SB 2.3.17 – Utilization of Time

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

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

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 Srila 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, we are engaged in devotional service, but here in the purport, Srila Prabhupada says that we should utilize the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. To accelerate means to go faster. Just like in a car there is a pedal, it is called the accelerator. So, when you want to go faster, you step on the accelerator. So, we are engaged, but we want to go faster because every day our life is being shortened by the rising and setting of the sun and we don’t know how much time we have. So, we should utilize the time for devotional service.

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

So, Srila Prabhupada was very expert in speaking in the language of his audience. Once, he was speaking with a wealthy and intelligent gentleman named Sri Brij Ratan Mohatta. Sri Mohatta had been the wealthiest person in what became West Pakistan. And so, Srila Prabhupada told him that, “In the ledger of your life, any time used in Krishna consciousness is profit, and any time used outside of Krishna consciousness is loss.” So, any businessman or any person will want to increase his profit and decrease his loss. So, we can increase our profit by utilizing our time in Krishna consciousness.

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

So, our duration of life is measured in time or composed of time, and at the time of death, if we want to extend the duration of our life, even by one minute, by paying any amount of money, we will not be able to. So, just imagine how valuable is the time we have in our life, because when our time is up, we cannot buy more time for any amount of money. So, while we have life, we should utilize our time in the best way, by acceleration of devotional service.

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.

COMMENT

Once Srila Prabhupada was asked by an interviewer, what is the purpose of life? And Srila Prabhupada replied, the purpose of life is to enjoy! But how to enjoy that is the challenge, that is the question .

PURPORT (continued)

A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity.

COMMENT

We all want happiness that’s for sure.

PURPORT (continued)

But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere.

COMMENT

So we want to be happy but if we look for happiness in the material atmosphere we will not find it. We may find some temporary happiness but not permanent happiness.

PURPORT(continued)

A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities.

COMMENT

So yes our actual identity nis that we are eternal servants of Krishna. Lord Caitanya says: “jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’” The constitutional position of the living entity is that he is the eternal servant of Krishna.n Now, when we act in our constitutional position, in our natural position, we are happy and satisfied. And if we artificially try to enjoy independent of Krishna, we will be frustrated and baffled. So, we can enjoy with Krishna not without Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him.

COMMENT

So we are spiritual sparks, part and parcel of Krishna. We can realise real happiness and satisfactionmonly in relation to Krishna. So the next question is how do we make contact with Krishna? Nand here in the purport Srila Prabhupada  gives the answer that because Krishna is absolute, His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes, n they are all identical with Him. And so if we come in touch with Him,min any of those manifestations,  we can realise our permanent source of happiness.b the Lord is the complete spirit whole and His names, forms qualities , pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him.

PURPORT (continued)  

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

So as Srila Prabhupada explains  in the purport to this verse, the greatest fear is that we will fall into a lower species of lifen which means that we will not be able to engage in bhakti-yoga.mbut if we make even a slight beginning in devotional service, we will be protected from the greatest fear.n and whatever progress we make will continue into the next life. Materially we may  machieve something in this life nbut at the time of death we lose everything. For example, I may learn many languages and I may be expert in various languages, but after death, when I am born again, I don’t know any language, it is just, “gaga, gaga,” I am starting all over. But the progress we make in devotional service stays with us into the next life. And Srila Prabhupada says, “Suppose in this life I make 1 percent advancement in Krishna consciousness, then in the next life I begin from 2 percent. So, there is no loss or diminution. Whatever progress I make carries over into the next life and protects us from the most dangerous type of fear.

PURPORT (continued)

As a highly potent drug injected intravenously (that means through the veins) 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.

COMMENT

So, this is uttama-śloka-vārtayā, topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. So, just like a potent drug will act very powerfully, some topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead will also act very powerfully when injected in the ear by a pure devotee. The purport here says, ‘injected through the ear of the pure devotee,’ but I did some research, I consulted Triveda Prabhu, and he said that is actually a mistake. The original is ‘injected through the ear by a pure devotee.’ Alright.

