SB 2.3.17 – Cultivating Eternal Prosperity

Giriraj Swami: So today is a very special day called Akshaya-Tritiya and I will read something I wrote about Akshaya-Tritiya.

“The known as Akshaya-Tritiya occurs on the third day, Tritiya, of the waxing moon in the month of Vaisakha. Every second of this blessed day is completely auspicious, and there is no consideration of anyone period muhūrta being better than another. Akshaya means inexhaustible. Anything a devotee undertakes on the day of Akshaya-Tritiya is bound to succeed, especially the performance of devotional activities, which guarantee an exhaustible benefit. It is also said that Akshaya-Tritiya is the day when Treta-yuga began and the river Ganges descended to Earth. Also, the festival known as Chandan-yatra starts on Akshaya-Tritiya. In Madhva sampradāya, Akshaya-Tritiya is celebrated as the day of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parasurama.

In the Sri Krishna Matt, Monastery, a special festival takes place during which the Akshaya-Patra, a marvelous pot gifted by the sun god to Draupadi, is worshiped. Srimati Draupadi was given the benediction that her pot would provide unlimited food at each meal until she herself ate from it. It appears that the pot came under the custody of Sri Madhvacharya, and on Akshaya-Tritiya, it is worshiped, and prasāda is lavishly distributed throughout the day. An interesting incident took place on Akshaya-Tritiya in Nandagram, where Sri Krishna enjoyed His childhood pastimes with Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda. When Nanda Maharaja established his residence there, he excavated a large lake then known as Nanda-Sarovar. Nanda Maharaja, his family members, and all the vrajavāsīs used to bathe in that lake. It is said that while Nanda Maharaja and his family bathed at one end of the lake, Vrishabhanu Maharaja, father of Srimati Radharani, would occasionally come and bathe with his family at the other end. According to local tradition, Srimati Radharani and Krishna used to swim underwater to the middle of the lake and engage in pastimes.

One day, little Krishna noticed that instead of cooking the usual meal of rice, dahl, sabji, and chapattis, Mother Yasoda was making all kinds of fried preparations with dahl, noodles, and flour. When Krishna asked her why she was cooking those things, she replied that Nanda Maharaja was going on a pilgrimage the next day and the fried things she was cooking would last for several days without spoiling. Krishna then asked where His father was going, and Mother Yasoda replied that he was going to Prayag. So Krishna went to Nanda Maharaja and asked him where Prayag was and why he was going there. Nanda Maharaja explained that Prayag was the sacred place where the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati met and flowed together, and that to take bath there was most auspicious. The next morning was Akshaya-Tritiya, the perfect day to start on a long journey. As usual, Nanda Maharaja got up early and went to take bath in his lake. When he got there, however, he saw a man he had never seen before, an imposing regal person rolling in the dust and laughing loudly. Every now and then, he would get up and dive into Nanda-Sarovar, and again he would come out and roll in the dust and laugh, and again bathe in the lake. Nanda Maharaja approached the kingly man and asked, “Maharaja, who are you?” “Baba, I am Prayag,” the man replied. “Prayag? I don’t know anyone in Nandagram with that name.” “No, no, I am not from here. I am Prayagraj, the king of all the holy places.” “Then why have you come here today, Maharaja?” “Baba, all year long, people come and bathe in my waters and leave their sins there. So every year on Akshaya-Tritiya, I come here, roll in the dust of Vraja, and bathe in this Sarovar because this dust and this lake have the potency to purify anyone from all sins.” Nanda Maharaja was amazed.

Suddenly, he noticed that on the other side of the lake were many beautiful ladies in silk saris embroidered with gold and silver threads. They were also bathing in the lake. Approaching them respectfully, Nanda Maharaja asked who they were. One lady replied, “Baba, I am Ganga.” Another said, “I am Sarasvati,” and yet another said, “I am Godavari.” They all responded with the names of different holy rivers: Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Brahmaputra, Mahananda, etc. Then Nanda Maharaja asked, “Why have you come here today? I have never seen you before.” The ladies explained that all year long, people put their sins into their waters and that every year on the Akshaya-Tritiya day, they came to Vraja to roll in its dust, bathe in the Sarovar, and become purified. After taking his bath, Nanda Maharaja went back up the hill to his residence. By that time, little Krishna was awake. Coming before His father, He asked, “Baba, are you going now?” “No, Lala, I am not going.” “Why, Baba?” “Because today all the places I wanted to go came to take bath in our lake and become purified. So why should I take the trouble to go to them when they all came here?” And from that day, Nanda-Sarovar became known as Pavana Sarovar.”

So, this is the story of Akshaya-Tritiya. I think I should have a picture of it. Well, now we will read a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. First, I will sing the maṅgalācaraṇa prayers and lead a short kirtan, then I will speak.

