English
9th August 2019
Hare Krishna
We have 170 participants.
Hari Hari!
I was chanting my japa during morning hours, here, in Richmond, Dwarka. When I got up, it was very cool. It's very quiet and peaceful. This place is countryside. We must see the forest sometime. So, this is a good time and good place to chant. Then I thought why chant alone, I remembered. Whenever I chant these days, I remember the other chanters. They send communications. And many of you have joined - there are 175 chanters. My idea was to catch new chanters, new participants and we have some success by communicating and getting them to join the chanting session. But not many as I aspire, desire or expect. I don't know why. I thought devotees in America would chant on east coast.
Right now, chanting is Ram Chandra prabhu who wrote and he said they have to go to work, now. They should chant and go to work. Either they are going to work or they are or we are too busy to chant.
Hari, Hari. Gaura Premanande, Hari, Hari bol!
Chanting should be the centre of our whole life. Chanting should be at the prime time. Not that prime time for maya and some other time for Krsna. There are 24 hours in a day. So, 2 hours, more or less, we should spare for chanting our japa, meditating, communicating with the Lord, your dialogue for the Lord, your time with the Lord, your appointment with the Lord, for 2 hours. You should consider 22 hours to do other things and only 2 hours for chanting and many more hours for Krishna, to do other spiritual activities - hearing, chanting, reading, studying, honouring prasadam, association of the devotees, preparing for Janmastami festival or distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books;
yāre dekha, tāre kaha kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.
So, what I am trying to say is 2 hours for Krishna and 22 hours for maya. Out of those 22 hours, lot of hours should be given to Krsna. Our goal is 24 hours for Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has given us that as our goal, our standard to follow. This is the chanting time or the chanting session, this is japa talk, so, I am talking in favour of chanting, that is favourable to chanting. The policy also should be chant while chanting. Do other things while doing other things. While doing other things also we can chant - hata may kama mukha me nama. While cooking also you can chant. While driving also, as Dinanukampa mataji chant or hears us chanting while driving. But the 2 hours of japa time can be exclusive, can be dedicated to chanting, hearing, remembering. So, you may think, even I may say "Oh, I have so many problems so I can't chant. I have no time to chant as I have to solve those problems." That is not the way to solve the problems. Solution to all of our problems is Krishna, Krishna consciousness. Bhagavatam is solution. Chanting Hare Krishna is solution to all our problems. So, when you are not taking to this solution, you take to other speculated ways of solving problems which you do something else of Krishna consciousness to solve the problems. I will not chant and I will solve my problem. I will not hear Bhagavatam or I will not study Bhagavad Gita and I will solve my problems. I have no time to celebrate Janmastami because I must solve my problems. We have to be convinced that problems are caused by this deceptive age, the age of Kali. Being in this world is a problem. Turning us against Krishna, our back towards the Lord and face towards maya, that is the problem.
kalir doso nidhi rajan asti ekho mahan gunah - so many defects, in this age of Kali, so many flaws, so many shortcomings. This age of Kali is full of defects, full of bad qualities. But then there is one good quality. In the Bhagavatam, SukadevGoswami says that on behalf of the Lord, he knows what our problem is. The Lord is the creator of the problems and He is also the creator of all the solutions. If anybody knows what the solution is, that is the Lord. So, on behalf of the Lord, the maha bhagawat, Sukadev Goswami - who is, originally, the parrot of Radharani, Suka the parrot - had appeared into this world to chant the glories Radharani and Krishna.
sukha mukhad amritam - he is relishing amritas, sharing amritas of Bhagavatam that were spoken on behalf of the Lord Krishna. If we drink the nectar of Bhagavatam, then no more leaving in ignorance. We become deathless, birthless, diseaseless and ageless. Life becomes free - life minus death, minus birth. And we become amar, we become eternal. Eternally, devoted in service of the Lord.
As we talk of problems, I say the problem is we do not know what the problem is. The real problem is not knowing. We become knowledgeable when we know what the problem is. The whole world is talking of problems but they have not realised Krishna.
janma mrutyu jara vyadhi duhkha-dosanudarsanam , the lord wants to enlighten the whole world. The Lord is wants the whole world to know what the problem is and according to Lord, death, birth, disease, old age are the problems.
The whole world is talking of problem, So many problems, secondary or tertiary problem, world related problems. In Bhagavatam, Sukadev Goswami says kalir dosha nidhi rajan. This age of Kali is a special age for the world as it passes through this period called the Kali yuga. Srila Prabhupada called this a season. So, Kali yuga is one kind of a season. Dwapar yuga is another season and Treta yuga and Satya yuga are another seasons. So, this season Kali has lots of problems related with birth, death, old age and diseases. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadev Goswami says ekho mahan gunah. There is one good quality, the best quality. In Kali Yuga is kirtana eva krsna sya mukta sanga param vrajet. Harer namaiva, eva - nama only. This Sukadev Goswami has said kirtana eva - only by kirtan, only. And then he had not just talked to the readers or audiences or listeners to do kirtan of anybody and everybody, no. He specified, kirtana eva krsna sya, kirtana only of Krishna, otherwise it will not work. Maya's kirtan is going on through the karmic radio. Kirtan means glories. Kirti is glory. So, glories of maya chanted day and night.
To be continued
