SB 10.2.31 – Approaching Sri Krishna Janmashtami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, my dear devotees. So, now we will read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam again, in anticipation of Sri Krishna Janmashtami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, which are approaching. I will read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten: “The Summum Bonum,” Chapter Two, “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb,” Text Thirty-one.

om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 31

svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman
bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ
bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te
nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān

TRANSLATION

O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to fulfill the desire of Your devotee, and therefore You are known as a desire tree [vāñchā-kalpataru]. When ācāryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.

COMMENT

I will read the purport now, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This statement reveals how the merciful ācāryas and the merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead together help the serious devotee who wants to return home, back to Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His teachings to Rūpa Gosvāmī, said:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
(Cc. Madhya 19.151)

One can achieve the seed of bhakti-latā, devotional service, by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead. After wandering throughout the universe, a fortunate person within this material world seeks shelter of such a guru, or ācārya, who trains the devotee in the suitable ways to render service according to the circumstances so that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the service. This makes it easier for the candidate to reach the ultimate destination. 

COMMENT

So, there is more to the purport, but I will comment now. Srila Prabhupada paraphrased this statement of Lord Chaitanya to Rupa Gosvami in his initiation letter to me, and this is what he wrote.

READING the Initiation letter

My Dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, sent along with your beads. I have chanted on them, and your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is the name of Govardhana Hill, on which Krishna used to tend His cows. In Vrindavan Govardhana Hill is worshiped as a representation of Krishna. Sometimes devotees take stone from Govardhana Hill and keep it at home as a representation of Krishna, and they worship in this way. 

I am very glad to understand that you have relished at least some of the transcendental bliss of Krishna consciousness. It is a great fortune for you. Living entities are roaming within the universes in different species of life and in different planetary systems, enjoying or suffering the reaction of pious or impious activities. But they have no information how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death. Due to the darkness of ignorance, most living entities have no idea about the values of life. Therefore, one who understands the importance of Krishna consciousness must be a very fortunate soul. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness. 

With my blessings, I am sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me.

COMMENT

And I do have my beads chanted on by Srila Prabhupada.

READING (continued)

You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible, and follow the four regulative principles, as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good god-brother Satsvarupa will always help you in this connection.

Regarding your $2,000, which you promised to send me within three weeks, I beg to thank you for this.* Actually, a brahmachari should contribute whatever he has got to Krishna, through the spiritual master. The spiritual master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore the spiritual master is accepted in the renounced order of life. So far as householders are concerned, they may contribute at least half of their income to Krishna. Then life is sublime. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life. Regarding your stocks, you can keep them for yourself for the time being, and if need be I may ask you to deliver them in the future.

COMMENT

So, as it happened, after I was in the Boston temple for a year and a half, Srila Prabhupada wanted to return to India to begin the Krishna consciousness movement there. And at that time, I cashed in my stocks, and I used the money to pay for my ticket, as well as tickets for other devotees who were going to India.

READING (continued)

Regarding your stocks, you can keep them for yourself for the time being, and if need be I may ask you to deliver them in the future. Your engagements there are nice, so continue to follow rigidly.

I hope this will meet you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! So now, coming back to our verse and purport.

PURPORT (continued)

One can achieve the seed of bhakti-latā, devotional service, by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. The duty of the guru is to find the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead. After wandering throughout the universe, a fortunate person within this material world seeks shelter of such a guru, or ācārya, who trains the devotee in the suitable ways to render service according to the circumstances so that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the service. This makes it easier for the candidate to reach the ultimate destination. The ācārya’s duty, therefore, is to find the means by which devotees may render service according to references from śāstra.

COMMENT

And this is exactly what Srila Prabhupada did with all of us.

PURPORT (continued)

Rūpa Gosvāmī, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published such devotional books as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Thus it is the duty of the ācārya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord.

COMMENT

And Srila Prabhupada certainly published many books to help us progress in devotional service.

PURPORT (continued)

In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, this same path is being prescribed and followed. Thus the devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities — illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling — and to chant sixteen rounds a day. These are bona fide instructions. Because in the Western countries constant chanting is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but should follow this method.

