The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on July 26, 1981 in Bangalore, India. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad-Bhagvatam Canto 5, Chapter 1, Text 17.

Jayapataka Swami:

bhayaṁ pramattasya vaneṣv api syād

yataḥ sa āste saha-ṣaṭ-sapatnaḥ

jitendriyasyātma-rater budhasya

gṛhāśramaḥ kiṁ nu karoty avadyam

Translation by His Divine grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: [aside] This is about Maharaja Priyavarta Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives — the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses.

Translation with repetition:

Even if he goes

Devotees: Even if he goes

Jayapataka Swami: from forest to forest

Devotees: from forest to forest

Jayapataka Swami: one who is not

Devotees: one who is not

Jayapataka Swami: self-controlled

Devotees: self-controlled

Jayapataka Swami: must always fear

Devotees: must always fear

Jayapataka Swami: material bondage

Devotees: material bondage

Jayapataka Swami: because he is living

Devotees: because he is living

Jayapataka Swami: with six co-wives

Devotees: with six co-wives

Jayapataka Swami: the mind

Devotees: the mind

Jayapataka Swami: and knowledge

Devotees: and knowledge

Jayapataka Swami: acquiring senses

Devotees: acquiring senses

Jayapataka Swami: Even householder life

Devotees: Even householder life

Jayapataka Swami: however

Devotees: however

Jayapataka Swami: cannot harm

Devotees: cannot harm

Jayapataka Swami: a self-satisfied

Devotees: a self-satisfied

Jayapataka Swami: learned man

Devotees: learned man

Jayapataka Swami: who has conquered

Devotees: who has conquered

Jayapataka Swami: his senses.

Devotees: his senses.

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Prabhupada says:

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, gṛhe vā vanete thāke, 'hā gaurāṅga' bale ḍāke: whether one is situated in the forest or at home, if he is engaged in the devotional service of Lord Caitanya, he is a liberated person. Here this is also repeated in this sloka. For one who has not controlled his senses, going to the forest to become a so-called yogī is meaningless. Because his uncontrolled mind and senses are going with him, he cannot achieve anything, even by giving up household life and staying in the forest. Our first concern, therefore, should be to control the senses, and since the senses cannot be controlled unless engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, our most important duty is to engage the senses in devotional service. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate: bhakti means engagement of the purified senses in the service of the Lord.

Herein Lord Brahmā is speaking, indicating that instead of going to the forest with uncontrolled senses, it is better and more secure to engage the senses in the service of the Lord. Even household family life can do no harm to a self-controlled person acting in this way; it cannot force him into material bondage. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has further enunciated this position:

Quotation

īhā yasya harer dāsye

karmaṇā manasā girā

nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu

jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

Quote: Regardless of one's circumstances, if one fully engages his activities, mind and words in the devotional service of the Lord, he should be understood to be a liberated person. Unquote.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a responsible officer and a householder, yet his service to the cause of expanding the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is unique. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says, durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. The sense organs are certainly our greatest enemies, and they are therefore compared to venomous serpents. However, if a venomous serpent is bereft of its poison fangs, its poison teeth, it is no longer fearful. Similarly, if the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no need to fear their activities. The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement move within this material world, but because their senses are fully engaged in the service of the Lord, they are always aloof from the material world. They are always living in a transcendental position.

Thus end the Purport by His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada:

So Lord Bramha was convincing Maharaj Priyavrata, who was the son of the Manu that it was not necessary for him to become a yogi and stay in the forest; that whether one a is a yogi in the forest or whether one is in the household, the same… the same control of the senses is required in order to become prefect in realization of Krsna, of God.

In fact when one goes anywhere, whether in the forest, in a solitary place there also one will find that these six senses including the mind, tasting, smelling, seeing, hearing, feeling, they're always pulling. Just like if a man came home from work, there in his house, he is greeted by six wives, each wife is pulling in a different direction… "Come with me and enjoy, let me serve you." Each sense is saying, "Taste me, feel me, see me, smell me, think of me," drawing us to some sense object. So if one has not learned to control the senses, then the mind and the intelligence will be taken, dragging the soul away from the Absolute Truth into material entanglement.

