Verse: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His Mission
Date: December 11th, 2012
Place: MAYAPURA, INDIA
Transcription: Ranga Radhika dasi
Editing: Ranga Radhika Dasi
Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Guru Maharaja, when something is given free to anyone he considers it not so valuable. So how can we convince people that this Hari Nama is the highest thing we are giving to you?
BCS: That's a very good point. That's the problem: because we are getting it free, we are not realizing its value. Therefore we have to be in the association of devotees to recognize the value of Mahaprabhu's mercy. So by the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu we'll be able to recognize its value.
Devotee: How to tell other people its value?
BCS: How to tell other people? Well, at least first you become convinced. And as you become convinced, to that extent you'll be able to convince others. If you're not convinced, how can you convince others? [Maharaja gives an example in Hindi that you first have to taste a laddu from Delhi yourself to be able to convince the people of Delhi of its sweetness]
Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Thank you for the wonderful class. Maharaja, my question is that we serve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in two mellows: in santa rasa and dasya rasa. So how exactly do we serve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in santa rasa?
BCS: Mainly dasya rasa. You see, in santa there is no activity. Santa is inactive. Can the inactive state be devotional service? Can there be service in inactivity? You can't serve while you are inactive. Therefore, to serve you have to be active. Therefore, it is servitorship which is important, not santa. In santa rasa, what they will do? They will just meditate. They'll sit at one place and meditate on Mahaprabhu's pastimes. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wants us to become active in sankirtana, preaching. So that is why in the mood of servitorship we preach the glories of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We serve Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through servitorship and that servitorship will be transformed into Vrindavana mood with Radha Krishna, which means friendship, parental and conjugal.
Devotee: Maharaja, similar to that question, we often heard that there are two kinds of devotees: one is bhajananandi and another one is called gosthanandi. But we also hear that better than the gosthanandis is the
bhajananandi. So how do we exactly...?
BCS: It will depend upon our state, our nature. Not only the nature, you can say our physical condition. For example, when the body is active then how should we render devotional service?
Devotee: [inaudible]
BCS: Through the body, isn't it? When the body is active, when our consciousness is in the body, what is the best way to become Krishna conscious? Through the activity of the body. But when the body becomes incapacitated, the body becomes old, we can't serve, then how will we serve? In the mind. So that manasa seva is bhajananandi. And active, physical service is gosthananandi (in the association of other devotees). Because physical service will be rendered with the association of other devotees. The activity will go on spiritually. The body may be sitting at one place, but the mind - the subtle body - is actively involved and then comes to the spiritual body. Gross body, subtle body, spiritual body. So by rendering service through the subtle body one will come to the spiritual body. And pure devotional service will be rendered through the spiritual body.
Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. You said that when one goes to Vaikuntha, he never goes to Vrindavana. So what happens...?
BCS: One cannot go to Vrindavana directly from Vaikuntha.
Devotee: What happens to the man in between the end of Dvapara and before the appearance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
BCS: Okay. They will follow one of the four sampradayas. You know the four Vaishnava sampradayas? Brahma sampradaya from Brahma, Sri sampradaya from Lakshmi, Rudra sampradaya from Lord Shiva and Kumara sampradaya from the four Kumaras. So these are the four bona fide Vaishnava sampradayas. One will render devotional service through one of the four Vaishnava sampradayas and go to Vaikuntha. He will not have access to Vrindavana.
Devotee: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. You told that the residents of Vrindavana have forgotten that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then is it that they don't have any kind of negative feelings like envy towards Krishna?
BCS: Okay, good point. No, because there are two types of forgetfulness. One type of forgetfulness is out of ignorance and another kind of forgetfulness is out of love. Say for example, if your brother became the Prime Minister of India, will you treat him like the Prime Minister of India or as your brother?
Devotee: As my brother.
BCS: Now do you know that he is the Prime Minister of India? You know, but to you it doesn't matter because of your intimate relationship as a brother, right? Now this is another kind of forgetfulness: out of love. Not that you forgot, you know, but it doesn't matter. So, in Vrindavana that kind of forgetfulness of Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is out of love. That is like, "Krishna is my friend." Just as you feel about your brother, "He is my brother. He may be Prime Minister or not. It doesn't matter. He is my brother. Even if he was not a Prime Minister, he would have been my brother." Right? So that is their mood. "Krishna is my friend. Even if He is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is my friend. He will always remain my friend." So is there any question of envy or negativity in that relationship? Do you become envious that your brother became Prime Minister? Rather you feel proud, "Oh, my brother is the Prime Minister! My friend is the Supreme Personality of Godhead!" So that is their mood.
Devotee: Guru Maharaja, do all the followers of the Goswamis develop gopi-bhava or do some develop vatsalya or sakhya bhava?
BCS: Good point, whether all the followers of the Goswamis develop gopi-bhava or they can also develop sakhya or vatsalya. You see, the Goswamis' mood is in madhurya, conjugal. Therefore their followers will also develop the same mood. The point is the Goswamis' followers will all be in madhurya. Thank you. Yes?
Devotee: Guru Maharaja, why are most of the people not serious about this transcendental knowledge, because knowledge is given to everyone but few people are serious about it. Is there any prerequisite, pious credit or karma required so that they can understand this transcendental knowledge?
BCS: Good point. In which engineering college are you studying?
Devotee: In IIT, Indore.
