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Japa Talk : 5 April, 2024 Speaker: H. H. Lokanath Swami Maharaj Theme: Liberation through Sound Sub Theme: Introduction There are some devotees who chant with us in the zoom temple only on Ekadashi. Please raise your hands. Keep raising your hands if you chant with us only on Ekadashi. We have 1650 locations on the zoom call today, 200-300 locations are more. Please raise your hands. Be honest and raise your hands. I was expecting some more hands to be raised. Thank you and congratulations to all of you for doing japa with us on Ekadashi. We welcome you everyday to chant with us. It would be – so nice, if you could chant with us daily. It will be beneficial for you. Hari Hari! This is not the time for announcement. You can visit ISKCON temple – on ekadashi attend mangal arti. Perform japa and attend morning sadhana. Hear Japa talk, Srimad Bhagavatam classes and partake prasadam with the devotees. In the Noida temple the congregational devotees reach there. Please invite the initiated devotees to attend the morning program. It will lead to dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam  Translation: Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.[NOI Verse No.4] Symptoms of love. We just donot have to love only the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We love God this is incomplete love. Not complete. Our love is complete when we love the devotees. Hari Hari! Please show your love. Visit temples and satsangs. Bhakti Vriksha groups can also come together at your respective centres. Keep chanting, we will have our japa talk in a few minutes from now. Hari Hari!!I welcome you for today’s japa talk. Kindly pause – your japa for some time. Please pause your one type of shravanam and we will commence our other type of shravanam shortly. tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ  Translation: One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord. [CC Adi 17.31] And the other shravanam is 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. [SB 1.2.18] Today is ekadashi and you have assembled here in large numbers. Apart from our regular listeners we have additional listeners today. I welcome all of you with your soul. Anyway, I will not tell this. It is not proper for me to tell that I welcome your souls. You are souls. There is no soul of the soul. It is only soul. Soul has parmatma or Bhagwan. Hari Hari! The soul is in this body. The soul is encaged in this body. Theme: Confidential Knowledge 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] There is no meaning in welcoming the body. The body should not come to known that we are welcoming him. The body is lifeless. We should not let our hands, feet, nails or nose know that someone is welcoming it. Actually, we need to welcome the soul. We learn from the Bhagavad Gitathat we are not bodies but souls. The soul is currently in the conditioned state. Hari Hari! māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa Translation: The conditioned soul cannot revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Kṛṣṇa compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Purāṇas. [CC Madhya 20.122] We want to be liberated. But we are conditioned. We want to be free from maya. Attain Lord Kṛṣṇa or attain service at the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet. How can we liberate ourselves? We should think about it. You must have thought about it earlier. We have also discussed about it. We will throw some light on it. How can we liberate ourselves. Who has tied us? Who is binding us? Then we will be able to get the solution for becoming free. There is a Shastra known as Vedanta Shastra. The essence of the Vedas is Upanishadas and the essence of the Upanishads is Vedanta. The Vedas end in bhakti or the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. This is known as Vedanta Sutra or Brahma Sutra. There are various names for this Shastra. Srimad Bhagavatam is the commentary on the Vedanta Sutra. The explanation or purport to the Vedanta Sutra is Srimad Bhagavatam.This Vedanta Sutra has 400 to 500 Sutras. I can – remember 2 Sutras – right now, regarding this context –we are conditioned, but want to be liberated.
  1. Shabda Yonitva – Finished. Sutras are like this. They are in the code language. It doesnot contain the entire Mahabharat. The sutras are expressions in a few words. Shabda Yonitva is one such sutra.
