Spiritual Master
Book:
Canto:
Chapter:
Verse:
Location:
Date:
Srimad Bhagavatam
4
19
7
Austin, TX, USA
24 February 2023
Sankarshan Das: Srimad Bhagavatam 4th Canto, Chapter 19, Text 07
yatra dharma-dugha bhumih
sarva-kama-dugha sati
dogdhi smabhipsitan arthan
yajamanasya bharata.
yatra – where;dharma-dugha – producing sufficient milk for religiosity; bhumih – the land; sarva-kama – all desires; dugha – yielding as milk; sati– the cow; dogdhi sma – fulfilled; abhipsitan – desirable; arthan – objects; yajamanasya – of the sacrificer; bharata – my dear Vidura.
Sankarshan Das:Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace Om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Tridandi Goswami Maharaj, Prabhupada.
Translation: My dear Vidura, in that great sacrifice the entire land came to be like the milk-producing kama-dhenu, and thus, by the performance of yajna, all daily necessities for life were supplied.
Purport: In this verse the word dharma-duha is significant, for it indicates kama-dhenu. Kama-dhenu is also known as surabhi. Surabhi cows inhabit the spiritual world, and, as stated in Brahma-samhita, Lord Krishna is engaged in tending these cows:
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami.
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is tending the cows in a boat built with spiritual gems surrounded by millions of purpose trees, and all may serve with great and reverent affection by hundreds and thousands of laxmis or gopis. One can milk a surabhi cow as often as one likes, and the cow will deliver as much milk as one requires. Milk, of course, is necessary for the production of so many milk products, especially clarified butter, ghee, which is required for the performance of great sacrifices. Unless we are prepared to perform the prescribed sacrifices, our supply of the necessities of life will be checked. Welcome to the modern world. Bhagavad Gita confirms that Lord Brahma created human society along with yajna, the performance of sacrifice. Yajna means Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and sacrifice means working for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this age, however, it is very difficult to find qualified brahmanas who can perform sacrifices as prescribed in the Vedas. Therefore, it is recommended in Srimad Bhagavatam (yajnaih sankirtana- prayaih) that by performing sankirtan-yajna and by satisfying the yajna-purusa, Lord Caitanya, one can derive all the results derived by great sacrifices in the past. King Prthu and others derived all the necessities of life from the earthly planet by performing great sacrifices. Now, this sankirtan movement has already been started by the International Society for Krishna consciousness. People should take advantage of this great sacrifice and join in the Society's activities; then there will be no scarcity. If sankirtan-yajna is performed, there will be no difficulty, not even in industrial enterprises. Therefore, this system should be introduced in all spheres of life - social, political, industrial, commercial, etc. Then everything will run very peacefully and smoothly. (End of Purport)
Sankarshan Das: Even iPhones will be nicely produced in industrial enterprises for Sankirtan-yajna.
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
Sankarshan Das: So just see how important this is. The Sankirtan movement is the congregational chanting, the deity worship, the book distribution, all these activities, Prabhupada refers to here, the society's activities. All these society's activities are of this great sacrifice. So, this movement actually is the only hope for the modern world. Otherwise, it is going down the drain. This movement actually will, it is predicted that this movement will actually leave the world in the next ten-thousand-year period. This is the Chaitanya era, began with Chaitanya's advent. The ten-thousand-year period, just like sometimes in the winter, there's a warm season during the winter. Actually, even right now here in Austin, here it is February, and you can practically wear short sleeve shirts outside, you see. It's a warm spell, it's a warm period in the winter. So, this Caitanya era is a Vedic age and the Vedic culture flourishes and the whole world has become Krishna conscious. So, we are very fortunate people in history because to be here, it was held in a dormant state within India for five-hundred years and then Prabhupada took it outside of India and made it all over the world, even in Russia. We have disciples in Russia also. Sometimes we call it Kaliningrad, right now we are not going. This movement is actually, the seeds of this movement are planted all over the world and