Entering the New Year

Giriraj Swami: We have just entered the new year 2022, and on such occasions, we take stock of what and how we did in the previous year, and what we want to do un the next year. Studies have shown and probably many of us have experienced that most new year resolutions are broken during the first week. Still more are broken in the first month, and almost all are broken within the first three months. Why does this happen and what can we do?

Man is creature of habit. We develop certain habits over however many years. Perhaps, life times. And to change our habits requires sincere desire and determined efforts. One study showed that when a person is trying to develop a new habit, he has to consistently, diligently, strive to adhere to the new practice for thirty days. After thirty days, he is able to follow more easily but can be derailed by stress or changes in his life. After ninety days, it becomes just as easy to follow the new habit as not. And after a year, it is easier to follow the new habit than not.

So, what new habits do we want to develop in the next year? That depends on our goals. When I visited Pune some years ago, the Malochar brothers arranged a program for me in the main hall. And at the end of the talk, the General in charge of the Sudden Command of the Indian Army asked an important question. He asked, “What is the aim for which we are born? What is the aim of our life? This certainly could be to amass some wealth and ultimately die, or to make a building and then die, or to marry and procreate and then die. For our minor activities in life, we have the aims set first before we get going to achieve them. When we train our people in the army, whatever they have to do, we first tell them what the aim is. And once they are clear what the aim is then we decide what means to adapt to achieve it. And invariably we don’t go wrong. Now, here it is, to my mind, my whole life is going to waste. I am still not very clear, what is the aim of my life? Would you kindly enlighten us about the aim of life? So thereafter, we can be very, very clear to what we have to do to achieve that aim.”

Srila Sanatana Gosvami asked the same question once to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni — ‘kemane hita haya’
‘sādhya’-‘sādhana’-tattva puchite nā jāni
kṛpā kari’ saba tattva kaha ta’ āpani

Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited? Actually I do not know how to inquire about the goal of life and the process for obtaining it. Being merciful upon me, please explain all these truths.” He said, “In ordinary dealings, people consider me to be a learned scholar, pandit. But I am so learned that I do not even know who I am. So please tell me who I am. And what is the goal of life?”

And Sri Chaitanya replied, “By constitution, you are an eternal servant of Krishna, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ and the goal of life is to be reinstated in your constitutional position as His loving servant.”

If someone understands that he is not this body but he is the soul within the body and that his real relationship is not with the body or things related to the body, but that he is a spiritual soul, his real relationship is with the Supreme Soul, then he can adopt the methods that are suitable for reviving his eternal relationship with the Supreme Soul, Krishna. Srila Prabhupada formed the International Society to give people this knowledge- We are not the body but the soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. Our real relationship is with Him and our duty and goal in life is to revive our eternal relationship with Him, with God, Krishna. The whole process of sādhana-bhakti is to help us awaken that eternal love for God, Krishna.

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.” [Cc Madhya 22.107]

That love is eternally there within the heart, just as fire is within a match. You just have to strike the match and the fire will come out. Similarly, we just have to strike the heart by chanting and hearing about Krishna and that love will come out. The main process is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Most of you are in a Hare Krishna temple. We are part of the Hare Krishna movement and we are known as Hare Krishna people. We are meant to chant Hare Krishna and by our chanting Hare Krishna, the mirror of our minds can be cleansed—ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaḿ; The blazing fire of material existence extinguished, bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaḿ, and ultimately our dormant love for Krishna awakened, param vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam. But there is also the matter of the quality of the chanting.

Queen Kunti prayed to Lord Krishna: 

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir

edhamāna-madaḥ pumān

naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai

tvām akiñcana-gocaram

“Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.” [SB 1.8.26]

People on the path of material advancement on good birth janma, material opulence āśraya, material learning śruta, and physical beauty śrībhir, they cannot approach the Lord with feeling. And when we chant the holy name we are trying to approach the Lord. The holy name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are the same. 

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś

caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ

pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto

’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.”

This is a quotation from the Padma-Purana. [Cc Madhya 17.133]

Now, coming back to Kunti’s prayer. Srila Prabhupada cites scripture in his purport that by uttering the holy name of Krishna even once, one can destroy the reactions to more sins than one is able to commit. He writes, “Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement, actually the Lord’s holy name has such powerful potency.” We are all suffering because of sinful reactions. If we were freed from sinful reactions, we would no longer have to suffer. As Srila Prabhupada explains however, “There is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord. Whereas, a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere.” 

Lord Krishna is akiñcana-gocara, easily approached by those who are a akiñcana, who have no material possessions. Now, these statements may give rise to some questions. The word akiñcana means without material possessions or without a sense of false proprietorship. Of course, there should be no duplicity in the matter, but this principle allows us, for example, to have an opulent temple here. We may have a beautiful property but, as long as we remember ‘This is Krishna’s property, this is Prabhupada’s property, it is not my property, I am here only to serve them and use this property in their service,’ we can be free from false proprietorship, false prestige and false designations. And in that mood, we can chant the holy name with feeling, approach Krishna with feeling. Otherwise, there is a subtle rivalry going on between us and Krishna. We come into the material world out of envy of Krishna. In effect, we want to take His position. We want to be the proprietor and controller and enjoyer, Īśvaro ‘ham ahaṁ bhogī, which is actually Krishna’s position.

While chanting Krishna’s name, we may be thinking, Why should I be chanting Krishna’s name? People should be chanting my name. Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya! That is our sorry plight. We don’t want Krishna to be the center. We want to be the center. So, we chant the holy names with ourselves in the foreground and the holy name in the background. That is our tendency as conditioned souls. The proper process is to chant with attention. We let go of all those thoughts about ourselves I, me, and mine, and focus on the holy name, on Krishna. Those other thoughts are irrelevant. They may come up but we don’t pay them heed. We just focus our attention on Krishna, the sound of Krishna’s holy name. And when we do that, we can actually feel His presence. We can appreciate that the holy name is Krishna Himself reciprocating with our sincere desires to serve Him. This practice requires effort. We are habituated to think that we are the center of existence and that everything revolves around us. 

My dear godbrother Bhurijan Prabhu said that it is as if each one of us wants to clear our throat and say, “Excuse me. I have an important announcement to make. I am the center of the universe and everyone should do what I want.” Of course, we may not articulate it but that is our underlying psychology. He also said that people tend to go through life as if it were a movie or a drama, in which he or she is the hero or heroine and everyone else is the supporting cast. So if I think that I am the hero of this movie and you are supposed to support me in my exploits or adventures and you think you are the hero and I should support you, there is bound to be conflict. But if we accept Krishna as the center and that we are His eternal servants, then we can all cooperate; we can live very harmoniously and peacefully in Krishna’s service. There is a saying that up to the age of twenty, you think that people are looking at you and like you. From the age of twenty to forty, people are looking at you and don’t like you. And then after the age of forty, people aren’t even looking at you or thinking of you at all. So we have to reform this habit of thinking that we are the center, always thinking about ourselves and that everyone else is thinking about us too. We must know that Krishna is the center. 

Once, when I was chanting my rounds at the beach in Carpentaria, California, I was sitting alone chanting with attention, making a serious effort to be attentive. Somehow, thinking of different people who were close to me and feeling how much they were suffering, I was actually feeling their pain. As I continued chanting, the sense of feeling for others extended to people who weren’t so close to me and then to the people on the beach, whom I didn’t even know. There weren’t many but there were a few people surfing and I was really feeling their suffering. Srila Prabhupada had joked that the surfers were actually sufferers. But I was actually feeling their suffering. Then the feeling went beyond the human beings. There were pelicans at the beach. They fly very high and then suddenly dive down and crash into the water. I understood that they were hovering high in the sky looking for prey and that when they saw some potential food, they came straight down and crashed into the water. Ordinarily, I would think, O how picturesque! Flying so high and then diving into the water, but now I was feeling they are in anxiety. They are hungry. They need food and they are searching where is food. Where is food? And when they see something and dive straight down and crash into the water. Although they are birds, still coming from that height at that velocity and crashing into the water is bound to be a shock to their system. And they don’t know whether they will actually get that fish or not. And whatever happens after they come down, they go up and start the same process all over again. They are never satisfied. Now, we can just relax. 

I was thinking, What a life full of anxiety, full of pain! and feeling it. And the dolphins and the sandpipers and the seagulls, the same thing; I was feeling so much suffering on all sides. It was as if the illusion of material happiness and charm had been lifted and the whole beautiful panorama became a horrible scene of intense suffering which I was feeling. And I was chanting, chanting, chanting, then a little ladybug landed on my hand. Growing up, I thought that ladybugs were auspicious and cute but this time I looked at the ladybug and thought, This ladybug is suffering, and again feeling it. Looking at the ladybug, I thought, I don’t think I can take much more of this. I am feeling too much suffering. I am going to have a breakdown. I wanted to help these creatures. I was feeling their suffering and desiring to help them but it was getting to be too much. Then I had the type of breakthrough that one gets when one chance with attention; with the effort to chant with attention. Suddenly I felt as if Krishna were speaking to me, revealing something to me. I got the intuition or inspiration in my heart that Krishna loves these creatures more than I do; more than I can even imagine. He loves them so much that he accompanies them as the Super Soul in whatever species of life they enter, and not only does he love them more than I can ever imagine, but he can actually do something to help them. I may feel for them and want to help them, but what is my capacity to help them? I may not even understand what’s troubling them. Parents sometimes experience that their baby is crying and they want to help, but they don’t know what the baby wants. They may think the baby is hungry, but the baby may not be troubled by hunger but by something completely different. Or even if they do understand what is causing the suffering, they may be unable to relieve it. So I was thinking not only does Krishna love them but He can actually do something to help them and then I came to the bottom of it. The problem was that I was trying to take the position of Krishna.

In the Bhagavad-gītā 5.29, Lord Krishna says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

When one recognizes that Krishna is the enjoyer, Krishna is the proprietor, Krishna is the best friend, he attains peace. I thought of what Srila Prabhupada often said, so simple yet profound. That the best friend is not he or she who poses as your best friend but he or she who tells you that Krishna is your best friend. Suddenly, the whole problem of how to help these suffering souls became very easy. I didn’t have to help them personally. I just had to direct them to Krishna, who could really help them, and it was such a relief. So this is our mission, to serve Krishna. And serving Krishna means doing what Krishna wants and Krishna wants that we should bring other souls to Him. He says at the end of Bhagavad-gītā 18.69, that His dear most servant is he who preaches the message of Gītā.

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu

kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ

bhavitā na ca me tasmād

anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi

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

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also said, “Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa. Wherever you go, whomever you meet, just present the message of Krishna.” And that is something any of us can do. It is actually very easy. We just have to repeat.

When devotees, myself among them, first came to Bombay, two of Prabhupada’s early disciples, Shyamasundara and Malati had a small daughter Sarasvati, who used to approach respectable gentlemen who visited our center. Although she was only three or four years old, she would approach them and say, “Do you know who is Krishna?” And then she would answer, “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Srila Prabhupada commented, “That is preaching. She is repeating what she has heard from authorities. And even if she doesn’t have full realization, what she is saying is perfect because she has heard it from authorities. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” So, any of us can preach. We can simply repeat what we have heard from authorities. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Chant Hare Krishna and your life will be sublime. Come to the Hare Krishna temple and that will please Krishna.

In December, I could sense the enthusiasm to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. I thought Srila Prabhupada is pleased. They have the spirit to distribute his books. The books are potent and effective as much now as ever. So many people I meet, when I asked them how they came to Krishna consciousness, it goes back to a book. They got a book. The formula that Srila Prabhupada gave us decades ago still works. By giving them Prabhupada’s books, we are giving them Prabhupada and Krishna, the message of Krishna through Prabhupada. And that is enough to awaken their sense of Krishna consciousness and start them on the path. Many of us are here because of Srila Prabhupada’s books. So we should try to develop the habit of putting Krishna in the center, putting the holy name in the center, putting Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada and their mission in the center, and that will make all the difference. Our spouse can be there, our children can be there, our house can be there, our work can be there; everything can be there but with Krishna in the center, everything will be beautiful and peaceful. And as long as we persist in habits that may have been with us for many lifetimes thinking that we are the centers, we are the lords, we are the enjoyers, we are the proprietors, there will be so many problems. In the end, whatever we have will be taken away from us anyway.

So, it is most auspicious that we are beginning the new year in the association of devotees. My request is that we use this coming year and this valuable human life for their proper purpose in Krishna consciousness. And in this endeavor, we help and support one another. We can’t do it alone. And I also pray that I can also remain in the association of such wonderful devotees because I am sure that in their association, hearing their instructions, I will be nudged along on the right path, back home, back to Godhead.

Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Thank you very much, Maharaja. How much time we have Maharaja for question answer session? It is 12:58 now; how much time you have?

Giriraj Swami: I have all the time in the world. 

Devotee: Well, that is wonderful. Thank you very much. Dear devotees, please either you can post your question in the chat or you can you can unmute yourself and then ask the question. No one else would like to start.

Giriraj Swami: Oh there is one. A renowned neurologist from London and a great devotee. 

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. It is so wonderful to see you and see all the devotees there on the line. It was so wonderful talking to you a week ago. And suddenly things have moved on from that perspective. Maharaja, suffering is so integrated in our lives because we have the mind, the body, the soul. The soul obviously doesn’t suffer but it identifies, that it is suffering because it is identifying to the body. And I know that we have to look after the soul by hearing and preaching Krishna consciousness, but as we still reside in this body and we still have this mind which keeps troubling us and giving us the suffering, what would be your instructions in terms of how we can help looking after the devotees, their bodily suffering and their mental suffering? How can we help them so that they can then be in a much better position to relate with their soul and also accept Krishna consciousness?

Giriraj Swami: That is a good point. That we are the soul and we should act on the basis of the soul in service to the Supreme soul. But at the same time, we also have to take care of the body and mind. Srila Prabhupada personally wrote me a letter. In fact, I will read the letter. It is short but it is really significant. He wrote:

“If you are feeling tired, you may take rest. Your body is very valuable. It is dedicated to Krishna. So, you must take care of the body very carefully. The best medicine is to rest and chant the Hare Krishna mantra along with the doctor’s prescription. The Hare Krishna mantra is bhavauṣhadhi, the panacea for all material disease.”

And that was a letter to me dated August 12, 1971. So Srila Prabhupada’s answer was very balanced. We should take rest. We should follow the doctor’s prescription and we should chant Hare Krishna. And yes, there are so many times when Srila Prabhupada expressed his concern about devotees’ health. He was giving a class in Los Angeles and he noticed that one of the devotees is missing and Srila Prabhupada asked, “Where is the devotee?” And someone replied, “He is sick. So he couldn’t come to the class.” And Srila Prabhupada instructed that we should be sympathetic to the suffering of the other devotees and if they are sick we should take care of them. So that is very important. And as far as the mind, the mind is also material just like the body. And there was one incident in Bombay. One lady devotee really became a paranoid schizophrenic. She imagined that people were trying to poison her, so she wouldn’t eat the temple prasāda but she would rummage through the trash and find bits of prasāda to eat and many things. And her father was quite well established. He had been India’s ambassador to France and he was a lawyer. And he came to Bombay and he wanted to put her in a psychiatric hospital and I didn’t know what to say. So I approached You Srila Prabhupada and he said, “Oh, I know her. She is a devotee and the mind is also material just like the body, and just like if you have a broken arm, you can treat it medically. So similarly, if you have a broken mind, you can also treat it medically.” And so he gave permission for her father to admit her into a psychiatric hospital and be treated and the treatment helped. She was cured.

So, yes thank you for asking that important question, making that important point.

Devotee [Edited]: Maharaja, this is a follow up of that question. I just want to add up that in terms of us being medical professionals, sometimes we become so much engrossed in freeing the mind and body. I specifically wanted instruction from you because we need to keep in mind that the highest goal is not looking after the body and mind but the highest goal is to serve the soul. And when a patient approach us, we have to get out of this mind- body in consciousness and look at the soul as our godbrother or godsister and help them in that way. So just wanted your instructions on that Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Well, you are experienced. How do you help them spiritually when they approach you as a doctor?

Devotee [Edited]: Maharaja we are not allowed to go directly into Krishna consciousness. But what we can do is that we can act as the ambassadors of Krishna consciousness which we can show by our demeanor, by our nature and we go the extra mile to be compassionate to them. Then, they ask questions that how are we looking so cool and calm when we are going through so many problems. And then we say that we are connected to something very special. And that opens the door and then all that happens. But generally, I think just by how we behave and how we care because we go an extra mile to care and that is, I think, the very clear difference between devotee doctors and outside doctors, that we just know that we go extra mile.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, excellent, perfect, jaya! Now, we have another medical doctor who has raised his hand. Dr. Jaya Chandani

Devotee (Dr. Jay Chandani): Hare Krishna Maharaja

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee (Dr. Jay Chandani): Maharaja I am so happy and blessed to see your lotus face on the first day of the year. I was actually on a hospital call and I am thankful that I was able to get out of the work and listen to the class partly at least. I am also blessed to be in the association of all the devotees, so thank you so much for the opportunity.

Maharaja, my question is related to the beautiful story you told about Sarasvati of Malati Prabhu. It really gives a lot of confidence to people like us who do not have the maybe the full realization and full knowledge but still can go out and preach. So should we be looking at who is favorable and not before we actually preach Krishna’s name to them or should that consideration not be coming to the mind?

Giriraj Swami: Well, a preacher, a madhyam-bhakta, is meant to make distinctions. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says: Prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ. Prema—He should give his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Maitrī—He should make friends with devotees. Kṛpa—He should merciful to the innocent, means he can preach to them. Upekṣā—means He should neglect the envious.

And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that even though the preacher neglects the envious, in the sense that he doesn’t try to preach to the envious because the envious may just become angry or offensive. But still, he can pray for the spiritual welfare of the envious. But, we do make those distinctions and so if you are able to discern someone is innocent, then you preach and if someone is envious, then you neglect them in the sense that you don’t try preach to them. But you still you can pray for them.

Devotee (Dr. Jay Chandani): Thank you so much Maharaja. Hare Krishna

Devotee: Next is Rukmini devi

Devotee (Rukmini devi): Hare Krishna. Please accept my respectful obeisances Maharaja. Thank you so much for sharing with us on this new year’s day. It is very auspicious to have your association. 

My question was inspired actually by hearing that some of your illustrious doctor, followers, were on the call. So, I have your books and in particular, one of your previous books is Life’s Final Exam. And that has many wonderful examples of how to pass the final passage. And since that book was written, the pandemic happened and many people have passed in less than ideal circumstances, even devotees who have been practicing for a long time. So, what in terms of personal preparations and also preparations to help other devotees, I know that you have had sort of spear headed the palliative care and hospice care, so how is that being adapted for these circumstances?

Giriraj Swami: Well, you mentioned two or three very important points. The first is how can we prepare for the time of death? And it goes back to chanting with attention and with feelings. Srila Prabhupada gave the example that a parrot can also learn to chant. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, but when the parrot is caught by a cat say, and is facing death, then there is no more ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’ It says, “Kaw Kaw Kaw Kaw” Srila Prabhupada says, “We shouldn’t be like that in our chanting. We chant like a parrot without feeling and then when death comes, kaw kaw.” So, that is a matter of practice and we have spoken a bit about chanting with feeling. 

There is a very significant verse and purport from the Third Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that I found gives consolation to devotees when either they are in adverse circumstances or their loved ones are. And I could look for it now. I could probably find it very quickly. But it really addresses these troubled times that we are in and it gives us solace. And essentially it says that, and it is also elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam, we should not lament for the things that are beyond our control. As far as the hospice that I, as you say, spear headed in Vrindavan, it is busy but I might add that the local devotees in Vrindavan requested that the hospice also give medical care to devotees, not the terminal patients. But just to help them, because we have the physical facility, we have the doctors, so why not make them available for acute care? And so, we have been doing that.

So, it is really an honor and privilege to be able to serve devotees in this way. And some devotees have had glorious departures at the hospice. I think of Gunagrahi Maharaja right now. So many senior devotees were with him. His Holiness Bhakti Bringa Govinda Swami was there, really shouting the Hare Krishna mantra in his ear because he felt so indebted to Gunagrahi Maharaja because Gunagrahi Maharaja was a great devotee. And it was broadcast, it was quite amazing. I have worked with a devotee named Sangeeta devi dasi, Srila Prabhupada’s disciple and she formed an organization called Vaishnava’s care, to help departing Vaishnavas and their loved ones. So there is support and yes, it is really good that the movement has matured. And of course in the beginning, we were just beginning and our resources were limited and our focus was saṅkīrtana as it should have been and should still be, but since then, as Srila Prabhupada said, “I have given you the framework, now you fill it in.” And so, there are different initiatives to help devotees medically. Sundar Ananda dasa, Dr. Sundar Narayana who spoke earlier, he is heading up a big initiative to offer medical care for devotees throughout the world. I think a lot of it nowadays will be online, virtual. So, yes I have written to most of the doctor friends informing them about Sundar Narayana’s initiative so they can volunteer.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja. So, let’s continue. I will post Lalita Mataji’s phone number in the chat for those who don’t have it, while questions and answers can resume again.

Giriraj Swami: While Lalita devi was speaking, I took the opportunity to look up that quotation that I sometimes present to people who have suffered reversals. 

“When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not be disturbed by it. Even if it appears to be a reverse according to one’s calculation. For example, sometimes we see that a powerful preacher is killed or sometimes he is put into difficulty, just as Haridasa Thakura was. He was a great devotee who came into this material world to execute the will of the Lord by preaching the Lord’s glories but Haridasa was punished at the hands of the Kazi by being beaten in twenty-two market places. Similarly, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and Prahlada Maharaja was put through so many tribulations. The Pandavas, who are direct friends of Krishna, lost their kingdom. Their wife was insulted and they had to undergo many severe tribulations. Seeing all these reverses affecting devotees, one should not be disturbed. One should simply understand that in these matters, there must be some plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhāgavatam conclusion is that a devotee is never disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace of the Lord. One who continues to serve the Lord even in reverse conditions, is assured that he will go back to Godhead, back to the Vaikuntha planets.” That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.16.37 purport.

Devotee: Thank you do much Maharaja.

Devotee: Any other questions, dear devotees? Now, can I ask you Maharaja my question?