[Prayers and kirtan]

Hare Krishna my dear devotees. I 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 already engaged in devotional service, but we want to accelerate, which means go faster. 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

So, Srila Prabhupada was very expert at speaking in the language of his audience, and once he was meeting with one of our life members and supporters, a very wealthy man, Brijmohan Mohta, who was married to daughter of Mr. R D Birla. And he said to Mr. Mohta that “In the ledger of your life, any time used in Krishna consciousness, any time spent is profit, and any time spent outside of Krishna consciousness is lost.” Any businessman or person will want to maximize their profits and minimize their loss. So, he said any time used in Krishna consciousness is profit, and any time spent outside of Krishna consciousness is loss. At the time of death, if you want to increase your duration of life, you can be ready to spend any amount of money, but you cannot do so because your allotted time is ending. So, the time we have is our most valuable possession, and any time wasted outside of Krishna consciousness cannot be compensated by any amount of gold. At the time of death, we can certainly understand how important our time is and how important it is to utilize our time in uttama-śloka-vārtayā, topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.

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. 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. 

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada used to give the example of the fish out of water. You may take a fish out of water and put it in a golden bowl and fill the bowl with valuable gems and jewels, spray perfume, and light incense, but 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. Similarly, we are creatures of the spirit, and we can be happy only in the spiritual atmosphere or environment.

PURPORT (continued)

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. 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

In the purport to that verse in the Bhagavad-gītā, Srila Prabhupada explains that the greatest fear is that one will fall down into a lower species of life. But if one makes even a slight beginning in devotional service, he is guaranteed to get a human life and have the opportunity to continue his devotional service. Whatever we achieve materially is lost at the time of death. For example, we may know many languages, but when we die and take birth again, we forget all the languages we knew, and we are just like any baby; we don’t know any language. So, whatever we achieve materially is lost at the time of death, but whatever we achieve spiritually continues in the next life. If we advance 1 percent in Krishna consciousness in this life, then we begin from 2 percent in the next life. There is no loss or diminution. In a beautiful purport in The Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada says that Krishna consciousness is so pure and perfect that once having begun, one is dragged to ultimate success.

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. 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.

COMMENT

In the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna describes the process of knowledge, and part of the process of knowledge is, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, to be conscious of the faults of birth, death, old age, and disease.

PURPORT (continued)

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

COMMENT

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

PURPORT (continued)

The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ). And if the money is given to a veda-pāraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication.

COMMENT

Everything in the material world is limited, so to get the return by unlimited multiplication implies one will get the return in the spiritual world. Once, Srila Prabhupada visited Hong Kong, and the devotees collected him from the airport in a Rolls-Royce limousine. They brought him to the Hong Kong Hilton penthouse suite for a press conference. One of the reporters asked him, “You are supposed to be a spiritual person. Why were you riding in a Rolls-Royce limousine?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, actually, I am a resident of the spiritual world, where everything is made of cintāmaṇi gems, transcendental jewels. So even if the vehicle was made of solid gold or solid diamonds, it would not have been good enough. Why did I ride in that Rolls-Royce limousine? Well, that was the best they could offer, so I accepted it.” So, return in unlimited multiplication. After Hong Kong, Srila Prabhupada came to Juhu, and he told me that whole story, what they said, and what he said. He commented, “What else can you say to such envious people?”

PURPORT (continued)

The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ). 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

That is a line from the Bhagavad-gītā in which Sri Krishna says that one who attains to His abode never has to take birth again.

PURPORT (Continued)

In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life.

COMMENT

So, on the face of it, the verse is very striking.

“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.”

And how is that so? Because one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead, uttama-śloka-vārtayā, prepares himself for eternal life, to realize his eternal life with Krishna.

PURPORT (Continued)

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

COMMENT

As I mentioned, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, to be aware of the faults of birth, death, old age, and disease is part of the process of knowledge. A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life because they make us conscious that living in this material body is not a happy situation. Nobody wants disease and nobody wants the inconveniences of old age, but as long as we have a material body, we have to suffer old age and disease. When old age and disease come upon us, we can think, Oh, I have to accelerate my devotional service and realize my eternal life. “So, 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.”

So, my dear devotees, thank you 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 hand.

Devotee: Nowadays, outside is very hot. This question is a little bit different. I think nowadays, all over the world, it is so hot. But when we are under the air condition, we feel good, I think so. When we listen to classical music, I feel good. What is the way that this feel-good can be in terms of achieving spiritual satisfaction? What do I have to do to feel good for that spiritual attainment or satisfaction? I don’t know if I made my question clear.

