19830624-Srimad-Bhagavatam.5.2.5-Yoga-Practice-Means-Control-Literal-Version

---

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on June 24th, 1983 in Miami, Florida. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5th Canto, Chapter 2, Verse 5.

Jayapataka Swami :

tasyāḥ sulalita-gamana-pada-vinyāsa-gati-vilāsāyāś cānupadaṁ khaṇa-khaṇāyamāna-rucira-caraṇābharaṇa-svanam upākarṇya naradeva-kumāraḥ samādhi-yogenāmīlita-nayana-nalina-mukula-yugalam īṣad vikacayya vyacaṣṭa.

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapataka Swami:

As Pūrvacitti passed by on the road in a very beautiful style, in a mood of her own, placing ornaments on her ankles tinkled with her every step, although Prince Āgnīdhra was controlling his senses, practicing yoga with half-opened eyes, he could see her with his lotus like eyes, and when he heard the sweet tinkling of her bangles, he opened his eyes slightly more and could see (laughter), that she was just nearby (laughter).

Translation with repetition.

Jayapataka Swami : As Pūrvacitti passed by

Devotees : As Pūrvacitti passed by

Jayapataka Swami : on the road

Devotees : on the road

Jayapataka Swami : in a very beautiful style

Devotees : in a very beautiful style

Jayapataka Swami : in a mood of her own

Devotees : in a mood of her own

Jayapataka Swami : the pleasing ornaments on her ankles

Devotees : the pleasing ornaments on her ankles

Jayapataka Swami : tinkled with her every step

Devotees : tinkled with her every step

Jayapataka Swami : although, Prince Āgnīdhra

Devotees : although, Prince Āgnīdhra

Jayapataka Swami : was controlling his senses

Devotees : was controlling his senses

Jayapataka Swami : practicing yoga with half opened eyes.

Devotees : practicing yoga with half opened eyes.

Jayapataka Swami : he could see her

Devotees : he could see her

Jayapataka Swami : with his lotus like eyes.

Devotees : with his lotus like eyes.

Jayapataka Swami : and when he heard the sweet tinkling

Devotees : and when he heard the sweet tinkling

Jayapataka Swami: of her bangles

Devotees : of her bangles

Jayapataka Swami: he opened his eyes

Devotees : he opened his eyes

Jayapataka Swami: slightly more

Devotees : slightly more

Jayapataka Swami: and could see

Devotees : and could see

Jayapataka Swami: that she was just nearby

Devotees : that she was just nearby

Jayapataka Swami: You want to read the purport Srila Acaryadeva?

Purport :

It is said that yogis always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within their hearts.

It is said that yogīs always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within their hearts. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (Bhāg. 12.13.1). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always observed by yogīs who practice controlling the venomous senses. As recommended in Bhagavad-gītā, yogīs should practice samprekṣya nāsikāgram, keeping their eyes half open. If the eyes are closed completely, there will be a tendency to sleep. So-called yogīs sometimes practice a fashionable form of yoga by closing their eyes and meditating, but we have actually seen such so-called yogīs sleeping and snoring while meditating. (laughter) This is not the practice of yoga. To actually practice yoga, one should keep his eyes half open and gaze at the tip of his nose.

Although Āgnīdhra, the son of Priyavrata, was practicing mystic yoga and trying to control his senses, the tinkling sound of Pūrvacitti’s ankle bells disturbed his practice. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ: actual yoga practice means controlling the senses. One must practice mystic yoga to control the senses, but the sense control of a devotee who fully engages in the service of the Lord with his purified senses (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam) can never be disturbed. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī therefore stated, durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭra-yate (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). The practice of yoga is undoubtedly good because it controls the senses, which are like venomous serpents. When one engages in devotional service, however, completely employing all the activities of the senses in the service of the Lord, the venomous quality of the senses is completely nullified. It is explained that a serpent is to be feared because of its poison fangs, but if those fangs are broken, the serpent, although it seems fearsome, is not at all dangerous. Devotees, therefore, may see hundreds and thousands of beautiful women with fascinating bodily movements and gestures but not be allured, whereas such women would make ordinary yogīs fall. Even the advanced yogī Viśvāmitra broke his mystic practice to unite with Menakā and beget a child known as Śakuntalā. The practice of mystic yoga, therefore, is not sufficiently strong to control the senses. Another example is Prince Āgnīdhra, whose attention was drawn to the movements of Pūrvacitti, the Apsarā, simply because he heard the tinkling of her ankle bells. In the same way that Viśvāmitra Muni was attracted by the tinkling bangles of Menakā, Prince Āgnīdhra, upon hearing the tinkling bangles of Pūrvacitti, immediately opened his eyes to see her beautiful movements as she walked. The prince was also very handsome. As described herein, his eyes were just like the buds of lotus flowers. As he opened his lotuslike eyes, he could immediately see that the Apsarā was present by his side.

