Krishna Bhakti - The Highest and Ultimate Perfection

Lecture Transcription of Class by HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj
Date: March 16, 2012 in Damodardesh


Bhagavad Gita 9.32

mam hi partha vyapasritya
ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaisyas tatha sudras
te 'pi yanti param gatim
“O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] — can attain the supreme destination.”

This verse describes the power of Krishna bhakti. Krishna himself says that as far as eligibility for Krishna Bhakti is concerned, Krishna Bhakti is the most universal process and anyone can perform it. In India, which is called tapo-bhumi, or the land of tapasya, there are many techniques or processes for spiritual elevation to a higher state of consciousness.

Sadhana means something which is instrumental in achieving the goal – sadhya. The goal of human life is to elevate one’s consciousness. We can see even from the construction of the human body that it’s a vertical structure and every other specie has more or less a horizontal structure or downward structure. The only body which goes straight up is human body and all other species of life look down. There are many human beings also who are mostly concerned with the lower strata of human existence but the human existence in actuality is meant to be progressive and elevate the consciousness. Everyone has a spiritual tendency and craving but the problem is that the materialistic tendencies called Karma are so strong that it binds us. There are many techniques for elevation and ultimately all have one common thing - to weaken the physical tendencies. All the techniques which are there for spiritual development are meant to weaken these animalistic tendencies in human beings and strengthen the spiritual tendencies.

For each process there is an eligibility or adhikara. One cannot engage in this process without having the proper eligibility.

There are four processes as below:-

- One is Karma-yoga in which we have to follow very strict rules laid down in the Vedic scriptures. To be eligible to perform Karma-yoga, we should be born in a particular family and should know our Gothra. We have to follow certain traditions and dharma-sastras. However, ultimately it does not work in Kali-yuga as to go against the flow/tendency of the modern society which is strongly dominated by the lower modes of passion and ignorance is very difficult. For example, in reality the food which we eat in Kali-yuga can never be sattvic food as it is grown with heavy chemicals and fertilizers. So, it is very difficult to perform this strict yoga practice which requires a sattvic lifestyle, calm and disciplined mind and a certain culture. Karma-yoga has very high eligibility with regards to birth and a regulated mindset by following the rules & regulations.

- There is jnana-yoga in which we have to renounce everything and try to meditate on the Supreme. For performing Jnana-yoga we have to be completely renounced, we have to know Shastras, we have to know Sanskrit, we have to be able to meditate and really withdraw the mind from all the attractions – and Dubai is surely not a place for Mediation! We have to go high out on the Himalayas where the atmosphere is conducive but now even over there the contamination of Kali-yuga has reached. We recently went up high in the Himalayas for a pilgrimage to only find coca-cola bottles there. [Laughter] Modern culture is everywhere!

- Then there is astanga-yoga where we have to do different asanas and completely silence the mind. In Astanga-yoga we have to be conceived and born in a certain way, we need to have a flexible body and be able to withdraw the mind and senses from the sense objects. I was recently asked to speak about Yoga and Pranayama in a gathering and people were very inspired. After the lecture, an old lady came to me and said; ‘My Dear Son, why didn’t you come 30 years back?’ [Laughter] So I was telling her something which she was not eligible for.

- Finally there is Bhakti-yoga.

Ultimately, all the first three processes being employed in Kali-yuga do not bring the ultimate perfection. They may bring little relief from stress but in actuality it does nothing. There is only one process which works in Kali-yuga and that is Bhakti-yoga. This is said on the authority of Krishna Himself. Krishna very clearly says in the ninth chapter of Bhagavad-Gita which describes Bhakti-yoga, that everyone and anyone is eligible to perform this process and not only to perform the process but also achieve the ultimate result of this process which is not only liberation but higher than liberation.

In a previous verse, (BG 9.30) Krishna says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak – even if you are a sinner, you still can perform Bhakti and very quickly all these tendencies which we have will be vanished from our consciousness. Krishna says even if you acquire some strong sinful propensity (su-duracar which means very bad and sinful activities) very quickly you will become Dharmatma or very righteous. We all had these propensities at some point within us and somehow or the other, they become weakened very quickly. The lowest of the lowest of mankind is eligible of attaining the highest perfection of Krishna Bhakti by taking up this process of chanting Hare Krishna.

