Vyasa Puja lecture | SB 11.19.33-35 | Part 2 | 11 Sep 2004 | Moscow Russia | Gopal Krishna Goswami

All glory to Shri Guruji!

Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya—

Oh my God... Um namo bhagavate vasudevaia.

Om namoh mahgurute wasudhevaya.

Om namoh bahgateh vassu devaiah.

Oma moh bagathee wasso deevayah.

As we are not reading the— I have 11 Cantos with me. So I have just selected a verse, 2 or 3 verses that describe the primary and secondary disciplinary principles. This is Kṛṣṇa speaking to Uddhava, his cousin. In this he has listed primary disciplinary principles and secondary disciplinary principles. The Lord has listed 24 points that He wants all of us to cultivate, especially the Rāja and the Bodhisattvas. See, when you hear that, we'll only discuss it provided you agree to try and cultivate them. Okay? Okay, we don't have a dasakā, we don't have a board.

Dasakā means sheet.

Sri Bhagavanu ācāra.

Sri Bhagavanu ācāra.

Ven sa Satya. Satya.

Asteya. Asteya.

Asango.

Asango. Heli.

Heli. Asanchaya. Asanchaya.

Astekya.

Astekya. Brahmacharya.

Brahmacharya. Cha.

Bonam.

Bonam. Sehyam.

Sehyam.

Samābhyam.

It reminds you of the 26 qualities of a devotee, isn't it, this verse?

Prasad RAVAL.

Oh, Lord Chaitanya has spoken. Sanatana Gosvāmī. Okay, Īśadvāś, slow speaking. Socham, tapaḥ, tapoḥ, homaḥ, shedhātyaḥ, mārtanaḥ, tirthātanaḥ, artheḥ, OK, so we won't do the Sanskrit of all three. We'll just do the Sanskrit of the first verse. OK?

Śrī Bhāgavān Vācāma.

Śrī Bhāgavān Vācāma.

Hensa saptam asteya.

Hensa saptam asteya.

Sangohe asanchaya.

Sangohe asanchaya.

Astikyaṁ brahmachāryam ca.

Astikyaṁ brahmachāryam ca.

Om Namah Shivaya Om Kaśambhayam Om Namah Shivaya Om Kaśambhayam Om Jinkāraśaṁ.

There's no voice on the board still, did it so nicely? On the first line you got 100% marks. Because I received my Pandava Chara. On the second whole line it was over 90%. And on the fifth line it came down to about 50%. Okay, show us.

Shri Bhagavanu Vācchām.

Shri Bhagavanu Vācchām.

Aṁ ca satyam asteyaṁ.

Aṁ ca satyam asteyaṁ.

Saṅgohiya saṅcayaṁ.

Saṅgohiya saṅcayaṁ.

Asikyam vāmacaryam ca.

Asikyam vāmacaryam ca.

Mōnam teyam kṣama vayaṁ.

Mōnam teyam kṣama vayaṁ.

Shri Bhagavanu Vācchām. Shri Bhagavanu Vācchām.