COMMENT

So, as Srila Prabhupada says, these are bona fide instructions. Some devotees, one in particular, not Prabhupada’s disciple but a grand disciple of Srila Prabhupada’s, is arguing or preaching that one has to chant sixty-four rounds a day, and of course, that is nice if one can. But here, Srila Prabhupada says, “Sixteen rounds a day, these are bona fide instructions. Because in the Western countries constant chanting is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridasa Thakura, but should follow this method.”

So, on that topic, there was a morning walk in Juhu, and on that morning walk, Lokanatha Swami asked Srila Prabhupada why he had chosen sixteen as the number of rounds to chant, “Why not less or more?” “No,” Srila Prabhupada replied. “We say ‘Minimum sixteen.’ Minimum. If you can chant sixteen thousand, you can do, that is welcome. We have got so much engagement. Still, we say, ‘We don’t find engagement.’ This is our misfortune. Haridasa Thakura was engaged in chanting, and a prostitute came and offered, ‘Let us enjoy.’ ‘Yes, let me finish. Let me finish this chanting.’ He refused to have sex with a beautiful young girl because he had engagement. ‘First of all, let me finish my engagement.’ And we say we have no engagement. How unfortunate we are. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Twenty-four-hours engagement He has given.”

Lokanatha Swami continued his line of inquiry, “Some devotees have fixed different numbers than sixteen. Some are chanting twenty minimum or twenty-five.” “Yes,” Srila Prabhupada said. “It should be increased.” Lokanatha persisted, “Is it recommended for our. . .” But Prabhupada continued, “Don’t decrease; increase. Therefore one number is fixed = ‘At least this much I shall do.’ That is sixteen rounds.” Lokanatha insisted, “But you are recommending sixteen as a minimum, and some devotees are choosing twenty as a minimum.” Prabhupada, “So who forbids? Who says “Don’t do it’?” Lokanatha, “They can chant.” Prabhupada, “Yes. That is wanted. But because you cannot do it; therefore we have fixed up this minimum, sixteen. Saṅkhyāta asaṅkhyāta. Saṅkhyāta means with vow, numerical strength. And asaṅkhyāta means there is no limit.”

Yaśomatīnandana Prabhu asked whether some activities in Krishna consciousness are higher than others, or whether they are all on the same platform. “Is chanting the most exalted?” Prabhupada replied, “Everything is exalted. Therefore there are nine processes—śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ, sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [ŚB 7.5.23]. So many. They are all exalted.” Yaśomatīnandana continued, “So why is chanting particularly recommended in this age?” Prabhupada, “Suppose if you have no temple, so you cannot perform arcana. So this is common, greatest common. It is not that because you have no temple, therefore your devotional service is stopped. There are other processes. You can do.”

Lokanatha, “Prabhupada? If we chant more than sixteen rounds, so how can we know whether we are imitating Haridasa Thakura or following his footsteps?” Prabhupada, “Imitation is also good. If you imitate Haridasa Thakura, that is also your great fortune, even if you imitate. Imitating, it does not mean you are condemned. Even if you imitate, that is also good. If you have some other service and if you say, ‘Now I am imitating Haridasa Thakura. I cannot do it,’ that is very bad. ‘I am busy in imitating Haridasa Thakura.’ That is not good. That is very bad.” Brahmananda, “If the devotees are asked for service they may say, ‘Oh, I have to chant.’” Prabhupada, “’I am imitating.’ Yes. ‘I am imitating Haridasa Thakura. That is my first service.’ That is very bad.”

So, coming back to these bona fide instructions. One of them is to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds.

PURPORT (continued)

The devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities — illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling — and to chant sixteen rounds a day. These are bona fide instructions. Because in the Western countries constant chanting is not possible, one should not artificially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but should follow this method. Kṛṣṇa will accept a devotee who strictly follows the regulative principles and the method prescribed in the various books and literatures published by the authorities. The ācārya gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord.

