no interest to serve by going to Nanda Mahārāja, but Nanda Mahārāja, as a gṛhastha, was always perfectly ready to receive instructions from a mahātmā to gain the real benefit in life. Thus he was ready to execute Garga Muni’s order.

COMMENT

So, these last sentences are an instruction for all of us about the importance of serving mahatmas, great souls and the benefit we get by serving them. So first we should know who is a mahatma and of course the Bhagavad-gītā gives the basic definition.

TEXT 13

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha

daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

TRANSLATION

O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.

COMMENT

So, this gives us an idea of how to recognize a mahatma and their characteristics are further described in the next verse Bhagavad-gītā, 9.14.

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.

COMMENT

So, in other words, a mahatma is a devotee. Now when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, of course during the great struggle to get the Juhu land and then to get the permission to build the temple, at one stage he stayed for about four months because he didn’t want to leave before we got the permission. So he stayed for several months and during that period he spoke on the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and he eventually instructed that the lectures that he gave during that period should be compiled into a book, which they were called ‘The teachings of Lord Kapila to Devahuti.’ So within that discussion, there is a beautiful definition of the benefit of becoming attached to a mahatma or sadhu and it’s such a wonderful verse, purport. I will read it and also it brings back memories of when Srila Prabhupada spoke on this verse in Juhu when I was there. So this is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.20

TEXT 20

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam
ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto
mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam

TRANSLATION

Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same attachment, when applied to the self-realized devotees, opens the door of liberation.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Here it is clearly stated that attachment for one thing is the cause of bondage in conditioned life, and the same attachment, when applied to something else, opens the door of liberation. Attachment cannot be killed; it has simply to be transferred. Attachment for material things is called material consciousness, and attachment for Kṛṣṇa or His devotee is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

Now this is a very important point about what Krishna means and consequently what Krishna consciousness means. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of pure devotional service.

[Unintelligible 00:53:10]

So in The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada has analyzed the word Krishna because pure devotional service is the cultivation ‘anusilanam’ continuous cultivation, to Krishna and in The Nectar of Devotion and Srila Prabhupada without mentioning their names often refers to the commentaries of Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in his discussions in The Nectar of Devotion and he says Krishna means. . . Krishna His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes and His pure devotees.

So here Srila Prabhupada makes the same point that. . .

PURPORT (continued)

Attachment for material things is called material consciousness, and attachment for Kṛṣṇa or His devotee is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is clearly stated here that when we simply purify the consciousness from material consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we attain liberation. Our attachment for material things perpetuates our conditional state, but the same attachment, when transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, is the source of liberation.

Here it is recommended that attachment should be transferred to the self-realized devotees, the sādhus. And who is a sādhu? A sādhu is not just an ordinary man with a saffron robe or long beard. A sādhu is described in Bhagavad-gītā as one who unflinchingly engages in devotional service. Even though one is found not to be following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service, if one simply has unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, he is considered to be a sādhu. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. 

COMMENT

That’s Bhagavad-gītā,9.30.

PURPORT (continued)

A sādhu is a strict follower of devotional service. It is recommended here that if one at all wants to realize Brahman, or spiritual perfection, his attachment should be transferred to the sādhu, or devotee.

COMMENT

And this is the real essence of this verse that we read today about how Nanda Maharaja received and treated the sadhu, the mahatma, Gargamuni.

PURPORT (continued)

It is recommended here that if one at all wants to realize Brahman, or spiritual perfection, his attachment should be transferred to the sādhu, or devotee. Lord Caitanya also confirmed this. Lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya:

COMMENT

This is Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 22.54.

TEXT 54

sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

PURPORT (continued)

Simply by a moment’s association with a sādhu, one can attain perfection.

Mahātmā is a synonym of sādhu. It is said that service to a mahātmā, or elevated devotee of the Lord, is dvāram āhur vimukteḥ, the royal road of liberation. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam (Bhāg. 5.5.2).

COMMENT

So it’s similar [Unintelligible 00:58:37] this verse opens the door to liberation and in 5.5.2 find ‘dvāram āhur vimuktes,’ the same idea.

