The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharajah on September 03, 1982 in Murari Sevaka Farm, Lynch-burg, Tennessee, USA. The class begins with Srimad Bhagavatam 10/8/42

Translation :

It is by the influence of the Supreme Lord’s māyā that I am wrongly thinking that Nanda Mahārāja is my husband, that Kṛṣṇa is my son, and that because I am the queen of Nanda Mahārāja, all the wealth of cows and calves are my possessions and all the cowherd men and their wives are my subjects. Actually, I also am eternally subordinate to the Supreme Lord. He is my ultimate shelter.

http://vedabase.com/en/sb/10/8/42 (link to the purport)

Gurumaharaja's Elaboration :

So today, mother Yashoda is understanding the truth about existence, but because she is such an exalted devotee, Yoga Maya or the internal potency of Krishna again puts her into that relationship with Krishna and she forgets. Her forgetfulness and our forgetfulness are different. We forget out of maya, external energy, material energy, we start to think this is mine, this is my wife, this is my mother, this is my son, this is my daughter, this is my… and then we start to serve our possessions – so called possessions. Then we forget that ultimately we are loaned everything by Krishna. At any moment He can take us or those things away. Where is the question of possessing? So actually one should realize that the Lord Himself is the sole possessor. We are simply caretakers at best. Srila Prabhupada sometime he gave the example that a parent may think that I will protect my son or daughter but we may take them to the hospital when they are sick but there is no assurance that we will be able to actually help them. Even the doctor, he cannot assure that he is going to help. There was… like a John Wayne type of famous hero of the screen in Bengal… I think I may have told this before. He suddenly got some disease and he called his doctor. The doctor came and said actually your condition is extremely critical. In fact, I don’t see any hope for you. So he grabbed his doctor’s hand and he said, doctor, doctor, he was a friend so he used to call him by his first name, Sudhir, you are like my brother. Save me, save me, I want to live. Saying this, grabbing his doctor’s hand, he breathed his last. So because he was such a famous person, the newspaper men came. They asked the doctor, "So doctor, while your patient was grabbing you by the arm and he died, now what do you feel about that? And what do you have to say? Isn’t this embarrassing for you? These newspaper men are something else! So the doctor said, "Well, actually, this isn’t the first time. Many times he had close calls and he grabbed me, requested me to help him and every time I helped him. But only this one time I failed (devotees laugh and GM also laughs).

So of course, this reminds me that there is a type of competition between the worshippers of Shakti, of nature. There is a special nature-worship sect in India, where they worship the deity of the material energy, the material nature. And although the devotees of the Supreme Lord also respect the material nature as being a very confidential servitor of the Supreme Lord, but they always are trying to establish that she is actually independent and she is at equal or greater status than Krishna.

Generally speaking, those persons who are demoniacally motivated, they prefer this idea because Krishna, He doesn’t give any boon. He only gives a boon which is ultimately good for His devotee. But because the material nature, mother Durga, is habituated to giving anything that her devotee asks for, if she is satisfied, if she wants to. So if they ask even for some incredible power just like Lord Siva, one devotee one time asked for the power that anybody’s head he touches, that the head would disappear. So obviously that's not going to do much good for anybody unless they wanted to have their head disappear – most people don’t. But still He gave that boon while Krishna generally would not give such a boon, unless it was ultimately going to be good for a person or for His purpose. So these are devotees of mother Durga. We were having argument and they were saying that actually Rama is not the real hero of the Ramayana. Their proposal is actually that Ravana is the hero. He worshipped Durga. How is Ravana the hero? He was killed by Rama. He was a demon. He said, yes, but look at… first of all he had conquered all the kings, then he even stole Rama’s wife, he held back Rama in so many battles, it was only one time that he was defeated (devotees laugh). Of course that one time was the fatal blow. Just like in boxing or something, you can technically win in every round but in the tenth round if he (poghh) knocks you out that means you lost the match. So actually Krishna, He sometimes plays when He comes down and He allows the demons to survive over a few tests, but ultimately He is always victorious in subduing the demoniac, atheistic influences. So like this the demons they always are liking to think that they are actually in charge, they are on top, they are controlling. This controlling aspect is very powerful in the material world. Therefore even the other processes of spiritual realization where to some extent one can still maintain that type of controlling, superiority complex, are considered to be less advanced, because they are still filled with contamination of material influence. Therefore the practitioners are somewhat more or less depending on their particular situation, they are also filled with anxieties. One is practicing fruitive activities fully in the enjoying spirit, that I will work and I will get the fruit of my labor. I will enjoy that. Then in the secondary stage one feels that I will figure out what is the difference between matter and spirit, who am I, I am going to figure it out with my brain, I am going to think and meditate and find it out. And then when I realize my spiritual nature by this thought process, by this mental speculation, by my study of the Vedas, then I will be God. Then I will be realized. So they are also – everything is, "I am going to do this and I am going to do… The yogis, by controlling their breathing, by doing yoga asanas, the mystic yogis, also have this idea : "I." I am now going to control now my senses, I am going to control my breathing, I am going to control the mind, I am going to stop the process of thinking and go into Samadhi. Like this, everything is based upon their own personal endeavor.

