SB 7.9.28

Giriraj Swami: My dear devotees, I will begin by saying the maṅgalācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan. And then I will speak on today’s verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

[kirtan and prayers]

We shall read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Seven, Chapter Nine, “Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers,” Text Twenty-eight.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 28

evaṁ janaṁ nipatitaṁ prabhavāhi-kūpe
kāmābhikāmam anu yaḥ prapatan prasaṅgāt
kṛtvātmasāt surarṣiṇā bhagavan gṛhītaḥ
so ‘haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Nārada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As will be seen in later verses, even though Prahlāda Mahārāja was directly offered all the benedictions he might have desired, he refused to accept such offerings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the contrary, he asked the Lord to engage him in the service of His servant Nārada Muni. This is the symptom of a pure devotee. One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaiṣṇava.

COMMENT

So once, on a morning walk in Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada came to an embankment and, Bhavananda Prabhu got up on the embankment and extended his hand down to help Srila Prabhupada come up. And then, when Srila Prabhupada came up, he abruptly let go of Bhavananda Prabhu’s hand and walked ahead. And then Srila Prabhupada explained that that is the attitude of Mayavadis. They take help from the spiritual master to reach a certain position, I guess to become God or become one with God, and when they reach the desired position, they let go of the spiritual master, they abandon the spiritual master.

PURPORT (continued)

One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaiṣṇava.

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says:

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

COMMENT

So that means, tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa, he wants to live in the association of devotees who serve the lotus feet of the guru or the six Gosvamis. janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa, he has no other desire birth after birth.

PURPORT (continued)

One should not be anxious to offer direct service to the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised that one become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ). This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord.

COMMENT

So that dāsānudāsaḥ means that we serve our spiritual master, and he serves his spiritual master, and in turn, he serves his spiritual master. And so we are the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, ultimately.

PURPORT (continued)

This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord.

The first service should be rendered to the spiritual master so that by his mercy one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to render service. While teaching Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja: one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

So yes,

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva 

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

The living entities are wandering throughout the universe, but when one is fortunate, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja, he gets the seed of devotional service by the mercy of guru and Krishna. It is said, “By the mercy of Krishna, one gets guru, and then by the mercy of guru, one gets Krishna.”

In my initiation letter, Srila Prabhupada indirectly referred to this verse, and he wrote that, “Living entities are wandering throughout the universe, and it is only by great fortune that one comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by the mercy of Krishna.” And also in my initiation letter, Srila Prabhupada wrote that, “So I marked it in your presence when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may become aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.” So I definitely feel that it was by Srila Prabhupada’s prayers that I could come to devotional service.

PURPORT (continued)

While teaching Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja: one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT

Or, in fact, if we please the spiritual master, then the Supreme Lord will be pleased.

PURPORT (continued)

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo.

COMMENT

By the mercy of the spiritual master, one gets the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By pleasing the spiritual master, one pleases the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT (continued)

One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja proposed that he engage in the service of Nārada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion.

COMMENT

I might mention that this verse was actually quoted by Srila Prabhupada in a glorification of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. So Srila Prabhupada appreciated the verse too and related it to himself.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja proposed that he engage in the service of Nārada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion. Therefore he said, so ‘haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām: “How can I give up the service of my spiritual master, who has favored me in such a way that I am now able to see You face to face?” 

COMMENT

So, yes. In the Guru-vandanā prayers as we sing every morning in guru-puja, janme janme prabhu sei, the spiritual master is our Lord birth after birth, an eternal relationship.

PURPORT (continued)

Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed to the Lord that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Nārada Muni.

COMMENT

so even though he was seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face by the grace of his spiritual master, he prayed to continue to serve his spiritual master as his eternal occupation. So this is a very instructive verse and very important and relevant for us as devotees or aspiring devotees. Yes, our first duty is to serve our spiritual master and never give up his service. Hare Krishna.

