CC Adi 1.94–103 – The Spiritual Masters

Giriraj Swami: So, today we shall read from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter One, beginning with Text Ninety-four

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda

jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

TEXT 94

kṛṣṇa-bhaktira bādhaka — yata śubhāśubha karma

seha eka jīvera ajñāna-tamo-dharma

TRANSLATION

All kinds of activities, both auspicious and inauspicious, that are detrimental to the discharge of transcendental loving service to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa are actions of the darkness of ignorance.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The poetical comparison of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda to the sun and moon is very significant. The living entities are spiritual sparks, and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

Yes, Lord Chaitanya states jīvera ‘svarūpa’ kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’, the constitutional position of the living entity is he is the eternal servant of Krishna, So, when we act in devotional service to Krishna, we are acting in our original, natural position. So, when we act in our original position as eternal servants of Krishna, we are in our natural position and feel happy and satisfied. Srila Prabhupada used to give the example of a fish out of water. If you take a fish out of water, even if you put it in a beautiful golden bowl filled with valuable gems and jewels and light incense and spray all sorts of aromatic fragrances, the fish will not be happy because the fish is a creature of the water and the fish can be happy only in the water. So, similarly, we are creatures of the spirit, our natural position is with Krishna in the spiritual world, and if you take us out of our original position, no matter how much we pamper ourselves with material things, we will never be happy and satisfied because our true happiness and satisfaction comes in our relationship with Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

The living entities are spiritual sparks, and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So-called pious activities and other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of these spiritual sparks.

COMMENT

So again, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’, our constitutional position, svarūpa, is that we are eternal servants of Krishna, and acting in any other way will only lead to disappointment and frustration. So, pious or impious activities outside of Krishna consciousness are under the influence of the darkness of ignorance, and even the desire for liberation is under the darkness of ignorance. Because a pure devotee, first of all, is already liberated, and second of all, a pure devotee doesn’t desire liberation, he or she desires only to serve Krishna.

The Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes devotional service influenced by different modes of nature. And Srila Prabhupada has paraphrased these statements in the Third Canto as follows. If someone thinks, I am the only devotee here, everyone else is nonsense, that is devotional service influenced by the modes of ignorance. If someone thinks, I want to be known as being the best devotee, that is devotional service influenced by the mode of passion. If one thinks, I want to go home, back to Godhead, that is devotional service influenced by the mode of goodness. But if one thinks, I just want to serve Krishna and please Krishna, that is transcendental, that is beyond all the modes. So here, Srila Prabhupada says,

PURPORT (continued)

So-called pious activities and other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of these spiritual sparks. The living entities must get free from these superfluous coverings and fully engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda is to dispel the darkness of the soul.

COMMENT

And therefore, Srila Prabhupada says the comparison of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda to the sun and the moon is very appropriate, because the sun and the moon dissipate the darkness.

PURPORT (continued)

Before Their appearance, all these superfluous activities of the living entities were covering Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers, people’s hearts are becoming cleansed,

COMMENT

This is the significance of the appearance of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Superfluous means unnecessary.

And how are their hearts becoming cleansed? Through chanting and hearing about Krishna, through saṅkīrtana, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, saṅkīrtana cleanses the dust from the mirror of the consciousness.

PURPORT (continued)

Before Their appearance, all these superfluous activities of the living entities were covering Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers, people’s hearts are becoming cleansed.

COMMENT

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ

PURPORT (continued)

And they are again becoming situated in the real position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

And my dear devotees, all of you, all of us who are here today are evidence of the truth of Srila Prabhupada’s statement, that after the appearance of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, people’s hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated in the real position of Krishna consciousness, we are living proof.

TEXT 95

yāṅhāra prasāde ei tamo haya nāśa

tamo nāśa kari’ kare tattvera prakāśa

TRANSLATION

By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, this darkness of ignorance is removed and the truth is brought to light.

COMMENT

Yes, Srila Prabhupada took as his motto for Back to Godhead magazine the verse from Caitanya-caritāmṛta that Godhead is light and nescience is darkness. Where there is light, there can be no nescience, no darkness.

TRANSLATION

By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, this darkness of ignorance is removed and the truth is brought to light.

TEXT 96

tattva-vastu — kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti, prema-rūpa

nāma-saṅkīrtana — saba ānanda-svarūpa

TRANSLATION

The Absolute Truth is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and loving devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.

COMMENT

The essence of all bliss, saba ānanda-svarūpa nāma-saṅkīrtana.