Therefore Lord Caitanya said, bhukti, mukti, siddhi, kami, sakale ashaanta. But the devotees, the bhakti yogis, the yogis of devotion, they actually surrender to the Lord, they understand that ultimately all thinking, willing, feeling prowess can ultimately be successful only if He grants His permission. Therefore this idea of personal potency being the driving and deciding factors is given up by the devotees. They realize that that desire to achieve is only one aspect. Ultimately the Lord’s favor, His blessing has to also be there. So, that is actually the deciding issue. So therefore the devotee becomes peaceful when realizing that simply if I perform my service to Krishna, depend on His mercy, by His mercy I will be successful and He will never allow me to go astray if I simply rely upon Him. So actually this controlling spirit is a type of masculine spirit. That is why in the spiritual realm it is described that although many devotees have (some have male forms and some have apparently female forms). But in the sense everyone is prakriti or enjoyed except for Krishna, He is the only Enjoyer. So in that sense of enjoyed and enjoyer, Krishna is the only male and everyone else is female. In the sense that the definition of the female being enjoyed. Although some are having male bodies and some are having female not bodies but forms, male and female forms depending on their service. Some may be the father, Krishna may be his friend, but they are all His friend, His father having these different relationships for His enjoyment. Therefore in that sense He is the only Enjoyer and everyone else is enjoyed.

In this material world everyone is sick. They are mentally diseased, spiritually diseased, because in this world everyone, whether in a male body or in a female body, they want to be the enjoyer. They want to enjoy everything. Therefore even though the female may sometimes accept some subordinate role but ultimately all the calculations are whether in the ultimate issue that person will get the things that they want to enjoy. If they get the objects of their enjoyment then they are satisfied. If they don’t get the objects of their enjoyment they are dissatisfied. So the actual serving mood is at best superficial.

Nowadays the feminist movement has revealed the real nature that is underlying the little bit of serving mood that was showing there they had discarded with that and then just kept the raw, enjoying mood that we can enjoy just like the men, showing the raw materialistic mentality of simply enjoying. That was the one advantage that the women had in spiritual life, that they had a serving mood. So even though underlying was an enjoying motive possibly, but because of their subordinate, humble attitude which was shyness which was ingrown in women naturally by nature, they are able to bow down before God. That is why you see in most of the churches women are going more, most of the temples women are going more, even in India, you will find that women are coming more, they are more humble, they can come before God. Sometimes, men are too proud, they don’t want to bow down to anyone, even God.

