Sankarshan Das: Srimad Bhagavatam, fourth Canto, chapter 19, text 11.

caramenasvamedhena

yajamane yajus-patim

vainye yajna-pasum spardhann

apovaha tirohitah

caramena – by the last one; asva-medhena – by the asvamedha sacrifice; yajamane –when he was performing the sacrifice; yajuh-patim – for satisfaction of the Lord of yajna, Visnu; vainye – the son of king Vena; yajna-pasum– the animal meant to be sacrificed in the yajna; spardhan – being envious; apovaha – stole; tirohitah – being invisible.

Sankarshan Das: Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

Translation:  When King Prthu was performing the last horse sacrifice (ashvamedha-yajna), King Indra, invisible to everyone, stole the horse intended for sacrifice. He did this because of his great envy of King Prthu.

Purport: King Indra is known as sata-kratu, which indicates that he has performed one hundred horse sacrifices(asvamedha-yajna). We should know, however, that the animals sacrificed in the yajna were not killed. If the Vedic mantras were properly pronounced during the sacrifice, the animal sacrificed would come out again with a new life. That is the test for a successful yajna. When King Prthu was performing one hundred yajnas, Indra became very envious because he did not want anyone to excel him. Being an ordinary living entity, he became envious of King Prthu, and, making himself invisible, he stole the horse and thus impeded the yajna performance. (End of Purport)

Vande ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam sadvaitam savadhutam parijana–sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

mukam karoti vacalam

pangum langhayate girim

yat-kripa tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-taranam

Sankarshan Das: So even great personalities like Indra, the king of heaven, very pious person to get in such position, to be very, very pious. He is the king of heaven. What kind of good karma, very, very pious person. But even such a person is not free from envy. It's interesting to note here, the yajnas, they wouldn't kill the animals. Actually, the yajnas, they would take an old animal and give it, come out with a fresh body. It would be like a rejuvenation. Just imagine if they had some clinic where senior citizens could go in and they do some mantras and you come out with a body of a young teenager. So, it was like that, they take an old, old animal and come out with a young animal's body. Just prior to the time of the Lord Buddha, however, they were actually taking the animals for eating. So, Buddha stopped the sacrifices. The Vedas in which these sacrifices were described, he denied the Vedas and put a stop to the sacrifices. But actually, it was a whole point, it was a whole point because the Vedic culture had been polluted. It was a point of giving up the bogus version of Vedic culture so the real Vedic culture can be brought back again by halfway by Sankaracharya and all the way by Lord Caitanya and other previous other Vaishnava acharyas bringing back in full force. So here we see envy is a big problem of the living entities here in the material world. In fact, that's why we're here, we have this envy problem. We can't stand to see somebody go ahead of me. That's a big problem. Envy got us here. We couldn't stand to see somebody ahead of me, namely Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We couldn't tolerate it. All right, so you go to a world where you can think you're the Supreme. Everybody thinks they're supreme in this material world. A little kid thinks he is a supreme. He cries and he is not happy, he cries and the parents come running and do this for him, they do that for him and this way he thinks he is a supreme. The dog thinks he is a supreme, barking, barking, barking, what are you doing in my territory, get out of here. So, everybody thinks they're the supreme. So, this mentality, this envious mentality of thinking I'm the supreme, it doesn't satisfy the self, it's an unnatural position. It's like a fish being out of the water. It cannot be happy on land. It is not in the natural atmosphere. So, this position where I am envious and thinking I am the supreme is an artificial position and can never satisfy the self. This is why Krishna consciousness is very important. Because Krishna consciousness means you give up the envious mentality, you want to be the supreme, and you put yourself back in your natural position. It's like the fish being put back in the water. The fish may flap in agony on the land but he can't be satisfied there. But if he's picked up and thrown back in the water, so the bonafide spiritual master, the Vaishnavas, they pick up the suffering souls, trying to enjoy separately on the land, trying to enjoy independently from this natural atmosphere and they toss them back in the water. Why are you suffering here trying to be the supreme? Just get back to your natural position.

Jivera svarupa haya

krsnaera nitya das. 

