SB 2.3.17 – Guaranteed Eternal Life

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, my dear devotees. We will 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 the sun is rising and setting, the clock is ticking. So we want to accelerate our spiritual progress, like in a car, there Is a pedal called the accelerator, and when you want to go faster, you step on it.

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

At the time of death, we may be ready to spend any amount of money to extend our duration of life, but we will not be able to. So the time that we have is very precious and should be utilized, uttama-śloka-vārtayā, in topics of the all good Personality of Godhead. Srila Prabhupada was expert in speaking the language of his audience, and once he was speaking to a very big man in Bombay, Brijmohan Mohata, who is married to R D Birla’s daughter, and he told Mr. Mohata that, “In the ledger of your life, any time used in Krishna consciousness is profit and any time spent outside of Krishna consciousness is loss.” Any businessman or anyone will want to maximize their profits and minimize their loss. So he said any time spent in Krishna consciousness is profit, and any time spent outside of Krishna consciousness is loss.

PURPORT (continued)

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

COMMENT

Yes, the Vedānta-sūtra says, ānandamayo ‘bhyāsāt, that the Absolute Truth is by nature full of bliss, and we are also parts and parcels of the Absolute Truth, and so by nature, we are also meant to be blissful, full of ānanda.

PURPORT (continued)

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

COMMENT

So we are meant to be happy, but we are vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere, and we can achieve real happiness only in relation to the Supreme Lord. We can make contact with the Supreme Lord through His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes, His entourage, and His paraphernalia. This is how we should utilize our time. In a talk in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you have time, chant Hare Krishna. Don’t speak nonsense, don’t waste time, chant Hare Krishna.” So, whenever possible, as much as possible, we should chant.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

PURPORT (continued)

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, the greatest fear is that one will descend into a lower species of life, but if one engages in devotional service, he is guaranteed to at least get a human form of life.

PURPORT (continued)

As a highly potent drug injected intravenously 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

Now, I checked this with Triveda Prabhu, who is our editor of Srila Prabhupada’s books, and he said, and I suspected it might be the case, that it should read: “As a highly potent drug injected intravenously 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.”

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. This realization for a moment in the association of pure devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī prepares one’s complete life for eternity. And thus the sun fails to rob the pure devotee of his duration of life, inasmuch as he is constantly busy in the devotional service of the Lord, purifying his existence. Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being; only due to material infection is the eternal living entity subjected to the law of birth, death, old age, and disease.

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

COMMENT

So, if you are looking for a good investment, I don’t think you can do better than this.

PURPORT (continued)

and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication. 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, if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, it is returned by unlimited multiplication. Everything in the material world is limited, so to receive the reward by unlimited multiplication implies that one will receive it in the spiritual world.

Once, Srila Prabhupada was in Hong Kong, and he was received at the airport in a Rolls-Royce limousine and taken to the penthouse suite of the Hong Kong Hilton for a press conference. At the press conference, one of the reporters asked Srila Prabhupada, “You are supposed to be a spiritual person. Why were you riding in a Rolls-Royce limousine?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “I am a resident of the spiritual world, and everything in the spiritual world is made of cintāmaṇi gems, spiritual jewels. So, even if they had collected me in a solid gold Rolls-Royce limousine or a solid diamond Rolls-Royce, it would not have been good enough. So, you are asking why I, a spiritual person, rode in a Rolls-Royce limousine? Well, it was the best they could offer, so I had to accept it.” After this incident, Srila Prabhupada came to Bombay and related the incident to me. He said, “What else can you say to such envious people?” So, coming back to the unlimited multiplication, that will come in 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

It is a line from the Bhagavad-gītā in which Lord Krishna says that one who attains His abode never has to take birth again. So, this is the reward we get for utilizing our time in uttama-śloka-vārtayā, in topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.

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, our old age and disease in present life is an impetus to guaranteed eternal life because they remind us that the material world is not a happy place. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, duḥkhalayam aśāśvatam, it is a place of misery and it is temporary. So, old age and disease remind us that the material world is not a happy place, that the physical body is not a proper residence for the spirit soul, and therefore it is an impetus for us to utilize our time in uttama-śloka-vārtayā, in topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead, so we don’t have to take birth again and suffer janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age, and disease in a physical body. Instead, we can enjoy with Krishna in a spiritual body. That is our goal and the perfection of life. So yes, we should always engage in uttama-śloka-vārtayā, kṛṣṇa-kathā, and kṛṣṇa-nāma, chanting Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Thank you, my dear devotees, for listening so patiently and attentively. Now, if any of you have any questions or comments, any reflections you would like to share, you can raise your hands.