So no matter where one is, one has to have the control of the senses. But controlling the human senses is very difficult, because human beings, all of the senses are active. Take for instance, animals. Their senses… usually one sense is most prominent. For instance the moth; the moth, they are attracted by the fire, and they fly into the fire because of their sight, the sense of seeing, they go into the fire and they're killed.

Then there’s the hunter. The hunter is playing sweet tune on flute and the deer comes to hear the song, being attracted by the song by the hearing. Honey-bee goes from flower to flower, taking honey; so when the honey-bee goes into to the lotus, and when the sun goes down, the lotus closes. And when that lotus closes, and the honey bee’s inside, he is suffocated. By the smell… he was simply smelling the honey, he went inside and sometimes he is captured; and that is end his life.

Then we also find that the fish in the ocean, in the rivers, in the lakes, there is plenty of food for fish. Why is it, when the fisherman is hanging the hook with one worm or other bait, that the fish sees it and, he is so lusty that when he sees, he cannot resist– he has to eat it, even there is other food around he can find, but his tongue is so powerful that when he sees that tasty worm, for the fish it's a tasty thing. He jumps and grabs it, and he is caught and he is fried by the fishermen or sold in the market to be fried.

Simply being attached–and that's four senses– then the fifth sense feeling of all the sensations of touch sensation of sex life is the strongest. The Elephant is very powerful; very hard to capture, but they train the female elephant and the female elephant stands and the male elephant is attracted and so he goes after her. And she leads him into a big trap.

I have been in Assam. There, I have seen in the jungles. They're having a very big cages made. And they have the trained female elephant leading the male elephants into that cage, and they lock the door. He is caught. Being attracted by that sense of touch, by that sexual impulse.

So whether moth by the sight, fish by the taste, deer by the hearing, bee by the smell, and elephant by the touch, you see, each animal has got a weak point. But the human being, all the senses are fully activated. Every sense is demanding maximum attention.

When we are preaching we tell people that “If you eat vegetarian food offer to Krsna you will find that by taking prasadam your heart will become very peaceful. You’ll be very happy.” but the tongue is so strong, "No no no. I must have my onion, must have my garlic, must have my fish and my meat.”

There's no need for health; you can see everyone is so healthy, although they are not taking even they are born in the country where only these things are given. In fact, one of the boy told me that when he was child his parents told him you must your eat you must eat it. He said, "I don’t want to eat it." "You must eat it; I will beat you." And he spent two hours, playing around… he didn’t want to eat it. Forced. "You have to eat it." This is the Western influence. They tell everyone, "You have to eat meat, otherwise you will die. This is all false propaganda.

Now, recently the health department directed medical research in America and Britain has found that by excessive eating of meat, cancer, epilepsy, and many other diseases including gastritis are formed. Especially in hot climate, if anyone eats meat, guaranteed they will get all types of gastric difficulties and ulcers also possible. So there’s no need, but we have been brainwashed that we have to have these things and our tongue is so strong that whatever the tongue is demanding, we must take. Like this, every sense is demanding. So whether one thinks "I'll leave all this jhamela, all this difficulty, family life, I'll just go into the forest, “I can’t take these Income Tax Inspectors, the crying babies or their mother-in-law.” or, whatever it may be, you see, that won’t be the solution. Even you go into the forest, the senses will still grab you. There is no need to change where one is; one has to change the consciousness.

India, now 1981, got independence in ‘46… ’47, so how many years gone by? Thirty-three, thirty-four. I take your word for it. So, in thirty-four years, when the first independence was given at that time, throughout India there was post office. Yes? No post office? Yes, in British rule there was no post office? There was. Yes many places. Even in the village he says. So, my point is this. When the independence declared, then those same post office was used or did you tear down and build new post office? Same ones. Same ones. Only the rubber stamp was changed. That was previously The British raja. Now it becomes Ashoka-stambha, Bharata-raja. But the same building, everything same; same clerk, same peon, only rubber stamp change.

That is what is needed to control the senses. Now, you see, the human being has got the greatest intellect but it is intellect is simply going down down. Just like the vulture. The vulture has got greatest ability to fly high in the air. Each bird has got a certain capacity to fly up in the air, but you see that the Vultures, they fly very high. But when they are flying very high, where are they looking only? They looking down, for what? For the dead bodies. Although they are flying high, they are only looking for the dead bodies. That is where their consciousness is.