So now, if any of you have any questions or comments, raise your hand. Yes,

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for the nice class. A couple of questions. So if aspiring devotees are trying to choose a spiritual master, then should we assume that he or she has already been initiated in the previous lives and not tell them? How does one go about that? Just curious, janme janme prabhu sei.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, well when a devotee is looking to find a spiritual master, of course, the devotee will hear different spiritual masters and see who inspires him or her and then approach the person. And of course, we have our dīkṣā-guru and also śikṣā-gurus. And so our understanding of guru has expanded to include both dīkṣā-guru and śikṣā-guru. But when one approaches someone as one’s dīkṣā-guru, can we assume that, that devotee had a relationship with that guru in the previous life? I don’t think we can assume that. It is possible, but I don’t think we can take it for granted that that necessarily was the case.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja. Yes,

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Thank you for the nice verse. It is very, very beautiful. Maharaja, I have a question. How does the relationship work between disciple and spiritual master in the spiritual world? When we see that, okay, we, the spiritual master takes him back, so if somebody is in the spiritual world, then does the relationship continue after that?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, one continues to serve the spiritual master in the spiritual world. Depending on one’s relationship or rasa with Krishna, one may or may not be serving the spiritual master directly. But certainly, indirectly one is serving the spiritual master and you will recognize him. Yes, Srila Prabhupada said that in the spiritual world, you recognize your spiritual master. So the relationships are eternal. As Srila Prabhupada said, we will have another ISKCON in the spiritual sky. Yes,

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for the very nice verse. In the purport, it was mentioned that one should serve the spiritual master not by his concoction. So how do we know what the spiritual master wants and how do we assume that we are not, even though we might be serving him, but it is not through our own concoction?

Giriraj Swami: Well, first we have the instructions of the spiritual master, and then we also have the association of other devotees, other disciples of the spiritual master. And if we have some doubt, we can approach them. And Srila Prabhupada said that if a group of mature, well-wishing devotees give you some instruction, you should take it as coming from Krishna.

So that is a very important point that we should be wary of trying to serve the spiritual master by concoction. And if we have any doubt, we should present our thoughts to mature, well-wishing devotees and hear what they have to say. Yes, that is good. Srila Prabhupada referred to the verse, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja, and in that section of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Lord Chaitanya says that, along with the creeper, weeds may sprout up, and sometimes the weeds appear to be the same as the devotional creeper. So we have to be careful not to water a weed mistaking it for the devotional creeper. And again, we can consult other devotees, mature, well-wishing, knowledgeable devotees, to make sure we are not watering a weed thinking it to be the devotional creeper. And weed basically means a material desire. We have to be careful about that. Yes,

Devotee: Maharaja, I was just thinking for the answer to Prabhu’s question, you mentioned that about the rasas. So is it possible that a spiritual master being a different rasa to the disciple?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: That is the reason you mentioned that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for the wonderful class. You mentioned that the Mayavadis, they want to become God or merge with God, and they use the spiritual master and then just discard the spiritual master. I was trying to understand what is the difference between a  Mayavadi and a yogi who meditates on the Super Soul, Krishna in the four-handed form, and unfortunately also in the end just merges in the brahmajyoti. What is the difference between these two categories of people?

Giriraj Swami: The difference in regard to what?

Devotee: With respect to the relationship with the spiritual masters, because they both merge and it is felt like the second one also.

Giriraj Swami: Well, unfortunately in both cases, they would, I guess you could say, abandon their relationship with the spiritual master. They think they don’t need the spiritual master anymore because they have reached the goal, what they think is the goal. It is unfortunate.