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

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

So as we said, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is instructing Śrī Uddhava about essential principles of spiritual life. This chapter is called the perfection of spiritual knowledge. In other words, these instructions that we are going to discuss today constitute the perfection of spiritual knowledge. We see in the scriptures the different devotees are asking questions and obtaining clarification and, ah, guidance. Just like over here, Uddhava, is asking question. Uddhava said, please describe, my dear Lord, how many types of disciplinary regulations there are. He says, please tell me what is real self-control, tolerance, equilibrium of mind. What is charity, heroism? What is renunciation? What is knowledge? So Uddhava is asking questions to which the Lord is replying. Just like in the Bhagavad Gita we see, when Arjuna is asking questions and the Lord is clarifying and replying. Elsewhere in the Bhagavatam we see, Parikṣit Mahārāja inquiring and Śrī Kula Gosvāmī replying. The sages questioning Śrīla Gosvāmī and Śrīla Gosvāmī replying. So to ask questions is not something embarrassing, but we need to ask questions from the right source to get the right answers. Just like suppose you have to do some medical surgery, you just don't catch hold of any man and tell him to do the surgery. You want to make sure you have the best qualified doctor to do the surgery. Similarly, we need to get information and clarification from the right source. So as I said earlier, Krishna in this, in these three verses explains these first 12 essential disciplinary principles that we should all cultivate. Then he describes 12 additional regular prescribed duties. So try and understand, Kṛṣṇa on the one hand is explaining 12 disciplinary principles, and further he is explaining 12 regulative duties that everyone pursuing spiritual life must have. So this is a very interesting Because Kṛṣṇa is giving us discipline principles plus duties that we must execute. Actually, this discussion is taking place in the 19th chapter of the 11th canto. Of course, the points mentioned in this verse have been covered in other verses of the Bhāgavatam and the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Since the Caitanya-caritāmṛta was compiled 500 years ago, many verses or many philosophical points from the Bhāgavatam, from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta are based on points from the Bhāgavatam. In fact, in many places in the CC, the Bhāgavatam verses are directly quoted. So when it comes to 12 primary disciplinary principles, Kṛṣṇa mentions the following 12. The reason I selected this verse, these 2 verses, is because the subject matter of these verses is also subject matter for an ishta-koshti with devotees. So the first thing he says is aham sa. So what does aham sa mean?

Non-violence.

Okay, everyone knows that. So devotee is supposed to be non-violent. Non-violence means that he doesn't want to harm any living entity, even an ant. Just like you read in the first Bhāgavata, Kṛṣṇa Canto, how Jatabhārata would not even keep his feet on the ground. Till he saw that at least for the next 3 feet there was no living entity on the ground. Now this is one aspect of non-violence, not wanting to hurt any living entity. Now in the Isha Upanishad it is said that if one is not birthing spiritual life, he becomes his own enemy or killer of the soul. You can never kill the soul since the soul is eternal.— but ātmāhāna means one who fails to understand the real goal of life, thus becoming his own enemy. So when we deviate from the spiritual path, we become our own enemy. You don't have to look for enemy very far. We become our own enemy when we don't act for our spiritual goal. So one of the disciplinary principles is to avoid violence. Then he, the Lord, says: Sātyam. What does sātyam mean?

Truthfulness.

Truthfulness. Truthfulness is one of the essential disciplinary principles. In the Bhāgavad-gītā, 17th chapter, Kṛṣṇa describes the austerity of the body, tongue, and mind. And in describing the austerity of the tongue, Kṛṣṇa explains to be truthful.

Truthful.

So to be truthful is described by Kṛṣṇa to be one of the austerities of the tongue. Why? Well, the truth is so— the tongue is so used to lying that when you have to speak the truth, it's an austerity. We're so used to lying that Kṛṣṇa says the austerity of the tongue is to be truthful. So truthfulness is one of the four essential ingredients of religion also. What are the other ingredients of religion?

Austerity.

And?

Mercy and? Adīna, ishāqma. Cleanness. So truthfulness is one of the four legs of religion. So an important element of spiritual life is to be truthful. The beginning of truthfulness is being truthful to the instructions of the Lord as they are coming down through the disciplic succession. Then extension is is being truthful to the spiritual path. At least in dealing with Vaishnavas, once we wake up. So truthfulness may hurt, may sometimes be difficult, but we should be truthful. At least when it comes to dealing with Vaishnavas and on spiritual principles. Prabhupāda in the Gītā says, any businessman says, "For you I make no profit, I'm giving you a special deal." So that is not untruthfulness. But untruthfulness is deviating from the instructions and deviating from the spiritual path and want to be truthful in dealing with Vaishnavas. Not converting or stealing the properties of others. Asteya. Asteya ka means not to be stealing other people's property. Why do people steal properties? Do they steal things in your country? No.

No.

It's everywhere people steal these days. They are not satisfied. In the Bhāgavatam, first canto, you also have Viṣṇudeva's instructions. And Viṣṇudeva, in listing 10 points, he has also included this point as a guideline to humanity. So not stealing, ah, mother's property is also an essential principle. Often we see in mature life You see that when somebody else has something which you don't have, you become envious and you begin to aspire for that. Dā? But Śrīla Kṛṣṇa has given us very good advice on this point. He says, "Deal with others the way you want others to deal with you." We want everyone to deal with us nicely. So He says, "You deal with others nicely." Then, lakṣmaṇa, Look upon every other woman except your wife as your mother. Then look upon everyone else's property as garbage. See, if you look upon others' property as garbage, then even if it is an attractive property, you're not going to get crippled with it. So, if you look, you don't get attracted to garbage, do you? Then detachment.

Asanma.

Asanma means detachment. Attachment. Now our principle is detachment from what is negative and attachment to what is positive. The Mayavadis also believe in detachment, but in the name of detachment they renounce everything saying everything is false, mithya. Rūpa Gosvāmī gave us the perfect principle of detachment known as the principle of yuktevāra. What does yuktevāra mean? Genuine renunciation. And what is genuine renunciation? Using things things in the service of the Lord. So detachment means you give up what is detrimental for spiritual attachment, for spiritual advancement, but maintain what is necessary for spiritual advancement. Just like to facilitate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prabhupāda accepted so many things for the first time. Bhaktisiddhānta Mahāprabhu, Bhaktisiddhānta Mahāprabhu was the fourth gīrācārya who ever sat in a car. Before that, no one would even sit in a car. Where would we have been if our ācāryas had not started sitting on cars? All that. Bhakti, you know, Bhaktisānta ṣrīla was the first ācārya who sat in a car, and Prabhupāda was the first ācārya who flew by plane. So yukti-vairāgya is a principle where you detach yourself, or you detach from what is negative and get attached to what is positive. We don't detach ourselves from something that is positive. If something can be used in service of Kṛṣṇa, Just saying this is material falls. We don't give it up. So genuine detachment is using everything in service of the Lord. Then humility is another important principle. We've heard of humility many times, almost every day in the class you hear about the importance of humility. Lord Caitanya described 6 principles of shanagati to Sanatana Gosvāmī. What does shanagati mean? To teach self-control.

Of whom?

Of Kṛṣṇa. So in the 6 principles of surrender, first is to set everything favorable for spiritual advancement. Next is to give up what is unfavorable. Next is to understand that Kṛṣṇa is your protector. No one except Kṛṣṇa can be your protector. To have faith that Kṛṣṇa and no one else can protect you. This is the fourth. Fourth, fifth is to make our desires consistent with the desires of the Lord. And the sixth is, you should be humble. So here again, humility is being mentioned. He mentions humility as one of the primary disciplinary principles. So humility has also been emphasized by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Which is that famous verse of Sikṣāsadeva? Humility is emphasized. And what does Kṛṣṇa das Kavirāja say we should do with this verse? Wear it next to your neckbead, tie it right around your neck, so you don't forget the importance. There's a nice story that one of Prabhupāda's godbrothers told us on this point. The story is related to Prabhupāda. So Prabhupāda, at one time, manufactured a drug tonic. And he told his godbrother, "I have developed this new formula for a health tonic." Prabhupāda's godbrother said, "Abe babu, this is not what I want. I want a tonic to develop love of God." So Prabhupāda very humbly said, "I know the formula, but the medicine is not ready as yet." The formula to develop love of God. God. So his Godbrother insisted, okay, tell me the formula. Prabhupada very humbly said, I know the formula, but the medicine is not ready as yet. So he insisted, and then Prabhupada gave the formula, which was, you know, I'll be saying to you. So humility is an essential principle of spiritual life, and an important aspect of humility is to offer respect to others without expecting anything in return. Prasad RAVAL. So many times the devotees want to know, how can I develop humility? How can I develop determination? This can all be developed by attentive execution of the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord. The attentive chanting of the Holy Name is capable of helping, helping you develop all these spiritual qualities. So for all of us, this humility and tolerance should be important qualities to cultivate.

Way.

Just like Kṛṣṇa describes tolerance to be, He describes tolerance to be happily enduring even unhappiness. Even when there is some unhappiness in life, one is tolerant, he happily endures it. Kṛṣṇaṁṇī and the Pāñḍavas had to go through so many difficulties.

Charitākuṇḍī, she is a Pāṇḍava, but she happily underwent these So humanity and tolerance go together.

Mare are.