CONTENTS:
- Questions and Answers with Guru Maharaja,
- Srila Prabhupada's Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. Questions And Answers With Guru Maharaja
Q: When we dream about the spiritual master or Krishna, are we in contact with Them?
A: What is dream? Dream is the experiences in a subtle body when the gross body is not active. We consider reality to be what our gross body is experiencing. Whatever the senses of this body are experiencing we take to be reality. When we fall asleep, the senses are asleep, the gross body is inactive but the subtle body is active. When the subtle body is active, that is a dream. Beyond the subtle body there is the spirit soul and its spiritual experiences. Those spiritual experiences are experiences with Krishna and the spiritual master. Apparently, it appears to be like a dream but it is not a dream it is absolute reality. That is the difference. Yes, in spiritual dreams we become connected to the spiritual master and Krishna.
Q: If one is attached to his mother, father, brother, his relatives and is hesitating to fully surrender how can one give up this attachment?
A: By developing that specific relationship with Krishna. If I am attached to my father, then let me see that Krishna is my actual Father. I am related to my father because he is my father. Because I came from him, I have a link with him I have a connection with him. But originally where did I come from? Krishna. Who is the original father? So, in this way, the relationship that we appreciate, the relationship that we have a taste for, through that relationship we link our connection with Krishna. If someone is very attached to the child, the mother is attached to the child, the mother knows what the love for the child is like and she learns to offer that love to Krishna, recognizing that Krishna is her actual child. You see, in order to develop loving relationship, we have to experience that love. A person who does not know what love is, how can he love Krishna? We develop our loving relationships and through those relationships we find our relationship with Krishna. Wherever our attachment is, we shift that attachment to Krishna.
Q: How can we tolerate things that are not conducive to spiritual life?
A: When we are in the material nature, sometimes we have to make adjustments. We can't rectify the situation; the society is in a certain way. So, we have to tolerate that, we have to accept that. For example, the residents of Vrindavan because Kamsa was their king, they were paying him tax. Although Kamsa was a demon and he was averse to Krishna, they were making the compromise. So, when we are in a society, we have to sometimes make adjustments in the society which may not be palatable, which may not be desirable, but still, we have to. An example to illustrate this point is when somebody is working in an office or in a factory. The atmosphere of the office is not so conducive; there are so many things which are happening there but you know, because one has to earn money, one has to make adjustments in that situation. He cannot go to the boss and tell him. Why they are gossiping, why they are eating meat, why they are smoking, why they are drinking? Then the boss will say, ok, if you don't like it, then you find a suitable situation for yourself. If you don't like it here, you can go. Isn't it? But yes, we like to go away from that situation, but sometimes we cannot. Especially, when one is in the household life, in this kind of situation, we have to make some adjustments. And ultimately, detrimental situations will increase our attachment to Krishna, if we are truly sincere about our devotion, and relationship with Krishna, then this detrimental situation will increase our attachment to Krishna.
Q: Why do some people identify themselves with the ego which is not the body or the spirit soul?
A: Actually, ego is a body, the subtle body. We have two types of material body: gross material body (this body is the gross body) and beyond this gross body, we have a subtle body. The false ego, which is the ego you are speaking of, is actually the subtle body. The gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The subtle body is made of mind, intelligence and ego. That is also the body, the subtle body. You are correct that some people do not really identify with the gross material body but they identify themselves with the subtle body. But we have to even transcend the subtle body. We have to transcend the platform of our mind, material intelligence and ego, and then we can come to the platform of our spiritual identity, spirit soul. The first person we have to convince is ourselves. If you are convinced and if somebody listens to you with a little open heart, he will also become convinced. If you are not convinced, you won’t be able to convince anyone else.
Q: Krishna made this world then why is there evil in the world?
A: Before we say Krishna made this world, we have to also understand why Krishna made this world. Krishna created this nature so that those who do not want to accept Krishna can independently try to enjoy and as a result of that, suffer so much that finally they realize that they made a mistake. To make this point a little clearer, I’ll give an example. The king creates a prison, but does the king create it to go there and have a good time? Why does the king make the prison? It is for the criminals; the lawbreakers. Those who don’t want to abide by the law and go against the law are put into the prison and made to go through punishments so that they realize that it is bad to break the law. Similarly, Krishna created this material nature for those criminals like us, who do not want to accept Krishna’s law! The more we break Krishna’s law, what is the result? The more we suffer. Through this suffering, we come to realize that we shouldn’t do that. Evil means to go against Krishna. Krishna didn’t create evil. Absence of Krishna is evil, just as absence of light is darkness. Light did not create darkness, but when light is absent, it becomes dark.
Q: Was there ever a time when this material nature was not manifest?
A: Yes, the soul has two different stages. One is wakeful state and the other is sleeping state. We know about sleep state. When we fall asleep, we are not really aware of our surroundings. This sleep actually extends further in death. Death is actually a kind of sleep. The difference between sleep and death is that in sleep we wake up in the same body but in death we wake up in another body. Death is actually annihilation, finish, the end. There are two types of annihilation: individual annihilation and collective annihilation. When we individually die, that is our individual annihilation. When all the souls die, material creation becomes non manifest and the souls, in a deep sleep state go back to the body of the Lord. The spirit souls came out of the Lord, to this material nature and then they again go back to the Lord. However, they again remain in a sleeping state, and when they wake up, they come back here again. Although they went all the way back to the Lord, because their consciousness hasn’t become purified and is projected externally towards this material nature, when they wake up, creation begins again and then again, they come back here to go through the suffering process.
Q: How can we go back to Godhead when we have not purified our consciousness?
A: You cannot go back to Godhead unless you purify your consciousness. Therefore, purify your consciousness. Do you know how to purify your consciousness? By chanting: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, ceto-darpaṇamarjanaḿthis chanting of the holy name of the Lord cleanses the mirror of our mind and purifies our consciousness.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
“When Srila Prabhupada had returned to India from the West and had come to Mayapur to see the land that had been procured to build the temple, he had not stopped at the Samadhi (tomb) of his spiritual master on the way, and some of his godbrothers had criticized him for that. When Srila Prabhupada had heard of their disapproval, he responded, “Do they think that I am ever separated from my spiritual master? No, he is always with me and I am always with him. I am not separated from him even for a moment.
(Extract from “Ocean of Mercy” by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Once again, I request, please follow these three instructions:
No matter what happens, never leave ISKCON,
If you love Srila Prabhupada express your love through cooperation with one another,
Always place yourself under the authority of GBC.
And I can assure that you will never go wrong
(Excerpt from lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami in Ujjain on 17 September 2005.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)