  2. How can we liberate ourselves from this conditioned state? Anavritti Shabdat. Ana means No, Avritti means repetation. This is the first edition or the second edition of this book. To have no further repetition.
punarapi jananaṃ punarapi maraṇaṃ, punarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam | iha saṃsāre bahu dustāre, kṛpayā’pāre pāhi murāre ‖ Translation: Born again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari! Redeem me through Thy mercy.[Verse 21 from Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankaracharya] How is this repetation stopped? By words. In one of the sutras it is mentioned as Shabda Yonitva. Our thoughts or our relationships –arise due to words. Due to words our world or our thought process starts and also leads to our bondages. Words are starting point for our bondages. Sound vibrations. To get free from maya or this words is possible due to Anavritti sabda. From these two sutras we understand the reason for our bondage is the sound vibration and the reason for our liberation is also sound vibration. Liberation through sound. How will we become free? Though sound. Due to various sounds we are in this material bondage. Due to sounds we are caught up in this material world. Liberation through sound. There are 2 types of sounds
  1. Prakritik sound or Shabda or collection of material words. They create bondage or bind us with the help of mayadevi
  1. Anavriti Shabha liberates us. They make us devotees. These words are transcendental not ordinary. They are divine and spiritual in nature.
rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamam pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam Translation: This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.[BG 9.2] The sound is pure. Due to mayavi, prakritik and material sounds – we are entangled in bondage and transcendental, divine and super natural sounds – are pure sound vibrations and they free us. Later, we become devotees on hearing such vibrations. Shastras or Bhagavad Gita – starts with sound. In the Bible, it is mentioned that in the beginning there was a word. Hari Hari! Sound leads to the creation of everything. Sound leads to touch. Earlier, there is sound in the ether (sky). Ether or sky has only sound. Then it expands to touch – which we can experience. To understand the sound vibrations, various – senses are present within us. We have 5 senses. Sound leads to touch, touch leads to form, form leads to taste and taste leads to smell. The universe is made up of 5 elements. Sound leads to ether. Ether to touch. Touch to air. How do you understand : whether the breeze is cool or hot? It is due to touch sensation. From air – we get form. We get to see the form in fire. We cannot see air. We can know air by touch only. We come to know the existence of ether due to its sound vibrations. Due to touch sensation – we can feel the presence of the air. In the fire there is a form. From fire we get taste which is felt in water. raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu Translation: O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.[BG 7.8] This is told by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad Gita. Apsu means water. Lord tells that I am the taste of water. How will you identify water? We can identify water due to its taste. Ether, air, fire, water leads to the creation of earth. How will we get the knowledge about the earth, it is due to smell or fragrance. puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu Translation: I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.[BG 7.9] Lord says in the Bhagavad Gitathat I am the fragrance of the earth. In this way, the universal creation takes place. Creation of the universe is a pastime of the Supreme Lord. Theme: Brahma’s birth and his search for the Absolute Truth Before the creation of the Universe, Lord impregnated the lotus flower leading to the birth to self-born Brahmaji. He was born, but he didnot know who he was and what was his duty. To give him knowledge or to provide him the job description – Lord tells him ta-pa (instructs him to perform penance). Due to these two sound vibration, it motivated Brahmaji. These two words or sound vibrations or Shabda Yonitva. He did austerities and became purified and experienced bliss. He experienced bliss and he was fortunate to get the darshan of the Supreme Lord. oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi Translation: O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.[ŚB 1.1.1] The first person created by the Supreme Lord in this universe is Brahma. He was alone. There was nobody. Only the Supreme Lord and Brahma were present. Lord imparted all the sound vibrations in the heart of Brahmaji. cakṣu-dān dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei, divya jñān hṛde prokāśito prema-bhakti jāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa jāte, vede gāy jāhāra carito Translation: He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.[Verse 3 from Guru Vandana by  Narottama Dasa Thakura] Theme: Lord Brahma creates the fourteen worlds The spiritual master for Brahmaji is Supreme Lord Himself. The transcendental knowledge – is made up of sound vibrations. Such sound vibrations were received by Brahmaji. Brahmaji repeated these sound vibrations or sentences and hence created the fourteen worlds. First the six types of primary creations were created and later 4 types of secondary creations were created. The primary creator is the Supreme Lord. Lord gives the credit to Brahmaji for secondary creation. Theme: Lord tells – Brahmaji you become my instrument tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin Translation: Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.