20040709-10 || Ratha Yātrā and Address to Devotees || Balarāmadeśa and Kṛṣṇa-kathā-deśa

To please come and accept the seat of the dais. And we will be every morning honoring ceremony to all the distinguished guests.

We have here.

Hare Krishna. All the distinguished guests, distinguished personalities.

Honorable.

Guest will be honored by His Holiness. First of all, we invite His Excellency members of India. Shiv Ambassador Mitra, please come on the dais. And this will be helping us all these years since we got over this station. From the government of Bahrain.

We would.

Like to invite Shiman Babu Kiwara, Chairman of the Tafai Hindu community. We have been informed that he is away. He is in India. On his behalf we humbly request Shiman Bhagwan Sahibuta with the General Secretary of the Pattaya Hindu community to please accept the honor.

I think this one movement worldwide is growing in strength. I've been associated with it for many years now. I have participated in this Rajaka in Kenya and all over the place. And I was pleasantly surprised when I came here to find that there is a strong organization here. A not organization, but a very strong organization. I have been very fortunate personally to have made the acquaintance of Maharaj. And I look forward to associating myself with this organization to attending their functions. And I hope this evening we all are able to participate in the true spirit of the function. And we hope Maharaj will find time to visit us more often. Thank you very much.

Many years with devotees.

Mr. Lala Gajaria coming how since 1520 years he's had association. So I'm very honored to be here.

Also this Shrinachi temple I come here over the past maybe 15, 20 years.

And a number of locations.

I feel it's a very holy place. And I'm always honored to see.

The.

Deities, the Gujaris, the nice standard of giving everyone Prasadam who comes to the temple. Shrinath Ji and Nadvara is being worshipped by the Balabacharya Sampradaya. Balabacharya is long connected with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahbhu visited his house, took Prasadam with him. He also came to Jagannath Puri and.

Met with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Was in the house near Allahabad Prayarg the Balocharya was staying that Lord Chaitanya when he went to Vrindavan he went and visited him. So there's very loving relationship between Balavacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu linking our two DiscipleX accessions. Also Shri Mahat Ji is actually a deity that is very ancient deity worshipped by one of the sons of Lord.

Krishna as far as I understand it.

And brings a Mogul rule that.

Some.

Invasion was going on. So they hid the deity in a forest. Govardhan and the great spiritual master Madame Puri. He had a pastime where he would not eat anything unless somebody gave it to him. He never asked unless somebody asked him.

Are you hungry?

Would you like to eat something? He won't eat. So much faith he had in Ka that he won't eat it just depend on Krishna. Krishna will send me the food. So one coward boy came to see him and said I feed all the people that come to my village. So you come to my village. So you please take this pot of milk and then I'll come back later to get the empty pot. So he drank the milk, muttered into Puri Maharaj. But he was waiting for the boy to come back. He didn't come back and he just rested there on the side of Govardhan. So then what happened was something very amazing. He had a vision. He had a dream. So Bhagavan Sikhyushta Saptam in Ayanta.

Took.

Him by the hand into the forest and showed him this place that I've been here for a long time but nobody's been taking care of me. Then he woke up and realized that the boy who gave him the milk.

Was Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

And that Bhagwan was there in a deity for him in the forest. And he got all the villagers and they cut pathway to the forest with their machetes and Bahas and they got inside and there they found that where he had seen in the dream there was this Shivatji Devi lifting Gobargan with one finger up. So they took out the deity. They put him on a slab of stone and made a makeshift temple. Just some place deity you can say. And then they did Abhishek and they cooked a big feast. And like that the beginning of the worship of the Gopal deity of Mahaji started in Govarda. Later he shifted again bring another mobile situation to the.

Hare Krishna. So like that.

So that Madhundra Puri's disciple was Iswar Puri whose disciple was Chaichanya Mahaprabhu. So in many ways it's a very ancient link.

Between.

So at this occasion that also Chagannath Bhagda and Subhadra Jatya Khartah. I'm very happy to perform my humble.

Function to declare the Rath Yatra.

Inaugurated. You say Jagannath has been having run all day. It is very hard to pull Jagannath and Puri very proud. But here he has become very accessible and you can easily ladies, children, gents, everyone is able to pull. So there's special people. Jagannath is very special for us. New York matchless gifts in Lower east side of New York he put this.

Temple.

So first he put one picture of the Chaitanya Mahaprabhuana saw the When Prabhupada saw the video Jagannath he paid his pronouns. So where did you get this? Oh, I just purchased it in one Indian gift shop. Are there two more? One yellow and one white? Yeah, but I just bought one. Go buy the other two also bring them here. In this way you see Jagannath Bala Den Subhajar on their own they walk into the door of the temple. They are the first you can say Murtis of Iskcon.