In reality Krishna tells us that the Aprarabdha Karma (with which we are born) can be completely eradicated. Usually for other processes, they claim that some part of our aprarabdha Karma can be diminished but it is said in Padma Purana:
aprarabdha-phalam papam
kutam bijam phalonmukham
kramenaiva praliyeta
vishnu-bhakti-ratatmanam
The dormant unmanifested karmic reactions or results of sins which will manifest later on (apraarabdha phalam), the sinful propensity awakened due to the unmanifest reactions (kuta), the strong desire to commit sin (bija) and the resultant suffering experienced due to engaging in a sinful action (phalonmukham), are completely  destroyed in the above sequence in the a life of a devotee who is full attached and absorbed (rataatmanam) in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The apraabadha is the easiest and the first to be destroyed and can also be destroyed to some extent by other processes, but the later things like Kuta, Bija and Praarabdha (manifested reaction which we experience when we sin) cannot be destroyed by any other spiritual processes except Bhakti- yoga.

Vishnu Bhakti - if one has very strong attachment to follow this process then all the tendencies of sinful reactions can be eradicated gradually. So many samskaras are stored in our consciousness that we have no idea how they will manifest. So much heaps and heaps of karma and tendencies are there in order to keep us happily engaged in this material world for many lifetimes.

Aprarabdha phalam is destroyed first, then comes Kuta. Kuta is basically the tip of the Iceberg and under the iceberg, there is a huge amount of material stored. So Kuta basically means the sub-conscious propensities. We all have some propensity to sinful life and we are born with these propensities. Sometimes, we are not even aware of these propensities. Next is Bija which means the seed or desire in our heart. If we study astrology, we can know about the sinful propensities or papa-grahas in the chart and they indicate the sinful propensities and astrology shows the time when they will manifest, however, for the time-being they may be dormant. These desires are always manifest. Sometimes we are successful in suppressing them and sometimes not. Phalonmukha is fully-blown up propensities or karma.

But here in this verse we understand that our aprarabdha Karma, Kuta, Bija and Phalonmukha will gradually be eradicated from our consciousness if we perform Krishna Bhakti.

There is a Sanskrit Logic that if you take a needle and if you take 100 petals of Lotus, if we go with this needle through the 100 petals of the Lotus, practically all the 100 petals will be pierced at the same time by the needle. In the same way, the process of Krishna Bhakti can very quickly eradicate the sinful tendencies. The secret here is explained by the word ‘Vyapasritya’ which means one really has to take shelter and apply himself fully and completely to this process with full faith. This is the glory and power of this process.

I would narrate my personal story before I became a devotee. Once devotees were walking with Srila Prabhupada and somebody started complaining to Srila Prabhupada, that ‘Indians are so tricky and we have to very careful with them!’ Then Prabhupada stopped and said that, ‘I am also Indian.’ They stared apologizing and said Prabhupada you are different. Srila Prabhupada said, ‘I’m not different because I also tricked you.’ [Laughter] So I was also tricked by a devotee who told me that if I chant this Hare Krishna Mantra, then I will gain good health and my aura will be strong and I will see aura of others. So I started chanting this Mantra and it’s been 32 years, I didn’t see any aura. [Laughter] The point is when I started chanting the Mantra, I could immediately feel the difference, that there is something which is coming to my consciousness which was not there before. At one point, my career was finished, my family members became morose because I was a hope for the family and everything collapsed yet I was happy. What I could do, I was happy. I felt lightness because all this burden of karma which is stored and is suppressing our consciousness was being eradicated.

We can all achieve amazing results no matter who we are, if we have sraddha (faith). If our faith is exclusive then one can achieve the result very quickly. Once I got a letter from a lady who was reading Bhagavad-Gita, and she said that when I read Bhagavad-Gita I cry because deep within my heart, I feel that every word of this book is true and that for a long time I was searching for something and now I am fulfilled. This lady must be very advanced as she had tears of love because of this powerful process of Krishna Bhakti. When Caitanya Maharprabhu came to the poor Brahmana who was crying by only looking at the picture of Bhagavad-gita, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said you are the Acarya of Bhagavad-gita because you have full faith.

So following this process means complete change in the consciousness. Now we are bound up by material attachments but by this process, we become free. This faith in Krishna gives complete shelter to everyone. In reality we are all foreign to this world. This place is not for us but when we come to Krishna Consciousness we have this amazing feeling that I am home, I am back home because Krishna is there and He is my eternal father.

