CONTENTS:
- Questions and Answers with Guru Maharaja,
- Srila Prabhupada's Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH GURU MAHARAJA
Q: Can Grihasthas go back to Godhead or higher planets only?
A: Actually, the condition for going back to Godhead is developing our love for Krishna irrespective of our varna and ashram. If we develop our love for Krishna we become qualified to go back to Godhead, it does not matter what ashram we are in. Higher planetary systems will depend on punya and Karma. Grihasthas can also go to higher planetary systems, Bramacaris can also go to higher planetary systems and sanyasis can also go to higher planetary systems if they want to. They also have the access to the lower planetary systems so everybody has his options open lower planetary systems, higher planetary systems and spiritual sky.
Q: Does the Lord help women since we are inferior to man?
A: Sure, the weaker we are the more affectionate Krishna will be to us. That is why the women make better devotees than men. Who are the greatest devotees in the spiritual sky? The Gopis. Still, you see in a man that tendency of lording over is there but in women that tendency is less or at least naturally should have been less. Nowadays, men are becoming like women and women are becoming like men but this is an abnormal situation.
Generally, women are more devotional because they have softer hearts, their nature is tender, they are more submissive so these are all favourable qualities of Krishna Consciousness.
Q: Does the disciple look for the Guru or does the Guru find the disciple?
A: When we come across a bona fide spiritual master then it’s up to us to surrender to him so the onus is actually on the disciple, the Guru is not going to say come and take initiation from me, he may say take to this path, he will preach but it’s up to the disciple to surrender. When the disciple surrenders then the Guru accepts him just like when Arjuna surrendered to Krishna only then Krishna started to give him the advice and spiritual guidance.
Q: Krishna in Caitanya Caritamrita comes only once in Brahma’s day so does Srila Prabhupada come also only once and establish ISKCON or does Srila Prabhupada come every catur yuga?
A: Krishna comes once in a day of Brahma and in the following Kali Yuga Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu comes and following Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s plan Srila Prabhupada comes and then Prabhupada never leaves. Prabhupada just stays here for 10 000 years to make sure that all of us are properly situated in Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada is present in the form of ISKCON.
Q: Is ISKCON present in every manvantar and catur yuga?
A: No, only in Vaivaswata manvantar, the seventh manvantar and 28th catur yuga.
Q: You mentioned that sankirtan movement is both japa and congregational chanting, please can you explain sankirtan as using everything in Krishna’s service is also part of this process?
A: Very good question. The word sankirtan is a combination of two words samyak means total complete kirtan and this complete sankirtan has two connotations one is when many people get together and chant the glory of the Lord in music then that is sankirtan. The other consideration of sankirtan is when everything is used in glorifying the Lord that is sankirtan, the bigger concept of sankirtan. For example, Srila Bhaktisidanta Saraswati Thakur considered the printing press to be brhat mrdanga, big mrdanga. In sankirtan you need mrdanga but here is brhat mrdanga why? Because this is brhat kirtan not just singing, because when you sing some people can hear but when you print books and give out the books how many people can hear, that sound goes further away so that is why that is brhat kirtan and even bigger that brhat kirtan is what Srila Prabhupada is doing. Engaging everybody to use everything in glorifying. Bhaktisidanta Saraswati Thakur is using the books, Srila Prabhupada used the books and other things also. Especially nowadays internet is a big way of communication and we have to start that brhat brhat kirtan soon, preaching through internet, propagating Krishna Consciousness through internet or even making movies and with that understanding I embarked on the Abhay Charan project. Prabhupada’s lilamrita was there but not many people were reading lilamrita but movies everybody wants to watch. When we were showing it in Durdarshan our viewership was 4 million when it started but then after 6 months the viewership went to 22 million.This is the potency of this advanced media.
Q: How do we come out of the faultfinding tendencies and respect devotees even whom we see faults?
A: amanina manadena. Don’t try to judge others rather judge yourself. We have a very wonderful quality to find faults we are very expert and the best way to utilize that wonderful quality is to try to find fault in ourselves, why misuse that quality to others why not apply it to yourself and that will be the perfect utilization of that faculty.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Krishna comes once in a day of Brahma and in the following Kali Yuga Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu comes and following Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s plan Srila Prabhupada comes and then Prabhupada never leaves. Prabhupada just stays here for 10,000 years to make sure that all of us are properly situated in Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada is present in the form of ISKCON.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
When we come across a bona fide spiritual master then it’s up to us to surrender to him so the onus is actually on the disciple, the Guru is not going to say come and take initiation from me, he may say take to this path, he will preach but it’s up to the disciple to surrender. When the disciple surrenders then the Guru accepts him just like when Arjuna surrendered to Krishna only then Krishna started to give him the advice and spiritual guidance.
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)