Devotee: Thank you. There is Kennedy online. Maybe she can ask her question.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, everyone. I just had a thought about how this verse reflects the importance of the paramparā system of disciplic succession. And it reminds me of a thread of gratitude and service that carries love from Krishna to the spiritual master, to the disciple, and then to the world. And in that sense, each of us are just a little stitch along the way, but we are creating such a beautiful and large tapestry together, especially through ISKCON. So I just wanted to share that.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, wonderful, beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. Okay.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, guru Maharaja, thank you for taking the trouble to travel, first of all. So big thanks for that. And I have a question. You mentioned that in the spiritual world, where the spiritual master goes, the disciple will follow. And I have also heard that a spiritual master may go to another realm or planet to serve Srila Prabhupada, depending upon where Srila Prabhupada is. Then is it a possibility that the disciple, because of the attachment, will follow guru Maharaja there, their guru?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, you are saying, for example, if Srila Prabhupada is preaching somewhere in the material world, so I might want to join him. Yes, I definitely would. (laughs) Yes, definitely, yes.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for coming ISV and giving this saṅga. In this verse, it is repeatedly talk about serving spiritual master. Well, ISKCON, the International Society, it is not the same as a previous time where the disciple is in physical proximity with the spiritual master, and so it is very different setup here. And as you mentioned, mature, senior, like-minded devotees serving them is the same as serving the spiritual master, is something I wanted to confirm.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Generally, the spiritual master, and it is also in shastra that one should serve the Vaishnavas. So serving Vaishnavas is also a service to spiritual master. And it is how we make advancement, and it is also a way to please the spiritual master. As we read, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. We are servants of the servants of the servants of Krishna. And in one letter, Srila Prabhupada wrote that this practice of serving your god-brothers is very welcomed. Yes.

Devotee: Maharaja, thank you so much for coming. Maharaja, we were reading the other day in the Bhagavad-gītā, and the topic came about monists. We were a bit confused about, are monists, the Brahmavadis or the Mayavadis? Sometimes these things get used interchangeably. Can you please explain?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, the Brahmavadis and Mayavadis are both monists, but they are different in the sense that the Mayavadis think that the form of Krishna is maya, and therefore they are called Mayavadis. And they think that the impersonal brahman is beyond Krishna, and they want to merge into the impersonal brahman. The Brahmavadis, on the other hand, may accept Krishna’s form as spiritual, but still, in spite of that, they want to merge. So, I guess you could say they are a little better than the Mayavadis.

Devotee: So Śukadeva Gosvami, he was also a monist. So he was under the Brahmavadi category, and then he later became a personalist Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. There is the ātmārāma verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how even liberated souls become attracted to the transcendental qualities of Krishna. I will just add a little on that point, not exactly on that point. So when Śukadeva Gosvami left home, his father pursued him into the forest and he recited two verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one describing the mercy of Krishna which begins with, aho bakī yaṁ, and describing beauty of Krishna. And when Śukadeva Gosvami heard those two verses, he became attracted and then he heard the Bhāgavatam from his father.

Devotee: I want to take your guidance. What is the best way to make the spiritual master happy?

Giriraj Swami: Well, by following his instructions. Of course, Srila Prabhupada says there are three categories or levels of disciples. You can say the lowest, he will receive an instruction from the spiritual master and then five minutes later say, “What was it that guru Maharaja wanted me to do?” Or he might hear the instruction but accept it begrudgingly. The second category receives an instruction from the spiritual master and executes it perfectly. And the first category, the highest category, knows what the spiritual master wants without being told and does it.

Devotee: Maharaja, continuing to what Malini was asking, so do Mayavadis think that they can become God and Brahmavadis? One of those categories people think that they also can become God, right Maharaja? Do both of them or just one of them?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Mayavadis want to merge and become one with God. The Brahmavadis also want to merge and become one with God, but the difference is that the Mayavadis think that Krishna’s form is material, maya, which is very offensive, whereas the Brahmavadis can appreciate that Krishna’s form as spiritual, but they still prefer to merge. So they are better, alright? Yes.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for a nice lecture and especially the lecture which you gave on the Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśi, where you quoted so many of your pastimes with Srila Prabhupada. So I had a question with the verse which you taught that day, 5.18.8, that the verse ends with the word “kṣraum” and it said it is a seed mantra for Nṛsiṁhadeva. So I wanted to understand what exactly a seed mantra is, like what is the idea behind a mantra which is called the seed mantra?

