SB 2.3.17 – Approaching Eternal Life

[00:15:19]

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna my dear devotees. So we read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Three, “Pure Devotional Service.“

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (3)

TEXT 17

āyur harati vai puṁsām
udyann astaṁ ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta
uttama-śloka-vārtayā

TRANSLATION 

Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 

 This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. 

COMMENT

So the word accelerate means to go faster. In the car there is the accelerator and you want to go fast you [Unintelligible 00:23:42]. So we are already in devotional service but we want to accelerate our spiritual progress.

PURPORT (continued)

Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold.  

COMMENT

It says at the time of death if we want to extend our life by even a minute by paying any amount of money we will not be able to do so. So time is the most valuable asset. [audio interrupted 00:25:09-00:26:27] this man who is very conscientious about his accounts could understand, anytime utilized in Krishna consciousness is profit and any time utilized outside of Krishna consciousness is loss.

PURPORT (continued)

Human life is simply awarded to a living entity (jīva) so that he can realize his spiritual identity and his permanent source of happiness. A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. 

COMMENT

Who here is seeking happiness?

PURPORT (continued)

A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities. The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him. Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened.  

COMMENT

So we are spirit souls, and by nature we are sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha; eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss with form. And we are seeking after happiness. But a permanent happiness can be realized on the relationship with the Supreme soul or Krishna. And we can make contact with Krishna through His names, forms, qualities, pastimes and so on. On the absolute platform they are called Krishna, and by making connection with Krishna we become happy.

PURPORT (continued)

A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities. The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him. Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.40) the Lord has explained such contact in the following words: “Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure. A slight beginning of such activities is sufficient even to deliver a person from the great ocean of material fears.” 

COMMENT

Yes, there is no loss or diminution. 

PURPORT (continued)

 As a highly potent drug injected intravenously 

COMMENT

That means through the veins.

PURPORT (continued)

acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected through the ear by the pure devotee of the Lord can act very efficiently. Aural realization of the transcendental messages implies total realization, just as fructification of one part of a tree implies fructification of all other parts. This realization for a moment in the association of pure devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī prepares one’s complete life for eternity. And thus the sun fails to rob the pure devotee of his duration of life, inasmuch as he is constantly busy in the devotional service of the Lord, purifying his existence. Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being; only due to material infection is the eternal living entity subjected to the law of birth, death, old age and disease.

The materialistic way of pious activities like charity is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa (without brahminical qualification) the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times,

COMMENT

If you are looking for a good investment, I don’t think you can do better.

PURPORT (continued) 

and if the money is given to a veda -pāraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication. 

COMMENT

So as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā—vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ—He is to be known by the Vedas, by the Vedas He is to be known. So if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, one who knows Krishna then the money is returned by unlimited multiplication. And certainly Srila Prabhupada is such a person. 

PURPORT (continued) 

The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ).  

COMMENT

Could have been worse. [laughter]

So what does it mean, returned by unlimited multiplication? Everything in the material world is limited. So for the money to be returned by unlimited multiplication, it means that we must be promoted to the spiritual world. When Srila Prabhupada was in Hong Kong the devotees arranged for him to be met at the airport in a Rolls-Royce Limousine. And then they brought him to the penthouse suite of the Hong Kong Hilton for a press conference. So one of the reporters challenged Srila Prabhupada that, “You are supposed to be a spiritual person and you are riding in a Rolls-Royce car. Why is that so?” And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “I am a resident of the spiritual world where everything is made of spiritual gems, so even if they had collected me in a solid gold Rolls-Royce or a solid diamond Rolls-Royce, it would not have been good enough. So why did I ride in that Rolls-Royce car? Because it was the best they could offer so I had to settle for it.”

Yes, so that is unlimited multiplication.

PURPORT (continued) 

There is a guarantee of money’s being returned if given in charity, regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. 

COMMENT

So that is what we are doing, we are hearing - uttama-śloka-vārtayā - the all-good Personality of Godhead. And that frees us from our duration of life being reduced by the rising and setting of the sun because we are moving towards our eternal life. 

PURPORT (continued) 

There is a guarantee of money’s being returned if given in charity, regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate…

COMMENT

It is a quotation from the Bhagavad-gītā that one who attains to the abode of Krishna never has to take birth again. 

PURPORT (continued) 

In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life. A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.