PURPORT (continued)

Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam (Bhāg. 5.5.2). Rendering service to the materialists has the opposite effect. If anyone offers service to a gross materialist, or a person engaged only in sense enjoyment, then by association with such a person the door to hell is opened. The same principle is confirmed here. Attachment to a devotee is attachment to the service of the Lord because if one associates with a sādhu, the result will be that the sādhu will teach him how to become a devotee, a worshiper and a sincere servitor of the Lord. These are the gifts of a sādhu. If we want to associate with a sādhu, we cannot expect him to give us instructions on how to improve our material condition, but he will give us instructions on how to cut the knot of the contamination of material attraction and how to elevate ourselves in devotional service. That is the result of associating with a sādhu. Kapila Muni first of all instructs that the path of liberation begins with such association.

COMMENT

So, in this connection and with reference to 5.5.2. that associating with materialist persons opens the door to hell or Chaitanya advises a [Unintelligible 00:01:05]. So on the one hand, we want to associate with sadhus and serve them and on the other hand, we want to avoid the association of materialists and avoid service to them. So we’ve discussed who is a mahatma, who is a sadhu and then who is a sādhu-saṅga, sadhu means devotee.

So and we want sādhu-saṅga association of devotees asādhu-saṅga means the opposite. So who is asādhu-saṅga? So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructs

[Unintelligible 01:01:52]

The principal behavior or characteristic of a Vaishnava is that he avoids the association of asādhu, unholy persons and who are they? [Unintelligible 01:02:12], one who is too attached to women, that’s one kind of asādhu and the other is [Unintelligible 01:02:23] and the other someone who is not a devotee of Krishna. So there are two kinds of materialists one is attached to women and sense gratification and the other is simply a non-devotee. So on the positive side is association with mahatmas and on the negative side is the avoidance of association with non-devotees and men who are too attached to women for sense gratification.

Now Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that this injunction of ‘asatsang tayaga,’ to avoid the association of non-devotees, does not mean that in the work place or in school we cannot have ordinary interactions with materialistic persons. He says that one can have normal interactions with them as is required in the place of work or in the place of study but definitely one should not take their advice about spiritual matters but otherwise it’s not a violation of the principle of ‘asatsang tayaga’ to have normal, minimal social interactions with people at work or are at school.

So yes, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so full of Nectar anywhere you look and here we’ve come to the Tenth Canto. Generally, one should read the first nine cantos to get a clear understanding of Krishna. Actually, there are three divisions of knowledge in the Vedic literature. First is sambandha-jñāna, knowledge of one’s relationships, who one is, who Krishna is, what is one’s relationship with Krishna, what is the material world, what is one’s relationship with the material world, that is sambandha and abhidheya means the process for achieving the goal, which is devotional service or bhakti-yoga and prayojana is the necessity, the ultimate goal and that is kṛṣṇa-prema, [Unintelligible 01:05:53].

So the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam deals basically with just these three categories of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. All of which are meant to help us reach the ultimate goal of love for Krishna and as Srila Prabhupada has emphasized in the purport and he always emphasizes that we should preach, it’s our basic principle we should taste Krishna consciousness, relish Krishna consciousness and we should distribute it. Now we should share our good fortune with others and therefore, and in a way Gargamuni is an example, visiting the poor householder to give him the opportunity to engage in devotional service.

So thank you all for joining and listening so patiently. I think we can. . . Well we’ve taken almost an hour but I think we can open the floor or open the mic for questions and comments churn the nectar some more. So thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

If any of you want to say anything please raise your hand. I guess this [Unintelligible 01:07:48] will call on you and again please turn on your cameras. So we can see you.

Host: Maharaja, there is a question from the temple.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee 1: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you very much for this wonderful enlightening class. Towards the end you said that from 5.5.2 there are two types of association. We should take association of sadhu or a devotee, which will open the doors to liberation and there is another kind of association of a non-devotee which will take us to the opposite direction. Now and you also emphasized stating that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to preach. So in our initial stage where I am, initial stages of Krishna consciousness, I am preaching but I am not a sadhu. I don’t have that purity in the heart. Still have a lot of material desires. So whoever will come in contact with me what kind of association he will derive?

