19840720-Srimad-Bhagavatam.1.10.7-Only-Devotees-Can-Know-Krishna-Literal-Version

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The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on July 20th, 1984 in Madras, India. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad-Bhagavatam First Canto, Chapter 10, Verse 7.

Jayapataka Swami:

uṣitvā hāstinapure

Devotees: uṣitvā hāstinapure

Jayapataka Swami: māsān katipayān hariḥ

Devotees: māsān katipayān hariḥ

Jayapataka Swami: suhṛdāṁ ca viśokāya

Devotees: suhṛdāṁ ca viśokāya

Jayapataka Swami: svasuś ca priya-kāmyayā

Devotees: svasuś ca priya-kāmyayā

[Break]

Devotees: …ure

Jayapataka Swami: In the city of Hastināpura;

Devotees: In the city of Hastināpura;

Jayapataka Swami: māsān

Devotees: māsān

Jayapataka Swami: months

Devotees: months

Jayapataka Swami: katipayān

Devotees: katipayān

Jayapataka Swami: a few

Devotees: a few

Jayapataka Swami: hariḥ

Devotees: hariḥ

Jayapataka Swami: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Devotees: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Jayapataka Swami: suhṛdām

Devotees: suhṛdām

Jayapataka Swami: relatives

Devotees: relatives

Jayapataka Swami: ca

Devotees: ca

Jayapataka Swami: also

Devotees: also

Jayapataka Swami: viśokāya

Devotees: viśokāya

Jayapataka Swami: for pacifying them

Devotees: for pacifying them

Jayapataka Swami: svasuḥ

Devotees: svasuḥ

Jayapataka Swami: the sister

Devotees: the sister

Jayapataka Swami: ca

Devotees: ca

Jayapataka Swami: and

Devotees: and

Jayapataka Swami: priya-kāmyayā

Devotees: priya-kāmyayā

Jayapataka Swami: for pleasing.

Devotees: for pleasing.

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

Śrī Hari, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, resided at Hastināpura for a few months to pacify His relatives and please His own sister [Subhadrā].

Translation with repetition:

Śrī Hari

Devotees: Śrī Hari

Jayapataka Swami: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Devotees: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Jayapataka Swami: resided at Hastināpura

Devotees: resided at Hastināpura

Jayapataka Swami: for a few months

Devotees: for a few months

Jayapataka Swami: to pacify His relatives

Devotees: to pacify His relatives

Jayapataka Swami: and to please

Devotees: and to please

Jayapataka Swami: His own sister

Devotees: His own sister

Jayapataka Swami: Subhadrā

Devotees: Subhadrā

Jayapataka Swami:

Purport:

Kṛṣṇa was to start for Dvārakā, His own kingdom, after the Battle of Kurukṣetra and Yudhiṣṭhira’s being enthroned, but to oblige (Bengali) Lord Kṛṣṇa stopped at Hastināpura, the capital… oh, excuse me. …but to oblige the request of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and to show special mercy to Bhīṣmadeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa stopped at Hastināpura, the capital of the Pāṇḍavas. The Lord decided to stay especially to pacify the aggrieved King as well as to please Subhadrā, sister of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Subhadrā was especially to be pacified because she lost her only son, Abhimanyu, who was just married. The boy left his wife, Uttarā, mother of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The Lord is always pleased to satisfy His devotees in any capacity. Only His devotees can play the parts of His relatives. The Lord is absolute.

Thus end the Purport and Translation by His Divine Grace Srila Abhaya Carana Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 10, Text 7 in the Chapter entitled Departure of Lord Krishna for Dvaraka.

Krishna like a dramatic actor, is playing the part perfectly as a friend, as a guardian, as a ward, as a lover, as a relative and all of these exchanges are being performed with His pure devotees, you see. The pure devotees, many of them have done immense austerities, tapasya in previous births to be able to get this position.

