bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
tayapahrta-cetasam
vyavasayatmika buddhih
samadhau na vidhiyate
(BG 2.44)
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Samadhi means “fixed mind.” The Vedic dictionary, the Nirukti, says, samyag adheyatesminn atma-tattva-yathatmyam: “When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is said to be in samadhi”. Samadhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyments and bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.
Detachment
Sometimes it is said that sense gratification and Krishna Consciousness go ill together. The goal of life must be understood. This is the greatest misfortune in human society that despite so much sophisticated process of education and training, people are not trained to understand what the goal of life is and how to achieve it. In fact, people are trained how to pursue those aspects of life which completely divert one’s attention of life from the true goal. The true goal of life is to repose all one’s affection in God. And the greatest diversion is to repose our affection in anything else. The mother of Pandavas queen Kunti prayed “Dear lord Sri Krishna please sever my attraction and all my attachments to my family as well as the whole dynasty of my husband’s family. Please sever all my attachments to both the Vrishni and the Pandavas. And let my attraction to be only in you.” Now people may think that queen Kunti was hard-hearted woman. How could anyone want to break one’s affection to her own family members? But the fact is queen Kunti was the best of all mothers.
How is that possible? She was praying to the Lord to sever all her illusory connections. She prayed to the Lord, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be ever drawn unto you without being diverted to anyone else. But all of your affections and all of your attractions and all of your attachments are directly connected to Krishna, united with Krishna. Then and only then are you worthy or being a true mother, father, sister, brother, or friend. Until then you are unworthy because you do not know how to love and you do not know how to be loved. Love begins when you love God. When you learn how to repose all your affection in Krishna then you will be able to perceive that your child is part of Krishna. Then you will care for your child by body, mind and soul with such love, such attention, and such devotion, you will be the greatest mother, the greatest father, the greatest friend. But as long as we are thinking in terms of the physical body and we neglect to understand, how every living being is part of God, then your relationship is simply superficial and in illusion. After all we have so many mothers and so many fathers here tonight. So child was closest, correct? So is it your duty to wash the child’s clothes? What do you think? Mother raises your hand, if you wash your children’s clothes? My God! Not a very brahminical crowd tonight by any means. Are you praying to me that you wash your children’s clothes or you want to have somebody wash for them you? Even if you have somebody else wash it or you have washed, you have a washer man. Either or not rich people, I have a washer man. I am from USA. I wash my own clothes. So you have to wash children’s clothes. That is your responsibility. Cleanliness is next to the Godliness. But let me ask another question? Do you not feed your children because you have washed enough clothes? What do you think? When you wash children’s clothes, do you think, now my job is taken care. No more responsibilities. O mother, have you cooked for me? No, I already washed your clothes. Be satisfied. This sounds crazy. Does not it? Because, we all are doing just that.
vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro ‘parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi
(BG 2.22)
This physical body is simply a dress. It is a garment. It is clothing. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita, as a person puts new clothing after giving up old one, the spirit soul similarly accepts one material body and gives up the other one. So a parent very very carefully takes care of the child’s body by giving him good education, by giving him good food, by giving him a nice house to live and a nice room or a nice car. This is all cleaning the clothes. Medical health is like sewing the cloth when it torn, ironing cloth or pressing with very good care. But, what about the child? What are the needs of the child? Food? The soul is in need of love and the soul is to be loved. The soul is longing for love, when in relationship with Krishna. If we are not feeding that child’s soul with devotion to Krishna, we are doing nothing at all for our children. We are simply taking care of their clothes. And their clothes again will be cast away today or tomorrow because they are going to die. This is what Queen Kunti is taking about. She was the supreme of all mothers because she loved Krishna. She knew how to love her children their bodies, their minds, and their souls. Unless we understand spiritual life in truth we cannot be responsible in this world. The concept of responsibility, this world is totally bogus and nonsense and full of ignorance. The common man thinks if you take spiritual life too seriously, you will be irresponsible. But tell me, is a parent to take care of the clothing of the children without caring for the child is a irresponsible parent? That is an ignorant parent and this is an ignorant society throughout the world you are living in. We are taking very nice care of the bird’s cage; we are starving the bird in the cage.
