CONTENTS:
- The History of our Vaishnava Heritage Part 3,
- Srila Prabhupada's Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. THE HISTORY OF OUR VAISHNAVA HERITAGE- PART 3 (QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS)
Q: I just wanted to know how is Citraketu above Parvati?
A: Yes, that is the position of a devotee. Where is Parvati’s position between the spiritual sky and the material nature whereas the pure devotee’s situation is in the spiritual sky. So that is why a pure devotee is even higher than Parvati. He could curse Parvati but he did not. Yes?
Question Unclear
A: jnana misra bhaktas, not really jnana misra bhaktas are impersonalists but they are positive impersonalists. There are two types of impersonalist one is a negative and, one is positive. The Mayavadis are negative impersonalists and brahmavadis are positive impersonalists. Brahmavadis can become a devotee but a Mayavadi never becomes a devotee unless he gives it up completely. From Brahmavad they can come to personalism but for a Mayavadi, he has to receive the mercy of a Vaishnava there is no other way.
Q: How do we understand that although Krishna Consciousness is the highest philosophy but at the same time, we remain humble?
A: Yes, because a devotee’s position is humble. A devotee doesn’t become puffed up. As a matter of fact, just as a rich man doesn’t go to the market place and announce how rich he is but everyone can recognize that he is a rich man and he himself knows how much money he has in the bank. Our position is not to recognize we are the highest and have the highest philosophy and the highest spiritual standard and become puffed up. Our position is actually to recognize our highest position by recognizing how much money we have in the bank and what to do with it.
Q: When we know ours is the highest how can we appreciate others?
A: Just like when a rich man when he sees others he doesn’t scorn or look down upon them because they are poorer than him but he knows that is their position and respects their position and recognizes his position. When we recognize that the other branches are inferior to us it’s not that we look down upon them or despise them but we expect that someday they will come up to our standard and that is why we go out to preach to them to uplift them to our level and about the mood of a Vaishnava is something like a tree that is filled with fruits it doesn’t stand up high it bends down with the weight of the fruits similarly with the weight of our wealth we bow down and become more humbler not that we become arrogant. A person who is vain he is arrogant.
Question Unclear
A: Yes. That’s true when a Vaishnava is blasphemed then those injunctions have been given but here you have to understand that this situation is a little different because what Citraketu pointed out there is some fact to that, some truth behind his statements that in an assembly like that one should not behave in that way. The other sages also recognized Citraketu’s position and that he is also an exalted devotee himself so when one devotee is criticizing another devotee, injunction of scripture is that you don’t become a party to either of them just take a neutral position. When two Vaishnavas fight don’t side with anyone because you do not know what is actually happening.
Question Unclear
A: Yes, those who have accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings in their heart and have dedicated their lives according to those teachings will not settle for anything less than Goloka Vrindavan or Goloka Navadwip. It is not that anybody who joins ISKCON is going to go back to Godhead, maybe someday they will but what to speak of going back to Godhead so many devotees are leaving the movement the choice is up to the individual but those who stick to the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu will go back to Goloka Vrindavan and until they go back to Goloka Vrindavan they will not be satisfied even in Vaikuntha they won’t be satisfied, even in Ayodhya they won’t be satisfied, even in Dwarika they won’t be satisfied until they go to Goloka Vrindavan their heart will be satisfied.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
How did we get the opportunity to become Vaishnavas? How? By the divine grace of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada went and spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world and as a result of that we got the chance to become Vaishnavas and then Prabhupada’s devotees went around the world and started to preach and by coming into contact with them we are becoming Vaishnavas.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
The mood of a Vaishnava is something like a tree that is filled with fruits it doesn’t stand up high it bends down with the weight of the fruits similarly with the weight of our wealth we bow down and become humbler not that we become arrogant.
When two Vaishnavas fight don’t side with anyone because you do not know what is actually happening.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a Seminar Given By HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja Entitled: “The History Of Our Vaishnava Heritage”)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)