The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on July 17th, 1981 in Ahmedabad, India. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2, Chapter 1, Text 27 and 28.

Text 27 dve jānunī sutalaṁ viśva-mūrter ūru-dvayaṁ vitalaṁ cātalaṁ ca mahītalaṁ taj-jaghanaṁ mahīpate nabhastalaṁ nābhi-saro gṛṇanti Translation : The knees of the universal form are the planetary system of the name Sutala, and the two thighs are the Vitala and Atala planetary systems. The hips are Mahītala, and outer space is the depression of His navel.

Text 28 uraḥ-sthalaḿ jyotir-anīkam asya grīvā mahar vadanaḿ vai jano 'sya tapo varāṭīḿ vidur ādi-puḿsaḥ satyaḿ tu śīrṣāṇi sahasra-śīrṣṇaḥ Translation : The chest of the Original Personality of the gigantic form is the luminary planetary system, His neck is the Mahar planets, His mouth is the Janas planets, and His forehead is the Tapas planetary system. The topmost planetary system, known as Satyaloka, is the head of He who has one thousand heads. http://vedabase.com/en/sb/2/1/28 (link to the purport)

Elaboration by H.H. Jayapataka Swami Maharaja: isvarah paramah krsna sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam Bhagavan Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. So many avatars are there. But they are nothing but the kala or the amsa, the part or the part of the part of Bhagavan Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna Himself is svayam Bhagavan. He is the original Personality of Godhead. Today we are discussing in the Bhagavatam the virat-rupa. The virat-rupa is the universal form, because this whole universe is not separate from Krsna. This whole universe is connected with Krsna. It is part of Krsna. Therefore everything in this universe is part of His body and His universal form.

Simultaneously however, although this universe is one with Krsna, being His energy, expansion of His own potency, He maintains His independent condition. Therefore there is a simultaneous oneness and a difference. So the difference of course is that Krsna, He alone, one, is maintaining not only this universe but all the universes, unlimited planets, demigods, Sivas, Bramhas, all being maintained by Krsna. ‘eko bahunam, yo vidadati kaman’ One is maintaining everyone. One person is maintaining everyone else. This is the amazing and transcendental situation of Krsna. Just like Lord Krsna, He is depicted in His different pastimes, also other demigods are depicted in their different pastimes. So one disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was a German scholar. He was visiting all over India. When he met Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur he got the faith that he should accept Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur as his spiritual master. And he also had the faith that Krsna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur asked him, “Why have you come to the conclusion without studying very extensively the Vedas that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?” “And how have you come to the conclusion that Bhakti is the actual and the best path rather than mystic yoga and other paths?” So this German scholar replied, “ By seeing the different demigods.” “Just like Durga, with her Trishul, she is jabbing the chest of Mahishasura, the buffalo demon. And Kartikeya is fighting in the wars and Lord Siva is also sometimes fighting as Tripurari. So different aspects we see that all of them are performing so many kinds of work. Lord Siva is meditating, Brahma is creating. But what, what is Visnu (Krsna rather) doing? Krsna is dancing with Srimati Radharani, playing the flute, playing with the cows. When I saw this I could understand that He must be the boss. Because the boss, he always has the big desk and no papers.(devotees laugh) And his subordinates, they have the small desks and so many papers. So when He is the boss, naturally He will be playing His flute and dancing and enjoying. That is His position and everyone else will be working. So therefore He must be the Supreme. He has no work to do.”

Then in regard to why he accepted Bhakti, he said, “Well, here we see that the devotees, they are also dancing and chanting in ecstasy and engaging in so many activities on the transcendental platform. We see that the jnanis are always engaged in reading and speculating; they are terming themselves as seekers of the truth. For someone who is still seeking really has not yet found the truth. Therefore that obviously is not the topmost. And the mystic yogis who are cultivating mystic powers like flying in the air, making themselves very small, becoming very big. These things... they have the same goal as the materialistic scientists. They have invented the rockets for flying into the inner and outer space. They have the microscope for going very small into the atom. They have the telescope for going big to see and different things. Maybe that one is able to do this by psychic or mystic power and they are able to do this by yantric power, mechanical power. But the goal is the same. So they both have the material goal. So how can this be the topmost yoga? So it is obvious that Bhakti yoga is the topmost.” So even this simple German scholar using common sense, came to the same conclusion that Krsna gave in Gita: yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah “The devotee, the practitioner of Bhakti yoga, is the most intimately connected with Me,” Krsna says. “By constantly engaging in My worship.” This is the most intimate thing. Yoga means what? To connect. Just like they say(in Bengali) Joga-yog, relationship or connection, I don’t know what they say for yoga in Gujarati. Devotee: Yoganu-yoga