Thus end the purport by His Divine Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to Srimad-Bhagavatam Text 5, Chapter 2, Canto 5, The Activities of Maharaj Āgnīdhra.

So, here we see, another example of how the material attraction works. In several places in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is uh, explained, through this practical type of pastimes, just like when Lord Siva saw the Mohini Murti, here again we are seeing Āgnīdhra Maharaja, he is seeing Pūrvacitti and another place it also describes Viśvāmitra and others.

So, how the Bhagavad-gita describes that by contemplating on the object of the senses one develops attachment, from attachment then one starts to develop lust and this way desire, illusion, anger, fall down, everything comes one after another.

So he was there meditating with his half opened eyes, and the object of the senses drew his senses, and then, I am sure that we will see how step after step, how he becomes conquered by the senses. So, this should give us all a good example how we have to at the very root of thought, root of the desire, we have to control the mind, and continually bring the mind back to Krishna. Its very hard for this yogis when they simply meditating on the nose and in front of their nose is Pūrvacitti, an Apsarā, to bring the meditation back to the nose (laughter)

And when they trying to meditate on the omkara, something going on in their ears, they hear the jingling, the jangling, uh, tinkling of bangles, it’s very hard to bring their consciousness back to this meditation, but for the devotee who is having to bring his mind back to the beautiful form of Radha and Krishna , who can bring his ears back to the beautiful sound of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, then it is possible to control the senses even though the senses are so dangerous, compared to serpents.

Similarly another example is there of another type of serpent, Prabhupada discussed here about yogis who are actually more or less imposters, they are not even following this practice of yoga. Yesterday on the plane someone asked me, "I heard that there are two types of yoga, one is the exercise and the other is meditation." Actually nobody knows what yoga is, they all think that yoga just means exercise and now people think that "Maybe you can also meditate." but that the actual purpose of yoga is to reach the absolute truth, this they have kept a secret, so therefore it’s also an advice for us, that

avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ

pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam

śravaṇaṁ na kartavyaṁ

sarpocchiṣṭa-payo yathā

Not to hear, the uh, lessons on the transcendental qualities of Hari, the explanations of Bhagavatam through the lips of non-vaisnavas. By doing so this is like drinking milk touched by the lips of a serpent, on will become poisoned and fall down. So, we are so fortunate that Lord Caitanya, He taught the Six Gosvamis, then in turn they taught other disciples, in this way the disciplic succession has handed down this message, down to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Abhaya Charana Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Srila Hridayananda Goswami Acaryadeva.

Devotee: Jaya.

Jayapataka Swami: Like this the disciplic succession coming down, so that we can get the transcendental and pure message. So this paramapara system is so important because each spiritual master is taking on the mood of the previous spiritual master, and the line from the previous spiritual masters, in this way it is transmitted down generation after generation. According to time, place and circumstance preaching is going on but the original mood, the original vision is always intact, bringing people up to the highest standard of pure Krishna Consciousness.
This way actually reflecting on the original situation just after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this planet... of course we know that even Haridasa Thakura, he requested to leave before Lord Chaitanya because he knew that it would be so difficult to be present after after He had gone, the separation of the devotee should be so intense that it would be unbearable especially for him because he was so close to Lord Caitanya. So he requested to exit first. You get an idea of the situation that... so that time Rupa and Sanatana, the Six Gosvamis they were in Vrindavan, but after sometime time Rupa and Sanatana also joined Lord Caitanya after finishing their writing, that time after their departure we know that Srinivasacarya, he finally made his way over to Vrindavan where he met Jiva Gosvami and took initiation from Gopala Bhatta Gosvami and who gave him back to Jiva Gosvami for instructing him, didn’t keep him but gave it the Jiva Gosvami because he was more expert in uh, certain experts of training people in the philosophy.

In fact, Hridayananda the disciple of Gauri... uh, Gauri Das Pandit who was Subal Sakha in Krishna’s pastime, he had a disciple called Dukhi Krishna Das, which means unhappy servant of Krishna (Everyone laughing), he sent him with a little note to Jiva Gosvami in Vrindavna, "Please train up my disciple and sent him back to preaching." so when was there he was so enraptured with Syamsundara that he was given the name Syamananda Pandita, another very prominent Acarya in our sampradaya.

Similar time Narottama Dasa Thakura also found his way to Vrindavan after the big Gaura Purnima festival with the Jahnavadevi devi and Acyutananda, the son of Advaitya Acharya and Bir Candra, the son of Nityananda and Srinivasacarya and others... Or actually that was much later, is was just before. Excuse me Narottama Thakura was before that. This is was just in the beginning. He went there directly from Kheturi when he ran away from his uh, home. He went directly, practically this was a stop in Navadvipa uh, a few places, he went directly to Vrindavan and there he took initiation from Lokanath Goswami, after a long... That’s another pastime… Long trial, testing by his spiritual master.