Yes, Devakinandan Prabhu.

Devakinandan Prabhu: Thank you, Maharaja, for the wonderful class, soft and sweet as usual. You said all our time should be utilized in uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Any time used for anything else is a waste of time. Now, there are two kinds of practical problems, two kinds of devotees we see. One devotee takes it literally and becomes fanatic, and after some time, you don’t find where they are. Is there any age, or will it come naturally, or do we have to do it artificially? What to do, or will it come spontaneously?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Srila Prabhupada said practice makes perfect, even in spiritual life. So, we should practice utilizing our time in uttama-śloka-vārtayā, topics of the all-good personality of Godhead, and in chanting the holy name. As far as fanaticism, the Upadeśāmṛta, The Nectar of Instruction, describes six items favorable for devotional service and six items that spoil devotional service. One of the items that spoil devotional service is niyamāgraha, which can be divided in two ways: niyam-āgraha or niyama-agraha. One means to follow the rules and regulations fanatically without understanding the reason, and the other is to neglect following the rules and regulations and to act whimsically. So, yes, that is a good point. We should not be fanatics. We should be balanced. Balance is very important in Krishna consciousness.

Devakinandan Prabhu: But does it happen naturally, or do we have to tell our mind, “Okay, be here"? If somebody comes to talk, “No, no, no, I cannot talk.” Does it happen naturally, or do we have to differentiate between naturally happening and artificially doing?

Giriraj Swami: How do you think we can differentiate?

Devakinandan Prabhu: That is why I am asking.

Giriraj Swami: Ideally, it should happen naturally. Ideally, it should happen naturally that we want to utilize our time in the best way. But we also don’t want to offend devotees. So, if a devotee approaches us and they want to, in a way, waste our time with prajalpaḥ or some unnecessary talk, we can say, “I still have to finish my rounds, so you are welcome to stay and chant with me,” or “I still have to complete my reading, so you are welcome to stay and join me for reading.” So, they don’t feel they are being rejected, but at the same time, you can maintain your focus on hearing and chanting about Krishna and also offer to include them.

Devotee: Yes, thank you, Maharaja. Hare Krishna. Since in Prabhupada’s purport, he describes how if the pure devotee injects this medicine, the effect is extremely effective. So, in that way, our supreme pure devotee Srila Prabhupada has injected so many things into your ear, and I wanted to ask you about one of them. Prabhupada wrote to me that this entire compound and temple and deities are our international project. So, of all the things you have heard Prabhupada say about what he wanted to accomplish from the worship of these deities and from this international project, what would you say was the most inspiring that you heard? And thank you, Hare Krishna, for being that oral receptor to Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, thank you. Hare Krishna. Well, Srila Prabhupada wanted to preach to all kinds of people, and he was aware that Westerners were coming to India for spiritual life. He wanted the Juhu project to cater to them, to appeal to them, to serve them. Once, after Prabhupada left, I think Keshava Bharathi dasa Gosvami took account of the Westerners that were coming to the Juhu temple. He said that we were getting more Westerners coming to the Juhu temple than they were getting at Soho Street in London. So, that was a very important part of Srila Prabhupada’s mission and vision for Hare Krishna Land, that we should attract and cater to Westerners. And thank you for contributing so much to the construction of the temple through the BBT, LA, which is the sister city of Mumbai.

Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Why do you think Prabhupada called it sister cities? I have been meditating on that for many, many decades.

Giriraj Swami: I heard that somewhere. I don’t know if Prabhupada said it.

Devotee: Oh, he told me.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, he did tell you?

Devotee: Oh yes.

Giriraj Swami: Then what I said was correct?

Devotee: Yes, it was part of the instruction when he was explaining. I have now signed this contract and I am requesting you to send, it was in an area of US$70,000 every month. So I used to think sister city. Well, I can look at it in terms of the gross material energy. The climate of Los Angeles and of Mumbai are very similar. So, that was the first gross understanding of sister cities. But then Surabhi Maharaja came to New Dvaraka. I think we have related this once here, on his final preparations for leaving this world. As he was getting ready to give class, he was sitting on the vyāsāsana. It was the first time he had seen Rukhmini-Dwarkadhish deities, and I was watching him very attentively. He started crying. It took him long minutes to compose himself, and then the first words he said were, “I owe my entire spiritual life, my whole relationship with Srila Prabhupada to Sri Sri Rukhmini-Dwarkadhish.”