So in the present human society, they may be flying very high, but the consciousness is simply going down, on this body, which is going be die any at minute. What is this body but the dead matter? The objects of the senses are all dead matter– inert. The senses are serving the inert matters. The mind is being used to engage the senses and the intelligence is also being employed in a… to engage the mind and the atma that is simply going on after. So everything simply serving the dull, dead matter; static matter. And God is forgotten. No god. God is dead. Or if there's God, He is also… "God please give us some more dead matter to serve.” He is also only being asked,"Oh Isvara, Oh Krsna, give us some more dead matter.” Everything going down! But in a Vedic way you see tamasa ma jyotir gama go out from dark place go into the light. Go out from ignorance go into knowledge.

This atma... Atma is to be engaged in Krsna's service– jivera svarupa hoya krsnera nitya dasa. The intelligence is employed by the atma to control the mind in the service of the soul. The Mind is controlling the senses, following the dictation of intelligence. Senses are controlling the dull matter in the service of the… according to the direction of the mind. In this way, everything being directed up.

One way is going up, all going, directed to Krsna; otherwise going down. So depending on which rubber stamp we're using… There’s only these two rubber stamps– either we are serving the dead- matter senses, we are a baddha-jiva, simply being dictated by the stringent laws of karma.

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ

khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca

ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me

bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

Theses are eight material elements five gross, three subtle earth, water, fire, air, either. The maha bhuta five gross elements, mind intelligence and false ego man buddhi ahankaram these are the suksma indirya, subtle senses. These are two material bodies. When the five gross senses, five gross elements body is destroyed than the atma is taken with the mind intelligence and ahankara into the next body that is known as punar-janma. When one is liberated from both gross and subtle bodies that is known as moksa.

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ

prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām

jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho

yayedaṁ hāryate jagat

We are apareyam itas tv we are apara prakrti, we are another nature we are jiva bhuta maha baho we are the jivatma, sanatana, mamaivāṁśo jīva-lokejīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ. Eternal. na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin whenever born whenever die we can’t be cut, we can’t be dried, we can’t be wet. We are the eternal jivatma, but we are lost in this ocean of material energy, we forget. And we are identifying, "I am this body," although we are so intelligent as human beings we are bewildered and we think, "I am the body. And we are being instead servant of Krsna or Krsna-dasa, we are go dasa, we are servant of our senses only, running after our senses,

jihvāra lālase yei iti-uti dhāya

śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya

One who runs after his senses just like the dogs running here and there he can never achieve perfection in life, he can never achieve uh, liberation or realization of Krsna. So there's no essential need of leaving family, going to forest. The real need is whether in family, or whether in temple or whether one is single or whether one is married, to transform one’s consciousness to divine consciousness, Krsna consciousness, serving Krsna, instead of serving the dead matter.

So here it mentions Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. That the senses are like snakes. The black snake can leap out at any time. That means that the senses, they can any time go out of our control. That’s why, to purify the senses, is essential. if we engage the senses… There are two processes Sankacharya path means… the jnana path means stop all action and simply read Vedanta and speculate in this way. Don’t create any karmas, stop work. Who can do that? Anyway, that is one path. That was used in a bygone age. But the path which was chosen by hanuman, by Arjuna, by so many great bhaktas like Kulasekhara, by Ambarisa was the path of action– engaging all the senses in the devotional activities. If we engage the sense, not stop eating no. Eat, feast! But first offer the food according to the Vedic system, rights, offer to the lord as a naivedyam, take yajna-sista take the prasada. Then by eating that food, your senses are not stopping working, but they're actually not creating any karmas. They rather being freed from karma.

You want to see something beautiful. So make nice decoration, nice painting, nice movie about Krsna and feast your eyes. You want feel something touch the feet of the devotees; use the senses of touch. You can wash the pots or make the garland and in some way you can engage practical service. Then smell. You want smell? Smell the beautiful flower offered to Krsna. And the Incense… Bangalore is famous for incense. Incense is perfect when it is offered to Krsna, then we take that prasada incense and that enters into our nostrils, into our nose and purifies our consciousness.