[BG 11.33] Become successful and earn fame. Lord gave all the sound vibrations to Brahma. Due to the utterance of these sound – vibrations – our universe is created. Brahmaji doesnot use his hands or feet for creation. What is happening here? Shabda yonitva. We have 8.4 millions species of life. Various types of bodies are created due to the sound vibrations. The origin of the Universe – is shabda yonitva. Brahmaji – uttered various words and all the details became manifested. From the sound came touch and from touch appeared form and from the form appeared taste and from the taste appeared the smell. With this from ether came, air, from air came fire, and from fire came water. From water the earth appeared. Yes, this happens instantanously. It happens one after another, but doesnot take time. This activity happens fast hence we donot understand it. Brahmaji utters the mantra or sound vibrations given to him by the Supreme Lord and magic happens and the creation takes place. Brahmaji creates – 8.4 millions species of life through the medium of sound vibration or mantras. We also – are the creators. Brahma has created this creation – in it all the jivas make their individual creations. Hari Bol!! Devotees are sleeping here and there. Each jiva – creates his own universe. We are speaking about human beings as we are human beings. These topics are for us. Only human beings can understand these topics. Other species of life cannot understand it. We have created our own universes. I am from this country, from this village. These are my parents. This is my wealth. This is my business. This is my post or position. I am able to influence so many people. We have created our own universe within Brahmaji’s universe. This universe binds us. We are caught in the middle of our own universe. We might be thinking, Sub-Theme:Material Consciousness prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate Translation: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.[BG 3.27] But we are not doing anything, we are actually under the influence of the 3 modes of material nature. It is making us perform various activities. Due to our false ego we have created our small – individual universes. Not only false ego, it is our mind, intelligence and false ego. Our subtle body helps in creation of new bodies. It is the cause. When we get a new body, our desires in the present bodys lead to the creation of new bodies. We create our – new universes slowly. We are entangled in the center of our universe. Time is flying, what should I explain to you. This topic – liberation through sound is not just for a few minutes. It is a topic – for discussion for a few more days. So anyways, let us see till where we can reach. There are examples in the shastras of silk worm. Silk worms take out some kind of juices from his own body. A weave is netted by the silk worm. Slowly, when the creation of the silk worm is completed it dies. There is no question of its coming out. Like this – we too create our own universes and we are creating prison houses or a locked room for our own self. In which we cannot breathe. This attitude of “Me and Mine” ends when we die. This creation which we have created – takes our life. mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham udbhavaś ca bhaviṣyatām kīrtiḥ śrīr vāk ca nārīṇāṁ smṛtir medhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā Translation: I am all-devouring death, and I am the generating principle of all that is yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience.[BG 10.34]  Whatever we have collected or told this is “Mine” – is taken away by Mayadevi. She kicks us and tells us – “Get out of here”. We have created our universes within our body and outside. Everything ends for us. Shabhda Yonitva :- The creation of this universe takes place due to the sound vibrations. In this universe, we create our own universe – this is also due to the sound vibrations. Hari Hari! There are various types of sound vibrations. Till we die, we are influenced by various samskaras. We die with those samskaras, feelings thoughts or desires. Sub-Theme: Remembrance at the time of Death yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ Translation: Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail. [BG 8.6] What type of feelings or thoughts or desires or samskaras – are there – within us – during our entire span of life. According to this we will get our next body. Our next body – will be based on our current desires, feelings and thoughts at the time of death. This will – be beginning for our next life. In the next life – the same feelings, thoughts will influence us. Our thoughts are stored in our mind. This is there is our subtle body. Srila Prabhupada tells – mind means thinking, feeling and willing. This is the duty or functions of the mind. Due to thinking we can experience feelings. Later leads to desires. We start in the next life from where we had stopped in our last life. Our last life’s feelings are awakened again in the present life. So basically, on the basis of our karma and desires we create new universes for ourselves. This cycle goes on. I will tell you in brief today. Will elaborate it some other day in the future. We remove a thorn using a thorn. A set of sounds – has pricked us. We are bound by it. Sound vibrations have bound us. Due to sound vibrations we can be liberated. The essence of sound liberations is Hari Naam. hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate Translation: The sixteen names of the Hare Krsna mahamantra: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare, hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare destroy all the inauspiciousness of the age of Kali. This is the conclusion of all the Vedas. (Kali-santarana Upanisad from Krsna Yajur Veda) The inauspicious or bad or evil thoughts or actions etc. are destroyed. 