Giriraj Swami: In my humble opinion he will get good association. I think you are a sadhu. You may not be perfect but you are a sadhu. [Unintelligible 01:09:44], because you have faith in Krishna and are engaged in service to Krishna. You don’t worship any demigods, do you? No, so you are a sadhu. By the definition in the Bhagavad-gītā 9.30 and 9.31, you are a sadhu. But don’t be puffed up thinking you are a sadhu, in a way it’s good that you don’t think you are a sadhu. But people will benefit from your association and even if you think you are not a sadhu, you are the servant of a sadhu. So they will benefit.

Yeah, there is a really beautiful verse in the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where the Lord says how dear His devotees are and then He says that even the devotees of His devotees are dear to Him. So yeah, you should give your association to others and you should preach and practice then you’ll be fulfilling your mission to taste and distribute Krishna consciousness.

Is that all right? What is your name my dear sadhu or aspiring sadhu?

Devotee 2: Chakarvarti dasa.

Giriraj Swami: Cha. . .?

Devotee 2: Chakarvarti dasa.

Giriraj Swami: Chakarvarti dasa. Beautiful. You are initiated. Good. Some sadhu has accepted you. Is there any other questions or comments?

Host: One more question in the temple Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Sure.

Host: Any other participant on the Zoom if you’d like to ask a question please raise your hand electronically so that you can also ask the question. Now a question from the temple.

Devotee 3: Hare Krishna Maharaja ji.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee 3: You mentioned Prabhupada lecturing on Kapiladeva section from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and there the qualities of sadhus are mentioned to be tolerant. I find myself to be very much lacking in this quality. How can I develop my tolerance level?

Giriraj Swami: Practice. I mean, it might not be exactly the same but once I was in the room and someone asked His Holiness Radhanath Swami, how he became so humble and Maharaja replied, by practice. He said he wasn’t that humble but he practiced. He acted in a way that he thought a humble person would have or should have. And then eventually it became a habit. Like Prabhupada said habit is second nature, it becomes your nature.

So I think you just have to practice and if you have difficulty tolerating and you become annoyed or aggravated or angry with what someone did and then you react to them, then afterwards you should apologize to them for reacting and that will mitigate the offense and at the same time it will help you to become more tolerant. But yeah, we have to tolerate. Srila Prabhupada said, if you can’t tolerate you cannot live in this world for one minute.

So, but it’s good that you are aware of that deficiency in you and that you want to improve. So yeah, I’m sure that by practice you will develop that habit which in turn will become that quality.

Host: Advaita prabhu on the Zoom has raised his hand electronically. So he has a question. Advaita Prabhu.

Devotee 4: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee 4: Maharaja, as we become attached to the devotees our [Unintelligible 01:16:16] and our friends they become distant to us, those who are non-devotees and we start we start losing them and we are still attached to them and we don’t feel good about it. At the same time it goes against local terms. They criticize us, as devotees, that we are not in the society. We are going away from the society. So it’s become hard and we don’t want to lose them. At the same the time it is difficult to accept the criticism by them. They become wrong examples kind of.

Giriraj Swami: So you are saying that if you don’t socialize with materialistic people they don’t like it. Of course, they don’t like it and then they criticize you. Of course, they will criticize you. So then what’s the problem?

Devotee 4: About. . . I don’t like to be criticized. I’m still. . . I don’t like it and they say we are. . . after becoming devotees we have become like this. So it’s a kind of bad name to Krishna consciousness.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, well can you associate with them in a spiritual way? Yeah, I mean that was a technique that His Holiness, Radhanath Swami shared with me. If someone wants to associate with him but not in a spiritual way, he will tell them, ‘yeah I really want to spend time with you but I have to finish my rounds. But you are welcome to stay with me and chant while I’m finishing my rounds’ or ‘yeah, I really want to spend time with you but I have to finish my quote of reading but you are welcome just to be with me and we can read together.’

So you are not rejecting them, you are not excluding them from your life. You are inviting them to join you but in spiritual activities and you could do little things to make them happy, give them prasāda. That’s always a good thing to do. Maybe give them books, I don’t know if you’ve tried giving them books. Why not? You have to be merciful. Yeah, try that. Try elevating them, purifying them. I mean, it’s their good fortune that they have some relationship with you, who are a devotee and so you can use your position, as their friend and as a devotee, to elevate them. Okay.

Host: There is a question from S.L. Pandian, a congregational devotee from Mumbai raised his hand. S.L. Pandian.