Gurudev's Elaboration continues: So yoga means the supreme connection with the Supreme Person. Everyone is connecting with someone, with their brother, with their sister, with their friends, with their wife, with their government people going and making their connection. Sometimes they are connecting with the inspector of Income Tax; that is under-the-table connection! (laughter). Somehow or other there are so many connections going on. Some are lawful, some are illicit. But how to connect with the Supreme Person? That is known as the param-yoga, the topmost yoga. That is known as Bhakti Yoga, because Krsna says, “bhaktya mam abhijanati.” “Except for my devotee, no can know Me. No one can come in connection.” Just like some people worship Visnu. But worshipping Visnu is like people waiting outside in the garden of the Prime Minister. Every morning at 8 O'clock she comes out for fifteen minutes and walks by and goes back in. That is like the Visnu Bhakti. They just get distant darshan. But those who are able to go into the inner quarters and have discussions for long time and do personal services-- that is like the Krsna bhaktas. They are able to do so much. But what is demigod worship? That is like simply going to the secretaries and other ministers and getting the work done. So they don’t have any relationship with the Prime Minister. And the impersonalists, you see, they are of course like those who are disbelieving and the karma-mimamsa; they are just not even going to ministerial level. They are just going and applying to the local magistrate, V.D.O., and letting it go through the government; whenever it comes, it comes. So like this there are different levels.

So even in material life, those who are worshipping the demigods, are more favorably materially positioned than those who are just working and expecting to get the result because, just like the Indian government, you don’t know when you are going to get the petition back(Gurudev chuckles). You don’t know when the karma is going to come back on you. You may do your work but you may not get the result for so many births, or you may get it immediately. But if you have your petition signed by the Prime Minister, then you know everything is successful. If you are directly in touch with Krsna, then your life is perfect. The trouble of course is, in material life, everybody is trying to connect with this yoganu yoga simply for their own selfish interest. So naturally, for simply their selfish interest, Krsna doesn't have to take care of those things. He has so many assistants. But when someone has got the highest interest of actually pleasing Krsna, helping the fallen souls to come to Krsna's lotus feet, then Krsna takes some personal interest. Then He takes the personal interest. This Bhakti yoga is not meant simply to be selfish but it is actually meant to be really selfish. That means to know this self is part of the Supreme Self. To know that our self is part of Krsna. And therefore to serve the whole serve Krsna and we ourselves are benefitted ultimately, perfectly. Generally, people are all very physically selfish. They want their body to be very happy. Then sometimes they want their family to be happy; they are considered to be more noble. A man will sacrifice himself for his family. He is considered to be somewhat nobler than the person only willing to sacrifice for his own sense gratification of his body. Then one wants to sacrifice for his community, social worker, community worker. Then for the state; state social worker. Then for the nation; a patriot. Then for the whole humanity, a humanitarian. But when one comes to the vision that everything is connected with Krsna and wants to work for the satisfaction of Krsna that is transcendental. That is off the bodily platform.