For instance, it is said that great sages after a long long practice of devotional uh, austerities, they can take birth as a monkey in Vrindavan and get the butter from Krishna’s hand, you see. So, all these relations of Krishna, they all have some secret past, why they’re allowed to associate with the Lord in this uh, very beautiful uh, pastime. They are able to serve the Lord and to set the scenario or to…

[break]

…service so they have the various external relationships.

Now the exchanges between Krishna and His devotees, these are not like the ordinary relations in the material world. They’re actually a heart to heart or soul to soul relationship. Externally they may appear to be like an ordinary material relationship, but internally it’s altogether a different flavor, you see. That can only be understood by devotee, who is surrendered to Krishna and who is rendering devotional service and who has experienced even momentarily a drop of that ocean of nectar of devotion, you see.

For one who has never tasted a drop of that nectar, they won’t be able to understand that the happiness and the loving exchange between Krishna and his devotees is altogether a completely different world. It has nothing to do with this material world. So that is why even great sages and demigods, they become bewildered that “How is it that the aborn… the unborn, the aja, the unmanifest, the absolute truth, the param bramhan, how is it that He is coming in to the material world and He is acting just like a… as a material uh, person is having relatives and all these things, He is acting in all these different relationships.” So they become bewildered that in fact, “Is this the Absolute Truth. Or is He something else what is the situation?” they are not able to understand.

What to speak of the great sages even the demigods like Brama and Indra they made a mistake in recognizing Krishna. Because Krishna deceive them. Krishna when he was a small child. That time his mother tied him to the butter churning stone and he was just crawling in the garden pulling that stone and it stuck between two arjuna trees. And the trees broke down and the two sons of the demigod Kuvera, they appeared from those trees, Nalakuvara and Manigriva. And they offered all their prayers to Krishna saying that they help… Krishna was so kind that they had committed great offenses. They had… by the blessing of Lord Shiva. they could enjoy despite the side of Kailasa in the Manasa ganga or the Mandakini ganga. But instead of doing spiritual activities, they were engaged in frolicking with young Apsaras, heavenly girls, and in this way they were drinking and doing all type of things that the sons of demigods should not do.

And the Narada Muni found them in that state and they were so shamelessly drunk that although the girls that were there they were… hid themself because they were afraid of Narada muni first. But these two sons they weren’t at all concerned. So Narada muni cursed them that they will become trees. Then he also said that they will become trees in Vrindavan and they will be delivered by Krishna who they can see face to face. So although these two brothers had no qualification to see Krishna face to face, but because Krishna’s pure devotee Narada Muni, he gave this type of curse which was actually also a blessing. Therefore, they could see Krishna face to face. So Krishna said that “Actually the only reason you are seeing me today is because my devotee has desired it. Therefore I am doing this.” So, you can understand how powerful is the blessing of a devotee.

Nalakuvara and Manigriva, they had been doing bad… they were doing unauthorized activity, what to speak of pious activity? They were doing activity which was completely against the regulative principles for a demigod or for a human being. But in spite of that, Narada Muni, he blessed and they could see Krishna. So because he said that Krishna accepted. What to speak if the devotee is sincerely trying to serve the Lord through the spiritual master and if the spiritual master prays to Krishna, “Please have Your mercy on this fallen soul.” you see, then Krishna very easily delivers that devotee. Therefore we depend more on the mercy of the devotee for spiritual advancement. Then even in our own sadhana or our own practices.

By the mercy of the devotee, one can make very rapid advancement. Even, even if these persons who did not have, you see proper qualification they also could see Krishna face to face. So what to speak the devotees’ blessing is so powerful that we are always hankering for getting that special mercy. Because the spiritual master, the pure devotees, they are very dear to Krishna. So if they ask Krishna something, then Krishna, He honors that request. Not that Krishna is obliged. He is independent. He can do as He likes. But out of His very friendly and wonderful nature which is unparalleled, He gives that special facility to His devotee. He gives that mercy if the devotee wants something, then Krishna, He often, He fulfils that although He is not obliged to. That’s His wonderful nature. So these two sons of the demigods, they could understand seeing Krishna that this is not just a small boy in Vrindavan. This is the param-brahman. This is the same Supersoul. But He has disguised Himself and this way He is playing for His own purpose. So they all said meditated that “Nobody can understand Who You are, Krishna. But somehow or other, we could understand that in fact You are the Supreme Lord. But uh, You cover Yourself in this way by Your lilas, and we only want to pray that we can now not forget You and we can eternally uh, engage in Your devotional service.”