So there this three devotees are all studying under Jiva Goswami, young Brahmachari’s studying under Jiva Goswami. Each had a different initiating spiritual masters, Jiva Goswami himself was of course a spiritual master, but he was instructing them, and they would, apart from their lessons, they would go over to Radha Kunda and see Raghunath Das Goswami and Krishna Das Kaviraj, sometimes go to Govaradhan, see Dvija Haridas, this way they would be having so many pastimes in Vrindavan, sometimes even they would even see Lord Caitanya in darsan. They would see Radha and Krishna, and sometimes in their meditation different uh,pastimes. They loved Vrdavan, they were so happy there in the association of devotees, but the Caitanya-Caritamrita had been written all the works by Rupa and Sanatana were written, but they had never been taken to Bengal.

They were just sitting there, waiting… there is no pandits there for copying, in those days you didn’t have the printing press, they had the hand copying, so all the pandits were in Navadvipa, that was the head of all the education in the country. So, one day Jiva Goswami had a dream from Rupa and Sanatana that Srinivasacarya should go. The very same day Srinivasacarya was having darshan at the arati of Govinda dev in the Govinda ji temple. That... before Govindaji was taken to Jaipur. In the arati Govindaji spoke, “Srinivas should take all the literatures and go east.”

"East? Govindadeva!"

Immediately, everyone of course was so surprised, you don’t expect the Deity to make a proclamation, but that’s due to our possibly not understanding the Deities potentials, it’s unlimited elevated, personal archa avatar, so the deity actually ordered Srinivasacarya to go, and others also, Narottam and the… Shyamananda Pandit were also sent along. But this time Narottama composed a little song… little sloka offering his obeisances to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of devotee, and who had so many energies. In some of this personal energies were manifesting as the writers of transcendental literature like Rupa and Sanatan, and he said some of these energies were the distributors of these literatures like Srinivasacarya.

So, when this first Sankirtan party left when it was ready to go, all the books... the king there uh... the local king, he gave a bullock cart with guards, they put all the books in the big uh... with uh... In a big trunk with the Caitanya Caritamrita on the bottom and the other books up on the top, and then they were about to go on an auspicious day, then even Raghunath Das came out of Radha Kunda, KrishnaDas Kaviraj came out from there also, they all… the all the… associates of Vrindavan, all the remaining goswamis, all the eternal associates like Bhugarbha and Lokenath, whoever was still left, they all disappeared. They all came to see off the first sankirtan party as they were going out to bring this books to Bengal to copy them, to distribute them, to establish their philosophy, throughout all the uh, nations and all the uh... in those days there were so many different kingdoms, so all the different kingdoms which were different nations all over uh, that part of India and to spread it everywhere from there , so the fact they walked up right up to the edge of Vrindavan and saw them off, only Jiva Goswami and one or two others, they went all the way to them… with them up to Mathura.

This way from Mathura they saw them off and then they all headed along the path of the Ganges, along the road, till finally they went to what’s now today Uttar Pradesh, Bihar to finally they got on the border of Bihar, they are heading towards Navadvipa, they entered into Bengal. They entered into Bengal it was so beautiful. There's so many beautiful trees, and coconut, and bananas, and behind other place, tending to be a little bit dry, but Bengal's luscious because the Ganges flowing through and so many rivers like the Damodar uh, flowing through it, the Ajaya, so as soon as they entered into Bengal they were very happy. They knew they are getting closer to Navadvipa.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentioned how in the whole universe that this earth planet, this the particular planet of uh, is the most uh, wonderful because… because here Lord Krishna Himself and Lord Caitanya appears. And then in the whole earth planet the Bharatvarsa is the most auspicious and there the uh, land of Gaura-mandala-bhumi is the most sacred and within that the Sri Mayapura-dhama, Navadvipa is the most uh, trascendental and beautiful place in the whole...

So in this way, they were very eager that now they are coming closer, they already entering Gaura-mandala-bhumi, they are going on, they rested. Of course you know the pastime how there was a King called Bhirambhira Maharaja Vikrama, Mahadeva Shah and that uh, he had little secret service, that secret service was uh, especially sent to uh, rob people, and he had a nice astrologer. He was also used to tell when people were going on the road, “They have a lot of money”.

So in this way… yea… you knows it’s like little, you didn’t have enough patches, there those days they couldnot you know jack the taxes upto 90 %, you can only take 25 % , that was like you had to follow the Vedas. So when the King wanted a little extra, so he had a little pastime, that he had you know special guards (laughing) and uh, he had a astrologer and the astrologer would calculate.

Says, “Wow! There is some very valuable treasure then coming along the road."

Then he would send out his own troops to arrest the... some bandits, they robbed the people and take the money, the people would come and say, “Protect us! We were robbed.”

