English
Japa talk 05/02/24
Speaker : Srila Prabhupada lecture in Vrindavan
October 30 , 1973
Theme : class on Bahgwat Geeta verse 7.2
jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam
idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ
yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo ’nyaj
jñātavyam avaśiṣyate
Translation
I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge, both phenomenal and numinous. This being known, nothing further shall remain for you to know
Yesterday we were discussing devotion and attachment. .
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt. [ BG 7.1]
If we increase our attachment towards the Lord and the process to increase attachment is given as,
Theme : Shradha is the first step to increase attachment. In the Lord
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
Translation
“ ‘In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.’. [ CC Madhya 23.14-15]
Shradha means trust in the Lord. Lord said that
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
Translation
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. [ BG 18.66]
We should have complete faith in this. Actually all our work happens perfectly if we surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord. This is called trust. Kaviraj Goswami has mentioned the meaning of Shradha in Chaitanya Charitamrita as
‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
Translation
“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service. [ Cc. Madhya 22.62]
Lord says that leave everything and take shelter of Me. One should have complete faith in Krsna as Krsna will certainly protect me.
* avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa. Rakṣiṣyati iti viśvāsa-pālanam-
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Śaraṇāgati
This is surrender. You all are sitting in Vrindavan but some devotees are sitting in some dense forest but they have complete faith that I am in the shelter of Krsna and He will certainly protect me. This is known as Shradha. Actually Krsna is present in the heart of each living entity.
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
Translation
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.. [ BG 18.61]
No one is alone here. The Lord is sitting in the heart of everyone. The Lord wants us to at least give some attention to the Lord. The Lord is well wisher of all living entities.
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
Translation
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries. [ BG 5.29]
Theme : What is attachment
Therefore the Lord always stays with us. So the first step to develop attachment towards the Lord is Shradha or faith that if we surrender at the Lotus feet of the Lord then certainly our life will be perfect. We do not need to do anything else like gyan, yog , or austerity. Nothing is required. Only surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord. It is known as attachment. And this has various levels such as Shradha or faith. Next is the association of sadhus . The sadhus who are continuously engaged in the worship of the Lord. No one becomes sadhus by wearing saffron clothes. The symptom is a sadhu is
satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate
Translation
Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion. [ BG 9.14]
api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
Translation
Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. [ BG 9.30]
Sadhu does bhajan all the time and nothing else. So if we have this faith or Shradha that our life will be fruitful ( sidh) by surrendering at the lotus feet of the Lord. Fruitlife life mean ? We are trapped in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. Our soul is eternal and it can not be destroyed.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
Translation
For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain. [ BG 2.20]
I am a spirit soul. Our body is destroyed but our soul is eternal. We never die. We just have to change our body. This is our inconvenience and it is known as a life cycle. We should get freedom from this. We should have a perfect understanding of this. It is known as complete knowledge.
amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam
anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam
asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ
putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu
mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
Translation
Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance. [ Bg. 13.8-12]
Someone from thousands of people will try to know what is actually the perfection of our life.
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
Translation
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. [ BG 7.3]
From thousands of such knowledgeable people few will understand the Lord.
Theme : Importance of association of sadhu.
Therefore first is Shradha and then association of sadhus. As we increase our association with sadhu then Shradha or faith also increases. As Shradha increases then along with it our sidhi (perfection of life ) also increases. From this our attachment to the Lord increases. After this one starts daily devotional practice known as bhajan kriya or daily sadhana. Acharya told us how sadhu perform their bhajan. For this we should go to spiritual master.
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet
Translation
This śrotriyam means that one who is coming in disciplic succession.
. [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].
