New Year’s Program

Giriraj Swami: So, I will share with you some thoughts for the new year. We are entering the new year 2023. And on such occasions, we take stock of what and how we did in the previous year? And, what do we want to do in the next year? Studies have shown, and probably many of us have experienced that most New Year’s resolutions are broken in the first week. Still, more are broken in the first month, and almost all are broken within the first three months. Why does this happen? And, what can we do? We are creatures of habit. We have developed certain habits over many years, perhaps lifetimes, and to change our habits requires sincere desire and determined efforts. One study showed that when a person is trying to develop a new habit, he has to consistently diligently strive to adhere to the new practice for at least thirty days. 

So we are trying to develop a new habit. And for the first thirty days, we have to make a concerted effort. After thirty days, we are able to follow more easily. But we can be derailed by stress or some change in our life. After ninety days, it becomes just as easy to follow the new habit as not. And after a year, it is easier to follow the new habit than not. So what new habits do we want to develop in the next year? That depends on our goals. When I visited Pune some years ago, the Malhotra brothers arranged a program for me in the main Hall. And at the end of my talk, the general in charge of the Southern command of the Indian army asked an important question, “What is the aim for which we are born? What is the aim of our life? It certainly could not be to amass some wealth and ultimately die, or to construct a building and then die, or to marry and have children and then die. For our minor activities in life, we have the aims set first, and then we get going to achieve them. When we train our people in the army, whatever they have to do, we tell them first what the aim is. And, once they are clear what the aim is, then we decide what means to adopt to achieve it. And invariably, we don’t go wrong. Now, here it is to my mind, my whole life is going to waste. I am still not very clear, what is the aim of my life? Would you kindly enlighten us about the aim of life? So that thereafter we can be very very clear as to what we have to do to achieve that aim?” 

Srila Sanatana Gosvami asked the same question of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:

CC Madhya 20.102-103

‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni — ‘kemane hita haya’

‘sādhya’—‘sādhana’-tattva puchite nā jāni
kṛpā kari’ saba tattva kaha ta’ āpani

“Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited? 

“Actually, I do not know how to inquire about the goal of life and the process for obtaining it. Being merciful upon me, please explain all these truths.” 

This is Sanatana Gosvami addressing Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana Gosvami said, “In ordinary dealings people consider me to be a learned scholar, pandit. But I am so learned, I do not even know who I am? So please tell me who I am, and what is the goal of life?” And Lord Chaitanya replied, “By constitution, you are the eternal servant of Krishna. Jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ [CC Madhya 20.108]. And, the goal of life is to be reinstated in your constitutional position as Krishna’s loving servant.” If someone understands that he is not the body, that he is the soul within the body, and that his real relationship is not with the body or things related to the body. But that as a spiritual soul, his real relationship is with the Supreme Soul. If one understands that, he can adopt the methods that are suitable for reviving his eternal relationship with the Supreme Soul, Krishna. 

Srila Prabhupada formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to give people this knowledge. We are not the body but the soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. Our real relationship is with Him. And, our duty and goal in life is to revive our eternal relationship with Him, with God, Krishna. The whole process of sādhana-bhakti is to help us awaken that eternal love for God. So the general principle that we are discussing here for entering the new year is what is our goal, and when we are clear about our goal what means do we have to adopt to reach it? So the whole process of sādhana-bhakti is to help us to awaken our eternal love for God. 

CC Madhya 22.107

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

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

So that love is eternally there within the heart just as fire is within a match. You just have to strike the match, and the fire will come out. Similarly, we just have to strike the heart by chanting and hearing about Krishna, and that love will come out. The main process is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. We are in a Hare Krishna temple. We are part of the Hare Krishna movement, and we are known as Hare Krishna people. We are meant to chant Hare Krishna. And by our chanting Hare Krishna, the mirror of our minds can be cleansed. 