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] We were talking about material bondage earlier, now this verse mentions about liberation or getting free from material bondages. The inauspiciousness or bad thoughts or words of Kali-yuga are destroyed, this is mentioned by Srimad Bhagavatam.There are many faults or vices in Kali-yuga. One of the good or great quality about Kali-yuga is that we can be liberated. We can be free from the material bondages. Hari Hari! These words are glorifying – Hari Naam, Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam as they all are divine transcendental sound vibrations. We do shravanam and kirtanam of the Lord’s names, form and pastimes. We glorify the pure devotees also. On hearing these transcendental sounds – it will defeat the materialistic sounds present within us. Sub-Theme: Most confidential knowledge With this, 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] Lord is telling us about liberation – at the end of Bhagavad Gita. If you are distressed in this material world or this material world is troubling you. Brothers, friends and matajis don’t get cheated as it isdue to the effect of mayadevi or sound vibrations it begins and continues. If you want to get free- you need to hear a different kind of sound vibration. That sound is Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Hrsna Hare Hare - Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare jivana anitya janaha sar, tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhar, namasraya kori’ jatane tumi, thakaha apana kaje Translation: This temporary life is full of various miseries. Take shelter of the holy name as your only business. [Udilo Arun Purab Bhage: Verse No 6] Whe we take the shelter of the holy names and understand that krsna-nama-sudha koriya pan, jurao bhakativinoda-pran, nama bina kichu nahiko aro, caudda-bhuvana-majhe Translation: Drink the pure nectar of the holy name. There is nothing but the name to be had in the fourteen worlds. Ithas filled the soul of Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura. [Udilo Arun Purab Bhage: Verse No 8] The most important thing in the fourteen world’s is the holy name. harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā Translation: In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. [CC Adi 17.21] We have to take shelter of the holy name. We have to take shelter of the words of the Shastra/Bhagavad Gita/Srimad Bhagavatam.It is like surrendering ourselves to the Supreme Lord. We can take the shelter of the deity form of the Lord – it is the path to liberation or devotional service. Please take shelter of the devotees. They will motivate you to take the shelter of the Supreme Lord. Taking shelter of the Guru, devotees or sadhus or taking shelter of the Supreme Lord is one and the same thing. You will quickly attain the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord or they will motivate you to reach your goal. Be careful! Use your power of discrimination or intelligence. It is both material word as well as transcendental word. This is on the basis of two kinds of words. Spiritual words or vibrations or words as per shastras or Lord’s names or Maha Mantra are most beneficial for us. Our samskaras gives rise to one type of desire in our mind. Each one has some type of desires to fulfill those desires we live and endeavor very rigorously in our lives. In brief – one type is ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’ kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma Translation: The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love]. [CC Adi 4.165]  One is to satisfy one’s own senses or mind with various types of entertainment. Second type of desire – is to serve or please the Lord. Satisfation of the Supreme Lord’s senses. sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate Translation: Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’ When we engage our senses in the service of the Lord. This is called bhakti. When the desire is to satisfy our own senses it is lust. In this world there are 2 things one is lust and the other is love. This world is full of lusty people. When we desire to – satisfy the Supreme Lord it leads to attainment of Lord’s Prema. When we increase our devotional service, perform more chanting and shravanam. śrī-prahrāda uvāca śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā kriyeta bhagavaty addhā tan manye ’dhītam uttamam Translation: Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge. [SB 7.5.23/4] Due to this our dormant love for the Supreme Lord will awaken. 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] We hear the sound vibrations through our ears. We should hear such sound vibrations or mantras which arouse the love within us for the Supreme Lord. Hence, there are two sets of sounds – prakritik and aprakritik. One will bind us and the other will free us or we will attain Bhakti. Hari Hari! Okay. Any questions or comments. Anyways there is no time. This is the problem for me during Japa Talk. Parmatma prabhu is suggesting we will take your comments in the next session. Is that okay. I think so. We donot have any other option. Gaur Premanande Hari Hari Bol!!                  

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