Giriraj Swami: Well, as Srila Prabhupada said in the purport, the living entity is seeking happiness because happiness is the constitutional position of the living entity, but he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere, and he can achieve happiness only in the spiritual realm. Our process is very easy. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is joyfully performed. Narottama dasa Thakura says, kevala ānanda-kāṇḍa, it is simply joyful: chanting, dancing, feasting, and philosophy. Once, one of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples was explaining the process. Actually, Srila Prabhupada used that phrase: chanting, dancing, feasting, and philosophy. So the disciple was saying, “Chanting, dancing, feasting, and philosophy, and a little work,” and Srila Prabhupada interrupted and said, “No, no work.” Then the disciple said, “Chanting, dancing, feasting, philosophy, and a very little work.” Again, Srila Prabhupada interrupted, “No, no work.” So yes, no work in devotional service. There is devotional service, but no work as such, no karma.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja, I just first want to thank you for coming to our home today and thank you for your wonderful class. My question was regarding charity. So, every action has a reaction, whether it is good or bad. So, same with charity. If you do something good, you also accrue that action or karma as well. So, how can we do charity in a way where we don’t accrue karma and it is still in Krishna consciousness?

Giriraj Swami: Well, if you give the money for devotional service, then there is no material reaction. You only get spiritual benefit. Again, in the Bhagavad-gītā, in one purport, Srila Prabhupada says that every endeavor requires land, organization, manpower, and capital, and that applies to the spreading of Krishna consciousness. So, if you contribute to the capital, contribute some of your capital, to the capital being used for spreading Krishna consciousness, then you make great spiritual advancement and get great returns. Yes, no material reaction. But if someone accepts charity in the name of Krishna consciousness but then does not use the money for Krishna consciousness, uses it for himself, his own personal or extended sense gratification, then he becomes a debtor for the person who gave the money for Krishna consciousness. But if we give for Krishna consciousness and the money is used in the service of the Lord, yes, there is no material reaction, and we get spiritual benefit.

Devotee: I have one question. The taste of Krishna consciousness, does it depend on individuality or does it come naturally?

Giriraj Swami: Well, there are different stages of spiritual advancement. Srila Rupa Gosvami has described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, adau śraddhā—the first faith, sādhu-saṅga—then association with devotees. Of course, there must be some preliminary association with devotees to develop faith. One regularly associates with devotees and bhajana-kriyā—engages in devotional service. Srila Prabhupada explains that at that stage, one accepts a spiritual master, takes initiation, and engages in devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master. Then, anartha-nivṛtti—the eradication of anarthas, unwanted desires, and unwanted habits. Then, niṣṭhā—steadiness. After one pass through anartha-nivṛtti, one comes to niṣṭhā, steadiness, and then the ruci, taste, a very high degree of taste. There has to be taste. Even in the beginning, adau śraddhā, to have faith, you must have had some taste, but it increases. Your taste increases as you make progress, and āsakti—attachment, and bhāva—ecstasy, and prema—pure love.

Devotee: Okay, long process.

Giriraj Swami: Well, there are different stages, but it depends on you how long it takes.

Devotee: Maharaja, you answered Mataji Priya’s question about how if we use money for our own selfish desires, we become debtors. I look at myself, and it is like a very, very dramatic balance of misra-bhakti with 95 percent selfish and 5 percent or less desire, and of course, the goal is throughout our lives to get closer to that pure form of bhakti. But along the way, if we have that balance between how we are using our money, how we are using our resources, what is the reaction? How does the spiritual court decide that for us?

Giriraj Swami: Oh, well, I was referring to someone who gives a donation that you accept a donation in the name of Krishna consciousness and then use it for yourself. You become a debtor. But if you are working and earning money and using it. So you don’t use any of your money for sense gratification?

Devotee: I use a lot of your money, but nobody gives me donations, so I think. . .

Giriraj Swami: Well, try to decrease the proportion that you spend on sense gratification and increase the proportion that you spend on Krishna consciousness. That will be the right direction.

Host: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. So there is one question online. They are asking, Maharaja, you told me recently that 90 percent of our Krishna consciousness is association. We should be careful to associate with devotees that can uplift us. How can I make sure that I am not in bad association?

Giriraj Swami: Do you know the name of the person who asked the question?

Host: That is Prema Mitra Mataji.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I did quote Srila Prabhupada that 90 percent of Krishna consciousness is association. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami enumerates sixty-four items of devotional service, and he says that of the sixty-four, five are most potent, and even a slight association with any one of the five can awaken dormant love for Krishna. So what are the five? Sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa—reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, mathurā-vāsa—residing in Mathura, Vrindavan, or Mayapur, and mūrtira śraddhāya sevana—serving the deity with faith and veneration. Then Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of sādhu-saṅga. Sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅga svato vare. So, Sajātīyā, in a literal sense, means belonging to the same cast or community. In our context, it would mean a follower of Srila Prabhupada. Then snigdhe indicates that the sadhu should be affectionate to you, and svato vare means the sadhu should be more advanced than you are. That is the actual definition of sādhau saṅga. The sadhu should be a follower of Srila Prabhupada, should be affectionate to you, and should be more advanced than you.