Ceto-darpaṇa mārjanaṁ. And ultimately, our dormant love for Krishna awakens. Paraṁ vijayate śrī- kṛṣṇa—saṅkīrtanam. But there is also the matter of the quality of the chanting. Queen Kunti prays to Lord Krishna (ŚB 1.8.26):

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir 
edhamāna madaḥ pumān 
naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai 
tvām akiñcana-gocaram

So, Queen Kunti prays to Lord Krishna:

“Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.”

So people on the path of material advancement cannot approach the Lord with feeling. And when we chant the holy name, we are trying to approach the Lord. The holy name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are the same. 

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś 
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.”

Commenting on Queen Kunti’s prayer, Srila Prabhupada cites scripture that by uttering the holy name of the Lord even once, one can destroy the reactions to more sins than one is able to commit. “Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually, the Lord’s holy name has such powerful potency. So we are all suffering because of sinful reactions. If we were freed from sinful reactions, we would no longer have to suffer. As Prabhupada explains however, there is a quality to such utterances. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless person can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord. Whereas a person who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere.” Lord Krishna is akiñcana-gocara—easily approached by those who are akiñcana, who have no material possessions. Now, these statements may give rise to some questions. This word akiñcana means, ‘without material possessions or without a sense of false proprietorship.’ Of course, there should be no duplicity in the matter, but this principle allows us for example to have an opulent temple. 

We may have a wonderful property. But as long as we remember, this is Krishna’s property, this is Srila Prabhupada’s property, it is not my property, I am here only to serve them and use this property for their service, we can be freed from false proprietorship, false prestige, and false designations. And in that mood, we can chant the holy name with feeling, approach Krishna with feeling. The proper process is to chant with attention. We let go of all those thoughts about ourselves, I, me, and mine, and focus on the holy name, on Krishna. Other thoughts may come up, but we do not pay them heed. We just focus our attention on Krishna, on the sound of Krishna’s holy name. And when we do that, we can actually feel His presence. We can appreciate that the holy name is Krishna Himself, reciprocating with our sincere desires to serve Him. This practice requires effort. 

We are habituated to think that we are the center of existence, and that everything revolves around us. We see everything in terms of ourselves, not in terms of Krishna. But our habits can change. There’s a saying that up to the age of twenty, you think that people are looking at you and like you. From the age of twenty to forty, you think that they are looking at you and don’t like you. And then after the age of forty, you realize that they aren’t even looking at you or thinking about you. So we have to reform this habit of thinking that we are the center, always thinking about ourselves, and thinking that everyone else is also thinking about us. We must know that Krishna is the center. 

So in the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna gives what Srila Prabhupada calls the peace formula. In the Bhagavad-gītā 5.29, Lord Krishna says: 

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ 
sarva-loka- maheśvaram 
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ 
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities. . .”

[sound disturbance] So this is our mission to serve Krishna. And serving Krishna means doing what He wants. And Krishna wants that we should bring other souls to Him. This is very important my dear devotees. So please pay attention. As Krishna says at the end of the Bhagavad-gītā 18.69, His dearmost servant is he who preaches the message of the Gītā, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.”

And Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa [CC Madhya 7.128]. Wherever you go, whomever you meet, just present the message of Krishna. 

And that is something any of us can do. It is actually very easy. So we are in December now or coming to the end of December. And, we have been making a concerted effort to distribute books, especially the Bhagavad-gītā, during December. So Srila Prabhupada’s books are as relevant and potent now as ever. 

So it is most auspicious that we are beginning the new year in the association of devotees. My request is that we use this coming year and this valuable human form of life for their proper use in Krishna consciousness. And in this endeavor, we help and support one another. We cannot do it alone. And I pray that I can always remain in the association of such nice devotees. Because I am sure that in this association, hearing the devotees’ instructions and trying to apply them, I will be nudged along on the right path, back home, back to Godhead. Hare Krishna. So now my dear devotees, thank you for listening so patiently and attentively. And, if any of you have any questions, or comments, reflections, you can raise your hands. 