And.

So then Jagannath melody Subhan became installed in the temple in New York. Still today they have Jagannath there. Then there was second temples in San Francisco. They also had Jagannath Balade Subhadra. I joined that temple in 1968 and my first service before I joining just I came visiting. The service they gave me was helping to construct the Rath Yatra cart. So I was doing carpentry work to help to construct the Rath. And by Jahila's mercy, I think today I'm still here. So for me, Rath Yatra on the day of the Rath Yatra in San Francisco, which the mayor of San Francisco declared it a Rathayatra day in the city of San Francisco. That was the day when I formally Atma Samartham Kiya Jagannath Gopasmi. So for me Jagannath is also a really special Ishtar Devotra.

And.

So it's really emotional moment to be here in Rath Yatra. We had to respect all the other communities here. So but we're doing street lane nor Rathyap tribe. I think this is a unique phenomenon Indorva Theatra. But it shows the desire of the devotees to serve Jagannath to do the needful. And it gives opportunity for everyone to have a wonderful seva. Everybody is thinking that what will God give to me? But nobody is thinking what they can do for Ka. But if we do some selo for Krishna, then he actually give more blessings. He gives the highest blessings. This mentioned here in a few select verses of Bhagavad Gita translation By his divine grace Avoyacheran Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada one can understand me, said Lord Krishna, as I am, as the supreme personality of Godhead. Only by Bhakti devotional service and when one is in full consciousness of me, by such devotion he can enter into the kingdom of God. Translation by his divine grace, though engaged in all kinds of activities, my pure devotee under my protection reaches the eternal and imperishable world by my grace. See, Arjuna was confused because he was a warrior, the Jodahite, he didn't know what to do. But Krishna is telling him, you can engage in all kinds of service here. We have businessmen, we have diplomats, we have so many different kinds of personalities. So Krishna's are assuring everyone. We have housewives, we have workers, we have accountants, marketing. So many people present. Today anyone can do all kinds of activities. But if they do as a service to Ka under the Lord's protection, they will reach the Sahasvatam Padam. So you don't have to give up what you're doing. You can go to Ka Loka by doing your ordinary activities. If you dedicate them for the service of Ka as Arjuna did in the battle of Gurushetra Chittu Sarvakarah Putti Yogam Up. All activities just depend upon me and work always under my protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of me. This Rathyatra festival in Orissa the King of Orissa at that time, 500 years ago, Pratapuru, he would sweep the road before Jagannath because he wanted to show everyone my Halawan JavaScript. I am the servant of the Lord. So if we act as a servant of the Lord in our activities, whether we're a businessman or whether we're an employee or a managing director, a general manager or a diplomat or politician or whatever it might happen to be.

I don't think here much good politicians. But anyway.

First thing we need to depend on Ka by following his advice from Bhagavad Gita Sadhu Shastra Guru following the advice of the Shastra, following the advice of the Guru and following the example of the great sadhus and pure devotees. Translation by His Divine grace AC Bhaktivedanda Swami Prabhupada, if you become conscious of me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by my grace. If however, you do not work in such consciousness, but act to the false ego not hearing me, you will be lost. So, two chances. Who wants to work under the guidance of Krishna? We pray to Jamuna Baladev Svada to bless all of you that you'll be able to work under their protection as Krishna says. Sarva Durgami Mat Prasada Kalishasi I cross you Jitna Taqlib Jitna Asurida, Parkarunda Apko Uttar Karunga. What we have to do, we have to think about Ka. We have to think about him while we're doing our work. That's why we recommend to people they should chant Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Ham. So this Rat Yatra is opportunity to do that service. To pull the rat, to be a humble. So we have become the horses for Ka Gora Hogi. There are no horses here, you see. There's no motor, no engine. We are the engine. We are the horse to pull. So Jagannath is giving us such a chance. Jagannath is Krishna. His original personality Jagatmistity Lactai Balaam. She is Jogavaya. But in this world they came as a family. Big brother Balaram, sister Subhajra. But behind the scene, who they are? Don't be fooled, Bishwade. He told Judas deer. Don't think that this Krishna is your friend. Don't think he's your cousin, brother. Know it from me. His supreme personality of Godhead Param Isha Bhagawan. He's coming here like an actor playing the part. You saw some dramas here before. Like that Krishna is playing his actor when he comes to give pleasure to his devotees. So also he's coming here, part of his villa to do this Jatra. To give all of you the chance to serve him. To purify your life. So I wish you all a good fortune in this Jatra. And I hope that you'll be able. I heard this is the first. This first. Not first, but I may hope you have many others make an annual event. It is possible. We'd also like to hear from some of our distinguished Tutai community members what their realization is and their good wishes to us. On this occasion of the Rath Yatra here in.