You'd give them a little of your pocket money and send them on. (laugh) This was you know uh, but he was actually a strange combination, he was like one of these fringey kinds (Laugh), because he used to everyday listen to the Bhagavatam, whenever he would get a little... he would have Bhagavatam class in his courtyard... He was a little pious in that way, but then when he got a little uh... wanted a little quick money, just like some people do when they... you know, "Well..." He would you know send out his uh, part of the group there.

So this time the astrologer told them that "The most valuable treasure is coming. It's incredible. Its priceless! According to this, it’s beyond calculation in value!" (Laughter)

He said, "Wow!" He started... he started... he just. (laughter) "...and, there isn’t hardly any guards according to this, it’s practically unguarded." you see.

"Oh!" He said, "Call my special team!" (laughter)

The team came. Now he says, "I have this assignment. You have to go out, there are some people coming along with this treasure and then you bring it to me and I will reward each of you with a 100 gold coins."

And so, they went out and Narottama Dasa Thakura, and Srinivas and Syamananda Pandit (laughter). Couple of you know, guards. They were taking rest in the evening after finishing their japa and then right two in the morning, one in the mo... they see that, "Well just everyone's asleep." So they go i. They steal the box. Its like taking candy from a baby sleeping.

They woke up. “The books are gone.” And just I can’t explain what happened to those devotees. Narottama and Syamananda and Srinivas “Where are the books? Where are the books ? They... No! No! Acaryas, everyone, they've given the books, the books are gone!"

They were pounding their head on the stones and crying. Finally Sri... after just going on like that for hours and hours, Srinivas got them all together and looked everywhere.

After a couple days, he told him "Please, it was a reminder, this is definitely Krishna’s ah… this is Krishna’s ah… it is... Krishna did this. We can’t lose these books. We'll definitely get them back. You go to Kheturi, Narottama, and I will send you message as soon as I get the books. I will find it, don’t… don’t everyone of us stop preaching… you go on and start the preaching and Syamananda Prabhu please, you see your spiritual master and go preaching and uh, I will inform you as soon as I find the books , let me, it’s my original responsibility find the books, and let us not all of us just waste our time in this way, let me all find the books, some how or another I know that Lord Caitanya would not allow this books to just remain uh, lost like this."

So in this way Narottam went, he started preaching Kheturi by the East Bengal and sent preachers to Manipur and made the whole state of Manipur to Vaisnava State, his disciple Ganga Das, and that’s why the Manipuris, they do all these, they are really great devotees of Narottam, because the disciple, granddisciple’s of Narottam Das Thakur went and preached and Syamanada was made a spiritual master, and Hridayananda was sent to Orissa for preaching and then they all got together again later on on several occasions, so in this way we could see that...

Devotee: What...

Jayapataka Swami:

[aside]

You wanna hear what happened to the books? (laughter) Thought I'd leave that for next time. (laughter) I'll not get out that easy. (laughter) Didn't think I would. (Laughing )

So, actually we can see from just the... how in the time of Lord Caitanya although they didn’t officially have, in our GBC like that but although they had many spiritual masters and they had many uh, different uh, devotees but practically which is like spontaneous GBC, and just all the Goswamis and the senior devotees, they would discuss, and whatever they decided all the other devotees would accept, and everyone was working together. It was one movement. It wasn’t like a dozen movements, so it was one movement but they have their own preaching place and they have their own assignments and they would come together and have big festivals on Gaura Purnima and disappearance day and appearance days of great associates of Lord Caitanya, of Nityananda’s appearance, like that and it was just a spontaneous.

We're seeing here in ISKCON, Prabhupada has kept the same mood. Now making the whole ISKCON world movement with so many spiritual masters and preachers, and GBC’s and Sannyasis and Temple Presidents and regional secretary so on. Sankirtana devotees and how they all preach in the diffent areas, then we get together to the Mayapur festival, sometimes we get together just like this, getting togther you are getting association, Sri Acharyadeva, Jagajivana Maharaja is here, Jayadvaita, different preachers, like this sometimes it'd be informal, sometimes they'd have formal get togethers. So Srinivas of course at that time he sent them all away, then he just started to pray, just started to pray that "Lord Chaitanya, Lord Caitanya, I've taken this great responsibility from all these devotees."

And in the meantime of course the word got back to Vrindavan, everyone "The books are gone."

So Srinivas he prayed and prayed and then he started looking everywhere, and just looked everywhere, asked the people. Finally someone told, “Why don’t you go and ask the King?” (laughter)

Now in the meantime the robbers took the books back with the big box, back to the King. The King, he said, “This is so valuable I don't even want them to see what's in it. I'll just give them give them the money." So he gave them the money, and sent them off. "Thank you very much, good job! Well done!” (Laughter). Then he put the treasure in the bag, locked all the doors (laughing), broke it open, opened it up, "Books!? (laughter) Books !? (laughter), What is this?" He looked at the books. "These are religious books. This is something Bhagavatam and what..." He called his pandit in, and the pandit tried to figure out, said, "This is very difficult. This is very difficult to understand."