gradually these seeds will fructify and there will be a huge mass conversion to this Krishna conscious movement. So right now, we are seeing the early pioneering stages. Right now, it is kind of hard to see when you go down to I-35, you can't imagine the whole city of conversion of Krishna conscious. It is kind of hard to picture it right now, but by hearing from Srila Prabhupada we understand that in this ten-thousand-year period there is going to be a huge conversion of Krishna consciousness. Five-thousand years up and then gradually it will fade away. So right now, we are in the beginning of the upswing. For the next basically four-thousand-five hundred years from now it's going to be building, building, building, building, building, building more and more and more. So, we have to then, we should see what I can do, each one of us should see what can I do to see that this movement can become established as much as possible during my lifetime? What can I do? How many books can I distribute? How many Harinam sankirtan can I go on? How many nice offerings I can make to the Lord. How much nicely I can speak according to Prabhupada's books. You see all these things they added up, they add up, they add up. Even being on time for mangalarati is a part of it. Because kali-yuga is to be late from all, or not to attend at all, but to be late from all, that is Kali's influence. So, to overcome Kali's influence by being punctual, that is actually pushing for a movement. So, we should do everything we can to do very nice service in every situation because the more the service is done nicely with love and devotion it actually pushes back the kali-yuga, pushing back, pushing back, pushing back. The more we become actually ideal chanters of the holy name. It is actually stated by Prabhupada in an amazing quote, if one chants the holy name of the Lord without offense, he becomes Jagadguru. Under his influence the whole world chants Hare Krishna. So, there is a spiritual revolution right there in your bead bag, potential revolution right there in your bead bag. The more purely we chant our japa, the more purely we dive into the kirtan, all of these things, they're pushing back kali, pushing him back, pushing him back, get out of here Kali, you're not welcome, you can come later on, this is not your time, this is the Chaitanya era, it’s time for you to go on vacation and let Chaitanya era become more and more manifest. The way we deal with each other, the way we follow instructions, all of these things, they add up. We should try to be everything first class just like the Prabhupada is physically present. How nicely we would be doing everything. ThePrabhupada is right here with us. How are we going to do everything perfectly to please the Prabhupada? That kind of a mood we should have because if we are meditating on Prabhupada, pleasing him, he actually is present. Even though we can't see him due to our limited vision, but actually Prabhupada is present with us. If we are sincerely trying to serve his mission and he is actually present with us. Blessing is my association. So, what can we do then to be more effective? That is the way I think. How can I be a better devotee, a better chanter, a better servant, a better hearer, a better speaker? How can I become perfect in everything that I'm doing? There are nine different types of bhaktis. There's hearing, there's chanting, there's remembering, offering prayers, rendering service. There's nine, nava-vidha bhakti, there's nine different aspects of devotional service. So how can I become perfect in every one of them? How can I hear perfectly? How can I speak perfectly? How can I remember perfectly? How can my prayers be all in a pure mood, not saying give me this and give me that mood. If you want to pray to give me this or give me that, pray for pure devotional service. We sometimes think, well, if I'm going to be happy, I need to have this, I need to have that to be happy. But actually, all we need is pure devotional service. It's all we really need. We don't need material facilities. Whatever is there will be satisfied. If we are in the mood of pure devotional service, whatever the material situation we are in will be happy. Whatever the material situation, it doesn't matter. It could be good, bad, beautiful, ugly, hot, cold, whatever, dishonor, praise, it doesn't matter what the external situation is. If we have the pure devotional service, we'll be in the state of pure bliss. So, we should understand what's actually required to be happy and that is what we should go after. Not some material thing. I need this material facility, that material facility. Whatever I have I will be okay.
ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah,
in as much as they surrender to me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows my path in all respects, O son of Prtha. Everyone follows Krishna's path? How can he say that, you may wonder. Well, everyone is following His path. The Maya is also, just like here in the state, everybody follows the government, voluntarily or by force. You are a law-abiding citizen voluntarily; you are a law-abiding citizen by force in the prison. So, everybody follows the government, either voluntarily or by force. Of course, it is not a perfect example because our criminals are getting away with it. Krishna's government is perfect. You don't get away with it. So, everybody follows Krishna either in loving devotion or by force, being pinched by the laws of nature and getting a reactions for disobeying the laws of God. So, we should be intelligent and realize I can't get away with doing nonsense. I'll be caught. Krishna's perfect justice system will catch me. Whatever nonsense I do, I'm going to get a reaction for it. So, I'll just give up all my nonsense. Be intelligent and realize, let me give up all my nonsense. Nonsense, get out. You're not welcome in my heart anymore. Anything besides pure devotional service, you're not welcome. Get out. Get out of here and never come back again. Let me now be the pure devotee in every situation, all times, all places and circumstances from now on for all of eternity. That would be my only desire is to please Guru, to please Vaishnava, to please Krishna, to be perfectly in harmony with the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Caitanya Caritamrita, etc. It doesn't make sense to be a rebel when you're not going to get away with it. We may think we can get away with it, but we can't. We can't get away with being rebels. Krishna has a perfect justice system. So, we just be law-abiding citizens and realize if you can't be them, join them. He's actually all merciful person, beautiful, most beautiful person in all of existence, most merciful person in all of existence. So let me get a good relationship with Him. Let me think favourably about Him, speak favourably about Him, do everything favourably in His service. Let me be 100% in harmony with Krishna. In every single, even the most subtle aspects of my psychology. Let me be completely, totally in harmony with Krishna in every situation and by doing so I'll get my rewards. Krishna will reward me unlimitedly. If I give myself to Him unlimitedly, He'll reward me unlimitedly. Can you imagine being rewarded unlimitedly? Then we think, well, if I can win the million-dollar lottery, that'll be big. No, that's nothing. A million-dollar lottery is nothing compared to what Krishna can give you. We just sort of give ourselves to him and he'll give us unlimited mercy, unlimited blessings, beyond our wildest dreams of what we could actually be tasting and experiencing at every minute. How Nectarian it could actually be. It's an unlimitedly Nectarian. So, we should take these teachings very seriously. The Bhagavad Gita is the basic manual, the owner's manual for this human form of life. How to actually become properly fixed. Krishna makes it very clear we shouldn't be disturbed by the dualities.
matra-sparsas tu kaunteya
sitosna-sukha-dukha-dah
agamapayino ‘nityas
tams titiksasva bharata,
the non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of the winter and summer seasons, they arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. Sense perception? But am I these senses? No. I'm not these senses. They are just some tools I've been given to utilize in the service of Krishna. I'm not this body. I'm not these eyes. I'm not these ears. I'm not the tongue. I'm not the belly, I'm not the genitals. Material society has it completely wrong. It's like in material society, if some man is a virgin, he's considered he's not a man. He's a virgin? What's wrong with him? He's a virgin? Like it's embarrassing. You might admit you're a virgin. It's too embarrassing in the society of material men. Oh, he's a virgin? But actually, the greatest virtue to be a virgin is to be a brahmachari your whole life, that's the greatest accomplishment, never having bad semen your whole life. That's the greatest accomplishment actually. Gives them longevity, resistance against disease, gives them brain power. So, material society is completely upside down. What is good they consider bad and what is bad they consider good. We should not be misled by this material society. We should be led by the Vedic society, Vedic culture based on Vedas. That is a real society. That is real human life. This modern-day civilization, what is Bhagavatam say?
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ
saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto
jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ
(SB 2.3.19)
Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses, praise those men who do not listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna, they liberate from all evils. So, we should be very eager to listen to the pastimes of Krishna. Very, very eager. Just like I was singing that song this morning, Jamuna-tira-vana-chari. I was thinking, we were actually there in Vrindavan, we were there bathing in the Jamuna, we were having some katha on the bank of the Jamuna and actually Krishna wandered on those very banks. I'm just thinking, He who wanders on the bank of the river Jamuna, an amazing person, actually wandering on the Jamuna River five-thousand years ago and He is still there for those who have the eyes to see Him. Maybe you come to that level. When Krishna blesses, we can come to that level, we can actually see His pastimes happening right now. And that's why we want to come to that level, get off the neophyte platform, come to the level of pure devotee of Krishna. We can see the pastimes of Krishna within his heart and wherever he goes you can see Krishna, especially in Vrindavan you can see Krishna everywhere doing this, Krishna doing that. So, it is time to kick out this neophyte consciousness. No more neophyte devotees. Let me become actually fixed up in Krishna consciousness. When I come to speak with the spiritual master, not that I should brag what a great devotee I am, we should come and see how Maharaj Pariksit is very submissively inquiring from Sukadeva Goswami. We should learn to Pariksit Maharaj. Not to say Gurudeva I did this, Gurudeva I did that, Gurudeva, no. No, humbly submissive inquiring, that's the proper mood, submissive inquiring. Because the more we can learn how to inquire submissively. What does Krishna say?