This auspicious island, Hare Krishna we humbly request.

At that time there wasn't any idea or actually providing much of a service. But they used to say, why don't you do something here? So then later I was some of my disciples. They actually took up jobs here in the Middle east and then first here in this country. And then I told them, why don't you start having a Sangha and do Gita classes and things. So they were doing that amongst their community. And they found it was getting a very good response. And so then gradually from there things started to Expand and this community of devotees has been there. We've been always supported by these pious business community. But now that we're here in a bigger way, we're able to actually associate with them in a much more meaningful way. And I almost feel very guilty because I know that sometimes those who were erasing the donations, they didn't take the proper care and they didn't take the proper. We didn't know who were. Maybe sometimes they come from different parts of the world and we didn't know. Some were very responsible, some may not.

Have been fully responsible.

So I do like to just take this opportunity to apologize if anyone wasn't responsible now that we have our formal presence in this country. So therefore we will definitely, although we are not here on the program of.

Raising any funds as such, except for local programs, but.

We are trying to be much more responsible. And we just want to say though that I would say that because of.

The good service as we know we have temple in Baroda, we have temple.

In Hyderabad, a number of places in India and some of the even I think the Soho street temple was partially.

Purchased by some donations from the Middle East.

So it was for very good causes. And although now UK does that need help from the Middle east, they have very big community. I heard they just in one day, one supper, they raised £1.7 million from their own congregation. So initially it was helpful. Now they have, although there are some opening areas in the world like the former Soviet Union where they don't have so much support. But generally now every place run places have become very well established. So we really owe that tremendous gratitude for the help in the beginning when ISKCON 1977 Prabhupada was just the last year in the world. He left this world in 1977, November. So those times were very crucial times and all the support that was given then was really significant. I want to thank everyone who helped us and who is still helping us.

As we're trying to expand.

I think that in the future now.

That with this registration we need a.

Bigger hall than Bahrain. It's not a big enough hall. In Oman the hall is three, four times bigger. They have rough hatcher and vigor hole. But anyway, whatever I just did want to take this out and express my gratitude and also explain a little bit.

Of our background and history. Thank you very much. Yesterday we had a rock out right in Balaram. Bass. Are you a fucking immortal? Indoor rats going around, around the inside of the auditorium. So I'm very happy that.

Also in.

Borrowing this they Got recognition for the ministry there to be registered. So that there's scopus in the future. Although still even in these countries if you're registered, you have to. There's always a caveat. As long as nobody complains you never be a disturbance. So before that I was in Maya Calcutta for the Rath Yatra Prabhupada asked us to develop Calcutta Rath Yatra into one of the largest or the largest Rathyatra in the world. So in some respects Kafanaja is.

The.

Rath Yantra goes on for nine days. Anybody here from Pui Manjaria? So there they also do nine days. One day Goenrad, seven days in the Gundicha. Then the ninth day coming back. So we don't have a Gundicha. So we build the temple.

In the park.

Out of the decorators are very expert to build these temporary temples. And they go that's the Rathyatra there in Calcutta they have thoughts in front of the Rotata. They have marching bands. They have ladies, girls from the upper secondary, higher secondary, some schools. So the Rafiation cafe goes to the main streets and goes to the Maidan. There's a Bashar distribution. There's maybe 25 booths bookstore Bashan Sage. It was an 80 foot high temple made from temporary structure. Like this is quite a massive mountains. Baki Churro Swami Bhakti Siddhanta Swami Bhakti Purushottam Swami, myself Subhag Swami. We were sharing. So there were two lectures every evening on Swamis. There's a question, I answer both. Then I went to this other festival called Ravipur. Your Renegade is about 2 hours drive north of the Japan.

Downtown.

We have one small center and at least 3 kilometers out of the subdivisional town of Ryan. And they take this Radhyatra to running out. It was massive. They have like so people come also to me like a.

So the country.