So Krishna blessed them that “Now you don’t have to fear. You can go back to your father Kuvera and you shall not forget Me in the future.” May be that by their getting mercy of Lord Shiva also somehow they misused that blessing, you see. This is the difference. Sometimes we approach a demigod for some material facility and they give or I will take it, but then we may misuse that facility. Another type of blessing by the brother of Shiva in one sense is that Narada who was manasa putra of Bramha in this creation, although actually he is eternally liberated, so in that sense, he is beyond all these categories. Well he blessed the Kuvera’s sons.

His curse was a blessing that they could get the eternal bhakti, eternal service to Krishna. So that was considered to be a far greater blessing. Shiva ji, he also Lord Shiva give this blessing sometime if somebody ask Shiva that, “Please give me blessing of pure devotional service,” he is very pleased. But normally people are not approaching him for that. They are approaching for some material benedictions, so he very disinterestedly “All right, take it” but the demigods they are also controlled by Krishna in their heart by the Paramatma Vishnu. So what happens is that demigods they are giving the blessing in proportion to the sacrifice and worship of the devotees.

If particular worshipper or yajaka of a demigod of a devata performs a tapasya whether as to Kartikeya or to Shiva or to Durga according to how they are performing their tapasya then they will give a reciprocal benediction. But the devotees of Krishna, they are considered to be like desire trees. Their mercy is beyond this type of calculation. That’s why we pray Vaisnavanam ya… we pray

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

That they’re patita pavana, they’re unlimitedly merciful because even for a little small service, you see, they give a very big benediction. Or in this case, even without any qualification, rather negative qualification Manigriva and Nalakuvera had negative qualification. They were rather offensive. But as a result of their offenses, the mercy of… who can imagine Narada Muni’s mercy that he gave them a blessing in the form of a curse that they could see Krishna face to face. And they could reside in Vrindavan for so long. Even though they were trees, they were also blessed that they could have the same human intelligence. So they lot of time to meditate on their mistakes, and then in the end, they could see Krishna. So that that blessing of the devo… even his curse is a blessing. What to speak of his blessing? That is unimaginable.

So therefore it is recommended, bhagavata nitya sevaya We should regularly serve the Bhagavatas. Who are the Bhagavatas? Bhagavata is in two categories. Who can say what are the two categories of Bhagavata? Kala Krishna dasa.

Kala Krishna dasa: Book Bhagavat

Jayapataka Swami: One is book Bhagavata. Is there any other category?

Reply: Person devotee.

Jayapataka Swami: The person bhagavata. So the devotee who is completely dedicated to practicing and preaching and living the teachings of the book bhagavata is also bhagavata. So therefore we serve both the devotee who is living by the bhagavata as well as we serve the book bhagavata, you see, and by this we get purified and we get special blessing. So bhagavatas they are glorified in the sastra and actually this uh, practice of Krishna consciousness is also meant for the bhagavatas. Those who are very powerful or pure bhagavatas or devotee they are also called maha bhagavata, or uttama adhikari. So Krishna when He comes, and He does His pastimes, it’s not an accident.