COMMENT

So, on the point of crossing the ocean of nescience by taking shelter of the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is a beautiful verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Fourteen, Text Fifty-Eight. The Sanskrit is beautiful and the meaning is beautiful, and every morning, we used to sing this prayer, or this verse, in the old Boston temple.

TEXT 58:

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

TRANSLATION

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord. This method is called ācārya sampradāya. It is therefore said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ (Padma Purāṇa).

COMMENT

That means that if the mantra does not come through a bona fide sampradāya, it will not be fruitful.

PURPORT (continued)

The ācārya sampradāya is strictly bona fide. Therefore one must accept the ācārya sampradāya; otherwise one’s endeavor will be futile. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings:

tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa

One must worship the lotus feet of the ācārya and live within the society of devotees. Then one’s endeavor to cross over nescience will surely be successful.

COMMENT

And here, Srila Prabhupada has paraphrased Srila Narottama dasa Thakura’s verse, but I will read the exact translation. Tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa, “This is my desire: that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of the six Gosvamis.” And another nice verse by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra peyeche kebā, “Unless one serves the spiritual master and ācāryas, one cannot be liberated.”

So thank you, my dear devotees, for joining us for this important discussion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as we approach Sri Krishna Janmashtami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja. As a routine, I speak on this format on the fourth Monday of every month, and the next fourth Monday will be after Sri Krishna Janmashtami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja. So, we took the opportunity to discuss this verse in anticipation of Janmashtami and Vyasa-puja today. So now, if any of you have any questions or comments, reflections, you can raise your hand; your physical hand or your virtual hand, and we will discuss further. Hare Krishna. Yes, Siddhi Lalasa dasi?

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: I have a question. It is a little difficult for me to phrase it, but I just heard you speak about Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami Maharaja, and there is one book, 26 Qualities of a Devotee that Maharaja wrote, and I studied that book. I mean, when I came to the temple, that was the first book that was being read when we were taking prasādam. So, every day, one section was being read. And it is a book that I have treasured and I have read it again and again and taught it. And just now, I am finishing teaching that book. But it is very excruciating to go through that book because especially, like, I have to teach it, it means that I am studying, teaching every line, every section, analyzing and understanding. And I am just thinking, it is the process of anartha-nivṛtti.

Giriraj Swami: It is a process of what?

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: Anartha-nivṛtti.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, anartha-nivṛtti, yes, anartha-nivṛtti.

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: It is total confrontation. I think that I had a different idea of spiritual life. I thought that spiritual life means serving Krishna the way we read in Kṛṣṇa book, the vrajavāsīs. But it seemed that I have spent an entire life only in anartha-nivṛtti. Like, each and everything, that is what it is been. So, I am just thinking, when does spiritual life actually start?

Giriraj Swami: Well, it is interesting because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that we are not interested only in anartha-nivṛtti, but we are interested in artha-pravrtti. In other words, realizing the goal. And our main process, in a way, is chanting, offenseless chanting, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, that cleanses the dirty things from within the heart. And preaching also is very purifying. And Krishna is pleased when we do both, practice and preach. As Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, the best goṣṭhyānandī is a bhajanānandī who preaches. In other words, he should relish our practice of devotional service.

One time, I was staying with Vaisesika Prabhu at his home in Burlingame, California. And I went through his morning program with him, and he did many of the same things that we all do in our morning program. But he did it with great enthusiasm and relish. And afterwards, we were discussing his forthcoming book on book distribution, which has since been published, Our Family Business, and he was saying that one of the themes of his book was that the enthusiasm to distribute books or preach should come from the overflow of the ecstasy in our own personal spiritual practices. 

So, well, the two go together; strong spiritual practices and preaching. And preaching will make us want to practice better so that we are more purified and more empowered when we do preach. So, yes, maybe you just have to be patient. As Rupa Gosvami instructs in Upadeśāmṛta, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt. utsāhān means in enthusiasm, niścayād means confidence, and dhairyāt means patience. So, we should be both enthusiastic and patient. Srila Prabhupada said that enthusiasm without patience can lead to a desire to control, and patience without enthusiasm can lead to lethargy or laziness. So, we want to have both enthusiasm and patience.