Of course, even now that is being changed, whatever the women had, in that regard, there is also a movement to destroy that. Everyone should be equal enjoyers. But this is the complete opposite of spiritual life. In fact, like Maharaja Prataparudra, Gajapati, the king of Orisssa, when he became a devotee of Lord Caitanya – of course Lord Caitanya’s movement is a pure devotional movement – everyone takes on the enjoyed, that my whole purpose is to be enjoyed by God. Whatever I do should be for His pleasure. Nothing should be for my personal sense gratification, for my personal motive. Everything I do should be for His pleasure. If He is pleased spiritually, because I am part of Him, I should accept that internal pleasure as my real pleasure. The external happiness coming from senses I should not take that as my objective. So Maharaj Prataparudra, he took that attitude. So then sometimes some of the campaigns to defeat other kingdoms, he did not undertake, he did not think well, particularly it is not pleasing to Krishna, it is an unnecessary risk or something. For some reason because he became a devotee of Lord Caitanya, they criticized, well now you have become less masculine, now you have become less warring, violent… Therefore you are not a suitable king. And so other kings tried to attack him. They thought, "Well, now he is a devotee of Lord Caitanya, that means that he will become more non violent, less aggressive, but no one was able to defeat Maharaja Prataprudra. He kept his kingdom intact in fact to the whole Moghul attack of India, Orissa was the only place (am I correct?), Orissa was never taken over by the Moghuls. Never. Everywhere else the Mohammedan attackers from Arabia and Persia, the barbarians, they came in and for some period or other they were able to rule, except for Orissa and a few other isolated places, they were not able to gain power there. So actually there is a whole change of mentality, that is why we say in Krishna consciousness, external change is not so important, what is important is the internal change.

Everyone in the material world is here, because we are trying to usurp God’s position. Whereas in the spiritual world, where everyone is in harmony with God, everyone is happy, because they just accept, "You are the in charge, You are everything, we are only subordinate to You." Therefore He is the one controller and everyone else is happy to be controlled. And this is a perfect relationship and everyone is happy. Therefore that place is called Vaikuntha – no anxiety, no problem. But this world are for the renegades. Everyone has to be in that position willingly. If you want to not subordinate yourself to God, then you are placed in this world where you can act as a criminal and you can try to be yourself like a mini God. Now you can increase your controlling propensity up to the maximum. You can actually become the controller of the whole universe. You can become the king of the whole heavenly kingdom like Indra or you can become a controller like Brahma. But the higher you want to go, ultimately then again you have to also at least give some superficial subordination to God. That I want to control but with under Your ultimate supervision and under Your direction, along with Your plan. They offer some homage to God just to get up to that position. Ultimately the purely demoniac people simply want to lord it over and don’t want to follow God’s law at all. They can't achieve that supreme position, at best they can only achieve for a very short time, before they are removed, because a demon who doesn’t respect Krishna at all, he doesn’t respect Krishna’s parts and parcels, all the living entities. And so what happens is they are able to commit so much violence on others, they can slaughter animals, they can slaughter humans, they can kill without any sense, whatever they need to gain their objective of power of control. Sometimes they will amass together as a country and whatever is good for their country’s interest, those demons they can crush anyone else without a second thought, for the interest of they and their subjects of their country. So these are all types of demoniac influence.

We have seen that same in the history of Vedas, some demons, they would take power of kingdoms, they would take power of planets, they would take power of the solar systems. In the Vedas, they have the whole history of solar systems where certain demons would take power of an entire solar system or practically a major part of the universe and there would be intergalactic battles. All these things are there in the Vedas. How people would travel from different planets, how even sometimes residents of this planet would be conscripted, would be requested to fight on behalf of the good forces of the higher demigods against the demons of other planets. And then while this fight is going on, finally when the demons are defeated, those kings from this earth would come back here and find that because they were in the higher planetary systems, their longevity had increased. That a whole different time period was going on, that here their wife and children, in fact their whole kingdoms had already gone under thousands and hundreds and thousands of years had gone by in a short few years of the upper planetary systems, the time they spent there. They came back ; everything was different. People had become smaller, ages had changed. Muchukunda… it happened to him. So these type of things are there in the Vedas, they may be very astonishing for the modern readers to read, almost sound like a type of science fiction. You see, truth is stranger than fact. What the actual truth is, is very easy to understand if one wants to go into it. What is the relationship between different planets and the science fiction writers. They are agitating the peoples’ minds with so many ideas. But they always take what we know today and they add a little bit of color to it and try to make it a little more fantastic. As one goes into the higher planetary, higher realms of existence, one doesn’t have to use all these gross machines. People are driving along with their petroleum, kerosene and hydrogen projected rockets. Why do you think they do not have more subtle machines and more subtle situations as in higher existence? They are able to control mind and control matter by subtle vibrations known as mantras. They fight wars with mantras and with these vibrations. These vibrations and various austerities by the warriors are able create victory or defeat for their opponent. In doing this, some are taking shelter of the Supreme Lord and some are taking shelter of various demigods, some are taking shelter of their austerities, like this, things are going on. And there's different struggles between good and bad forces in the universe.

