The Way to Understand God | SB 06.3.22 | ISKCON NVCC | Pune ​| 31 Dec 2022 | Gopal Krishna Goswami

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Namalāma le hale. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna! Krishna Krishna Krishna! Hare Rama! Hare Rama! Ramarama!

Hare Hare!

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama. Hale lama, hale lama, lama lama, hale hale. Allez, allez lama, allez lama, lama, lama, allez, allez. Hare Hare. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna. Hare Hare. Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Jai Maharama. Hare Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama. Aiba, aiba, aiba, aiba, aiba, aiba, aiba. Aiba! Aiba!

Aiba! Aiba!

Aiba! Aiba! Aiba!

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Yeah, I know what my back to me do with it. Can I put it on the side? Yes. My back has to do with the TV. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa-dvīsaṣṭhakaṣṭhraṇa, chapter 3, text 22. Everybody has a smartphone. Really, people that devotee have Prabhupāda books in their smartphone. Eṣavaṇa.

Eṣavaṇa.

Loké. Loké. Smṛṇu.

Smṛṇu.

Om Shanti, Dharma, Paramahamsa, Maxine. Yoga, Bhagavad Gita, Sangha. Nama Granadivi. Etaban Ewa Lokeshmen. Om Samdharmam Para Smritaha. Bhakti Yoga Bhagwati. Anama Granadivi. Etaban Ewa Lokeshmen.

Etaban Ewa Lokeshmen.

Itavaniva Lokeshme. Om Shantanamaprasad Prasad. Bhakti Yogo Bhagavati. Dhanamaganadivi. Itavaniva Lokeshme. Om Shantanamaprasad Prasad. Bhakti Yogo Bhagavati. Good evening, Shabdard.

Word-to-word translation. 'Ethaavan'—this much. 'Eva'—indeed. 'Lo kesmin'—in this material world. 'Pumsam'—of the living entities. 'Dharmaaha'—the religious principle. 'Paraha'—transcendental. 'Smritaha'—recognized. 'Bhaktiyogaha'—bhakti yoga. Bhakti-yoga or devotional service. Bhagavati to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not to the demigods.

Class English me vācha hiya Hindi mein. We do a mix show, that's all. So what should we do?

What should we do?

Hindi translation is going on in the Bhaktivedanta Hall. Either we sense it. So, Bhagavati to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not to the demigods, tat his nama of the Holy Name, grahanadhibhi, beginning with chanting. Translation, please repeat. Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the ultimate religious principle for the living entity in human society. Purport: As stated in the previous verse, dharmam bhagavatam, real religious principles are Bhagavad-dharma. The principles described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself or in Bhagavad-gītā, the preliminary study of the Bhāgavatam. What are these principles? The Bhāgavatam says, dharmah projita kaitavotra. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are no cheating religious systems. Everything in the Bhāgavatam is directly connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhāgavatam further says, savai pumsa paro dharma yato bhaktir adhoṣaje. The supreme religion is that which teaches its followers how to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is beyond the reach of experimental knowledge. Such a religious system begins with tan-nama-grahana, chanting of the holy name of the Lord, shravanam kīrtanam viśnuṣ-smāraṇam pāda-sevanam. After chanting the holy names of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord, and the transcendental qualities of the Lord. This way one fully understands the situation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can come to this understanding of the Lord, how He descends into the material world, how He takes His birth and what activities He performs, but one can know this only by executing devotional service. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, bhakti-yamām abhijñānāti, simply by devotional service one can understand everything about the Supreme Lord. If one fortunately understands the Supreme Lord in this way, the result is 'tyaktvā deham punar janmanayati'. After giving up this material body, he no longer has to take birth in this material world. Instead, he returns home back to Godhead. That is the ultimate perfection. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā 8.15, 'māmupetya punar janma dukhāleṁ śāśvatam na pnuvanti mahātmānasam siddhiḥ paramāṁ gataḥ'. 'After attaining me, the great souls who are yogis in devotion never return to this temporary world which is full of miseries because they have attained the highest perfection.' Om Agyaan Tevendasya Jnananjana Sharagya Chakshuramritanyena Shri Chaitanya Manobhissa.

Shri Radha Krishna Prasad. Hare Krishna Karuna Seviyam.

Hare Krishna!

Mevahe Sri Jaya Gurupījāsānai Nairayi— clear? Wami Sanaidarayi? He struck me. I'm educated man. I'm a very well-educated man. Unless you are very fortunate, unless you don't have lot of piety, you cannot come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She was a great dear. So, saikīrīnikā. Unka naam hai Dukhi Rāsi. Dukhi amītārānikā. Māṅgōnikā. From today, the name is changed to Suki Rāsi. You see? She's engaged in serving the Lord. So one who has the opportunity to serve the Lord is Real Sukhidāsa. So all of you sitting here are Sukhidāsa and Sukhidvārṇa. So the bhakti is only given after many, many, many devotional services. So, Prasād RAVALAD Pūjara, yeah.— a material situation. Everyone doesn't get the same punishment. You see? The punishment they get is based on the degree of crime you have committed. So Paśyamāhājja, kiyāte, kiyāte.

Rajarishi. Rajarishi means he was a king and a saint at the same time.

Most leaders today, Alone against North Sea. I said, "Get your mother and sister in and give Lucy the beer." So Martin Luther King, name that he gave her. So I told her, "Get your mother and sister in." "Yes, Mr. King." I mean, I can't believe I got this man. I'm a white lad, middle-aged, with a mommy project going on. So, Paśyamānava was very considerate. Paśyamānava is para-duḥkāra. He was thinking, "My God! These people were committing these crimes. This is the punishment they will get." So he was very compassionate. He did not want anyone to be hurt. The nature of a devotee is, He doesn't want even an ant to be. In the Bhāgavatam you read the story of King Rāmūna and Jalabhadra. So Jalabhadra was so careful, he would not even keep his feet on the ground till he made sure there was no ant. And by now the monkeys were so sage, Meghāya, hunter, was the one he fought. So Vaiṣṇava is very compassionate. Just like right now, are all of you engaged in book distribution? "Abhi yabijānte, oke, tapa nai, kandake vidyānpā." All baladeer.