COMMENT

So we suffer from old age, we suffer from disease but these can serve as an impetus for us to accelerate our devotional service so that we can attain our eternal life beyond birth, death, disease, and old age. In the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says, “janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.” Krishna is describing the process of knowledge and part of the process of knowledge is to be aware of the fault of the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease is part of the process of knowledge. And being aware of the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease should serve as an impetus for us to make spiritual progress. We don't have to take birth again in another material body and being subjected again to birth, death, old age, and disease.

So a devotee's old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life. I will just read the translation again.

“Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.”

Hare Krishna!

Devotees: Hare Krishna!

Giriraj Swami: So my dear devotees if any of you have any questions or comments or reflections you can raise your hand.

Devotee: Maharaja, you have mentioned here once we make it back to the spiritual world we could never fall down again in the material world. So we were once in the spiritual world right? But somehow or other we fell. Is it possible that one [Unintelligible] to the spiritual world [Unintelligible]?

Giriraj Swami: No. Once someone asked Srila Prabhupada that question and he said that having made the mistake once and experienced the consequences, one will not make the mistake again. 

Yes?

Devotee: So Maharaja, where to get the inspiration to be 24*7 engage in Krishna consciousness? How can we motivate ourselves not to waste the moment of our life?

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada said 90 percent of Krishna consciousness is association. So if you associate with sincere devotees, pure devotees, who are completely focused on devotional service then by their association you will also be encouraged to engage constantly in devotional service. And of course chanting good rounds is important because as Srila Prabhupada described, when we chant we are actually praying- “O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your devotional service.” So if we are chanting sincerely we are actually praying to be engaged in devotional service and then the Lord will reciprocate or the holy name will reciprocate. And then we [Unintelligible 00:46:43] we will have devotional service [Unintelligible] 24*7. 

What time do you get up in the morning, if I might ask?

Devotee: Around 4:00.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, that is pretty good. And then what do you do?

Devotee: I just wash my face and then chant.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, so you chant at home?

Devotee: Yes. 

Giriraj Swami: And you have tulasi at home? It is very effective to chant in front of tulasi. Today is Nāmācārya Srila Haridasa Thakura’s Disappearance Day. He would always chant in front of tulasi. That is his sadhana. So try to put tulasi and then chant in front of it. 

Any other questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:47:54-00:48:00]

Giriraj Swami: Okay. 

Yes.

Devotee: I hear that line in the purport that said that - just by moment I am hearing about topics of Krishna in the presence of a pure devotee, then your life is perfect, and you chant the holy name once you can eradicate more sins than you could ever commit. How not to get some place you want to get such magnanimous mercy from all size [Unintelligible] I let myself I could just chant a good Holy Name once [Unintelligible] I am not listening. 

Giriraj Swami: So what is the benefit of chanting one holy name you think eradicate the reactions [Unintelligible]?

Devotee: Or how not to be complacent knowing all these magnanimous claims that you can get liberated just by sincere devotee, all sins fly away, for someone pull the cart of Lord Jagannatha was liberated, and take prasādam.  Every aspect of Krishna's mercy was so literally magnanimous. So I feel maybe I [Unintelligible 00:49:49-00:49:51], they are thinking, “Oh okay, we don't have to worry so much because Krishna is so merciful by [Unintelligible] us we get liberated.” 

I don’t know if I am making any sense.

Giriraj Swami: Well our goal is devotional service. So yes. it is wonderful to get so much benefit from these spiritual practices and the result is that we are in a better position to engage in devotional service. So yes, once a reporter asked Srila Prabhupada, “What does chanting accomplish?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Chanting accomplishes chanting. The more you chant the more you chant.”

So in bhakti, the means and the end are the same - bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā. Bhakti comes from bhakti. Prema-bhakti comes from sādhana-bhakti. 

Devotee: There are two questions from Prabhu. First question is, if we offer a Lakshmi to a devotee and then they return the Lakshmi back, what should we do? You are explaining that there is return in next life. [Unintelligible 00:51:25-00:51:32]

Giriraj Swami: You mean, someone offers money to a devotee and the devotee doesn’t accept it? 

Devotee: They accept and then later on return it. 

Devotee: They didn't multiply it?

Giriraj Swami: They should give it to another devotee.

Devotee: Thank you. One devotee is asking, which is more important, sadhana or service? Which is more important?

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada said, “First health, second sadhana, third service.” We want to do all but if you have to choose. And another time Srila Prabhupada said, “First health, second chanting, third service, fourth reading.” 

Any other questions or comments?

[01:26:50]

Anyway, it should be engaged in the service of Krishna.