So this is the defect of modern society. We saw yesterday one form in Bombay at the lawyer’s office that ‘What if God went on strike?’ That everybody is going on strike because they are not getting a fair deal. But who is giving God a fair deal? Who is worshipping God? Who is giving anything to Him? Any appreciation? What if He went on strike? If He takes the sun off, then there is no sun, everything finishes. If He takes the moon off, then the vegetables will finish, the seas will have no tides and so on. Just gave a description that if Krsna, if He starts taking away the life, the air, the water, then what is there? There is nothing. He is providing everything, whether we are good citizens or whether we are bad citizens, somehow or the other He is providing. But what we are doing? We are so selfish. What are we doing for Krsna in this world? What are the people doing? That is the main defect. That everyone is taking everything for granted. We have all these things. Are we so blind we can’t see that everything is happening with a cause? Nothing is causeless. So this whole universe also has a cause. mattaḥ parataraṁ nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya. And there is no higher cause than Krsna. That means He is the ultimate cause. Therefore we should understand that we also have a debt to Krsna. We have an obligation to Krsna. But the thing is that everyone else that we give our debt to, they are taking. But when we give our debt to Krsna, He is giving back unlimitedly. And what to speak that Krsna, even one may be giving, but due to some defect there may be a little offense, then that may be not considered fully as favorably as one would expect or like. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu, here is Krsna come in a form, where He does not even consider. Just like the mother. The mother doesn't even consider if the baby passes stool on her lap. Still she loves the baby. She doesn't consider. But when the baby grows up, then naturally if a fourteen, fifteen year old child comes and sits on the lap and makes a mess, that won’t be considered to be very appropriate. Naturally, once one grows up, one becomes responsible. But somehow Lord Caitanya is so merciful that He is taking that. The fallen people of kali yuga are so fallen that you can’t take anything past them, as far as making messes (is concerned). “Still I will deliver them!”(was Lord Caitanya’s mood) Everyone, even the mayavadis that we read last night. Even the students-- the paduya, the nindakas(the offenders), everyone. “Somehow or other I will get them delivered simply if they chant Hare Krsna.” Of course, once we become a responsible devotee of Lord Caitanya, then we should not think, “Well Lord Caitanya is so merciful. And therefore now, even if we know better, we can still make our mess.” No. We shouldn’t be so inconsiderate, we should have some consideration. But sincerely... If we make some mistake, just by some mishap, we shouldn't think that now we can’t go on performing our devotional service. No. Lord Caitanya has got unlimited mercy, unlimited forgiveness. So long as we actually try. If we become a hypocrite, different of course, at some point He has His limit, that He will no longer accept hypocrisy. But sincerely, if we give a even the slightest bit try, but we make some mistake or we are very weak, that is not a big disqualification in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement, because He is so kind!

Of course if one is a little bit pure, or one is specially favorable, then unlimited mercy is given. Just like Srinivas Acarya, was of course a great devotee, nitya-parshada, eternal associate in the line. He used to do mediation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he was in Vrindavan. And everyday he would make a garland in his mind and he would offer the garland to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and then He would pay his obeisance to Lord Caitanya who was in Sankirtan. And he always desired that how fortunate I would be if I was able to participate or to even see the Sankirtan movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this way, he was doing a mental, manasa-dhyana, a mental meditation. So one day he was so completely absorbed in his meditation that He had prepared the garland, he was offering the garland. So he offered the garland to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his meditation, suddenly the mediation became very distinct, even more so than usual. Lord Caitanya, he motioned to one associate, gave another garland off. And Lord Caitanya’s garlands, Lord Caitanya is golden color with His hair up in the brahminical style, but long and then tied up on the top. And His eyes went just like lotus petals back almost to His ears, just to His ears, beautiful! And His forehead decorated with the tilak and His arms going down to His knees. His chest broad like a door and His waist thin just like a lion. So then Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s garland, there were so many bumble bees trying to get the nectar from His garland. He is surrounded by bees. Just like when you go to Jagannath Puri you see all the sweet shops, maha-prasad, there are so many bees flying around, they put mosquito nets over. They want to get the nectar. So like that all these bees are flying around Lord Caitanya’s garland to get the nectar. So Lord Caitanya took off one of these transcendental garlands and gave it to one of His associates to put on Srinivas Acarya. He just motioned to Srinivas Acarya. So this associate came and put on Srinivas Acarya. As soon as this garland touched Srinivas, he woke up from his meditation. He was completely immersed, shaking, in ecstasy and he looked. And there on his body, out of his meditation, there was the garland. And all around him the bumblebees suddenly, they were all surrounding him, going to get that nectar from that garland. And he was sitting in Vrindavan and he was thinking. ‘What will I do now? What if somebody comes and sees me with this garland!’ Because anyone that sees the garland could see that this was no ordinary garland. He suddenly became very humbled and embarrassed that ‘If somebody sees me with the garland, how will I ever explain?’ This is an eternal garland, you see this garland is falling apart, those garlands don’t wilt. Of course it is because I am so fallen! If it touches Lord Caitanya, it becomes eternal. So suddenly in this anxiety, the garland disappeared. He paid his obeisance to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