So it's a big thing for the country. People come out then outside of Ranga they build. They have a big campsite. And there they have lots of people coming from their places. I was invited to go to Bangladesh for the last two days, three days. 25th, 26th, 27th and the rancher 25th I went and the education minister of Bangladesh. So Mr. Hussein, Muhammad Hussein something he was there and he was appreciating ISKCON and he was saying that in our country all the religions have freedom to practice. Then I went to Comila which is on the border of tripura. There's a 300 year old temple there. All Jagannaths I don't know if anybody's ever been to Kamila. Probably not. That temple was established by the Tripura Maharaja. So they are interesting yantra. The chariot goes traditionally one or two kilometers away from the main temple to a small temple which is called the Gundicha. And then they have their return rath on the eighth day until the ninth day. Just their tradition. So the kirtan party going throughout the whole town comes there. Then Lewi migrated the rut. And then I got another wreck after it. And they told me that, well, it gets pretty bumpy later on maybe when I get down. What happens is that there's a paved road for maybe 2, 300 meters. And after that it was a dirt road. One of those people were pulling the raft, the young men and the road ended. It had been raining, so the dirt road was really a mud road. And they were pulling. And sometimes the devi was stuck, wouldn't move. They were shouting, turning out songs, getting the strings to pull it. They have a customer that they throw anything at the baby, I mean bananas cob. It's truly my secretary guy. He was being up on the rock. That's very dangerous. I had it also, but not I was getting injured. So then that day night we had a late initiation ceremony. About 20 people. I wanted to get back to Dhaka. And for the return rides there's a famous place, a famous Hindu temple called the Daki Dhaka Dakishwai. And that place is where the wrath starts. And the mayor came, although he's a mother faith. Different dignitaries came. It was a very good road venture in the sense that there was lots of people. I mean there must have been over 100,000. I lost track. And it was going quite well until about 6 o'. Clock. Over 4 or 5 km. The wind goes 2/3 of the way. And then Balaram's wheel stop went too much weight maybe. Police said, you're blocking traffic, your mask not moving. So then. So then we took Vajag Bali Subhandra on our heads and started walking through the downtown main Bulistan, main downtown area. And the roads were packed with people and people. All the devotees stayed together. And the mind chanting, right? Probably they didn't see so many people in that community together. Did some rickshaw Dhyan risking Jakanaba Sri Lanja went on rickshaw on the devotees lap. And they finally came back. And then there was some evening program. Regression please. So the rat carte may be in the client. And there were some emergency people had to see. So by 9 o' clock. He said, you know, there's a few initiations to do. So there was 101st initiations and 22nd 12 seconds. Starting the interview at 8 o' clock at night. So it became an all night thing that finally at six in the morning we started giving them their beads all night long they were sitting out listening to lectures on initiation. And Ekhenath was on the computer picking out their mailings all night long. Then we got some. Then after the 8 o' clock I reached to the airport. I like to. But that night, because the whole night I was also up. No sleep the night before we were up till 1:30. Then I got ready going. Everything was spinning. Then some doctors checked and said you're just exhausted, you had to rest. And so then I was in Mayapur for about a week resting and pretty much rested. But again last night I was up till 12:30 in Kadiata early in the morning at 4:30, 4:00 clock to catch the flight here. Someone told us the flight was 7:10, so we were not 7:14.

Otherwise.

We'Ve had pretty intense static programs. And yesterday we had all the farming. This elite community. They are at the RAF Yatra festival in the evening and they were ambassador here. So here the local leaders asked me that since I am so close by environment. So I'm happy to do that to get some of your association. As we know, just in a few days we'll start the Purushotta month. We can talk about that later. It's a very sacred month. You get hundred or thousand times. The benefit comes once in three years. And especially Krishna says it's his month. It's not a good month for material things, but it's a good month for spiritual things.

You get sweets. Then.

From here I'm planning I have to go to some devotees who went from the Middle east to. To Rajok. So I'm going there for the radcanter. Kristen they went from here and then they did very good service there and set up about half a dozen Vaidi rickshaw groups.

And.

One of the families and your husband got asthma. So you never know, right? With how a place will suit you. Some things might suit you, some things might not. Ultimately we're not really meant to be here in this material world. Excuse me. Prabhupada once said that this material world is no place for a gentleman or a gentle lady. People don't treat the right way. Maybe if ever some of you faced in your workplace a boss or work colleague or a supervisor, someone who didn't treat you way that you felt you should be treated. Anybody ever face that? In fact, if they feel threatened by you, that you're doing too good a job, you're too efficient, then they may also try to screw you in some way, try to mess you up.

Even.

It was just. I was glanced at the newspaper when I came that one of the ministers in Israel was exposed that he had tried to undermine one of his own party colleagues in the previous election to through a character assassination. And then when it came out public on Internet and radio and everything. So then they sacked him from his ministerial post on the request of the party chairman. So these things are happening and they happened in the lordius too. It's not only us, this happens to everybody. But sometimes if they think you're a devotee, then they think they pick on you more because you're a sadhu. Sometimes you get away with things being a sadhu and sometimes you have to look more heavy. Even in town in Chennai there was a disciple.

He was. He asked me now that I'm the.

Worst and I wear tea locks to work and shave my hair. He said no, you don't do that.

Because.

You do too different and you're going to face some difficulties. You don't have to do that. He did anyway.

And then.