The constitutional position of the living entity is the eternal servant of Krishna. Why do we have such a hard time accepting that? Well, we have been conditioned for millions of lifetimes trying to be the supreme. That's why to give up this tendency to become a subordinate servant once again is difficult for us. That's why we have the Krishna conscious movement. It's Lord Caitanya's mercy to manifest this movement to give you an atmosphere where you can come back to your original position. You can chant and dance in ecstasy, you can take prasadam, and in this way you can revive that natural tendency to be the servant once again. By hearing the wonderful teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrita and all these wonderful books that Prabhupadaa has given us, you can come back, come back, come back to being who you really are. You can come back home. Come back home to being a servant once again. So, we have to speed up this process, the thing, okay, let me give it up tendency to enjoy it separately, let me actually take up being a servant once again. Let me see what service is required to be done. Some service needs to be done and I'm just going to be an illusion that somebody else is doing the service. I can look and see if there is some service to be done. I'm not going to be a rascal, just let someone else do the service, let me be the enjoyer. So, we can actually say, okay you, nonsense rascal trying to enjoy and let others do the service. Let you now give up your tendency to try to enjoy separately and just be the servant again. What service requires to be done? Not devotional service makes me nervous. No. Devotional service is my natural position. Let me get back to being who I actually am. Let me actually hear from this wonderful knowledge, the teachings of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam by hearing, hearing, hearing, hearing, I can actually revive my natural original consciousness. Just like Krishna says,

na hi jnanena sadrsam

pavitram iha vidyate

tat svayam yoga-samsiddhah

kalenatmani vindati 

in this world there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such transcendental knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And he who becomes accomplished in the practice of devotional service relishes this knowledge within himself in due course of time. So, this is the advantage of actually becoming eager to do service. You can actually relish this transcendental knowledge which is the mature fruit of all mysticism. Just by being eager to do devotional service you can actually relish this transcendental knowledge. So, one doesn't cheat oneself by taking up the mood of devotional service, you actually reward yourself. Because it's not just the service itself is relishable, but you actually get realization of who I actually am, who is actually the Lord of all existence, how is everything being manifested, how is this planet being manifested, how is this universe being manifested, how is the multi-universe being manifested, how can I act in such a way to bring about revival of the consciousness of all the living entities who are sleeping in this material existence? So many realizations will come if we just become enthusiastic and give devotional service. Like Krishna says,

jnanena tu tad ajnanam

yesam nasitam atmanah

tesam aditya-vaj jnanam

prakasayati tat param 

When one is enlightened with that knowledge by which neiscience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything. It is like the sun lights up everything in the daytime. So right now, we're in the darkness of ignorance. We're misidentifying with these rotting corpses. We're suffering in so many ways, misidentifying. But one takes up this mood of devotional service with great enthusiasm, then it's like a beautiful sunrise happens and everything becomes illuminated. And I can see everything in this proper perspective. I see everything in relationship with Krishna. See right now I am thinking everything in relationship with my sense gratification. How can I enjoy this? How can I avoid that which is not enjoyable? How can I go for this which is enjoyable? I am still thinking I am the centre, that is the problem. Go on, I am the centre, I am the centre, I am the centre. When we take up this mood of devotional service of great enthusiasm, we actually experience how Krishna is there manifesting everything for Himself, let me participate in Krishna's enjoyment. See that's how I can actually enjoy. I try to enjoy separately, it doesn't work. Like a hand trying to enjoy the food without giving to the stomach. Can the hand enjoy the food? He may think, oh, the rice feels so good in my fingers. But what nutritional value to get from squeezing the rice in the fingers? So, we have this tendency about enjoying separately, and it doesn't actually make us happy. Why we are actually punishing ourselves by continuing to remain in this mood of enjoying separately. We say, okay, my real happiness is to please Krishna, not to try to enjoy separately. So, when I take this mood of doing everything for the Krishna’s satisfaction, then I can actually become a liberated soul. What is that verse? So let us now become liberated souls instead of trying to enjoy separately from Krishna, let us try to do everything for his satisfaction. From the moment we wake up, the moment we go to bed, even in our dreams, let me now be absorbed in devotional service. Devotional service is my perfection. It's my actual identity. I have nothing to do with this rotting body.

na tv evaham jatu nasam

na tvam neme janadhipah

na caiva na bhavisyamah

sarve vayam atah param. 

Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. So actually, we have nothing to do with these bodies, we are eternal beings. So, let's get out of this misidentification madness that we are in. Misidentifying with that which is full of ignorance and misery. Isn't it stupid to misidentify, actually it's like the son of a multi-millionaire living like a beggar on the street, misidentifying himself becoming a pauper on the street when actually the son of a multi-trillionaire. So why should we keep punishing ourselves by trying to enjoy separately from Krishna? We are condemning ourselves to suffering the threefold miseries and the fourfold miseries. Isn't it time you become a little intelligent? Time, we wake up? Why should we remain foolish trying to enjoy separately from Krishna? Krishna consciousness is absolutely sublime. It's the original constitutional nature of the living entity. So, let's get back to being who we actually are. This is intelligence. All of our attempts to enjoy separately do nothing but put us in a miserable position. Nothing but it's actually doesn't make any sense to put ourself in a miserable position where we could be unlimited blissful. This very minute. Why am I suffering right now when I could be experiencing unlimited nectar. It's simply due to my idiocy, my foolishness, my asinine-ness. Don't be foolish like an ass. Don't be asinine, foolish like an ass. Be intelligent. The pure devotees are called paramahamsas. Why are they called paramahamsas? Because just like the Swan has an amazing quality with his beak. He can take a mixture of milk and water and extract the milk and leave aside the water. So, the pure devotees are called paramahamsas because they can deal with the material world and extract Krishna. They extract Krishna at every minute from this material existence. So, we should become paramahamsas, one like devotees of the Lord, who experience Krishna at every time, in every place, in every situation experiencing Krishna. Prabhupada told us that first lecture that I attended in San Francisco. He was telling us how we experience Krishna within everything. Krishna says, I am the taste of water. Every time you drinking water, once, twice, thrice, more than every day, every time you drink water, you remember Krishna as the taste of the water, immediately become Krishna conscious. To become Krishna conscious is not difficult, it simply requires practice. And then he said, Krishna says, I'm the light of the sun. He said, so by seeing the sun you can remember Krishna. The sunlight is here. He says, I know the sunlight is coming. We can see the sunlight here lighting up the blinds. The sunlight is right there. We can see that. Krishna says, I'm the light of the sun. This is Krishna manifesting. We have to learn how to experience Krishna within everything and everything within Krishna. What is that verse 6.30 Bhagavad Gita? How does that go? 6.30.

yo mam pasyati sarvatra

sarvam ca mayi pasyati

tasyaham na pranasyati

sa ca me na pranasyati, 

for one who sees Me in everything and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me. So that's the vision we need to come to. We can see Krishna in everything and everything within Krishna. So Prabhupada is trying to pull us out of the illusion that we're in. I'm trying to enjoy separately from Krishna. Prabhupada has come by Krishna's mercy to show us there is a higher taste in this material existence.

visaya vinivartante

niraharasya dehinah

rasa-varjam raso ‘py asya

param drstva nivartate

the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains but ceasing such engagement by experiencing a higher taste is fixed in consciousness. Somebody may want to try to become renounced, I guess renunciation, thinking that way become an exalted personality, a great yogi or a great mystic by becoming renounced. But that's artificial. After some time, they fall back again. Why? Because they still have a taste. They still have a taste for sense enjoyment. It's like somebody who is enjoying sex life may become a brahmachari. But he still has that taste for enjoying sex pleasure. So, after some time you give up being a brahmachari and go back to sex pleasure once again. But if he gets a higher taste just like I may give you one dollar and you are very attracted to one dollar but I say I'll give you a million instead. So, you can easily give up the one dollar. So, if one gets a taste which is better than sex pleasure, then one can easily remain brahmachari, no problem. Because I am tasting something that is better than sex pleasure. So, when one becomes Krishna conscious, he can easily become a brahmachari, a lifelong brahmachari. Because the pleasure of Krishna consciousness is millions and millions of times greater than sex pleasure. But what if I'm not tasting that higher pleasure of Krishna consciousness? So how do I get that experience? So, the struggling neophyte who wants to taste that experience but he is not tasting it, how can he get there? What's that? What's the secret on how to actually get the higher taste? It's like we ever cook, we get the higher taste. How do you get the higher taste? Well, you have to embrace devotional service. You have to enthusiastically embrace the loving devotional service.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: Sometimes laziness also gives a higher taste. 

Sankarshan Das: What is that? Laziness?

Sankarshan Das: Prabhupadaa said lazy intelligence is a first-class man.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: Well, let everybody else do when I am in the seat. Right?

