Live Lecture | 4 Aug 2022 | Vancouver | Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami

Okay, go down, go down. Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!

Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna. I'm very happy to be here. Thank you, everybody. Really sorry for insisting, but the guidelines we followed, I've been advised by doctors, I want to face it. Thank you for listening. Yes, yes, ma'am.

Juice. Carrot juice.

That is carrot juice. Thank you. Hare Krishna. Hope all of you are doing well spiritually. His Holiness Gopal Krishna Gosamarādhī ki. Oh, I'm very happy. I wish I gave her the chance to maybe come again. Me, I love you. I have been following quite a group and many groups in my— you know it's come down still there now. There's a new monkeypox? Monkey! We're going to Kalila I think we may have to go home one more time. Before I start, I haven't seen anyone here. I haven't missed being with my— He's a full-blown professor. University? Aurora University. What do you teach?

I teach religion and ethics.

Wow. Hi. Hello to all of you. Yeah. So, anything can do that. Things are getting wrong. There are two worlds. Or any other many more races. There's so many kinds. We have to take shelter of the ancient one. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one or two or something. How many of you have read that portion of Caitanya Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Lord Chaitanya, I converted. Strong impersonalist, I will go to China. My father forced me. And then he decided, now I will go to China. I will go to China. We stay here for 5 more days. We stay here for 5 more days. And he was doing something. From great distance people would come to see him. And by seeing him, the Lord Janananda, he would also become a sannyāsa. He was his prasada. All of South India worshipped him. There was one Brahmin, a Kriyāṣṭra, The name was Puma. The Lord, the Lord was being evoked. — I am very unhappy at home. I don't want to travel with you. I said, "You don't have to travel with me. Here you are. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Be the glory of Lord Kṛṣṇa." And he, the babu, said, "Be the glory of Lord Kṛṣṇa." In this way, you will always be united with me. I will always be with you. This is it, buddy. Is that in Marathi? Okay. Actually, through the medium of Prasad Raaval, this is why this program. But the most important thing is, stand up, please. We are very fortunate that came in this, this mood. And Prabhupāda gave us nothing but this mood. Prabhupāda didn't compromise to attract people. He did not water down the philosophy. Even we had to struggle, struggle to learn all the way. Prabhupāda gave us a gift that What should we do? We take it to our teacher. In the fourth canto, Jñānamālaṣṭha, the fourth canto, Abhāsaḍa, there are three kinds of disciples. Only three. One is disciple in the sense of mood. The guru wants me to chant every day, all the four rules. Having told, he does that. Again, we have disciple, he told, please do this, you should get both, and you do. And the third great disciple is, doesn't matter what you say, You're going to do your own thing. Baba was giving a lecture and he said, we have to decide whether we want to operate A, B, or C, and based on that, we start our guruji. And Baba would get a patient and tell them, sarvadhamam prasadyat, and then do he. Krishna doesn't say, I will protect you no matter what you do. He doesn't say that. If you follow, surrender your body, mind, senses to me, then I will protect you. And just like he says, you think of me, bow down to me, offer homage to And he would come to me, and he would come to me, "So English is hard enough, you have to take things very seriously." All of you, very fortunate. Abhayānanda Mahārāja said, unless one is very fortunate and he has very good karma, he doesn't come to spiritual life. All of you are engaged in spiritual activity, then are very fortunate. And what should we do? We basically have to practice Krishna Consciousness. If you see, Prasad, if you chant your 16 rounds for the 4 principles, then you will definitely go back to God. 4, 16 rounds every day. And 4 every day. And we do that, Krishna gets pleased. A golden lion shall meet the priest. So, what do we do then? Gentle, greeting, and it's looking— Hypnotherapy and the whole thing. Kali Yuga is nothing but ocean of waste. There's one benediction in this Kali Yuga. What is that? What is that? How about living on the time table? You wanted to do what you have to do. You should be here for it. How many of you read the Gita every day? Read the Gita every day? The presence of the Lord. In a table we are born. Without table we are born. In a dining room we are born. In an ice cream table, every table there, we eat. Which we are born. So with 4 very simple guidelines you can make it work. I hope that all of you are seriously pursuing spiritual life. Very often we think, "What's the hurry? How long will you go?" Is there any guarantee? Is there any guarantee how long you're going to live?