Therefore Rishabdev said,
Gurur na sasyat Svajano na sasyat
Pita na sasyat Janani on saa syat
(SB 5.5.18)
If you do not understand how to relieve your dependent from the cycle of birth and death, you have no right of being a guru; you have no right being a mother or father, you have no right being a teacher and you have no right being a demigod or a king. If we accept people as being dependent on this world, we must understand, what is their need and provide those needs. This is the aim of life. This is the difference between the human being and the lowest species. The lowest species are simply aspiring for self-preservation. But the human being is aspiring for self-realization and there is a great difference.
Attraction
Human life is meant to become attracted to Krishna. Rupa Gosvami has said, somehow or other become attracted to Krishna and Krishna is all attractive. It is not difficult. We simply have to get to know Him. But in order to get to know Him we must want to know. We must be eager to know. In fact it is said that the only price of entrance into the kingdom of God is eagerness to serve God, eagerness to know God, and eagerness to love God. Sometimes we are very dull, even we come to spiritual life. The lecture is going on and we are thinking very nice and I heard it before. I heard this story before. And I heard this philosophy before and already know so many things about Krishna. What am I doing here anyway? I could be doing something else. Sometimes we think like this. I been a devotee for so many years, my God, I heard the same thing over and over and over again.
But the more you love Krishna the more you want to hear about Him over and over again. If we are tired of hearing about Krishna then we have no love for Krishna. If you know one pastime, if you love Krishna, you will just hear that one pastime for the rest of your life. There is a devotee whose name was Satyabrata Muni and in the Padma Purana, he prays that my dear Lord Damodara you appear as a beautiful baby stealing the butter from mother Yasoda. And he is remembering these wonderful pastimes of Krishna stealing the butter and mother Yasoda is chasing Him and He is running away. He is thinking here is Krishna. Even fear personified is afraid of Krishna. Even the mightiest asuras like Kamsa who is more powerful than 10,000 elephants, he was afraid of Krishna. And yet Krishna is running with tears in His eyes from His mother Yashoda mayi. And he is praying my dear lord may this divine form of your baby running from mother Yashoda, may this pastime be, for rest of eternity enacted within my heart. Can you imagine? He wants to see the same show for the rest of eternity. And we are thinking, why we are heard this story before I heard it. That is the difference between love and material consciousness.
Eagerness
The devotees of the lord they want to hear the names of the God and glories of the Lord endlessly. They are never tired. Because, they are eager for Krishna. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita,
ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
(BG 4.11)
As you approach me, I reward you accordingly. If we are eager to associate with sadhus, if we are eager to hear about God in the goal of life, if we are eager to chant His holy names then we will become self-realized and Krishna conscious very quickly. For whatever reason we even approach Krishna, we must be eager. It is said, “Om apavitra…….” Whether one is purified or unpurified, if one remembers the beautiful lotus eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead “pundariksham” he becomes purified from within and without. It is the power of Krishna. It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam
Akamasarva-kamova
moksha-kamaudradih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajetha purusham param
(SB 2.3.10)
Whether one is full of material desires, whether one has no material desires, or whether one is seeking liberation. If one simply approaches Krishna one will gradually come to the higher state of consciousness.
There is a story. There was a thief and he was searching through the forest for someone. He will attack and steal whatever treasures they had. So he was very attentively with great cleverness just wandering about looking in all directions. Our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, I remember one time he was giving us a class and he was telling us the story and he said, in order to be a good thief you have to be very very clever. You have to be extremely intelligent materially because it is one of the hardest jobs. In New York City, some time they have the most intelligent people in New York City are thieves. Actually everyone is a thief in New York City. Especially the police and the politicians, they are the biggest thieves. They were such clever thieves that they steal from everyone and they created the whole scenario where it has become legal. So clever they are. So this person very clever and very sly and was just wandering through the forest looking for someone to be his victim.
Somehow or other by the great fortune of this thief, he came into association of vaisnava and they were discussing Srimad Bhagavatam. They were narrating the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna when He was very young cowherd boy. And they were describing how mother Yashoda, every morning she would wake Krishna from His rest. He was the little boy and He had beautiful eyes, like lotus flowers. He had such an attractive complexion, and His every limb was so tender and so well structured and His was like blackish feathers of the crow, curling upon His beautiful face. His body was curved in three places and the soles of the feet were very soft and a reddish cover. He was wearing a beautiful cloth around His waist, which was golden and really reflect lightning. Everyday Yasoda Mayi would put around His neck beautiful golden necklace, which had Rubees, diamonds, emeralds, and -. She put the finest pearls around His neck. And the thief was becoming very enliven to here the stories. Then mother Yashoda, she would take this beautiful tinning little boy and send Him out throughout the day into the pasture ground to take care of the calves and he was thinking ah, a little child away without his parents. These beautiful jewels, beautiful necklaces, this is wonderful. And he just listened very carefully.