Recently, I again got a letter from a devotee who is very new to Krishna Consciousness and she writes, ‘I chant 16 rounds everyday but then when I finish my 16 rounds, I cannot stop chanting and therefore I am chanting 32 rounds but because of household chores I reluctantly have to stop but I am always chanting Hare Krishna.’ So this is how people become advanced so quickly by this process if they have faith.

So, the secret here is that if we apply ourselves completely in this process and have full faith then very quickly we will achieve great success. We will feel the presence of Krishna in our heart at every moment of our life.

Glories of Sri Narada

Class by HG Nandakumar Prabhu - Damodardesh
Date: 02.03.2010

Verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.34
etad dhy ātura-cittānāḿ
mātrā-sparśecchayā muhuḥ
bhava-sindhu-plavo dṛṣṭo
hari-caryānuvarṇanam
Translation: It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat — the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.

Narada Muni says that the satisfaction for all the frustrated beings who are always contemplating on the objects of the senses, is to continually chant the activities of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada says that the Lord by His causeless mercy descends and does his pastimes like the wordly people, but all His activities are extraordinary. Lord Krishna performed these pastimes, so that we can turn our attention from materialistic activities to the spiritual activities of the Lord.

Narada represents giver of Narayana but unfortunately in cinema they make jokes on Narada. This is because we cannot recognize a Sadhu. Srila Prabhupada gives the example of King Rshabha, Sukadeva Goswami, Rahugana & Jada Bharata. One could never understand the saintly character of these personalities by their external behavior & characteristics.

There is no profit if one goes to a Sadhu for fulfillment of material desires and does not listen to him. We should associate with a sadhu for our own benefit.
na te viduh svartha-gatim hi vishnum
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah
Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Vishnu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries. (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.31)

We should therefore, hear the instructions of the Sadhu. The Sadhu puts hot oil in our ears and all the infection and contamination which exists will be cleansed out. So, we should follow the great authorities like Narada Muni.
svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir vaiyāsakir vayam
dvādaśaite vijānīmo dharmaḿ bhāgavataḿ bhaṭāḥ
guhyaḿ viśuddhaḿ durbodhaḿ yaḿ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja,Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead. (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.20-21)

We should follow the path which the authorities have shown us. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ - Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.' (CC Madhya 17.186)

Narada is the Guru of Vyasadeva, Dhruva, Prahalad, Yudhistar Maharaj, Bhishma and in every Purana, we will find Narada in the scene. In every canto of Bhagavatam, Narada Muni is there.

Once Srila Prabhupada was in London temple and he began to laugh. There were only few devotees, so they asked Prabhupada, about his reason for laughing? Srila Prabhupada said, I am smiling because Sri Narada is laughing in ecstacy seeing the devotees going out and preaching to people completely devoid of God consciousness & doing kirtan in a place which is residence for mlecchas. So, Narada is happy when he sees devotees preaching. Narada’s mission is to go to every place, meet every individual and make them devotees. Yare Dekha Tare Kaha Krishna Upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128). In many ways, Srila Prabhupada is like Narada Muni. Srila Prabhupada travelled the globe 14 times and He said that ‘I got the same curse as Narada got. I cannot stay in one place.’

Narada Muni has a transcendental body and He is an associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead for whom the doors of Vaikuntha are always open. As explained in SB 1.6.31 Purport, “The ṛṣis, as above mentioned, cannot enter into the transcendental world like Nārada. This fact is disclosed in the Narasiḿha Purāṇa. Ṛṣis like Marīci are authorities in fruitive work, and ṛṣis like Sanaka and Sanātana are authorities in philosophical speculations. But Śrī Nārada Muni is the prime authority for transcendental devotional service of the Lord.”

aho devarṣir dhanyo 'yaḿ
yat-kīrtiḿ śārńgadhanvanaḥ
gāyan mādyann idaḿ tantryā
ramayaty āturaḿ jagat
All glory and success to Śrīla Nārada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.38)

The Greatness of Sri Narada’s Mother

Narada started his journey from the most disqualified birth as the son of a maidservant. But so exalted was the mother that she did not prefer to serve materialistic men to earn her livelihood but rather preferred happily to serve the devotees of the Lord. When she learnt that the Bhaktivedantas had arrived during the Caturmasya period, she decided to go along with her little son and serve them. She and Narada were engaged constantly in their service.  Sri Narada says, “Thus during two seasons — the rainy season and autumn — I had the opportunity to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As the flow of my devotional service began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.28 Text)

How did Narada benefit from the Bhaktivedantas?

