18 August 2020
Pure Bhakti should be desireless and unadulterated
Hare Krishna! Welcome all to the Japa Talk
nāmāśraya kori’ jatane tumi,
thākaha āpana kāje
Translation
This temporary life is full of various miseries. Take shelter of the holy name as your only business.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained, “Take shelter of the holy name and do your duties alongside.” Same knowledge Krsna gave in Bhagavad-Gita.
tasmat sarvesu kalesu
mam anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
mam evaisyasy asamsayah
Translation
Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt. [BG 8.7]
mam anusmara yudhya ca. First hear about Me, remember Me and then fight. These things should go simultaneously. Here Krsna doesn’t say, “You can only remember Me or you can only fight.” He explained that devotional service and remembrance go side by side. Many of you only do Sadhana Bhakti, but are never engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Here we carefully have to understand that we have to do Sadhana and service together.
Krishna consciousness means that we have to remember and do our prescribed duties together. Yogis can only do dhyana and they stay situated in Shanta Rasa. But, the meditation of Braja Gopis is practical because they remember Krsna and at the same time they are eager to serve Krsna enthusiastically.
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate
Translation
Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga. [BG 2.48]
Many of you are writing in the japa talk, but so many of you have faith that you can remember all these things. You should all write.
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛita-duṣhkṛite
tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśhalam
Translation
One who prudently practices the science of work without attachment can get rid of both good and bad reactions in this life itself. Therefore, strive for Yoga, which is the art of working skillfully (in proper consciousness). [BG 2.50]
karmasu kauśhalam means this is the art of living, the lifestyle. Be situated in bhakti and also be engaged in your duties. When we are chanting, we are trying to focus and settle ourselves on Krsna, on His lotus feet. We try to give up all the allures of material maya and try to situate ourselves only under the shelter of Krsna. Shelter of holy name in itself is shelter of Krsna.
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Translation
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. [BG 18.66]
Take shelter of the holy name and do our prescribed duty.
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
_nasty eva gatir anyatha _
Krsna is available only through his Holy names. There is no other way, There is no other way, There is no other way! (CC Madhya 6.242)
kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta’
Translation
“Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful. [CC Madhya 19.149]
Why 3 times?
1. Not by any karma kanda (Bhukti)
2. Not by jñāna kanda – Desire for salvation (Mukti)
3. Not by different yoga (Siddhi)
Whether it is Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, or any other religion, all of them fit into these 3 categories. sarva-dharman parityajya This will not work. Krsna says, “Give them all up.” Any activity which is mixed with desire to get any of these is not going to ever result in Bhakti. These desires to enjoy, leads to some demigods.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
Translation
When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires. [NOD 1.1.11]
This is the pure Bhakti.
kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā
Translation
Those whose knowledge has been carried away by material desires surrender to the celestial gods. Following their own nature, they worship the devatās, practicing rituals meant to propitiate these celestial personalities. [BG 7.20]
So called dharma is a desire fulfilling tree (Kalpa Vriksha). What you desire (Bhakti, Mukti, siddhi) and perform accordingly, your desires will be fulfilled. But by following so called dharma we cannot attain Krsna prema. Only by anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ dharma , we have to give up other dharma and follow real dharma to attain Krsna prema.
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
There is no other way. Here way means method. It is only chanting the names of Krsna, chanting the names of Krsna, chanting the names of Krsna. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that kali kale dharma Harinama Sankirtana in Kaliyuga is the only religion. Chanting the names of Krsna is the only for Kaliyuga. Even if you find one, then Krsna says, “Give it up.” So this hearing, chanting and other methods of Bhakti (Navadha Bhakti) are to be for Krsna. If you think that chanting is the process of practice and the result of attainment of perfection in chanting will be Bhakti, then you are wrong. Among the 9 types of Bhakti, one is chanting. So this is also bhakti. Nava means 9 and Vidha means kinds.We should render other duties, responsibilities and services, but still chanting and remembrance should go on. It has to be mixed with all the duties.
Jiva Goswami says, Harer nam eve kevalam, only Chanting the names of Krsna doesn’t mean that you give up or refrain from engaging in the other 8 kinds of bhakti.You have to engage in them but chanting the names of Krsna should not stop at any time. It has to continue all the time along with all other activities. You must read Srila Prabhupada’s books. You must listen to katha from other senior devotees, they can be your counsellors or senior god brothers or god sisters or some other senior authorities. Pray to Krsna to grant you some intelligence to understand this knowledge. And even after all this if you have some doubts, you may feel free to write your doubts in the japa talk and you will get your answers. Our team and myself, we reply to the questions. Every doubt, every question has an answer. Any person, or any devotee cannot ask a new question, a question which has never been asked. It isn’t possible. Any question that you may have, has already been asked by someone in the past and it has also been answered by someone in the past. Every question has an answer. May be you don’t know, may be even I don’t know, but the answer is still there. Example,When there is thirst, then there has to be water. May be water is not available at that particular place, but that doesn’t mean water doesn’t exist. Like if you are in a desert and you feel thirsty, you may not find water easily, you may be illusional and see mirages, but that doesn’t mean that water doesn’t exist.
If you practice reading regularly then you’ll realise that you will start finding answers to your questions. In Srimad Bhagavatam and other books itself you’ll see that Sukadev Goswami answers the question which are already answered by Brahma or Narada.
Athāto brahma jijñāsā
Since you have become a human being, develop curiosity. Ask questions. Try to know more and more about the truth. ‘Who am I’.
ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni — ‘kemane hita haya’
Translation
Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited? [CC Madhya 20.102]
Srila Sanatana Goswami asked Caitanya Mahaprabhu these questions.
It is a quality of intelligent people. They have curiosity to know and understand things properly. Show this quality of an intelligent person.So you may ask your questions. Not necessary that you immediately start answering the questions. Try to figure out other ways like reading or approaching local authorities, and lastly you may approach us here. In every class you have the option to ask questions or express your gratitude that you have been able to understand some topic well by your comments.
You have a few minutes to write now.Yesterday we discussed our plans for the upcoming World Holy Name Week. Many devotees showed their interest to render service according to their expertise. Devotees are ready to serve and contribute – be it physically, mentally by some knowledge, expertise or financially. All these contributions are welcome.
You all are already relishing the nectarean holy name daily. This is not the main motive of this festival. The main motive is to let others know about this nectar. Share this nectar with others. When you practice something and you like it, you start developing thoughts on it. It is when you share these thoughts with others with the intension of benefitting them in the same way, is it complete. We should also focus on our pronunciation of chanting of the holy names, various verses or Vaisnava songs. It is very important to have correct pronunciation.
I wish that all of you be active members of this project of mine. In your localities, countries and continents, be leaders in this World Holy Name Week celebration.
Gaur Premanande!
Hari Haribol!