So Lord Caitanya may give His mercy at any moment. What we have to do is to cultivate (like those bumblebees) that intense desire to taste that nectar. How do we taste it? By serving, by serving, keeping our mind always in the service, by chanting. Just like when we drink water, the flow from the cup to the mouth must be unbroken; apratihata ahaituki. If we desire to serve for any other reason, to serve for fame, for prestige, for sense gratification, then to enjoy those things we have to break our service. And that also colors the service. So, it has to be causeless. That means to please Krsna, simply for Bhakti’s sake, devotion for devotion’s sake, devotion for Krsna’s sake. And that has to be unbroken. And That unbroken connection, yoganu-yoga with Krsna--- that is the nectar(hunger) that we develop. Then just like the bumblebees are always anxious for that nectar. Then as we start to taste the nectar, then naturally our appetite(increases), just like the bumble bees are always hungry for the nectar. But when they can smell the nectar they become wild, flying around. And when they can taste it, they become intoxicated. So this is the movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If anyone chants, he can at least get the smell of the nectar immediately. And if he is very fortunate, he can even get a drop. The more he tastes the nectar, the madder for devotional service he becomes. So this is the secret: we should become bumblebees, simply tasting the nectar at the lotus feet of Nitai-Gaur.

And the nectar is there through His devotional service. We of course worship Srila Prabhupada, because he is at the lotus feet of Krsna, of Lord Caitanya. Therefore he's got that nectar. Guru is called Visnupada, because he is at the lotus feet of his spiritual master, the representative of Visnu, Visnu’s lotus feet; there, he has got the nectar. So in this way, he tries to get the nectar. This hunger, this appetite, goes on increasing. But if we allow ourselves to be distracted naturally then, that pure appetite doesn’t come. And if we try to enjoy both the nectar and the garbage of this material world, we get indigestion. So naturally, if we get indigestion, we get sick; we fall in maya. So we should simply protect ourselves from this illusion, from this maya. Fix ourselves in this hunger for tasting that nectar. And as we get the drops of that nectar, then it is like an ocean of happiness. An ocean of happiness! nama bina kichu nahiko aro/caudda-bhuvana-majhe. There is nothing but these sixteen names in the whole fourteen worlds, in the whole universe. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare(devotees chant along with Gurudev) Thank you very much.

Devotee: What is the difference between doing pious material service and service for the Lord?

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja: For every action there is a reaction, right? Just like if you send off a letter, it depends on what your destination is. If you write the letter to Delhi, it is not going to go to America. You have to put the postage on it. If you want to send it to America you have to put one rupee and 60paise for every ten grams. You want to send it to Delhi, you only have to put 25 paise, right? So like that material work that you are doing, it is going as an inland. Does not go outside. If you want to send it to Krsna, you see, that goes outside this material boundary. So one has to address the work accordingly. If there is no address, that means what? That means it is in tamo gunah. That means if you send the letter with no address, where is it going? That means you are wasting your time. So, of course there is some reaction for that. But that reaction is also just simply creating more difficulty, useless reaction. So when there is no fixed reaction, when it is simply ignorance and foolishness, that's like a letter with no address. When one has got a fixed idea, when one has actually a good purpose to help others, that is good reaction. But when one is actually directing it outside of the universe, to the Supreme destination, that is transcendental.

So according to where we want to address (the letter) or send our energy, that is where we will get our result or mercy from. Within this universe, within this material sphere, we are getting material results, which means birth, death, old age, disease. When we direct it to Krsna, then we get our spiritual result, then we get eternal result.