TEXT 97

sūrya candra bāhirera tamaḥ se vināśe

bahir-vastu ghaṭa-paṭa-ādi se prakāśe

TRANSLATION

The sun and moon dissipate the darkness of the external world and thus reveal external material objects like pots and plates.

TEXT 98

dui bhāi hṛdayera kṣāli’ andhakāra

dui bhāgavata-saṅge karāna sākṣātkāra

TRANSLATION

But these two brothers [Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda] dissipate the darkness of the inner core of the heart, and thus They help one meet the two kinds of bhāgavatas [persons or things in relationship with the Personality of Godhead].

TEXT 99

eka bhāgavata baḍa — bhāgavata-śāstra

āra bhāgavata — bhakta bhakti-rasa-pātra

TRANSLATION

One of the bhāgavatas is the great scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion.

COMMENT

So, when we were with Srila Prabhupada in India in 1971, he kept us so busy that we hardly had time to read, and I felt guilty about it, but I also felt helpless because we were so busy. So once, when I was in his room in Calcutta, I didn’t say anything but he himself perhaps could read my mind, and he brought up the subject, and he quoted the verse ŚB 1.2.18, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. And he said, “There are two types of bhāgavatas, the book Bhāgavata and the person bhāgavata. And if you serve the person bhāgavata, all the truths of the book Bhāgavata will be revealed even if you never read the book.”

Now, of course, Srila Prabhupada wanted us to read his books and we also want to read his books, but the circumstances then were such that I didn’t have time. But he reassured me that, “Just by serving the person bhāgavata, all the truths of the book Bhāgavata will be revealed even if you never read the book.”

TEXT 100

dui bhāgavata dvārā diyā bhakti-rasa

tāṅhāra hṛdaye tāṅra preme haya vasa

TRANSLATION

Through the actions of these two bhāgavatas the Lord instills the mellows of transcendental loving service into the heart of a living being, and thus the Lord, in the heart of His devotee, comes under the control of the devotee’s love.

COMMENT

How the Lord comes under the control of the devotee’s love is vividly demonstrated in the dāmodara-līlā, which we recently remembered, every day during the month of Kartik or Damodara. And Srila Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami continues his beautiful glorification of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda.

TEXT 101

eka adbhuta — sama-kāle doṅhāra prakāśa

āra adbhuta — citta-guhāra tamaḥ kare nāśa

TRANSLATION

The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the other is that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart.

TEXT 102

ei candra sūrya dui parama sadaya

jagatera bhāgye gauḍe karilā udaya

TRANSLATION

These two, the sun and moon, are very kind to the people of the world. Thus for the good fortune of all, They have appeared on the horizon of Bengal.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as Gauḍadeśa or Gauḍa, was situated in what is now the modern district of Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvīpa, which is now known as Māyāpur and was then called Gauḍapura. Lord Caitanya appeared there, and Lord Nityānanda came there and joined Him from the district of Birbhum. They appeared on the horizon of Gauḍadeśa to spread the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is predicted that as the sun and moon gradually move west, the movement They began five hundred years ago will come to the Western civilizations by Their mercy.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

PURPORT (continued)

Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu drive away the five kinds of ignorance of the conditioned souls. In the Mahābhārata, Udyoga-parva, forty-third chapter, these five kinds of ignorance are described.

COMMENT

My dear devotees, please pay attention to these five kinds of ignorance because we want to make sure that we are free from them, by the mercy of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada.

PURPORT (continued)

They are (1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense gratification one’s standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute Truth.

COMMENT

These are very important points, types of ignorance of which we should become free. But just on the point of lamentation, there can also be spiritual lamentation. When Srila Madhavendra Puri was in his last days, he was lamenting that he could not achieve Krishna and Mathura. And he had a disciple named Ramacandra Puri who was quite ignorant and audacious, and he foolishly dared to instruct his spiritual master and he told him that, “You should not be lamenting.” And he quoted the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, no hankering and no lamenting, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. And Srila Madhavendra Puri rebuked him. He said, “I am already unhappy because I could not attain Krishna and Mathura, and now I am doubly unhappy because this rascal has come to instruct me.”

And due to Srila Madhavendra Puri’s rebuke, that disciple, he was a latent impersonalist and he became filled with material desires and impersonal ideas. And his servant Isvara Puri, by the blessings of Sri Madhavendra Puri became a great lover of God. So much so that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted him as His spiritual master. So, there can also be a spiritual lamentation. Prahlada Maharaja also lamented for the fallen souls bereft of Krishna consciousness. And once, Srila Prabhupada spoke to me in his room in Bombay, and in quite a dramatic way he said, “Our only lamentation,” and then he paused, “Our only lamentation is that people are not taking to Krishna consciousness.” So, there can be spiritual lamentation, but material lamentation is one of the five kinds of ignorance. I will read the list again because it is so important.