So, based on what you said, I can’t say for sure, but based on what you said, I would say that you are strong on enthusiasm, but maybe a little weak on patience. Hare Krishna. Yes, Hari Priya from Tehran, Iran?

Hari Priya: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Hari Priya: All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to you. And please accept my much humble obeisances.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Hari Priya: Yes, I wanted to say, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from your mouth is what the gift Lord Krishna gave to us today, and thank you for all your kindness you gave to all of us, and I pray to Lord Krishna with me in this situation, I can serve to you. You are gift from Lord Krishna to all of us, and Krishna bless you.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you very much, Hari Priya from Tehran.

Hari Priya: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Hemlata Arcot?

Hemlata Arcot: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to you. Thank you for a wonderful reminder of the process that our previous acharyas have shown us, which Krishna mercifully accepts. I really, really liked it.

And I have one question, Maharaja, slightly off topic. By hearing from you, I am making a genuine attempt to chant attentively, and when I try to do that, the technique that I am trying to apply is to hear the mantra as much as possible, every syllable. But then, it feels like it is more like a technical exercise now and it feels more impersonal than not chanting with feeling, I am not able to get that feeling. Previously at least I would have some feeling even though I was a little bit inattentive in my chanting. Would you please advise me what am I doing wrong?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we should hear, that is definitely the process, to hear, chant attentively and hear, but we also want to chant with feeling. And I am not sure why in the effort to chant with attention you have lost the feeling. Couldn’t you do both? Couldn’t you have both?

Hemlata Arcot: I want to.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Yes, His Holiness Sacinandana Swami has facilitated many japa retreats, I have done some with him myself, and he discusses the different aspects of chanting japa, and he begins with the external ones, physical ones, to sit erect, with good posture and to pronounce every name clearly, to try to hear it. In one japa seminar we gave together, he quoted Srila Prabhupada as saying, “Just try to hear yourself chant sincerely.” And I would say, if you do that, just try to hear yourself chant sincerely, both will be there; the attentive hearing and the feeling.

Hemlata Arcot: Okay, Maharaja. Please bless me that I can do that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I will pray for you.

Hemlata Arcot: Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Hemlata Arcot: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Anjam?

Anjam: Hare Krishna, Prabhuji.

Devotee: Maharaja.

Anjam: Maharaja, I am sorry for wrong address. Maharaja, what I got from today’s session is that whenever I chant sixteen rounds a day, and most of the times I chant eight to twelve rounds in the morning, and the rest of the chants are staggered through the day when I get my time. But what I used to observe for myself was that towards the end of my chanting rounds, I was doing it more of a mechanical way rather than having feelings into it. So now, what I got from your session today is the spirit of enthusiasm that I could keep on reviving, reawakening, rekindling in myself throughout my entire session. So, thank you, thank you for showing that way.

Giriraj Swami: Nice, yes. And try to get up earlier if you can, or arrange your schedule in such a way that you can chant more in the morning, because generally, the morning is a better time to chant japa.

Anjam: Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: And chant in front of deities, chant in front of Tulasi, chant with other sincere chanters, and these all can help. Hare Krishna.

Anjam: Thank you. Hare Krishna.

Kevin G: Hare Krishna, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Kevin G: Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri guru and Gauranga. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I have a question. Maharaja, thank you for class on chanting, talking about chanting and painting and chanting our japa and things. This brings a question to mind that I have been thinking about for a while now. Sometimes devotees will mention how they have a nice spark of some kind of subtle taste in their first time in chanting japa.

Giriraj Swami: Are you Kevin G?

Kevin G: Yes, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Is it possible to see your moonlight face?

Kevin G: Yes, one second, Maharaja, one second. Okay, I am sorry about that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is much better, thank you.