tad viddhi pranipatena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānam
jñāninas tattva-dārṣinah,
just try to learn the truth by approaching the spiritual master, inquire from him submissively, render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. But if you don't inquire submissively, you come to say, Gurudeva I did this, I did that, Guurdev I did this, I did that, you are not inquiring submissively. So how do you get realizations from the spiritual master? He is just coming to brag what a great devotee you are. So, once you come on a mood of humble submission, you see, I am not a devotee. I have no Krishna consciousness. I have no taste for the holy name, I am completely lacking in Krishna consciousness. That is the mood. The more you can feel you are lacking in Krishna consciousness, that is your Krishna consciousness. The more you feel you are Krishna conscious, that is the more you are not Krishna conscious. So more I can feel that I am not Krishna consciousness and when, will that day be mine? Bhaktivinoda Thakur praying, Kabhe.. When and oh when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will Your mercy shine? Kabe Habe bolo se dina amaar; When and oh when will that day be mine? You see his mood. I am chanting Hare Krishna but I am committing so many offenses. That is his feeling about himself. Committing so many offenses. So, your mercy is not shining in my eye right now. It's covered by my offenses. So, he's wondering when I'll be free from these offenses. So, I can actually feel and experience how that Your mercy is shining within my heart. Just see the mood. Lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, when will my mind attain this quality? Respectful to all, not expecting their honour, then shall I taste the names nectar sublime. Kabe Habe bolo se dina amaar; when oh, when will that day be mine? You see, you see the mood, you see. one guy, one guy I think I'm lower than a dog stool out in the street, you see. Lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree. You see how tolerant a tree is. We had this ice storm here in Austin. Those trees, hundreds and thousands of trees suffered like anything. Their branches breaking off because the rain fell on the rain and then it iced. So, there was ice on all these branches and they became so heavy. Hundreds and thousands, millions of branches broke and not one tree complained. If somebody came and broke your arm off, you wouldn't complain, wouldn't you? But the trees didn't complain, their arms were being broken off. So more tolerant than the trees. Bhaktivinoda, when will my mind attain this quality? When I'll when will that day be mine? When I can be insulted and offended in so many ways and not be bothered at all by it. Just out of respect for the one who is offending me. Just to see the mood of humility in Bhaktivinoda Thakur. So, we can learn from these great acharyas how to become humble, lower than the blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree. So, we can actually taste the nectar of Krishna's name, experience Krishna directly. See Krishna is actually fully there. Just imagine if you go back five-thousand years and be there in Vrindavan and see Krishna's pastimes. You have the same facility right there in the holy name. Krishna is just as much present in your japa as he was lifting Govardhan hill five-thousand years ago. But because of our offenses we are not experiencing that. Oh, I got to get my rounds done. I'm going to get my watch, I got to get my rounds. We are not tasting the nectar of the name because of our offenses. So, we have to beg to that day, when will that day be mine, when all these offenses will be gone, so I can purely chant the holy name, give up all my offenses in serving the deities, being late for the deity worship. When can I get free of these offenses? Making me hard would take the nectar of Krishna consciousness. Because the offenses we commit are like poison for us. We commit these offenses, it's like poison. We have to give up drinking this poison and making all these offenses. Become absolutely perfect in everything we do, in every situation. Then we can taste the unlimited nectar of Krishna's name, Krishna's fame, Krishna's pastimes, Krishna's form. Here we have Krishna standing. This amazing Krishna revealed Himself on Juhu beach to one of my God brothers. Amazing Krishna. Amazing pastime of Krishna. He revealed Himself to devotees. So, we have all this good fortune here. Damodar’s mercy, Radharani's mercy, we have Gurumataji's mercy, great Vaishnava, powerful advanced devotees. We have so much facility here. We have to learn how to take full advantage of it so our lives can become completely blissful, freedom from all anxiety and miseries.
Anybody have any questions yet? We have something. Oh, Vraja Kishore gave the verse for the devotee who needed it. Thank you Vraja Kishore. Any questions here from the locals?
Local Devotee: You were saying to become more tolerant than a tree and yeah learning to get that quality but then I've also heard that we should reveal our mind in confidence so like if we're disturbed it's good to reveal that. So, what's like how to bring those together and understand them at the same time?
Sankarshan Das: Not reveal your mind?
Local Devotee: Like if I'm feeling disturbed by somebody because I'm not tolerant, then is it best to reveal it or to just try to work through it within myself?
Sankarshan Das: Well, you have trouble in a relationship?
Local Devotee: Sometimes that happens.
Sankarshan Das: You could, in a humble way, not challenging, chastising way, you could certainly talk about it for whom having the difficulty associating with you. Certainly, you can talk about it. Wow. Now they're rolling in
.