But the devotees of Krishna, they are beyond good and bad. Prabhupada, one day, we were riding out to Mayapur or maybe from Mayapur and there was Krishna Balaram. He said in this world, in this universe sometimes the good is there, sometimes the bad. Sometimes the good is defeating the bad and sometimes the evil is defeating the good. This struggle is always going on. Krishna Balaram, They are neutral. They are neither for the good nor for the bad as both the good and the bad have taken independent position for them. So according to their karma, according to their situation Krishna Balaram, They sometimes allow the evil to overcome. Evil simply means that they want to enjoy without any consideration of others, without any consideration of Krishna. And the good means, all right, they also want to enjoy, but in some consideration of what ultimately Krishna wants. So therefore the other living entities are protected. But actually Krishna Balarama, He is giving them the results because the evil are exploiting, they are getting more bad karma, therefore they are quickly defeated. Because the good are more subordinate to Krishna, they are protected by that subordination to Krishna. But then Prabhupad explained that the devotees, just like Krishna Balaram, they are neither for the good or for the evil. They are also aloof. They are also transcendental. So, in advancing in spiritual life, ultimately one has to get rid of this enjoying mood. Bhoktaaram yagna tapasaam, sarva loka maheshvaram. The only enjoyer of all austerities, all sacrifices, all activities, is the Lord of the whole universe, Krishna. Gyaataya maam shanti mrchhati He is the well-wisher of every one. Suhridam sarva bhutaanaam. He said, "I am the well-wisher of all living entities." Sarva bhutaanaam that means evil as well as good.

Prabhupada said,"You don’t know how difficult Krishna’s position is. The thief is praying that God today allow me to go out and break in the house and steal the gold and get out without being caught by the police. And the householder is praying, "God please help me that I won’t be robbed by any thief." Then who does He listen to? The deer is praying that God please protect me, I don’t get eaten by a tiger. The tiger is praying, "I am hungry God, give me some food, I want to eat a deer." So His position is very critical. So naturally He has to take the side to some extent of the people who are asking for protection. At the same time, the tiger has to eat, for instance. So what He does is, the tiger because his is a more violent existence, they have to go hungry for a long time. Sometimes they don’t eat for one week, ten days, two weeks. And along with the tiger, He has to give a chance to the tiger to eat also. So what He does is there is a small animal, some type of rodent, that always follows, like a raccoon or something, very fast. It follows along with the tiger. And wherever the tiger goes, just when it is about to jump on the deer or other animal waiting at the water-hole or something, that little like guinea pig calls out, "gyea gyea gyea gyea" makes a squeaking noise. Nyeu nyeu… It's a very high sound. And then at that time the deer, that is the only warning Krishna is giving. That animal is so small that the tiger can’t get it. He would like to just cream it (devotees laugh). But it goes into holes and the tiger can’t get that animal. And if the deer is a little smart, "What's that?! And chookh! It would take off! Then the tiger won’t get him. But if he is a little spaced out (devotees and GM laugh) little negligent, careless, and think, "Oh, I am thirsty. Let me drink this water, that will be the last drink. At that time the tiger knows this is the last chance… Jhok! And he jumps. Just a split second, chance is given.

