TLC 8

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So I will begin by singing the maṅgalācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan and then we will speak about the teachings of Lord Chaitanya.

[Prayers]

So Hare Krishna. I would like to request all the participants on Zoom to turn on your cameras so we can see your moon-like faces. Jaya, thank you. 

So we are speaking on the teachings of Lord Chaitanya, which Srila Prabhupada has called ‘A treatise of factual spiritual life’. That is such a grave and authoritative description, not vague or sentimental. Teachings of Lord Chaitanya is based on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and it specifically consists of five conversations. First between Lord Chaitanya and Rupa Gosvami, then between Lord Chaitanya and Sanatana Gosvami, then between Lord Chaitanya and Prakashananda Saraswati, then between Lord Chaitanya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and then between Lord Chaitanya and Sri Ramananda Raya. 

And the section that we will be discussing today is from Lord Chaitanya’s discussed with Srila Sanatana Gosvami. So Chapter forty-seven and. . . excuse me Chapter seven and eight are quite technical descriptions of different categories of incarnations of Krishna with different technical names to describe these different categories and sometimes the differences between the different categories is quite small, you could say. So we won’t discuss those two Chapters but we will discuss Chapter eight, which is called ‘The Avataras’ and I will read and comment

jaya jaya śrī caitanya jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura bhakta vrṇda

CHAPTER 8

Lord Caitanya continued to explain to Sanātana Gosvāmī  that the expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who come into the material creation are called avatāras, or incarnations. The word avatāra means “one who descends” and in this case the word specifically refers to one who descends from the spiritual sky.” In the spiritual sky there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and from these planets the expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead come into this universe.

COMMENT 

So the word avatar has become quite popular these days, not always, with the meaning that it had originally but the actual meaning is one who descends and there is a special category called Shaktyavesha avatar and ‘shakti’ means ‘power’ and ‘avesha’ means ‘to be imbued with.’ So a Shaktyavesha avatar is an empowered incarnation and Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, gave his opinion that Jesus Christ was a Shaktyavesha avatar.

So just as in the material sky, there are so many planets. So beyond all the material universes is the spiritual sky, which has many spiritual planets, innumerable spiritual planets. The topmost of which is Goloka Vrindavan, the supreme abode of Lord Krishna.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

The first descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from the expansion of Saṅkarṣaṇa, is the first puruṣa incarnation Mahā-viṣṇu. It is confirmed  in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.1) that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends as the first puruṣa incarnation of the material creation, He immediately manifests sixteen elementary energies. Known as the Mahā-viṣṇu, He lies within the Causal Ocean, and it is He who is the original incarnation of the material world. He is the Lord of time, nature, cause and effect, mind, ego, the five elements, the three modes of nature, the senses and the universal form. Although, He is the master of all objects; movable and immovable in the material world. He is totally independent.

COMMENT 

So every religion will say that God is the creator, The God is great and He is the creator but as Srila Prabhupada says, they don’t know how great God is nor do they know how He creates. So here in the teachings of Lord Chaitanya, with reference to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we get a sense of how great God is and how he creates, scientifically what is the process by which he creates. 

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

The second Vishnu incarnation, the Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, enters each and every universe, spreads water  from His body and lies down on that water. From His navel  the stem of a lotus flower grows, and on that lotus flower the first creature, Brahmā, is born. Within the stem of that lotus flower are  fourteen divisions of planetary systems, which are created by Brahmā. Within each universe, the Lord is present as  Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, and He maintains each universe and tends to its needs. Although He is within each material universe, the influence of the material energy cannot touch Him. When it is required, this very same Viṣṇu takes the form of Lord Śiva and annihilates the cosmic creation. The three secondary incarnations – Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva – are the predominating deities of the three modes of material nature. The master of the universe, however, is Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, who is worshiped as the Hiraṇyagarbha Supersoul. The Vedic hymns describe Him as having thousands of heads.

COMMENT

Although, he is within the material nature he is not touched by it. This is very deep and profound and clear knowledge of the primeval Lords, who in different ways are the super souls of the universe and of the living entities.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

The third incarnation of Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu, is also an  incarnation of the mode of goodness. He is also the Supersoul of all living entities, and He resides on the ocean of milk within the universe. Thus Caitanya Mahāprabhu described the puruṣa-avatāras.