PURPORT (continued)

(1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense gratification one’s standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya eradicate these five kinds of ignorance. Whatever one sees or otherwise experiences one should know to be simply an exhibition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy. Everything is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

And then the last verse in this series.

TEXT 103

sei dui prabhura kari caraṇa vandana

yāṅhā ha-ite vighna-nāśa abhīṣṭa-pūraṇa

TRANSLATION

Let us therefore worship the holy feet of these two Lords. Thus one can be rid of all difficulties on the path of self-realization.

COMMENT

Once, one disciple wrote Srila Prabhupada that he faced many obstacles on his path, and Srila Prabhupada wrote back, “With one kick of my boot, I can remove all the obstacles.” [laughter] Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

So, today is also the disappearance day of Kaliya Krishna dasa, and I have been asked to speak a little about him, which I will do. I made some notes. In Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 132, it is stated kālaḥ Śrī Kṛṣṇa dāsaḥ sa yo Lavaṅgaḥ sakha vraje, “In Vraja, Kaliya Krishna dasa was Krishna’s cowherd friend named Lavaṅga.” And the Caitanya-bhāgavata 3.5.740 says, “Kāliyā Kṛṣṇadāsa was known throughout the three worlds. One can attain Gauracandra through remembrance of him.” Lavanga Saka is one of the twelve Gopals, and in Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Anubhashya commentary to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he says that, “Kaliya Krishna dasa was the best of the Vaishnavas. He knew nothing other than Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet.” That is actually Caitanya-caritāmṛta 1.11.37. And Caitanya-bhāgavata says, “One will surely attain Sri Chaitanya and Sri Nityananda simply by remembering Kaliya Krishna dasa. Kaliya Krishna dasa was completely devoted to Lord Nityananda and knew nothing but the lotus feet of Nitai.” Kaliya Krishna dasa ki jaya!

So, my dear devotees, do you have any questions or comments or reflections?

Devotee: Maharaja, Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee: How can we remember Kaliya Krishna dasa, just by hearing his name or the pastimes? We have to read from Caitanya-caritāmṛta?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, remembering his name, thinking of his devotion to Lord Nityananda, thinking of his identity as a cowherd boyfriend of Krishna, they are all auspicious and can bring us great benefit.

Devotee: One more question. Why is it that Lord Krishna doesn’t want to force the conditioned souls to surrender unto Him? He is telling them, “Surrender unto Me.” Is that a force or it is a must, or why can’t He just let us surrender unto Him? There is some hesitation for surrendering unto Him.

Giriraj Swami: You are asking why He doesn’t force us to surrender? Yes, Srila Prabhupada explained that Krishna wants our love, and love cannot be forced. And Krishna has complete independence, and we have minute independence, and we can use our minute independence either in the right way, to surrender to Krishna and serve Him, or in the wrong way. But Krishna never interferes with our minute independence. And therefore, at the end of Bhagavad-gītā, He says to Arjuna, “Now you have heard anything, now you do as you like.” yathecchasi tathā kuru, “You do as you like.” And the purport is that Krishna does not interfere with our minute independence, again, because He ultimately wants our love, and love cannot be forced. Yes?

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Maharaja, you mentioned that going back to Godhead is the devotional service in the mode of goodness. Then why Srila Prabhupada after every second, third lecture was encouraging to go back home, back to Godhead? Can you please help me understand this?

Giriraj Swami: Well, as he writes in a purport to a verse in this First Canto of Second Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yes, most people are not interested in going back home, back to Godhead. And there is also two ways of understanding ‘back to Godhead.’ One is in the geographical sense, that you leave the material world and go to the spiritual, back home, back to Godhead. And the other is in the spiritual sense, that by devotional service, in a way you are already back to Godhead. And there was a very instructive morning walk in Mayapur with Srila Prabhupada and His Holiness Jayapataka Swami, His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami, His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami, a very interesting discussion of guru in that talk. But at the beginning, Jayapataka Maharaja says that, “If one is fully engaged in devotional service, isn’t he already back to Godhead?” And Srila Prabhupada agreed, “Yes, he is already back to Godhead.” So yes, in that sense.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for the lecture. Maharaja, as you said that when the devotional services is we feel satisfied and full of bliss. But at times, we see that even after doing devotional service, we are not so much satisfied and we are stankering. So, my question is, in the purport, Srila Prabhupada says, “Full Krishna consciousness.” So, how to be in full Krishna consciousness when we are rendering the devotional services?

