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Offering prayers to Bhagavad-gītā Hare Krishna ! I was told to speak about Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Srila Prabhupada has offered this Gita to Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana. He is the main acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. He has composed Govind Vidya Bhashya on Vedanta. Baladeva Vidyabhushana has very nicely praised Gita. These are his words. He is praying to Gita. The last word is pranami Gitam ! It means I offer my obeisances to Gita. We will try to understand Baladeva Vidyabhushana’s words. ajïäna-néradhir upaiti yayä viçeñaà bhaktiù paräpi bhajate paripoñam uccaiù | tattvaà paraà sphurati durgamam apy ajasraà sädguëya-bhåt svaracitäà praëamämi gétäm Translation I offer my respects to the Gita, which was spoken by the Lord endowed with perfect qualities, a work by which the ocean of ignorance meets its complete end,1 by which pure bhakti becomes fully nourished to the highest degree, and by which the supreme truth, normally difficult to understand, becomes eternally manifest. (Prayer offered by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana to Bhagavad-gītā ) Two days ago I was in Vrindavana Dhama. I attended the morning Bhagavat class by Vrindavancandra Maharaja there. He mentioned this verse in the class, so I have taken it from there. Maharaja very nicely elaborated this verse. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana is offering obeisances to Bhagavad-gītā. What are the special qualities of Bhagavad-gītā? It is a set of good qualities. sadgunya bhrut means one who carries all good qualities. Who is this? Lord Sri Krsna! He has all the divine qualities. Maharaja was explaining that the qualities that a mother possesses, are seen in her child also. In the same way the qualities and emotions of a composer are found in his composition. The Lord is sadgunya bhrut and He has composed Bhagavad-gītā so Bhagavad-gītā has a set of all divine qualities. One more beautiful meaning is one who gathers all the good qualities mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā will also become sadgunya bhrut. How is this Gita ? First it is said, agyan nirdhirupaiti yaya vishosh - niradhi means ocean. It is said that in this material world living entities have ignorance equal to the ocean. The living entity is trapped in ignorance and he has forgotten his original form. He is gone away from the Lord. Therefore he is called agyan niradhi. Maharaja explained that niradhi means the place with a continuous source of water. During summer the lakes and ponds are dried up. Sometimes some rivers also dry up, but we have never seen the ocean dry up. The ocean has so much water, but it never crosses its limits and it never dries up. We know this about the salty water ocean that we have in this material world. The universe has many, many huge oceans. The speciality of the ocean is that it never dries up. In the same way the ocean of ignorance of the living entity is never completely removed. As mentioned here vishosh means to dry up. Hence Bhagavad-gītā can totally remove the ocean of ignorance from the life of living entities. The result of this is -bhaktiù parāpi bhajate paripoñam uccaiù - the living entity starts loving devotional service of the Lord. 1. Gita inculcates a set of good qualities. 2. Gita removes the ocean of ignorance from our heart. 3. It connects us with loving devotional service to the Lord. The soul is thirsty for infinite ages and Bhagavad-gītā removes this thirst and nourishes the soul. tattvaà paraà sphurati durgamam apy ajasraà - The knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā re-establishes our connection with the Lord. In this way Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana has offered obeisances to Bhagavad-gītā. Today I recall that one year back we elaborately discussed Gita Mahatmya. Shankaracharya has written Gita Mahatmya and it is in the Varaha Purana. Varaha dev has narrated it to Prithvimata (earth). We have discussed it earlier, but today we will try to know about some different aspects. oṃ pārthāya pratibodhitāṃ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṃ vyāsena grathitāṃ purāṇamuninā madhye mahābhārate advaitāmṛtavarṣiṇīṃ bhagavatīmaṣṭādaśādhyāyinīṃ amba tvāmanusandadhāmi bhagavadgīte bhavadveṣiṇīm Translation Om! Goddess Mother Bhagavadgītā! I repeatedly invoke you who were taught by Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself for the sake of Arjuna, the son of Kuntī. {You who were} faithfully collected and reported by the ancient sage, Vyāsa, and placed in the middle of the Mahābhārata, you who are in eighteen chapters, you who have the nature of showering the nectar of non-duality, and who is the destroyer of the life of becoming {saṃsāra} [Gita dhyanam by Sankaracarya] Here Gita is mentioned as amba - it means mata. Sankaracarya mentions, “He mata! I take your shelter.'' Which Bhagavad-gītā ? pārthāya pratibodhitāṃ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṃ means the Bhagavad-gītā which Narayana has personally narrated to Partha. This Bhagavad-gītā is part of the very ancient scripture Mahabharata which is composed by Vyasa muni. This Gita has 18 chapters and it is a form of the Lord. It pours nectar of deep knowledge about the Lord. The importance of Gita is mentioned in many scriptures. eka eka shloka koti ashawamedh saman! Maharashtra ke sant Shri Namadeva Maharaja or Ekanath Maharaja has said this. Each verse of the Bhagavad-gītā has importance equal to billions of