PURPORT (continued)

Aural realization  of the transcendental messages implies total realization, just as fructification of one part of a tree implies fructification of all other parts.

COMMENT

So, aural realization, that is aural, that means through the ear. And that is referring to the Lord’s names, forms, qualities, pastimes, and so on. So, we should really use our time for kṛṣṇa-kathā, that is the conclusion. And as Srila Prabhupada explains, there are two types of kṛṣṇa-kathā. One is spoken by Krishna, such as the Bhagavad-gītā. And the other is spoken about Krishna, such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But we should engage in kṛṣṇa-kathā, and chant Hare Krishna. In one talk in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you have time, chant Hare Krishna, don’t speak nonsense. Chant Hare Krishna or discuss Krishna.”

PURPORT (continued)

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.  

COMMENT

So, the verse is very striking. One might wonder how it is true, “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.” Well, how is that? It is so because by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead, one prepares oneself for eternal life.

PURPORT (continued)

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.

COMMENT

So, these things are actually foreign to us as spirit souls. They are imposed upon us because we have accepted the material body and identified with the material body. But actually, they are external to us, foreign to us.

 PURPORT (continued)

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

So, if you are looking for a good investment, you can’t get better than this. [laughter]

PURPORT (continued)

If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times, 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, veda-pāraga, one who has realized the path of the Vedas. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo, that by all the Vedas, He is to be known. So, veda-pāraga means really, one who knows Krishna. So, if the money is given to one who knows Krishna, such as Srila Prabhupada, the money is returned in unlimited multiplication.

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

So, it is returned by unlimited multiplication. Everything in the material world is limited. So, for the money to be returned by unlimited multiplication suggests that it will be returned in the spiritual world. And once, when Srila Prabhupada arrived in Hong Kong, the devotees arranged for him to be received at the airport in a Rolls-Royce limousine, and then brought to the Hong Kong Hilton for a press conference in the penthouse suite. So, at the press conference, one of the reporters asked Srila Prabhupada, “You are supposed to be a spiritual person, why did you ride in a Rolls-Royce limousine?” And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “I am a resident of the spiritual world, and in the spiritual world everything is made of cintāmaṇi gems, spiritual jewels. So, even if my disciples collected me in a gold Rolls-Royce, it would not have been good enough.” [laughter] [applause] “So, you ask I am supposed to be a spiritual person, why did I ride in a Rolls-Royce limousine? Well, the answer is that that was the best they could offer, so I had to accept it.” [laughter] So yes, unlimited multiplication means in the spiritual world.

At that same press conference, one of the reporters asked Srila Prabhupada about guru Maharaja Ji, who was also known as Bal Yogeshwar. And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “He is cheating the people. But when he meets Krishna, Krishna is an even greater cheat than he is, and he will lose everything.” So, this press conference was reported briefly in Time Magazine. Time Magazine has a page called People. So, they had a little item under the heading, “There is Trouble Stirring in Nirvana,” and they quoted what Srila Prabhupada said about guru Maharaja Ji. And it came to pass, actually, but that is another topic. But the idea is that unlimited multiplication means in the spiritual world. So, if we give in charity to a veda-pāraga, one who has realized the path of the Vedas, or in other words one who has realized Krishna, that money is returned in unlimited multiplication, meaning we go to the spiritual world.

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

Here Srila Prabhupada is quoting a line from the Bhagavad-gītā in which Lord Krishna says that one who attains His abode 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, nobody wants old age or disease. In the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna explains the process of knowledge, and one of the items is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, that one should perceive the evils of repeated birth, death, old age, and disease as part of the process of knowledge. And here in the purport, Srila Prabhupada said that a devotee’s old age or disease is an impetus for him to make progress in Krishna consciousness and realizes eternal life with Krishna. So, these appearance at best disease and old age are good because they remind us that this material world is not a happy place, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, that the physical body is not a good residence.

PURPORT (continued)

A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.

COMMENT

So, my dear devotees, thank you for listening so patiently and attentively. And now, if any of you have any questions or comments or any reflections, you can raise your hand.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. In the starting of the lecture, you said that we have to accelerate in devotional service. Can you please explain how can we accelerate?