No.

Danger ahead every day. These days, I think we're getting more dangerous. Even if we're living in the United States, there are so many incidents, so many issues about Yes, many people. When you walk in America, you be very cautious. You're engineered every step. The war, there's so much tension in the world today, and this tension is giving signs the Third World War would come in October 18th. They have all these armaments and nuclear weapons, and they use it. So the world is in a very dangerous state. What should we do? You understand? So is everyone chanting their bhikṣuṇa every day?

Yes, Prasad Raaval.

Make it a point. And you know, and then come to the temple. These temples of the Lord being built. Oh, the Lord has approved it. I've read it in books. He gives us the teaching. And He accepts. I thought that I can leave some time for questions. This morning I gave a bhāvān. I excuse you, but I want to tell you one tragic thing. Even a guru comes after years, but don't have the time to come. That's very unfortunate. All you do, you think you want it, but you can't get it. And this man I am in the condition of river of gold.

Yes.

This Gurubharat, so we all believe that we have to have spiritual master and we have to follow 4 regulations, principles and chant 16 rounds, we can go back to the Godhead. So, Gurubharat, there are some devotees whose family members They are following all the four regulative principles, chanting 16 rounds, but they are not initiated. What is the fate for those devotees?

When they were chanting 16 rounds, even if they are not initiated, they shall get the benefit. Any great wealth. But the Lord Himself is using them as Preṣada, in today's time. Questions?

Prasad Raval: What keeps the devotees enthused How do we remain enthused?

That's the question. What we want to know. How do we remain enthused on a permanent basis? So, Lupa was coming today. He said, "I understand that in order to engage in yoga system, one should be jubilant." And what contributes to this? Good sādhanā. Doesn't matter. When Josh and we were in, we have a good time there. We go on a grill outside at home. And I visit at home. And she doesn't understand. The Lord sees. When we chant, what do we do? When we chant, we're begging the Lord, "Please be merciful to me. Please guide me." He didn't gave me. Krishna ain't give you out of grace. He has to forgive. So, Judaism is in our hand. We follow the process and you automatically be in Judaism. Guaranteed. And I wasn't give you guarantee that way. Krishna offered it, we had it. Thank you.

Um, so we understand by Chaining 16 15 rounds following the regs, we go back to Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he also said that unless one is pure devotee of the Lord, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. He also said if one has a pinch of material desire, he has to take birth. So can you, can you help us, uh, understand?

Very good question. You all understand the question? You can repeat English.

I asked Guru Mahārāja, he said chanting 60 rounds and following 4 rules is sufficient to go back to Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda in his lecture and in the Bhāgavatam, he also said unless one is a pure devotee of the Lord, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. He also said if one has a pinch of material desire, he has to take birth. So I wanted to hear from Guru Mahārāja. If you can explain.

What's the solution and how you reconcile these statements? If someone is sincerely chanting Sikhi Naam, avoiding the offenses, then as he executes, he will get rid of it all until— We're chanting Sikhi Naam and avoiding offenses, and there's a very good chance You cleanse yourself. All material medicines. This medicine is so powerful. The holy name, the descent of the spiritual mood, is a very powerful medicine. The goal should be not only to chant Satsangini Nama, but to be attentive in chanting. It means You see, don't you do your job? Make this your main activity. Not that, "I'm with my left hand driving my car, right hand chanting my beads." You can chant, but you won't get as much of it. It won't benefit. Krishna is wonderful brother. Really. What's the difference? Krishna is different from the Holy Name? No, no. When you are next to a great personality, you are always respectful. When we had a chance to see the Prime Minister of India, you know, with him we were very hidden. When we were chanting the Holy Name, we should be very hidden. These earmuffs are too warm for chanting.