He said, "Oh no! Now I've done it! Yeah, this is the most valuable... This is some rare scriptures, and those men, those were sadhus. Those were vaisnavas, and he knew that much reading Bhagavatam, "But now... I have stolen from so many karmis, and then I… I got… I can get rid of bad karma but now I have stolen from the Vaisnavas, oh no! Now my whole kingdom is going to be finished, my dynasty, everything, I am going to be wiped out! Oh no!"

He sent back those bandits, "Find the person you stole this from. Wherever they are, find them, and bring them here."

They were looking all over you know, they couldn’t find... Only Srinivas was looking... was there, so in the meantime uh, the King was everyday listening to the Bhagavatam and complete anxiety, was thinking how am I going to get out of this (every one laughing), now I have done it. So one day Srinivas came into the courtroom and he heard the Bhagavatam, and the Bhagavatam... These were smarta brahmanas; They didn’t know how to properly explain the Bhagavatam. So then, Srinivasa came in and he was hearing this crazy interpretation of the Bhagavatam (laughter), he just couldn’t tolerate. And he said "This is not correct."

Now when you come in to the Kings uh, courtroom and the Raja-guru of the King is giving Bhagavatam class and you say that this is bogus, you better know what you are talking about (laughter), otherwise you may lose part of you body (laughter). So then, immediately the… some of the minister said “Oh! So, here is someone calling the Kings guru doesn’t know what he is speaking about ?”

The king says "Then, you explain!” So then they gave him the Bhagavatam, so he started giving the Bhagavatam class, and he explained the Bhagavatam; Of course being Srinivasacarya, got... the name Acarya was give to him by the Goswamis because he was so expert in explaining the Bhagavatam, personal disciple of… Siksha disciples of Srinivas… of Jiva Goswami, disciple of Gopal Bhatta Goswami, so he explained the Bhagavatam of course so much, that everybody was melted , then the King thought, “This may be the one who owns the books.” (laughter).

[break]

...happened? (laughter)

He took them in the back and he said “Who are you? Where do you come from?” So then Srinivasacarya he just opened up and uh, he started to explain that, "Krishna is ever existing in the spiritual kindom. He has come down as Sacisuta, he has come down as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and He gave his own nija-bhakti, his own devotional service , His own prema-bhakti and He went and He preached all over India, He went to Puri, He went to South, He went everywhere and when He came back and He preached in Rama Keli and He's delivered the two ministers, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister- Rupa and Sanatana and sent them to Vrindavan."

And the King Bhira said, "Pshew, I always thought that those guys were really stupid, to have left their job as Prime Minister of the emperor (laughs), because he has to pay taxes to them because he was one of the minor kings under Hussain Shah, he was one of the King, Maharajas, of the emperor. Emperor means you have so many sub-kings, and he also has to pay tax to Rupa and Sanatana (laughter) He always thought, "Why they left? They were so powerful." he could never understand (laughter), then he was starting to understand, you know. So then he explained that how they wrote so many literatures and there was the King of Kheturi, the Raya, and his son Narottama, Narottama was a prince, he also went to join Rupa and Sanatana in uh, Vrindavana and then I went there and I was assigned with the responsibility of bringing all this great souls, all their writings to Bengal to Navadvipa to be copied with Narottama and Syamananda Pandita we are going along, “My books were all stolen, all the villages of the great... great... these great saints, these great devotees, who had written all of the teachings of Lord Caitanya, they had written and they are stolen and please can you help me, where are they?"

The King fell at his feet, “I took them! I took them! I took them! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! I don’t want to…” you know, then he completely... he just said, “I want to accept you as my spiritual master.”

“Just never mind all that. Where are the books? Take me there immediately, where are they?" So, then uh, Srinivascarya was taken by the King in the room and he, “Oh the books. Haribol! Haribol!”

The King said “Nobody can understand what they mean." and the Caitanya-Caritamrta had been put in the bottom, and when they opened up the trunk it was on the top, that’s why one of the reasons also why it is accepted as the topmost literature in our sampradaya, so it was right on the top of all these literatures, so then Srinivasacarya, he started to give the class on Caitanya-Caritamrta there. The King became his disciple. The Queen begged also to be initiated. First he gave first initiation, after some years he gave 2nd and he became the King’s guru. The King said "I will get all the books copied. You don’t have to go to Navadvipa. I will personally bring them from Navadvipa, I will get all the books copied here, it is not that far. You stay here. You make my whole Kingdom Krishna conscious, and then he sent messengers over to Narottama and Syamananda Pandita, “Tell them that everything is alright."