Sankarshan Das: Instead of running hard, running hard to become a successful materialist. Running running running running running to become a big successful materialist. He sees that actually just by living simply, being Krishna conscious and living simply, plain living and high thinking. Not that I have to have a big two-million-dollar mansion, a big swimming pool, a huge yard, a Mercedes Benz. I can live simply. Plain living and high thinking. Not that he's lazy in the matter of devotional service. For becoming Krishna conscious and spreading the Krishna consciousness movement, he's willing to work very hard. For sense gratification, he's not eager to work very hard. For making the world Krishna conscious, he is willing to work very, very hard. To make this movement successful, he is willing to work very hard to make this movement successful. By preaching, distributing books, establishing temples, putting on big festivals, he is working very very hard, Prabhupada is working very hard. We see how he is working very very hard, hardly sleeping at all.

So, anybody have any questions? Any arguments? Disagreements? Yes?

Local Devotee: I'm wondering that we get, so what's the difference between like giving something up and then getting the higher taste? Do we have to give something up falsely before we get the higher taste or we still have our attachments and we perform devotional service and then we naturally give it up? Which like which one is better?

Sankarshan Das: Well both things can be done. One can become just like the example of sex pleasure. One can be a married man and follow sex life according to regulative principles and gradually give up the taste and get tired. Or you can do it all of a sudden by becoming a brahmachari or sannyasi? Either way, it can be either way. One may have this desire for sex pleasure, alright, become married, we have our regulative principles, you can have sex like once in a month, just after the menstrual cycle, chanting at least 50 rounds of japa. So, in this way you can have many, many children if you follow this principle. You can have sex like in Krishna's service many, many times. You can have a whole Krishna conscious family. That can be done. Or one can say, well, let me just give it up completely. Have faith that even now I am still attracted to it. I have faith that if I just put that aside and go deep into Kirtan, go deep into preaching, go deep into service, that it will go away in due course of time. So, one can do that too. You know that you still have the taste. So, either way can be done. You can have faith that by, even though I still have a taste, I have faith that higher taste will come, so I can just say, okay, lower taste, you can sit there, and have some fun while I'm going the other side. You can go either way.

Local Devotee:  So, you were mentioning going either way with sex life which can be used in devotional service but what about some of these like addicted to cigarettes or like eating meat or gambling then what about that?

Sankarshan Das: What if someone still likes to smoke cigarettes? Well, it's your choice. You can keep smoking, you can have a packet a day, you can go down to have a packet a day, you can have one cigarette a day and then you can gradually give it up you want to then get initiated or else have faith by initiated. Every time I get taste for cigarette, take prasadam. You can gradually give it up or you can give it up all at once if you have faith in the process. Either way is fine.

Any more questions?

Local Devotee: So, is giving it up right then and there the best thing to do?

Sankarshan Das: Yeah, definitely.You can give up everything and give up, you know, illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating and gambling all of a sudden and start chanting 16 rounds, that's the best thing, do it immediately, absolutely.

Local Devotee: Is it best to do that and then there's a chance that the attachment is strong and maybe you slip away for a bit?

Sankarshan Das: Well then you shouldn't take it. If you get initiation, you have to…. Yes, you can't give in. You made a vow. You can say, let me practice regulative principles for six months. Naturally that's the rule. You have to do it for at least six months. See if you can handle it. Now we have a question from Vishnurata das.

Vishnurata Das: If one does not begin relish reading Srimad Bhagavatam, is it due to dormant envy of Sadhaka toward the Lord?

Sankarshan Das: So, if one is not relishing reading the Srimad Bhagavatam or the Bhagavad Gita or any of the literature, one it's not relishing, it's due to contamination in the heart, definitely. There's still envy. And nirmatsaranam satam. One should become free from all envy. One hasn’t a taste for hearing Bhagavatam, it means you are still polluted by envy. It's a fact. There's still envy in my heart.