Also for sense of touch, we use japa-mala. By feeling the japa-mala we are using our sense of touch and we are chanting, hearing the kirtan hearing the chanting. In this way, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, all the senses are engaged. Even you can use your sense… Produce many children but make all of them Krsna conscious. Make them all devotees of Krsna. Then even all the senses shall be purified. Even the sexual organs are being purified if the byproduct is engage in Krsna's service. So Arjuna, he was offered, "You go in the forest, sit on the deer skin, you simply meditate on your nose and you just concentrate mind in this type medication, using pranayama.”

Arjuna said, "It is easier to control hurricane or cyclone, but not the mind by this process. And Arjuna, he was not an ordinary person. He was the sakha of Krsna, friend of Krsna, he was the great prince, a king of the Pandava dynasty, Kuru dynasty, emperor of the world. He said it was not possible for him. How is it possible for us? Who can simply give up everything and go in the forest and think that all the senses will be engaged. So, this is the practical way engage… Engage your senses. No need to make them suffer in any way. Engage them, but in a purified way. By doing that, although the senses are serpents, takes the fang out, takes the poison out. If the servant no more poison, then what is the fear?

So Srila Prabhupada has simply used this simple process of bhakti-yoga. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate– engage the senses in the service of the master of senses. All over the world! And this is the proof that Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam… doesn't matter what one's upadhi is, one may be young old, man, woman, brahman, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, or less than sudra — By practicing… if anyone practices this system properly, under the direction of a boda fide spiritual master, must be, his senses will be purified, his karmas will be destroyed, and he will be uplifted to the highest platform, because this process is transcendental.

In Vaikuntha, what are Laksmi, Narada muni, kumaras and all the great bhaktas doing? All the get Azhwaars? There, only dedicating all their senses to the lord. Even if we, most insignificant people practice in this type of engagement, purifying our senses, gradually as all our senses are engaged in chanting, hearing, tasting, serving and smelling everything about Krsna then we will find our consciousness is out of this world. Our consciousness becomes Vaikuntha-maya ananda mayo bhyasat.

brahma-bhutah prasannatma

na socati na kankshati

samah sarveshu bhuteshu

mad-bhaktim labhate param

This is how to achieve the param, the supreme destination, free from all anxiety all miseries– brahma-bhutah prasannatma. Prassanaatma. Atma means soul, mind, and senses. Prasanna means satisfied, fully satisfied. When one's consciousness is put in the transcendental realization, then atma, meaning soul, mind and senses are all satisfied. So what is difficult about this process? It simply means one has to change the rubber stamp. We have now rubber-stamped everything sense gratification. What is pleasing to our senses, we do. If someone doesn’t like what they hear, they go away, "I don't like it."

They don’t try to understand what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad. Whatever they like, they do. What they don't like they don’t do, on the basis of what is pleasing to their senses. How long will we go on being slaves to our senses?

We are serving our senses day and night like a very good slave, but our senses are never satisfied. They are always demanding, "More, more, more, give more. "Aham nimami, aham nimami. Me, me, me. Give to me." They're demanding always more. So how long do we want to remain a slave to our senses? So when we change our vision, "Now let me be the servant… loving servant of Krsna, let me engage the senses as I want in the activities that will uplift my consciousness." Then this a revolution: janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api It creates a revolution in the sinful lives of the people because automatically the most materialistic… even the most sinful person, if he simple understands little bit, what to speak of the pious and religious people? Immediately the whole life-change…

Just like, overnight, Bilati-raja, Bharata-raja. Maya-jivana, Mukta-jivana.

iha yasya harer dasye

karmana manasa gira

nikhilasv apy avasthasu

jivan-muktah sa ucyate

Life becomes liberated when we engage our mind word and senses in service of hari. So, this is, in nutshell, the basic purpose of this Krsna conscious movement. We want that every family, every person they should chant hare Krsna; they should purify their senses and taste the real happiness of life. Don’t sell out for less. This material happiness is insignificant… nothing. Just flash a second.

We are sitting half hour, legs are hurting, our mind is impatient. Then we are thinking we get a fan, nice air, then we are happy; get a little cool drink, we are happy. That means our happiness is based on suffering only. Our lust builds up. Sometimes we become lusty. We get a little release. Now we are thinking I am very happy, but we've been suffering so long! Little relief we get, A little, you can say, vacation from suffering, and we think that is happiness. But that is no real positive happiness. Once one tastes the nectar of this chanting of the spiritual paramananda, then he never gets fooled again that this material happiness is a worthwhile endeavor. But people are very clever. We try to trick them. By any means, you just taste this paramaananda. But they avoid it very cleverly, by arguments, by so-called religious sentiment, they make so many excuses: "I have no time. I can’t do. I am already doing pujas; I am doing this, I'm doing that." Somehow another, they will give some excuse and avoid simply chanting and taking some prasada and merging themselves in paramananda.

But we find that young people, who have not yet learnt this art of duplicity, hypocrisy, and all type of, you see, cunningness, they go on chanting and jumping up and down and immediately, they feel transcendental bliss. So this is the proof that anyone can achieve this, but you are very deceitful for avoiding it, then we may cheat ourselves only. And miss out on the real happiness of life.

So therefore we request everyone: Be careful; beware of the mind which is very treacherous, trying to give so many false doubts for us not to chant. Simply dive in and chant. Practice on extent; you will see for yourself. You are all pious, religious people born in punya-bhumi. When people from all over the world are able to practice this and get the real taste, in a short time, that means it will take you very little time to reach the perfectional platform. A little effort will go the longest way.

So thank you very much for listening so patiently, everyone. I also thank you for chanting so nicely. When we chanted, we lost all the consciousness, you see, aware… who is from what place, what duty, this, that we're all simply that time united in a oneness of spiritual harmony, because our atma was in unity in harmony with Supreme Atma. In this way, the whole world can be unified. And all the hatred, enmity will go away. Thank you very much.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna

Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Tonight, there'll also be some plays, and then of course feast, and I think even a cinema in the end. Is there time for questions? No?

Is there is any question?

[Break]

The senses are controlled by the material energy.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

Then one is actually being dragged by impulses of material nature only. That means maya. So when one is free from impulses of the material nature, that is mukta. So how to get free? There are two basic paths. One path is not recommended for Kali yuga but it was there in the past. People people would simply go on in secluded place and meditate. In this way, they would control their senses by pranayama and by dhyana. The other system is to control the senses by active engagement in activities that are not material. Just as in Gita it said one is offering yajna; the yajna itself is transcendental. The yajna-pati is transcendental, the offering is being offered is transcendental. Everything becomes on the param-satya platform.

So when one is offering one's senses one's body one's mind, one's words as an offering to the lord, just like I am speaking, you are hearing; you are offering your senses and your mind. I am offering– I am not speaking not only for your benefit. I am speaking for my benefit, by my speaking, my senses are being engaged in Krsna's service. Only by being engaged in Krsna's service, can I remain in the transcendental platform. And by my speaking only about Krsna, only according to the authorized guru parampara siddhanta, or conclusion of scripture, whoever is listening, their consciousness is also uplifted to the extent they can understand, or that are fully listening with concentration. So in this way, when our senses are fully engaged in activities which has nothing to do with material activities then that is mukta–anything to do with Krsna with Visnu is transcendental therefore by engaging our senses and vishnu-related activities, jivan mukta ucyate

Then our life becomes liberated, because those actions produce no reaction. Whatever action we do in material life, that produces a karma reaction, which is binding us. if give in charity to an ordinary person, I get in a next life, same amount back. if I give to a brahmana who is half-educated, I get double. If give to a qualified brahmana who knows how to do… is just an ordinary bramana with no special qualification, I get ten times back; then if he is a qualified and performing sacrifices, then I get 100 times back. If he is a Vedajna, that means he knows the Vedanta jna, he knows the conclusion of the Vedanta than I get, you see, cores of times back! And if he is a pure devote, who is a completely transcendental… situated I get unlimited. So as I am giving charity, that means I have to take even another birth to reap the result of the charity.

That's why in Gita, Krsna says, "Whatever you give in charity, whatever you do in tapasya, whatever you do as an offering, everything you should do only on My behalf.”, because whatever we do Krsna on Krsna's behalf, He accepts the karmas. But what we do on our behalf good or bad we have to accept the karma. Even the good karma means we have to take birth. Birth means again death, whoever's born must die. Whoever dies, must again be born. This is the law of material world. We are born to die, and we die to be born. And birth means old age, disease, and other types of problems.