Giriraj Swami: By chanting and hearing, associating with advanced devotees is very important. Srila Prabhupada said 90 percent of Krishna consciousness is association. So, that can be very helpful, I mean, is definitely very helpful. And so, can you repeat the question?

Devotee: So, how to be, as you answered that, we have to chant. So, how to be in full Krishna conscious in a way that we are able to give the services as you mentioned in the three modes also, plus transcendental mode, that we need to do the services in a very elevated way so that we feel blissful also, that is the indication that we are doing it right.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. There is another very important verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter,

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

If the devotional service is ahaituky, that means without a cause, without any material motivation, and apratihatā, without any interruption or gap, yayātmā suprasīdati, that will fully satisfy the self. So yes, we should work on that. Srila Prabhupada quoted that verse in a talk in Boston when I first was coming to the temple, and I asked a question that, “I have heard you speak a lot about service to God, but where does service to man fit in?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, with reference to that verse, that, “If you give someone something that makes him so satisfied that he doesn’t want anything else, is that not a good service to a person?”

And he gave the example of Dhruva Maharaja, he briefly told the story of Dhruva Maharaja who in the end said, svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce, that, “In seeking my kingdom, I was looking for pieces of broken glass. But now that I have found You, my Lordship, I have the most valuable jewel, so I am fully satisfied, I don’t want any other benediction.” Svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce. So yes, that is the best service.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Thank you very much. In one of the verses that we read from the CC, it said that the book Bhāgavata and the person bhāgavata are the two doors through which the Lord gives bhakti-rasa, the mellow of loving devotional service. So, I was wondering if you could explain more about the mystery by which we can actually be blessed with bhakti-rasa. Because sometimes we are serving but without bhakti or without rasa, we are just doing the service because it ought to be done. So, how to actually get the taste, the actual loving devotional feeling for Krishna in the heart?

Giriraj Swami: You remind me of something that is completely off the topic, but there is a devotee in Juhu who was the temple president for a while, and his name was Rasaraj. And Bhurijana Prabhu, there were four co-GBCs; myself, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhurijana Prabhu, and Gopal Krishna Gosvami. And Bhurijana Prabhu told him, “You need a little more rasa and a little less raja.” [laughter] So, what was your question? [laughter]

Devotee: Maharaja, how to get the bhakti-rasa so that we are not just doing service because we are philosophically convinced that, “I am a servant of Krishna so I should serve Krishna,” but actually to do it with love, with the sweet taste.

Giriraj Swami: Well, that will come by the grace of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai. And we can pray for it, but yes, we shouldn’t be impatient also. The requirements for success in devotional service are enumerated by Srila Rupa Gosvami in Upadeśāmṛta. And beginning with utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt. And utsāhān means enthusiasm, niścayād means confidence, and dhairyāt means patience. So, we should be enthusiastic, we should have confidence that in the end we will be successful, and at the same time, we should be patient. Srila Prabhupada said that, “Enthusiasm without patience can lead to a desire to control, and patience without enthusiasm can lead to lethargy.” So, we need both enthusiasm and patience, and confidence.

And in the purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa, that Krishna will definitely protect us. And Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness is so pure and perfect that once having begun, one will be dragged to ultimate success. So, I would say your success is guaranteed, but be patient. [laughter] Good question, thank you.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes?

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. In Verse One Hundred, Text One Hundred, the last part of this is talking about, “In the heart of His devotee, Krishna comes under the control of the devotee’s love.” And you were reflecting how this past month of Kartik we have been meditating on kind of things like the two fingers, endeavor and mercy. But I have heard in classes sometimes mercy is more important, sometimes the endeavor is more important. So, I was wondering, is one more important than the other? Are they exactly synonymous?