Then they talked about the forest of Vrindavana, so he started asking people where is Vrindavana. They directed him. He did not forget this child’s identity, bodily characteristics because he spots Him out. So he was fixing His mind. He has lotus eyes, He has beautiful bluish complexion, He has lotus feet, His name is Krishna, Gopal, and He has beautiful jewels. I have to find Him. I have to find Him. I must find Him. Vrindavana, where is Vrindavana. So he was searching, searching at last he came in Vrindavana. He was so eager, so anxious that alas after a long searching there he saw just according to the description there was constantly being repeated within his mind, he came before Krishna. And he became very ecstatic that this is the goal of my life. The goal of thief was to steal the baby. And he came to Krishna and approached Krishna. Krishna looked at him and smiled at him. Then he fell like a stick on the ground. And then he begged Lord Krishna’s feet with tears from his eyes. And he said my dear Lord I surrender my life and soul onto you. And then whatever the thief had, he offered to Krishna. He said my dear Lord I offer my body, I offer you my mind, I offer you my soul, I offer all my possessions and everything is yours. This transformation took place quite naturally because he was so eagerly thinking of Krishna. He became completely purified and became relieved from all of his sinful desires.
It is said, that the sun in the sky, even when is in contact with the dirtiest things, it never becomes contaminated but purifies one’s dirty thing. So similarly if we some how or other put our consciousness, put our mind in contact with Krishna, real meaning of love to put another person’s consciousness in contact with Krishna. That is the greatest mother. That is the greatest father. That is the greatest teacher, and that is the greatest friend.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us that the Vedas mainly deal with artha, kama, dharma, and mokshya – Economic development, religiosity, sense gratification, and liberation. Most scriptures in this world, this is what they deal with. So many people come then they say, in this religion, why they are always arguing? That they should eat meet. In this religion, why they are arguing that they can drink wine? And in this religion, our own religion, why are so many recommendation to how to have good wife, how to have good business, how to have all these other material benefits? So it seems this is the goal of life. This is proper. There is nothing wrong with it. It is true, most of the scriptures of this world, whether they be the New Testament, the Old Testament, the Koran, or the Vedas. Most of the teachings, teaches how to live a better material life. That is why Krishna says in Bramha Samhita:
māyā hi yasya jagadanda-śatāni sūte
traigunya-tad-visaya-veda-vitāyamānā
sattvāvalambi-para-sattvaḿ viśuddha-sattvam-
govindam ādi-purusaḿ tamahaḿ bhajāmi
(BS 5.41)
That the Vedas mainly deal with three modes of material nature for arise above them all Arjuna be transcendental to all.
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
(BG 18.66)
Abandoned all varieties of religion and just surrendered to me. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu said “premapumartho mahan”. That the purusartha siromani, the crest jewel of all goals of life is to love Krishna. Prema bhakti, pure love of God. If we make that our goal in life, then we will find Krishna the object of our love, everywhere and in everything. “paräsya saktir vividhaiva srüyate”. Krishna is manifesting Himself, although He is supreme person in the supreme abode. He is expanding Himself everywhere and in everything.
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
(BG 15.7)
Every living being is part of god.
mayadhyaksena prakrtih
suyate sa-caracaram
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
(BG 9.10)
This whole material existence is His nature, His inferior energy, everything is in Krishna and Krishna is within everything. For one who loves Krishna every experience of life becomes new flavor of divine experience. And until we come to this platform of unmotivated and uninterrupted loving service of the lord, there is no question of real satisfaction in our life. Because, all of the pleasures outside of that is unnatural. Therefore Bhagavad-Gita says, one who is too much attached to material opulence and sense gratification, the resolute determination for devotional service cannot take place.
Harijana
So one may ask, what this person is saying in this evening that the real goal of life must be Krishna and all of these attachments are simply in illusion. Does that mean a poor man can be Krishna Conscious? Some people say only rich man can be Krishna Consciousness. Other say only poor man can be Krishna Consciousness. Just like there is common saying, that the poor people are Harijanas. The other day someone was asking, what is a Harijana and my reply was “do you want to know the popular definition or the literal definition. The popular definition is anyone who is poor, whatever his consciousness is, he is considered as Harijana. But the literal definition is Harijana means one who knows Hari, jana means to know. Hari means Krishna, one who knows Hari. He is a Harijana. If you are a multi millionaire and you know Krishna, you are a Harijana. Now if I tell Mr. Mafatlal, you are Harijana. Will you call him Harijana? Because he knows Krishna, he is a Harijana. If a sweeper in the street, if he is atheist and I say, he is not a Harijana then people will say, why you are discriminating against them. Anyone who knows Hari is Harijana. Whether you are rich or whether you are poor, whether you are brahmana or whether you are sudra, whether you are a Phd or whether you are barely met the high school. Whether you are old or whether you are young, whether you are man or woman. If you know Hari you are Harijana. If you do not know Hari, you are not Harijana. That is, we should not rubber stamp, we have to see by quality. It is not by birth. These are the extremes. One extreme is if you are a low class by if you are born in a low class family then you are low class forever rubber stamp. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita:
catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
tasya kartaram api mam
viddhy akartaram avyayam
(BG 4.13)
The four varnas and four ashrams has nothing to do with your birth, nothing. They have to do with your qualities and your actions. If you have the quality of the brahmana and you are born in an out cast, you must be given all the respect, all the facilities to serve as a brahmana. And if you are a brahma bandhu, if you are a brahmana but fallen in behavior and engage in illicit activities then you are not entitled to any of the respect of a brahmana. This is what Krishna teaches. According to one’s quality. So therefore the extreme is first of all a person who is born lowly stamped an out cast and the other extreme is a person who is low they stamp him as a Harijana, one who knows Hari. A Harijana is above a brahmana. All brahmana should bow at the feet of the Harijana. A brahmana is one who knows Brahmana. But higher than brahmana is Hari. A Harijana is the highest person in society. He is the Mahatma. He is a Paramhamsa. That is Harijana. The literary definition and this is the goal of life to become a Harijana, to know Krishna. Because, to know Krishna is to love Krishna, whatever opposition in society. This is Bhagavad-Gita. Bhagavad-Gita teaches you there was Ekalavya, he was an out cast. But he attained immortal fame, due to his devotion to his guru.
Humility
There is a story of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He was living in Jagannath Puri and there was a king name Maharaja Prataprudra. He was such a great king, he is one of the descendents of the great king named Indradyumna, who was original founder, who established the Jagannath temple in Puri dhama. And King Prataprudra was such a great king, with such strength that Navab Husain Shah, who was the Muslim conqueror, who conquered the entire Bengal, when he took all of his armies to march in to Orissa, he could not enter because Prataprudra’s army was so strong. There was no poverty in his kingdom because he was the humble servant of every one of his citizens. But his greatest strength was his humility. Even though he was living in the most royal of all palaces and he had the fame, the popularity, the money that everyone was aspiring to possess. He was always the most menial obedient servant of those sadhus who are honest and pure in heart and this is what made him a great king. In fact he wanted to have darshan of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Lord Caitanya is Krishna himself. At this time He is in the role of the sanyasi and when the request came through Sarvabhauma, one of His servants that King Prataprudra wants to meet with you. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, no! He is a materialistic man, he is a king. He is engaged in all types of diplomacy and I am a sanyasi. I cannot see him. So maharaja Prataprudra, when he heard that if I am being a king is disqualifying me for getting the mercy of the lord. Then what is the use of me being a king. The whole purpose of life, no matter what, is to please God, is to perform your occupation in such a way that you please God and get His mercy. Without His mercy your life is useless. So he decided right then and there. He did not have to think about. I will give up my kingdom and I will become a beggar in the street. If that is what is required to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya I’ll do it now. And he made a vow to do it. And his associates said, wait wait! You are such a great king, you cannot do just like this. Let us talk about Caitanya.
In the end Lord Caitanya gave him His most especial intimate mercy. Why did He give His mercy? There is very wonderful story. Because one of Lord Caitanya’s dear servants came to Him and told lord Caitanya that King Prataprudra has done a very very wonderful favor for me. He has treated me with such love and such respect. As soon as the lord heard that the king had treated a sadhu with humility and devotion Lord Caitanya’s heart melted. And He decided that King Prataprudra, now I understand, he deserves all of my mercy. And Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him. Not only did He see him but He embraced him again and again and again and filled his heart with divine love. So being a king is not a disqualification, if you are humble servant of the lord and His devotees.
At the same time in Jagannath puri there was a washer man, who is just somebody, who just washed clothes and he was considered an out cast and untouchable by the social ways of thinking at that time. But this man, he very nicely served a great devotee named Srivasa Pundit. Because he serves Srivasa Pundit, it is described during the Kirtan, when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing one day, that washer man was walking in the street and he happened to see Lord Caitanya and Lord Caitanya who is the super soul the paramatma within everyone’s heart, he just uncovered all the love and all the knowledge that is within the soul from this washer man. And as soon as he saw lord Caitanya, he could see the God is his life and tears of ecstasy began to flow from his eyes and he began to float on the air chanting, I have seen, I have seen. From that day on, he became on of the most intimate associates of the lord. There is no qualification or disqualification for Krishna Consciousness, for self-realization by any material standards. But if we are humble and we are eager to hear about Krishna, eager to serve Krishna, eager to please his devotees, then we are 100% qualified for his mercy. And when one achieves the mercy of the lord there is nothing else needed in life. Everything else will come.
Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita:
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
(BG 9.22)
But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
One devotee came to me today and said, Maharaja I have to move out my house, what to do? He has a family. I told you are Krishna’s devotee, what to worry about. I said, let me ask you one question. Have you ever been on the streets? He said, no. Have you ever been starving, no. Have you ever not had you needed? He said, no. You do not think Krishna will provide for you? Why do you worry about these things? When he provides for you, how he provides for you that He reveals, according to His desires. So what do you do, you need not worry.
Lord Jesus Christ, he was bringing his disciples into the sanyasa order of life, in the sense, he was asking just leave everything and just help him preach. And he was telling them, now you go out to preach. They were saying, how will we eat, how will we sleep, how will we find clothes? He told them, why you think about these things. He said the birds, the insects, does not God keep them well clothed, does not give them proper place of residence, does he not feed them. He said you are Krishna’s devotee. Do you not think Krishna will provide for you? So a devotee must do his duties, he must be responsible in this world. But he must know that if he has faith in God and if he is eager to be the humble servant of the lord and his servants then the lord will provide everything.
I was once telling me Dr. Narendra Desai, he is a very good businessman. He is industrialist and his business was quite successful. Then he started becoming very interested in spiritual life and people were wondering, what is this craziness? You are taking over big business and you have become involved in spiritual life. You are going to divert your attention away from your duties and everything will fall off. And people were worried. I do not mention names because of his family members. What is this? Too much association with sadhus is not good for one’s material life. And what happened, he started chanted sixteen rounds everyday. He no longer takes for anyone help. Can you imagine a business man spending an hour and half chanting the names of the God? During that time he could be in his office making phone calls talking all nonsense. He can be at some meetings mobilizing all of his managers for that hour and half. He is chanting “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” seems impractical. And after he chants an hour and half, he goes to Mangal Arati for a half hour, where he is dancing and singing before the deities, a business man. Then for half hour, there is class of Srimad Bhagavatam. Then the worship of tulsi then the worship of guru, then they take Prasad, for practically three hours in the every morning he is simply just worshiping Krishna and he told me that within a few years after he started doing, his business became three times then, it became bigger. This is the thing that when you surrender to Krishna do not think you are going to loose. But this is not the goal. You should not think this is very exciting. I will also start chanting 16 rounds; attend mangal arati, and then my business will also become twenty times bigger.
That is not the goal. A person who has huge business is not a happy fellow. He is very insecure, very miserable. In fact most of the richest people in the world are most miserable people in the world. They are always warning, they are always in anxiety, they do not trust anybody. I was talking one time to a very very big, one of the biggest television actors on all over America. so popular. Everyone loves him so much, wherever he goes. Have you seen, there he is, there he is and everyone searching yes yes. He has to disguise himself just to go to the store. And he was making twenty thousand US dollars a week or four lakhs a week profit and he told me that when he first grew up, he was a very poor boy living in a Spanish community in New York. And after became very rich and very famous, he said then I realized what it means to be miserable. I thought I was miserable and I was thinking once I become rich and famous then I’ll be happy. He said then I realized. Now I really know that it means to be miserable. Says I have no friends. Everyone that approaches me, they simply want something from me. Anyone who is nice to me, I am wandering what does he want? What is his motive? There is no love. There is no friendship. Be friends from within. Why does it come from within. Because the source of all people is God and he is within.