Bhakti Priya Devi Dasi: I accept that I have many anarthas, but there is no humility on my actions. There is no humility in my actions or otherwise. How?
Sankarshan Das: Well, the fact that you have said this shows that you have humility. The fact that you've said this, you do have some humility. That's why you said this. How to truly transform my impure heart? Well, we have to desire pure devotional service. We have to beg for pure devotional service, and everything we do, we should be begging for pure devotional service. The way we offer our obeisances, the way we do our service, it's all for our purification. We should do everything in the mood of wanting to become purified and become free from all my anarthas, do everything in that mood. The moment you wake up, the moment you go to bed at night, begging, begging, begging, my dear Krishna, please bless me, so I can be Your pure devotee. Please help me get free from all my anarthas. Always being in that mood and begging and asking Krishna, praying to your spiritual master, praying to Srila Prabhupada, always begging, begging, begging, begging to become free from all the anarthas.
Sadhubhusana: It is said that devotee of Krishna, Paramahamsa means did not differentiate in different ashrams of life, rather his duty is only one, Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet So, I don't see there is any need to glorify the Brahmacharya ashram in respect to other ashrams.
Sankarshan Das: No, the householder is also glorious. The householder is also glorious. He follows the principles. Using sex only for procreation, not for recreation. There's a new idea going around ISKCON. Well, it's okay for recreation if you don't kill the baby. But that's not true. Prabhupada clearly states the householder Brahmachari means he has sex life only once in a month, four to six days after the menstrual cycle when the wife is most likely to get pregnant, and after the husband and wife both chants at least, not fifty rounds, but at least fifty rounds of japa. That's also a glorious thing. So, the Brahmachari who never passes semen, that's glorious. The devotee who strictly follows the Prabhupada’s regulations householder life, that's also very glorious and they all have very nice children also who can become pure devotees and help push forward this movement and save the world. But if you have children based on recreation, not following Prabhupada's program, you get children not inclined to be devotees even, because you can see them in lust, not in a mood of loving service to Guru and Krishna. It's not wrong to talk about the glories of the different ashrams. It's not true. It's not at all wrong to talk about the glories. Prabhupada glorifies. If Prabhupada can do it, I can do it too. Nothing wrong with it, glorifying the different ashrams.
Sharada Devi Dasi: Is it that the humility is something different from the reality? Or the closing of the real position is also humility.
Sankarshan Das: Well, the reality is we should be very humble. The reality is we are rascals. We gave up pure devotional service to Krishna to try to enjoy separately from Krishna. So, the reality is a very humble situation. The reality is yes, it is a very humble situation. Here I am still trying to enjoy the material world. Even though I've taken initiation, I'm fine, I'm strictly fine by the rules and regulations, but I'm still trying to enjoy the material world, subtly within my brain, you see. So, humility is a very, be humble is a very, that is being very realistic to be humble. If you don't think you need to be humble, you need to become humble. The real position is I am a very fallen soul. That's the real position. If Bhaktivinoda is praying that way, what's our position? The real position is a very humble position.
Vraja Kishore, bhakt.. has written: How, to become more eager for Krishna consciousness.
Sankarshan Das: That it wouldn't be that I have to do it, but I would like to do it. In the beginning we don't always want to do it but we do it because we know we need to do it. jaundice is an example. Like a sugar candy, I think it's an example of jaundice. Somebody who has jaundice, the medicine is sugar candy, but it tastes very bitter when you have jaundice. It tastes horrible. Oh, I want to spit it out. It's so horrible. But you take it because you know you need to, but then you become cured and regain this natural sweetness. So devotional service is actually the ultimate nectar, but sometimes it's like poison in the beginning, but I don't want to wash the pot, I want to take a nap. But you do it because you know you need to do it, this is your duty to do it, this is what you have to do to become purified. You have to take the service you have been given and enthusiastically, alright let me do a nice job, not just do it halfway and go to sleep. Let me do a nice job. So, in the beginning it may seem like poison, but as you become purified, but it seemed like poison in the beginning, now your greatest ecstasy is washing the pots. Oh, there is a pot to wash.
Vishnurata: Where does the Buddhist celibate monk go after death? Will they be reborn in the material world?
Sankarshan Das: It depends. He is thinking of Lord Buddha leaving his body in good shape, then he's in a very good position. But he's thinking about merging into the void at the time of death. He's not in a very good position. It depends on what he is thinking about at the moment of death. Sharada Devi Dasi.