This is ved vani and it is fact. Sadhu means guru. Sadhu , guru and scriptures. Shri Narrotam Das Thakure says that
, sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, cittete kariya aikya:
“One should accept as one’s guide the words of the sadhus, the sastra and the guru”
Sadhu is identified from the scriptures and sadhus bhajan is scriptures. Guru is a sadhu and he knows scriptures. This sadhu, guru and scriptures. As we associate with sadhu then they guide us to do bhajan kriya. And with this bhajan our anartha nivritti - our offences begin to reduce.we are doing many offences. They all start reducing. Offences are sins. So we are free from sins. We suggest to the devotees from America or Europe about illicit sex to stop it. One should have a relationship with our married wife only and no one else. This is illicit. It is the biggest sin. This is
offence. This will not make you progress in devotion. Because as long as you are committing sins then you will not be able to do Lord’s bhajan perfectly. Lord says that
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Translation
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination. [ BG 7.28]
To do bhajan with a perfect attitude or feelings one has to be free from offences. Then one will not have sins in his life. What is sinful life ? It is illicit sex and killing of animals for our pleasure, intoxication and gambling. This is mentioned in scriptures. With proper bhajan we gradually get freedom from these offences. After this our interest ( ruchi) in Lord’s pastimes develops. And this increases attachment with the Lord. As mentioned in Srimad Bhagwatam
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
Translation
a truthful devotee cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. [SB 1.2.17]
Devotional life begins with hearing katha of the Lord. Hearing the Lord's pastimes cleanses the heart of the devotee and then he becomes pure devotee. Everyone has love for the Lord in his heart. It is not an external thing. How have these Americans become Krsna devotees ? Because they already have love for the Lord in their heart. This love is awakened in their heart by hearing Lord’s katha.
nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya
Translation
“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens. [CC Madhya 22.107]
Gradually attachment towards Lord’s katha increases. This is mentioned in Bhagwat.hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt sa - Lord is well wisher of each living entity but for devotees He has special mercy. Lord is exiting in everyone’s heart and the Lord observes that this soul's interest in katha is increasing then the discourteous habits start to vanish. Lust , greed are discourteous activities. The Lord destroys this.
Our heart is impure due to maya. The modes of passion and ignorance are existing in our heart.
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
ceta etair anāviddhaṁ
sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
Translation
As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy. [SB 1.2.19]
Theme : Mode of passion
The characteristics of the mode of passion is greed. 2 rotis are sufficient for us but still we want 10 rotis. Therefore the whole day we wander here and there to earn more. We are not settled on 2 rotis. The lust and greed are settled in our heart. Therefore we should listen to Lord’s katha. In this way , interest - faith - attachment increases. After that bhav is developed. After that Love is awakened.
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
Translation
“ ‘In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.’. [ CC Madhya 23.14-15]
Theme : what is perfect knowledge about the Lord
To know all this is perfect knowledge. The Lord Himself has said jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam. Gyan or knowledge is theoretical. Brahma gyan is theoretical and svigyan is Bhakti. We understand aham brahmasmi - but only understanding is not enough. We should apply it to our life. If we do not apply it in our life then our downfall begins.
ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ
Translation
[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet. [SB 10.2.32]
Even if someone attains Brahma gyan by difficult austerity still he falls down. Why ? ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ - because these brahmgyani people disrespect Lord’s lotus feet. They think that the Lord is formless, He does not have feet and hands. Therefore they fall down. The Lord is explaining about vigyan and gyan. Actually we will get proper knowledge about the Lord from the Lord Himself. We should not speculate that the Lord is like this or the Lord is like this. No ! The Lord arrives here and He Himself explains us about Him. Dvibhuj Murlidhar Shyamsunder Lord ! So we don’t need to imagine the Lord. Mayavadi people instruct us to imagine about brahma. Why do we need to imagine the Lord when we can see the Lord directly? You come here to take darshan of the Lord , don't you ? Or you come here to take darshan or something else. The Lord is present here Himself so what is the need of imagination. ? This is ignorance and it is not knowledge to imagine about Brahma. Can anyone imagine Brahma ? Therefore the Lord has said jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam - try to understand real Lord. It is not easy to know the Lord but the Lord mercifully tries to explain it to us then we can understand Him.