ashwamegh Yagna. Vrindavancandra Maharaja was explaining. Bhagavad-gītā has importance, but the Bhagavad-gītā composed by Srila Prabhupada has a very special importance. Maharaja was explaining his experience. Four or five years ago before COVID, Radha Govind Maharaja Swami again studied Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. After that he called Srila Vrindavancandra Maharaja and instructed that whatever happens in his life, he should read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is everyday. It is really divine. He has given lectures on Bhagavad-gītā and Bhagavatam his entire life and now he is so old that he is not able to do much. Still he was sharing his experience that we should read Bhagavad-gītā daily. I was reading a shabdanjali by a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Sivarama Swami Maharaja. He has written a letter explaining the importance of studying the books of Srila Prabhupada. I will read it: Dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my humble obeisances. I congratulate you on the occasion of your appearance day. Jaya! I was thinking of writing a homage for you. At the same time I was reading the letters that I have received. At that time I saw a different kind of letter. I am entering it in my offering. A small girl has written this letter. Dear Sivaram Swami, Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I hope you do not mind my writing to you. I have never written to a spiritual master before. You do not know me. My name is Bhaktin Dora and I live in Pecs (Hungary). I am 14 years old, and I live at home with my mother and older sister. This is a very old letter. I saw it in very old offerings, maybe from 1996 or 1997. Letter continued : Some years ago I went to the Hare Krsna Festival with a friend. I was not very interested, but I enjoyed the chanting and dancing at the end. After it was over I bought a book, The Science of Self-Realization. I do not know why; generally I never read. I think it was because of the chanting. I took the book home and cannot remember what happened to it. One day my mother found it and was very angry with me. She thought that I was reading this kind of thing. You see, our family members are all very strict Catholics. They thought Krsna consciousness was some kind of “brainwashing.” Actually I wasn’t reading the book; I had forgotten all about it. Somehow it just “appeared.” Anyway, my mother was going to throw it away. My grandmother, who is 68, was in the kitchen at the time. She lives in the apartment upstairs. She came in and took the book. She looked at it and scolded me in a very heavy way. I thought that would be the end of it. I did not mind so much, as I was in a lot of maya at the time. About a week later I overheard a conversation between my mother and grandmother. Granny was saying that this was not some ordinary book. She said that what Prabhupada was saying is what Jesus Christ said and that Krsna is God. I was very surprised. She said we should listen to what Prabhupada said and chant Hare Krsna because that was the religion for this age. There was a lot of talk about how Christianity was no more and no one was following the Bible but what Prabhupada said was pure and perfect. Things really took a turn from there. One day my grandmother visited the nama-hatta [local Krsna center] here and began to chant on beads. She also began to buy Prabhupada’s books one by one. She was spending all her pension buying what she called the “beautiful holy Bhagavatam.” Sometimes she could only afford to eat potatoes, but she kept buying the books. The devotees even came to her flat and helped her set up an altar. When I went upstairs, there were Krsna pictures everywhere. That was really the beginning. One night Granny had a dream about Prabhupada. Something really happened to her then. I don’t know what it was, but she began to get very enthusiastic. Next she began to get the whole family involved. I mean, not just me and my mother and sister, but her two sons, their wives and six children, as well as her brothers, sisters, and relatives. Before, she used to carry a Bible with her and quote Jesus Christ. Now she has a Bhagavad-gita and quotes “the good Lord Prabhupada.” She became a veritable transcendental terror. Everyone in the family has to chant at least one round a day. In addition Granny made everyone become a vegetarian, including my dog Sikra, and we offer our food to a picture of Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya. Now I am also getting out of maya and chanting and reading a little also. Where I go to school my friends inquire about Krsna, since they know I am a devotee. The whole family goes to the nama-hatta, all sixteen of us. During the Christmas marathon [for book distribution], we all tried to distribute Prabhupada’s books. Even Granny would take books with her to the market and sell them to the vendors. Everyone is afraid of her because she is fearless. They all think she has gone crazy, but she doesn’t care. Now she is saving to go to Budapest to see the newly installed Deities. She has heard that Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda “came” to Hungary and are being worshiped there by the devotees. She says she wants to see God just once in this life. At this year’s Hare Krsna festival, you were speaking to the guests after the kirtana. You must remember my grandmother because she came and sat right beside you and asked so many questions. At the end when you stood to leave, she even kissed your hand, remember? I also wanted to ask a question, but I