COMMENT

So again, there are three puruṣaavatāras. These are the primeval Lords. Maha-Vishnu or Karanodakashayi Vishnu, Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Ksirodakasayi Vishnu.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

Lord Caitanya next described the līlā-avatāras, or pastime avatāras , and of these the Lord points out that there is no limit. However, He described some of them – for example, Matsya, Kūrma, Raghunātha,

COMMENT

That means Lord Ramachandra.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana and Varāha. 

As far as the guṇa-avatāras, or qualitative incarnations of Viṣṇu, , they are three – Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Brahmā is one of the living entities, but due to his devotional service he is very powerful. This primal living entity, master of the mode of material passion, is directly empowered by Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu to create innumerable living entities.

COMMENT

Of course, the living entities themselves, the jivas, are eternal. Eternal means they have no beginning and no end. So they are not created as such but Lord Brahma creates their bodies, which enables them to function in the material world and attempt to fulfill their desires, that’sus. 

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

So Lord Brahmā master of the mode of material passion, is directly empowered by Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu to create innumerable living organisms. In  Brahma-saṁhitā (5.49) Brahmā is likened to valuable jewels influenced by the rays of the sun, and the  sun is likened to the Supreme Lord, Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu,. If in some kalpa. . . 

COMMENT

That is a long period of time.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

. . . there is no suitable living entity capable of  acting in Brahmā’s capacity, Garbhodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu Himself manifest as  Brahmā and acts accordingly.

Similarly, by expanding Himself as Lord Śiva, the Supreme Lord is engaged when there is a need to annihilate the universe. Lord Śiva, in association with māyā, has many forms, which are generally numbered as eleven. 

COMMENT

Eleven Rudras.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

Lord Śiva is not one of the living entities; he is more or less Kṛṣṇa Himself. The example of milk and yogurt is often given in this regard: Yogurt is a preparation of milk, but still yogurt cannot be used as milk. Similarly, Lord Śiva is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa, but he cannot act as  Kṛṣṇa, nor can we derive the spiritual restoration from Lord Śiva that we derive from Kṛṣṇa. The essential difference is that Lord Śiva has a connection with material nature but Viṣṇu, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, has nothing to do with material nature.Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.88.3)  states that Lord Śiva is a combination of three kinds of transformed consciousness known as vaikārika, taijasa and tāmasa.

COMMENT

So yes Lord Shiva is compared to yogurt and Lord Vishnu  is compared to milk and yogurt is derived from milk but yogurt cannot be turned back into milk. So Lord Shiva, in a way, is a transformation of Lord Vishnu but he is not the same as Lord Vishnu and he cannot become Lord Vishnu. And one of the adjectives used to describe Lord Shiva is Asutosha which means that he is very easily pleased. Lord Shiva, he gives benedictions without much consideration and therefore sometimes his worshipers who receive benedictions from him, misuse the benedictions for bad purposes. One example is Ravana, who was a devotee of Lord Shiva and sometimes Lord Krishna even cautioned Lord Shiva that he should be careful about the kinds of benedictions he gives and to whom he gives them, because often demons are worshippers of Lord Shiva who misuse his benedictions.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

The Viṣṇu incarnation, although master of the modes of goodness within each universe, is in no way in touch with the influence of material nature. Although Viṣṇu is equal to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is the original source. Viṣṇu is a part, but Kṛṣṇa is the whole. This is the version given by the  Vedic literature. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.46) the example is given of an original candle which lights a second candle. Although both candles are of equal power, one is still accepted as the original and the other is said to be kindled from the original. The Viṣṇu expansion is like the second candle. He is as powerful as Kṛṣṇa, but the original Viṣṇu is Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā and Lord Śiva are obedient servants of the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord as Viṣṇu is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. 

COMMENT

In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Krishna says aham adir hi devanam—that I am the origin of the devas and Srila Prabhupada explained that the devas generally are taken to mean Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. So by Lord Krishna’s saying aham adir hi devanam, He is saying He is the origin of Brahma, Shiva, and even Lord Vishnu. 