Anything else? Everybody is ready now to become pure devotees? Yes.
Local Devotee: Gurudev, you just mentioned the example of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, how he is praying and thinking of himself as a fallen soul. And then we also have the same example from Srila Prabhupada, when he writes, Now, You make me dance, make me dance as You like. So, I was thinking that these are like liberated souls coming from the spiritual world, seeing Krishna face to face. And you know, like a lot of times we say that they are saying that to set an example for us but when I'm reading...
Sankarshan Das: They are actually feeling that way too.
Local Devotee: Yeah, they are actually feeling that way. But when Prabhupada came it's almost like he knows he's going to take over the world, but at the same time he's feeling himself. So how to understand this? We will get into it a little bit.
Sankarshan Das: You have to become a pure devotee then. The more you can feel yourself fallen and useless, the more you become useful for Krishna. The more you feel yourself fallen, the more you actually advance and the more you are empowered to transform the world. Why is it difficult to understand? Why do you have a difficulty in understanding them?
Local Devotee: My difficulty is because if I feel that way, then that's actually true. But someone who is experiencing Krishna everywhere, how is he thinking of himself as a fallen soul? Prabhupada remembers, he says, Krishna told me to go, Krishna says go and write these books. He remembers talking to Krishna and he is still thinking of himself as a fallen soul. So that's quite difficult to understand.
Sankarshan Das: Why he become a pure devotee then? You can't understand the mood of a pure devotee, then you have to become a pure devotee. Then you'll understand. How you can become, feel yourself, how you can become more advanced, more you feel yourself fallen. That's what you have a hard time understanding.
Local Devotee: No, even that I can understand like as advancing, becoming more conscious of my past and seeing how fallen I am, but for a pure devotee who is coming from the spiritual path...
Sankarshan Das: That's the perfection.
Local Devotee: Yeah.
Sankarshan Das: That's the perfection of it. That's changing all the way to the perfectional stage. If you're saying that the more you feel yourself falling, the more you're advancing, then why not take it all the way to perfection? The same principle to perfection. What's the difficulty? You accept it on an intermediate level, the more you feel yourself found, the more you're advanced, but why not take it all the way to the perfectionist stage? Why not? Why you not want to do that? Why you want to put a... well, at a certain point it doesn't work, the principle doesn't work anymore. Why do you want to put a block on that sentiment? Now we have Hare Krishna Das.
Hare Krishna Das:Kindly enlighten, shelter of holy name means servant and master relationship. How it continues in the time of not chanting.
Sankarshan Das: Kirtaniya sadahari, chant 24 hours a day. You should always, you should be chanting, if you are not physically chanting, you should be engaged in, you should be engaged in serving the holy name. You should be constantly doing it. Why not? When you are not chanting Hare Krishna, you should be serving the holy name. It is like somebody distributing, convincing somebody to take a book and not chanting Hare Krishna. But they are doing the greatest chanting by giving a book. You are offering an arati, there is somebody singing the Gaura arati prayer and you are meditating on hearing that it is not Hare Krishna but it is the Gaura arati. Everything we do actually should be, in this sense, everything we do should be chanting Hare Krishna. Either directly chanting Hare Krishna or serving the chanting of Hare Krishna. The same thing. Let's say you are cooking, you are cooking, making prasadam for the Sunday love feast. You may not be chanting Hare Krishna at the time, you're looking at the recipe, how much turmeric should I put in? You're not chanting, but actually serving the chanting Hare Krishna. Okay here we have Vraja Kishore.
Vraja Kishore: I've heard that low esteem is a bad thing and humility is good. What is the difference between these both?
Sankarshan Das: Low esteem is a bad thing. Low self-esteem is a bad thing. To me it sounds like the same thing. The more you can feel yourself lowly and fallen, I don't see there's a difference. From my, as I'm seeing it right now, as I'm analysing it, low esteem and humility is the same thing. So, it's good to have low self-esteem.
Do you have any question?
Local Devotee: So, from at least, correct me, I am asking you, maybe I don't understand it correctly, but from what I understand, a humble person is not fearful, he is still confident.
Sankarshan Das: Actually, Prabhupada said I act like a king, nobody can defeat me.
Local Devotee: Yeah, but someone with a low self-esteem, they are not confident, they are actually fearful from what I have experienced.