was shy. Could I please ask you now? I hope you do not mind, Maharaja. I want to know what kind of man Srila Prabhupada was. He must be so dear to Krsna to have spread this message all over the world. What are these books that changed my family so much? How is it possible that he can speak so powerfully through them? You must feel very fortunate to be his disciple. How great a man he is! Sometimes when my Granny chants in front of a picture of Krsna she cries. How does Prabhupada do that? I want to cry like that too. Granny dreams of Prabhupada, and sometimes she talks to his picture. Although it says on the cover of the book that he passed away, is Prabhupada really dead, or is he still alive? Do you think I can meet him some day? I am sorry that I have gone on so. I would like to be a good devotee one day and help you and Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness. Please could you answer my questions? Your servant, Bhaktin Dora Now Sivarama Swami Maharaja asked Prabhupada in his shabdanjali “ Prabhupada how compassionately you showered your mercy on an old woman. She never met you and she never saw any devotees. She is not initiated by you and she got your unconditional mercy. Her life changed drastically in a few months after reading your books. What did you move in her heart that changed her life in her final days? She did not have any devotee association or she was not staying in a temple and she was not connected with the institution. Srila Prabhupada, I want to know what you used to talk with her through the picture. I have so many pictures of you, but you have not talked to me through the pictures. However, I also do Deity worship, but I assume them to be marble Deities. But this old lady has a conviction that the Lord is coming. How have you given her such emotions and vision? I heard that she was crying. What mercy have you showered on her that I have not received? How many people have crossed the boundaries of rules of regulations by the strong boat of your mercy and practice Krsna consciousness? This is a very beautiful letter. We have such two letters but due to the short time we cannot take it. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, is a very special book which is changing the lives of many people in this world. Early morning I had this thought. I had a book in front of me - It’s my request. Prabhupada has written many quotes in this. One famous quote was written to Hrdayananda Maharaja - These books are the main pillars of our movement. Everything depends on these books. Study and distribution of these books should be our motto. I remember Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja’s words - You really want to please Prabhupada? We take additional vrata in Kartik. Why do we do Kartik vrata? We know that we get special benefit by doing extra rounds in Kartik and by offering deepdaan to the Lord. What is the purpose of this vrata? If we do some specific activity for a long time then it becomes part of our daily life. Marathon is also the same. It is just the beginning. If we really want to please Prabhupada or if we want to protect ourselves, then it is necessary for each devotee to participate in this marathon. We were hearing from various devotees for the last few days - Vrajajanaranjan Prabhu, Vedanta Caitanya Prabhu, etc. I liked it very much. I was thinking that brahmacharis in temple are distributing books and the grhastas are sitting at home. This is good. You are all doing book distribution and we will hear from you all sitting at home. Recently Maharaja showed how our Bangalore devotees had arranged a stall and were distributing books. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to South India, He met a Brahmin there, who is known as Kurma Brahman. That Brahmin offered service to Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s and Mahaprabhu gave him His association. He experienced divine pleasure in the association of the Lord. As soon as Caitanya Mahaprabhu was leaving, he immediately caught Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet and he said, “I will also come with you.” He said the following famous verse at that time, kṛpā kara, prabhu, more, yāṅ tomā-saṅge sahite nā pāri duḥkha viṣaya-taraṅge’ Translation The brāhmaṇa begged Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “My dear Lord, kindly show me favor and let me go with You. I can no longer tolerate the waves of misery caused by materialistic life.” [CC Madhya 7.126] He Mahaprabhu, please take me with You. Why? sahite nā pāri duḥkha viṣaya-taraṅge’ - since I am not able to handle the waves of this grhasta life. Bhaktivinoda Thakure has mentioned these waves of misery in Siksastakam. This world is known as bhav sagar - ocean. We see continuous waves in an ocean. In the same way in the grhasha life also continuously waves originate of various desires. If you have taken a bath in the ocean then you must have seen that the waves continuously come, and at times with a lot of speed. The waves have so much power that they can pull you inside also. The waves hit us really very strongly. Sometimes they can hurt us. In the same way the desires of this life are like the waves of the ocean. Each desire pulls us inside the material world. They are the cause of misery. Therefore the brahmin is requesting Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “If I am not with you, then these waves of desires will pull me more in the material world.” We can experience that when we are with devotees and Guru Maharaja, then we have spiritual thoughts. But that will not last long. And again we are trapped in the thoughts of this material world. How will we be free from this ? Specially grhastas face this problem. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given the answer here. prabhu kahe, — “aiche bāt kabhu nā kahibā gṛhe rahi’ kṛṣṇa-nāma nirantara laibā Translation Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Don’t speak like that again. Better to remain at home and chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa always. [CC Madhya 7.127] Mahaprabhu said to him not to say this. Stay at home and follow these two things. Then you will not be affected by this world. What are these two points ? First you should chant continuously. Your tongue should do this work all the time. Then someone will say that at first this is impossible and even if we try, then we have to deal with many people in a day. We have to talk with them. Keep in mind that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving this instruction to a grhasta, and not to sannyasi or brahmacari. yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa Translation “Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” [CC Madhya 7.128] When you are not dealing with anybody then you should continuously chant. Whenever you are dealing with someone, then you should talk about Krsna to them. Krsna upadesa means book distribution in reality. Other forms of Krsna upadesa is also available, but the main is book distribution. What is the difference between giving a lecture and distributing books? A lecture sometimes increases pride in us, but book distribution develops humility in us. In the eighth chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam Vamanadev has asked this question - We do various devotional services of the Lord. The question! Is the Lord pleased with the service or not? We chant, do kirtana, offer bhoga, then how we will know whether the Lord is pleased with our service or not? Lord has given some hints. You will see the following symptoms if the Lord is pleased with you. It is said that if after doing a service you feel humility, then you can be certain that Krsna has accepted your service that day. If however you feel proud after doing service, then it means that the Lord has not accepted your service. When I was in Vrindavan I heard that maximum humility is developed by doing book distribution. Yesterday I was saying that at the time of COVID, the virus was spread in the air. In the same way in Kali-yuga, all the drawbacks of Kali-yuga are spread everywhere - fighting, envy, lies, cheating, fraud are present everywhere. What should we do to protect ourselves? We should practice social distancing and use a mask. Which is this mask? This mask means preaching. If you preach then you will be reached. If you continuously talk about Krsna, if you distribute books, then an aura develops around you. Krsna’s words protect you from the viruses of Kali-yuga. A special example was presented there by Sarvabhauma Prabhu. If a tap is not used for a long time, then junk accumulates in that tap. When we open the tap then initially all the junk comes out and slowly fresh water starts coming out of it. In the same way, it is said that when we go out in this world, then we come out of our comfort zone, hesitate, and we give a book in someone’s hand. The junk of jealousy, hatred, negativity, Vaisnava offence is blocked inside us. Then the tap of generosity and compassion starts flowing. What is the effect of this? If this devotee goes out in this world and gives books to others, then immediately mercy from all the acaryas of the lineage start flowing to him. We have to protect ourselves from Maya devi and we have to please Srila Prabhupada. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, kabhu nā bādhibe tomāra viṣaya-taraṅga punarapi ei ṭhāñi pābe mora saṅga” Translation Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further advised the brāhmaṇa Kūrma, “If you follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your spiritual advancement. Indeed, if you follow these regulative principles, we will again meet here, or, rather, you will never lose My company.” [CC Madhya 7.129] Theme : Daily routine of Prabhupada disciples A few days ago we were in Pandharpur Dhama with Radheshyam Prabhu who said that the special quality of Prabhupada’s disciples is that they did kirtana and book distribution. Therefore book distribution is called our family business. Earlier this was their main work. Now with other responsibilities this service has taken a little back seat. They had a balanced routine - they would chant for two hours, read for 1 hour and everyday they went out and did, udilo aruṇa pūraba-bhāge, dwija-maṇi gorā amani jāge, bhakata-samūha loiyā sāthe, gelā nagara-brāje Translation When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened, and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages [Udilo Aruna Puraba Bhage, Text 1, Bhaktivinoda Thakura] Mahaprabhu used to do sankirtana on the roads with other devotees. Wherever you are staying if you want to purify that place, then everyday you should do sankirtana outside. He told me that especially in America he goes out from morning 7:00 to 7:30 and he does kirtan with karatals. Along with this, every evening he went out and showed Prabhupada’s books to unknown people. I was really inspired to know this. My personal experience is that when we get another important service then gradually we forget this service. Especially in marathons, we should do this service.

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