Why? Wanting to make a profit? Why are we being told, going to the Spirit Book?

Because that is the nature of Abhayaṣrava.

He wants to save people. Prabhupāda, satyaṣaḥ kiyaumām e.

Where is? Explain what is real independence. What is real independence? Political independence? What is real independence? Freedom from the samsara of birth and death.

Freedom from the samsara of birth and death.

This is real freedom. So, Prasad RAVAL, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Nanda explained this to Prabhupāda. And Prabhupāda took it seriously. So, devotee's desire is to see everyone happy. But he knows that real happiness will come how? Remember, what is today? What day it is today?

Answer carefully.

New Year's Eve.

So today is, in the material world, very auspicious day.

What is it? New Year's Eve. What does New Year's Eve mean? One thing you must understand that the New Year they are referring to is Christian New Year. It is not your Vedic New Year or Hindu New Year. It's Christian New Year. Christianity's influence is so powerful And all over the world they follow it. In Russia, they have Russian New Year. But the predominating New Year is International New Year. So, ham jobek du sego melenge, kui se no gelenge, jaka ek koi.

Na saamo morako. Feeding card, and people used to count, how many cards did I give this day? And they will compare. Last year I got 200, this year I got—

and why do people say, 'Nee, we are happy to be here'?

Because they have this belief that If too many people say Happy New Year, then your year will really be happy.

Lafayette Club. Lafayette Club.

So, which day is all?

This all which is about to end. Which day is all? People wish you happy New Year. But if you analyze your balance sheet, You can ask them, 'Vekai sa?' What will people say? 'Jinda kai spelaitha ho zain hai.' So we are under a false illusion. If everyone greets me, 'Happy New Year,' I'll be happy. Basically the material world is a place of misery. So the whole world may wish you Happy New Year. But it is just money. So this is Christian New Year. And what do people use this for? Use it for gambling and socializing. Like today, New Year's Eve, the big rich people. Peh jo bhai bhai pari and sani log hai, unaiya saake se aaram karte hain, getting drunk. Yeh jo bhai bhai hotels hai, unme New Year Eve party ke liye, dozo laag raha party wale hain. Because these are, in these big hotels, they get booked up in advance. So, the devotee knows this Vichara was what? Kaala-vichara.

So, Praśadra Mahārāja, out of his concern for suffering humanity, he said, "Please describe to me how this, mahā-bhāgavatam, how one can become free from?" Nisamsara ho.

We are, we pursue education. Prabhupāda was once giving a lecture at a famous university in America. Prabhupāda saw the audience and said, "Is there any department in this university which tells you what happens after death?" He said, "Once I was lecturing at Stanford University in California. And I just asked them, "How many university departments do you have?" They said, "We have more than 100 departments." I said, "You have any department which tells you about the goal of life?" So, Prasadam Maharaj, what did he do? He asked Śrīla Gosvāmī, "Please describe "how I can become free from the misery of the world?" So, "it's very good for me." He replied by giving an ancient story. This story is in the Prāṇas. Prāṇas are also part of the Vedic family. So, Parīkṣitī gave the story of Ajivin. Ajivin ki jokāhāni hai. He got attracted to this. He started thinking about this. He got attached to this.

So, plays a major role in our development of spiritual life.

The scriptures talk about the importance of spiritual life.

Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, what did He say? Sadhu-sanga, sadhu-sanga. Lava-mādhā, sadhu-sanga.

Lava-mādhā. Lava-mādhā is what? 24 hours? No. It's a fraction of a second. So, Chedimappu said that even a moment's association, you know, very important.

So, so Caitanya Mahāprabhu summarized His teachings through Nārādhana Gosvāmī.

He mentioned 5 items to be very necessary. It was the first of the 5. Sādhana-saṅga. So sādhana-saṅga is very important.

In the 3rd canto, read about the dialogue between Devahūṭī and her son.

"Prasada rāvala devaḥ utiye āśrasya." "My dear son." She knew that her son was Self-realized. "My dear son, how can a living entity become free from material imprisonment?" And the son said, "My spiritual association, following spiritual life, Devotees, so many online courses were started. Now people are devotees are saying, "It's too much competition." Everyone is doing online course. So sadhu, sangha is paramount. One can get association with those who are more advanced, equally advanced, and, and that's it. What? Joyful.

When you hear something, you will be happy, especially.

You are associating with somebody who is equally advanced, then what do you do? Then you make friendship.

Friendship. And when you meet somebody less advanced, what do you do?

Spread compassion. But spiritual association is a must. So, Ajivinananda, Became very degraded, and he started engaging in all types of sinful activities. And he may become so sinful that Yamraj— Everybody knows Yamraj? Okay. Yamraj, prasādh rājal. So he is there. Āmraja said, told the Yamuna, "Go and bring him to me for punishment." Āmraja is the superintendent of death. He keeps track of everyone. Many times we preach to the materialists and tell them there is life after death. What do they say? They say, "No. What is the proof?" What is the evidence? So, in the Bible it is said, "What shall I do, though gain the whole world, except the loss of eternal soul?" The Bible supports the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā that you may gain the wealth of the whole world, but unless you have served the Lord, it's simply wasted time. Yes.

So, Arjuna has become very sinful.

In order to keep his prostitute wife happy, he is indulging in so many sinful activities. So Yama ji sent Yamadutas.

So he sent the Yamadutas to bring the Arjuna to him.