And uh, Narahari, who was still on the planet, one of the original associates of Lord Caitanya, kiba Narahari adi kari… he ordered Srinivasacarya that "Since you have this great opportunity for preaching as the Kings guru you should become... and for other reasons you should... even though you wanna just..." he was at time like a brahmacari. He wanted to take... you know just remain like that, but Narahari ordered him you should get married because you can't be in a King's court and be a sannyasi. It's not appropriate. You know... Sannyasis you know from Prataparudras pastimes would not be in the King's court. You remain as the King’s Guru and you make the whole kingdom Krishna conscious and from there you organize the preaching everywhere."

So, in this way the first books were brought over, and I was just meditating on how Srila Prabhupada had taken up that mood of writing and of distributing transcendental literature, doing both of the energies, the pastimes of both of the energies of Lord Caitanya and how Srila Acharyadeva, he also has taken up this transcendental service, writing literatures and he encouraging the disciples here in Florida as well as in all over in Latin America and South east U.S.A wherever his disciples are to distribute books and to preach, how simultaneously he is writing and distributing books, he is doing both of these, so even our great previous acharyas, some would do one and some the other, but he has taken up this service and he is doing both uh, and having his devotees uh, distribute these books. So, actually we can see that how this responsibility is handed down in the parampara, different responses are handed… responsibilities are handed down and how seriously the different devotees take this up. I was hoping to hear from Srila Acaryadeva how we should take up this responsibility of Krishna Consciousness spreading it all over the world and every town and village, as handed down by the previous acaryas. Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Jaya Haribol!

Devotee: Srila Acaryapada ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Hrdayananada dasa Goswami: Is Gopiparanadhana here? I was just thinking as you were speaking, how enlightening these pastimes or how enjoyable it is to hear the stories and how important it is to produce more and more of these literatures. We can see from the uh, pastimes we are hearing how uh, just like Lord Caitanya uh, preached of course in South India and also in Puri and in Bengal. He starts his sankirtan movement in Bengal. Then he took Sannyas and had travelled for some time, preaching in different places but especially in South India, also other cities, then He settled in Jagannatha Puri and of course sent His followers to different places in India for preaching work, and Prabhupada always said how uh, Lord Caitanya left the world for His later followers, to give them something to do, so we've been given so many places where we can also preach. Lord Caitanya actually saved the entire world but still He... superficially some places were not yet saved so that we could also have engagement. So similarly as you were speaking, I was thinking, uh, how many wonderful literatures Srila Prabhupada has left for us, to read and to… wonderful stories about the saints, uh these story about the great… great Vaisnavas, so many wonderful literatures. Even now, we're working on the philosophy book, Dialectical Spiritualism, how Prabhupada has left us this work and especially the uh... the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu their pastimes. Of course we have the main literature which is Caitanya-Caritamrta, but still there are so many literatures, and so by hearing you speak I have become very enthusiastic to hear more of these things.

Just like there are so many statements in the Bhagavatam, where the sages or Pariksit Maharaja replies to the speaker that we are not satiated by hearing. “

vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma

uttama-śloka-vikrame

yac chṛṇvatāṁ rasa-jñānāṁ

svādu svādu pade pade

They said vayam, we. vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma – We are not satiated uttama-śloka-vikrame yac chṛṇvatāṁ, by hearing about the pastimes of Krishna. So in the same way by hearing these wonderful stories about Srinivasa, you were talking about, Srinivasa.

Jayapataka Swami : Srinivasa, Srinivasa is differeent from Srivasa of Panca-Tattva. Srinivasa is the son of Sri Caitanya Dasa and uh, Laksmi Priya, the devotee that met Lord Caitanya when he took sannyasa in Katwa.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Mhm.

Jayapataka Swami: This Srinivasacarya is compared to Srivasa.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Yeah, I knew that he was another person because you said he was Brahmacari. Of course Srivasa was a householder.

Jayapataka Swami : Yeah, I should have explained that in the beginning.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Srinivasa. Vasa or nivasa basically means the same thing residence, vasa, or nivasa and sri means the goddess of fortune, it's a name of Krishna because Krishna’s chest is the residence of the goddess of fortune, so Krishna is called Srivasa- he is the residence of the Goddess of fortune, or Srinivasa. Anyway footnote. But, uh, so there are many statements... many statements in Bhagavatam where the hearers, whoever is hearing says that "Please go on, please go on speaking, we want to hear more." and then they request "What about that other pastime?"

So, of course we don’t have time immediately but I think that uh, by hearing these nice pastimes from Srila Acaryapada, a realized uh, Gaura-mandala-bhumi-vasi, (laughter) by hearing from the right person I think that all of us uh, become more eager to hear more and more about the activities of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers. So, we are very blessed because uh, because we are working on the BBT here. We have our BBT department, so, we can not only relish personally, but we can also distribute.