Giriraj Swami: Sorry.

Devotee: What is the idea behind a word or a phrase which is called a seed mantra or a bija-mantra?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, there are bija mantras, seed mantras. Well, like a seed, the whole plant is contained within the seed. And when you plant it and water it, the seed sprouts and the plant is manifested. So yes, the seed mantras, bija-mantras are important, essential.

Devotee: Can I ask one more question Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: As long as it is not too difficult. [laughter]

Devotee: The question is that many times when people go to different spiritual organizations, it is a very common idea being told to them that whoever has started that organization is an incarnation of Krishna or an incarnation of God. And many times when people are new to Krishna consciousness, they find it very difficult to accept how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also a form of Krishna. So how can they really understand? Because they see it the same thing. They might have been to different organizations and they were told that whoever started the organization is God. And when they come to ISKCON, they see, “Oh, you also have someone who is like Krishna.” So how do we really make them understand that Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself?

Giriraj Swami: Well, in shastra, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is mentioned to be Krishna.

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
 sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
 yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
 yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

So yes, we have to recognize an incarnation with reference to the shastra. We can’t just accept anyone who claims to be an incarnation to be one, unless they are mentioned in shastra and are able to do things that no ordinary person can do. That is another way of checking if someone really is an incarnation or not, that they can do things that an ordinary person cannot do. But the main question is, are they mentioned in shastra? And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is. Yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. In the purport, Prahlada Maharaja, he is actually refusing to accept any benedictions because he wanted to serve his spiritual master. So the other side of things, Rupa Gosvami mentions that everything should be engaged in Krishna’s service. So can one also accept any benedictions with the mood that we are going to use it on behalf of the spiritual master? Of course, we use that and Krishna’s. So these are two different sides. So just my question was, are both correct? Or like Prahlada Maharaja, of course, a mahājana. So what should be our mood?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Prahlada’s case is different. Eventually, because Nṛsiṁhadeva wanted him to accept benedictions, eventually he asked that his father be purified. And Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva replied, “You and seven generations of your family are already liberated because you took birth in the family and are a pure devotee.” But as far as getting material facility to use in devotional service, are you asking if you can pray for that? What exactly is your question?

Devotee: If it comes on its own accord, then can this also be considered that we accept whatever comes on its own accord and use it for Krishna’s service?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes, certainly. Excellent. Yes.

Devotee: Maharaja, it just came to my mind that when we are doing service to Krishna and Guru, how do we guard against offenses? My reference is to the Four Kumaras who came to the doorkeepers. The doorkeepers were doing their service, but they offended them. So how can one guard against that situation?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, offenses, we have to avoid offenses, especially to devotees, vaiṣṇava-aparādha. Well, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written a book called Harināma-cintāmaṇi, in which he discusses the ten offenses against the holy name. And the first offense is sādhu-nindā, to blaspheme or criticize devotees. And in his analysis, he describes different grounds on which one could criticize a devotee, such as low birth, sinful activities performed before coming to devotional service, traces of sinful activities even after coming to devotional service, not having all the twenty-six qualities of a devotee. And Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that none of these are grounds for criticizing a devotee. And regarding the twenty-six qualities of a devotee, one of the twenty-six is Kṛṣṇa-eka-sharanam, having taken exclusive shelter of Krishna. And Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that if someone has that quality of Kṛṣṇa-eka-sharanam, then he is accepted as a devotee and should be respected as such, even if he doesn’t manifest the other twenty-five qualities, all of the other twenty-five qualities. So we should respect devotees, we should honor devotees, we should glorify devotees. And he says that if by chance one does blaspheme a devotee, then the same tongue with which one blasphemed the devotee, should be used to glorify the devotee. But the best way to avoid offending devotees is to glorify them, and serve them, please them.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. The other day when you were giving the class for the newcomers, you talked about envy. So we have seen in the case of Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was obviously envious of Krishna, his own son. But even in our day-to-day life, in our organization, there are instances where we get into that mode, even though we are trying to not think in that angle. Can you give us some practical tips or advice on how to control envy or not think about it in that fashion?