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

After describing the Manu incarnations, Lord Caitanya described the yuga-avatāras 

COMMENT

To whom is Lord Chaitanya speaking now? My dear devotees, if you know the answer, please raise your hand. Vrinda Priya devi dasi.

Vrinda Priya devi dasi: Is Lord Chaitanya  speaking to Sanatana Goswami now?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes, exactly.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

After describing the Manu incarnations, Lord Caitanya explained  the yuga-avatāras to Sanātana Gosvāmī. There are four yugas, or millenniums – Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali – and in each millennium the Supreme Lord incarnates and each incarnation has a different color according to the yugas. 

COMMENT

So yes, there are four ages and they repeat in cycles, just like the four seasons.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the Satya-yuga the color of the principal incarnation is white, in the Tretā-yuga the color is red, in the Dvāpara-yuga the color is blackish (Kṛṣṇa), and in the Kali-yuga the color of the principal incarnation is yellow.  

COMMENT

And who might that be? Adi Gadadhara dasa

Adi Gadhadhar dasa: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Correct.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

 and in the Kali-yuga yellow the color of the principal incarnation is Yellow (Caitanya Mahāprabhu). This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.13) by the astrologer Garga Muni, who calculated Kṛṣṇa’s horoscope in the house of Nanda Mahārāja.

COMMENT

So Nanda Maharaja, Krishna’s father, invited Gargamuni, who was the priest of the Yadus, to do Krishna’s horoscope and he said that Krishna will give protection to His devotees, just like Lord Narayana and he also said that Krishna appears in different colors in different ages and he said that in. . .Well, he mentions the different colors, Gargamuni. But he doesn’t say which color is in which age. But by plot process of elimination, we know the colors in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvāpara-yuga. By process of elimination the only color left for Kali-yuga is the yellow color or golden color.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the Satya-yuga the process of self-realization was meditation, and this process was taught by the white incarnation of God. This incarnation gave a benediction to the sage Kardama by which he could have an incarnation of the Personality of Godhead as his son.

COMMENT

And who was that? Devahuti devi dasi, you should know the answer.

Devahuti devi dasi: Yes Maharaja. Hare Krishna Maharaja. Is that Lord Kapiladeva?

COMMENT

Yes. Yes. In fact, Srila Prabhupada spent an extended period of time in Bombay when we were struggling to get the permission to build the temple and he was speaking on the third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and he said that those lectures should be collected and published as a book, which they were, called “The teachings of Lord Kapila: The son of Devahuti”.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the Satya-yuga everyone meditated on Kṛṣṇa, and each and every living entity was  full in knowledge. In the present age,  Kali-yuga, people who are not in full knowledge are still attempting this meditative process which was recommended for a previous age.

COMMENT

In other words, in a very subtle and tactful way Srila Prabhupada is saying that people who try to meditate in Kali-yuga are misled. They’re misled. You cannot meditate in Kali-yuga as one could in Satya-yuga.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the present age,  Kali-yuga, people who are not in full knowledge are still attempting  this meditative process which was recommended for a previous age.  

The process for self-realization recommended in the Tretā millennium was the performance of sacrifice, and this  was taught by the red incarnation of God.

In the Dvāpara millennium Kṛṣṇa was personally present, and He was worshipped by everyone by the mantra

namas te vāsudevāya

namaḥ saṅkarṣaṇāya

pradyumnāyāniruddhāya
tubhyaṁ bhagavate namaḥ

“Let me offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.”

COMMENT

This was the process of self-realization for the Dvapara age.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the next millennium – the present age ofKali-yuga – the Lord incarnates to preach the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. In this age the Lord is  yellow, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and He teaches people love of God by chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. This teaching  is carried out personally by Kṛṣṇa, and He exhibits love of Godhead by chanting, singing and dancing with thousands of people following Him. This particular incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is foretold in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32):

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

“In the Age of Kali the Lord incarnates as a devotee Yellowish in color, and is always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Although He is Kṛṣṇa, His complexion is not blackish like Kṛṣṇa’s in Dvāpara-yuga but is golden. It is in Kali-yuga that the Lord engages in preaching love of Godhead through the saṅkīrtana movement, and those living entities who are intelligent adopt this process of self-realization.”