So, from the very beginning when we began to organize the BBT in Miami. Uh, the idea in the very beginning that this should be a centre for new books. They are of course printing BBT’s all over the world for translating books and do printing and so on, but my idea from the very beginning was that there should be a BBT division for flooding the world with new literatures. Uh, this was certainly Prabhupada’s mood to constantly supply new books and new things. Of course, Krishna consciousness is eternally same and there is that aspect which Prabhupada taught us that "Don’t change anything." and so on. "Leave everything as it is." So, that aspect is there that it's eternally the same. We shouldn't... but at the same time within that same Krishna Consciousness, there is newer and newer experience, and that’s the whole meaning of spiritual life.

Krishna is nava-yauvana and the books are also nava-yauvana, ever fresh, so uh, that was my dream, or that was my vision that nowadays people are so eager to read "news"papers, "What's the 'new' s?" (Laughter). You see, everyday people want to see what is new and watch television and what’s the latest movie, what’s the latest book, what’s the latest this, what’s the latest that." So, in this age certainly people are addicted to this, "What’s new? What’s the news? What’s happening today?" And Prabhupada certainly uh, was the master of this technique. He provided newer and newer literatures and newer and newer programs for preaching. So in the same way I have always felt strongly that uh, there should be a program throughout the world to flood the world with newer and newer Vaisnava literatures so that no one will want to read the filthy news magazines or no one would want to go to these obnoxious movies or read anything. There should be so many new literatures that the devotees and even the pious people in general, they are just, they don’t even have time to read all the new books, there are so many, just like a little child in the candy story. He can’t eat everything, can’t put enough in his pockets. (Laughter)

When I was a child, I always… my… my... I thought the ultimate thing in life would be to be uh, a… in candy store. I could take what I wanted. I… children think like that. So, if a child's in the candy store, then he can't fill his pockets enough. He can't carry all the candy that’s there. So, in the same way there should be so many transcendental literatures that the devotees... just like when we know that a new magazine comes out or a new book comes out we are very eager to read it, somehow or other, we… isnt it? We try to drop everything and read it. In that same way there should be so many transcendental literature that the devotees are struggling just to keep up. In that way, practically there would be no maya in the whole world and uh, there should be so many books, vaisnava literatures that if someone joins the movement, practically it would be a lifetime engagement just to read all the books.

In other words, someone could be a scholar who reads many many books, and yet they'll all be... they'll be all our books. So, that’s the idea, that uh, there should be so many transcendental literatures that there will be unlimited enthusiasm and excitement, and everyone would be always talking about Krishna. I know that one time I was in the old Brooklyn press. I was visiting there I think... or maybe it was in Boston. I forget. Maybe it was in Boston, but I know that suddenly all the devotees were talking about something that they just transcribed from Prabhupada, that uh, when Garuda flaps his wings it makes a sound of Sama-veda. The sound of Garuda's wing-flapping is the sound of Sama-veda. You remember that?

Devotee: (inaudible)

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: (inaudible) So, there so many exciting wonderful things. Similarly, these pastimes that Acaryapada now has just told us, they are so nice, and there are hundreds and thousands, isn’t it, they are almost unlimited…. Unlimited. So, especially, those who are in Miami, in the BBT, all the devotees in Miami, we are very fortunate because uh, certainly Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested His most confidential associates to write books. Uh, Prabhupada says in his tape, purport Siksastakam prayers, that "Lord Caitanya requested His followers to write books, a task which those who follow Him carry out down to the present day." So, ah… we are specially fortunate that we have got this unusually intimate connection with Lord Caitanya, that we can actually produce newer and newer Vaisnava literatures, and in this way we can directly be Krishna’s instrument for revealing to the world this ecstatic pastimes.

I know just by hearing what Acaryapada just spoke, I felt very enlightened and uh... yes. Very enlightened and uh, purified by hearing this wonderful pastime about Srinivas and all the Vaisnavas in Vrindavan. By hearing it... All of us have expanded our consciousness simply by hearing this wonderful pastimes, so, if there can be newer and newer books, it is so important. So all the devotees in BBT here, they should make a big commitment, very serious commitment to do this. This is the world headquarters in ISKCON for the production for new Vaisnava literature. Our Maha Pandit is here Gopiparanadhana

Devotees: Jaya!

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: and now Jayadvaita Swami is here, he is a Prabhupada’s senior Editor, personal editor. So this is very auspicious. Of course we cannot expect a sannyasi to always stay, but if we pray sincerely and bake many cookies, (laughter) maybe he can stay, this can be his home home away from the road.

Devotees: Jaya!

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: So, actually this was uh, this was my dream that there should be centre in ISKCON for producing so many new literatures that practically there is no time for anyone to talk about any material thing. At least within our society there would be no more talk about material things. No one will want to read any material literature. There would be so many Vaisnava literatures that this would actually drive maya out of our entire movement, because... just by this flooding, like flushing out... like cleaning with water, there will be so many literatures, this flood will drive away all material vibrations out of our society. In this way ISKCON will actually become a society of pure devotees by influence of all these new literatures.