I just— I don't have to.

Chanting the Holy Name works in a moving experience.

We understand about what Tulpa said about following 4 religious principles and chasing 16 rounds, but I have observed in my limited experience that after 5 years, 10 years, some people they slack down. How can they sustain continuously those 5 things?

You understand. Everyone, everyone understand? Basically, I'm losing my voice. Basically, you're asking, how can we be consistent? Yeah, there is a— the key is in our We are allowed. You can be attentive. Realize the importance. And realize the importance and do it without fear. Then, then it can work. If you want to be enthusiastic of your life, then what do you do?

Ṣaṇḍha.

Vṣaṇḍha is the key to everything. Chanting is the solution and the cause. The cause, we don't chant properly. Don't chant regularly and become infected individually.

What happens?

Becoming from a disease and he stopped to take the medicine. "I recovered now, I don't need the medicine." Then what happened? He married that. So be allowed to make an effort. There's no question when a man go devotee. He don't want question no more. No man go devotee.

Hare Krishna.

Okay.

Hare Krishna.

Yeah, go ahead.

This morning you were talking how the unqualified son of the brahmana cursed the king. I was just wondering how this has affected our society and how this would affect our preaching activities amongst people who think they're born of a certain caste. Certain quality?

What do you mean?

Well, people like the— it's who is actually can be considered a Brahmin now, and how is this affecting society in general?

A quality by making an effort? Once somebody asks Prasad Raavalishma— "How many can you do some magic?" He didn't mean it. A genuine sādhaka doesn't do magic. Many people attack me for my tricks. The problem was that I can't really imagine. One magic I have done was I have converted other dumb creatures into Brahman. Those who were addicted to immortality after joining ISKCON, what do you do? We convert them into Brahman. We become a Brahman by guna, by a quality. What was your question?

Just how could we properly express this to people who think they have some privilege because of their birth?

Tagore, you know. Before the child is publicly preached, you become a Brahmin, not my birth, but by— And the situation was so serious that people even plotted to kill Gopi Chand. But he was forced to be, you know, publicly embraced. You are getting what is good for yourself. Yes. You said that one must chant round the Brahma Māuraka, but Pujaris are doing the deity service in the morning. Some exceptions may be there, like those who cook. They don't cook in the morning. Prasād RAVAL will be ready by 8:30, and Prasād RAVAL will be ready in the morning. The Grand Lord and Priest. The Simhadevi worship, the Messenger Services had to be done in the morning. So, you have to understand, what is— sometimes you do emergency, you do more work— we have to be remunerated for all of it. But essentially, those are the acts we perform. We should do it. On the spiritual path, our mood should be: we serve as needed. And we serve as needed, we make more life. You have to do some schema in the morning. I say, why? I can't, this is my job, I can't, I can't, I'm too tired to do this. I have books with me, I don't really need it. We wake up in what we call comfort zone. We got this phenomenon, I feel so bad on my own.— of being in a common room. And emotionally, you— I didn't need it. Then he let me go on.

Pramaj, you travel everywhere in the world, and wherever you go, people come come to hear about Kṛṣṇa from you. It doesn't matter where, if it's here or if it's in India or if it's in Russia. And, but we find that it's not so, so that we can also share Kṛṣṇa with people. It seems very difficult to do that, but it doesn't seem difficult for you to do that.

It is easy. Prasad Raaval.

My question is, my question is, how can you get in?

What can we know to overcome the difficulty? It seems difficult to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with people other than devotees. Like, for example, just people at large. Hard to attract people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prasad Raaval: I enjoy trying because Maya is getting stronger and stronger. But at the same time, Krishna loves me because I'm getting stronger and stronger. There are more devotees than ever before, more temples than ever before. I'm preaching in every corner of India, the temple. So preaching is also expanding. And the sensuality comes into everything. You can expand everywhere. The Lord is ready to help us, but we have to make an effort. And Krishna says, all the devotees, oy dear Mūrtha, oy dear Mūrtha, I am preaching all glory. The Lord becomes indebted. Somebody Mūlām.