COMMENT

So this verse, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32), is very significant. The first word is Krishna. ‘Krishna’ means ‘Krishna: The Supreme Personality of God’ and it can also mean blackish and ‘Varna’ can mean ‘category.’ Like we have the four Varna’s, the four categories and Varna can also mean to describe or glorify. So just this compound ‘kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ,’ it has two meanings that this incarnation is in the same category as Krishna and he is always engaged in a describing or glorifying Krishna. 

But then the next word ‘tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ,’ ‘tviṣā’ means ‘a color or complexion,’ ‘kṛṣṇaṁ’ means black and ‘a’ means ‘not.’ So he is not blackish; ‘kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ’ not blackish in color. ‘Sangha’ that means ‘sangha’ associatedwith, accompanied by.  ‘Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam’ his associates are his astras, his weapons and ‘yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair,’ he will be worshipped by ‘saṅkīrtana yagna,’ by who?—By those who are ‘su-medhasaḥ,’ ‘su-medhasaḥ,’ means very intelligent.

There is another word alpha-medhasah which means ‘less intelligent’ and the Bhagavad-gītā describes those who worship the demigods as alpha medasah. But those who worship Lord Chaitanya by performance of saṅkīrtana are ‘sumedhasaḥ,’ very intelligent. So all of you are very intelligent. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. If anyone tries to say anything otherwise, you hold up the book and say look I am ‘sumedhasaḥ,’ I am very intelligent because I am worshiping Lord Chaitanya with saṅkīrtana.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

It is also stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52):

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

“The self-realization achieved in the Satya millennium by meditation, in the Tretā millennium by the performance of different sacrifices, and in the Dvāpara millennium by worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa can be achieved in the Age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa.”That’s Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is also confirmed in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.2.17) where it is stated:

dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñais
tretāyāṁ dvāpare ‘rcayan
yad āpnoti tad āpnoti
kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam

“In this age there is no use in meditation, sacrifice or temple worship. Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare – one can achieve perfect self-realization.”

When Lord Caitanya described the incarnation for this Age of Kali, Sanātana Gosvāmī, who had been a government minister and was perfectly capable of drawing conclusions, directly asked the Lord, “How can one understand the advent of an incarnation?”

COMMENT

So this was a very delicate situation because Lord Chaitanya was hiding his identity as an incarnation. But when he was describing the yuga avatars to Sanatana Gosvami, who was very intelligent, Sanatana Gosvami probed a little to see if he could get Lord Chaitanya to concede that he, in fact was the incarnation for Kali-yuga.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

Sanātana Gosvāmī, who had been a government minister and was perfectly capable of drawing conclusions, directly asked the Lord, “How can one understand the advent of an incarnation?” By the description of the incarnation for the Kali millennium, Sanātana Gosvāmī could understand that Lord Caitanya Himself was indeed that incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, and he could also understand that in the future there would be many people would try to imitate Lord Caitanya because the Lord played as an ordinary brāhmaṇa despite the fact that His devotees accepted Him as an incarnation.

COMMENT

And actually, it is true there are some false incarnations of Lord Chaitanya. Current or I don’t know if they’re still alive but at least in very recent times there were false incarnations of Lord Chaitanya.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

Since Sanātana Gosvāmī knew that there would be many pretenders, he asked the Lord, “How can one understand the symptoms of an incarnation?”

“As one can understand the incarnations for different  millenniums by referring to the Vedic literature,” the Lord replied, “one can similarly understand who is actually an  incarnation of Godhead in this Age of Kali.” In this way the Lord especially stressed reference to authoritative scriptures. In other words, one should not whimsically accept a person as an incarnation but should try to understand the characteristics of an incarnation by referring to the scriptures. An incarnation of the Supreme Lord never declares Himself to be an incarnation, but His followers must ascertain who is an incarnation and who is a pretender by referring to authoritative scriptures.

Any intelligent person can understand the characteristics of an avatara by understanding two features – the principal features, called personality, and the marginal features.