And the Yamadutas are very ugly, frightening, scary. You can see the pictures of the Yamadūtas in the 6th century, 5th century. In the Bhāgavata we see story of pictures of Yamraj also. So Yamraj, no sorry, Ajivīra, when he saw these fearful looking Yamadūṭhasa. What happened? What did he do?

He cried for his youngest son. He was very attached to him.

He named his youngest son what? It was a custom in almost every culture to name the children after the names of God. Just like Hindu, Ram, Sita. In Christianity also they have Bible, they have John and Saint Peter, Mary, Muhammad also.

It's a custom of, in every few faiths, you name the children after the name of God. And the logic is, when they call their children by that name, they also get the benefit.

In India also this is there. But these days many Indians want to give their children spiritual names. No, they want something modern. Sāñipī, yām kokaṇa paṇḍraya, aṅgālacchāgāya. So he was a yakya. Name the children after the name of God.

So Ajivin, his son was playing near by. And Ajivin saw, he's fearful. Yāmaṇḍhakaṇḍa.

What did he do? He loudly chanted, "Āh!" He was chanting that name 1,000 times every day. When he saw Yama, we shouldn't do that. He was very— he saw the Yama, he got very scared. And then instantly, as he uttered the Holy Name, who appeared? Vishuddhu. And then Vishuddhu said, "Hey!

What are you doing? You can't take this soul out from this body. Not allowed." So the Yama-Dutas were bewildered. This was the first time they were ever sent on an assignment.

And they went to take the soul out of the body. They were struck. They were bewildered. So the Yama-Dutas came to their master and they said, "Is there anyone more powerful than you?" And what did he say? "Yes, there's someone more powerful than me. I'm not the chief." The people were— In today's society, what is the belief that's common in India? So the yama-duta approached their master. The master said, "Yes, there is someone superior to me, and it is the Supreme Lord." So in these verses we hear about the glories of the Holy Name. Īśrūgṁ bhakāya mādhurābhko māmāṇḍhāki māimāḥ. Āīśrūgṁ bhakāya kāyaḥ bhaktiśrūrūrthīḥ." With the chanting of the Holy Name. The chanting of the Holy Name is the beginning of prasāda. In this story of Ajāmila, you read about the importance of chanting the Holy Name. In Kali-yoga, this is the most important means of spiritual advancement. This Prabhupāda used to say, "Our heart is more black than a coal." So changing the holy name is the beginning of spiritual life, parijñāmārāya. Surya Bhagavān. How will people in Kali-yuga be saved? This is the same question that Prajñāmālaṇu put. How will people in Kali-yuga be saved?

Kali-yoga, This is nothing but an ocean of vice.

Wherever you go, you see what? What do you see? Temptation, what sense enjoyment? Look at the advertisements, billboards, all, it's all very obscene. Why do they do that?

They want to agitate you, so that you go and buy their product.

With Kali-yuga, nothing but ocean of vice.

But there is one concession, one benediction in the guru. And what is that?

Chanting the holy name.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu had predicted, pitiviti ācicchāda-nagarāli-gāma-svābada-pri-cāya-vibhemaṇa. In every town and village of the world, what will be chanted?

The holy name. See, the holy name is not something sectarian. And it is non-different from the Lord. The holy name is the medium through which we can please the Lord.

So the Bhāgavatam, what is the Bhāgavatam giving us?

Bhāgavatama is giving us knowledge on pure devotional service. Bhāgavatama is giving us the essence of religion.

Vyasadeva, he has compiled vast Vedic literature. But he was still disappointed.

He felt that there's something lacking in my work. Vyāsadeva. So what did he do? He went to meet his guru.

Vyāsadeva also had a guru, no? What's his name? Nārada Muni.

Nārada Muni is the guru of many. Of devotees and criminals. Even the criminal Meghāi was magnified by him. So this chanting of the Holy Name is the pure remedy. And what does the Lord say? Kali-kali-kalikāramānupakṛṣṇa-vatār. You can look at the Lord and you can see He is in the Holy Name.

So this Holy Name is the prime medium through which you can develop Love of God.

So this holy name is very important. Rūpa Gosvāmī gave us many wonderful books, one of which is Śrī Udaya Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. It's a small book, Udaya Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, 11 verses. But every verse is very significant. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanatan, as you know, were serving where? Serving army and king, but their heart was not there.

They knew that king is a criminal.

So first Bhagavan Swami left, then Sanatan. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he sent Śrīla Prabhupāda Gosvāmī Mahāprabhu gave him the following instruction: To build temples, because temples are very necessary also, and write books of Vedic literature, and write books and make temples, and identify places where the Lord performed His pastimes. He said, "We have, we now in that level, through a new opāna of book editing, eṣāya, eṇidāvidyā, eṣāmaṁ āyām, oṣo-miṛdaṇe, riśa-dgṛkheṇa, oṇaṇidhyā." So, Mūla-bhāgavatam may say, "The way of the Lord is sweet like sugar candy." Everybody likes sugar candy? Good for dentist. But the more sugar candy you eat, more cavities you get. Anyway, sugar candy, everyone, at the end of the meal, wants something sweet. Am I right? I think it's the other way around.

So, Gaurīya is sweet like sugar candy.

The pastimes of the Lord are also sweet. But we don't have a taste for Gaurīya.

Is that right?

But then, how can you rectify it? He says, if you If you attentively chant the Holy Name, then what will happen? Then you will develop love for God. Because dirt gets cleansed. So scriptures are pointing out, "I think more is only Holy Name." So, whole day chanting Holy Name, emotion will develop. So if you want to advance spiritually, here it is. Devotional service begins with the chanting of the Holy Name. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has summarized, made a process of devotional service very easy.

So chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, the most important.

And if you chant the Holy Name, you will get benefit. The Vedic scriptures say this is the prime prasad, benediction, and prasad for the preaching environment. So the Holy Name, just like Prabhupāda, he went to America.