Yoga means to be uniting with god. To reunite with the Lord who is within your heart and only then you will find real peace. So therefore we have to take very seriously. What are the real responsibilities we have in this world? The responsibilities to our family, the responsibilities to our nation, to responsibilities to our friends, to responsibilities to our occupation, as well as to the responsibility before God within our own heart. If we are not God conscious, we can not be responsible in any of these avenues of life. Therefore we must make God first priority in our life and everything else will come. Lord Jesus, today is Easter, a very very holy day of Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed, seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will come. Jesus said knock the door, will open. Seek and you also find. We must be eager, we must be enthusiastic, we must be anxious in our spiritual life to approach Krishna, to serve Krishna, to realize Krishna, to love Krishna. And the process is very simple. We explained chant the holy names of the lord sincerely. For lord is incarnated within His name in this age of Kali Yuga and it is available everywhere, at all times, just call upon His names.
The sun will purify anything which comes in contact. Even if you have the dirtiest most sinful heart or even if you have very pious materialistic heart, if you associate your heart with the sound vibration of God’s name, you will become purified and become the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us by His own example, how to perfect our life in this modern age. And he taught in a very simple process. Chant the holy names and become the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Hear from them, assist them, your life will be perfect.
Thank you very much. Hare Krishna!
Questions
Q: Krishna with His all wives. So in that way, everybody is thinking that this is the only way? So how to understand that it is appears to be little conflict?
A: When the gopis were dancing with Krishna, during rasa lila, Krishna expanded Himself, to the dancing with each gopi and each gopi was thinking that Krishna loves only me. He loves me so much that He left all other gopis to be with me only. How special was Krishna’s mercy upon me? Each gopi was thinking like this. None them could saw the fact that Krishna was with all other gopis too. So when we develop love of god and you taste the sweetness of divine relationship with God, then one naturally thinks that Krishna’s mercy is special for me.
I remember in New Vrindavana, one time Srila Prabhupada came and I was sitting in class. It was Srimad Bhagavatam class and Srila Prabhupada kept looking at me. Practically the whole class he was just looking at me. I was just thinking, my God! I am really getting Srila Prabhupada’s darshan. It is not for anyone except me. I was just a little brahmacari sitting at the point. There are all these big big sannyasies from all over Hare Krishna movement, standing with their dandas, sitting right in front of Srila Prabhupada. I was just at a corner. He was just looking at me, looking at me, and looking at me with such love and such compassion in life. I just kept looking at Srila Prabhupada and thinking Srila Prabhupada is so merciful, he is just looking at me. My god and I was just thinking, some special, causeless mercy. Then after the class, I was just feeling something special, it was something very special. Then I heard devotees were talking as they all walking out. One devotee was saying you know through the whole class Srila Prabhupada was just looking at me. And another devotee said, no no, in the whole class he was looking at me. Then another devotee said, you know, I thought Srila Prabhupada was just looking at me. Then I did not say anything, because I realized Srila Prabhupada was looking at everyone. This is sometime the quality of ecstatic love.
When Jesus said, I am the only way. When Muhammad said, he is the only way. When Krishna abandoned all these other varieties of religion and said you simply surrendered to me. What does this mean? This means Krishna is so kind and he is so merciful that He appears to various people in just the way that is just right for them to surrender. This is how He attracts people’s minds. Just surrender to me. But that is not a quantitative of statement that is the qualitative of statement. Jesus is saying just surrender to me. He is the representative of God. Muhammad said, just surrender to me. At that time he was the representative of God and Krishna says abandon everything else and surrender to me. He is God, so qualitatively there is only one. Quantitatively they may be many. But qualitatively there is only one. There is only one guru. That is Krishna, He is JagadGuru and anyone who repeats His words, he is representative of the JagadGuru. Just like here there are many light bulbs in this room. But where they are getting light from? From the same electrical power house. All light, all power is coming from that power house, no where else. So whether you get the light from this one, or that one, or that one, it is the same light coming from the same power house, the same energy, correct. If one says that this is the only light that has electricity and somebody else says this is the only light and someone says, this is the only light. You understand that each light bulb is simply manifesting the energy of the one supreme powerhouse. So the lord sends so many representatives throughout history to give light. He sends so many gurus, so many acaryas, even in this country of India, there has been so many great things throughout the parampara system and each one is giving light. But where was that light coming from? It is all coming from Krishna. If they are speaking what Krishna spoke. If they are living what Krishna taught them. Then they are qualified. Because they are presenting the same mercy. So all the great acaryas and all the great purports, all the great religious persons of all the faiths in this world, they are saying this is the only way. It is the only way to connect with the powerhouse, is the only way, to connect with the God’s mercy is the only way. But there are many outlets to that mercy.