He found that they were difficult. So then after a couple of maybe over a year, then he grew out his hair a little bit. No more int work anymore. Things were better. Even though India is a land of dharma, their motto is not too much religion. And for them, Hare Krishna devotee is to too much religion. Although it's really what our grandparents and great grandparents in India have been practicing quite traditionally. But now that's considered too much religion. If you chant everyday Japan, if you offer food to ka, if you don't take onions and garlic, etc etc. Then you're becoming too religious in some circles. And if that's the good people, true religious means they're still pious. But then there's worse words they have, you know, with the more modernized people. I had a son of a Muslim.

Parent.

Mixed marriage, Indian and Western, both the boys. And he was the finest study in India in the schools. But he wore his neckpiece and he found that in India everybody, the kids want to be so westernized that if you do anything that's Indian, they think you're not cool. And not being means you had to be really ridiculed and had to make fun of you. He found it very, very difficult. Then he said, I think I bet I was better off in the West. They came to India for the spiritual environment but they found it difficult. He went back to the west and there in California he was the topper in his class. He was elected chairman of the student club. He's a good soccer player, good football player and they accepted him that he's Indian and he wears his neckbeats and he has this culture. And for them it was something quite.

Cool.

Something they didn't know about. So it's kind of a strange thing they hadn't even knowing it. Sometimes it's harder to be a devotee for some people than it is. In other words although in general the west is very materialistic and that has the other side to it. But this kind of you're already in the bodhi these new obstacles. So sometimes we want to run away from the difficulty but you have to kind of just see what the situation is. And we had to redetermine to do our devotional service. In some cases I was interesting thing happen like somebody in Balaram Dash told me last time they're facing a lot of difficulty and they're word from other managers and as we were putting my.

Prayer.

Actually rulers aren't supposed to be asked to do these kind of materialistic things. But anyway he said if it will help his devotional service. It so turned out that the owners of the company were actually happy with what he was doing seeing the bottom line and everything that they decided to promote him to becoming the managing director of the whole of three countries. So the managers are giving him a hard time now he's their boss. So sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. You face difficulties, you can play.

So I mean this is the material.

World where we should make our long range plan is that we're not going to come back here unless the first Krishna wants us to that we're going to serve Ka eternally. We don't have I have some of the devotees who joined when they were young in the Hare Ka movement in the temples and grew up in a temple like those are very rare nowadays. But at one point in ISKCON there was a lot of people like that. But when I joined there were no I would say somebody joins like that out of college they go into iskcon they could have a career. They could be a manager of a temple or they could be in book publishing. They could actually have a career as a temple. But very few people opt for that. Most people have outside jobs and work. But what do I want to say? So those who are Today in iskcon because you have so many big temples and big activities going on, they can do our prayers. They may not even experience what it's like to work in the material world. But when I joined we didn't have. We were just only three temples in the world. We had no infrastructure, we had no books even to distribute. There's no live membership program. We didn't really have too many concepts. It was like really crisis. We just had to get the rent to together for our center. So everybody was told all the brahmacharis in the temple, all the bachelors and Brahmacharis go out and get a job.

Anything you can get and give all.

The money to the temple to pay for the rent. So like that. The kind of emergency jobs you get like that were minimum wage, labor intensive, different types of. So anyway I was able to. I went through maybe about six or eight different jobs in a few months time. They were temporary jobs. There wasn't a anyway but. And so at least I had some experience what it's like to work with people in the material world. It's like it was pretty tough. They have their different expectations. I remember I was working in this. Every time I see this Dairy Queen and there's like another one they call in America. It's called A and W Root beer. I was working a root beer and my job was to clean up afterwards. Pretty sutra. And then we're allowed to have a 15 minute coffee break. So during my coffee break I catch up on some rounds and I'd sit and chant a few rounds. So the store manager would come and say what are you doing? I said I'm meditating. And he blasts me.

He said you're not allowed to do that.

This is my coffee break. What's the problem if I want to? I mean it's my coffee break. So this is my. That's the stimulation I get stimulated by meditating. He said, look, you take coffee break.

You can't meditate.

If you get you meditating, I'm going to fire you.

I was just like.

Probably, of course I had. Now in this day and age, after 30, 40 years, I probably have labor rights. I could take them to labor court or something in Canada. I was in Canada at the time. How can the strange experience of silence griefing what sound intestinal. I mean that was very irrepressible. So I appreciate. I've always working in the material world and I mean I worked for the immigration department, I worked for the municipality. I worked for a printing press. I worked for A plastic factory. I worked for a bent factory. I worked like that. I worked for a record company that was sending out records and post dates was the record. I was working for all kinds of different companies and some had found a decent job, some of got loans each other. Prabhupada was living in Canada and there was one woman who paid his rent. And that was only when it somehow was able to. To give up a job. Someone good or bad, someone got a job and others were not able to do so that so on. So I was paying for Caraba's rent because he had lost his. His visa had expired in America and he didn't get. He didn't get a. The appliance for a green tax that had to come through again. I was a nectarian rose. Every night I could go in here, she was giving a lecture and he was being very merciful to me. And then I had a night shift. I come here as an evening night shift. So I would go back and I listen to the tape every morning when I missed the lecture. And listening to his tape was also really one day I remember listening to the tape and Srila Prabhupada he asked is there any question? At the end of the class? And then nobody asked any questions. I used to have a habit. Somebody told me that what I do, what you should do is you should always ask a question at the end of class. You think of something that will be very appropriate and good and illuminated. This Prabhupada likes the questions. So this devotee gave me a tip.