Prabhupad also gave, just like the mosquito, mosquito’s only business is to suck blood. And everyone is praying that God please don’t let me be bit by these terrible mosquitoes. So what to do? Both creatures are there. So the first thing is always the mosquito, just so you know , " Yown yown yown(devotees laugh) by the ear, it comes. That is giving you the warning, here I am!(devotees continue laughing) This is Krishna’s favor to you. You know that all right, they are there (GM chuckles). You have to take the precaution now. Put on your Off or whatever, mosquito net. So in the material world because ultimately everyone is working more or less for their own enjoyment, therefore Krishna has to take the neutral position. But the pure devotee, he has given up all personal considerations, and (inaudible) "Lord Krishna, I am simply surrendered unto You. Now I don’t want to do anything simply for my own selfish interest because I know that any selfish act I do, particularly materially motivated act, is not actually my self-interest. I will simply be bound by the reaction to that. Cause and effect – whatever act I do, I will simply get the reaction. So I want to not do anything that is not pleasing to you. I know whatever will be pleasing to you will also be for my best self-interest. So it's not He does not want anyone to be happy; rather He wants everyone to be in complete happiness. We don’t know how to be happy in this material world, because we don’t know all the stringent laws. We try in one way to be happy, we transgress certain subtle laws, again we are crushed. Ye yatha maam prapadhyante taams tathaiva bhajaamyaham. According to how we act, we have to reap. As you sow, so shall you reap. Same is there in the Bible as in the Vedas. Law of Karma is described – eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It is simply that the Christians don’t even believe what the Bible says – a lot of them, that is the unfortunate thing. If you really went into the Bible, you would find that 90% of it is already covered in the Vedas, 10% of it might be some misinterpretation that was put in, in all the translations of the Bible. And of course the Vedas have an unlimited greater source of knowledge, being voluminous works that the origin of all religions of the world – they are the oldest. So, just as we say, as you sow, so shall you reap. Law of Karma is there exactly whatever you do, you have to accept the reaction for that, in this life or in the future life. How you lead your life, that will dictate how you desire, that will dictate what future birth you will get. If you are fully dedicated to go back to God, you go back to Him ; you don’t have to take birth again, you go back to His spiritual kingdom. There one has to … therefore in this life, train! One has to train oneself to be Krishna conscious, to be God conscious, to be in harmony with Krishna. Then one is happy. In one’s family life, one should raise children to be Krishna conscious. If you raise the children to be something else, then you can’t expect that you will be relieved of the responsibility for the material activities. If one eats food offered to Krishna, there is no reaction. If you eat food for your own sense gratification, then you are responsible.

So here, mother Yashoda is feeling, of course she never did anything in her whole existence which wasn’t exactly directly for Krishna. Because she is so fortunate, she had Krishna as her son and she did everything for her son. That is the perfection. Is that, as a result of serving Krishna in this world, we can get Krishna as our friend, or as our son and at that time by a higher type of maya, called Yoga Maya, we think that Krishna is my best friend, therefore we do everything for our best friend. We think, " Krishna is my son or my master," and we do everything for His interest, even having a direct relationship that we can relate with, so it makes it so much more perfect and intimate. We are having a personal relationship, saying Krishna is my lover, is my son, is my friend or is my master, who is the object of my worship. So in this way everything becomes very spontaneous and perfect.

Even in this material world, we approach Krishna, "He is my master." We act in that way; that this whole world is Krishna’s, nothing is ours. Even if a devotee tries to make progress, there are so many subtle attachments which again can come back and delude us. One may think that let me enjoy, get some quick money by doing some illegal deal. That making money by any illegal means is another type of subtle illusion. Even a person an intention I want to serve Krishna, give me money for Krishna, I will do something illegal, make some quick money, then one again is getting subtly, these are all types of unwanted anarthas one gets entangled again. One should just straightforwardly deal. Sometimes devotees, they try to go out and do something illegal and they get in difficulty, because Krishna doesn’t want. One can ultimately get more material success than what one’s karma is, if Krishna wants. But if one tries by illegal method, this and that, there's no short cuts.

Ultimately one would get even by doing a legal thing, if one is supposed to get, in terms of Krishna consciousness. And if you do something illegal, then it becomes a whole gamble. Instead of thinking of Krishna one is always thinking whether I will get caught, whether I will succeed, this and that. And it becomes a whole type of gambling, whole type of fruitive activity, even though it is supposed to ultimately be for Krishna. Krishna doesn’t want that. There is enough anxiety in directly doing Krishna’s service for the neophyte. That if it is directly required by Krishna’s purifying, one starts to do without any authorization of the guru, then it becomes more and more precarious.