That all these so called relatives of Krishna of course Krishna has no relative in one sense. He is param brahman, everything is His part, you see. Everything is related but not in that sense. But He comes down and He has that power that if He wants to come in the material world, He may come and so then He surrounds Himself with his devotees as His different relatives. So Prabhupada said that the Lord is pleased, always pleased to satisfy His devotees in any capacity. Only His devotees can play the parts of his relatives. The Lord is absolute. Because… what is the nature of the devotee? A devotee is someone who is always trying to please the Lord, you see. In the Vedas it describes that the brahmanas, the rishis, they are very dear to the Lord. But it also describes… madhvacarya has explained that even more dear than these rishis and sages are the devatas, the administrative demigods. They are more dear because they are devotees, you see. Indra, Kuvera, Brhaspati are the different devatas. They are Vishnu bhaktas. In Vedas it is described the definition of a sura is that He is a Vishnu bhakta and the definition of an asura or a demon is that he is inimical to Krishna, to Vishnu bhakti. So the difference though between the devatas and the pure devotees is also there. That more dear than the demigods is the Bhagavatas, or those who are pure devotees.

Because devatas although they are devotees of the Lord, some of the sages they are also Mayavadis, or they are impersonalists. They might not be in bhakti yoga. They may be in jnana yoga or astanga yoga or some other form of yoga or in karma kanda many are there. So they are dear to the Lord, but they are not considered uh, necessarily to be devotees. So more dear to them are the demigods. But demigods just like Indra, he approached the Lord that He wanted to defeat that one demon Vrtrasura, but… so the Lord said that, “You can defeat him. This is the way. But Vrtrasura is more fortunate than you are because you are asking that he be defeated so that you can continue with your material happiness. For maintaining your material position you are asking My help. But he is asking that even if he dies, he wants to return to me as a eternal devotee. So actually between the two of you, although I am answering your prayer, and his prayer, but he is more advanced than even you, although he is in the body of a demon.”

So although Vrtrasura took the demon’s body, actually he was a bhagavata. He was Citraketu in a previous birth. And he was cursed by Parvati to take birth as a demon because of some inadvertent statement. So… but Krishna says that na me bhaktaḥ viṇaśyati uh… praṇaśyati, that My devotee is never destroyed. So because Citraketu was cursed, that is of course a very unfortunate thing materially speaking, but because he was a pure bhagavata, that even that curse took the form of a blessing and he could achieve liberation and perfection as a pure associate of the Lord in his next birth itself, in one birth, where Indra, he regained his position, but that was after all a material position. To be Indra has got its limitations. At the end of his life then again he has to suffer his karmas. This is the situation.

So therefore we are given all these stories and all these examples in the sastra so that we can understand what is the actual position of a bhagavata. That a pure devotee of the Lord is in the most exalted position, you see. So a pure devotee is not performing karmas. Normally a person performs punya or karmas to get a good result to achieve svarga, to get money, fame, learning, good husband, good wife all these things. This is why people are performing a karma, to get some blessing. Many time people come and say, “Swamiji my son is sick. Please give blessing.” “Swamiji my daughter is sitting for her final exam. Please give blessings. She can…” This is normally what people are interested in. They don’t realize that you can get such a blessing… just like the Kuveras, the brothers they are very wealthy, thay had the some shelter from Lord Shiva, but they became puffed up, and as a result, they became neglectful of their real purpose of life. But they got such a blessing they could see Krishna face to face. Who can imagine, you see… which they were really grateful for. They actually felt that “There’s no greater friend to us than Narada Muni.” They might have first thought “We have been cursed. This is very bad. Narada Muni is very harsh on us.” But subsequently they could see that justice and the mercy of Narada muni’s curse. That he actually gave them the greatest blessing in disguise. So this is the actual position that we should be hankering not for giving some punya which is a temporary result from which we can make some mistake and fall down, you see. Of course, we should always avoid papa or sinful activity like illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, meat, fish, egg, onion, garlic eating. We should eat Krishna prasadam and avoid the other things. We should engage ourselves always in the service of Radha-Govinda, of Rukmini, Krishna, Satyabhama, Jagannatha, Subhadra and Balarama. You are fortunate here we are worshipping Krishna and Subadra and Baladeva which also shows Krishna in a very intimate and personal relationship with His so called relatives who are nothing but His own expansions and energies which He’s having this lila for His own happiness and to attract the fallen souls. We should take that as our goal, not to do any punya, not to do any papa, not to do any pious activity for some material results, not to do any impious activity, which will bring us suffering. We should engage rather in pure devotion.