Giriraj Swami: How do you accelerate your devotional service? That is an important question. Well, there are two things, as I indicated. There is devotional service, and then there are other things. So, to accelerate our devotional service means that we have to decrease the other things. And the verse talks about utilizing the time, uttama-śloka-vārtayā. So, if we consider our lives and examine are we wasting any time, we probably are. There are many ways to waste time. So, if we decrease wasting time, then automatically, our devotional service will accelerate.

Devotee: Thank you very much, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, jaya!

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja ji, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. Maharaja ji, you mentioned that a living entity has to seek happiness, but he is seeking happiness in the wrong place, he has to seek the happiness in the spiritual things. So, can you please elaborate on how do we seek happiness in spiritual things like hearing, chanting, and these things. Because whenever we try to do these spiritual activities, then a sense of enjoying comes. Whether I am getting enjoyment, I am feeling good or not, that comes. So, what does it actually mean?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. The living entity, especially the human being, is seeking happiness, but generally, he seeks happiness vainly in the material atmosphere. Srila Prabhupada used to give the example of a fish out of water. If you take a fish out of water and put it in a Golden Bowl and fill the bowl with gems and jewels and yes, by the incense or spray perfume, whatever you do, the fish will not be happy because it is out of its element. The fish can be happy only in the water. And similarly, we can be happy only in the spiritual atmosphere, in relation to Krishna, with whom we establish connection by chanting and hearing and remembering, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam. And then we will be happy. And it is practical.

Some years ago, there was an influx of refugees from Bangladesh into India. And the devotees went to the refugee camp and they were performing kirtan and delivering the message of Krishna. And then, the time came for lunch, and the refugees, they didn’t want to leave the Krishna consciousness, the Krishna kirtan and the kṛṣṇa-kathā. And the managers of the refugee camp said that it never happened before, that usually, the refugees were just waiting for lunchtime. But they were so attracted by Krishna and so happy in Krishna consciousness that they didn’t even care about having lunch on time. So yes, there are many, many examples that illustrate the superior happiness of Krishna consciousness. Yes?

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Maharaja, you were saying in the lecture that the greatest fear for the living entity, for accelerating in Krishna consciousness, is falling to the lower species of animal life. But as devotees, especially me, we personally hear in the scriptures that one who has at least done a little devotional service or even chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra or heard Bhāgavatam, at least they are guaranteed to have a human life or at least a favorable spiritual environment in the next life. So now, one who isn’t sincere, they actually think they compromise on that. Anyway, now I haven’t chanted Hare Krishna in my life, next life I will not be getting any animal life. So, how to maintain that fear in us that now we have chanted Hare Krishna, so we think that, Okay, next life, at least human life is guaranteed. So, the greatest fear of falling to the lower species of life, it doesn’t appear into our heart. So, how to have that fear in our heart that, “If I don’t practice Krishna consciousness sincerely, then the consequences are very bad.”

Devotee: He is [Unintelligible 01:05:03] complacency.

Giriraj Swami: Oh. How do we avoid being complacent as devotees?

Well, we should not take anything for granted. I mean, yes, in principle, if we have made advancement in devotional service, we will continue in the next life from where we left off, but our progress can be impeded by sense gratification. And even worse than sense gratification is vaiṣṇava-aparādha, offending devotees. Yes. So, there is the story of King Bharat who was so advanced, he was on the platform of bhāva-bhakti. He was so advanced, he renounced his kingdom, and he went into the forest. But in the forest, he became attached to a deer, and at the time of death, he thought of the deer. And so, in his next life, he took birth as a deer. But because actually he was an advanced devotee, he was given the facility, even though in the body of a deer, to remember his previous life. And then he took one more birth as Jada Bharat, and he was so conscious of the mistake he had made as Bharat Maharaja, that he just did everything within his power to be Krishna conscious. So yes, we should not be complacent, we should not take anything for granted. At the time of death, our thoughts at the time of death will determine our next life, and if we think of something uncongenial at the time of death, then we could suffer in the next life.