So how to train one’s self to become subordinate to Krishna? There are many ways given. The first thing is one should train one’s self to be subordinate to Krishna by being submissive to the spiritual master. That one realizes my own mind, my own intelligence is not sufficient to reach me to Krishna. I need the guidance of someone who is already in touch with Krishna through the disciplic succession. Tad viddhi pranipaatena pariprashnena sevaya, upadekshyanti te gyanam, gyaninas tattva darshinaha. That I should approach him, ask questions, serve, then ask questions, surrender. In this way, I can understand the truth. Unless one is going to accept everything that the spiritual master says as the advice of Krishna, and follow it submissively, there is no need of having a spiritual master. When one contemplates taking initiation, then one should already be at the stage that they have complete faith that whatever the spiritual master advises me will be to my ultimate welfare. And that is as good as Krishna giving me advice because the spiritual master is directly in touch with Krishna through the disciplic succession. He knows what is the truth, therefore whatever he advises I should simply do it. Of course someone will say that that seems to be too much. Who can accept such a... So then, don’t take initiation.

Prabhupada never said that to stay in our movement, one has to take initiation. No, you can stay, chant Hare Krishna in the movement or in your house without taking initiation. But when one takes initiation that means that all right, now, I am taking a spiritual master so I can go back to Godhead. Never mind being a pure devotee. A pure devotee is so exalted, we cannot think of being a pure devotee. Simply following with absolute faith the order of guru. Pure devotee means we don’t even think not to follow Krishna. Our mind does not even think of enjoying material life. If the mind comes up with an idea we reject it immediately. The mind is so trained or it's completely purified, doesn’t even think at all anything that is not in devotional service. Even if our mind is rebelling, even if our mind is pulling at the bridle, to go here and there and follow the senses, even if we are not pure, but we take spiritual master that he guides us, what is good for us. What if you take poison? Then because we desire, we say "No, I will take poison any way." Then what is the use of taking a guru, taking a spiritual master? A spiritual master means that he is responsible before Krishna, he has taken responsibility, I will guide this disciple to go back to Godhead, to go back to You. And the disciple also promised to Krishna that now I am accepting this spiritual master to guide me to go back to You. Whatever he says I am accepting as good as You saying. Whatever service I am doing to him, You should kindly accept it as service unto You. Then if one has a spiritual master and not willing to follow the instructions, not willing to serve, not willing to accept, then where is the protection? Then there is no protection. Spiritual master means completely safe, completely safe, free of any anxiety. Without spiritual master, one's always in anxiety – what to do? What to do next? Will this be for my good? Will this bring the thing I want? When one has spiritual master, there is no anxiety. He knows what is good, what is not good. So certainly, a tremendous amount of confidence has to be built up before one accepts a spiritual master. It shouldn’t at all be done whimsically.

Generally someone may meet many people who help one along the way, who guide one. The first person one meets and directs one to Krishna consciousness is also known as the spiritual master who shows the way. Then there are spiritual masters who guide one, who give one absolute instructions; they are known as instructing spiritual masters. And then one who is consistently giving good instruction, generally that person is accepted as one’s initiating spiritual master because he's already shown, that spiritual master has already shown, through practical instruction and association that not only does he have this sincere desire of the disciple in heart – that a mother and father may also have a sincere desire, but they may not know the truth – but he also knows the truth, he knows how to lead the disciple out of the material illusion. The disciple by following those instructions can practically see. So we have to give up the enjoying mood. It means a type of … That doesn’t mean that the people become effeminate. But rather, there is a different type of attitude, rather than becoming simply selfishly, sensuously motivated, one becomes spiritually motivated. Whether one’s personality may be of any frame, personality may be of any particular nature, but the ultimate objective becomes put in such a focus that one simply takes on surrendered attitude to Krishna. And as soon as one takes the shelter of Krishna, He protects one from the reactions of karma. One can immediately feel relief. And when one is still maintaining the independent mood, separatist mood, that means the devotional service either in the mood of goodness, passion or ignorance, one won’t feel that relief. There will always be some anxiety. They wonder, " Why I am not being satisfied by my devotional service?" Because they haven’t surrendered. Although they are performing some devotional service, which they get credit for, it is mixed with mode of goodness, passion or ignorance. Sometimes people come to Krishna to get money. Sometimes they come when they are in distress. They want to get relief from their problems. Sometimes they approach Krishna, they are inquisitive. Even sometimes people come as… Policemen come ; they are inquisitive to find out what is going on here. Is there any illegal activity going on? Some of those policemen who come and live in the temple, they became so happy by being with the devotees, later on they also became devotees. Of course that is often… they don’t actually listen, so sometimes… but if they listen and take the association, their heart can also be changed. But if they put on a show and don’t actually listen, this is quite a dangerous arrangement here. Then it is difficult for them if they don’t actually hear, give their mind to listen, to hear.