Devotee 5: Hare Krishna Prabhu ji. Maharaja daṇḍavat-praṇāmās.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee 5: Maharaja for the grihasthas, especially more time is spent with the non-devotees. Due to various reasons, number of our sādhu-saṅga time is, out of twenty-four hours, very limited. So how do we manage or balance, the spiritual activities, with the limited time of sādhu-saṅga. Though our desire to have more sādhu-saṅga is there, however due to various reasons unfortunately our more time is spent with the non-devotees. How do we balance this and how do we come out of this? Kindly guide us.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s a good question. I mean, ordinarily people work maybe eight hours a day. Maybe they have an hour for lunch or something. So yeah, there is a lot of time spent with non-devotees but the rest of the time, which is the majority of the time, should be spent associating with devotees. And association can come in two ways. One is vapuḥ, which means physical presence and the other is vāṇī, which means transcendental sound or words. So if you can’t associate with them in person, you can associate with them by hearing, by reading. By reading Srila Prabhupada’s books you are associating with him and so yeah, don’t waste time.

Okay. Your time is limited. You have to spend so much time at work with non-devotees. Alright, you can’t help it. But then the time you have available to you, don’t waste it in frivolous activities but use it to associate with devotees and engage in chanting and hearing and service.

Devotee 5: Thank you so much Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: I think of a talk Srila Prabhupada gave in Los Angeles and he said don’t waste time. If you’ve got time chant ‘Hare Krishna.’ Don’t waste time. Don’t speak nonsense. Chant ‘Hare Krishna’ or hear about Krishna, speak about Krishna. Thank you. That was very, very important.

Host: Next there is a question from Parijata Mataji, from the temple.

Devotee 6: Hare Krishna Maharaja. My humble obeisances to you Maharaja. So Maharaja, my question was in relation to attachment and the question was that we are dealing with devotees one at a personal level and one is at a level of our sevā. We could be having attachments in relation to. . . at a personal level in relation to our ideas, our egos, in relation to our service, attachment, to status, positions. So my question was how do we deal with this attachment which is part of our devotional life and which is actually not leading us to real pure devotion?

Giriraj Swami: Well, you mean you are attached to. . . you or someone might be attached to their position and to the honor and respect that they get as devotees. Well that of course should be given up because it will keep us down, it will keep us back in the material world. And yeah, I mean we have to purify the heart [Unintelligible 01:25:05] and the main process for purifying the heart is to chant the holy names, attentively, offenselessly. And we have to want to give up the attachments. Otherwise, if we want to hold on to the attachment that’s an offense against the holy name, to maintain material attachments even in spite of understanding so many instructions on the matter. So it’s an obstruction to our spiritual progress and specifically to our chanting which is the main process for our spiritual advancement.

So, as usual it’s a question of the higher self controlling the lower self or the intelligence, controlling the mind. But yeah, there is. . . Of course it’s in Srila Prabhupada’s books, in so many places but there is a very nice short work by Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami called Manaḥ-śikṣā and he really has used a strong language to describe these types of attachments, for profit, fame, and adoration.

And so yeah, I think my godsister Urmila devi dasi has published Manaḥ-śikṣā and yeah you could read there one or two verses about those attachments and yeah, reading what Raghunatha dasa Goswami says would. . . it will definitely purify your heart of that desire because, yeah, it’s just. . . I think he says it’s like a dancing prostitute so not good. Yeah, but I don’t know you mentioned dealing with other devotees was there part of your question that I didn’t address. Parijata Mataji?

Devotee 6: No, I think that was perfect Maharaja. It was just about attachment. So I think. . .

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Devotee 6:. . .that was perfect to purify the heart.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Okay good.

Devotee 6: Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Radha Charan Prabhu from Surat.

Devotee 7: Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. May share one of my realization in connection with the question of Sita Mataji, Guru Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee 7: Okay. So actually when we started practicing Krishna consciousness, the same was the case with us to getting completely disassociated with the relatives, friends, and the social members and they were feeling that we have become fanatic or some mad or diverted or misguided, like this. But gradually when we have got little maturity and now we are doing some preaching activity services also, so practically we are trying to find out the reason to increase our relationship with the society members also. We are finding out the reasons how can we connect them, have some talks with them, meeting with them and gradually we can invite them for the programs and insist them to invite us for the programs. Inviting them for the festivals, collecting donations or some loving exchanges so that they can also join Krishna consciousness and appreciate Krishna consciousness. So now our situation is completely different. We are trying to increase our this network of connection with the social members and relatives also and they are appreciating it. Practically it’s good Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Good, excellent.