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
Translation
“ ‘Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.’ [ CC Madhya 17.136]
We have these materialistic senses and it is difficult to understand Lord’s form and qualities and pastimes with these senses. If we utilise our tongue in chanting the Lord’s holy names then the Lord mercifully reveals Himself before us.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate
Translation
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. [ SB 1.2.11]
Bhagwan , parmatma and Brahma are all the same. But everyone has a different perception so some understand Him as Brahma , some understand Him as Parmatma and some understand as Bhagwan. The learned people who want to understand the Lord with their own knowledge then they call Him as nirakar. Whoever meditate upon the Lord with true desire they accept the Lord as parmatma. And devotees of the Lord look Him as sakshad brajendra nandan Hari , Krsna !
sūta uvāca
yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair
vedaiḥ sāṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaṁ sāma-gāḥ
dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino
yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇā devāya tasmai namaḥ
Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṇa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and absorbing themselves within Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon — unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances. [SB 12.13.1]
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Translation
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love. [Bs 5.38]
One who has true love for Krsna then he will take darshan of the Lord for 24 hrs and they do not see anything else. It is mentioned in Chaitanya Charitamrita.
sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti
sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti
Translation
“The mahā-bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” [CC Madhya 8.274]
True lover of the Lord remembers the Lord in each and everything. If he looks at a tree or elephant or a human , he looks to the Lord in everything. He understands that this is expansion of the Lord’s materialistic energy. Therefore we should increase our attachment towards the Lord so that we can have Lord’s darshan all the time. Some devotees come to the temple and they take darshan of the Lord and faint when they see the Lord. On the other hand, some may say that this is just a statue made from stones. This is all related to the love for the Lord. One should have proper eyes to have Bhagwat darshan. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu entered Jagganath temple , He immediately fainted after seeing Jagganath. And if some atheist goes there then he will say that it is just a statue of wood. Therefore one should have premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. Only devotees can take Lord’s real darshan.
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram
Translation
One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God. [BG 18.55]
One can not see the Lord through knowledge only. One has to understand the Lord by devotional service. Because devotees say that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Lord has never mentioned that one can take His darshan through knowledge only. It is possible to understand the Lord through devotional service only. Why is it possible through devotional service ? Because the Lord comes in complete control of the devotees who are offering devotional service to Him. And He mercifully gives darshan to pure devotees.
nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam
Translation
I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible. [BG 7.25]
Everyone can not have Lord’s darshan. The Lord keeps Himself covered by yogmaya for everyone. Hiranyakashyapu was torturing Prahlad Maharaj at that time Bhagwan Narsingh dev gave darshan to Prahlad Maharaj in the pillar, do not worry I am here. Prahlad Maharaj could see the Lord in the pillar. His father asked him, “ Is your Lord present in the pillar ?” Prahlad Maharaj said “ yes father He is present in the pillar. '' Hiranyakashyapu was angry and he broke the pillar. In this way the devotees of the Lord could take darshan of the Lord everywhere. And a non devotee could not see the Lord even if the Lord was present in front of them. Therefore we should understand svigyanam , which is the devotional service. So that we can have Lord’s darshan.
As we get Lord’s darshan then sadhana and austerity everything is completed and it is finished.
ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ
nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim
antar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ
nāntar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim
Translation
“If one is worshiping the Lord properly, what is the use of severe penances? And if one is not properly worshiping the Lord, what is the use of severe penances? If Śrī Kṛṣṇa is realized within and without everything that exists, what is the use of severe penances? And if Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not seen within and without everything, then what is the use of severe penances?” [Nārada Pañcarātra 1.2.6]
If we acquire Lord’s love then what is the need of all austerities? The purpose of all sadhana and austerity is to attain love for the Lord. And if we do not get darshan if the Lord then what is the use of this false sadhana and austerity.
dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam
Translation
The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. [SB 1.2.8]
If someone following the rituals as per dharma but he has no interest and attachment in Lord’s katha then it is mentioned in scriptures that it is of no use. It is waste of time.