Giriraj Swami: The same way, just to appreciate the devotees, glorify the devotees, serve the devotees. Yes.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja, appreciate, glorify, serve.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Thank you very much for being here and sharing the wisdom and the mercy of Prabhupada through you. But a question came up while some of the devotees were reading in the morning that if you offend the devotee in the mind, and if that person that you are offending, you get their faults or their qualities in you. Can you please help me understand that?

Giriraj Swami: Oh, so they are saying that if you have bad thoughts about a devotee in your mind, then the bad qualities that you see in the devotee, whether they are there or not, come to you?

It could be. Like they say, when you point your finger at someone, three fingers are pointing to you. So, we should try to see the good in the devotees. If we are in a position of authority, it might be our service, our duty to correct the devotee as required. But otherwise, if it is not our service or our duty, we should tend to see their good qualities and appreciate their nice service.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja.

Devotee: Just a follow-up to that. Most of the time, a lot of which is by default, try to find faults in our mind. Why is that devotee doing this? Or why is he not doing this? Later, we try to rationalize, okay, we shouldn’t think like that and we try to find many good things by deliberation. But is that okay or can we do something about that?

Giriraj Swami: Can you repeat the question?

Devotee: I was saying that, by default, our mind tries to find faults. So, I would see some devotee doing something and I would think, why is he doing that or why is he not doing that? And later, we try to deliberate that, okay, I shouldn’t think like that. But these thoughts come again and again in various situations. So, is that offensive or can we do something about that?

Giriraj Swami: A devotee could make a mistake and with respect and sympathy, you can correct the devotee for the devotee’s benefit. Yes, appreciating devotees doesn’t mean that we are blind to the reality if some devotee makes a mistake or does something wrong. So if you are in a position to help the devotee by correcting the devotee, that is well and good. And if you feel you are not in a position to do that, but it is serious enough, you could inform the devotee’s authority about the situation so the authority can correct the devotee. But yes, it is good if we see that someone is doing something wrong to correct them directly or indirectly. But you shouldn’t have any malice towards the devotee. You should have only sympathy. Then it is okay.

On that point of criticizing, Srila Prabhupada said that the one thing he didn’t like about being a spiritual master is that he had to correct his devotees, had to correct his disciples, and they are all Vaishnavas. [laughter] Okay.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Daṇḍavat praṇāma. My question is related to the service to the guru that you mentioned. Usually, when the service is in the lines of preaching, deity worship, kirtans, and those things, intrinsically give pleasure and probably it is easy. But I wanted to ask, one of your most glorious services to Srila Prabhupada and to ISKCON has been how you fought the legal battles to retain the Juhu temple. So, I am sure, actually, talking with lawyers and working out all those politics must have actually seemed so difficult for you. It would not have been pleasurable. But yet, in the spirit of service, you took it on. So, if you could kindly share how you worked on this difficult service, even though it did not seem like anything related to Krishna, right? Those legal battles, those machinations, and those political conspiracies, all those stuffs. So, if you could kindly highlight how you could get over all that?

Giriraj Swami: It was required for Srila Prabhupada’s service, and so we did whatever we had to do for his service. Although, at one stage, Tamal Krishna Goswami told Srila Prabhupada that he knows the Bombay Municipal codes better than the Bhagavad-gītā. Yes, Srila Prabhupada said, “Well, that is not good.” Yes, we had to do the needful. And I found that sometimes when we do something that ordinarily we wouldn’t want to do, if we do something that we like to do, it is not so clear if we are doing it because we like to do it or if we are doing it for the spiritual master. But if we do something that we don’t like to do, then we know we are doing it for the spiritual master and not for ourselves. So that is okay.