COMMENT

And in Sanskrit, there is tathasta characteristics which means marginal, it means that they’re manifest sometimes and not manifest at other times and the other characteristic is Svarupa, which means it is of the nature of the incarnation and is always existing. Oh yes, it is right here, 

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

In the scriptures, there are descriptions of the characteristics of the bodies and the activities of an incarnation and the description of the body is the principle feature that doesn’t change.

COMMENT

Like Lord Chaitanya is always golden complexion. 

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

By which the incarnation could be identified. The activities of the incarnation are the marginal characteristics.

COMMENT

For example, spreading the saṅkīrtana movement. Well, when Lord Chaitanya was a baby, he wasn’t, well except very indirectly by crying and when the ladies were trying to get him to stop crying, the only thing that would work was if they chanted but other than, something like that, we can’t say that he always manifested the activity of spreading the saṅkīrtana movement. So that is a marginal characteristic, it is sometimes visible and sometimes not.

CHAPTER 8 (continued)

This is confirmed in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1), where the features of an avatara  are nicely described. In that verse, the two terms param (supreme) and satyam (truth) are used, and Lord Caitanya indicates that these words reveal Kṛṣṇa’s principal feature. The other, marginal features are that He taught Vedic knowledge to Brahmā and incarnated as the puruṣa-avatāra to create the cosmic manifestation. These are occasional features manifested for some specific purposes. One should be able to understand and distinguish the principal and marginal features of an avatāra. No one can declare himself an incarnation without referring to these two features. An intelligent man will not accept anyone as an avatāra without studying the principal and marginal features. When Sanātana Gosvāmī tried to confirm Lord Caitanya’s personal characteristics as being those of the incarnation for this age, Lord Caitanya Himself indirectly made the confirmation  by simply saying, “Let us leave aside all these discussions and continue with a description of the śaktyāveśa-avatāras.”

COMMENT

So when Srila Sanatana Gosvami presented the idea that Lord Chaitanya was the yuga avatar for kali-yuga, Lord Chaitanya indirectly agreed by changing the subject. If he wasn’t, he would have flatly said, “No, I am not” but he didn’t. He said all right enough of this discussion now let’s discuss the ‘Shaktyavesh Avatars.’ 

So I think we have used our allotted time but I will just say there are different categories of ‘Shaktyavesh Avatars.’ As I mentioned ‘Shaktyavesh Avatars’ means empowered incarnation and many learned scholars, they accept Srila Prabhupada as a ‘Shaktyavesh Avatars’ and Srila Prabhupada learned godbrother, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Gosvami Maharaja, he raised a further question, whose shakti? By whose shakti was Srila Prabhupada empowered and he gave his opinion that he was empowered by the shakti of Nityananda Prabhu which makes sense. Jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Teachings of Lord Chaitanya ki jaya!

So if we have time, we can take questions and comments.

Host: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you very much for the wonderful read through of the Chapter. It was a very nice experience, a different experience from what we are used to, we will be reading through along with you.

So we do have a few minutes for questions. Probably, we have around ten minutes. So devotees who have questions can either raise their hands or put their questions on in the chat and we can take it from there. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Again, please turn on your cameras if you can. 

Host: I think we have a question from Srikant Prabhu. He has just unmuted. Go ahead.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Prabhu. Thank you for the wonderful description of today’s lecture. In today’s conversation, you mentioned about chanting “Hare Krishna mantra” as the mean to gain an understanding of self-realization. So I was curious to get your perspective on what exactly self-realization and your thoughts on that one.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, Srila Prabhupada gives the example of when the sun rises you can see yourself and you can also see everything else. So when you realize who you are, you simultaneously realize your relationship with everything else, which includes first and foremost your relationship with Krishna that you are the eternal servant of Krishna. Jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa So real self-realization means that to realize that you are the eternal servant of Krishna and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam defines ‘mukti’ or liberation, ‘mukti hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ’ ‘mukti’ means when you give up all other false identities and real and become established in your Svarupa which is eternal servant or Krishna, jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa

And but we are servants of the servant of the servants of the servants of Krishna, Lord Chaitanya also said that I am not a brahman, I am not a kshatriya, I am not a vaishya, I am not a sudra, I am not a brahmachari, I am not a grihastha, I am not a vanaprastha, I am not a sannyasi then what are you? gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

So real self-realization is to realize that you are the eternal servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. 