So, this is our opportunity. It's a great opportunity, and if we can do it, then undoubtedly we will all get special mercy from Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So, all Glories to Srila Acharyapada, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapataka Swami: Very inspired by your discussion. If you ever like, I'm always ready to give any manuscripts.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Oh.

Devotees: Jaya!

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: So Mahapandit you should... Jaya! So in the mood of Srila Acaryapada, Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Morning News. (Laughter)

[break]

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Krishna is the eternal Personality of Godhead. Krishna is Acyuta. He never falls down. So, as soon as a living entity surrenders to Lord Krishna, he is connected to that parampara, then He occupies that post, do you understand? Now when you surrender to that person you are surrendering to Him not just because he's got a real good personality or because you know, or he's an expert violin player or do you understand, he is a good public speaker or something like that. No, because he is there with Krishna, therefore you surrender. Now your surrender to him is like as the representative of Krishna. Now, if for some reason, a person like that , which is a little unusual but there are all historical examples, a person of that position, he takes a walk, so your surrender is to that… to Krishna through him, do you understand? So, you can't change you position, your surrender was bona-fide, now if that person gives up that position you no longer surrender to him, just like... but your position doesn’t change , do you understand? Your position doesn't change. Just like for example if you are paying you taxes to the government, so if the particular government resigns from his service you still have to pay you taxes, and the government will have to provide someone to collect the taxes. Do you understand? The government doesn’t change and your positioin doesn’t change, you still have to pay your taxes. So if a particular tax collector gives up his government service, then the government will have to have someone else collect the taxes, but nothing's changed. Do you understand? Your decision to give taxes to the government hasn’t changed. Your obligation to the government hasn’t changed and your activity will not change. Yes?

Question: How come that the relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master is eternal? The eternal relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami: Yes, (laughing) if he is actually bonafide…if he is actually bonafide… You understand? If someone is not a bonafide spiritual master, someone is only pretending to be a spiritual master, then how can the relationship be eternal? So therefore the disciple has to know the real symptoms, just like for example in the case I was just mentioning, there were some symptoms which were very unusual, that were not the normal symptoms. So some of the people in in England they were not... of course the young devotees they didn't know, but they were not very strict and serious and seeing that the same standard was kept. Do you understand? In other words, just like we are… we are always preaching, that is the duty of our disciple to see, to select a bonafide spiritual master. So, the point is that anyone who joins this movement sincerely will get Krishna and will get a bonafide spiritual master, and the symptom is that he will get Krishna. If you are getting a bonafide spiritual master you get the proper instruction. Any guru in ISKCON who is producing Prabhupada as he is, who is presenting the standard program, he's a bonafide guru, just like if I tell my disciples "Read these books." So, I am giving them the right knowledge, you understand? Now, if someone is actually a bonafide spiritual master, then that relationship is eternal, so it’s not that… it’s not that "Because one particular person had some difficulty therefore I will become doubtful." This is also a foolish idea, just like in the Gaudiya Matha, all of them deviated except Prabhupada. I mean fifty of them or something like that, there were 100 or something, I don’t know how many... do you understand? And every last one of them, every single one of them, deviated from Bhaktisiddhanta's order. And out of the movement of hundreds and thousands of people, Prabhupada was the only one who actually carried it out exactly as Bhaktisiddhanta wanted, do you understand?

So, it’s not that when we hear about Gaudiya Math, we begin to doubt our spiritual master. No, we become more proud of our spiritual master. So, it’s just like my parents always used to tell me, "You should be glad that your parents don’t drink or smoke… or… tell me that, some parents beat their children, some parents do this, some parents do that.” So, in that way Krishna has given these historical examples, Krishna has given these examples, so you should be happy if you have a guru who doesn’t drink or smoke. (Laughter) Yes, actually, we accept that Srila Prabhupada among his godbrothers… not that they fell down to sinful activities, but they deviated from the preaching mission and Prabhupada told us that, none of them actually really captured the Purport, completely. So it's in the Lilamrta, all... Prabhupada's frustration trying to work with them. So, does that make us doubt Srila Prabhupada? No, it makes us glorify him more. That if others have failed, that means it must be very difficult. Because someone has not… could not do it, that means it must be a very difficult thing. It must be... So, therefore, it made us more attached to our spiritual master.

So, Prabhupada said "If you see... if you try to see the guru without Krishna then that’s bad, If you try to see Krishna without the guru, that is also bad." If we see guru as the representative of Krishna, then we will never be deviated.

---

Transcribed by Sadananda Krishna Prema Dasa

Revised by Jagannatha dasa Brahmacari