19840926 SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM 1.7.9, MURARI SEVAKA FARMS, TENNESSEE: SB 1.7.9: çaunaka uväca sa vai nivåtti-nirataù sarvatropekñako muniù kasya vä båhatém etäm ätmärämaù samabhyasat Translation: Çré Çaunaka asked Süta Gosvämé: Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé was already on the path of self-realization, and thus he was pleased with his own self. So why did he take the trouble to undergo the study of such a vast literature? Purport read by Guru Maharaj. Srila Prabhupad ki jai! So here is the conclusive proof of how exalted is the study of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Actually by the Srimad Bhagavatam alone one can achieve all perfection. Srimad Bhagavatam is known as Amala Purana – as the spotless Purana, the Purana that is free of all material conceptions. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that those who are too attached to fruitive activities, their minds are bewildered by the words of the flowery Vedas. But here we can understand that the Srimad Bhagavatam surpasses the Vedas because the Srimad Bhagavatam is teaching one nivritti marg or the path of renunciation, the path of becoming completely fixed up within God consciousness. Most scriptures teach one the pravritti marg which is the path of material sense enjoyment and they tell how one can enjoy so that in the future one has a better chance for going back to Godhead. But here in the Srimad Bhagavatam this is specially explained that the real purpose of the Bhagavatam is not to perpetuate one’s material enjoyment but to fix one up on the transcendental platform so that one can return back to home, back to Godhead without any difficulty. So this is very wonderful that the Srimad Bhagavatam is on the one hand such a rare book that even completely liberated souls, they study it to gain further insight into the Absolute Truth. And this highest of all Vedic literatures is now available to the western people in their own languages, especially English, German, Spanish, Swedish and so on, French, Italian. Because by this study the same perfection that was achieved by Shukadev Goswami might also be achieved by the devotees who are studying the Srimad Bhagavatam today. So we can understand that the standard of pleasure that one achieves by studying the Srimad Bhagavatam is many times, millions of times more, unlimited times more than the happiness that one would achieve through any form of material activity. Even the gyanis, they have already rejected material happiness and they have become liberated. But here it clearly explains that even those liberated souls, they find further enlightenment and transcendental bliss by studying the Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore this Srimad Bhagavatam is the most elevated transcendental literature. When Lord Caitanya was touring, when He was going on His travels, He came to a place known as Varaha Nagar, a city named after Varahadev. When He reached there He found that there was a pandit who was giving lectures on the Bhagavatam. Lord Caitanya was naturally very pleased but then he found that that pandit, his Bhagavatam was a little bit old. At the same time He liked the Bhagavatam class that the pandit was giving, very much. So when that pandit asked Lord Caitanya for an order, how he should lead his spiritual life, what should be his specific practice of devotional service, then Lord Caitanya ordered him that his practice should be that he should daily read the Srimad Bhagavatam. He should read the Srimad Bhagavatam and actually he became known as Bhagavat Acharya and his daily sadhana was that he would 18 – 20 or 24 hours a day he would simply be giving Bhagavatam class. It was a non stop yagna; he would continuously give class that was his specific service assigned by Lord Caitanya to him. And they claimed that Lord Caitanya gave him a few fresh pages from memory that Lord Caitanya had the entire Bhagavatam memorized and He wrote some pages. And they claim the original papers written by Lord Caitanya are there, that’s hard to ascertain but it is a fact that the ashram of this Bhagavat Acharya is still there and that actually he was an associate of Lord Caitanya. That was his specific service to continually just read the Bhagavatam. By that he became completely perfected. So this Bhagavatam is very important because there are so many religious books in the world and religious books and scriptures, they contain transcendental words but most of the instructions of the scriptures are not actually transcendental. The transcendental words are very few and far between and mixed up within the other instructions, so that one is continuously hearing compromises, how to enjoy in the material world, how to enjoy and at the same time how to do that in such a way that it is not offensive to God very much. But actually how to develop love for God and how to realize the Absolute Truth, how to remain on