I said, “Well, that doesn’t make sense to me. I have known Surabhi Maharaja for so many—” So then he explained that Prabhupada had told him an amazing story. Here in Bombay, in the office where Prabhupada was overseeing all the features of the design of this temple, Prabhupada told him, “I wanted to build all of this in my Western World Headquarters.” Once, when I was visiting Rukhmini-Dwarkadhish, I was expressing this to them, that this was going to be my offering to them. The deities were very pleased, but they told Prabhupada, “No, no, no. We want that, what you are envisioning, we want you to offer that to us in Bombay.” Prabhupada said, “No, no!” You have to picture this. Prabhupada was sitting on a vyāsāsana, having a mystical conversation with the deities, which is imperceptible to any one of us. We don’t see Prabhupada talking to Krishna, but he talks to Krishna. We don’t see the deity talking to Prabhupada, but the deity talks to Prabhupada. So this was happening while Prabhupada was on the vyāsāsana, doing something else externally.

So Prabhupada said, “No, this is the Western World Headquarters. I really want this to be here.” It almost sounded like Prabhupada was arguing with Rukhmini and Dwarkadhish, but they said, “No, we love that you want to offer this. We want you to offer it to us in our Bombay Center to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari.” So, Prabhupada had to surrender to that request. So Surabhi was saying, “My whole relationship with Prabhupada is designing temples in India. If Rukhmini-Dwarkadhish had not told that to Prabhupada, Prabhupada would not have grabbed me when he met me.” In that way, I started thinking, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari and Rukhmini-Dwarkadhish, they are sister temples, these are sister cities. This is Krishna and His different forms, and we are so intimately related.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya. Wonderful, beautiful.

Madhav Prabhu: We would like to thank His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja for giving today’s lecture as well as his association during the anniversary festival of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari Mandir. Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari Mandir was inaugurated on the 14th January 1978, that year Makar Sankranti day. Generally, Makar Sankranti comes on 14th January, but sometimes 15th January also. So this year we are having on 15th January the Makara-Sankranti festival. So both 14th and 15th, one by Tithi and another by calendar date. So we are celebrating two days, double the program. Prabhupada said, “Double it.”

So Srila Prabhupada wanted to make the wonderful marvelous marble palace for Sri Radha-Rasabihari ji, and His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja spearheaded the team of devotees to realize that promise that Srila Prabhupada gave to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Our Srila Prabhupada has gone; let him come, and it was realized also. Manpower was here. Money power is also required for achieving anything. Manpower, money power, Rameshwar Prabhu has wonderfully followed the instruction of Srila Prabhupada to send the money which actually made it possible. We are also very fortunate to have him also during this anniversary celebration here. Srila Prabhupada very fondly called his Western disciples, white elephants. During the guru-puja time in front of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai deity, Svarupa Damodara Prabhu came from behind, and he said that on the Gaura-Nitai altar, there are dancing white elephants. Hare Krishna. So Prabhupada said, “White elephants.” The white elephants are already there.

Generally, in the material world, on this planet at least, you don’t see white elephants. You see dark elephants, black elephants, and the elephants are mostly used for prestige, walk, procession, and all. Maintaining an elephant is very difficult, by the way. Sometimes people say that elephant, but Srila Prabhupada said, white elephants, meaning the Western devotees. In the procession, when the elephant goes, the elephant doesn’t dance; people only watch. Even the elephant goes, people come and watch. There will be a bell, ding ding, oh, something is happening, you come and see. Srila Prabhupada wanted the hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana to be done by the Western devotees and also dance and chant. So Srila Prabhupada’s white elephants were actually not for just procession; it is for hard work from morning. So Prabhupada also, this white elephant is not found here, actually. Actually, Indra’s elephant Airavat is a white elephant. So from the heavenly planet only, if you want to see a white elephant, you have to go to the heavenly planet. But Prabhupada brought, without going to the heavenly planet, from the Western world only, imported the white elephants who can actually serve.

[Applause]

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu made the elephants dance in Jharkhand Forest, chant and dance, but Prabhupada made white elephants to chant and dance and inspire so many people around India. So Prabhupada certainly wanted to have Krishna consciousness so established in India. So he actually took the devotees, those days mostly Western devotees around India. So Prabhupada also asked His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja to write books, and Giriraj Swami Maharaja has written so many books. We are also taking this opportunity to introduce a new book by His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, Dancing White Elephants. You can see in the cover itself, there are so many dancing devotees, white elephant devotees. Here, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja pens down so many details of traveling with Srila Prabhupada. In the earlier days, there was very intimate association; all the devotees had very intimate association with Srila Prabhupada.