Host: Maharaja, there is a paraphrasing in the question. The question is, how do I make sure I am not the bad association?

Giriraj Swami: Well, when you associate with people, you should keep the level spiritual. If you discuss Krishna, chant together, read together, and do service together, then you will be good association; you won’t be bad association. In one lecture in Los Angeles, the Srila Prabhupada said that, “If you have time, chant Hare Krishna. Don’t speak nonsense, don’t waste time; chant Hare Krishna.” We should do that whenever we have free time—chant about Krishna, hear about Krishna, do some service for Krishna.

Host: There is one more question online. It is from Chandrika Priya Mataji. The question is: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja, thank you very much for the wonderful class. I was wondering, is it possible to accelerate our bhakti through doing our duties like work and taking care of family?

Giriraj Swami: But you accelerate your bhakti, uttama-śloka-vārtayā, by engaging in topics of the Personality of Godhead. Doing your duties, we have to do our duties, but even while our bodies may be engaged in some. . . [break in audio]

Devotee: So, guru Maharaja, charity given for Krishna consciousness, to temples, is one form of charity. Another form of charity is giving to people who are spreading Krishna consciousness for their daily routine personal maintenance—is that also considered veda-pāraga?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, if you give money to a preacher who is spreading Krishna consciousness, that is wonderful.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Maharaja, what is the role of personal effort versus causeless mercy in bhakti? If prema-bhakti is ultimately dependent on causeless mercy, then what is the difference between two people who externally are equally qualified but one receives causeless mercy and one does not? It seems like a bias. Could you elaborate? How does one receive causeless mercy?

Giriraj Swami: Well, in the dāmodara-līlā, when Mother Yasoda was trying to bind Krishna with ropes, the ropes were always two fingers too short. But then at a certain stage, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Krishna allowed Himself to be bound by her. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam uses two words: one is pariśrama and the other is kṛṣṇa-kṛpā. When Krishna saw the pariśrama, the hard labor of Mother Yasoda, kṛṣṇa-kṛpā, he gave his mercy and allowed her to bind Him. The acharyas comment that the distance of two fingers—one finger was covered by pariśrama, by hard labor, personal endeavor, and the other by kṛṣṇa-kṛpā, by Krishna’s mercy. So both are required. We have to make our own effort, and we also need Krishna’s mercy. If we think, I will just do it by my own effort; I don’t need Krishna’s mercy, that is wrong. But if we think, I am not going to make any effort; I am just going to wait for Krishna’s mercy, that is also wrong. We need both pariśrama and kṛṣṇa-kṛpā.

Host: Maharaja. There is another online question by Shobha Radha dasi. I finish my chanting and deity worship and reading, and after that, I feel I have done my Krishna consciousness for the day, and then I want sense gratification. How do I stop that?

Giriraj Swami: Well, we have to develop the higher taste so that we get more pleasure out of devotional practices than out of sense gratification. But if we don’t have that higher taste, then we should, by force, restrain ourselves. Srila Rupa Gosvami gives a beautiful example in The Nectar of Instruction, Upadeśāmṛta. For someone afflicted by the disease of jaundice, sugar tastes bitter. But the ayurvedic cure for jaundice is sugar candy. If one takes the sugar candy as a medicine, even though it tastes bitter, then gradually, as one becomes cured of the disease, the sugar candy will taste sweeter and sweeter. When one is completely cured, one will be able to taste it as it is, which is sweet like nectar. Even if some of the practices seem bitter in the beginning, we should still engage in our spiritual practices. By such engagement, we will gradually become cured of our material disease, avidya, which means ignorance—identifying with the body. It begins with identifying with the body. Theoretically, we know we are not the body; we are the soul within the body. But still, we may have false identification with the body in practical terms. That is avidya, and due to that avidya, we don’t taste the sweetness of our spiritual practices. But if we engage in our spiritual practices as a matter of duty, like taking a bitter medicine, then gradually we will be cured and taste them as being sweet.

Host: If there are no other questions, Maharaja, I just want to personally say that I am so thankful that you are here today. From me visiting our home, you gave us such a great time, and we really enjoyed the lecture. I think I can speak for my wife, my family, and all the devotees here that we are so, so grateful from the bottom of our hearts that you are here today.

Now, we want to show everyone a quick video. For those of you that don’t know, Maharaja was personally instructed by Srila Prabhupada to write books. Now we will watch a video about his books. Today is a great opportunity because if you purchase his books today, he will also sign them for you. That is a great opportunity. Please don’t miss this special book signing. Thank you, and it is an even thousand times better opportunity.

[Video played]