Pure devotion to the Lord or sudha bhakti is akarma. There’s no result for that on the material platform, you see. If we want material results we can get it without asking we can get all our desires get satisfied. That isn’t any problem at all. If you have billions of dollars, you can get any car you want, any house you want this an automatic thing, but if you have no money then of course, you cannot get these things by the ordinary means. If you have bhakti which is higher than mukti, even the kumaras they were also muktatmas. But when they could see Narayana face to face and when they bowed down at His lotus feet, they were… and smelled the tulasi offered to His lotus feet, they became filled with ecstasies. Their hairs were standing on end. Their body was quivering. They were then able to understand that, “What we were realizing in the Brahman, in the Brahma jyoti darshan that this is nothing compared to the happiness that we are experiencing now just bowing down at the lotus feet of Lord Narayana.”

So then from that moment that kumaras, they were converted from impersonalists, brahmavadis to bhaktas or bhagavatas. So as the great bhagavatas, their example is there. We should not be distracted by material desires or by even desire for liberation. But we should focus on trying to serve Krishna for His satisfaction.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaṁ param

if we render pure devotional service, then whether we are akama, this pure Bhagavat desire less devotee or sarva kama, we have got some material desire at in our mind, sarva kama, moksha kama udara-dhih, or if we also have a desire for liberation from all these material sufferings any of these three categories should render devotional service to Krishna thinking how to please Him and leave the rest to Krishna. He is perfectly capable, He is Antaryami. He knows what we have in our mind. Rather, we will regret later if we have something in mind. We are keeping some desire in our mind some unfulfilled desire; Lord Krishna He can satisfy that very easily. We don’t even have to express that to Krishna. Because He knows what we have in our mind even better than we know. So Krishna He’s having these pastimes which are not understandable by even the great sages or demigods. But if a person becomes a bhagavat, He can participate in those pastimes and also He gets an insight to know what is the transcendental nature of these pastimes. Therefore Krishna described in Gita, anyone who knows the spiritual quality and secret of His birth, His appearance and His activities, that person does not have to take again rebirth in the material world.

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Any questions?

Yes

Question: Throughout the Kurukshetra war, Lord Sri Krishna was very keen that Arjuna should be… he should emerge victorious. But same time He permitted Abhimanyu to be killed. He knows what is in store for… for leading the future. Why can’t He give in and that help Abhimanyu? Is it also a lila?

Jayapataka Swami: Yes… Who should stay and who should go, that ultimately is beyond our control. That’s within His control. If He wants to He can interfere. These things of course, He even orchestrates. Sometimes, He allows His devotees to get put in some difficulty. That makes the devotee more fixed up because these are all temporary relationship. The real eternal relationship is with Krishna. So by some temporary drama, Krishna brings the devotee even closer to Him. They are all drama that we appear in this world and we are now as an Indian or as American or as a… some North Indian, South Indian whatever, man or woman this is also we are given for this life our… a stage dress, you see. But actually this has nothing to do with our eternal identity.

Even the spiritual master no one can see who he actually is. They are seeing his skin outside clothing. But behind that, there is a nitya-rupa eternal form which is there serving Krishna on the transcendental platform. That is not visible by conditional souls. So similarly we don’t see the actual background all of these devotees they have got some relationship with Krishna and some… after Kurukshetra war, Krishna He went back very quickly. So some people He sent ahead and some people He allowed to remain.

So A… Abhimanyu, his own son was Pariksit maharaj. It was Pariksit Maharaj who caused this Bhagavata to be heard five thousand years ago. So in this way, Krishna His plan nobody can understand. We can only hope to be uh, in keeping with His plan. Then we can get all the mercy of the Lord. If we try to oppose His plan, it will be unsuccessful. In that way the non-devotees of Krishna often they want to try to manipulate the material affairs to create some temporary situation which they imagine will make them happy. But that situation will never make them happy. Maybe temporarily they can feel some happiness on the material platform but that will be very quickly… also that will be destroyed by time in due course.