What did he take with him? He took 200 sets of Bhāgavad-gītā and mṛdaṅga, rudrakṣa.

He started his preaching just by sitting going to Tompkins Square Park, doing kīrtana.

The Holy Name is non-different from the Lord. And the Holy Name can be chanted day and night.

You won't get tired. In a material situation, you sing a song, maybe you sing it once or twice, and you get tired. But the Holy Name, you can chant. Nonstop.

Yes or no?

Yes. Is a prime example. He used to chant. I am going to die. She died. So this chanting of the Holy Name is not different from the Lord. And Prabhupāda appeared to fulfill Achyutānanda's prediction. What was Achyutānanda's prediction?

Ki aṭhi? Ipitike har-kore me.

Kaya hai na morya. So it is the story of Arjuna. He highlighted it. He parlo con lei. O Babì, Babì, amo. Io ne sono innamorato di lei. Anche me.

Pure io sono innamorato di lei, sai.

Poi ci caghiamo insieme. Hai capito? A me, beh, innamoro quando c'è qualcuno che mi piace. You know that this is going to be harmful. If you try to do chanting of the Holy Name, you will not revive. So that will be chanting on the strength of committing sins on the strength of chanting. So the Vedic scriptures point out the importance of the Holy Name.

And Nama-janta-mṛkṛṣṇa, The Holy Name of the Lord is like what? Śrīntāmṇi. Śrīntāmṇi, touchstone. What is a touchstone?

Wherever you touch, it will transmit the gold. So this is the real touchstone. There is a story that we used to hear. There is a Brahmin. He is the most creative. And he got a benediction in what? That he could get the most valuable asset of the samurai we have. So the Brahmin went to Lord Śiva and said, "I preach, you have the most important community." And Śiva said, "Yes." You take that. And it was lying there, and he got it. So, he was experimenting.

Is it really touching everything?

Everything will go? He saw it was gone. Then one intelligent man said, "Where did he get this from?" He said, "I had preached to the demigods, and they gave me this benediction." Where was this lying? He said, "A heap of garbage." So he said, "If this was the most valuable asset you have, why would you place it in a heap of garbage?" And he said, "You want to know what is the most valuable thing?" "No." "No, who is it?" "See, the scriptures say the most valuable asset is what?" "No." He said, "Real guru-pandit. Real guru-pandit is not one who drives a Mercedes car." Real core prabhupāda is one who takes to the Holy Name. So we are so fortunate that Prabhupāda gave, brought us, gave us the real thing. What was the real thing? Chanta Holy Name. So, chanta Holy Name, Holy Name is a non-different from God. So Śrīla Gosvāmī is explaining that the Holy Name is very important. And we should develop a taste for the Holy Name. How do we develop a taste? Many times you will read that. How can I get a taste for the Holy Name? So, how do you get a taste for the Holy Name? By chanting.

You get a taste for the Holy Name, your taste will increase.

How? If you chant. Many times the devotees say, "How can I get a taste for reading the books?" The Prabhupāda books are not just for distribution, but they're also for study. It's unfortunate that we're enthusiastic to distribute books, we're not enthusiastic to study the books. So, many times the devotees say, How can I get a taste for the, this book? By reading.

If you develop a habit of reading, then you will also get a taste.

If you don't read, then you won't get a taste. And there are devotees who have read the book unlimited number of times. There was one sannyāsī who read the book Bhagavad-gītā 140 times. So the Holy Names of the Lord, Honor the Lord. And the books, Prabhupāda encouraged us to do book distribution.

I think you are still doing the marathon, isn't it?

Is marathon over or is still going on?

We want to give more mercy to people.

So until January 15th.

In India, when you distribute these books, environment is pretty good.

But in places like Kazakhstan, so much snow, anybody go out and move.

So, Holy Name of the Lord.

Namaḥ Rādhā-nāmāḥ Kṛṣṇa. From the Lord.

So chanting the Holy Name is a real, for us, the most important method.

The Holy Name, the Nama Sankirtana. Now you can chant the Holy Name any time that you want. You won't get tired. So we, our real goal is we are attached to the Holy Name. So in this purpose, Prasad RAVAL is explaining 'What should we do?' Papa Kostya spoke, 'Sare po'ly na Pyoda mo?' I said, 'What do you mean?' 'We should take to the path of Pyoda.' When he showed it before me, —was questioned by a parishioner of mine. Or questioned, Śrīla Gosvāmī said, "Standing on the Holy Name is the conclusion of the scriptures." So the Lord incarnates in the Holy Name. The Holy Name incarnates in the form of the Lord. And the Holy Name is the medium through which we get the love of God. And only by this devotion of Acharya, What do you see? Emptiness is the only way. So we come to these, we come to these occasions, just like we had a camp here for one week in the Yavuz Avenue. So this camp is organized why? To give you all an opportunity with the Spiritual Association. And this Association Wake us up. Now, chīda-pramājñāma vamāṁ grahyate niroḥ. Only name of the Lord, what does it do? It cleanses the heart.

And what else?

What's the benefit when you chant the holy name?

Is there any benefit? I am not a buddhi. Chaitanya Mahāprabhu says, the benefit of chanting the holy name is what?

You will get attraction to the Supreme Lord. The heart will get cleansed. So this cleansing of the heart is absolutely necessary. Prayāskarīñye, Kṛṣṇa.

Prāṣad RAVAL said: "You take one step towards Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will take ten steps towards you." Kṛṣṇa sees.

"Here is somebody wanting to serve Me." Then Kṛṣṇa gives him the necessary. So easy.

And if you take advantage of Bhajana-kriyā, then what happens?

Anāsā-nivritti. The anāsās are enemies in a way. The anāsās are the impediments.

What are they? Lust. And you breathe.

Anyway. Hm? These anāsas, too little is related to the Lord. Just like you may get some very nicely cooked prasād, but if you have blisters on your tongue, can you enjoy it? If you have high fever, If someone gives you some morsel, you go with it. Will you like it?

You can't.

But then as you, as your heart gets cleansed, you begin to appreciate the sweetness more and more. Śrīla Prabhupāda always says, in the beginning you have that desire, adauśraddha, and the desire is that I must "Povê kme laiv? Namo 'nārāyaṣvaṁ ca duḥ." He sends you— "Povê kme laiv? Namo 'nārāyaṣvaṁ ca duḥ." He sends you in spiritual— He sends you some association. Just like all of you who are here.

If I was to ask you, "How did you take to come to spiritual life?" What would you say?

Some would say, "Someone gave me a book." Some would say, "I got invited by somebody." Is that right? And if it was Self-realized like Śrī Kula Gosvāmī, then he had the knowledge about both. But we are not Self-realized. So we came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness usually by association of the devotee and these books. Sometimes we devotee is saying, They just believe books, but nobody wants to read them.

That's not a fact.

There are many people who are waiting when will Hare Kṛṣṇa Devotee come and give them the book. So we should have full faith that these books are so powerful that even if you read one śloka, you will be able to develop. That can be the beginning of your spiritual life. Chanting the Holy Name results in cleansing the heart. And when it comes to chanting the Holy Name, what did Jnana Mahāprabhu say?

"How can you chant the Holy Name?" Prabhupāda was in Allahabad.

And he had a godbrother, Dr. Kapur, who had a pharmacy. Said, "Prabhupāda, I've gone to see him." And he said, Prabhupāda said, "I have developed a new formula for new vitamins." So he said, "Tell me the formula by which you can develop love of God." And what Prabhupāda said? He said, "Devīsya śrāsa yāsoḥ." If you want to be in a position to chant the Holy Name all the time, then what should you do? You have to remove your humility. Humility is very essential on the spiritual path. In material life, nobody likes to be humble.

"Why should I listen to him? What does he know more than me?" You all think that.

What do we all think? —mudha, mudha. And you have this humble attitude, then what will happen? You'll be able to develop love of God. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you want to take advantage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should cultivate the mudha, we should be tolerant.

In material life there's so many challenges. Isn't that right? Do you think it's easy to do anything?

You think it was easy to build this temple and purāṣṭha? It is easy? No. You have to work hard.

And our mood of service should be, we want to serve as needed.

Many times people say, sometimes nobody says, "I will serve, but according to my desire." It is called comfort zone. You heard of that comfort zone? You heard of comfort zone?

So many times our attitude is, "I will serve, but I want this facility." Ye subhidāya ye subhidāya.

So that is comfort zone. In comfort zone you don't make much spiritual advancement. And the other is service necessary. "Ām seva karthe hain." Kṛṣṇa, based on what is needed.

Like when you are in the army, do they give you a choice?

If they say, "Go to Kashmir," you have to go. So our attitude on the path of bhakti should be that I want to serve the Lord in any circumstances. Not that I want to be, "I'll take du-du-du bhakti. It should be according to my plan." No, our mood should be, "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa as it is needed." And if that's the attitude, make so many, you'll make it one. So Prabhupāda has given us the transcendental knowledge. You take advantage of it. And we keep distributing these books. Our philosophy is 24/7. I think, Alexāntara Vidyāmāraka, you may see a lot of billboards, 24/7.

What does that mean?

24 hours, 7 days a week, we're engaged in bhakti. That should be our attitude. 24/7. They have these stores. They are open in the night. They say 24/7. Our 24/7 is only engaged in bhakti all the time. Why? Bhakti is fully satisfied. And we sincerely endeavor, simple as that. So we should take to this process. Holy Name is the most valuable asset. And the Holy Name is descending from where?

Bhagavad-gītā says, jīv-jāgo jīv-jāgo gohacanabhole, kozanen te jāvamaya priyaśrīr-gohā. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, so please get up. You are sleeping in the lap of the witch." You may say, "I'm already awake.

Don't you see that?" But we are awake, but surely Spiritually we are snoring. We are snoring. So what happens? You have to repeat. So Prabhupāda says, he brought this Holy Name from where? So this Holy Name is coming from spiritual world. He says, this is for everybody.

Viyāitāgo ani tāko sadāya mūrdaḥ. Doesn't matter where you are, or how you shall do.

One brahmacari, Jyāstiṣṭhaka, Jyātiḥaṇḍamāyaḥ. Lord Caitanya, one of the gurus of India. So He came to the house. He was greeted by a yogini brahmin called Kurma. This Kurma brahmin, very fortunate Lord Caitanya came to his house. So he said, "I'm tired of staying in a home." "I would like to join You and travel with You." But Lord Caitanya said, "No!

You don't have to travel with Me.

Just stay where You are and do the following: Chant the Holy Name and preach the glories of the Holy Name. Read this Bhāgavad-gītā, preach the glories of the Bhāgavad-gītā. In this way, You will never be separated from Me." So, Chetan Mahaprabhu is described as the— a what?

Who is merciful of all mankind.

If Chetan Mahaprabhu is there, Guru Murekha, Toma Benagiri, all those sannyasis, Prasad RAVAL RAVAL, who is not Prasad RAVAL RAVAL? Please give me mercy. Devotee is always praying, "I may never fall in māyā." Devotee is always praying that māyā may not touch him. Once Prabhupāda was reading the Deities in England, and he offered some prayer. Devotees asked him, "Prabhupāda, what were you offering?" He said, "I was praying to Kṛṣṇa that māyā may not touch me." So even an advanced soul, what is he— He doesn't say, "I'm very advanced." He's moving, means, "Ama." He pays to the Lord for mercy. So to summarize, we've been reading the story of Ajivya, and there are 3 chapters in this volume. They're just describing The glories of the Holy Name. And the Holy Name is so sweet. Holy Name in the beginning may be a little bitter, but then it becomes sweet. Aṁ sāpo 'kyākāṇa ce, hai nama rūḍhi-bharañe. O 'āla-bhakta-e ho kī, cete nama prabhu-jīki, yo bhavaśo 'riki, o satya-dhikara-e. Turiya-kī, haṅkore bē, o 'kyākāre. And I'm going to try to do it. So, Hare Kṛṣṇa Nama is very important. And if you chant sincerely, then what happens? Ananda-buddhi. What? Then you get unending spiritual happiness. Material happiness is a bigger gain and end. Prabhupāda always says there are 3 categories of happiness. One is happiness that you get by performing material activity. So, bōdhik kāyek edvāra, jvānan ki prāptiho sīye. It is what? Temporary. Then it is temporary. Ajāy kāl— One day, the other day, happiness you get by. Impersonal realization. And the next day, happiness you get by. Devotional service.

So don't think that you perform any charity, you won't get happiness.

You will get real happiness, not false happiness. And then happiness just goes on increasing. Prabhupāda said, "There's a limit to the height of the ocean, but there's no limit to the height of the spiritual ocean." So you chant and We are standing, we are praying to the Lord. He is giving bhakti. And our goal in life should be what?

Always remember Kṛṣṇa and? Supakṛṣṇa. Supakṛṣṇa. He gave us so many rules. He said the purpose of all these rules is to bring us to that point, that we always love Kṛṣṇa.

So, this Pūrā-dhāma, It's very beautiful. Great thanks to Pradīṣāmānandī for working hard. Actually, Prabhupāda came to Pune also. I gave him a car. Prabhupāda came by car from Mexico, from Mumbai, stopped here to have prasāda in a lady's house, and then went to Māmalaīśvara. So Prabhupāda's dream of having centers everywhere. Why sometimes people say, "Bisvārmani, the mandariki would arrive." No. The mandariki would arrive. The mandariki's tāne, jāñki, tomākar, that big car to Prabhupāda's sake. And why do we build a big temple?

Prasad Raaval said, "I can sleep under any tree. I can sleep on the road.

But to attract people, we need a nice one." It's like in Poona. In the beginning, our temple was in Kandivli, and we had a few devotees. But we used to get very few people. Then we started preaching expanded God-bond. Sincerely devoted. And then after making this temple, so many people are coming. Thousands of people are coming every day. Last few days I've been seeing the rush. Morning to night people are coming to visit here. And now after this COVID, we have seen that the rush in our temple is even higher. You've seen that here also, prasada? There are more people coming to ISKCON temples now.

Why? Because people have seen that if you want bhakti, you go to ISKCON.

If you want the Holy Name, go to ISKCON. And now I've seen everywhere in Delhi, in our, the number of people coming, even Pune. Actually, because it looks like people were missing ISKCON devotees, and now they're coming. So Prabhupāda has given us a perfect package. We should be enthusiastic. Sādhanaścāntaya. And given their ring, we should pray to Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa! I left a little time, I left a little time in case you want to ask questions.

Any questions?

Prabhasad, asking questions, I know.

Yeah. Prasad? Yes. Someone is asking over here and then we come to you. Hare Krishna Maharajji, dhanupranam. Jay Shri Prabhupada. As you are a very intimate disciple of Srila Prabhupada and very dear to him, so my question is, what will please Srila Prabhupada the most? What will please Srila Prabhupada the most?

Papa said, "What we proper the most, we distribute his books." "Aribo!" Now you may say, "Why?" The reason is, these books are meant to enlighten people, save people from the cycle of birth and death. And you should also know, Papa labored very hard to produce these books.

Even when Prabhupāda was in his last days in Vṛndāvana, he could not even sit down.

He was lying on a bed.

One day, when he was holding the microphone, one was reading the Bhāgavatam, and he was translating. Why did he go through this labor? Because he wanted humanity to be happy.

Aap kuri so chaukhāb sāb. Aap iskāl ke sekar bhaijne hothe. You can't hold that.

Kīsī-sanghaṁ veda-māyā-kīsīṅgaṁ kāgacena śrāpitaṁ vajraṇigāt. So once one devotee told me, "Since I have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, my garga kājāka mukhe." So I said, "Why?" I knew the answer, but I "Now, since I become ājiva-jivani, I just go from home, from home to office, and office to temple. I don't go to the club at all." So even from an economic standpoint, being Kṛṣṇa conscious will help save you from bad habits. Okay? Yes, any more? Yeah, should we take some? Okay. Hare Krishna, Maharaj. Thank you for the class.

Maharaj, we have got Holy Name very lightly, so we take it very cheaply. So how can we ensure that we don't take it cheaply?

By being respectful to the Holy Name. What does it mean, be respectful?

When you chant the Holy Name, you should be attentive.

Now, if you're eating prasāda, someone comes every minute, what do you say? "Let me eat in peace, Bhātmānā." Koyabu bābā, agetoke, present pūche.

Bhātmānā.

So, we should be You chant the Holy Name, your concentration should be just on the Holy Name.

If you want to develop love of God, you have to make an endeavor. Without endeavor, you won't get anything in life.

Just like some of you may be graduated from IIT.

So before you got your admission in IIT, You had to work really hard, sacrifice everything.

Isn't it?

So similarly Kṛṣṇa says, "All the medicines were given to me.

I devoured them. They got healed." God helps those. Any other? The famous British proverb. Okay, anymore? Yes.

Hare Krishna Maharaj, it is a wonderful lecture. So, so the topmost devotional service is said to be—

he was asking questions from there.

The topmost devotional service is said to be unmotivated. So how can our devotional service be unmotivated and fully directed to please Lord Kṛṣṇa alone.

Just like when you are diseased, what do you do? Take the medicine and they cure. Medicine and they die. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa has given us that medicine.

Deviṣakura māyimāmāmayāturāśrayaḥ.

Kṛṣṇa says, "This is the problem." But then, māmāyvāmāyāpapadāne māyāvatām.

If you surrender to Me, what does surrender to Me mean?

Do what I want. It was like in the concluding verse of Bhāgavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says: "Sarva-dharmaṁ paucayam āmaṁ ekam śraddhaṁ." "Āmaṁ sarva-dharmaṁ paucayam āmaṁ ekam śraddhaṁ." Give up all ideas of religion and surrender to Me. What does that mean? It doesn't mean you have Islam, you have, I don't know, It means you dedicate your mind, intelligence, and words to service of the Lord. You think about the Lord, you work for the Lord, you study for the Lord.

Make the Lord the focal point.

And even if the, even if you're doing devotional service, you're not an abhidhamma, śrīla Kṛṣṇa would be kind. Recognize you. But in reality this doesn't happen, right? Happens. So Bhagavan Gīrī Śrīvānanda, I am looking at Meṣṭhīpura, the pura samajābandhī, eh. He is not accepting. I am the prasād-kīya, eh.

Therefore He said, Devotional service never goes anywhere. Śrīla Swāmi said, "This devotional service is so powerful, that even if you run with both your eyes closed, you won't fall." So we should not worry.

Sometimes we worry, he said, get worried. I think I'm not interpreting. Hare Kṛṣṇa is in the heart. If you are sincerely trying, He will give you necessary intelligence. Okay? Yes? Gāyajana, maybe you should go to get ready. You have to leave.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja. Thank you for the class. Prasad, this question is about book distribution. Like when I go to book distribution, I like to give them more information, I like to help them, like how the Bhagavad Gita can help them. So I tend to give more time to them, but some devotees are telling that it's better if you give them less time so you can cover more people, so more people can get books. But I feel like I want to help them by giving them more information. As to what deep, in deep, like how the book can help them?

If I understand your question clearly, you mean, 'Am yo bhi aate hain book distribution mein, aam logon se jyada bhat karthe hain ho, jyada same de the ho, ki aap chalte hain ho, naagun.' Or we should do fast, just show them and then— Usually when we go on book distribution, we should associate only as much as is necessary, not more. And energy.

And of course each case is different.

Sometimes you meet somebody who is very positive. There's no fixed rule that we meet someone like him. How much time you should spend. That is, you use your intelligence, but you will Paramātmāni heart. You are right, Ma'am. Kālisa. Okay.

Sādhana devotees use the book distribution as a cultivation mechanism. So then they tend to sell less books and talk more. And others want to reach out to as many people as possible, and they tell them, "Come to temple, join this program, here is the address," like that they do. So should cultivation be combined with book distribution, or should we make an effort to reach more and more books? Especially in Marathana, we try to reach more books. Both are correct.

It all depends. As I said, there's no fixed mantra. We have based on our imagination.

Kṛṣṇa is in your heart. So when you do, when you go on samkeṣaṇa, keep your heart meditated on Kṛṣṇa.

"God, please help me." Then Kṛṣṇa will help.

Uh, Hare Krishna Maharaj.

I'm going to America today, so I hope. Yeah, Hare Krishna Maharaj, thank you for the class. Yes, business. Balance between material life and spiritual life, is that what you mean?

Material life, yes.

Business also. So, your most important seva is sādhanā.

When you are 16 hours, like that. This you keep strict. And then you do business, but not at the expense of sādhanā. You understand?

Don't think that, "I work hard for 6 months, make good money, then I'll retire." You should be steady in your program. And if you're steady, then you should lead a balanced life.

Like the doctor is talking about a balanced diet. Activity should be balanced. Maharaj, what should be our consciousness while we are earning money? Repeat your question. What should be? Our consciousness while we earn money.

That I want to use this Lakshmi to serve Krishna. How do you think all these temples are maintained?

With money. Prabhupāda once told me in Bombay, "We are professional beggars." Prabhupāda said, "We are professional beggars." We are always begging.

Now you have this book marathon. In a few months there will be another marathon.

In a few months another marathon. So we always have—

and it's Kṛṣṇa's mercy that He engages us positively. If we didn't have this marathon, what would we do?

Marathon is keeping you fully occupied.

Even when you are thinking, "Now I have 15 days left for the marathon, so I am—" We work hard.

"I am going to try some new technique." Asuk samkirtan. Engage the mind positively. Okay. Okay, anything else? Hare Krishna, Maharaj.

Dhanvat pranam.

Maharaj, what are some of the things we can do to increase the taste in chanting of the Holy Name? Well, the most important thing that I feel is to be attentive while chanting. Prabhupāda said that. The Holy Name is non-different from the Lord. So when you are next to some important personality, you're careful. Isn't that? So when we chant the Holy Name, we should understand we are associating with the Lord, and therefore we should be little respectful to the Lord.

You may not fully succeed, but by making an attempt, Thank you, Maharaj.

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Maharaj, you told that we should develop a service mood what is needed, what is the need. In that sense, we should develop this mood of service.

Yeah, so how can we develop this mood, Maharaj?

I find if you're regularly reading and chanting and associating with devotees, that mood will develop.

There is one solution to all problems.

You chant the Holy Names properly, then they read, then your intelligence is much higher. Just like if you have a sharp knife, you cut easily, isn't it? So your intelligence is sharp, then you can cut Maya easily. And if our sādhana is not good, we are not chanting properly, then others will trouble us in some way or the other. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja. My question is, Maharaj, during COVID times, all of us are most— online seva has also come. So, you are talking about the anarthani vritti. So, seva is also necessary if we try to reduce the anarthani vritti. So, can you tell us which seva will be important or how should we balance between online seva and physical temple seva if we get?

Hare Krishna, Maharaj. What was the last part of your question?

Means, how should we prioritize online seva and physical temple seva if we get? Which will reduce our anarthani vritti more, or how to go about it?

Well, Prabhupāda said, "Keep yourself busy for 24 hours." Keep yourself busy all the time.

And what is the famous British proverb?

An idle brain is Devil's workshop.

So don't be idle.

Whether COVID or no COVID, it's not—

if it's COVID, no COVID, challenges, keep yourself busy all the time. Because an idle brain is really devil's workshop. You're fully engaged, then you're in a different mood. Okay, so any more question? Yes, no question from the ladies. Okay.

Yeah, Hare Krishna Maharaj. So my question is, as if you attend morning program, so my question is, what piece of advice would you give? And even Prabhupada Ji would have used to give to his disciples and students, ki vo esa thought, striking thought, jis saab morning program karni ke liye uthne, and if you don't wake up that day, you feel guilty the whole day for not attending morning program. So what's your question? So my question is, ki what advice would you give, ki with what thought should we wake up for morning program?

If you get up in time for the morning program, For the morning program, if it is done properly, it will give you spiritual strength. Just like even when you are going on book distribution.

If you have a good sadhana in the morning, then when you go on the battlefield, you are strong.

And if you had a lazy morning, no chanting at all, then you don't get the same merit.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness you can directly experience.

Experience. Just like you go to a laboratory to do experiments.

So with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we can see on days when you chant, read, your enthusiasm is high. And when you don't do this, your enthusiasm is low.

So we are so fortunate that Prabhupāda has given us everything in his books. Yeah. Hare Krishna, Maharaj.

Maharaj, thank you very much for the class.

Maharaj, often I have heard that to bring someone in Krishna consciousness, they need to have the Lord's blessing or a pure devotee's blessing.

So what is our role in preaching then?

Well, the Lord's reciprocation is based on our endeavor. Kṛṣṇa has given everyone a free choice. Otherwise— And we exercise the free choice, good. And the Lord helps you. That's why Prabhupāda said, "You take one step towards Kṛṣṇa and He'll take ten steps." So when Kṛṣṇa sees, "Ah!" This is the only one who can serve Me. And He's very pleased. And He gives you this, this, this, that knowledge. Just like everyone who is sitting here, or everyone who has come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you must have got some association from Him. In His books, Prabhupāda said, "We'll be ready for the next millennium." These days a lot of people say, Or you read these books online. People meet you and say they meet you online. So printing the books is easy to read. Reading is easier if you're reading online, then That's bad for the back and for your eyes. So you're reading these books in the middle. So, are people telling you on some reason why your book's expensive? So we'll stop now. So thank you very much. I want to thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

So we want to thank Radhe Shyam and the entire group who—

So we were missing Maharaj before the starting of the marathon this time. And it was a big loss this time we felt. But fortunately the bureau meeting was arranged here in Pune. Maharaj is very, very prominent part of the bureau meeting and Maharaj came all the way from Delhi despite his health and we are very grateful to him. Now I feel that the rest of the time devotees will be even more enthused than before for distributing the books till mid-Jan. Prabhu, correct?

Yes, sir.

Yeah, so let us thank Maharaj.

Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Maharaj, this time they're giving very special prizes. He's going to tell you, Maharaj.

You tell me today for whom?

Not today. No, no, you tell for whom.

Top 10 teams. Prasad RAVAL encouraged transcendental competition, and this year the competition is between Pune, Bombay, Mayapur, and Delhi.

Harībō! So I think—

To ye hai gift hai, Shri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Bhagwan ka, yo flute hai, ye top 10 teams ko milne wala hai. So ye wohi flute hai, Shri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Bhagwan apni hatho mein, hamesha rakhte the, aur silver ka flute hai. Aur ye param pujo ko paal kishno ko Swami Maharaj phir se prize 19th February ko ane wale margin date bhi di hai. To koon bane ga flute ka, sevak. To yeh flute baati visheshe hai, aur amar pas aur kuch din hai. To aaj 31st last din hai, aur ane wale January me kuch Or individual gift to be here. 126 Śrīla Prabhupāda's udṣava manaare heta. Or 500 Bhagavad-gītā, 1000 Bhagavad-gītā. 1000 Bhagavad-gītā logo mṛḍhanga milega. Or 500 Bhagavad-gītā jo distribution karengi. Unke liye ek rādhā Yashoda-dāmodaraka, Yashoda-dāmodaraka ek special deity. Aur ho māy purme banke aayega, aur jo 126 Bhagavad Gītā vitāran karenge, unko Śrīla Prabhupāda ji ka bhauti, vishēśaik mūrti aur lighting ke sadbhaut akarśak rāigā, toh ultimately hāmē Śrīla Prabhupāda ji ke senior devotees ka blessings milēgā. To savi bhaktān se binti hai, aur āniwālē, 2 smandar din mein, jitna granṭha vitāran karna hai, utṇāva granṭha vitāran karsakte hai. Friends, relatives, kovi bulaaye. Aarham parambhujagopalakrishna Gosvāmī Mahārāja ko dānyavad dete hain. Jor se, prem se, ridaise ek bar Hare Krishna Mahāmātra bulke.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Hare.

Thank you. All of you should wish Paleshaham a successful trip to America. Hare Krishna.

Karengi, jis bhagavadita ko ham jail mein, hospital mein, aur school mein, aur villages mein baatne wale hain, jinn bhakton ko aisa one-to-one distribution nahi kar paare toh donation kar sakte hai, 20 bhagavadita, minimum 20 bhagavadita jo vitaren karengi, minimum 20 bhagavadita jo sponsors karsakte hai, unke liye Shri Sraddha Vandavan Chandrakar, a temple hall mein, Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!

For camp participants, the classes will begin at 11:15 at the respective venues.

Ashray Camp venue is changed to Bhaktivedanta Hall.