Devotee: Thank you Prabhu. 

Host: I think we have a question from Deelip Prabhu. Okay. Go ahead 

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. daṇḍavat praṇāma. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you, Maharaja, for the wonderful class. Maharaja, I had a couple of questions. As you mentioned, Shiv ji’s dealing with a material energy. Just I wanted to understand what it means and Lord Vishnu is not dealing with the material energy. Means if I understand how Shiv ji is dealing then it will help how Lord Vishnu is not because what I thought any incarnation of Lord is aloof from the any material energy.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is true. But Lord Shiva is not directly the Lord and he does have some relationship with some material energy and you can understand that because his consort is Parvati or Durga and she is the material energy. So that is the difference between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, who has no contact with the material energy. 

But I can’t see fully but it seems that your t-shirt has the same Sri Radha. Oh no, it doesn’t. It has Hare Krishna. [Laughs] Well that is good, that is good. Sometimes those circles have Sri Radha in the middle. Okay, nice. Thank you. 

Giriraj Swami: Any other question or comment? 

Host: Hare Krishna Maharaja, I think Deelip Prabhu has another question.

Giriraj Swami: Another one?

Host: Yes

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Maharaja, it will always help us for chanting. Just I wanted to ask how can I improve my chanting, which is improve means sincerely and meditating on Lord’s name.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is a very important question. How can you improve your chanting? The main idea is to hear. Of course, first properly articulate and then attentively hear the holy names and to help you in that effort it is good to rise early and chant during brāhma-muhūrta, before sunrise. Of course, you can chant at any time but in general spiritual practices are more effective during the early hours of brāhma-muhūrta. 

And as Srila Prabhupada established the morning program in his temples, we begin with maṅgala-ārati at 4:30 and then after maṅgala-ārati, we chant japa and at least some of that japa time is before sunrise. And then chant in front of tulasi-devi, chant in front of deities, chant with other devotee, who are sincere about chanting and serious about chanting. And don’t do anything else.

My godbrother, Mahatma Prabhu used to joke that devotees become very expert at using their left hand because while they have their right hand in the bead bag, they can do so many other things with their left hand. So not like that. We have to be fully engaged in chanting japa and not try to multi-task when we’re doing japa. Yes, and pray, always pray, pray for help. Hare Krishna. 

Host: So I think we have onequestion from Manjuli Pal Mataji. She has unmuted.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Am I Audible?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Guru Maharaja, I have a question that during Shivaratri over here, many of them keep fast. Thinking is our highest Vaishnava so is it right?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I mean, there is no harm in fasting but generally we don’t, we Vaishnavas, we don’t observe Shivaratri. It is true, it is said in the Bhāgavatam, Vaiṣṇavānām yathā śambhu, that Lord Shiva is the greatest Vaishnava. So we do respect him as the greatest Vaishnava. But generally, we don’t observe Shivaratri. 

Devotee: Thank you, Guru Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. 

Devotee: Hare Krishna. 

Host: We have one more question from Malati Mataji. 

You are on mute Mataji.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. 

Devotee: Please accept my humble obeisances. I just wanted to know that actually it is very difficult to understand the process of creation and the incarnations, how many manus, there are so many feathers involved in it. So how important is it to know everything very deeply or is it okay that you know little on the, it is fine to know a little bit because I have read it and I couldn’t understand anything. It was just very difficult for me to understand. So how important it is to know this very deeply or it is fine for us to know just a little bit.

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada said that we should know a little about everything and a lot about one thing. The one thing is Krishna consciousness. So if you know a lot about Krishna consciousness, may be not all these details something about these details but you know a lot about Krishna consciousness, the three categories ‘sambandha,’ ‘sambandha jnana,’ knowing who you are and your relationship with Krishna, ‘abhidheya’, acting in that relationship by devotional service and ‘prayojana,’ the ultimate goal or necessity which is love for Krishna then you are fine.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Host: Can I just take one more question?

Giriraj Swami: Sure.

Host: So we have Nivedita Mataji who has her hand up. Please unmute yourself, Mataji. 