So with Krishna devotee, they are concerned not to maintain some material situation. They want to maintain their relationship with the Lord very intimately and very closely, eternally. Kunti devi, she had ample stipulations in her life and when finally she had an opportunity to express her heartfelt experiences and affections to Krishna, at that time Krishna was going back to Dvaraka and what did she say?

She said that, “My Lord, You are… we have we have suffered so many difficulties in our life and now we are at success so called success of life. We are now enjoying the empire of the entire world without any enemies whatsoever. But we are seeing that today you are going back to Dvaraka leaving us here and as a result, we feel that rather than this so-called sampada or good fortune, that you put us again in some distress so we can call upon You and You come and save us. Therefore we can have your association more and more. For us having your association even for a moment this is more important and relish able and satisfying to us than all of these material facilities which now by Your arrangement we have been given.”

So devotee has a totally different perspective. They become actually completely involved with Krishna and that love is something which is transcendental and fully satisfying to the devotees. Even if the devotee may be given some material facility, they don’t get distracted by them. They can’t forget Krishna. But Krishna of course has the power. If He wants to He can do anything, but in some cases, its Krishna’s desire that, “Let people go on.” For some reason, we don’t know what is His plan. That so may have some purpose, some other place, some other universe.

Yes?

Question: What is the meaning of mercy?

Jayapataka Swami: Mercy. Misericordia.

Reply: Misericordia

Jayapataka Swami: Mercy. Of course is someone gives you something for which they are not obliged to do that, that’s called mercy. If you make a business deal with some merchant, that “I’ll work for you and you pay me thousand rupees per month.” and he pays you thousand rupees, and that is the market rate for that job, then it is not a question of mercy, its fair market. If he doesn’t need any employee, and neither he has anybody, he say you’ll stay here and I will give you some money, then you can say, “Well he’s being merciful.” That means that it is some kindness. That he is doing something for which he is not actually necessary to be done. He is doing it because of some sentiment or some kindness on his part to help another. In Krishna’s case you see He gives His mercy. That means that He is not obliged to do so.

See, there’s nothing we can do there’s nothing we can do to actually get from Him some particular benediction whereby we are obliged to do that. That’s why even sometimes if the Lord gives a devotee a material benediction they’ll say, “That’s not merciful.” Some pure devotee might out of his deep love He may also even criticize that to give a devotee who is serving to give him some material thing this is not mercy because that material thing is not so valuable. That if they can get pure bhakti, that is real mercy, like that. But these are internal type of sentiments. Basically mercy means they are giving some more than what they need to give out of their own kindness, out of their very own broad heart, they are giving.

Just like the… Vasudeva Datta, he prayed that “All living entities in the universe let them be delivered to Krishna, let me take their karma.” They know not that those living entities did anything for Vasudev Datta. Why is he taking? “Let me take their karmas.” Everybody is hungry to get rid of karmas. He is saying “Give me their karma. Let them go back to Krishna.” Because that was his mercy. That was his very kind mood that he thought that “Somehow I tasted the nectar of Krishna’s seva, Krishna’s service and these people they are all bahir-mukha. They are just absorbed in material suffering and enjoyment missing out their real happiness. So once I already experience even for a second, the happiness of Krishna now my life is already fulfilled. Why should one person just be happy and everyone suffer? Better let me suffer and them all go back to Krishna. Let me take their karma, and let them go back. Then I can just suffer. For one person, if I suffer, what’s the harm? I am insignificant… if so many can be saved.