Question: When we chant japa, should we chant “Ram’' or “Rama”?

Gurudev : Rama. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Any other question?

Question: I always worship Krsna. What is the need to join your society or give some donation? I believe in Krsna and have faith in Krsna.

Gurudev: So if you believe in Krsna, then you should follow what Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita. He says, “Whatever you offer, whatever austerity you do, whatever you eat, everything should be done as an offering to Me.” So how you are helping Krsna, if you believe in Krsna. You are giving your love, your giving your affection, you are giving your money somewhere. So if you actually love Krsna, then why you are not giving to Krsna? If you tell your wife, “I love you. I have everything for you.” But then you go out with another woman and spend your money on her, then your wife will be very happy? You are saying “I love Krsna, everything Krsna,” but then you are spending all your money, all your time, all your affection simply on Maya and you are saying, “No, no; it is only Krsna.” You do that with your wife and see how your family life goes! (Gurudev Laughs) So you are doing this with Krsna, and you are thinking... This is simply word jugglery. This may satisfy your mind, but it won’t satisfy your heart. Neither it is going to fool Krsna. He knows that all right, you are giving lip service, but factually, what you are doing to show that you love Krsna? Krsna is not seeing what you are giving. He is seeing what you are keeping for yourself. That is the proof whether actually you mean what you say. It is one thing that you can go out and flatter some one that “I love You, You are very nice, You are the Supreme Godhead, You are the master of everything, I am simply Your servant.” That is all right, you get credit for all that. But then when you go and you give everything somewhere else, then how you get credit for that? So we don’t want you to get only partial credit! We want you to get the full credit. Not only accept Krsna verbally, but practically act in that knowledge.

There is sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. You know the relationship, very nice. Then act in that relationship. To act in that relationship means abhidheya. Krsna is Supreme, I am Krsna’s servant. Then you do service for Krsna. It is not enough just to say “In my heart I know. That is only the first stage. The second stage is to act. And the third stage prayojana means to achieve full perfection of life. Any other question?

Question: If we are devotees of Krnsa and not Visnu, why are we called Vaishnavas?

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja: Visnu has sixty qualities and Krsna has sixty four but you see there is no difference between Visnu and Krsna. Visnu is Krsna in a different mood. In other words Krsna is Visnu, Visnu is Krsna. Krsna is Visnu; it is like you put on your suit and tie and go out. So when Krnsa puts on His Visnu form and goes out He takes the Visnu mood. He is then showing only sixty of His sixty four qualities. But He is still Krsna. You understand?

Question: If Lord Rama was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when he killed Vali, why did He kill from the back side?

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja: Of course, in the Ramayana and the Puranas, it gives so many reasons. In the previous times, there were so many curses and things that happened why this particular thing happened. But of course the Supreme Personality of Godhead means that He is independent, svarat, svatantra. He can do anything. He is not subjected to following any rules or regulations. Whatever He does, that is always perfect. He doesn't have to answer to ordinary people. But He may follow sometimes rules and regulations just to give a good example. So somehow or other He promised His devotee that “I will help you.” So He took that promise to that devotee greater than His own honor. Naturally, to shoot someone in the back, or from the side is not the best honor for a Kshatriya. Of course, that normally applies for a Kshatriya fighting with a Kshatriya. But when it goes for shooting a monkey, of course Kshatriyas are going to forests and shooting monkeys or deer and other things.

So of course, whether or not it would apply in the strict Kshatriya sense, is another question. But in any case, because Sugriva had requested for His help, he was about to be finished, so He took the protection of His devotee above other considerations. But in any case, whatever Ramachandra does is not subject to be challenged, because actually He is perfect. We can’t analyze His activity by moral standards like an ordinary human being. That He is able to act morally is not the proof that He is God. If someone acts very morally that does not mean that he is God. Or that He acts in a way which seems to be against the material standard of morality, that does not mean that He is not God. Rather God means that He is able to act in any way He pleases and still He remains transcendental. An ordinary person, has to act according to the laws and standards, otherwise he will fall under the reaction of paap. Hare Krsna. Jai!