His Grace, Rameshwar Prabhu, please have a seat. As I was mentioning, Prabhupada wanted this wonderful marvelous marble palace to be built for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja spearheaded the team of devotees, and you supplied the vital force for the team: dollars, money. We are very thankful for you also to be here during this anniversary.

Rameshwar Prabhu: My service at the BBT would not have ever happened had it not been for what Giriraj, Prabhupada’s Giriraj did to help establish ISKCON Press in the city of Boston in the year 1969. That was the beginning of the BBT officially, and our Prabhupada, our Maharaja, is responsible for that beginning. My service to Srila Prabhupada, I am eternally in your debt for that. Hare Krishna.

Madhav Prabhu: We are very, very fortunate to have His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja as well as His Grace, Rameshwar Prabhu. Both of them were behind the establishment of this wonderful marble palace for Sri Radha-Rasabihari. His Grace Rameshwar Prabhu, was mentioning in the other day’s class about the same thing, that the first BBT, Srila Prabhupada wanted at the time it was ISKCON Press. He didn’t want to have it on a rented place; he wanted a permanent place. His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja was instrumental with the help of his father, to buy that place by giving $10,000, $10,000 of 1969.

Rameshwar Prabhu: All you have to know is that Srila Prabhupada said, “Wherever we can buy a temple, that is where I will establish my bṛhad-mṛdaṅga.” And there was a competition almost for a year amongst many temples and great stalwart devotees. That competition was won by Giriraj and Satsvarupa in Boston City when they bought the first building in ISKCON, instead of just renting a building. They beat Kirtanananda, Hansadutta, Tamal Krishna, Jayananda, Govinda dasi, and Gaurasundara. Those were the devotees in the competition. Here BBT seated before us is the victor.

Madhav Prabhu: After that very first ISKCON-owned property was purchased, Srila Prabhupada commented, “Giriraj is auspicious.” So Giriraj Maharaja is bringing auspiciousness to us by jotting down all those wonderful associations he had with Srila Prabhupada while traveling. This is Dancing White Elephants: Traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India from August 1970 to March 1972. This book contains Srila Prabhupada’s association with all the devotees in Amritsar, Delhi, Vrindavan, Indore, Surat, Bombay, Prayagraj, Ardha-Kumbha-mela, Gorakhpur, Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Mayapur, and Kolkata. All wonderful details of Srila Prabhupada traveling with the Western devotees, and Giriraj Maharaja has jotted down a wonderful book. Tomorrow is our festival, the actual festival, the Maha-Abhishek, etc., will happen tomorrow, and Maharaja will be giving a class, speaking specifically about the pastimes with Srila Prabhupada in Bombay from this book, as well as from I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story.

Rameshwar Prabhu: If I could just say something that Maharaja may not have realized at the time, while he was in this group of spiritual white elephants traveling with Srila Prabhupada. The rest of the Hare Krishna movement was trying to get bits of nectar from this. We were living for any word about it. If a letter came with any description, that was the ultimate nectar for the temples of the world. At that moment, that letter came, and the whole world of ISKCON was following this. So this book is so amazing. Just thinking about it, I haven’t read it obviously, but it is so amazing to me because I used to dream of it and wait for any nectar to come out of those pastimes. And now here is a book of the nectar. Thank you, Maharaja. You fulfilled the dream of all the devotees from back then.

Madhav Prabhu: By the way, nectar was produced from the churning of the milk ocean. By churning the milk ocean, Amrita was produced. Srila Prabhupada churned the Western Ocean and produced white elephants, and Maharaja has churned all his associations and produced this wonderful book, Dancing White Elephants. So we will have a three-minute video about this book, and after the video, Maharaja will be available. Needless to say, if anybody wants to buy the book, the books will be available. Do you want to say something, Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: No, I brought my pen to sign.

Madhav Prabhu: Oh, he is getting ready to sign. So there will be a book table. Not only this book, but other books like I’ll Build You a Temple and others are also available. Those who want to buy can buy the book and get it to Maharaja. He will be happy to sign. And now, a three-minute video on the book, Dancing White Elephants. Once again, thank you very much, Maharaja, for your lecture as well as your association. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

[Playing the video clip]

Madhav Prabhu: Dancing White Elephants ki jaya!

His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: So, we will conclude with Vaishnava praṇāma,

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca 

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Hare Krishna.