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja, daṇḍavat-praṇāma. Jaya Srila Prabhupada. Thank you Maharaja, for the wonderful lecture. I have a question regarding chanting Maharaja that when we strictly follow our morning schedule, like chanting in brāhma-muhūrta and then doing ārati and following tulasi-puja, everything and then sometimes, we develop some kind of pride inside. So what is the way to chant still being in the humble mood and strictly follow the morning program?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, when you feel proud, you should immediately realize how fallen you are and then you’ll naturally feel humble and it is very dangerous to be proud because that is as it has said pride cometh before a fall. Yes, so yes, we don’t want to be proud. 

In fact, being proud itself indicates that we are in the bodily concept of life and if we are in the bodily concept of life, our position is quite low. So how can you maintain your pride when you are so fallen. But I am not saying you are fallen. I am sure you are a good devotee but I am just giving this as a way you can understand things, so that you don’t become proud. So that you become humble. 

Bhurijana Prabhu, he stresses in relation to japa, just hear one mantra. You can’t do anything about the last one and you can’t do anything about the next one until you come to it. Just focus on one mantra, one mantra at a time and even one name at a time. And then he says when you see how hard it is, just to just in your one mantra, every single word of just one mantra that should make you humble. Yes.

Devotee: Thank you so much, Maharaja.

Devotee: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. 

Host: Maharaja, there is a small child from our yatra. I think it will nice to hear if you have the time.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I have

Host: Garima, you can unmute yourself and ask your question.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. daṇḍavat-praṇāmā. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I really loved your class. I chant ten rounds every day but how do I chant in a prayerful mood and a humble mood?

Giriraj Swami: Okay. Do you have a. . . Oh, first of all, what is your age?

Devotee: Eight.

Giriraj Swami: Eight. Nice. When Krishna was eight, he lifted Govardhana Hill but that was Krishna. So do you chant any fixed number of rounds every day? Any minimum like one round or two rounds?

Devotee: I chant ten rounds every day.

Giriraj Swami: Wow. That is nice. That is good. So and under what circumstances do you chant your rounds? I mean, they might not all be at the same time or in the same place but when and how do you chant most of your rounds?

Devotee: I chant in the morning mostly.

Giriraj Swami: Good and so while you are chanting you try to hear and so you wanted to increase your humility and prayerfulness, that was your question?

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Well, we have been discussing humility but yes. So what. . .I mean, Srila Prabhupada says that the chanting itself is a prayer because we are calling on the names of Hare that means Radhe and Krishna. So we are calling Their names and when you call someone’s name and they ask what do you want? So what will you say? So I mean. . . Yes.

Devotee: I would say that how to come back to Goloka?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is nice. Well, Srila Prabhupada said that the chanting, we are praying for service. I mean, why do you want to go back to Goloka? Of course, life is good there but you want to serve Krishna that is what you will do in Goloka, to serve Radha and Krishna. So when you are calling the names of Radha and Krishna, when you chant and they ask, “Yes, you called us. what do you want?” So you your answer will be, “Please engage me in your service,” and that is also good to want to go to Goloka Vrindavan. Why do you want to go to Goloka Vrindavan?

Devotee: To serve Radha and Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. So it comes the same thing. Beautiful. 

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja. I really understood it. Hare Krishna. 

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Thank you.

Host: Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Maharaja, for very kindly overseeing this session, enlightening us with so many different facts about the avatars, it was really eye-opening. We have our temple president Vedasara Prabhu raised his hand. I am sure he might want to probably say something to you as well. So I will hand it over to him now.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Host: Vedasara Prabhu. 

Vedasara Prabhu: Maharaja, it is so nice to see you. 

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. Thank you.

Vedasara Prabhu: I feel very honored and privileged on behalf of the whole congregation that you are so kind to give us your association. 

Giriraj Swami: It was a pleasure.

Vedasara Prabhu: I hope there will be many more Maharaja and I really look forward to your personal association at some point soon, I hope.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes. You are welcome, any time. 

Vedasara Prabhu: I get updates from Ṛtadhvaja Maharaja quite often.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Whenever I see you, I think of him.

Vedasara Prabhu: Whenever he talks to me, I ask him about you, Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. 

Vedasara Prabhu: So thank you so much for this beautiful. . . I was having difficulty getting online. So finally somehow the internet was down. So I caught the middle portion of it. So I am just so grateful, Maharaja. Thank you so much.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. Alright.