Q: For animals, they get everything, they do not bother. But for a human being, who is such enlightened person, this is a fact that millions and millions of human beings are suffering. They are dying with hunger. They are dying of thirst. Where is Krishna, why Krishna is not helping such poor souls, who are dying of these things?
A: It is a very good question. You see the animals are living according to their nature. Therefore nature provides from them. But a human being, if he acts according to his nature, nature will provide, guaranteed. But if you act against your nature, your nature is just to surrender to God. That is the nature of the soul, to surrender to God. If you act against your nature and you violate the laws of nature by raising sinful activities, then what is the result. You must be punished and all the sufferings, it is not God’s arrangement. It is God’s arrangement that if you touch fire you get burned. But that’s not God’s arrangement that you touch fire. It is your decision, right. God tells you, does not touch fire because if you will touch, you get burnt.
In the Bible there is a story of Admonib. You know that story. Admonib and the god’s paradise; everything were provided. That was very perfectly beautiful place and God says this is my abode. There is no suffering, no pain, nothing except pleasure. And he said, you can enjoy everything in this entire garden except do not eat that apple. That’s all I say, do not eat that apple. Because if you do, you will suffer. So what happened there was serpent, who was very envious. He was like Maya. Then he said, why do you think God, does not want to eat the apple. Because if you eat the apple, you will become as good as God. So God is afraid, He does not want you to become as good as Him. That’s why he told to not to eat the apple. So they said, yes. If I eat the apple, I’ll become as good as God. They ate the apple. Then what happened. They fell down. They had to leave with the godly reason into a horrible miserable existence in this material world. God told them to do that? God tell you not to see and He tells you, you will suffer if you see. Then you see. Then you say, why is God doing this? Why is he so cruel? He is not cruel. He is merciful. But you are foolish. That’s the problem. You have son. You have any children. What if your son and daughter says, father I want to play on the street and you say, you cannot play in street. You could not play in the street. But what you supposed to do? Do you chain your child, you rope him with locks in your house. You cannot, if he wants to play in the street. Can you stop him? Or you could tell him not to do. So he goes and plays in the street and a rickshaw runs over him. Then he comes back crying. Its all your fault. Why did you go to play in the street? Why did you let the rickshaw run over you? Is it your fault or his fault? So the people are suffering in this world, not because they are like the animals living according to the nature. It is because they are human beings meant to be following the higher principles of God consciousness. But they are engaging in sinful activities and as a karmic reaction to the sinful reactions. That is the source of all the suffering conditions of this world. Either in this life or in the past any suffering is due to us not due to God. Do you understand? So if you want to help a person suffering, give him help. That is very good. Give him charity. That is very good. That is the duty. The law of God is for everyone who has as much, gives to those who does not have. That is the law of God to be generous, to be kind, to be charitable, to be loving. To love your neighbor as yourself. But do not just give that. Give them enlightenment, by which they realize, what is the goal of life. They stop engaging in activities that can cause future suffering. If you give them knowledge. If you give them the name of god, you have given the greatest gift. Because by taking the name of god, they will come to that platform where they never have to suffer again. Those who surrender to Krishna they are always provided. I remember our guru maharaja used to go to poor areas. He tells those people, who are just begging in the street. They can come and live in our temple. We will give you nice food. We will give you nice clothing. We will give you wonderful place to stay. You just have to give up, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat eating and chant the holy names. They were rather starving in the street than live Godly life. Not everyone but my guru maharaja gave thousands of people that chance and not one person took the opportunity. But my guru maharaja used to go on feeding them everyday. He used to go on feeding them. But he also gave them a chance to be free from all sufferings forever. They wanted the food but they did not want the enlightenment. Which means tomorrow their stomachs will be hungry again. So real charity is to give food, to give cloth, to give medical assistance but also to give knowledge. To give the name of God. That is the greatest expression of love. To heal a man’s body, to heal a man’s mind, and to heal a man’s soul. You heal a man’s body by giving him medical help and food and way to live. The best way to you actually give him a way to work for his own living. In that way you heal a man’s body. You heal a man’s mind by showing love and concern and comfort and encouragement to him and you heal a man’s soul by giving him the holy name and by giving him Prasad. So let us all chant Hare Krishna.
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