So at the end of every class.

I would always ask a question and trying to think of a good question. The whole class would think what question would I ask?

And then.

Now I wasn't into classes anymore. Some Prabhupada asks anyone has a question. Nobody had a question. Then he said, where is Jayat Pathanka? At that time I was just talking to him, said he asked good questions. But Prabhupada, to give a little bit of recognition at that time was very edifying, very, very intrus. But I feel grateful for that. Devotee told me to ask questions. So devotees, even though they have that if they learn how to dip in all of us, you can have CDS and BCDs and you can attend the Bhakti Vishnu groups and the prayer groups. How to immerse ourselves into spiritual life after going through a kind of a humdum. Sometimes stressful, sometimes not so bad. Sometimes maybe even interesting.

I don't know.

Some people might have interesting jobs. If you Actually had. I was just doing obviously jobs. But if you had a career you really like, what you do will be different. But still, even after whatever, after going through your material side of life, how to immerse yourself into ka consciousness. And that's what I realize. It's a question of survival. We have to have a certain amount of spiritual happiness to motivate us forward in our spiritual life. It's important that the devotees learn to get that taste for spiritual life and that they have regular practice.

A little.

Bit of material comforts and things. It's okay. I mean, that's not a big obstacle. But what's important is that sometimes we rise above the pains and the pleasures of material life and go into another dimension. And that's what you can get by chanting Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna.

And by reading and by studying and hearing their classes and by doing some seva, doing some Ka sava and worship. This year is Prabhupada's 108th anniversary, so there will be a lot of remembrance of Prabhupada. Some devotee gave me one of those.

Ipod.

You know, it's MP3 player. So I got all of rubs, lectures, all of them. Lectures and.

Classes, classes.

It's all there. He claims it's all there.

I didn't count him, but more than 1,000.

It's a 40 mega gigabyte. So it says you can hold the box in case anybody wants to download them. I can download them to you. So this I first time, this time when I was flying over, I was listening to Srila Prabhupada tape.

And where.

He was talking with some people in England and they're like real mental speculators. They're asking really stupid questions that she. Look, why you call it.

You know.

I mean, there was this kind of back and forth and so on. It was interesting how they were presenting the whole, you know, their point of view. Crawford was like really painful. I explain, oh, because I'm not trying to interpret the Bhagavad Gita. I'm not even interpreting. I'm trying to change and trying to present whatever Krishna the way he said it. Because normally what people do is they present Bhagavad Gita. They want to put this is Bhagavad Gita commentary by someone. Everybody has a new commentary, a new speculation. And Prabhupada was just trying to like to make the direct interpretation, direct understanding as it was handed down by the disciples. They said that's Krishna when he understood Krishna. But anyway, he was Presenting all those things. And then there was a lady, she asked in first and I was just. I can't remember all the detailed questions and answers at this moment. But how. Baba was very patiently explaining it to them. And some of the things he said were just very moving. It was a real emotional experience actually. Although the psalm was a bit weak on it. The airplanes but noisy. This is a good. I'm looking forward to hearing a class every trip, especially long trips. And now that we have the opportunity to listen to Prabhupada's lecture for the 108, people can listen once a week or something. At least for those who are cooking in the kitchen, you can play a tape. Of course, sometimes in here you are. We have for my disciples, those who want to hear my lectures. Sometimes there's a website called Hear JPS. You can download www.herejts.com. you don't have to pay anything. They have a few hundred lectures out there. But there's actually thousands of lectures that have been given and some devotees that are critical to lecture. I have 10 gigabytes of MP3 raw lectures, just not just as they are. In case anybody wants erase it from my computer.

Oops, what happened?

But those are the ones that are out there. Then we also.

You have some.

You have some CDs with you. And then now there's also like Twisty who's made some multimedia CDs which have lectures, video clips and we also have DVDs, multimedia slideshow. You can hear the lectures. This is an MP3 player. But if you want to see that, get the full everything that's on the disc. Then you need a computer, otherwise you can just hear the audio part. So now there's a lot of opportunity. Even though you're working, even though you're studying to get some association to these modern. I see people on morning walks with Walkman running, listening to their music.