My godbrother Vaikunthanath Prabhu told a story that he was driving his vehicle, and it stalled on the railroad tracks. And he was fiddling with the ignition, he was trying to get it to start, and a train was coming. And finally, it came to the point that it was too late, and he was going to be hit by the train. And so, he started to chant loudly Hare Krishna, and then the train hit his vehicle. And at the last moment, he thought, What will happen to my wife? And then he became unconscious. And fortunately, he lived to tell the story. [laughter] So yes, generally, at the time of death, we think of what we are most attached to. And so, mayy āsakta-manaḥ partha, we should increase our attachment for Krishna so that we remember Krishna at the time of death. And that requires effort, practice, determination.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. I got one little explanation of the purport of Prabhupada Maharaja. I will read that purport. “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. . .” Here proper channel is it a paramparā system?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Okay.

Giriraj Swami: There is Srila Sanatana Gosvami, he warns. . . And yes, Srila Prabhupada has quoted it in different ways, that although milk is very wholesome and nutritious, but milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes poisonous effects. So, hari-kathā is like nectar, but it should be received from a pure devotee, not from an impersonalist or a professional Bhagavad reciter. So then, yes, it should not be received from someone who is not a Vaishnava, that is the conclusion. That is the proper channel, receiving it through the proper channel. Yes?

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. Maharaja, as you told, we should not waste time. But as Kali is progressing, maya is also becoming very smart. There are different ways in which it is coming and forcing us to waste time. And the way we are working now, we are completely connected to laptops, internet, even though we don’t want to. And then we have to seek information, we go into it, and then we get diverted. So, the question is, how do we become smarter than maya? [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: What was the last sentence?

Devotee: How can we become smarter than maya to save ourselves?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes. Yes, maya is very expert in luring us into wasting time outside of Krishna consciousness. But as Srila Prabhupada said, we cannot fight maya directly, she is too powerful, but we can fight maya indirectly by surrendering to Krishna, means sadhu, shastra, and guru, and yes, keep good association. The internet is very tricky, because you can explore things on the internet and nobody will know it. So, between you and Krishna, Krishna knows, but your family members, your friends, the community of devotees, they won’t know. But you have to be determined. And yes, as Prabhupada said, “Don’t waste time, don’t speak nonsense. If you have got time, chant Hare Krishna, don’t speak nonsense.” And that would include hearing nonsense, yes.

Devotee: Maharaja, I have a short second question. I would request you to visit Hyderabad. Would it be possible for you to visit Hyderabad sometime? Can you visit Hyderabad sometime, Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: I will try.

Devotees: Haribol!

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Not on this trip. This trip is pretty fully booked. But yes, I will keep that in mind for my next trip, yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. Maharaja, I have this question. “Aural realization of the transcendental messages implies total realization.” So, with me, I don’t make notes, I can’t remember the pastimes, glories of Krishna. So, how to aural realize this transcendental message? And also, in this purport, “Just as fructification of one part of a tree implies fructification of all other parts.” What does this signify?

Giriraj Swami: What was the last thing?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:16:02]

Giriraj Swami: Oh yes, it is an important principle in devotional service. And there is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that by watering the root of a tree, the trunk, the branches, the twigs, the leaves will all be nourished. So, Krishna is the root of all existence, and if we water the root of Krishna, if we serve Krishna, then all of His parts and parcels will also be served. Srila Prabhupada gave the example, it is the same idea, if you feed the stomach, the benefit will go to all the other parts of the body.