So maya means when we are acting in illusion, that "I am this body, I am this mind, I am a product of the material energy." And mukta means "I am a nitya-jiva, I am a bhagavan amsa, and I'm the part of the Lord, I have nothing to with this material energy.” and we act in that knowledge. Then we're liberated… We are mukta. So maya means illusion. To act as we are not. We are not this body. We have to leave this body in no time, but we are working day and night, as if we are the body. That's maya.

And when we act, "I am the possessor of the body, this body is a vehicle; I'm the nitya-jiva, I am the pure soul… pure spirit soul, then, that's liberated. Is that clear? Satisfied?

You had a question.

Devotee: It’s not needed one to leave the house and settle in the forest. One should not go to asramas, it means? For realization, one doesn’t need anything like seclusion. If that is the case, why the… in the olden days they have got the idea of settling themselves in the forest for concentration?

Jayapataka Swami: I said there were two paths. There are two paths. That even if one goes in the forest, unless his senses are properly trained, even there he can fall down. But this process is such, so powerful, that this other process I mentioned… one cannot practice. The process of astanga yoga in the family in the house, while the refrigerator is chugging, and air-bus is going overhead, and the lorry is going outside beeping the horn, and the rickshaw wala is fighting for two paisa more, and he is trying to mediate in his front porch. Never can he get samadhi by that form of meditation. He has to go off in a quiet place, where you'll find a quiet place today? Even over the Himalayas Aeroflat is going, you see. So we are chanting.

Outside the lorry could be going, air-bus could be going, but when a hundred and fifty people we're all singing hare Krsna mantra, that mantra is cinmaya sabdha brahman. That vibration itself is shielding everyone into the transcendental atmosphere. Then automatically, as we are concentrating on that vibration, that sabda-brahman, than we are actually in the brahman consciousness, and the more we can focus ourselves in the chanting, the more the dust is taken off of the cetana, consciouness, and pure vision comes.

In the past, in satya-yuga, there was dhyana, krte dhyayatu Vishnu. In Satya-yuga, the yuga dharma was dhyana. Because satya yuga means peaceful. Tretayam yajato mukhai. In Tretya yuga, there was the home yajna, agnihotras. Dvaparam paricaryaya. In Dvapara-yuga, the process was temple worship paricarya. That means arcanam. Kalau tad harikirtanat. In this kali yuga, the system is hari kirtanam. In each yuga, there is one yuga dharma.

When that Mayasura – I was telling only earlier today– he grabbed on the feet of Arjuna and he was about to be just killed by the sudarsana. But Krsna forgave him, because he took shelter of the mahabhagawat, the devotee of the Lord. So at that time Mayasura offered to Arjuna, "Let me give you yantra jnana. I will give you the science of machines… how to make all kinds of machines.”

Krsna said, “Don't give it. We don’t want it. You'll ruin everything. That's for kali-yuga. Instead," he told, "You can make that…” one… he made that sabha at Hastinapur. What was the name of that?

Guest: Maya-sabha

Jayapataka Swami: Maya-sabha? No. That’s another name.

Reply: Maya-sabha

Jayapataka Swami: Maya-sabha, accha.

So, today, we have this yantra jnan. Not only do we have yantras, but we have so many break downs noise, troubles, pollution. That was kept out of the… Even Dvapara-yuga, they didn’t need it. Only they were going by so much siddhi, mystic powers. They didn’t all these yantras. Now we have Yantra-yuga; so this is Kali-yuga, age of iron. In this age, the process is hari-kirtana of the nine-fold bhakti, sravana kirtanam, the first two mentioned. We are not saying other process is not bona fide bilkul thik, definitely bona fide.

But, for satya-yuga, treta-yuga, dvapara-yuga; not for kali-yuga. Kali is too difficult, but in kali-yuga if you chant Hare Krsna, in a short time you will find perfection, just as you would find in satya-yuga by dhyanam, you get in kali-yuga by nama-sankirtanam. Just like if you go in the drug store you say that, "My dear druggist, give me one good medicine,"

The druggist will say, "What type of medicine you want?”