Kevin G: Hare Krishna. I was wondering, Maharaja, sometimes devotees talk about their first times chanting their first full sixteen rounds, and sometimes more. Well, they will feel a subtle kind of taste maybe, Krishna gives some mercy when they chant sincerely, their beginning times chanting, then maybe they will just describe that they haven’t felt the same experience maybe as much with some time. Is it a good mood to have mentally or consciously to try to put oneself in the beginner’s mindset of chanting japa?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, in the beginning, Krishna might give us some special mercy so that we get a sense of what the chanting can really be, to encourage us to continue with the process. But then, we might have to do more work on our own to be able to have the same experience again. But we should persevere, we should not give up, we should persevere and keep chanting.

And as Rupa Gosvami explains in Upadeśāmṛta, he said kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi, that for one who is afflicted by the disease of avidya, well, he compares that to jaundice, that when you have jaundice, sweet things taste bitter, but the āyurvedic remedy for jaundice is sugar candy. So, even though it tastes bitter to the tongue of one afflicted with jaundice, one takes it as medicine. And by continuing to take that bitter medicine, one gradually recovers one’s health. And then, when one is cured of the disease, one can taste the sugar candy as it is, which is sweet like nectar. So, even if it is a little bitter in the beginning, we should still continue to chant, that is the medicine, and it will become sweeter and sweeter as we become cured of our disease of avidya. Avidya means ignorance, ignorance of our identities, our constitutional position as eternal servants of Krishna.

So, we may have theoretical knowledge, but within our hearts, we may still identify with the body, and so we may not have so much interest in chanting or so much taste for chanting, but still, we chant as a medicine, and by taking the medicine, we’ll gradually become cured. And when we are cured, we will relish in chanting.

Kevin G: Thank you, Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, ki jaya. Hari Priya, is your hand up again or is it. . .? Okay.

Hari Priya: Sorry, Hare Krishna. This is right, all the disease we have comes from our mind and feeling we spend, for example, anger, sadness. And if we heal our soul, for example, in the way we do it in Krishna consciousness, if we are healing our soul, the disease we have disappear or we don’t have any disease. This is something true or not?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, material existence is a diseased condition, and by taking to the process of Krishna consciousness, especially chanting and hearing, we become cured of the disease, and then we realize we are eternal servants of Krishna, and we feel happy. Yes, happy to be Krishna’s servants and engaged in Krishna’s service.

Hari Priya: Thank you very much.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Hari Priya: Please accept my humble obeisances. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Visakha Priya dasi?

Visakha Priya dasi: Guru Maharaja, I am completely convinced about the philosophy, I am completely convinced of the fact that I am the eternal servant of Krishna, I have been chanting Hare Krishna for fortry-four years, and my mind is still giving me hell and preventing me from chanting with attention. And once or twice maybe I have been chanting sincerely, but generally speaking, I am not. What should I do?

Giriraj Swami: When you say your mind is giving you hell, you mean that it wanders when you chant?

Visakha Priya dasi: It wanders, yes. And also, the body is giving me so much trouble.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, as the Bhagavad-gītā says, that whenever and from wherever the mind wanders, we should bring it back to the self. So, we have to make that effort. His Grace Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu says that the constant consistent effort to bring the mind back to the sound of the holy name is what constitutes the clearing stage. There are three stages in chanting; nāma-aparādha, the offensive stage, nāma-ābhāsa, the clearing stage, and śuddha-nāma, the stage of pure chanting. So yes, the consistent effort to bring the mind back to this holy name is what constitutes the clearing stage.

And as Bhurijana Prabhu says, it is a battle, but that battle has to be fought. It can be exhausting, but that battle has to be fought. And yes, as he says, he remembers the first time he heard the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. He said he had been chanting for three years, and he remembers the first time he actually heard the Hare Krishna mantra. It was a revelation and he thought, “Now I know. They always say, ‘You should hear.’” So yes, we have to persevere, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt, yes. Are you in Mayapur?

Visakha Priya dasi: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: That is a good place for chanting, I am sure you will get help from the Pancha-tattva and the dhāma. So, now we have Kamala Sundari dasi.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your divine grace. Guru Maharaja, my question is also about chanting since we are on the topic. So, I find that it is better for me to chant while I am pacing up and down. Is this okay? Because I am not really sitting in a fixed place, but I find that my chanting is more attentive when I am pacing up and down, and I find that I can hear the holy name better.