Devotee 7: Thank you Maharaja. Please bless us so that we can just maintain this and get little or more mature and spread the glory and beauty of Krishna consciousness among the societal universe and make positivity about this.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, I wish you all success.

Devotee: Thank you very much Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: And I also wish Sita Thakurani all success.

Host: Next there is a question from Syama Vallabha Prabhu on Zoom. Syama Vallabha Prabhu.

Devotee 8: Haribol Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Haribol.

Devotee 8: It’s good to see you as always.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you good to see you too

Devotee 8: So one of the things that. . . it’s right before this I was listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 6.5.19 and you mentioned about the part I came into this a little late because I was distracted but when I came on you mentioned about you one should not waste not even a minute and it’s funny that was meant directly for me, I know. Because 6.5.19, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says even the moment of one’s lifetime could not be returned in exchange for millions of dollars. Therefore, one should consider how much loss one suffers if he wastes even a moment of his life for nothing. So right before that, I was listening to that and then you come and sit like you are talking directly to me. So I have to take heed. I have to listen to that and continue to stay, to pay as much attention as possible to my Krishna conscious life because that was a direct message to me, I know. So thank you.

Giriraj Swami: Beautiful. Wonderful. It’s for everyone but especially for you.

Host: There is a message on the chat box a question from Anita Purohit Aradhya Radha Mataji. You are unmuted, can you ask Aradhya Radha Mataji, congregation from Mumbai? You are unmuted now. Are you there Anita Purohit Aradhya Radha Mataji? I think there is some problem on our side. Aradhya Radha Mataji you are not speaking. We can see your video. Are you able to hear Aradhya Radha Mataji?

Devotee 9: Hare Krishna. Daṇḍavat-praṇāmās Maharaja. Please accept my daṇḍavat-praṇāmās Maharaja. I have a question. So, how much our material activities we all are doing but still if we [Unintelligible 01:33:36] all our material activities also to the Lord, to Krishna, so as we remember the Lord Krishna every time, even though we are engrossed with a lot of material activities for example I am teaching, I am a teacher, I teach people, so if I. . . my teaching activities also. If I’m telling all my activities towards the Lord will it not suffice? I am fully not engaged in devotional service to the Lord but I am engaged in teaching. So if I direct my teaching activities also to the Lord so will it not be directing me to the service of the Lord?

Giriraj Swami: Yes I mean you need to earn your livelihood and so the money you get from teaching, you use to maintain your Krishna conscious lifestyle.

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: And whatever extra you can give for spreading Krishna consciousness and do your students know that you are a devotee?

Devotee: Yeah.

Giriraj Swami: So then, by dealing nicely with them and by their appreciating you they make advancement because Srila Prabhupada said just by appreciating a devotee you make advancement. So if they just appreciate you they make advancement and yeah may be special days you can bring prasādam.

Devotee: Yeah, yesterday I distributed books to them. I distribute Bhagavad-gītā to them.

Giriraj Swami: Good, that's wonderful. What age are they?

Devotee: No. . . elderly people. Elderly people.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, elderly people.

Devotee: Yeah, I teach different languages, Chinese, Thai, Italian, and I teach people all these languages, I train. So these people are professionals all elderly people. I speak all the languages and I teach people all the languages, so the professionals and the business people. So they in exchange they give some money. So even I donate to our temple with my capacity to some extent and I distribute Bhagavad-gītā to my students, to people.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful.

Devotee: So will it. . . even though I am not fully engaged in devotional service so where my karma is going? Whether I am in the right direction or not?

Giriraj Swami: What about the rest of your life when you are not teaching?

Devotee: No, I have Deities in my house. So I do the Deity sevā in my house then I remain engaged in. . . I offer them bhoga and I do Deity sevā in my house and then I teach people.

Giriraj Swami: Alright. Well it’s the same principle that I enunciated to Shambala dasa that whatever time you have, use it in direct service to Krishna and to whatever extent you require, you can do indirect service. But don’t waste time.

Devotee: daṇḍavat Maharaja. Thank you so much.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya.