Sankarshan Das: Yeah, you could look at it that way. In other words, if I understand, I'm representing the supreme authority, Krishna. So, you have confidence about what you're doing. So, in that sense, it's not low self-esteem. I Prabhupada act like a king because nobody can defeat me. So, because you know you're acting as a servant of the king, the power and the blessings of the king to act on his behalf to defeat all the rascals. So, for yourself you know that what you're doing is authorized and it's empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence. He's everything, all the planets from Himself right now. He has ordered you and blessed you to go out and transform the whole world. So, is that high self-esteem? It depends on how you define it. Somebody goes out there distributing books, does he have high self-esteem? He knows he's acting as a representative of the supreme authority so he's confident about what he's doing but he doesn't think he's God. It's a big question from Panchatattva now. I don't know if that helps a little bit. But certainly, Prabhupada think with great confidence, knowing that he represented the supreme authority and he was authorized and empowered to defeat all the rascals. So that high self-esteem depends on how you design it.
Panchatattva:kindly enlighten, whenever chanting or engaging in devotional service, I try to improve, but every time I fail miserably, one day good chanting and the next day no concentration, a lot of thoughts come to mind even during devotional service, it is the same. Fearing a Vaishnava aparadah is more than serving Vaishnava. How to deal with fear of any Vaishnava aparadah or slips or falls during fallen devotional service?
Sankarshan Das: You say to beg for the mercy. My dear, you can pray to Guru and Krishna, please bless me that I can become perfect in my service, not make any offenses against the Vaishnavas or against the holy name. Just keep begging, begging, begging and encourage the Vaishnavas to correct you also if you're doing something wrong. Tell them you're very eager to be corrected if I am doing something wrong, please tell me. I have that mood.
Anything else? Clearly understood from two devotees. That's good. Hare Krishna das and Panchatattva. Clearly understood. Clearly understood. Yeah.
Local Devotee:Gurudev, is this something I just thought of? I think it would be a good inquiry. It is like for a devotee, for a humble person who is truly humble, he is not affected by what other people think of him. So, he can stand in front of hundred thousand people and speak confidently. But someone with low self-esteem, from what I understand...
Sankarshan Das: Depends on how you define it.
Local Devotee: Yeah, they can't even stand in front of five people.
Sankarshan Das: Depends on how you define it, that’s all. There are different ways you define it. You could say it is synonymous with humility or you could define it in a different way. It depends on how you define it. But a devotee is, I mean, Prabhupada told us to lead the whole world. You can say that's high self-esteem. Your duty is to liberate the whole world. I mean thousands and millions of people should follow your directions. Is that high self-esteem? Maybe. Could be if you define it that way. Or you could say low self-esteem, but complete confidence in what he's empowered to do. The message that his complete total conviction that the message he's bringing is what the whole world needs more than anything else. Again, it depends on how you define him. I'm not going to haggle over definitions. But Prabhupada, like Prabhupada said, I got you king, nobody can defeat me. Is Prabhupada a tough stuff? No. Does he have high self-esteem? Depends on how you design it.
Local Devotee: One could say that those that are watering down the philosophy, they have low self-esteem because they're not confident that they feel like they need to change. They feel like they need to change based on... So, from what I understand, someone with low self-esteem, he's very much affected by what others think of him. And he's like in anxiety, oh, what this person is gonna think of me if I act like this, or I have to act like this. So maybe then people with high self-esteem, they're more confident in Prabhupada’s philosophy and they don't feel like they need to change it to tailor it for them.
Sankarshan Das: Again, it depends on how you define it. I would say that giving Prabhupada high self-esteem, high esteem for Prabhupada's teaching. That's how I would look at it.
Nitaichandra Das: How to recognize the artificial humility?
Sankarshan Das: Artificial humility. That's making a show of being humble not really being humble. Being puffed up and making a false show of being humble. That's an easy way to define artificial humility. Artificial humility is not really humble but he's making a show of being humble. I recognize that. That can be a very, very detailed analysis. How do you recognize when somebody's being, making a show of being humble but not really being humble? When they're given instruction, they don't like it. It's an easy way to recognize it. If they do this or do that, they don't like it. They feel like it's not suitable service for them. That's one way of seeing it. Someone's not very eager to follow instructions. They're more eager to show how humble they are. They can show their humility but not very eager to follow instructions.
Anything else? Are you suffering from artificial humility? I think we all are. That's why we are in the material world. I guess we'll stop here. We thank everybody for tuning in.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.