The whole basis of Krishna consciousness is one will feel satisfied, feel happy, then one can know that the process is working. Just like if one's sick, you take the medicine, you will feel relief. We are all sick in the material world because we are all trying to imitate the Supreme Lord by lording it over the material nature. When we change our mental attitude and we take a serving attitude, how to serve others through serving Krishna, how to serve the material nature by engaging the material nature in the service of… ultimately everything is directed to the service and pleasure of Krishna. Then one feels satisfied, because it is our natural position, we are part of God. We are supposed to serve the whole. Just like this hand is part of the body; it serves the whole body. It's very natural. Doesn’t require personality change. Requires menatal… doesn’t even require much adjustment. Simply slight adjustment is needed in our attitude, our outlook. Instead of seeing the world as, "Here's the domain for me now to enjoy and lord it over, we see that here is the field of my activities, this is the field that I can now use all these energies that are also Krishna’s energies in His service and they are via media for me to go back to God, go back to the spiritual world. If I try to enjoy them I will become entangled. If I try to utilize them in the service of Krishna, I will become liberated.

Jai Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivas adi Gaura Bhakt Vrnda. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Are there any questions?

Question: When a living entity falls from the spiritual world, is his first body human?

GM: Sometimes they come as first body as Brahma. Human is the first birth that you get a chance to go back. Brahma at the end of the universe, can go right back. Unless he becomes materialistic, then from Brahma they can work their way down to a bug or one can be as human. That will depend. It's not a… No one can say, it is not any, you will find some different evidences in the Vedas. Coming as a Brahma or coming as a human, that is not .. that may vary from case to case. We found that Jaya Vijay, they came as demons. Each person, why they are here, why, no one can say exactly. Everyone is an individual eternally. The only way we will know the exact reason how we got into this material world is when we ultimately again we get our liberation. This is like a dreaming state. Right now we are locked into the dream and the whole endeavor is to get out of the dream, to wake up. So once we… It's just like someone is in a kind of coma. And in the coma he is dreaming so many things. And then in that dream, he is going from one dream and then he jumps out and goes to another dream, until finally he can remember someone comes up and says, "Harry! Harry!"(devotees laugh) And then he comes out of the dream, "Where am I? Right? Where was I?" It's like once you come out of this material world and you come back to your original Krishna consciousness, it will be like, I did all those things! I was an animal, and a man, I forgot completely about Krishna, about my eternal spiritual nature. And just like a dream. You never want to go to sleep again, you don’t ever want to come in the material world again. The thing is , one has to want to wake up. So that's why the spiritual master is so kind. Even a person is sleeping, doesn’t want to wake up, they are calling, jiv jaago, "Wake up! You are not this body. You are eternal spirit soul." And the soul has heard so many things in its life. You are an American, you are a Bohemian, you are a hippie, you are a conservative, you are republican, you are a democrat, this that. And never even come near to waking up the soul. It is just trying to change the structure of your dream. But when that pure devotee says, "No, you are an eternal servant of Krishna, you are not this body, then immediately the soul starts, it is the first time anything that was said is actually directed at the soul. It starts to move, it starts to wake up. Then the soul starts to direct the intelligence, what is that? What is he saying? It's shocking when the first time one hears that he is a devotee, it may even come as an intense shock. The first time the devotee is saying, is going right to the soul. They don’t even speak to the body and the mind, it is going right to the soul. Because the soul can exert its influence and control over the mind and the body. But it has to be awakened, it is has to actually come from the soul. To act in its original, constitutional position. So how we fell in this material world exactly? What we were before? When we wake up, when we realize our original position, then we can remember all these things. So it is not always a stereo type. We may come first time as a Brahma and work our way down and may come in so many ways. What we were before we came, what was our relationship with Krishna, what was our position, how we fell down, what desire we had? These are different in every case.