“I want a good medicine.” You see

He'll say," Well, what's wrong with you?”

"Never mind what's wrong with me. You give me a good medicine.”

He'll say, "You are a nut. All my medicine is good. One is for the head, one is for the foot, one is for the skin, one is for the belly. What's wrong with you, my friend?"

"You don't bother with what's wrong with me. You give me a good medicine. That's enough.”

He'll say, “Get out! I can’t give you anything like that! Because all his medicine is good.”

So in dharma, all the dharma is good. But what is our disease? That is what is happening today. Different dharmas are saying the other dharma is bad. It's not correct. How can dharma be bad? Dharma must, by definition, be good. The only thing is what dharma in this day and age, in this circumstance, will be the most effective for us.

So we are not saying any dharma is bad. We are not saying dhyana is bad, we are not saying worship of this or that one is bad. Each has got its own value, but in this particular day and age, we have got… just like now we have got such a strong disease. We need a special booster shot.

Even Valmiki, he was dasasura. Dasa means Dasa Ratnakara.. he was given ram nama– "mara mara mara" he was chanting, which came out, rama rama rama, by Narada. And by chanting rama-nama, although he was such a violent man, he was purified. So this is not a new process.

Mrigari the hunter. He was like half-killing animals, he was given only the name. This name is the most powerful purifier. From yugas it is there; not only this yuga, but in other yugas other processes were also effective, so people were more inclined to do that, but in kali-yuga the other processes won’t even give you the result. No guarantee of any effect.

So how can you tell if the medicine works? If there's epidemic, and you give the medicine… in epidemic, if the people get a cured, then you say that medicine is good. So where is the worst materialistic epidemic then? In Western world, the full epidemic. Everyone is diseased by materialism. How many soul are being delivered? That proves the medicine works.

Everyone is taking the harinama medicine, they are getting cured, that's why this is known in the Vedas as mahousadhi, the great ausadhi for the kali yuga disease.

Is that alright?

Devotee : In that, it’s written, Rama was worshiping Siva. So if it is the case you mean to say that was not powerful?

Jayapataka Swami: Rama has every right to worship Siva. Just like Krsna, He is driving the chariot for Arjuna; therefore he is known as Partha-sarathi because Siva is vaisnavanam yatha sambhu– he is the greatest devotee of Lord Rama. He is chanting Rama's name, always on his rudraksa, he is always chanting hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare, because he is the expansion of Maha-sankarsana who is only the expansion of Rama. So Rama has every reason to worship His devotee, because the Lord is always known as bhakata-vatsala. He always like to put His devotee in the superior place .

Krsna is only taking the inferior position with Yasoda, but how about all the times? Even in that particular lila, Siva came out and said, "There's no need for you to or worship me, you yourself are Lord.” And even Siva himself, just like he did tapasya to be admitted as a gopi in Krsna’s rasa lila. And he was made the gatekeeper, gopesvara for Krsna’s rasa lila. And like that there are so many pastimes in the puranas.

So actually, Lord Brahma in his Brahma-Samhita says there is no difference between Visnu and Siva; Vishnu is like milk, and Lord Siva is like yogurt, like dudh… dadhi. So from milk only, dadhi is made. And dadhi and milk are all milk– there is no other substance. There is no other second material there; only that the yogurt cannot be rechanged back to milk. There's a slight difference in the quality, but… or you can say in the taste or the flavor, but the substance is more or less the same; same thing, milk product.

Devotee : What is the duration of kali-yuga?

Jayapataka Swami: Four million… 432,000 years. We are 5000 years going now. Another 427,000 years to go. Then satya-yuga. Listen, after 10,000 years from now, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement will already have reached the peak and will start to decline again by the powers of Maya. So you should not think about 400,000 thousand years. You should finish up within this next 10,000 years all your re-birth and go back to Krsna, because after that, you see Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is delivering very quickly. With Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there are five associates Nityananda, Advaita… Advaita is Maha-Visnu and Sada-Siva combined in one. Even Siva’s there is there in the lila with Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

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Transcribed by

Anjana Gopika Devi Dasi

Revised by

Jagannatha dasa Brahmacari