Devotee: But Maharaja, can we continue that for a long duration? Because even in the Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the sloka is there which says, how long can you repress your innate feeling? So something like you just mentioned, something you don’t like to do, but you keep pushing to do it because of the orders of the spiritual master. Is it possible that the disciple can break down or he might actually. . .?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, under ordinary circumstances, we want the devotees to serve according to their propensities and proclivities and abilities. But when required, they may have to do something that is not according to their nature. I was more inclined to preaching than to managing, but Srila Prabhupada wanted me to manage in Juhu, so I tried my best to do it.

Devotee: Maharaja, you might have already covered this. We live in Silicon Valley, where devotees come here for the job all over the world, and we do see that they have been cultivated and grown in their spiritual life in different parts of the world. And they have taken initiation and are sheltered by different gurus who are not coming so much to the Bay Area. And I would love to hear from you how we can actually share our affection to those devotees and make them feel welcome and loved. It is the one thing that we are serving our guru. For my understanding Vaisesika Prabhu through local authority in Maharaja, but I wanted to understand how you would address that?

Giriraj Swami: You mean the devotees coming from other places who already may have gurus and are already trained in Krishna Consciousness in a certain way? Well, yes, she said we should make them feel welcome so that they come and take advantage of the association here. And yes, in relation to differences, there is the idea that if a stone, say, with rough edges, is in a river, then by associating with the other stones that are smooth, the one with the rough edges will also become smooth. So yes, welcome them into our association and they should be enlivened and enlightened and make further progress and also contribute to the community.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. Last class during the Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśi, you mentioned about how pure devotees don’t have material desires. They don’t even desire liberation. So my question was that since we are so, at least I am super fallen, should we target liberation or prema-bhakti as the highest goal?

Giriraj Swami: Prema-bhakti. You get prema-bhakti, you are automatically liberated. When you said about how you are so fallen, I thought of one disciple, he said to Srila Prabhupada, “I am the most fallen.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “You are not the most anything.” [Laughter]

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. This is in relation to another question asked by another devotee. So, he was mentioning how we should not be envious towards other devotees, and I was wondering, we are all parts of the spiritual nature. So, why does envy, criticism, and other kinds of qualities come on to us by nature? And why not glorify others like good stuff? We need to like train and practice, but bad stuff just comes on to us. Why is that happening? [Laughter]

Giriraj Swami: What do you think?

Devotee: I really thought about it and I don’t know. I can’t find the answer to it.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. As you know, they are different modes of nature and under the influence of different modes, some things come naturally and some don’t. So, yes, under the mode of goodness, good things will come naturally, and under the other modes, other things will come naturally. But we still have to make our effort to overcome the bad things that seem to come naturally and by our determined effort, overcome those, do the good things. Yes.

Devotee: Guru Maharaja, when someone asked the question about your struggle in Bombay, I was remembering this point when Srila Prabhupada said, “This was a good battle. Someone should write a book about it.” When that was said, was it at that moment that you felt you should write that book?

Giriraj Swami: Oh yes, that is true. The night that the conveyance was signed and the land became Prabhupada’s and ISKCON’s. So yes, afterwards in his room, he leaned back and he said, “It was a good fight. Someone should write a book about it.” At that time, I didn’t think that I would be the one, but later it became clear. [Laughter]

Devotee: Maharaja, we have Kaishora class. They are present at 9:45 a.m. and they would love for you to actually watch their presentation as well. That is a fifteen-minute presentation.

Giriraj Swami: Where is it?

Devotee: It is right here.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee: At 9:45, the Kaishora class kids will come and attend.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, I will stay.

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: All right, thank you all very much.

Devotee: We thank His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja for being at ISV, and we pray also that he comes here every Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśi, and maybe Radhastami.

Giriraj Swami: I am committed for Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśi and Janmashtami. So are they going to perform now? Yes, I will just go in there for a minute and sure,

Giriraj Swami: His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!