BCS: IIT, Indore. Why are all the engineering students not in the IIT, Indore? Or why are all engineering students not in IIT? Because only some get that special opportunity. Why are all the people not engineers? Because some are getting the special opportunity to become engineers or students of engineering college. You see, it is according to our own tendency or our own nature that we get this opportunity. Now let's look at it in another way. How many students are there in your class?
Devotee: About twenty.
BCS: About twenty students. Will some students come up with very bright results and some may even fail? Why? They are listening to the same teacher, going through the same course. Why some are coming out with brilliant results and some are failing?
Devotee: Some work harder and some less.
BCS: Because of their attitude. Similarly, in the spiritual context also, it
is due to their attitude that different people will have different kinds of results. Some will listen to the devotee, devotee like Srila Prabhupada, very attentively, take his mercy and receive some kind of result. Some will not accept his teachings and they'll fail in the course of their life. Okay?
There are some questions from the internet and I can see Pankajalochana is coming, so that means more questions!
Sometimes while managing, devotees do not understand the situation of another devotee and his personal problems and blame him for not doing service properly, although he is trying to do his best. How one should behave in this situation? Cittahari Krishna Dasa from Indore. Well, this question is not really related to the class. Anyway, since it came up I will just answer that, but better when you ask questions, ask the questions that are related to the class because that keeps things focused. [Maharaja repeats the question] Well, try to be as tolerant as a tree and as just as Maharaja Yudhisthira when you are managing. So that will solve your problem.
This is from Sunanda from Visakhapatnam: If we want to act according to Krishna's will, how do we know what is Krishna's will and what's not? Well, if we can talk to Krishna that is the best possible way. Then you can ask Krishna, "Krishna, what is Your will? What do You really want?" But until you reach that situation of being able to communicate with Krishna, you ask Krishna's devotees what is Krishna's will. And the senior devotees will be able to convey to you what is Krishna's will and then you act accordingly. So the point is act according to the instructions of the senior devotees. Don't try to imagine things and don't try to concoct as Krishna's will.
Ramanuja Krishna Dasa: Please clarify in brief the concept of nitya-baddha and nitya-mukta. Can a nitya-baddha jiva become a nitya-mukta by sadhana bhakti?
Those who are in the material nature they are considered to be nitya-baddha, meaning bound, and those who are in the spiritual world they are known as muktas or liberated. So those who are in the spiritual sky they are eternally liberated, but those who are in the material nature, since they are bound since time immemorial - meaning you cannot imagine since when you have been bound, that's why it called nitya-baddha - it is through
sadhana-bhakti that one can become liberated. And when one becomes liberated, he is nitya-mukta. Even through sadhana bhakti when a conditioned soul becomes liberated, he is still eternally liberated. Prabhupada said, "When you wake up, the dream is not there anymore." So similarly when you wake up in the spiritual sky our dream will disappear. The experience of this material nature will disappear when you wake up spiritually.
How many more questions are there?
[devotee: four to five]
Four to five. More coming?
Aishvarya Radhika Dasi: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said trinad api sunicena. Sometimes it is very difficult to act like that. Please show me some way so that I can always follow this. Imagine a blade of grass lying on a street where millions of people are walking by and you place yourself in that situation. That is the perfect example of trinad api sunicena. Don't worry about what others are doing to you. Don't worry about what others are saying about you. Don't worry about how others are treating you. You just maintain a very humble position, thinking that this is all Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's divine arrangement. It is by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's arrangement that it is happening to you and maintain a very humble position without protesting, without any challenge, and that is trinad api sunicena. Accept everything as the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
This is from Chaitanya Charana Dasa from Ujjain: As we see in the definition of pure devotional service one should be free from all material desires. Is it alright to pray for some material facilities to serve Krishna and protection for His pure devotees?
Well, praying for service to Krishna and praying for the welfare and protection of Krishna's devotees is spiritual activity. There is nothing material about it, but if you have some material desires also, still you can pray to Krishna. Prabhupada said that if you want something then pray to Krishna. Ask Him! There is no need to ask from the demigods. Just ask Krishna. And in that way when you see Krishna heard your prayer, your desire has been fulfilled then your faith in Krishna will be increased.
Ratan Chakravarti: What is the difference in relationship with the Lord and His devotees in Gaura Dhama and Goloka Dhama?
In Gaura Dhama everyone is serving Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in His sankirtana movement in the mood of servitorship, whereas in Goloka Vrindavana devotees are in the mood of friendship, parental and conjugal having their loving exchange with Krishna. That is the difference.
[The results of the exams of the IIT Indore students present at the lecture are handed over to Maharaja, which he reads out]
Very good! We are so proud of you! Thank you all very much and I wish you all the best. Hare Krishna!
So those who are watching mayapur.tv, I just want to tell them that we have eight IIT students from Indore with us here and their results just came out and what I read out was their results. All of them did very, very well. So
that is the proof that when you become Krishna conscious, you become the best. [audience: Haribol!] One devotee, one student got ninety one percent. Most of them are in the category of eighty percent and high seventy percent. Thank you all very much! Hare Krishna.
Sri Lalita Devi Dasi from Los Angeles: It is 3.15 AM here. Thank you, Sri Lalita, for staying up from two o'clock onwards or maybe one thirty onwards to watch us in this class. We are very encouraged by your enthusiasm. So she is asking: It is 3.15 AM here. So nice to hear your class at this time of the day. [Maharaja adds:] Or at this time of the night! [laughter]
Thank you so much for your wonderful association.
So that's all? Thank you very much.
So we can have a little kirtan today.