Giriraj Swami: Alright

Devotee: So, thank you Maharaja. You made a beautiful statement here. When I heard it, but the way you articulate, the context is very profound, because when you are listed in the example of the sitting and meditating on the beach about the pelican bird- Feeling of this pain is also kind of taking the role of Krishna because telling them about Krishna and connecting them to Krishna is the real Krishna consciousness. But we also hear, we can feel for others but the tendency is that we come to the conclusion; I wanted to help. I wanted to serve. The good intention is there but the deep desire is also certainly taking the role of a Krishna. That was very profound. Thank you very much.

How do we work on that? This is very difficult, especially, a management or some kind of leadership role it is a tendency that they wanted to act as an instrument, as a Guru and Krishna to help others but that I am also an instrument of others. It is a very, very thin line where we can carry over the maya instead of Krishna. Can you please shed some light?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we should be humble and we should chant sincerely and attentively and pray to be instruments of Krishna. And not try to take His place, not try to assume His role.

And Srila Prabhupada said that the temple president and, I don’t know exactly if you have a temple president at Columbus, but at some facility, that a temple president should represent Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mahavadanya avatar, magnanimous. And so, Srila Prabhupada was saying that the temple president or we could say any devotee who is representing the temple should be magnanimous like Lord Chaitanya. So, yes. Be humble, chant sincerely and attentively, and pray to be a good instrument and not become proud of your position or your service. 

I don’t if this exactly addresses your question but these were some thoughts.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Devotee: Maharaja, can I ask a question?

Giriraj Swami: Yes

Devotee: So, Maharaja this is Prema Sindhu dasa. Please accept my humble obeisances.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, Prema Sindhu Prabhu

Devotee: So, how can we maintain good habits and not go back to the old habits that we had? Like we make some resolutions. So, what is your suggestion to not go back to the old habits?

Giriraj Swami: As I mentioned, in the beginning you really have to make a concerted effort because it won’t be easy. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Habit is second nature.” And like anything in Krishna consciousness, the success depends on the combination of our efforts and Krishna’s mercy. So, we should pray to Krishna at the same time to help us. But, yes you have to make a concerted effort and then gradually, it becomes more natural. And again, after some time, it is easy to do the right thing as to do the wrong thing. And then, further along, it is easier to do the right thing than to do the wrong thing; the greater thing than the lesser thing. So yes. Again chanting, sincere and attentive chanting, and praying. And you could also have a support group. Even in the material world, support groups are very influential and helpful. So you can confide in some people, friends who maybe devotees, family, that you are trying to work on reforming a certain habit and ask them to help you. If they notice some weakness in your resolve, they can rally and support you and encourage you and maybe even render practical help. 

I remember once, I was staying in a room with His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami in Spain. We happened to go there for some service, of course. And so when we were taking rest, he told me to wake him up at certain time. And he said that in the morning, when the time comes, if he asks me to let him sleep longer, I should not listen to him. I should not listen to what he says in the morning when he asks to sleep later but I should listen to him what I am saying now. And he said that if I have to, I can sprinkle water on his face. So yes, we can confide in our friends or family or whatever support group we have to support us in our resolve to improving whatever area.

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja.

Devotee: Anyone wants to ask more questions?

Okay. It is 1:33 in Eastern Standard Time in Columbus. Thank you very much Maharaja and all the devotees from different parts of the world for joining and making this wonder day happen, January 1st. What a wonderful way to start a new year! Really appreciate and grateful for this opportunity of associating with Maharaja and all the devotees. And it is a little announcement—Tomorrow is a Sunday. First Sunday program of the year. We will be doing that on Zoom because the of the COVID issue going on right now. We are monitoring. We want to open the temple back to normal, but we are still assessing the situation. So the next couple of days will still be Zoom call association. So next week we have a special guest. We will send out the details for the community. And pretty much, that is the end. Rameshwaram, you want to add anything. Okay, he is traveling so I am just filling in.

Thank you Maharaja 

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

Devotee: So please all of the devotees, open up your videos if you can. And then we can say Haribol Vaishnava prayers as Maharaja says.

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

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Ananta koti vaisnava-vrnda-ki jaya

His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!