Devotee: Thank you so much.

Host: There is a message on the chat box for Chandni Doshi to ask a question.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Host: Chandani Doshi.

Devotee 10: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya.

Devotee 10: Maharaja, I just wanted to ask because it was mentioned that rendering service to materialist has the opposite effect. So and I think you may have answered this in the previous questions but I just wanted to confirm because for example, how about in the professions of health care like the doctors and the nurses and a lot of people who are atheists also come for treatment and you have to give treatment to them.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Devotee 10: Yeah so in such a case what happens because you are rendering service to a materialist? Oh I know you mentioned previously that for a devotee, I guess I’m not so sure, but I think if they don’t waste time as you nicely mentioned, It’s okay but what if it’s a. . .

Giriraj Swami: Almost any business or profession will cater to non-devotees. Srila Prabhupada had a pharmacy. You think that he sold his medicine only to devotees? That’s understood, that when you have a profession or a business you are going to have customers that are non-devotees. But that’s different from being very closely and intimately associated with someone [Unintelligible 01:39:39]. So when you serve a devotee intimately with your heart that opens the door to liberation. So we don’t want to serve these materialists intimately with our hearts. But yeah of course, we will have patients who are not devotees. We will have customers who are not devotees. That’s fine. It’s understood.

Devotee 10: Thank you Guru Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: There is one more question from the temple. Maharaja could we take it?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Host: Our Zoom coordinator himself has a question, so. . .

Devotee 11: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you very much for the wonderful class. Here in the purport of 3.25.20, Prabhupada mentions that who is a sadhu? So Prabhupada writes a sadhu is not just an ordinary man with saffron robe and then down Prabhupada writes a sadhu is a strict follower of devotional service. So it seems that Prabhupada is just telling two contradictory things in above line and below line. He says even though one is found not to be following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service still we should consider him as sadhu but just two lines below Prabhupada writes, sadhu is a strict follower of devotional service. So how do we take it?

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Well this is with reference to [Unintelligible 01:41:30] and that verse refers to an accidental fall down. That even if someone’s engaged fully in devotional service and he accidentally falls down, [Unintelligible 01:41:51] he is still considered to be a sadhu and then in the next verse, dharmātma, that quickly he becomes righteous. So that’s [Unintelligible 01:42:10], quickly he becomes righteous because the Lord within the heart will purify him.

So yeah of course he tries to be a strict follower and in the purports to these verses Srila Prabhupada, no one should take advantage of this and willingly fall down. One should try to follow but if by chance due to the strong influence of the illusory energy or bad association, one does fall down. He should not be derided but he should be considered a sadhu and if we don’t consider him a sadhu, we are going against Krishna’s direct order. So it’s really. . . As Srila Prabhupada says in the purport, it’s a warning to the non-devotees that they should not deride a sadhu for an accidental fall down. So it’s not really contradictory but the one statement is meant to balance the other statement. Yeah.

Host: We have no more question Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. So then if we are going to end or do you. . . is there. . . yeah we are going to end I would suggest that we offer Vaishnava praṇāma.

Host: Can we. . . Yes Maharaja. We also would like to have the darshan of the Deities for you as well.

Giriraj Swami: Oh yes.

Host: So we will have darshan of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sita-Rama Lakshman Hanuman and then Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. So you can you can start the Vaishnava praṇāma by the way we will take the camera towards the darshan.

Giriraj Swami: No, we’ll end with the Vaishnava praṇāma. Now we’ll focus on the Deities.

Host: Yes Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, Srila Prabhupada ki jaya. Looks like it’s warm there.

Host: It’s little bit raining Maharaja. Today morning.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

[Skipped 01:44:43–01:49:35]

Giriraj Swami: Alright Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya.

Host: Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya. Giri Govardhana ki jaya.

Giriraj Swami: Beautiful. I always have their picture in front of me on my table.

Host: Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya. So Maharaja once again on behalf of ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, I would like to thank you very much for giving your time today. It is little late in the evening for you and a very busy day ahead for you tomorrow. So in spite of that you have given your valuable time and we are all very inspired for your association. Even though we are hankering for your association now at least we got little bit of your association on the virtual platform. Once again thank you very very much Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Alright, thank you. My pleasure. So now we’ll offer Vaishnava praṇāma.

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

[Prayers]