This type of mentality, this sacrifice wanting to help others is the nature of a devotee. There is no cause for that. They will be called fools. Many time, if a person becomes a devotee and starts to preach and distribute books to… to uh… uh do devotional service their family members will come and say, “What are you doing with your youth? You could be enjoying. You could be having good times. You could be just enjoying in the world in so many ways. What are you doing? You are giving up all this uh, fun, you see. You could be going to cinemas and you could be may be dancing or you could be like this doing so many things.” They try to they think that you really are you are missing the good time of your life. Like Govinda das prayed:

Bhajahū re mana, śrī-nanda-nandana-abhaya-caraṇāravinda re

Ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana, ithe ki āche paratīti re

Ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana, ithe ki āche paratīti re

kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala

kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala

Ei ache ei nai… jīvana ṭalamala

Bhajahū hari-pada nīti re.

Bhajahū hari-pada nīti re.

That, what this e dana, this wealth e dana jauvana , so called youth , putras, children , parijana, relatives ? ithe ki āche paratīti re, what is the eternal spiritual value of all these things?

Kamala dala jala jivana talamala, life is just flickering like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. In one second everything is just topsy-turvy. In one second everything can be destroyed. So better that we give our mind and our thoughts and our actions and words in the service of Hari, service of Krishna.

Bhajahū hari-pada nīti re, this should be our daily activity. This let us take only this as our goal, just to serve His lotus feet. Then we are fearless. Then we can have the perfection of life. Otherwise what is the value of these things?

So devotee has got opposite opinion. Krishna also may give the devotee family, may give the devotee fame, may give the devotee material things. But devotee takes this as inconsequential. This… Krishna gives it, alright, He gives, if He doesn’t give… they are not worried about that. That it may come, that’s according to our previous karmas we may get something or not. But the devotee already figured it out that this thing is not essential. It I get it, it’s also Krishna’s mercy. He’ll live with it and use that. But, real objective should be how somehow or other get the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet. Because once you get that shelter, then you never lose that.

The material things, they may come, they may go. Sometime, one may get very good mate. Then suddenly accident there and one is made as a widow or widower. Nobody can say. So many difficulties, someone may get a very nice child. But even at an early age, sometimes children are dying. Then they are feeling very bad. Like king Citraketu had a son and his son died untimely. He was very frustrated. So material happiness means material suffering. We can’t avoid one, because always limit is there, end is there. So the devotee they become detached. “If suffering or happiness comes, then we’ll tolerate. The real thing that I want is to get the shelter of Krishna. Because that is the real happiness and that never ends.”

Material happiness and suffering that we have to tolerate. Even you have entered devotional service, that doesn’t mean you won’t get material happiness. Where the Krishna stands, there is no loss. Whatever happiness you are going to get you are still going to get that. Only you may be relieved from some suffering. So even the devotee they also afraid that “I don’t want that happiness also. You promise also help whatever happiness I was going to get whatever good karmas I have I am going to get. But even that good karma, if it stands in the way of my devotional service, I don’t care for it, you see. If it can be used in my devotional service, alright. I don’t mind. But if its going to be a stumbling block, then I also don’t want even my good karma.”

So the materialist they can’t understand the devotee actually doesn’t lose any happiness. They get the full happiness. But they also they are not deriving satisfaction from that material happiness. The devotee derives the satisfaction from the pure devotional service.

Yes?

Question: Some devotees tell they want to get the diksa and they get the diksa and what is the diksa?

Jayapataka Swami: when you get diksha and?

Question: What means the diksha is?

Reply: What does it mean?

Jayapataka Swami: What means… what is the meaning of diksa? Oh. So diksa means…

[break]

…Krishna.

Devotee: They’re on probation.

Jayapataka Swami: Once they surrender to Krishna and say, ”Krishna my life is yours. I want to serve you eternally.” The way that one does that is through Krishna’s pure devotee. One has to surrender to a devotee of Krishna as a spiritual master and accept initiation and serve that spiritual master following his instruction as being the absolute representative of Krishna. So initiation we give normally after a devotee is in a temple for six months. A devotee can cook, means he can prepare the thing like cutting vegetables, rolling the chapati or making the batter and things like that. But actually fire work the putting the thing on the fire and the final action that should be done by people who are initiated when you are offering it to the Deities because this is the panca-tantric [Editors note: panca-ratrika is intended] ruling is there that the someone who is initiated they are able to serve Krishna.

They are… there Krishna says that “I accept someone who is initiated on My same spiritual level.” We can approach Krishna. We are born human being. Human being means that’s a material position. Krishna is not human. He is on transcendental platform. When we accept diksa that means we accept a new birth, Dvijatva. Second birth means that mother is sastra and father is guru. Then Krishna accepts us that now you are on a spiritual platform. That time we accept that we are not the body, we are the soul. Body is only our vehicle and we are serving in this way. So all these have many implications about diksa.

Diksa also means to become a sisya. Sisya means follow the discipline of the guru. So unless there is some emergency normally the final cooking, that means the touching of the fire that should be done by initiated person. Because that person will be responsible also. If a person is dirty, or touching not knowing the purity if they are touching the fire, and offering that type of food to Krishna, that will be an offense, and for a new devotee we don’t want them also to commit any offense. Or an older devotee. So anyone who is going to cook for the Lord, they shouldn’t take it lightly. This is a very intimate service and they should learn all the details of cleanliness which are part of arcane or deity worship, and they should follow the system very strictly never touching the mouth, never touching their feet, never touch the ground without washing their hand, never touching offered food and then again touching the unoffered food. It’s a whole system, and if one transgresses these rules, even when unknowingly, that will be considered offensive in deity worship.

Of course Jagannath is quite merciful. But Krishna and Rukmini and Satyabhama, goddesses of fortune Rukmini they have been known to be very exacting. We should be very careful. They may not be so tolerant if someone offers to Krishna something which is not proper. They may… they may not be very tolerant. I mean we can pray for their mercy because we are all neophyte devotees, they can pray like that, the devotee, but it is better to be very careful when serving these type of very powerful Deities. But we should know the whole system carefully and accordingly it should be supervised by a Brahmana. Others they can assist. They can work in the kitchen and assist.

If there is a brahmana they are who is responsible to see that that means the dikshit person in to the Vaisnava the system, who is responsible to see that everything is done according to the system, and that personal offering of the food and the final cooking touches that should be preferably done by a initiated person, when we are offering to a Deity. If someone is cooking in their own house, and they are offering to Krishna themselves, they have a picture of Krishna then that is a separate question, but this is a temple which is having the deities and the Deities are persons. There Krishna Himself is there with His wife Laksmi and with Balarama and we have to try our best to satisfy them being conscious of what is dissatisfying to them also.

Devotee: Getting late.

Comment: (inaudible)

Jayapataka Swami: in our major temples in vrindavan and Mayapur, in Bombay we don’t purchase any store bought fruits. Store bought sweets. In the smaller temples sometimes they purchase. Of course purchasing is uh… that has got some other implication. Purchasing is sometime allowed, but that would be considered to be not uh, as perfect as if we could make the things ourselves, because, they are not having any pure standard.

We don’t know what type of… actually technically speaking store bought things which are made outside by non-devotees, they are not… even in the West, we don’t also offer fruit juice. We make the juice ourselves, because whether that people are washing their hands after they are going in bathroom or something like that, or what they’re doing, you don’t know what standard they have. There are many rules, you see. If you go to the bathroom, you have to take an entire shower. The same cloth you shouldn’t use, if you are going to cook for the Deity. If people are negligent of this, they will get worse than sinful reactions. They will get offensive reaction of Krishna. Their devotion will be stuck up, and for preaching sometime... we may (inaudible) that for preaching sometimes, we have to just do these things, and there is no alternative, but normally one should be very careful. It’s an opportunity to get the blessing; it’s an opportunity at the same time if you are not careful to also get punished. So we should be very careful when we do these things to do it properly.

Question: All the fruits we bring are offered to the Lord?

Jayapataka Swami: Well that is made by Krishna.

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Transcribed by Srikanth

Revised by Jagannatha dasa Brahmacari