He told the story that once, the different limbs of the body thought, All the food is going to the stomach, so we shouldn’t feed the stomach. So they went on strike. But what happened is that because no food was going into the stomach, they were not getting nourished. So, then they realized, Yes, we made a mistake, it was better when the food was going to the stomach and from the stomach, the benefit is distributed.” The same way, Krishna is like the stomach; we feed the stomach, and the benefit goes to all the parts of the body. Just like the root, we water the root and the benefit goes to other parts of the tree. So, this is sraddha, faith. We have to have this faith that by engaging in Krishna’s service, all subsidiary activities are included. Very important principle.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:18:44]

Giriraj Swami: Oh. He is not able to remember things that he hears in the lecture, so he can’t apply them to become Krishna conscious. Well, maybe you could try taking notes. Taking notes is effective. There have been studies, that if someone writes down something, even if he never looks at it again, there is 50 percent more chance that he will remember it or do it. And if he writes it down and then he looks at it, then even greater possibility. So yes, I think take notes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In the purport it is written, “A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.” The last time. So Maharaja, except some special cases, if we consider general cases, when a devotee or when we get old or diseased, the quantity of our devotional service goes down. So then, how can old age or diseased condition be an impetus to a devotional life?

Giriraj Swami: Well yes, old age and disease remind us that the material world is not a happy place, the physical body is not congenial, and so we should accelerate our devotional service. You may be old, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do devotional service. You might be sick, yes, temporarily, depending on what the sickness is, you might not be able to do as much, but whatever you do, you can do it with greater sincerity and intensity. Yes, the sincerity is important.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja ji, daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. Maharaja ji, no one wants old age and disease. But if a young person is suffering from a severe disease, whether it is a wrong process to ask or beg Krishna for the mercy for his life? He also wants to live more, to chant more. So, is it wrong to ask for or beg for mercy from Krishna for life? Thank you.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:22:20]

Giriraj Swami: Well, disease and other types of reversals are often meant to teach us a lesson. So, when we get sick, we should think, What does Krishna want me to learn from this? And there may be many lessons, but at a certain stage, you might think, I have learned a lot from this experience, but now I would like to be able to do more service so I can help others more. So, you could pray to be relieved of the disease, not for your sense gratification, of course, but so that you can do better service for others. That would not be against the principles of pure devotional service, that would be allowed within pure devotional service, to pray for some facility to do better service.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. Thank you so much for giving us your invaluable association. My question is also related to her question. So, when such kind of reverses come, the suffering is so much, we see many devotees who are in a very elevated state suffering physically, and we tend to pray that their physical sufferings is removed. And at that painful situation, there are times when they might get very discouraged. So, how do we still see the grace of Lord in that kind of situation?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:25:10]

Giriraj Swami: Well, there is a very important verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is quoted in The Nectar of Devotion as one of the items of devotional service, which is expecting the mercy of the Lord. And the verse, tat te ‘nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo, says that one who tolerates reverses such as illness or whatever as the mercy of the Lord and engages in serving the Lord with body, mind, and words while tolerating the miseries, earns the right to enter the kingdom of God. Just as a child, just by remaining alive will inherit his or her father’s property. So yes, it is really a very important verse, 10.14.8, I believe. And in the purport to the verse, it is said that, one who surrenders to Krishna, technically does not suffer any karmic reaction, tat te ‘nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo. So yes, mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk, one earns the right to enter the kingdom of God.

And Srila Prabhupada says that should be the guide of all devotees. And again, the purport of the verse explains that for a devotee who has surrendered to Krishna, there are no karmic reactions. But the whole material creation is arranged by the Lord. So, to help the conditions so give up his hold on the material nature. And so, although it is, strictly speaking, not a karmic reaction, but the Lord gives the devotee that suffering, just so that the devotee will give up all traces of lingering attachments for the material world. And yes, let go of the material world and go back home, back to Godhead. So yes, I really recommend, if you read that section in The Nectar of Devotion under the heading Expecting the Lord’s Mercy, and then the verse and purport in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, it is very instructive, very instructive.

Devotee: Thank you, Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you very much, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: For some years, we had the deities. . . Well, first they were in Bombay, and then they came to Juhu. And Srila Prabhupada had given names to different deities. So, the devotees in Juhu urged me, that I should ask Srila Prabhupada to name our deities. So, first Srila Prabhupada said Radha Madan Mohan, and I said, “Well, there is already Radha-Madana-mohana.” [laughter] Then he said, “Radha-Govinda.” “Well, there is already Radha-Govinda.” So, then he said, “Radha-Rasa-bihari. Is that all right?” [laughter] I said, “Yes, that is fine.” [laughter]