Giriraj Swami: Well, they are both important. There is a saying, that, “One should endeavor as if everything depended on oneself, and one should pray as if everything depended on the Lord.” So, we should do both intensely, yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. When it came to service, I was thinking in terms of the current scenario in ISKCON in India. So, there are a lot of devotees, and it is relatively not so viable to get direct assertion of a very senior devotees and Maharajas. So, devotees are serving under a structure, in which they are not directly accessible. They don’t have the direct access to a very senior devotee. In that scenario, how they can serve? Because when one feels the connection, one can serve out of love, and it gives a lot of fire and energy, rather than if you don’t feel that connection. So, one is through hearing and there can be another process as well or another ways through which they can connect more and that way feel more impact towards service. Because everybody wants to feel the connection, then only they can serve. Without connection, it is difficult to serve.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, as you know, there are two ways of associating; by vāṇī, which means words or transcendental vibration or instructions, and the other is by vapuḥ, which means body or physical presence. And when the vapuḥ is available, well and good, but when it is not available, we can maintain our connection with the Superior Personality through vāṇī, through following the instructions. And there are occasions or places like Vrindavan, you can come and there are many experienced devotees here, you can get their direct association here. So yes, Krishna will arrange whatever association you need. But you also might have to go out of your way to get it.

Yes, at one stage, there was a period in ISKCON’s history when there was some turmoil, and devotees in different parts of the world were just struggling to maintain their projects after some of the gurus left. And I was, in a way you could say, stuck in South Africa, Mauritius, and I didn’t have any association of peers and I felt I was missing something. So, then I came to Dallas and I met Tamal Krishna Goswami and spoke about the need for more advanced association. Like I said, you have to go out of your way to get it, it might not just come to you, but you can make your effort to get it.

Yes? A couple more. Yes? He had his hand up first, thank you.

Devotee: Thank you very much Maharaja. You cautioned us, citing the story of Ramacandra Puri and his ignorance and audaciousness in instructing his guru. Can you please elaborate a little bit more on the dangers of this audaciousness where us children may feel righteous and wanting to offer some kind of corrections to elders or seniors as in the case example you mentioned.

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada said, if you want to bring up something to a superior, the way to do it is by asking a question rather than making a statement. So, instead of saying, “You should do this,” you can just ask a question, “Do you think it might be better to do this?” and then it is not audacious or presumptuous.

Devotee: In regards to the question that he made before, the mercy and endeavor, we see that sometimes we try so hard to get rid of anarthas, and we find that only Krishna can take them away. So, it is ultimately Him. And I wonder sometimes why doesn’t He take them sooner? Sometimes the world is gone for the whole life, practicing Krishna consciousness, and certain things just don’t seem to go away despite the fact that it is a serious practice. So, I always have that doubt.

Giriraj Swami: Well, again, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt, you need enthusiasm and also patience. But what you said is true, yes. There is a nice verse again in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter in which it is said that Krishna, who is situated in the heart of the truthful devotee, the word in Sanskrit is satam, which in broad terms means devotees, but in a more literal sense truthful devotee. So Krishna, who is the well-wishing friend in the heart of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the devotee who is eager to hear His messages. So, He will help, yes, He will help. But from our side, we should show our eagerness by hearing His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly chanted and heard. So yes, just śravaṇam kīrtanam. Maybe increase the dosage or intensify the dosage. But that is the process.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I had the opportunity to associate with some of Srila Prabhupada’s senior devotees, and a common desire or aim, which I saw in their expression was, “I don’t want to go back to Godhead, but simply to serve the lotus feet of my guru, Srila Prabhupada, life after life.” And that always caused the subtle confusion in me. And the question that it brings up is, what is the purest state of the heart’s desire, to eternally serve the spiritual master life after life. or to return home, back to Godhead? Or are they different stages of evolution? How to understand this?

Giriraj Swami: I am one of those who wants to serve Srila Prabhupada life after life, cakṣu-dāna dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei. We can also serve him in the spiritual world. So, going back to Godhead does not preclude the possibility of serving Srila Prabhupada there. What is your desire? [laughter]

Devotee: It is just that they seem to disregard that intention to go back to Godhead, it becomes secondary, the absorption becomes so focused in serving guru and pleasing guru that the thought of going back to Godhead is like a secondary consequence.

Giriraj Swami: I think that is all right.

Devotee: I will follow in your footsteps Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. What is the difference between hearing and reading? Sometimes devotee says, “If you are hearing, it is also as equal to reading.” So, hearing will become easy for us also. So, what is the difference?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, reading comes in the category of hearing. And we want to do both, we want to read and we want to hear. When you hear, you get the quality of the sound vibration of the speaker, but yes, we also want to read, and that reading also comes in the category of hearing. There was one question that was supposed to Srila Prabhupada, coming back to the book Bhāgavata and the person bhāgavata, and they are both equal in a way, but Srila Prabhupada said that, “In a way, the person bhāgavata is better because he can catch you by the ear.” [laughter]

All right, my dear devotees, thank you for listening so patiently and asking such intelligent and thoughtful questions.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda ki jaya!
Hare Krishna. [applause]

Devotees: His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!