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:55:03–00:56:07]

Giriraj Swami: I was convinced that the secret of advancement in spiritual life is to serve and please the spiritual master. So I wanted to serve and please Srila Prabhupada. And beyond that, I also understood what Srila Prabhupada wanted to accomplish here. Srila Prabhupada said, I mean, it may not be so becoming when I quote it, but Srila Prabhupada said that Giriraj is the only one who understands my vision for Hare Krishna Land. So part of it was that I just wanted to support Srila Prabhupada in his efforts because he is my spiritual master. And part of it was also that I just wanted to realize his wonderful vision for what the Juhu project would be. There is another question over here. 

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:58:50–01:00:00]

Giriraj Swami: So I was talking about chanting the holy names with feelings. But he says that he may not have the feeling. Also, as Srila Prabhupada explained that when we chant the holy name, we are calling to Krishna. When we chant the holy names, we are addressing Krishna. And, if Krishna responds, “Yes, what do you want?” What will we say? “I want a new car. I want a better iPhone.” A devotee will reply, “I want to be engaged in your service.” And therefore, Srila Prabhupada gives the purport to the maha-mantra, “Oh Lord! Oh energy of the Lord! Please engage me in your service.” A devotee does not want anything from the Lord except service. He may want some facility for service and that is alright. But whether he has that facility for service or not, he will continue to engage in devotional service. Hare Krishna. There’s over there.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:04:29–01:05:01]

Giriraj Swami: That is a very good question. There is a very nice verse in Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that says bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. . . The meaning of the verse is as follows: By engaging in devotional service, one experiences detachments, satisfaction, and happiness. Just as when one is eating, his hunger is satisfied. He gets strength, and he’s no longer hungry. So sometimes Srila Prabhupada would paraphrase that verse and say that when you are eating, you know when you are satisfied. You don’t need someone to give you a certificate that you are satisfied.

So bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca—just as by eating your hunger is satisfied, you get strength and you feel satisfaction by progressing in devotional service. You also feel satisfied. You feel detached. You don’t have a hunger for material things. You don’t have an appetite for material things. Sometimes, the difference may be subtle. And Srila Prabhupada gave the example of someone in the aircraft reading something or eating something or talking to someone. And, one does not notice much of a difference. But when you look out the window, you can see how far you have come from where you were. So I think, if you compare your life now, you have made progress and you will continue to progress. Hare Krishna. 

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:10:40–01:11:13]

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada said, “Ninety percent of Krishna consciousness is association.” So if you associate with good, sincere, enthusiastic devotees, their association will keep you uplifted and progressive. Srila Rupa Gosvami has enumerated sixty-four items of devotional service in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. And he says, “Out of the sixty-four, five are most potent. And even a slight association with any one of the five is sufficient to awaken dormant love of God.” 

So the five are sādhu-saṅga, associating with advanced devotees; nāma-kīrtana, chanting the holy names; bhāgavata-śravaṇa, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; mathurā-vāsa, residing in a holy place such as Mathura, Vrindavan, Mayapur, or Hare Krishna land. And mūrtira śraddhāya sevana, worship the Deity with faith and veneration. So these are the five most potent items in devotional service. And the first is sādhu-saṅga. And Srila Rupa Gosvami defines, what is sādhu-saṅga? 

Sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare [CC Madhya 22.131]. It means in a sort of literal sense, it means in the same community and for us it would be a follower of Srila Prabhupada. So sajātīyāśaye snigdhe, Srila Prabhupada translates this as having a similar affection for the Lord. But still, they can also mean that the sadhu should be affectionate to you. And svato vare means, he should be more advanced than you are. So by sādhu-saṅga, you’ll be able to maintain your position in devotional service. Srila Rupa Gosvami in Upadeśāmṛta, which Srila Prabhupada has translated for us as the Nectar of Instruction. utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt [Upadeśāmṛta 3]. Utsāhā means, ‘one should be enthusiastic.’ Niścayād means, ‘one should be confident of success in the end.’ And dhairyāt means, ‘one 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, laziness. So we need both enthusiasm and patience. And, we should also be confident of success. In the purport, Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness is so pure and perfect that one is dragged to ultimate success. Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.