Vedasara Prabhu: You introduced Maharaja?

Host: Yes. Yes Prabhu. So I also have an announcement regarding his book. So probably Adi Gadadhara Prabhu also wanted to say something. I just have a slide regarding information on Maharaja’s new book as well. So I will just be putting that on the screen right away. So maybe even Maharaja can say a few words about his book and then we can. . . I have a slide here, Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Oh nice, yes. Well yes, this is the book. It has eight hundred pages of text and forty pages of color photos and it has been printed in India and of course, many of our participants today are in India and some of them even have the book. Malati dasi definitely has the book and for people like us in America, the books will be coming by ship to Los Angeles and the BBT LA will have a number of copies, I will have a number of copies, ISV Vaisesika Prabhu, he’ll have a number of copies which he’ll be distributing and yes, it was definitely a labor of love and yes, I am glad you brought it up because I think whoever reads it, will get a good sense of Srila Prabhupada and who he is and what he did? Hare Krishna.

Host: Hare Krishna. Adi Gadadhara Prabhu, do you have anything to add?

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: Hare Krishna. Dear Giriraj Maharaja, my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glorious to Srila Prabhupada. Maharaja, we are so happy and grateful that you again gave us your association. You had given a lecture for ISKCON Atlanta during the Janmashtami series, that we did and now again you are giving us your association and we are so very grateful to you.

It was a very, very enlightening session and you explain it so nicely that even less intelligent people like me, can understand. So very, very grateful to you, Maharaja and I have been looking on amazon to get this book since the day it was launched but it is not showing up. So now I understand the books are being shipped from India. 

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes. 

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: So what would be the best way to order these books, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Oh well, at thejuhustory.com I think you can pre-order.

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: Okay, yes. 

Giriraj Swami: Otherwise yes, when the books come, yes so you can get them. 

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: So just pre-order it at thejuhustory.com website.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I think that you you’ll get on the list and then depending on where you are you’ll be supplied the books when they come to that region.

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: Okay Maharaja, we will do that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, thank you.

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: Thank you so much, Maharaja and we look forward to more of your association in the near future. 

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Adi Gadadhara Prabhu: Thank you so much, Maharaja. 

Vedasara Prabhu: Thank you so much, Maharaja. Can you hear me?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Vedasara Prabhu: I just want to add that I have been hearing about this book for some time and how inspiring it is to see Srila Prabhupada’s commitment and dedication for this Juhu project and how deeply involved with his full heart His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, so closely helping Srila Prabhupada and just tirelessly, tirelessly trying to invite Radha Rasabihari to Juhu. I have heard it from so many Maharajas. I get little snit bits of this book. It is just now coming and I am just so happy that it is here now, Maharaja. 

So I highly recommend all the devotees to please really, really get a glimpse of Srila Prabhupada and from someone who has directly been involved in this beautiful pursuit of building this beautiful temple for Radha-Rasabihari, His Holiness, Giriraj Maharaja, who just put whole heart into this beautiful project.

So thank you, Maharaja for writing this book. I am definitely on the list. Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, this was an advanced copy but the shipment will be coming in a month or so whenever the boat arrives in LA. 

Host: So for those of you who haven’t heard again I have the website up on the slide here. The website is thejuhusstory.com. I will repeat thejuhustory.com is the website where you can pre-order your books and please get a glimpse. Those of you who have had a chance to read Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta must have gone across that section where the Mumbai temple was built. It is a very riveting story and I actually went to the website and I think there was a quote where Maharaja has mentioned how Prabhupada said that if you write a book about this whole, the building of this temple, it would just be a gripping read.

So I encourage everyone to pre-order the book and have an understanding of how they built this amazing temple. Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Once again, we thank you from ISKCON Atlanta for taking out your time. I think it is around two hours you’ve been here. So we thank you very much for your time and your association. Hare Krishna, Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Well, if we are going to end now and I suggest we do Vaishnava praṇāma.

Host: Yes, Maharaja. So usually we just have a couple of announcements and then we end with prayers. If you are, if you want to say you are welcome to stay. Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I will stay.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja.