The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on June 4th, 1981 in Murari Sevaka Farm, Mulberry, Tennessee. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10, Chapter 2, Text 7.

Jayapataka Swami:

Translation with repetition:

The Lord ordered

Devotees: The Lord ordered

Jayapataka Swami: Yogamaya:

Devotees: Yogamaya:

Jayapataka Swami: O My potency,

Devotees: O My potency,

Jayapataka Swami: who are worshipable

Devotees: who are worshipable

Jayapataka Swami: for the entire world

Devotees: for the entire world

Jayapataka Swami: and whose nature is to bestow

Devotees: and whose nature is to bestow

Jayapataka Swami: good fortune upon all living entities!

Devotees: good fortune upon all living entities!

Jayapataka Swami: Go to Vraja,

Devotees: Go to Vraja,

Jayapataka Swami: where there live many cowherd men

Devotees: where there live many cowherd men

Jayapataka Swami: and their wives.

Devotees: and their wives.

Jayapataka Swami: In that very beautiful land,

Devotees: In that very beautiful land,

Jayapataka Swami: where many cows reside,

Devotees: where many cows reside,

Jayapataka Swami: Rohinī, the wife of Vasudeva,

Devotees: Rohinī, the wife of Vasudeva,

Jayapataka Swami: is living at the home of Nanda Mahārāja.

Devotees: is living at the home of Nanda Mahārāja.

Jayapataka Swami: Other wives of Vasudeva

Devotees: Other wives of Vasudeva

Jayapataka Swami: are also living there incognito

Devotees: are also living there incognito

Jayapataka Swami: because of fear of Kamsa.

Devotees: because of fear of Kamsa.

Jayapataka Swami: Please go there.

Devotees: Please go there.

Jayapataka Swami: Purport by Srila Prabhupada: Nanda-gokula, the residence of King Nanda, was itself very beautiful, and when Yogamāyā was ordered to go there and encourage the devotees with fearlessness, it became even more beautiful and safe. Because Yogamāyā had the ability to create such an atmosphere, the Lord ordered her to go to Nanda-gokula.

Thus ends the Purport of text 7 by His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.

The basic quality of this world, especially of the animals is fear. You see any bird, any cow, any dog, any type of animal; they are very apt to become afraid. Especially in their wild state when they have no protector. They are very afraid, as soon as you move or look at them they immediately become fearful. So this is… a basic quality of animal life is fear.

Practically speaking, although in our modern society, there is a big advertisement of so much advancement, people have not become fearless which means that they have not been able to transcend animal existence. Rather peoples’ fears may have been solved or to some degree pacified in one area but in another area, they are increasing. In so many areas. People may have been (inaudible) afraid.

Actually where have the fears been allayed, that’s what I am trying to consider. I said maybe, but I can’t even think. Of course they say that like for tuberculosis or malaria, there are certain diseases where there are vaccines so the fears are allayed but then so many other diseases have come. People are practically always afraid of leukemia, cancer, so many type of… thrombosis; this and that. So many types of diseases have come up. People are definitely afraid of contracting some disease. Therefore when they go… Especially when they leave the country, they have to get so many inoculations.

Then of course, before people were always afraid of… in America at least uh, there was even less of a fear about foreign attacks, but now that fear has even grown. And the American people, they are always afraid of when the Russians may attack. This fear is increasing also, day by day. So the multi-billion dollar expenditure on defense must be done to help to allay that fear, you see. But so many fears are there. Fears of not making the ends meet. So, different types of fear, these are part of material life that are very prominent in animals but in the human life, they can be actually limited.

The fear of death is something which everyone has. Of course there are some people who are so ignorant, that somehow they avoid thinking about it until just at the very moment that some danger comes before them. This is considered to be very ignorant, very foolish. They say ignorance is bliss. An intelligent person, he considers what is life, what is the goal of life, what is the end of life? And death for him, poses a question, that “Why am I working so hard? It’s all going to be finished. What is the actual purpose of life?” Just like Teddy Roosevelt, President, [Aside] Over in the gurukul they had a book on the presidents. So when he died, he said, “Life and death: all part of the great adventure.” Something like that.

That… of course, death, no one expects. No one expects that they are going to have to leave this body. For someone who is ignorant, just like a stone or a tree that doesn't think about it, then of course for him there is not that much worry. He doesn't have to fear that. He can just ignore it, but for an intelligent person the obvious fact that, “My grandfather has died and my father has died and I'm going to die, so what is the actual meaning of life? What is life? What is birth? What is death? What is this world?” That consideration comes. So that fear can also be, nivarana that be destroyed or nullified by knowledge.

Knowledge is real bliss. Ignorance is not real bliss. Ignorance is a type of bliss. But in one sense, one who is completely ignorant and one who has knowledge, they are both free from anxiety. One is falsely free, just because he is ignoring all the dangers and the other one is free because of factual knowledge. To not prepare one's borders against the attack of the enemy, that type of freedom from fear will be simply utopian.

At the same time, simply to go on fearing without taking necessary steps would also be considered to be foolish. So the wise thing is if there is a fear, there is a danger, then one should prepare for it. So what seems to be a great anachronism is that while all the other fears, everyone takes precaution,why no one is taking precaution about this fear, the danger which looming before us, that we have to leave this body? That is the great mystery. That although everyone knows that that is the number one danger. Anyone may escape from any danger but who has escaped from death? Yeah, they don't think how to cross over or how to… what is the actual nature of all this? So this is maya or illusion. And this Krsna conscious movement is meant to give them factual knowledge as we were saying:

Bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana abhaya-caranaravinda re' Bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana abhaya-caranaravindare : Fearless!

Srila Prabhupada's name, A.C. is abhaya-caranaravinda. He’s named after that. So, one becomes really fearless when he becomes fixed in Krsna consciousness. Because he knows that all the basic mysteries of life. Who he is, what he is, where he is going, how to avoid the difficulties of life? Now that devotee becomes fearless. Not the type of fearlessness that the materialist has like, sleeping. But an actual fearlessness. So actual fearlessness is needed. Everyone actually wants to become free from fear.

So it is described here that Yogamaya, Krsna's internal energy, she has the ability to create an atmosphere free from fear. So she was ordered to go to Gokula, the residence of Krsna's father, Nanda Gokula, to create such an atmosphere and encourage the devotees. Similarly if we chant Hare Krsna, we serve Krsna, then we can create a proper environment, and Mother Subhadra Devi, Mother Yogamaya, she will then create in that place an atmosphere of fearlessness, an atmo… atmosphere where people can, in a harmonious way, serve Krsna.

And factually, that is seen. Person may be materially beautiful but then material beauty always has some defects and actually it lacks luster but when devotional service is added, then one becomes actually beautiful. Because when one is under shelter of Yoga-maya, one is under the shelter of Krsna, connection with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada, he was so kind to bring this message to the West with the purpose of making the people fearless. When he landed in uh...one time he sent me a newspaper clipping from Melbourne or Sydney, I forget now. 'The Age', maybe someone knows. Probably “The Age” is a Melbourne paper, probably Melbourne. “The Age” from Australia and the headline was “Swamiji has come to hound us.” Big headline. And the sub-heading was “To Save Us From a Cat and Dog's Life.” It was a very big newspaper. You know, number one newspaper… was the headline. Number one newspaper in Australia, in that city. It was the biggest city in Australia.

So Prabhupada explained that when he arrived there, he told the people… They asked him, “ Swamiji, Why have you come? Why have you come from India, such a poor country, so on and so forth, why have you come?”

He said that, “I have come to save you from a cat and dog's life.”

“The cat and dog's life? How is that?"

“Well, the cat is eating. You are eating. The cat is sleeping. You are sleeping. Cat is having sex. You are having sex. Cat and dog is fighting. You are having your war machinery, where is the difference?”

And they laughed. They liked that very much. Said, "Yeah, there’s no difference."

He said, “There is a difference. I have come to save you from that by giving you actual knowledge."

They have a good sense of humor in Australia. So Prabhupada, he was uncompromising. And actually he simply wanted people to become fearless. To actually make people fearless. To make… to make them free from the anxiety.

Someone may say that, well, “A dear devotee has left or even your spiritual master and that is the cause of grief for you. How can you say that the devotee's life is free from grief?” But… of course, when the spiritual master leaves, the devotee cries. But that crying is actually of a different nature. Very hard to explain to these people. That actually a devotee's grief, it’s not real grief but the separation he feels from the spiritual master, from other Vaisnavas, is actually something that is very transcendental and very… at the same time as one is feeling that separation, he is feeling a type of satisfaction or closeness to that person, which could be demonstrated.

You know about Srinivasacarya? Lord Caitanya, when He left, most of His associates left very quickly. They couldn’t take the separation. There were a few associates left. Rupa and Sanatana quickly left and Srinivasacarya…Gadadhara Prabhu quickly left. After a short time, Nityananda, Advaita. After a few years, they all left. Within a few years’ time, most everybody had gone. So Srinivasacarya was the disciple of... he was the son of Caitanya Das and he wanted to study the Bhagavatam under a bonafide spiritual master; so of course the great ordeal and trial he went through to finally reach Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who became his spiritual master is of course a great history and an epic in itself. So, Srinivasacarya, of course was the first person to bring the books, the Gaudiya Vaishnavas’, to distribute them among the general devotees.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja had written the Caitanya-Caritamrta and other books were written by the other Goswamis. So those were all being taken by Srinivasacarya to distribute amongst the Eastern states, Bengal and Orissa where all the principle devotees of Lord Caitanya were at that time and to have them duplicated there in Navadvipa by the pandits. In those days, the printing procedure was by hand. So it was a very tedious thing.

So he was a contemporary of the son of Nityananda, Virabhadra Prabhu and Narottama Dasa Thakura and Syamananda Pandita were intimate associates. The three of them actually brought the books together from Vrndavana to the Eastern states, but mainly Srinivasacarya was responsible. Ramacandra Kaviraja, who was a dear friend of Narottama Dasa Thakura, was also the disciple of Srinivasacarya. So, in this way, they had a very intimate relation. Although they were contemporaries, sometimes they would preach together and sometimes they would separate and preach in their own areas.

Some were contiguous, and some were different. So what happened was, there was a devotee called Dvija Haridasa, who was a very great devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Narahari, who was a direct associate of Caitanya also; we always sing everyday in kirtana, “Kiba Jaya Jaya...kiba narahari-ādikori' cāmara dhulāya...” he used to fan with the camara, Lord Caitantya Mahaprabhu. He had already disappeared. Practically, they were hardly any devotees left.

But one of the few devotees who was left was Dvija Hari Dasa in Vrndavana. He was in Vrndavana. So when the news came that he has also finished up his pastimes and gone. And just about the same time, Gadadhara Das, Narahari, they had just gone a little before. It was a very big uh, loss for the whole Vaishnava world at that time. So, having spent some time in Vrndavana, knowing the qualities of Dvija Hari Das especially, previously they had a festival for Gadadhara Dasa and Narahari.

Then Srinivasa decided that there should be a big sammelan, a big gathering of all the Vaishnavas in commemoration of Dvija Hari Das. So at that time, all the Vaishnavas were called, invited all the great preachers and Virabhadra, the son of Nityananda, he came. Raghunandana, they all came to Srikhanda, the place where Narahari used to live. Chiranjiv, Raghunandana, all these associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Two of the sons of Nityananda, two of the sons of Advaita, Krsna Mishra and Gopal Mishra, they a… came of… excuse me of uh, Advaita, and like this, so many different associates came.

Yaduna… Yadunandanacarya, I believe was there, so many. Hundreds and hundreds. Actually direct disciples of the parsadas and the parsadas themselves, about a 100 or more came. And then the general public, they were regular devotees, who wanted to see that. Have the darsan, there were literally hundred thousand, packed up; just everyone came. So when they came, Srinivasacarya, he greeted them all. And for several days they were having nonstop kirtana, Bhagavatam classes and whole, like a parikrama. Taking prasadam together and all the people were gathering.

So then one night, Virabhadra Prabhu, he had a kirtan began with his associates and he started to dance, of course Virabhadra himself is Ksirodakasayi Vishnu. And uh, Virabhadra was a tremendous preacher. Some time, just as a… One time the Mohammedan ruler went into the village and so-called converted about 100 Hindus into Mohammedan. And then Virabhadra heard about it, went there, and initiated a thousand Mohammedans into Vaishnavas. He was a very strong preacher. He performed many miracles also, being a Visnu-avatara. So he began dancing and naturally, just like Nityananda was... by His was dancing Lord Caitanya was always present, well, Virabhadra’s dancing, you can imagine, was something beyond this world. So his dancing and kirtan, the people, all gathered around to see. And the other associates, they became all filled with a deep ecstasy.

Then he started to praise the qualities of Dvija Hari Dasa. And started to say, "Where is Gauranga? Where is Nityananda? Where is Advaita, where is Gadadhara? Where we will find, Srivasa? Where is Vasudeva Ghosa, Govinda Ghosa? Where is Narahari, Gadhadhara Das? Where is Rupa and Sanatana, Svarupa, Ramananda Raya?" and in this way they were all submerged into a separation. "Where is Dvija Hari Dasa? When will we see the Lord and all His associates together? Together in a big maha-sankirtana, when will we get the association of these great devotees again?” And then the pe… the devotees, they just became mad in separation and started just weeping and crying, pounding their… and then just pounding their heads and they fell on the ground unconscious, and constantly just crying.

And this way, Srinivasa saw that the whole mood had become, practically everybody was crying. People were watching, they all started crying. Literally thousands started crying in separation that, “How unfortunate that all of these great souls have left and we are here all alone.”

All of a sudden, how it happened no one knows. But Krsna, by His inconceivable potency, the whole mood went from that deep separation; that complete absorption in… in the separation of all these great Vaisnavas, it suddenly changed. And everyone, all these devotees, they became jubilant. And just, just... the whole mood suddenly changed by some inconceivable power of Krsna. And then everyone in… the kirtan changed and everyone started jumping up and down and laughing and calling to each other and became filled with a… with a whole other mood of ecstasy.

And this kirtan went on, and before they knew it, the sun was rising. So the kirtana had gone the whole night and no one even knew that how the time went by. Since it had gone on the whole night, then everyone attended the Mangala arati of the deity of Lord Caitanya that Narahari had established. And uh, in this way, the people were also praising in so many ways how fortunate they were to be present at that time.

So the devotees were feeling some transcendental mood of separation, but uh, you see that how the mood, even when they were in the so-called pits or depths of separation within just a moment, that could be transformed into another type of ecstasy, because when one is actually going into the flow of the Yogamaya's eternal ecstatic ocean of devotion. Tomaya… pārāpāra-sūnya gabhira bhakti-rasa-sindhu tomāya cākhāite tāra kahi eka ‘bindu’

The middle of the ocean, the tidal wave was only six inches but the whole ocean right down to the very bottom is moving. It’s shifted because of some tremendous shock. Tidal shock. Earthquake shock or something. That is the meaning of tidal wave. The whole ocean has you see, shifted and it keeps moving like that. Ordinary waves, they are just on the surface. So that type of a shift may only in the middle of the ocean create a six-inch or one foot wave. One and a half, just a big shift, just psst. You hardly notice it.

But it’s going right from the top down to the bottom, and when that comes up to the shore and then the depth becomes less, then it turns into a huge wave. So in the shallow water, some people may show so many symptoms of course. Because Prabhupada was right from the top down to the very depth of spiritual realizations. So we could only see the little surface symptoms but actually he was going so deep. Someone without such a depth of realization, they may see more of the wave on the surface, they may not go so deep. So Srila Prabhupada had that complete depth. So of course, people externally... they can't understand. Either they think he is very serious or... externally you can't understand.

Just like a story Acyutananda Maharaj told me how when he was in India and there was one sahajiya, you know sahajiya? Sahajiya means, someone… just like we keep talking about transcendental ecstasy, sometimes some people say, "Well, transcendental ecstasy, why wait?" So they just start imitating laughing or crying for Krsna without actually letting it come spontaneously. So, in so doing, one will actually experience some shadow symptoms with it.

Actually by… if you imitate crying for Krsna, that will also feel different than the ordinary crying, because somehow it is in connection with Krsna. But it’s al… It’s not the real thing. It’s just a shadow. But there was this one professional guru and he would read the Bhagavatam. While he was reading it of course, he'd always be crying. And therefore hundreds and thousands of people would gather and give him donations. A big… like a… like a Hindu evangelist. So he would convince the people by crying.

So Acyutananda went to see him offstage and uh, when he went there, then he saw that uh, there the person, he had a… when he would read the Bhagavatam, he’d be like this, there would be two people, one on either side and somebody would have these little napkins and they would go like this, you know, and very dramatically wipe the tear off you know, so everybody… it was like, in case no one saw at the back of the place you know, they could… you know the guy would go and kind of wipe it off from a distance. Everyone could see what was happening from two sides. It was a regular and constantly the tears would be coming. So when he went back there, as soon as the guru got back stage, pshew! pulled the chilies out of his nose (devotees laugh) So there are all kinds of people. Of course if you put two little chilies in your nose no doubt you will cry. I don't know how he kept from sneezing. That was (inaudible).

So Srila Prabhupada of course was a Vaisnava. Vaisnava’s supposed to keep their sentiments confidential as far as possible. Sometimes, looking grave, that is the only way one can stop from revealing different types of symptoms, which would not be appropriate. Of course people do not realize what the real standard of happiness is. Real happiness is complete, right down to the depth of one's heart. So all this type of good fortune; being fearless, having a nice facility of uh, happiness, even in material life and complete satisfaction of the self. All this is possible by Yoga-maya but who is Yoga-maya giving that shelter to? She is giving that shelter to those who are the devotees of Krsna. Daivim prakrtim asritah: those who are under the protection of the divine nature, Yoga-maya, those are the mahatmas or the great souls who are surrendered to Krsna. So if one wants to get that divine shelter, than one has to surrender to Krsna.

Of course, one will become more and more mad after Krsna. He shouldn't be afraid that, “Oh, there will be some type of misery, separation, or become attached.” Just like now-a-days people, they want to have sense gratification with no attachment. They don't want any attachment because they know that if the attachment grows, then there is so many types of pain. People just meet on the street before, then go have a relation and they don't even reveal each other’s' names and they depart. If there is no attachment, then it is unattached sense gratification. This is the latest mood, maybe not the latest but one of the later moods. Detached people see that,"Oh! Not good to be attached."

But if one is attached to Krsna that is very good. And even if one thinks that "Well, then I will feel bad that I will not be able to immediately see Krsna, I’ll become separated from my spiritual master." But someone who actually tastes that feeling of devotion to the spiritual master, he will not trade that for billion dollars, for anything material, even liberation. Because along with that comes the knowledge that this relationship is real. All the other relationships are superficial. Therefore they will not satisfy. Even to be in separation uh, is satisfying.

In separation, there is union of a different kind. And by separation, when one does unite with the loved ones, then that is a hundred times or so many times more ecstatic feeling. This was revealed also that Lord Krsna, He leaves the residents of Vrindavan, so that when He again rejoins them, then actually the ecstasy is increased. When He does join with them again, they are even more satisfied.

Actually, He never leaves them. He just becomes invisible, but He is actually with them in the form of transcendental bhava, bhava expansion. So, we should try to become more and more absorbed in Krsna and the spiritual master's qualities. All it takes is simply meditation, glorification, listening. Not something that one has to artificially impose. It’s contagious, it's very contagious!

Simply if one hears again and again about the glories of Krsna from pure devotees. He will become attached, more and more; can't help it. If you stay near the fire, you will become hotter and hotter. We just have to be careful that we don't leave the fire by any means. That will be very undesirable. Krsna says, na me 'bhaktaś catur-vedī mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ,

that even if someone knows all the Vedas, if he is not Krsna's devotee, he is not very favourite of Krsna. Krsna finds even someone born in the family of the dog-eaters, but who is His devotee, he is the most dear to Him, and whatever He gives, that should be accepted as if Krsna was giving it. That's how dear Krsna's devotees are to Him.

So one doesn't have to concern himself with what he was before "I'm too fallen, I'm too unworthy.” No, somehow or another, one can connect himself with the lotus feet of Krsna. He has to tie up with the lotus feet of Krsna. How? Just clinging to the feet of Nitai-Gaur, clinging. Then his life will be perfect. It doesn't matter what he was before, how many defects may have had or didn't have. By Their mercy, one can reach that highest pinnacle of spiritual realization and complete satisfaction and good fortune.

So one should begin clinging by chanting very regularly and sincerely

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

and using as much of one's energy for Krsna consciousness as possible. Thank you very much!

Devotee: Jaya!

Is there any question?

Question:(inaudible)

Jayapataka Swami: You have to become a fish. As long as you are swimming on the surface, it is very difficult. You have to become a deep-water fish and dive deep into it.

To become a deep fish, Lord Caitanya gave a basic program in the Siksastakam, His eight slokas. ‘Cause maya, she is also casting her net on the surface but if one is a deep fish, goes deep, deep, far below the nets of maya, become very humble, very determined, trinad api sunicena taror iva sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada hari

Always more humble than a straw on the street, more tolerant than the tree, always ready to offer respect to others and not desire respect for oneself and one constantly chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

So in this mood, one stays deep in the ocean of transcendental nectar, cultivating anyabhilasita-sunya devotion. Deep in the ocean, there is nothing but that pure Krsna consciousness. But if one has other abhilasas- desires; then ofcourse, it surfaces and that is the danger of getting caught by the nets of maya. So one has to cultivate anyabhilasita-sunya bhakti. Desireless devotion to experience the high, if one sees that "I have other desires, and I have not yet been able to dovetail these desires in Krsna consciousness. Why aren’t I tasting the highest ecstasy?" He’s not being sincere with himself. He can know , “As long as I have these other desires, I will only be able to just taste a small fraction of Krsna consciousness.” One may be able to even then experience something about Krsna consciousness, because Lord Caitanya is so powerful and by practicing one will gradually transcend these desires if he wants to transcend them, even a little bit. Then it will be very fast. But when we are harboring so many other different type of desires, so our mind is absorbed not in Krsna, in so many other desires, and then we wonder, “Why am I not getting that deep realization?” People in that stage, the only way they can get such a deep realization is by krpa siddhi.

It is like when Minaketana Ramadas would walk up to people and touch them with his flute and they would start crying, laughing in ecstasy and chanting Hare Krsna. Apart from such type of alaukika or uncommon mercy, one would, generally speaking, would have to gradually or immediately give up the desire for other things. Even someone may be in a certain situation which may appear to be uh, materialistically, how do you say, entangled, but if his desire is that, "Oh, somehow if I could just be completely Krsna conscious. If I could just, this is not at all what I want to be in."

The desire itself, he may actually taste the deeper realization about Krsna consciousness. But someone who even superficially appears to be very renounced, very absorbed in a uh, spiritual environment and mentally is contemplating on the objects of the senses and still has so many desires, other than Krsna conscious uh, to be fulfilled, he’s got longer to go.

Everyone does not immediately… some people, what happens is that they can immediately see that there is nothing in this world except Krsna consciousness.

nāma binā kichu nāhiko āro, caudda-bhuvana-mājhe

nothing except the holy name nectar that is actually worth desiring.

Either by seeing other people are all miserable even though they have all types of material facilities or by seeing that how the advanced devotees are always ecstatic. Or by whatever, by reading the shastra or by hearing the great histories of the great mahajanas or somehow this realization will come to him. So that person of course, he does not have any obstacles ahead of him. He has understood.

But some other people are such… less intelligent that they have to experience for themselves, being entangled by maya and what is the actual misery of that pursuit of happiness. The right to pursue happiness means the right to get kicked by Maya. So Krsna also gives that right, the pursuit of happiness, but recommends that one should do it with some regulative principles, so at least that way one will be able to have a controlled pursuit of happiness, material happiness which will be a limited kicking. But it will be enough for one to be able to realize that except for Krsna's holy name, there is nothing in this world worth desiring.

So, some people may realize that and will be able to maintain that faith and determination by Krsna's mercy, just by hearing about Him. Other people, they have to go through a little more direct perception to be able to control their minds. Their minds don't have the strength to just maintain by hearing, that realization hasn't come. One has to be sincere and then, if one maintains however very strictly, his Krsna consciousness, chanting, then in the midst of those difficulties, if he continues serving Krsna and dovetailing he can to Krsna consciousness, following instructions of the spiritual master; then the uh, realization should come which will create anyabhilasita… goal is that you have to get desireless devotion. That will automatically come if one perseveres in serving. So it is different. There is the direct route and then there is the little more indirect route, if you can understand what I mean.

So each person may be different, what amount of material, some people, they have already suffered so much in even a short life that they are already completely determined that “No look back, Krsna all the way.” See. Others like, what there was one girl in the Bible, Sodom and Gomorra she wasn't supposed to look back at the city. She looked back and turned into a salt pillar.

Although we have entered Krsna consciousness, we are always looking back at what have we missed? So that's the story there, that if one can't keep looking straight ahead in Krsna consciousness, there different facilities for material life, dovetailed in Krsna consciousness. But uh, if one can just always keep his face to Krsna… but even Arjuna said, “I can't do that. So tell me something.” Instead, we'll do it by regulations.

Undeviatingly just always being fixed in Krsna, even Arjuna said that “It's not possible for me. Very difficult to do that.” He was a man of action. So if one is humble and always determined to fix his mind on Krsna in whatever circumstance, then you can stay deep in the ocean of bhakti and Maya cannot catch him with her net. And if one becomes proud, forgets that uh, Krsna's mercy is the only shelter, then Maya will catch him and he will be kicked. Him, her, whoever.

Question: The question is how to dive in? That's the question. (inaudible) On the surface… (inaudible) We are all hanging on, you know? Having all these difficulties? Temporary problems, things like that, But you know, in other words, how to dive in, you know? I don’t know if…

Jayapataka Swami: Sorry, well, I got the point. Devotional service, the door is always open. When I went to progressive high school, and they taught this English teacher, he didn't believe in Shakespeare, never read Shakespeare. He was so-called progressive. So he would have us to read far out kind of things.

One of the short stories that we had to read, there was a play called “No exit,” where they have three people, usually read in college, we read this in high school, prep school. And there is a modern situation where there is one man and two women.

One man, he is attracted by one of the women. One of the women is attracted… what happens is that the man is an ordinary man and one of the women, she is an ordinary woman. And the other woman is a lesbian. So the man of course everything could have worked out great materially, that is the idea, but the man became attracted to the lesbian. But she wasn't at all attracted to him. She became attracted to the other woman and she became attracted to that man. So in this way, none of them were attracted to the person who was attracted to them and they were always attracted to the person who couldn't care less about the other person. And so they were in… they were in hell and the door was locked, it took a long time and they developed all these perverse attractions to each other and the door opened and they could leave if they wanted. So they were so attached to each other and at the same time they could never satisfy because, you know this weird situation; so they couldn't leave either. No change. This was the end of the short story, that the door opened and they could leave but they didn't leave. At the same time, they were in hell and they created the hell for themselves. So of course, that’s a material door, anyone can leave and become Krsna conscious but they are all so tied up with so many different attachments.

Similarly the door for Krsna consciousness is open, but while we want to jump in it seems that so many things are pulling us from not jumping in, “What about this? What about that?” So Krsna consciousness, by Krsna's mercy is such that if one does jump in, then he will give the mercy.

One has to jump in, without jumping in, you cannot get that mercy. And of course it was difficult, even they want to jump in, it is very difficult sometimes because so many different things are there. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind that just if one wants to jump in sincerely, and chant His name, chants Hare Krsna, pray for the mercy, then somehow or another, one will actually find oneself in at one point or other by Their mercy. How they got in, that will be a mystery possibly. That will be known that it was the mercy of Lord Caitanya. One has to try to jump in.

The desire is,"I want to jump in, I want to jump in" but it will also take a practical manifestation. You want to graduate from college. You don't just sit there and say,"I want to graduate from college". You got to study for the class, pass your exam. At least sit for your exam. If it’s the desire to pass university, a person has to go through, you know, he'll show that. Similarly if there is a desire to dive in, at least some attempt will be made. He may not be able to dive in.

He may fall on the beach. Jump in but only get his head in the sand or whatever, but some attempt will be there. And by chanting, by serving Lord Caitanya and his movement and actually desiring to be completely Krsna conscious, one becomes Krsna conscious which ordinarily he has to practically be completely surrendered to Krsna and then one can get Krsna's mercy.

It wasn’t enough in Krsna-lila that one wanted to be or admired it or liked it. Krsna didn’t so easily give that. But Lord Caitanya, even if one sincerely desires… so Nityananda, premananda sukhi krpa koro, ami boro duhkhi. So there are many different methods for getting some special consideration.

Narottama dasa Thakura in his prayer says to Lord Caitanya, “You are the most kind, you are the deliverer of the fallen. So there is no one more fallen than me. Therefore Lord Caitanya, you are delivering all these fallen souls but I am the most fallen so therefore I deserve to be delivered first. Please deliver me first. I am priority case. You are delivering all these fallen. I am the most fallen. Therefore mine is a priority case. I should get delivered first.” This way, the devotee prays to Lord Caitanya, the previous acaryas, accepts the situations of serving with tolerance and humility and goes on in his devotional service always hoping to get Krsna's mercy; always hoping very patiently, enthusiastically.

If one doesn't immediately get, doesn’t lose his patience, doesn’t lose her patience, doesn’t lose the patience one has had. Always hoping, when will I ever get that mercy? Lord Caitanya says that I can get it in any moment. And like that, one will get the mercy. The thing is that we don't hope for Lord Caitanya's mercy. Frequent… because sometimes we may look back and realize that, “Actually somehow I have failed to jump in or failed to get the mercy.” But the thing we have to see is that, we have to maintain that continuous hope for that mercy. A continuous desire... if we develop that desire.

If we develop unbroken desire, even someone may practically fail at certain point, but even in the failure, the overriding mood will be that, “Actually somehow I got into this mess but all I wanted is Krsna consciousness. All I want is that mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” Even the senses may somehow get out of control or something like that may happen, uh, then as soon as one comes back to sense or realizes what actually has happened, then immediately desires that “I just want to… I just want to get the mercy of Krsna.” One prays to the previous acaryas, to the previous devotees, to the great devotees, to Lord Caitanya for their mercy and continues trying.

One has to actually become honest. Even one may be weak and unqualified, but at least he is honest. Then one can become very quickly the recipient of Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya's mercy. Lord Caitanya had the renounced devotees and he had grhastha devotees. He gave His mercy to both, to everyone. But of course like junior Haridas, because he was an insincere renounced devotee, he was rejected. Of course that was to show an example, but because of being rejected, he was… felt so deeply shocked that he was separated from Lord Caitanya. So even he was ultimately of course delivered, because he felt the shock so greatly. So the thing is that connecting our consciousness with Lord Caitanya's lotus feet by this constant desire. If that desire is there then one is brought to Caitanya Mahaprabhu very quickly. So that desire is manifested by serving, by chanting, by pushing on somehow or another.

There is never a point where if one is sincerely trying, that Lord Caitanya rejects that devotee, even if he makes so many mistakes. Of course if someone is too fallen then he may not be able to live in the society of devotees. Still Lord Caitanya will not reject that devotee's service, whatever service is offered, sincerely. And surely that person will reach Caitanya Mahaprabhu eventually. So if someone thinks that ‘I am not able to dive in, so therefore, why… I shouldn't desire. If I can't dive in, then what's the use?’ See that's Dvapara Yuga. With Caitanya Mahaprabhu “I can't dive in. I try to dive in, but somehow every time I dive in, my leg is somehow tied to a rope. I try to dive and it pulls me back,” but if one is actually trying to dive in, even he may have all these different types, actually that desire of wanting to dive in and actually always trying to dive in, even one may not be able to dive in immediately by chanting and desiring the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Nityananda that is enough to… ultimately one finds oneself in the ocean.

Lord Caitanya throws you in eventually. Or the spiritual master, representative throws you in. So one shouldn't lose hope that “Oh because I am not able to dive in…” but actually that hope itself, that desire, āra nā kariha mane āśā. Don't desire other things. That's why we pray every morning to the spiritual master. Don't let me desire other things, don't let me, asha means actually hope, don't let me put any hope, hope in any other…

So if we can put all our hope in Krsna consciousness, then that will be our greatest fortune. And by doing that, then by Krsna's mystic power, which is unlimited, by Lord Caitanya's mystic power, mercy of the spiritual master, one will actually become advanced. More so even than someone that… na me bhakti caturvedi, one may know the whole Vedas. He may know the Bhagavatam, sloka by sloka, but if he does not actually desire to be Krsna conscious, he doesn't desire to actually please Krsna by his existence, then he is not so dear to Krsna. But someone, even if he may be a dog-eater but he desires, "I want to please Krsna, I want to satisfy Krsna by my life, by my activities, somehow I want to be a devotee of Krsna.” That means he is a devotee of Krsna. Even he may not be so pure but then that person is dear to Krsna. And someone, he knows all the Vedas, he knows all the intricacies but actually doesn't really want to serve Krsna.

Devotional service if you get right down to it is actually, of course, we preach that everyone chant Hare Krsna, it comes right down to the more subtle thing, it comes right down to the desire. To the hope which is thinking, feeling… thinking, willing and feeling. Thinking feeling, willing. So, willing. When it gets to the willing aspect, more subtle, that is what is needed. Some people think and some people feel, very nice. One should actually desire, “I want to become Krsna conscious," and they just try... try, try, try again. So many stories, the choo-choo train. The rabbit… the hare and the tortoise. Who finishes the race, they are in Svetadvipa, in Lord Caitanya's abode. There is not just one winner, everyone can go. Someone may make a quick spurt and look back and go "I am ahead of everybody else! Take a little vacation here…" Before you know it, everyone else has already gone ahead. Till the race is over, you can't let up. When a person reaches the eternal dhama, nāpnuvanti mahātmānah samsiddhim paramām gatāh then one doesn't return again. Until then, one does not have the right to be careless. That's false pride. The pride is the forerunner of defeat, fall down or something like that?

Devotee: Pride comes before a fall?

Jayapataka Swami: With a little success, the spiritual master may praise us a little bit or something. We think that, get a little bit experience, a little bit spurt of ecstasy and we think,"Oh, we’ve already made it." Then somehow we become lax again and get in trouble. So until one actually gets pure Krsna consciousness, that means he realizes the eternal dhama and Krsna directly, which at one time one does not fall into ignorance because one is too mad in love for Krsna to do so. So one has to be careful with one's intelligence. Not to become proud. Not to become careless. Not to become hopeless.

Upadesamrta gives nice instruction on this. The spiritual master is present, then of course one can ask the spiritual master, otherwise take shelter of older Godbrothers, senior Godbrothers to uh… That’s the meaning of association. And I know before I do any type of new service, I always like to discuss with senior Vaisnavas and get their opinion also. Just to be sure.

Since they are there, fortunately enough, they usually they give their approval, but they also sometimes add new dimensions because Krsna is unlimited so what we can see part of Krsna and yet there are so many other parts yet to be seen. So someone else may see some other part. In this way, Krsna is unlimited. No one can claim that he knows the whole truth. Even if someone realizes Krsna but still Krsna is unlimited. He may realize only one part of Krsna. Or he will see… that person will see certain qualities; another will see some other qualities. And in this way the devotees can continue discussing about Krsna without any end because each devotee is having newer and newer realizations from different uh, you can say different angles. Because Krsna is unlimited.

In this regard, if you read the description of the Gundica Marjanam, the purports of Bhaktisiddhanta, which is dealing with, you know first of all, one picks up all the leaves and the twigs, Lord Caitanya picked them up and cleaned them with His own cloth. And they swept with brooms and washed with water and they came in and finally with the little nail… fingernails, or with twi… other twigs, something they would pick out the crack of the stones. All the dust was still in there. So it’s not really that, subtle, subtle Maya doesn’t come, first they have to clean all the twigs and branches they go back and see, “Well, there’s still some dust on the floor.” and then you see that even after you have swept, you know, what can't be swept, then you wash it, and even after you washing, then in the cracks…

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that like this the devotee cleans and so one has to keep clean, and when one gets down to the cracks, that means that even that devotee at that point, the devotee has completely given up all desire for fruitive activity. Yet that aroma, in other words, that, “So you… alright, you have given up the desire, but the habit is there from so long to think fruitively, to act fruitively, to think of profit and loss and… that if one acts or even thinks that, ‘Well, let me do some type of business for Krsna.’, then the danger is there because of the habit which is already so strong, even though you are doing the same activity, that is so dangerous, that then one can again become fruitively involved.”

So one has to become careful and understand all these things and then properly dovetail everything. Then we see that so many devotees "I want to do a business for Krsna," and then what happens, they do the business, they make some money, then they say I can't actually give some money now, then he has to reinvest it first of all, build up a little capital, and it goes on like that, then before he knows it, after three years, he still hasn't given any money to Krsna. Fallen down from regulative principles and then it happens like that sometimes, so…

Of course if one desires to do business for Krsna, of course a grhastha has to do business, and if one does business and he actually gives the fruits to Krsna, knowing that uh, how dangerous this fruitive activity is, that uh, if one does that type of profitable work and doesn't give the profit to Krsna, the danger of becoming again attached to profit, the whole material fruitive mood again may pollute him. So you see in that the great devotees of Lord Caitanya, that they were very careful. Most of them were very careful in doing their business to give, of course in those days they would give 50% of their income to Krsna or to worshiping the Ganges or to the Vaishnavas. To give a strict amount, taking that whatever comes by Krsna's mercy.

Even today, so many people in India, they pray to Lord Jagannatha that “If you make my business a success, I’ll give you half.” And then they get a little success and they give half to Jagannath and then they get more and more, make Him their partner. There is a very popular play, how someone did like that and what happened is that he didn't give the half. So, then Krsna came by, it was a movie, He comes and asks,

"Where’s my half?"

"I'll give it to you but a little later" and it went on like that. Some concocted, but they have an idea to give half to Krsna. Even the regular karmis. So in this play, he kept putting Krsna off and finally in the end of his business, then Krsna took everything away. I didn't see it. I heard about it. I thought it was pretty funny. He prayed to the Deities and they would keep coming, either in a dream or in person. He didn't pay up. So He took it all.

Of course Krsna does not have to come and collect in person. Ordinary people do not have that fortune. You see.. Go to Jagannath Puri, that big red flag on top of the temple? Someone promises that if this happens, I will put a red flag on the temple which is… which is not so easy as it looks because to climb up on top of Jagannath Puri temple and put a flag, it’s not like there is a lift. There is no inside stairway, you have to climb up, there isn't even any roof to hold you on. They hire someone to do it, but people have, not come back. What happens is if we clean up once, and we think well, we have picked up all the things and came out, dumped it outside, and then we come back and look a little close, and, “Oh” then you sweep. Gundica-marjana is a very good for devotees to read. Very nice instructions are there. Anything else?

[Sings] Jaya Prabhupada Jaya Prabhupada Jaya Prabhupada Jaya Prabhupada!

Transcribed by

H.G. Anindita Devi Dasi

Revised by

H.G. Jagannatha dasa Brahmacari