Question: (Inaudible)

GM: When we say, "Take prasadam, You get human birth," some people got prasada and got liberated. So. in describing the glories of prasadam… it is Krishna prasadam, you cannot put a limit on it. Some people just by chanting Hare Krishna once, they got liberation like Ajamila. Simply by chanting Hare Krishna, more sins, sinful reactions of karma are eradicated than one can commit. At the same time someone may chant Hare Krishna for a thousand… and then not actually go back to Krishna. How is that possible? So the thing is that one is not supposed to doubt that by chanting Hare Krishna, this effect has come. That means potentially it may come for anyone. But then each person’s situation being different, that a person if he is very offensive, even they chant Hare Krishna, take prasadam, and they offend devotees, because of those offences, Krishna, He may just withhold His mercy. An offence and sinful reaction are different – a person may be the most sinful, maybe a murderer, maybe a rapist, but that is all on the material platform. That is in relation to other people’s material bodies. It is not in relation to God. So the reaction they have to get is also material. They have to suffer materially for whatever suffering they are committing in their body into other’s bodies. But when an offence, means directly in relation to God or those who are directly in relation to Him, His pure devotees ; so therefore the most overpowering things about everything is Krishna’s mercy. That mercy can destroy all the material reactions, and just give one a clean slate, bring one back to Godhead. But if one is directly opposing God, even that He can forgive, but sometimes if you directly offend His devotees, then Krishna… that's so disapproved by Him that then He may withhold His mercy to that person til he gets out of the habit of offending His devotees or whatever offence he is committing. So in that way, if a person is offenseless, then by taking prasada, one may even be liberated, one may even achieve Krishna consciousness. Depending on the offences, lack of offences and so many conditions, one is delivered. One may be sincerely trying to find the truth or just ordinary material acts, an innocent person, not very inimical to God, but just trying to enjoy his senses, trying to enjoy his senses and is misled, wandering here and there trying to enjoy in different ways and not succeeding. Gets association with devotees, they give prasada, they give spiritual advice, the person starts to chant and then automatically they feel immediately advancement. Another person may have.. . they are very inimical to the devotees. As a result, the effect may be reduced. This offence is the most dangerous thing. Next dangerous is of course bad habits and all that, after we have chanted. Once one takes up seriously the chanting, one should try to avoid as far as possible unauthorized activities because they would delay one’s progress. So by taking prasada, that person can be guaranteed a human birth. But there may be an exception if he is exceptionally offensive to devotees.

In general, one would be guaranteed at least a human birth. And one may even get a greater benefit by taking prasadam. If he takes prasadam, the person is purified of all reactions and then again the next moment he takes more, he does more karmas, more work that he has to take the reaction for. So because of those reactions they have to take birth at least they get a human birth. But if after taking prasadam they did not perform any more materialistic activities, then they could go back to Godhead.

Question: (inaudible)

GM: So then they are animals. Then they can become human beings at least, you see. Srivasa once gave prasadam to a dog and it went back to Godhead. Because all its karma was finished, didn't have to be a human or a dog ; it just went back to its original spiritual position.

Question: ( inaudible)

GM: I am writing a book now which is including a new archana padati. So, anything you want to know like, any other questions, just write it down, write in a letter . While I am in the States you can write it to Atlanta or just give it to me. Otherwise write it to me in Calcutta. Any questions like that I am going to be putting a basic story about the history of Tulasi and some of these things, because these are regular questions. Anything else? GM :Jai Nitai Gaurachandra ki jai! Devotees : Srila Acharyapada ki jai!

23 June 2014 Jayaraseshwari dd