the transcendental platform, how to return back to the Kingdom of Godhead, this process even liberated soul is interested in knowing more and more about. Plus the details about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the transcendental nature of His devotional service, this topic is nowhere discussed in its great clarity and voluminous manner as in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore the Srimad Bhagavatam is accepted by all the Paramahamsas and great souls as the most authoritative literature on the science of God consciousness. The Vedas describe it as the ripened fruit of the Vedic tree. There is a saying in Bengali, if you want to know what tree that is then by its fruit it is known. Just like on the side of the hill over there are some trees. If we ask what is that tree, they say apple tree because it produces the apple fruit. Or it is a peach tree or a pear tree or it’s an oak tree produces oak seeds or something but generally a tree, mango tree, orange tree, they are all known by the fruit they produce. So similarly they say that the ripened fruit of the Vedas is Srimad Bhagavatam. If you want to know the actual purpose of the Vedas then you study the Srimad Bhagavatam. The purpose of that particular tree is, actually what is the value of it. If you take an apple tree and study its bark, you study its roots, its leaves but the real greatest value of the tree is the apple fruit. That is why people plant it because that is the most valuable thing that it produces. So the Vedas most valuable thing that they produced, its fruit, its essence is the Srimad Bhagavatam. So if someone wants to know what is the entire purpose of the Vedas, what is the secret nomenclature of the Vedas, you don’t have to read all the Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, simply by reading the Maha Puranam, the Srimad Bhagavatam, then all of the purports of the Vedas, all of the objectives of the Vedas are fulfilled. Simply by perfectly reading the Srimad Bhagavatam. When Lord Caitanya was instructing Rupa Goswami then He explained the different categories of animals and categories of human beings. So first He said that amongst all the animals of course the human being is most important but there are many tribal kind of uncivilized human beings – saboras, boudhas and so on. Then more elevated than this type of uncivilized are human beings who are engaged in meat eating and hunting and other kind of violent and uncultured activities without any reference to Vedic authority. Higher than them are the veda mukhe mane dharman nahi gane – those who give lip service – mukhe mane, they verbally say yes, I am a Hindu, I believe in the Vedas or I am a follower of the Vedas or I am a devotee or something like that – say by mouth, they give lip service but they don’t actually do it. Whatever the forbidden activities of the Vedas are, they don’t take them very seriously, they neglect them and they do them any way. Then higher than that are the karma nishthhaas – those who are following – you have the, I think Madhya 8 I think, maybe it is 7. Guru maharaj quoting from the Caitanya Caritamrita – “Although the living entities known as human being are very small in quantity that division may be still further subdivided for there are many uncultured human beings like mlecchas, phulindas, boudhas and saboras”.

Next verse is: veda nishttha … “Among human beings those who are followers of the Vedic principles are considered civilized. Among these almost half simply give lip service while committing all kinds of sinful activities against these principles. Such people do not care for the regulative principles. “ Prabhupad mentions in the purport that the highest type of religious system is described in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6 thus, sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokñaje ahaituky apratihatä yayätmä suprasédati “The highest form is religion is that by which one becomes fully conscious of the existence of God, His form, name, qualities, pastimes, abode and all pervasive features. When everything is completely known that is the perfection of Vedic knowledge. The fulfilment of Vedic knowledge is systematic knowledge of the characteristics of God. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita 15.15 – vedais ca saravair aham eva vedya. The aim of Vedic knowledge is to understand God. Those who are actually following Vedic knowledge and searching after God cannot commit sinful activities against the Supreme Lord’s order. However in this age of Kali although men profess to belong to so many different kinds of religions most of them commit sinful activities against the orders of the Vedic scriptures. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says herein veda nishidha paapa kore dharma nahi gane. In this age men may profess a religion but they actually do not follow the principles. Instead they commit all kinds of sin. So among the followers of the Vedic knowledge most are following the process of fruitive activity and distinguishing between good and bad work. Out of many such sincere fruitive actors there may be one who is actually wise. Out of many such wise men one may actually become liberated, mukta. And out of many millions of such liberated persons a pure devotee of Lord Krishna is very difficult to find. Research is going on for the karmis, gyanis and yogis but until the search is complete no one can attain peace. Therefore the Bhagavad Gita says gyatva maam shanty mrchhati. One can actually attain peace when he knows Krishna. This is described in the next verse – Krishna Bhakta nishkaama mata eva shanta, bhukti mukti siddhi kaami, shakale ashaanta. Because a devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, gyanis desire liberation and yogis desire material opulence. Therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful. “ So here the objective of all the processes of yoga, karma, gyana, the ultimate objective is to achieve Krishna consciousness. And that is achieved by studying the Srimad Bhagavatam. The purpose of the Srimad Bhagavatam therefore is different than the other scriptures. When we try to explain to people what is the purpose of the Srimad Bhagavatam, it is very difficult to use the reference of other scriptures because the Srimad Bhagavatam sails far over their objectives. The Srimad Bhagavatam’s purpose is to actually leave the material world and go back to Godhead. When most of the other scriptures’ purpose is how to live in the material world with the blessings of God. Oh God, our Father who art in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. The objective is normally not to return to God. Even I was once preaching to a person and just the thought of seeing God, the person started to get real nervous and said that I don’t want to see, I am not ready. What would I do? And he got all like completely hysterical you know. Just the thought that suddenly what if you know, there came God. He was like completely flustered with even the idea. People, they are so far from God consciousness that it is very pitiful that here is a human being. They have the opportunity to achieve this highest consciousness and that is made even more easily attainable by the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But they are completely neglectful of this, the summum bonum of life, the prime purpose of life. So studying the Bhagavatam is so important. When the son of Caitanya das, Srinivas, he became about sixteen years old or so, he immediately knew that the whole purpose of life was to study the Srimad Bhagavatam under a bona fide spiritual master. By this the supreme goal of life could be achieved. So he wanted to study the Srimad Bhagavatam under a pure devotee. So he decided he would go to Jagannath Puri to find Caitanya Mahaprabhu and that he would ask Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach him. So then on his journey, how he walked through the jungles, walked all the way to Jagannath Puri and finally when he reached there Lord Caitanya was – there was a big crowd of people and he asked, what is happening? Is it a festival? They said, yes the festival of Lord Caitanya entered into the temple, He didn't come out. So it was the festival of His disappearance, of His going back to the spiritual world. He said, no, no, oh no, how will I study the Bhagavatam? And he was just beating his head. How will I know the Bhagavatam, Lord Caitanya is gone! I might as well take my life! And he was contemplating committing suicide. And then he fell unconscious and fainted. Then in his dream Lord Caitanya came and said that Advaita and Nityananda prabhu are still on the earth, they are in Navadweep, you go there and by Their mercy you will be able to study the Bhagavatam. He told him to go to Gadadhara prabhu, I am sorry. He would teach him the Bhagavatam and by His mercy he would learn the Bhagavatam. Then he couldn’t take his life. And then he went to see Gadadhara prabhu. So when he went to see Gadadhara prabhu, to make a long story little bit condensed, Gadadhara prabhu was in complete separation of Lord Caitanya. He couldn’t speak to anyone, He wouldn't see anyone, He was always just crying and chanting and reading. He just couldn’t focus His attention in any other way. When He saw Srinivas He became very happy because He knew that Srinivas was actually sent by Lord Caitanya, so He could feel the presence of Lord Caitanya and that Srinivas is coming and that really relieved His separation. Srinivas fell at His feet and paid His obeisances and begged for His mercy. He wanted to learn the Srimad Bhagavatam from Him. Lord Caitanya appeared to him in a dream and everything, in a vision. So then He said, I will be glad to teach you but my Bhagavatam, I am reading it, it is all hand written and then meditating on the transcendental qualities of Krishna’s pastimes, We cannot help, We cry and the Bhagavatam became washed out. He looked in the Bhagavatam, the pages were completely merged. So He said, you have to get a new Bhagavatam otherwise how can I teach you? So in those days you did not go to the local book store and buy a Bhagavatam. He had to go to a higher brahmana and sit there and write the 18,000 verses of the Bhagavatam. And if you want purports then, ha! So Srinivas went back to Navadweep, got a brahmana, there are some brahmanas to start writing the Bhagavatam. When they completed writing the Bhagavatam, he took his big package of Bhagavatam on palm leaves, walked all the way back to Jagannath Puri, went to the Tota Gopinath temple where Gadadhara was . He saw that there was a festival going on. He said, what is the festival? They said, Gadadhara prabhu disappeared! Of course that was a crushing experience for Srinivas. Again he practically went mad. Somehow Gadadhara prabhu appeared in his dream. He fainted and Gadadhara prabhu said, don’t worry, you go back to Navadweep, find out Advaita and Nityananda prabhu and They will help you. So then again he went back to Navadweep. When he got back then he found out that Advaita and Nityananda prabhu, within that time period, when he was there They were there but in that period, They disappeared. Because after Lord Caitanya then one by one all the associates They were in so much separation, They just wound up Their activities and They went back to the spiritual world. No one wanted to remain in this God forsaken world! God had forsaken the world, He had left the world. So those personal associates, They who were so intimately connected with God, with Krishna, with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, They wanted to just rejoin Him. So then again he was completely destroyed. Somehow he got the order to go to Vrndavan to find Rupa and Sanatan, from Advaita and Lord Nityananda. So then he went towards Vrndavan, just a long walk, with his Bhagavatam. So finally he reached Vrndavan and he was very, very, happy to reach Vrndavan. He decided to take a bath in the Akrura kunda where Lord Krishna – just on the outskirts. When he was taking his bath he overheard two brahmanas talking that how Vrndavan just wasn't the same since the disappearance of Rupa and Sanatan! WHAT! WHAT! He jumped out you know. What did you say? Rupa and Sanatan, where are they? What do you mean? Just they have gone back to the spiritual world. Even now the festivities, kirtan from their recent disappearance is still going on at the Govindaji temple. Then he ran all the way to the Govindaji temple and there he learnt that yes, Rupa and Sanatan had disappeared and then he went just like completely into coma at the back of the temple and he just was unconscious. When he woke up, rather he didn't wake up but what happened was that Jiva Goswami had a dream in which Rupa and Sanatan said that one great devotee Srinivas is coming, you take him and you teach him the Bhagavatam and you have him take initiation from Gopal Bhatta Goswami. So Jiva Goswami he went to the temple and he found this person like just in complete state just chanting the names of Krishna at the back of the temple and tears pouring from his eyes. Then he thought this must be the person so he picked him up and brought him over to his little hut, whatever his little ashram and then when he awoke he said that, are you Srinivas? He said, yes. I am Jiva Goswami. Then he explained that Rupa and Sanatan, they have ordered me to do this, so. In this way finally Srinivas Acharya was able to find a spiritual master, was able to find someone to teach him the Bhagavatam. He walked literally thousands and thousands of miles through unlimited – just he wanted to study the Bhagavatam. With this type of determination we should actually vigorously, with full attention be studying the Bhagavatam regularly trying to understand what is the actual essence, what is the purport of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Especially we are so fortunate that Srila Prabhupad has written the purport, we don’t have to carry around palm leaves, it has been put into this printed form, very convenient to carry. You can get it in one volume, you can get it in 60 volumes, get it on micro film, get it even on tape. So in this way we are very fortunate that we have the Srimad Bhagavatam and we should regularly study the Srimad Bhagavatam with that type of eagerness as was exhibited by Srinivas who was later given the title Acharya by the Goswamis, so he became Srinivas Acharya. It was Srinivas Acharya after reading the Srimad Bhagavatam then he was ordered to distribute the Bhagavatam. So this is also the purport that we should understand that by reading the Bhagavad Gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam, these transcendental literatures, then it is our duty to also give them to others. To preach this message to others. Not simply we read and become liberated and then we – it ends there. But we should continue on like a transcendental chain letter. If each person that gets the science of Bhagavatam in turn teaches at least one other, but say if they teach ten others or one hundred others then in this way the Krishna consciousness movement can expand manifold and that is the only way of even trying to repay although we can never fully repay, this is the only way of showing our desire for repaying the debt, is to be Krishna conscious and try to make others Krishna conscious. Jai Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasa Adi Gaura Bhakta Vrnda. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Is there a question? Question: Inaudible. Guru Maharaj: Through preaching. Preaching is not stereotyped – so many types of preaching. Festivals are one aspect of preaching which brings it to the public in a very visible way. And vows are a very wonderful way. So festivals are something which is very important. Book distribution, home preaching, farm preaching – ena tene prakaarena Krishna manaani vasate – by any means we are to bring a person to the point of accepting Krishna. Then after that we introduce the rules and regulations. So initiation means at that time they accept to follow certain rules and regulations and chant Hare Krishna regularly. Question: Inaudible. Guru Maharaj: Yes if they are trained by brahmanas they can learn how to do those things. Nucleus is always the preacher. If they are trained by preachers how to do those things then they can start doing them in their home. Grihe thaako bone thaako sada Hari bole daako. Whether one lives in the ashram or whether one lives in the house everyone should chant Hare Krishna. But even in India now we find that it is very hard to have a peaceful Krishna conscious life outside the ashram. Of course it is even hard in the ashram, what to speak of outside! But in some cases, for instance in one family in India he became Krishna conscious because he was a born brahmana, he had a temple. When he took initiation then the other caste brahmanas said you took initiation from a mleccha. Therefore now you are no longer a brahmana, they tried to ostracise him because they were smartha brahmanas, they weren't vaishnavas. So they tried to say that because the guru was not a born brahmana therefore somehow there was something defective in the initiation but through preaching those so called born brahmanas were doing nothing. They were not vegetarian, neither did they do puja, but by birthright they were claiming and they were accusing the others, foreign born vaishnavas who were following everything very strictly, who were initiated into the vaishnava sampradaya, they were trying to bring in the caste consciousness with them. So there was a big war, threats, attempts to beat up and so many different things they kidnapped one of the naamahatta preachers and kept him locked up in a house for a while. But then finally we went there and did a big festival where twenty thousand people came and all the people came up and pledged to chant and it was overwhelming effect that these caste conscious brahmanas became smaller and disappeared! Today many of them are coming to the program but the bitter ones are like in a distance, eating their bitter pie. But that person had to endure. He kept telling me he wanted to come and live in the ashram. But in his particular situation, he already had a temple, he had deities. I saw that it would almost be detrimental in his specific case to immediately come. He had a big family and we are not really set up for these big families yet. So it is not always so good, some temples you know we have to mature how to proved and engage big families. Prabhupad wanted us to develop that type of farm projects where we can actually accept all families and engage them, give them proper varnashrama, categorized engagement so that they can be completely fulfilled. But that person went through so much trouble. I remember once Prabhupad said in Mayapur when he told the people that you just come and stay here. We are providing you this facility so you can peacefully practice your Krishna consciousness. And even in India if a person, for instance we had before we had our own gurukul, we had grihasthas and they sent their kids to the school at the Bhakti Vinod Institute which was established by Bhakti Vinod Thakur or in his name by Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Originally only the sanyasis and brahmacharis would preach and teach in that school. But after the demise of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, the Gaudiya Matth, they gradually reduced their preaching spirit and they put hired teachers in there and finally they took the government aid and now it has become like a public school. But you know private school funded by government, so it is like a public school practically speaking. The teacher made fun of the student that why he was doing all these things and made