Please.

And when Kṛṣṇa sees, "Here is someone trying to spread My glory," Kṛṣṇa gives him the intelligence.

Please.

The heart becomes indeliberately devoted when there is this. Please.

Any more questions?

Thank you, Śrīmādhva.

How do we develop more compassion and like not have like hate?

One could call it by executing chanting process. This chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the cause of all A little solution. You chant, you cleanse the heart. The heart gets cleansed, you become the easy tool. If you give us— and if you don't chant properly, then what happens? Your damnation will remain. For the chanting to be effective, your voice and Hare Krishna, Guru Mahārāja.

Following your footsteps, Mahārāja, we always see that wherever you travel, you're, you're always doing mangala arati. Like every morning. So, but sometimes we see, like talking personally, we work overnight and it is not possible to attend Mangala Aarti. Maybe we can attend on YouTube or just sing in our heart. So will that be considered as an exception or no?

As a rule, we try and follow, but if you miss sometimes, you're sleeping late, and Srisa. That is expected. But Kṛṣṇa knows how much loyal you are. One Englishman is saying, "I can cheat you, you can cheat me. No one can cheat Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate witness and the bookkeeper. Bookkeeper of all our karma.

Thank you.

Yeah, Maharaj, when you are coming, Maharaj, or even the, even the idea that you're You are coming and we can't even— we're so overwhelmed that You are here in Your attributes in front of us. It's so beautiful to see how each one of us, God brothers, sisters, seniors, juniors, are so attached to You that our love for each other expands in the time that You are in our presence. How— what is the trick? To keep that enthusiasm amongst us in your absence. It's so beautiful, actually.

Prabhupāda dedicates the forest kingdom to his spiritual master. He lived forever by his wife, his husband. They follow him with him. They have the Vāṇī. Vāpu and Vāṇī. Vāpu is the person associated, Vāṇī is the instruction. Now everyone knows the Vāpu is temporary. Vyāsadeva also gave us the scriptures and he disappeared. And Anācārya, he only gave instructions. Then they left. Prasad Raaval also gave us everything in the body. That is bhagavat. But why he stays off? Prasad, for example, met his guru only 5 or 6 times in his own life. That's all. But he took the instruction too hard. If all of them, there is hope to do the message all over the world. The Vāgavānī is ultimately more important than Lord Kṛṣṇa. We will get attached to the Vāgavānī. Vāgavānī is permanent. Our boy is temporary. So, it doesn't matter. Something like that. He is a devotee of the Bhagavan, right? No, a living spirit himself. The Bhagavan, living spirit, is one. Yes.

Any more?

Prasad Raaval.

This is Guru Mahārāja. Guru Mahārāja, I'm just wondering what our mindset should be when reading Śrīla Prabhupāda's books when we come across something that might be considered controversial, and how should we interpret that?

We should not interpret. We should say the full words.

Things as they are.

Our mind should be— everything that we need to do is in Prabhupāda's book. You don't have to think, "Oh, this book is only for the big men. I won't respond to that." Prasada said, "The books are original form in Telugu." Our mind should be I am fool number one when the wisdom is coming to me. I need a purpose. The purpose of the realization of Brahman is a great thing. Read it. You will never think something that means ourselves, something that means human better. Read these books regularly. I will give you a special— Chanting and reading, both are essential. All of you sitting here are educated. Only thing that holds us back from reading is laziness. Actually, in this part of the world, you can live far more comfortably I become lazy, and that's why you want to read enough. Really want to do more energy.

You know, yeah, when people come to come to our temples and ask us, for the first time of course they are coming and asking, they want to know Kṛṣṇa.

I know there are many books by Śrīla Prabhupāda they can read, but what book do you recommend Maharaj to newcomers who are inquisitive about knowing Kṛṣṇa? Start with the Bhāgavad-gītā. Bhāgavad-gītā is the ABC of spiritual life.— is what I can tell you, man.

Thank you, Ma.

You can preach from the second chapter. It is relevant to every one. Then the Bible says, "What shall I do when I'm getting the whole world as full of lawlessness?" Anymore?

Um, you're talking about laziness. How do we, um, combat that?

You have to use your intelligence in everything you You want admission in a good college? You work hard. You want a good job? You work hard and qualify. Similarly, you're in love with God, you also have to make an effort. Gandhi, I don't know how to make an effort, but Gandhi said it. Okay, any more?

What are some of the symptoms of attentive chanting?

I explained in the lecture, at least in attentive chanting. Attentive chanting has different definitions. One definition is your mind becomes really steady, doesn't leave meat at all. So the other is, when you're chanting around, your focus is just on the chanting, not that you want to do multiple jobs at the same time. Even if your mind wanders, Papa used to say, let it wander, you just chant and here. That is definitely attainable. And everybody can experience it. You just have to make up your mind. Next 1.5, 2 hours of prajāpa, I won't do anything. That's like you're eating prasāda and somebody interrupts you all the time. What do you say? "Let me eat in peace." Like this.

Yeah.

What's your experience with Hatha Yoga?

I have no experience with Hatha Yoga. I never tried it. I never plan to try.

Maharaja, how can we do something wonderful for Śrīla Prabhupāda and his movement?

You know, the whole thing. What am I doing? Our mother is one. I'm preaching. And we all have some talent. So, use your talent, your skills, primarily. Even as a mediocre diplomat, Everything we have is from Kṛṣṇa. How can we give that to Him? He knows what is best for us.

We should have faith.

Maharaj, when you were building the Dzugu Temple, you were really very active and doing. Can you please share some of the things, how the fundraising was done during that time? Oh, never mind. He went through everything, everything. But we are professional beggars. We are going to make you beggar. So one reason I recall Brother Śrīla Swāmi, he used to say, "Friend-raising and then fun-raising." First you make friends, then you have fun. You don't have fun right away. You need to make friends. Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja. Yes.

Welcome to, first of all, welcome to Vancouver. And my question is from Okay, can you give us a suggestion? And every time you come to Vancouver, everyone is enthusiastic and very happy. Okay, I just want to follow up Mother Satchi's question to you earlier. Could you give us suggestion how can we maintain it? Because every time you're here, everyone's enthusiastic to do service, come to the temple. Get-together of Godbrother and Godsister, and once you're gone, boom, just like that, it goes back to the same normal. It's reality, right?

Meditate on what you've been told. You've been told what to do when you do, and you will always be in Duryā. It's not that Duryā in the middle of the road is for a few people. It's for everyone. Our process of spiritual advancement is publicly in the Prasad RAVAL book. No secret. All we have to do, all that was— take guidance from those who are more advanced. There are 3 levels of association. Associate with those who are more advanced, equally advanced, and less advanced. Whoever you are, those who are more advanced I'm joyful. But we hear it from them. I think I'll stop here. I'm losing my voice.

Okay.

What do you say, Maharaj, drives determination like Dhruva Maharaj? What makes That determination become like jīdā, like—

Prasad Raaval said, in initial stage, you must have a desire. You have a desire, "I want spiritual life at any cost," and you make an attempt. Then, then we— you have a desire, She will send you a sadhu or a book. You read the book as per this sadhu and you get knowledge on bhajana-kriya. Bhajana-kriya being experience, and that will lead to termination of nishkāma. In our books everything is written and presented. I think I'll stop at this point.

Yes.

One will do the evening lecture in the temple, the other one in the hall. So anyway, we will move in. Thank you, Ronnie, for the lecture.