Why not.

Listen to a day from a spiritual master? When you're driving, I hear people don't drive so much. But in some countries they have to drive hour to get to work, hour and a half. So then they put in. They put in a CD or a tape in there in their car and they listen to a class while they're driving. So this way one can build up their spiritual knowledge. In the fourth campus, Srimad Brahmuto Lord Shiva says that whoever has transcendental knowledge, that's the real wealth of life. Because by transcendental knowledge you can deliberate yourself and you can understand Ka. So by chanting that, we become eligible to receive the knowledge by serving Krishna. But then we need also to transfer the knowledge. So generally knowledge is transferred by breathing in my hearing. It's like downloading into your computer what's on a cable. It's the sound vibration. And the more that you fill your mind up with Ka conscience.

Working together.

In beehive secretaries, having made in the spiritual platform and finally surrounded by material energy all around. And really what Krishna consciousness is all about is to equip everybody with the tools so that you can connect him to Krishna consciousness. You can, they have all these scientific, you know, science fiction movies like Matrix, where you know, people are phoning out on their somebody's mobile phones. They're phoning out on some phone that's a hard link. And they're going into some, into some.

But we.

We don't need a mobile phone. You just need to wake up by the mantra or by offering our work to Krishna. Even a mundane activity, what may consider mundane activity to raise a child. But if your ideas of the child can be a Krishna conscious devotee, the child can be a devotee a Krishna in the future and be liberated. One parent, one want their children to be a liberated soul, then even the natural loving act of raising your child can also be an act of devotion to Krishna as well. So everything we do that almost everything could be transformed into a devotional service under the guidance of expert spiritual master to learn how to do that. That's what the Bhagavad Gita is so important. Because Krishna in a nutshell. Just how long did it take to speak to Gita? An hour or something? Two, three hours? He explained to Arjuna how he can do everything for Tachatya. We're talking about work, a warrior that's real war with killing people, being a battlefield cutthroat lily trying to cut your throat. And he could remain peaceful and focused on Krishna in the midst of that Gorsia, Krishna five feet in front of him, driving a chariot. It helps a lot like that. If we are a spiritual master and we have Krishna guiding us in the heart, the spiritual master guiding us well and regularly referring to the scripture, regularly referring to the lives of great devotees, then we also will be constantly in touch with Ka in these different ways. And you see, once a devotee gets a certain degree of maturity, initially there's a lot of enthusiasm and there's sometimes a little shaky period. And then they get to be very steady. They learned this technique on how to remain in touch with Krishna and how to help other people to come in touch with Ka. And one of the important things, of course, is association with senior Vaishnava. So you're very fortunate that you have the. This visit of.

Venab.

Yasapriya Maharaj gets some of his good association here in this isolated place in the desert. So it's a good opportunity. Sings nice pageants, nice beautiful classes. It's very nice to know you. So now he's here. We've invited him to come for lunch, which. How long is lunch? How long will it take to be ready? But even if the Israeli must tell, we invite you to words from him what his thing was. He was actually, I mean, he was. He was a green Austin before and must have usually agreed at some point. Take this phase in life.

Not everybody, don't worry, ladies, you know.

Not every husband has to take sick. I had one person telling, come to see me and say, you know, that I'm really worried because I was reading the book and after 50 years old, you should retire and renounce. I don't think I'm ready for that. I said, don't worry, because he's just joining at 50. So I said, really.

You don't have.

To, you know, it's not like you have to renounce.

It's not.

We can't take sannyas or anything. In fact, the whole of ISKCON we have maybe say a million followers. We have 100 Sannyasis, so the odds are not so much.

But he did go through all those.

Phases and he was actively preaching both in the west as well as India. So he knows how to survive through many different kinds of situations and survive spiritually, which is something we all need to be focused on. So maybe you can give us a few tips while we're here. These are all mostly I want. The few are in the world, but most of them are like.

15 minutes. Okay.

I don't know. But there is one saying that you have to live every day as if it's a new day. And you can't dwell on the past, past, present and future. They have material nature. It is all in the purview of the time. But since the soul is eternal, it has to concentrate on its eternal function.

And.

One must cultivate the unflinching faith on Guru's words and Ka's words. So all the success comes. I don't say I'm successful neither. I am of that advanced nature. But Samhamed is the mercy of my godbrothers that I have been floating and trying to serve.

Srila Prabhupada.