Giriraj Swami: Well, whatever works for you, is the best for you. I mean, generally, we say sitting and chanting is best, standing and chanting is next best, and pacing is next best, but the real thing is to hear. And if by pacing you are able to hear better, then you should pace. Yes, whatever works for you is best for you.

Devotee: Okay, thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Siddhi Lalasa dasi, is your hand up again?

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. This is from Visakha Priya Mataji’s question. So, I had a similar thought, but just a few days back one young girl walked in my office, and she had this question, that her mind is disturbing her. She is eighteen years old, she is a student, she came with another friend, and she actually really looked harassed. So, she asked me what to do about their mind, when their mind is hooked onto a subject, it just stays there and goes on and on and on and harass us. And I gave the answer, I was actually feeling very inadequate to answer this because I am also struggling with the same thing and it has been many, many years that I have been chanting and I am a workaholic. I chant my sixteen rounds but I am just a workaholic.

So, it is like. . . So, finally, it is like, when you say achieving the goal, going towards perfection, achieving the goal. So, if I am a preacher, if, like, I was five years preaching, I could say, “Yes, it was a long way to go.” But now I am getting into my 60s, and as Visakha Priya has been chanting for fortry years, and the mind is still harassing. I didn’t feel that I was fit to preach and to give a proper answer, but I opened the book, I opened Bhagavad-gītā, I showed her the levels of the self, the mind, the senses, and I preached everything I told her. She seemed pacified, and she was chanting, the other friend also by asking similar questions. 

And she just asked me one question, she said, “How do I know that what you are telling me is a fact, and whoever I meet, when they tell me something, how do I know it is a fact?” And I said, “Because I am telling you what I am reading from the book, and I am opening the book and showing you where you can find it.” But I felt embarrassed on this point, I don’t know how more to go, but that is. . . I mean, I am just taking off from what I am hearing now. What to do about this, Guru Maharaja? I should be honestly able to give somebody the proper guidance and assurance that, “You will reach the goal.”

Giriraj Swami: Give them guidance and assurance that. . .

Siddhi Lalasa dasi: They will reach the goal, they will actually be able to be free from the harassment of the mind.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, as the Bhagavad-gītā says, the mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When it is engaged in Krishna consciousness, it is your best friend, and when it is not, it is your worst enemy. And yes, we have to control the lower self with the higher self, you have to control the mind with the intelligence and bring it to the holy name, and yes, pray for mercy. We can never be successful by our own efforts alone; we always depend on mercy. So, pray for mercy at the same time. Dr. Vandana Go?

Dr Vandana Go: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Thank you so much. The whole session was very enlightening. I have a question, Maharaja. I feel I have been a very strong-headed person all my life, but since I have come into Krishna consciousness, everything makes me shed tears, I don’t know why. While reading the Kṛṣṇa book, while listening to pastimes from any of those exalted, very senior devotees, listening to you, listening to other devotees, listening to bhajans, songs, I always get tears in my eyes. And people say it is a sign of weakness, I should not cry. But I actually enjoy, I don’t know whether there is so much of garbage inside me, which is coming out, or is it actually I have become very weak now, I really don’t know, Maharaja. So, I thought I will ask you this question directly, since you can actually clear me. My mind is so foggy with this, so I thought I would seek this as an opportunity to ask you this, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Well, to me it is a good sign that you are shedding tears. I think it is a good sign. I don’t think it is a sign of weakness. Well, I mean, in the context that you are describing your tears in relation to Krishna consciousness, I wouldn’t say it is such a sign of weakness, but it is a sign of your good fortune. And yes, you are blessed, you are blessed.

Dr Vandana Go: Thank you, Maharaja. Hare Krishna, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Ki jaya. All right, my dear devotees, if there are no more questions or comments, we can end now by offering Vaishnava praṇāma.

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

vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha

kripa-sindhubhya eva cha

patitanam pavanebhyo

vaishnavebhyo namo namaha

Anant koti Vaishnava Vrinda ki jaya, Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Gaura bhakta Vrnda ki jaya! Nitai-gaur premanande.

Hemlata Arcot: Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!