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
Translation
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. [SB 1.2.6]
What is first class ? yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. One should follow dharma which awakens devotional service in his mind. The king Bhakti should not be for some personal advantages. One should not do it to get some benefit from the Lord. We are internal servants of the Lord therefore we should do devotional service of the Lord. One who has this knowledge has brahma gyan. Aa one begins the devotional service then he is the liberated person.
prāṇinām upakārāya
yad eveha paratra ca
karmaṇā manasā vācā
tad eva mati-mān bhajet
Translation
“ ‘By his work, thoughts and words, an intelligent man must perform actions which will be beneficial for all living entities in this life and the next.’ [CC Ādi 9.43]
nirodho ’syānuśayanam
ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ
Translation
The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahā-Viṣṇu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. [ŚB 2.10.6]
One who has utilised all his senses , wealth , body in the service of the Lord then he is already liberated , in whatever condition he is. Liberation means muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ- liberation from this living entity situation. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
Translation
It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy.
(CC madhya 108 - 109)
One who is attached to the service of the Lord all the time is already liberated. This liberation. Liberation does not mean that we have one head and after liberation we will have two heads or four hands. It is not like this. One who gives up service or maya and begins the Lord’s service then it is called liberation. Now we are doing false duties or we are in a false form of ourselves. Some are serving the country , some are serving their family ,some are serving the community. Some are serving the dog or cat. We should give all these services and should begin our devotional service towards the Lord then it is called liberation. Therefore the Lord's devotee does not need liberation. He is always liberated. This is vigyan , one must understand all - Lord’s service , form , qualities and katha , associates. This is known as vigyan. Gyan means Brahma gyan aham brahmasami - I am not this body. This is proper knowledge. The knowledge of gaining love for the Lord is svigyan. Therefore the Lord Himself is gives information therefore we should learn all this and apply it in our life so that our life is fruitful.
The only purpose of human life is to get freedom from this cycle of birth and death. No one understands this. They think that we should have big houses , skyscraper buildings like they make in America, 102 floors. Nowadays it is 104 or 105 floors. When I went to New York for the first time, the Empire State Building was 102 floors. If we look below From the top floor then the cars look like match boxes. People think that if we make a building like this and if we have two or three cars then our life is successful. This is not true. Our life is successful only when we properly understand the Lord. It is not an ordinary thing to understand the Lord. But Lord has Himself explained many times about Him in Bhagwat Geeta.
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
Translation
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna. [ BG 4.9]
If we understand this principle then we will not have the next life. This is successful life. Even if we understand a little bit about the Lord , and what we should understand? Krsna is the Lord and I am His eternal servant. If one understands this then his life is successful. It is not very difficult. And our hearts are full of waste. Therefore we should do kirtan of the Lord all the time. This is instruction of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambhdhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam
Translation
Glory to the Shri Krishna sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. That sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. [ CC Antya 20.12]
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
Translation
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. [ŚB 12.3.51]
Only chanting of Lord’s holy name and specially chanting the mahamantra is important.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare - Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
So do kirtan all the time. You all are Vrindavan vasi so we do not need to teach you all this. One should try to understand Lords holy names repeatedly so that greed , lust , anger in our heart will vanish.
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
Translation
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.. [ŚB 12.3.51]
It is instructed that one should learn Bhagwat everyday. This weekly seva of the Bhagwat is not correct. One should do it everyday. Even if our shortcomings are not destroyed, we should still study Bahgwat daily. And our bad habits will vanish by studying Bahgwat daily. All the time only Lord. Lord is with us in two forms - in the form of scriptures and in the form of devotees. Guru is a devotee of Bhagwat and one should learn Bhagwat from guru. We should listen to it daily. It is not that we heard it for a week and then it is over. It is all the time.
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyat
Translation
In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin. [ŚB 3.25.25]
As we chant and associate with the Lord then our heart is purified and we are free from offenses. Then we get darshan from the Lord and we can talk with the Lord. Then Lord will instruct us , what to do ?
teṣhāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te
Translation
To those whose minds are always united with Me in loving devotion, I give the divine knowledge by which they can attain Me.
One who renders loving devotional service at the lotus feet of the Lord and thinks that Lord is our prabhu and we must offer Him service, Lord is pleased with them and they certainly reach to the Lord. Lord gives them proper wisdom to do service. And gradually he reaches to the Lord.
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
Translation
That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.. [ BG 15.6]
This is the instruction from Bhagwat Geeta and all other scriptures. In this way get free from this cycle of birth and death and go to Lord’s abode and join His service eternally. Thank you very much. !