The association of the devotees is extremely important. I had very little association with Srila Prabhupada. I missed Srila Prabhupada on several occasions. Then I met him. If you want to count the numbers then starting from 1975, there's only a day's difference. But I wouldn't stay in the down. I came back to USA immediately. Then I thought I must have really a story at that time that I couldn't understand Midding Vishnu Prabhupada. But Prabhupada was kind enough to give Darshan in 1976 in New York. And also there was some communication, but it was not direct communication with Shloma. One time he was giving Darshan to the Light members at that time. I was at Black Melbourne in 1976 and I was late. So they stopped me at the door because the hall was completely packed and they wouldn't let me go in. So I just heard Srila Prabhupada from a distance. Several of my godbrothers, they still remember this incident very well. But I said I'm not that. But most of my communication and relaying the message was through Tamakrisha Maharaj. At that time it was personal servant.

Of Sri Prabhup.

Prabhupada. Anticipated when the devotees moved in the April 9th of April was the month where I think it was the day of Ram Navi when they moved in the New Temple on 340 West 55th street in New York. Prabhupada, he was very, very fond of this particular building that dudes acquired. It was so prestigious. So in Midtown Manhattan and 13 Storey High, Prabhupada would go up on the roof and see the skyscrapers. It's an amazing sight. You can see Empire State Building very near to it. Prabhupada even expressed the desire that if I die in America, please bury me here on the roof, make my Samadhi there. He was very fond of this prestigious place. And when we conducted the Rathiyatra on the fifth Avenue, he was completely entranced. He said to conduct Rathyatra in the most prestigious Rajmarg of New York. Fifth Heaven. Where the elites do shopping, the business office and they are all having that prestige by making the empire so wide, far out in the whole world and making influence. So whatever we do on this fifth Avenue will have an impact worldwide. So Rathayatra was being conducted on fifth Avenue front. Ever since that day, it's a privilege for me. When I became full time and I was Also given opportunity to conduct and take care of the whole here for myself. But of course, the events after that were not that much glorious because we lost that building. We had terrible mistake to sell that building off. The Indian community was completely devastated and still feeling the repercussions of that. We had opulent temple, one of the best temple at that time in the entire Iskcon. Mayapur was beginning at that time. I remember when the flood came in 1979 then waters were the highest, 22ft high. And in emergency. And when we received the message and I was secretary to the gbc. Gbc and we had to gather so much equipment we had to send motorboats and everything to the rescue and ship it.

So.

But the glorious days were coming to an end in 1980. It hardly stayed for five years. And devotees could not run the temple. It was like a white elephant, they say. So then I was given the impression. I know I drove Maharaj and others from Chicago to St. Louis. We were driving, do you remember? I think we came with there was some problem in Chicago and the GBC meeting was there. North American GBC meeting was there, I think at that time. And something is to be taken. I remember something in relation to Pravakrisha Maharaj.

But.

I had an occasion to drive and Marathya strike me because I am celebrated as an Indian driver in America. Going off the road. Of course, it was a big one. It was a motorhome. If you remember. I never drove a motorhome before. It was difficult to control. So then I had to get relief and let somebody else drive. So anyway, there are some recollections to that. But after Chicago, I was appointed as president of Chicago Temple. But I didn't like because I was coming from New York and I had to tell a Kish, please take me away, otherwise I run away. So he called me. At that time there was arrangement to sell off that building probably most. So they gave me one temple to establish humanity for the first time in the Western world hemisphere. So we took up life and soul. I was constantly in this by my gut clothes. And that was the substitution program. So association is very important. We successfully installed Shinaji in Nirvanadam. It didn't materialize in New York. But since then I served Nirvanadan community. And it's the mercy of the devotees that our devotional servants can be sustained over time. So association is the prime importance besides our Sadhana.

Yes.

Association.

Serving in association. So how many minutes left? So you can ask any question. Maharaj wanted to stress that we must Associate with devotees that will nurture our devotional service and make progress possible. This is Sangirtan movement is not Girtan so alone we cannot today.

You know what some kirtan means?

What's the difference between kirtan and sound?

Kirtan.

Congregation.

Some kirtan is congregation time. Now in Vaishnavi Karas talked about this Nujana Bhajana that it is not good to do Nujana Bhajana. And even the purport is also written that people get this feeling that they should do it separately. Why does this feeling come all of a sudden from the devotee who regularly associates?

Why does it come from Nirjan? Bhajan is an introspective aspect of a progressive devotee. He becomes more serious, introspective. He becomes committed to to the order of Guru and make its life and soul. He doesn't want to make a show outward. Yesterday we were talking about the Anter Mukishishyas and Bhairmukishishyas, right? So that is Nirjan Bhaja. If our inclination is there then it must be geared on that aspect of our own internal. Where we are supposed to keep everything secret. We can't expose it. It is the real possession a devotee ever has. Therefore it is said, hide your Istadev, hide your Guru, hide your Mantra and hide your Japana.

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