Anything else from the locals here? So, actually until we come to that point of being able to see Krishna face to face, we are still polluted by envy. We have to understand I have been envious of the Lord for millions of lifetimes and that envy is still polluting my heart. Even now, even though I am initiated, I am chanting 16 rounds for so many years, I have been preaching, distributing books, making devotees and so many things, but I am still not seeing Krishna face to face; eye to eye it means I am still polluted by envy to some extent. So, to whatever extent I am free from envy, to that extent I experience Krishna, to that extent I am polluted by envy, to that extent I do not experience Krishna. So therefore, one should be very eager to get rid of all envy as soon as possible. Kick it out with boot. Envy, get out, get out and stay out and don't you come back ever again. The quicker I become free from envy, the more blissful I'll become. So, envy, get out of my heart, get out of me, get away from me and never come back again. You're not welcome, envy, even a slight amount of envy, you're not welcome in my heart ever again. You get out of my heart right now; I order you to leave me alone and never touch me ever again. We should have that mood to get rid of envy completely, kick it out with boot. Kick it out with boot. Get rid of that damn envy. It's my enemy. Envy is my enemy. Of course there is transcendental envy also. There is transcendental envy. Prabhupada said, some devotees are pleasing Krishna more than me, so, let me try harder so I can please Krishna more." This is transcendental envy also. He used it in Krishna's service. This devotee is pleasing Krishna more than me. He is giving better classes than I do, better kirtan, doing better service than me, making better garlands than what I can make, or whatever it is. Let me try harder so I can please Krishna also. Please the devotees, Krishna is pleasing more than me, cooking better than I can cook. Let me try harder so I can please Krishna more. That's transcendental envy.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: I don't think so we try that. I think we try to transcend that so that we are always in peace.

Sankarshan Das: What is that, Devi?

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: I said, nobody wants to take up the transcendental or be angry because...

Sankarshan Das: They need more service, right? They are lazy. They have no eagerness to advance in Krishna consciousness. They are lazy. They just want to eat and sleep.  That’s all. If someone else is better than me, then I will remain better. I will just remain lazy. That is not a very good position. It is better to be transcendental. Here we have Hare Krishna das.

Hare Krishna Das: How can one always feel his fallen position, so pride won't come up?

Sankarshan Das: Saint devotees are always pointing out your faults and take shelter of them. Saint devotees are always correcting you for your nonsense and take shelter and serve that devotee. That's one way. Saint devotees are always pointing out your faults and take shelter of that devotee.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji:  Somebody finds a fault and you know, leave the place.

Sankarshan Das: Anything else, everybody? Any other questions?

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji:  Think about taking shelter, but at the same time you leave the place when somebody starts finding fault.

Sankarshan Das: So, the neophyte, if somebody points out his faults, well I won’t want to serve, I'll go somewhere else where they glorify me instead of finding faults. That's a neophyte mentality. An advanced devotee is looking for those who point out his faults and taking shelter of them. This is how I make more advancement, by finding devotees who point out my faults.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: One can be like... What is this called? Like dog may go on barking, caravan can go on passing.

Sankarshan Das: What is it?

Local Devotee: The dogs may bark but the caravan will pass.

Sankarshan Das: The dogs will bark but the caravan will pass.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: That can be also.

Sankarshan Das: Yeah, but that's different. That's how you find fault. You say, you know, you Hare Krishna people, you're brainwashed, you know, you're being exploited by a cult leader, you know. There are people who find fault with Krishna Conscious movement.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: No, no, I was saying, it says that fault finder, so fault finder can go on fault finding, I can ignore and I can go on.

Sankarshan Das: No, dog barking, caravan pass is a mundane example of a vulture of blasphemous.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: That can be a good thing.

Sankarshan Das: It doesn't apply to somebody who is actually trying to help me by correcting me for my faults.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: And we see that happens.

Sankarshan Das: And that is not a proper mood. One should take, one should take, one should become very joyful to find those devotees who point out the faults.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: One may say sorry, sorry, sorry and they go on their own ways.

Sankarshan Das: That's a neophyte mentality. An advanced devotee takes the corrections very seriously and rectifies them. That's an advanced devotee. A neophyte, he'll say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and he goes on with his neophyte mentality. Sorry. Sorry. He goes on making the same mistake. Sorry. Makes the same mistake again. Sorry. Sorry is like his theme word, you know. He chants it much. It's like, sorry, sorry, sorry, and go on making the mistakes again. That means a neophyte devotee. But an advanced devotee, he takes very seriously the corrections that have been given to him and he rectifies himself. That's an advanced devotee.

Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: And another thing, with the advanced devotee, he has so many mistakes that somebody can correct them. They want.

Sankarshan Das: The one who becomes advanced actually becomes free of mistakes. It doesn't need to be corrected. It's his position to correct others. Anything else? Everybody satisfied now? Alright, we can stop here. There's nothing else. Thanks everybody for tuning in.

Hare krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare.