In the Footsteps of Rupa Gosvami

Giriraj Swami: I will lead a short kirtan, and then we will speak about book distribution.

[Kirtan]

Hare Krishna. So, the theme of my talk for the December Book Marathon will be tasting and distributing Krishna consciousness. We have again reached December, that most auspicious time of year when the book distribution marathon takes place. Srila Prabhupada personally wrote me, “Go on increasing books and go on increasing my pleasure.” So, by increasing book distribution, we can increase Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure and consequently our own. He wrote in the same letter, “I am most pleased, especially to hear that you are distributing many books.” So, let us cooperate fully to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desire, which is desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the paramparā, and distribute such transcendental literature for the benefit of all and be blessed by their sublime mercy. Srila Prabhupada said that his guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was pushing him, and he was pushing us like cars in a trade. Srila Prabhupada wrote of his guru Maharaja “He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. Therefore, our society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has been formed to execute the order of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.” And Srila Prabhupada explained his own mood in writing transcendental literature.

“It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mṛdaṅga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world.“ [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Nineteen, Text One Thirty Two—purport.]

What is the effect of such book distribution?

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ‘ṅkitāni yat
śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

TRANSLATION

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.11]

COMMENT

Two verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam embodied the devotee’s mood in preaching Krishna consciousness. These verses were spoken by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās
tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ
śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-
māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān

TRANSLATION

O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.43]

TEXT 44

prāyeṇa deva munayaḥ sva-vimukti-kāmā
maunaṁ caranti vijane na parārtha-niṣṭhāḥ
naitān vihāya kṛpaṇān vimumukṣa eko
nānyaṁ tvad asya śaraṇaṁ bhramato ‘nupaśye

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himālayas or the forest to meditate with vows of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet.

COMMENT

So, these verses relate to Prahlada Maharaja, and in a way, they are also about Srila Prabhupada, and about us. How Srila Prabhupada wants us to execute the Krishna consciousness. Prahlada Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada were on very high level of Krishna consciousness. But even on our own level, we can experience something of what they experienced. And wherever we are, we can get relief from material miseries and anxieties by taking shelter of Krishna consciousness. To distribute Krishna consciousness, we must have Krishna consciousness. Devotees need that connection with Krishna, not just for their own sakes, but also for the sake of others. Once, in a meeting with Srila Prabhupada in the Atlanta temple, Sahavasa, who asked, “How can we increase our devotion and our desire to distribute more books?” He and the other devotees were eagerly anticipating some special formula to expand their book distribution. Finally, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you want to increase book distribution, if you really want, I have only one recommendation. You must chant your rounds uninterrupted. After you begin your chanting, do not stop until you finish.” As Sahavasa Prabhu said, “If you win that fight, you will all day. But if you lose it, and allow your mind to carry you to something else, you will have a difficult day.”

Sahavasa Prabhu still follow that policy. He gets up at two in the morning and chants all his rounds before even coming to the temple for maṅgala-ārati. A while ago, I stayed with Vaisesika Prabhu at his home in Burlingame, California, and his morning program was blissfully intense. He did things that we do every day, and some things that we may do only on occasions, but he did them with so much enthusiasm and so much relish that the practices came to life. I felt, Wow, that is what reciting these verses and prayers actually is. We later spoke the book about he is writing on book distribution, now published as Our Family Business. And he said that one of the themes is that the energy to distribute books comes from the overflow of the ecstasy we feel from our spiritual practices, from our own Krishna consciousness. So, this practice of rising early and chanting all your rounds is very much part of the process of sharing Krishna consciousness with others.

In the earlier verse, Prahlada said that he has no anxiety for himself because wherever he is, he can merge himself into the nectarean ocean of Krishna consciousness. And that is true for us as well. Wherever we go, we can have the experience of tasting the nectar of Krishna consciousness by chanting the holy names and by reading, studying, and discussing Srila Prabhupada’s books. So, the two—tasting and distributing, go together. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says, “The best goṣṭhyānandī is the bhajanānandī who likes to preach.” Goṣṭhyānandī means one who takes pleasure in preaching and sharing Krishna consciousness with others, and a bhajanānandī is someone who takes pleasure in his own bhajana, his own spiritual practices. So, the best goṣṭhyānandī is the bhajanānandī who likes to preach.

Now, there are two points about Srila Prabhupada’s books that may strike readers. One is that Srila Prabhupada repeats himself. He says the same thing again and again. And the other thing is that he uses strong language. His Holiness Ṛtadhvaja Swami used to distribute books at Florida Welcome Centers. People would park and get out of their cars, and in one case, the wife went into the Welcome Center, and the husband stayed in the parking lot. Ṛtadhvaja Swami handed him a Bhāgavatam. “What is this about?” the man asked. “It is about yoga” Maharaja replied. “Oh, that sound interesting.” So, the man opened the book, and the first thing he read was, “Persons averse to the nectar of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are compared to stool-eating hog.” He asked to Maharaja, “What is this do with yoga?” Just then the man’s wife came out and said, “Honey, what do you have there? What are you talking about?” “Oh, nothing, honey,” he replied. Then he closed the book, handed Maharaja a donation, and walked away with the book, smiling. Although he didn’t want his wife to know he was being accused of being like a stool-eating hog, he wanted to hear it. Sometimes, readers have noted that there is repetition in Prabhupada’s books. By ordinary literary standards, there should not be repetition. But Srila Prabhupada himself said, “It is not enough to say that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one purport, we will say that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every purport.”

So, there may be repetition, and there may be strong language, but the books have everything. If someone is sincere, he or she will get whatever he or she needs from them. The books have made so many devotees, they are making devotees now, and they will continue to make devotees in the future. So yes, distribute books, distribute books, distribute books. And to get the strength to do that, chant and hear and be steady in your spiritual practices and read the books. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Distributing my books will keep the devotees happy, and reading my books will keep them.” Meaning reading my books will keep the devotees in Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada has given us everything but we have to take advantage. We have to do what he said. And if we do, we will get the results, and everyone will be happy. At the end of the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Sri Krishna says, “

Bg 18.68

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 at the end he will come back to Me.

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

The real conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā built upon one’s full faith in and surrender to Krishna, is to spread this message and thus become most dear to Krishna, following the footsteps of our beloved Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna.

So, if there are any questions or comments?

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Giriraj Swami: Also, for the devotees on Zoom, as far as possible, I request you to put on your cameras so I can see your moon-like faces.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you so much for this amazing class. So happy to see you again here on our platform. And, it impressed me how you said that when we distribute the books, then the energy we take from our sadhana actually. And I have a little technical question. In the morning, at 6:00 a.m., we have a call with other devotees, and we have maṅgala-ārati. So, it often happens that I interrupt my japa to attend these maṅgala-ārati. So, what about this? You said that you should chant without stopping, and I often feel a little bit embarrassed, but I can’t miss it, and I don’t want to stop my rounds.

Giriraj Swami: So, you are saying that you begin your japa early in the morning, and you would like to keep chanting, but you have a maṅgala-ārati online, and so you have to stop your japa to join the maṅgala-ārati online. And the other devotees who are on the maṅgala-ārati online, they will know if you are there or if you are not there online, so they feel encouraged when you are there. So, I think it is all right. You begin your japa, you attend maṅgala-ārati, and then you go back to your japa.

Devotee: Today, you noted about two important points about, for those who read Srila Prabhupada’s books. First point is that Srila Prabhupada repeats himself over and over. And, you gave an example that it is not enough to say that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one purport. We should repeat it in every purport. Maybe I missed it. I was writing down, but I don’t remember the second point that you mentioned.

Giriraj Swami: The second point is that Srila Prabhupada uses strong language. I gave the example that Prabhupada wrote that, someone who is averse to hearing the topics of the Personality of Godhead is compared to a stool eating hog. But as I mentioned, these books have made many devotees, and part of it is the strong language. There is a devotee in San Diego now; he is a devotee. And before he became a devotee, he got a book. And the book said, basically, if you are only interested in eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, then what is the difference between you and an animal? And the person thought, Yes, what is the difference between me and an animal? So, he came to the temple and eventually he became a devotee.

Devotee: Please accept humble obeisances Maharaja. Hare Krishna. We also come together with devotees, with some matajis, and we read Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other books. And just yesterday, a devotee asked why Srila Prabhupada repeats some things over and over again. And you just replied to this question. I have a question to you about the holy name. How did you build relations with the holy name? Because we know that the holy name is Krishna Himself. And when we know that the holy name is a personality, so how to build this relations? And maybe you can share your example of building relations with the holy names throughout all your life. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Srila Prabhupada has said that when we chant the holy names, we are in effect praying, “My dear Lord, my dear energy of the Lord, my dear Krishna, my dear Radha, please engage me in Your devotional service.” When we chant the holy names, we are calling the names of Radha and Krishna. And when we call someone’s name, they may respond, “Yes, what do you want?” So, when Radha and Krishna respond, “Yes, you are calling our names, what do you want?” So, what will we say? Will we ask for material thing? No, we will ask for only one thing, “Service, please engage me in Your service. Please accept me as Your servant, or as the servant of Your servants.”

So, our chanting is our personal time with the holy name, with Radha and Krishna, and Their devotees in the form of transcendental sound. And so, we should be very attentive. It is like, if you go for a job interview and in the middle of the interview, you fall asleep, it is not going to go very well for your interview. So, we should chant very attentively. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that if we chant attentively, because one of the offenses is inattention. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura says if we chant attentively, all the other offenses will be eradicated. And if we are inattentive or negligent while chanting, then the other offenses will flourish. So, we should chant attentively. And of course, there are some external arrangements that we can make that will help us. Rising early in the morning, during the Brahma-muhūrta hours, our spiritual practices have greater effect then. Chanting with the Tulasi-devi, chanting with deities, chanting with other sincere chanters, these can all help us.

Devotee: A couple of days ago, or yesterday, we celebrated the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and one of the lecturers who was talking on that day, he mentioned the story that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura devoted nine years to chant billions of rounds of names before he started the movement, preaching movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So, when the pandemic started, we opened an online bhajana-kuṭira, where we get together in the morning, and during one hour, we chant. Because all the devotees are in different places, but online, we see each other and we chant together. And about thirty to forty devotees come together at this time who live in the region. And we wanted to ask your blessing to continue it, at least for nine years. Can we ask for such a blessing from you?

Giriraj Swami: And why do you want to continue for nine years?

Devotee: It is minimal, at least for nine years.

Giriraj Swami: So, I wish you all the best. I wish you all success.

Devotee: Thank you. I have a question. I remember a story I heard, that how in the very beginning of the movement, Srila Prabhupada distributed his books that he published, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he published back in Calcutta, when he came to New York. And he distributed this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in New York. And I heard the story that once Srila Prabhupada entered a perfume store, and he proposed a seller to put Bhāgavatam on the shelf together with all the perfumes that he was selling there. Later, this person told devotees, and he was proud that he also distributed Srila Prabhupada’s book in his perfumed store. I never read about it anywhere. For example, in Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, we don’t hear about it. If you know, can you tell, did it happened? Or maybe you know this full story?

Giriraj Swami: I never heard it before, but it is certainly possible. Where did you hear it?

Devotee: I heard it from the third generation devotees, at some lectures.

Mataji: And the third generation is the devotees from the ‘90s. So, I heard this story from those devotees.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. So, the question is that I am a grihastha, and we have our program. Some devotees, they suggest to read Srila Prabhupada’s books before the morning program, before japa, but maybe after. What do you think is the best time of the day to do this, to read Srila Prabhupada’s books? Because in the morning, before going to work by nine o’clock, we have japa, we have a morning lecture, and then not enough time to read. So maybe, what would you suggest as the time and how long?

Giriraj Swami: If you don’t read in the morning, or if you don’t read much in the morning, will you be able to read later in the day? And if you read later in the day, will you be able to concentrate on what you are reading?

Devotee: In most cases, probably not.

Giriraj Swami: Then you should read in the morning. Can you fit half an hour in the morning?

Devotee: Yes, half an hour, it is okay.

Giriraj Swami: All right. And you mentioned hearing lectures. What lectures do you hear?

Devotee: On this platform, we have every day Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam lectures, which, like today, we have an everyday lecture. We invite different lecturers at this time.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, I see, I see. All right, that is also good.

Devotee: I want to ask, how should we properly inspire other devotees to take part in distributing books?

Giriraj Swami: Well, first, they should know how important it is to Srila Prabhupada and how pleased Srila Prabhupada will be if they distribute books. And when they distribute books, they will feel bliss. It is good for them, and it is good for the people who receive the books. So, that is a great opportunity to help others and to help ourselves in Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to Your Divine Grace. I have a question regarding the chanting of the holy name. Earlier, before the pandemic, the devotees who were staying far away from the temple, they used to chant individually, their japa, in the morning time, and it was relishable. But now, after the pandemic, online, we chant with you, we relish the japa. And I have a personal question that, since I have started chanting online with Your Divine Grace, I felt that I was more enthusiastic than chanting my japa in the morning privately by myself. I now hanker for association, and in the morning, I do the recorded, like the chanting japa session with you again in the morning. So, is it okay, or should that private time be there? Obviously, I keep it at a low volume, but then, I really want to know, is it okay that what I am doing is good?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, in whatever situation you feel you are able to chant better, you can place yourself in that position. If it helps with my japa saṅga, whether LIVE or with the recording then it is fine. The main thing is that you should hear your own chanting. And I noted that you said that when you chant with me, you don’t keep the volume too high, so that you are able to hear your own japa in the morning. So, that is fine.

Devotee: I want ask that my night and your morning, so, I really raise the volumes that I can hear because those are rounds which are maybe extra rounds. So, at that time, I need to hear you, rather than hearing myself, is it okay?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it is alright.

Devotee: We don’t have any other questions here on Zoom, and on YouTube, so we can. . .

Giriraj Swami: All right,

Devotee: Thank you very much Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, thank you. If we are going to end now, then I suggest we conclude with the Vaishnava praṇāma:

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

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca 

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!