some wisecrack you know, completely atheistic wisecrack in the Bhakti Vinod Institute even against the existence of God, like a complete atheist even against the existence of God, a complete atheist and the students came and started pulling the kid’s shikha in the middle of the class. He had to run back to the temple crying you know. This was the Bhakti Vinod Institute, what to speak of other schools. So even in India if you, you can be a Hindu but you can’t be a Vaishnava. You wear your shikha and wear a big tilak, you wear neck beads. I have girls who are disciples who go to school with the neck beads, the other girls chide them, ‘so you have become a sadhu, you have become a sanyasini’ because they are standing out, they are making the others see that alright they have a drive for getting liberated and they are forced to either preach and defeat them or otherwise they are just made mock of. So it is very difficult even in India what to speak of in the West. That is what is so surprising that of course when you have programs, the more mature people, the older people, they are still religious minded but then if their son or daughter becomes a devotee you see all hell break loose! In Bangalore I went, the son was becoming a devotee, he was already initiated for three years, they said let him get his Bachelor of Science. He got his Bachelor of Science and then they put him in for Master of Science and the boy was so attached to his parents that he did it. He came to me once and I just asked him what you are going to do, what he was studying. He was studying some kind of computer communication, not programming but some other really abstract use. And I said how are you going to utilize them in Krishna consciousness? He said, I never thought about that. He thought a little and said after I graduate I want to be a devotee and live in the temple. You study something you can use. How are you going to use that? I don’t mind in one sense but there is a big investment of time and energy – how are you going to use that? Then he meditated on it and he couldn’t find any use for it. But it was just because his parents were pushing him that he had to get his Master’s degree. So then he left and became a devotee in one of the temples. Then his parents came crying and said, our son, he was the valedictorian, number one in the class, he should get his Master’s degree. I said how he will use this Master’s degree to serve God. You said he could also join after he gets his degree, how will he use that particular. We don’t know all these things, that is for you to say, you are the guru but we just know that our son should get his Master’s degree. That we are parents and it is our duty in life, if our son gets a Master’s degree then our life is perfect. This is the conditioning. They didn't think that if their son gets back to Godhead then that is their perfection. But you know the society, if their son gets the degree then, our son is a degree holder then everything is good. They are so conditioned now but the social pressure even in India that they think that my son has a good job or if he has a degree, then everything is alright. He may have the lowest character but you know if he has a degree, then good, everything is alright. So somehow they have agreed finally through some reverse psychology to let their son be a devotee but it is very, very difficult. What to speak of in the West, you find here a person wants to be a devotee, they live outside. Unless they get association with the devotees, everyone will tell them, come let’s see the football game, let’s have a drink, have a joint, have a this, have a that, so many mayas are there. So it is very difficult here. Here the mayas are more gross, there it is more family affection, get a degree, mother crying and rolling on the ground and having fits. Mother serious, come back immediately, they say, your mother is dying, you have to go! You know, literally. One time Prabhupad he told us, I don’t even want to take any Bengali devotees any more, he was so disgusted you know! Ha! One mother who came and was rolling right on the floor in his room and was rolling back and forth, screaming, ohhhhhhh…. Crying, going through you know, all the ecstatic symptoms in reverse! And the boy was there you know and Prabhupad said, listen, he is free to go. He asked the boy, do you want to go? The boy said, I don’t want to go! What can I do, Prabhupad said. He doesn't want to go. I can’t force him. In fact, one boy was pressed so much by his parents because he was a devotee, he was pressed so much to leave the temple and come back. And when he left he was so miserable that he committed suicide. Because they were very affectionate and the parents were very loving and instead of they could with a little push their boy could go back to Godhead because they have some attachment for parents, it is natural because parents actually treat their children nice. That is why I feel that when parents if they give love and affection to their children in Krishna consciousness and they have, just for the parental affection, just for the love of their parents that they can make so much advancement in Krishna consciousness. But instead the parents you know due to their own materialistic sentiments they want the best thing for their son but they don’t understand that Krishna consciousness is the best thing! They think that if he gets a degree, gets a job, have a family, have a house, this is the best thing. They are like Daksha Prajapati, they are in the karma kanda, they don’t understand nivritti marg. They haven’t understood the Bhagavatam philosophy. Even though they are pious people, even though they respect sadhus, but when their son enters the nivritti marg, all hell breaks loose! Don’t even talk about it if the daughter wants to enter nivritti marg. That practically speaking Prabhupad said, don’t stand in between a father and his daughter. We don’t even let daughters join the ashram unless the father gives a letter of consent and basically we don’t even encourage it. The sons who are over eighteen, we take the risk. One boy just recently his mother and father took him to court in India, we couldn’t believe it, they took him to court saying he was mentally insane, trying to do like they had 150 boys from the neighbourhood go to the court house, waiting for him to come out to kidnap and drag him back. He had to go to court and wrote an affidavit out that I am in good consciousness, out of my free will, I am 23 years old, I got my Bachelor of Commerce, I have decided I want to be a devotee, I am a major, I don’t want to work as a slave or whatever, just wrote the whole thing out and gave it to the judge. The judge said he cannot be very insane to write all this! So he gave the order while he is over 21 the law is that he is free to do what he wants. But then this whole mob was there. Even the judge he was writing the order you are free to do what you want as that was the law. But even he was like giving moral pressure and the boy said, listen, I am not leaving the court room unless I get escorted by a police van, taken out of here. I cannot leave because they are going to kidnap me. He like took asylum of the court. Finally they had to give him like a police jeep to take him to Navadweep and then he got across to Mayapur. This is you know in the Dham! So it is difficult for people to be Krishna conscious, it is difficult. So in our ashrams, in our temples actually we are trying to do this congregational preaching and if a person really gets serious there are some people who are in a situation that is very, very hard for them to actually be Krishna conscious outside just because the total environment is so rotten. So that is why these farm projects are there to provide a very peaceful, nice place where people can use all of their energies to be Krishna conscious in a nice environment of Krishna conscious association. But of course we are also trying to do this by making many people chant Hare Krishna and then combining them together as little groups and they provide a type of association. Naamahatta is making congregations where there is no temple. Where there is a temple you have your congregation and where there is no temple then you have many people chanting, you group them together and form them as a congregation and they have like a preacher goes there and creates the atmosphere of a temple with regular meeting. But that is something that is just now being instituted in the West. It is something we had to do in India otherwise even there people without association is very difficult. People can identify with that very much easier in India, it is not too much opposition except by communists, atheists and other sampradayas. There are a lot of bogus yogis who claim to be avatars and they give opposition and the smartha brahmanas, it is very complicated. In India there are very many varieties of opposition. In the West it is mainly just maya, just kind of gross maya. Just not so much complicated opposition. Maybe in the South we have the Baptist Christian opposition and we have just the gross sense gratification opposition. In South America the Catholics they don’t really oppose much, they are very receptive. Then you just have maya. That is why it is a very nice preaching here. So these temples Bhakti Vinod Thakur said they form the nucleus, they are the place from where the preachers are trained, where they are sent out so people can come and get purified, they can see the Nitai Gaur deities, the Lord Himself is there, by having darshan, by coming and seeing how He is worshipped, they get purified, they can learn how to do this in their home. Or if it is too difficult they can come and take shelter here and chant Hare Krishna and be happy! And they can then practice nivritti marg and be very happy and go back home back to Godhead! Hare Krishna! 16 September 2015 Jayaraseshwari dd