SB 1.5.26 Purport: “One can attain to the highest perfection of life simply by attentive hearing of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord from the right sources, as Śrī Nārada heard them from the pure devotees (bhakti-vedāntas) in his previous life. This process of hearing in the association of the devotees is especially recommended in this age of quarrel (Kali).”

However, in this age of Kali, we have to be careful from many professional reciters of the Bhagavatam who decry the supreme existence of Lord Krishna and establish superiority of some supernatural power which can be given any name or form. But Srimad Bhagavatam’s first verse begins with “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya -  O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.” Every line of the Bhagavatam talks about Lord Hari.

SB 1.5.32 Purport: “The best thing is, after all, to get relief from all material activities and engage oneself completely in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. But in case of the absence of such an opportunity, one should try to engage in the service of the Lord everything for which one has specific attraction, and that is the way of peace and prosperity.”

How wonderfully Srila Prabhupada guides us to channelize all our abilities in Krishna’s service.
SB 1.5.25 Text: Sri Narada says: “Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me.”

Kind Grace of the Lord to Narada

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.9: “Once upon a time, my poor mother, when going out one night to milk a cow, was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influenced by supreme time.” Purport: That is the way of dragging a sincere soul nearer to God. The poor boy was being looked after only by his affectionate mother, and yet the mother was taken from the world by the supreme will in order to put him completely at the mercy of the Lord.
So Narada had no alternative for protection than the Supreme Lord.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.33: The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy activities.
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.17: O Vyāsadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada explains in SB 1.16.19 Purport, “We cannot demand the Lord to be present before our vision, just as we cannot demand the sun to rise whenever we like. The sun rises out of his own accord; so also the Lord is pleased to be present out of His causeless mercy. One should simply await the opportune moment and go on discharging his prescribed duty in devotional service of the Lord. Nārada Muni thought that the Lord could be seen again by the same mechanical process which was successful in the first attempt, but in spite of his utmost endeavor he could not make the second attempt successful. The Lord is completely independent of all obligations. He can simply be bound up by the tie of unalloyed devotion. Nor is He visible or perceivable by our material senses. When He pleases, being satisfied with the sincere attempt of devotional service depending completely on the mercy of the Lord, then He may be seen out of His own accord.”
Our Bhakti is fluctuating up and down like the stock market, but it can be steady if we hold on to the Lotus-like feet of Srila Prabhupada and Guru-acaryas.

All different religions state that they heard the voice of the Lord and on that basis came their religious texts. But for Narada, the Lord first gave him His darshan and then the voice came as a consolation prize. So this is the greatness of Sanatana Dharma.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.22: The Lord said: “O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.”

Purport: A living being cannot be vacant of desires. He is not a dead stone. He must be working, thinking, feeling and willing. But when he thinks, feels and wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all entanglement. The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it. That is the transcendental nature of godly service. Material service has satiation, whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end. One can go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end. By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical. The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of the Lord.

The more service we do, the more we get attached to service and we gradually become free from all attachments. If we give up doing service, it means we give up seeing the Lord because the Lord and His service are identical.

Glories of Chanting the Holy Name

The ananda which floods the heart comes from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We are very fortunate that we got this chanting of Hare Krishna but often we take it for granted as we got it very easily.  

 

Srila Prabhupada has given the following definition of the chanting of Hare Krishna:

This transcendental vibration--by chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--is the sublime method for reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in our complexities. This illusion is called maya, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krsna consciousness.

We will try to understand the deep meaning of these words:-  

1. Sublime – Beautiful and Transcendental:- Something that is transcendental is beautiful but all that is beautiful is not transcendental. These 16 words are not ordinary material words. These words are spiritual from beginning to the end – Golokera Prema Dhan Harinama Sankirtan. Since we are so conditioned, we don't realize the potency so it is on our ability to come to that point.

2. Reviving of our Krsna Consciousness:-

Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.107  

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

"Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.

It is said in the Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 3.79

koṭi aśvamedha eka kṛṣṇa nāma sama

yei kahe, se pāṣaṇḍī, daṇḍe tāre yama

One who says that ten million aśvamedha sacrifices are equal to the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is undoubtedly an atheist. He is sure to be punished by Yamarāja.

 

The Vedic scriptures say:

go-koṭi-dānaḿ grahaṇe khagasya

prayāga-gańgodaka-kalpa-̣vasah

yajñāyutaḿ meru-suvarṇa-dānaḿ

govinda-kīrter na samaḿ śatāḿśaiḥ

"Even if one distributes ten million cows in charity during an eclipse of the sun, lives at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā for millions of years, or gives a mountain of gold in sacrifice to the brāhmaṇas, he does not earn one hundredth part of the merit derived from chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."

To be able to revive Krsna Consciousness means it is there but dormant i.e it is not active. That absolutely pure Krsna Consciousness is there and some mechanical process cannot awaken it but it can be revived by sravanam – listening to the Nama, Rupa, Guna and Lila of the Lord. For  example, if it is night time then we cannot see the sun, but the sun is always present and it's position remains unaffected. Similarly, this Krsna Consciousness is always present, but due to our polluted consciousness, we are unable to perceive this. This can be awakened by reading Srimad Bhagavatam, having Prasadam with devotees etc.

  3. Living Spirit Souls:- We are all living because we have a soul which is spiritual in nature. When Krsna talks to Arjuna about the living entity, he is talking about the soul. We are always Krsna Conscious, but some realize it and some do not realize it.

4. Association with matter since time immemorial:- This means that we are associating with matter not in this life but life after life. So Srila Prabhupada is saying that we have to finish this cycle of birth and death in this life itself. Sometimes, we find it difficult to change our nature because this nature has been with us since time immemorial. As the air carries the aroma, so the person carries with itself the nature and because this svabhava is so deep rooted in our consciousness, lot of continuous practice is required to bring a change.

5. Our Consciousness is polluted by material atmosphere:- This pollution happens due to our desire to enjoy separate from Krsna. As we try to enjoy this material world, the more we get pulled into it. The advertisements that we see in the Media, are done for fulfilling the material ends of the advertisers but they make the people feel that they can enjoy this material world. 'I am the Lord of all that I survery' - This very enjoying spirit is the cause of our falldown and suffering. If we can come together and enjoy in the loving devotional service of the Lord, then perverted enjoyment becomes real enjoyment. For example, the rain is pure but when it comes in touch with air, dust or mud it becomes dirty and muddy. Similarly, the soul is by nature pure but by being in contact with the material contamination, the consciousness becomes polluted.

6. Trying to exploit the resources of Material Nature:- Our material education has been directed towards exploitation of the natural resources as ultimately all the wealth comes from nature. As the greed is increasing, the exploitation is also increasing. Srila Prabhupada calls this civilization as polishing the cage civilization - The golden cage is nicely polished but the bird inside the cage is not fed. Similarly, the real spiritual need of the soul is ignored and satisfaction is trying to be obtained by fulfilling the material need's. So,that's why the civilization is falling and deep inside there is no tripti. The satisfaction is only external.

It is said in the Bhagavad-Gita 7.5 The spirit souls are higher and they are exploiting the inferior resources of this material nature.

7.More and more entangled in our complexities:- These complexities are created by us. We often blame God that why there are so many difficulties but actually these complexities are created by us. For example, a silk worm weaves nicely but does not know how to come out of it and finally dies. So our position is like that. Everyone gets absorbed in this gigantic material creation.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duhkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino 'nityās

tāḿs titiksasva bhārata

O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. (Bhagavad Gita 2.14)

 

We have made this whole world for our comfort; if there is little heat we want AC – all these demands cause the complexities. So Krishna tells Arjuna not to be perturbed by all this happiness and distress and if we can tolerate that then we will not create so many complexities. These problems will come and go, so we should increase the capacity to tolerate.

 

8. This illusion is called Maya:- Maya means that which is not.

krsna -- surya-sama; maya haya andhakara

yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara

"Krsna is compared to sunshine, and maya is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Krsna consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish. (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.31)

 

Maya is also Krishna 's energy and is the superintendent of this world. Maya is performing a thankless task and can be compared to a police officer. If we are not following the laws of Krishna , then Maya's job is to bring us on the right path. Srila Prabhupada comments that 'Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare pasate maya tare japatiya dhare' - Maya means to give sufficient punishment to the living entities who have forgotten Krsna and want to enjoy material life independently.  

9. Stringent Laws of Material Nature:- Though we think we are independent, the nature will act. The Laws of Karma are so strict that there is no laxity. Maya is Krishna 's energy so it will act so we have to beaware of the laws of nature which are very stringent.

Krishna also confirms this in the Bhagavad-Gita 9.10:

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakrtih

sūyate sa-carācaram

hetunānena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. 
 

10. Illusory Struggle against Material Nature:- A fight can only happen between two equals but this fight is one-sided because we never win against maya so best would be to surrender to Krishna.

11. This struggle can at once be stopped by revival of Krishna Consciousness:- Just like the electric fan, it is moving. When we put the switch off, we will find it still moving. But it will stop moving very soon, because the switch is off. Similarly, this struggle can at once be stopped but we do not know how to do it. In the outside world, we will find many cheaters and many who want to be cheated. But if we come to Hare Krishna, it is one place where we will get everything. So, we should take care of our sadhana because this is the only thing that will go with us while leaving this body.  

It is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51:

kaler dosha-nidhe rajann

asti hy eko mahan gunah

kirtanad eva krishnasya

mukta-sangah param vrajet

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.

For example, during college times if the question paper is very tough, the teacher reduces the passing marks so that everyone gets through. Similarly, because Kali-yuga is so difficult and full of faults, Krishna made reductions in the standard.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vedanta Pandit; That great Nimai Pandit could defeat any big Vedanta scholar in argument, but when He took initiation, His spiritual master told Him that you are a big fool and you should only chant Hare Krishna. So are we bigger than Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? Therefore, our conviction and faith in the Holy Name should be unshakeable.

- HG Indra Krsna Prabhu (Damodardesh :: 24.02.2012)

Yuga Dharma

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

        
"'In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.' (Brihad Naradiya Purana.3.8.126; Caitanya Caritamrita 17.21)

 

This is the yuga dharma for the age of Kali. For the four yugas (Satya, Treta, Dvapar and Kali) there are four Dharmas. 

 

krte yad dhyayato visnum

tretayam yajato makhaih

dvapare paricaryayam

kalau tad dhari-kirtanat

Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

(SB 12.3.52)

 

So Krte Yad dhyayato Visnum – In Satya yuga the process of deliverance was Meditation on the Lord. Does meditation mean sitting at one place and thinking of something or does it mean to make the mind vacant? To begin with, the mind’s business is to think, so how can we make it vacant and stop thinking? Yoga is not the process of this age (kali-yuga) and we can consider why it is not a process for this age.

 

Yoga beings with leaving home and going to a solitary place. That is the pre-requisite for practicing yoga. Even better to go to the forest and best is going under the water and meditating which is not possible for people of this age. This yoga process is known as Astanga Yoga. (Asta – Eight; Anga – limbs/stages). The eight stages are:

 

1. Yama: External Purification, not only to have a clean body, wearing clean clothes but this also involves eating only Krishna Prasad.

 

2. Niyama: Internal Purification by following the rules and regulations (Cleaning the mind from all undesirable thoughts and prepare your mind to be clean).

 

3. Asana: This does not mean some physical exercise.  The purpose of asana is to utilize the body to reach the destination. For example, if you want to drive a machine, the first thing we have to do is sit properly in the right side. If we want to ride a plane, we have to sit in the cockpit and not in economy class seat and then we have to know how to ride the plane or if we want to ride a bicycle, we have to be seated in a proper position and should know how to use the machine in order to reach the destination. Similarly, this body is a machine. Yantra rudhani mayaya (BG 18.61). Yantra means machine, arudhani means to ride. So this human body is a very special machine, because when we get this machine, we can reach our ultimate destination, the spiritual sky, Goloka Vrindavan. In order to do that, we have to learn how to ride this machine.

 

4. Pranayama: Prana is actually the air which keeps the soul within the body. These airs control different activities. Don’t we say the prana left, when somebody dies? So when the pranavayu left the body, it means the soul left. This Prana is synonomous to our breathing. Generally we think breathing consists of inhale and exhale. But Vedic understanding says there are 3 functions: inhale, exhale and retain. So the practice of yoga (umbaka) is actually meant to retain the life air within the body. The Purpose of pranayama is to retain life air within and stop inhaling and exhaling. This practically means to stop breathing by retaining the air.  

 

5. Pratyahara: When the yogis stop breathing, then they are able to withdraw their senses from the sense objects. What do the senses do? The senses are constantly running towards the objects of the senses. Then as a result one develops attachment for them.

dhyāyato viṣayān puḿsaḥ sańgas teṣūpajāyate

sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ

smṛti-bhraḿśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool. (Bhagavad Gita 2.25-63).

 

So the yogi at that stage, he withdraws the senses from the sense objects. That means the eyes will be open, but the eyes will not register anything he sees. Sound will be there, ears will not register because we are not running to the sense objects anymore.

 

6. Dhyana: Then begins dhyana. When our senses are withdrawn from the sense objects, only then we are eligible to meditate. Otherwise everybody is meditating, but the problem is they are meditating on material objects like money, family etc but this Astanga-yoga is meant for meditating on the Supreme Lord. Where is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Isvarah sarva bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati - He is seated in everyone's heart. (BG 18.61)

 

7. Dharana: This stage means focusing on the Supreme Personality of Godhead present in the heart and then when meditation is fixed that is called Dharana.

 

8. Samadhi: When one perceives the Supreme Lord in the heart, that is called Samadhi.

 

So this is astanga-yoga system. This is not only possible for us but it was not possible for people in treta yuga so Krishna devised the process of sacrifice.

 

Tretayam yajato makaih. This means sacrifice, yajna. Does sacrifice mean pouring some ghee in fire? Sacrifice really means giving up - for whom? For Krishna. This is for Krishna , this is not for me. This is how one used to reach to the point of realizing that even I belong to Krishna. My money is for Krishna. My children are for Krishna. My family, home whatever I have is for Krishna. Then finally even I belong to Krishna. That is the perfection of sacrifice in everything.

 

But in Dvapara people lost that ability to do that therefore Krishna introduced another process, Dvapare Paricaryayam – worship the Lord in the temple. That worship also was very elaborate. That we can see in ISKCON temples, although it has been simplified to a great extent, but we can see how difficult the process is. So temple worship includes getting up early in the morning at 3:30 AM, then take bath, then make arrangements for the Lord to wake-up. There were atleast 6 Arati's and we have to offer to the Lord 56 Bhogas. That is the process for Dvapara yuga.

 

In Kali-yuga we lost the ability to even worship the Lord properly, therefore the Lord gave a very simple process – yajnaih sankirtana prayair; yajanti hi su-medhasah – Those who are intelligent will worship Him through this chanting. (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32).

 

Now just consider, to chant the holy name do we have to go to a forest? To chant the Holy Name do we have to perform sacrifice? To chant the Holy Name, do we have to visit a temple? No. We are all working and still practicing Krishna Consciousness and chanting the Holy Name. This way we can see, in this age of Kali-yuga, it is so simplified.

 

So this is how Krishna works. Krishna wants us to go back to Godhead. If the son goes away from the father, does the father make him feel very criticial and closes the doors for the son to return? No, the father will make all arrangements for the son to come back. Krishna is the Supreme Father and we are all His sons. That is the difference between Christianity and Krishna Consciousness. In Christianity, they think God has only one son but in Krishna Consciousness we have the clear understanding that not only human beings but every living entity is the son of God.

 

Therefore we see that as we are losing the ability to re-establish our relationship with Krishna, Krishna, the Supreme Personlaity of Godhead is making it easier for us. As we are becoming dull, incapable and diseased, the Lord is making the process easier and simpler so that everybody can benefit and go back to Godhead.

 

In other ages, we had to make elaborate arrangements. Eg: When Yudhistar Maharaj decided to perform Rajasuya Yajna, he sent Bhima, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadeva to four different directions to bring all the wealth to perform the sacrifice, bring so many qualified brahmanas and also to perform sacrifices we need pure ghee from cows. Then in Dvapara yuga we need to go to the temple where the deities of the Lord are there. But the chanting of Holy Name of the Lord can be performed by anyone, anywhere and just by hearing the Holy Name, people get purified. It is the perfect arrangement to help all living entities.

 

- Lecture of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj :: Damodardesh 20.01.2012