Spiritual Master
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Srimad Bhagavatam
4
23
1
Austin, TX, USA
11 August 2023
Sankarshan Das: Ecstatic adventure Srimad Bhagavatam. Srimad Bhagavatam 4th Canto, chapter 23, Text 01
Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya
SB 4.23.01
maitreya uvāca
dṛṣṭvātmānaṁ pravayasam
ekadā vainya ātmavān
ātmanā vardhitāśeṣa-
svānusargaḥ prajāpatiḥ
jagatas tasthuṣaś cāpi
vṛttido dharma-bhṛt satām
niṣpāditeśvarādeśo
yad-artham iha jajñivān
ātmajeṣv ātmajāṁ nyasya
virahād rudatīm iva
prajāsu vimanaḥsv ekaḥ
sa-dāro ’gāt tapo-vanam
Synonyms
maitreyaḥ uvāca — the sage Maitreya continued to speak; dṛṣṭvā — after seeing; ātmānam — of the body; pravayasam — old age; ekadā — once upon a time; vainyaḥ — King Pṛthu; ātma-vān — fully conversant in spiritual education; ātmanā — by oneself; vardhita — increased; aśeṣa — unlimitedly; sva-anusargaḥ — creation of material opulences; prajā-patiḥ — a protector of citizens; jagataḥ — moving; tasthuṣaḥ — not moving; ca — also; api — certainly; vṛtti-daḥ — one who gives pensions; dharma-bhṛt — one who observes the religious principles; satām — of the devotees; niṣpādita — fully executed; īśvara — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ādeśaḥ — order; yat-artham — in coordination with Him; iha — in this world; jajñivān — performed; ātma-jeṣu — unto his sons; ātma-jām — the earth; nyasya — indicating; virahāt — out of separation; rudatīm iva — just like lamenting; prajāsu — unto the citizens; vimanaḥsu — unto the aggrieved; ekaḥ — alone; sa-dāraḥ — with his wife; agāt — went; tapaḥ-vanam — in the forest where one can execute austerities.
Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
Translation
At the last stage of his life, when Mahārāja Pṛthu saw himself getting old, that great soul, who was king of the world, divided whatever opulence he had accumulated amongst all kinds of living entities, moving and nonmoving. He arranged pensions for everyone according to religious principles, and after executing the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in complete coordination with Him, he dedicated his sons unto the earth, which was considered to be his daughter. Then Mahārāja Pṛthu left the presence of his citizens, who were almost lamenting and crying from feeling separation from the King, and went to the forest alone with his wife to perform austerities.
Purport
Mahārāja Pṛthu was one of the śaktyāveśa incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such he appeared on the surface of the earth to execute the orders of the Supreme. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all planets, and He is always anxious to see that in each and every planet the living entities are happily living and executing their duties. As soon as there is some discrepancy in the execution of duties, the Lord appears on earth, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7): yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata.
Since there were so many discrepancies during the reign of King Vena, the Lord sent His most confidential devotee Mahārāja Pṛthu to settle things. Therefore, after executing the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and settling the affairs of the world, Mahārāja Pṛthu was ready to retire. He had been exemplary in his governmental administration, and now he was to become exemplary in his retirement. He divided all his property amongst his sons and appointed them to rule the world, and then he went to the forest with his wife. It is significant in this connection that it is said that Mahārāja Pṛthu retired alone and at the same time took his wife with him. According to Vedic principles, when retiring from family life one can take his wife with him, for the husband and wife are considered to be one unit. Thus they can both combinedly perform austerities for liberation. This is the path that Mahārāja Pṛthu, who was an exemplary character, followed, and this is also the way of Vedic civilization. One should not simply remain at home until the time of death, but should separate from family life at a timely moment and prepare himself to go back to Godhead. As a śaktyāveśa incarnation of God who had actually come from Vaikuṇṭha as a representative of Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja Pṛthu was certain to go back to Godhead. Nonetheless, in order to set the example in all ways, he also underwent severe austerities in the tapo-vana. It appears that in those days there were many tapo-vanas, or forests especially meant for retirement and the practice of austerities. Indeed, it was compulsory for everyone to go to the tapo-vana to fully accept the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for it is very difficult to retire from family life and at the same time remain at home. (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
I'm giving a lecture today on Srimad Bhagavatam 4.23.1. I was especially noting this sentence. "As stated in the Bhagavad Gita, the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all planets. He is always anxious to see that in each and every planet the living entities are happily living and executing their duties. As soon as there is some discrepancy in the execution of duties, the Lord appears on earth" as confirmed in Bhagavad Gita,
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
So are there any discrepancies now? Some people say everything is going perfectly right now, everything is fine. According to Krishna's plan everything is perfect. There is nothing to think about delivering the fallen souls. Everything is properly situated right now. Some rascal wrote me that recently. Everything is properly situated. Why should we think about delivering the world? It is already delivered.
(Yes, it is all set to deposit. ) talking to Gurumatji
So, the fact is it's not in order right now. If somebody, they have sex for fun and they kill the babies as they come out of it. Just see the rascalism. Sex is only meant for procreation, they use it for recreation. It's like going to the ball game, watching a tele, going to a movie, having sex, it's all considered the same thing. No problem, if there's a baby, you just go to the abortion clinic, kill the damn thing. Just see the mentality. And then the cow is giving it so much nourishment in form of its milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Milkshakes, I mean, go on. Just see how the cow is such a wonderful, beautiful animal, even their cow dung is pure, if you can imagine, and kill the damn thing and eat the flesh. I mean, just see the rascaldom. It's actually unbelievable, and they call it pro-choice. You know, we're gonna say we're pro-choice. You wanna kill it, kill it, it's okay. Just tissue, Just see how ignorant they are. It just makes me very, very, very, very angry. And oftentimes I make my offer of milk in the morning for the offering. I put that milk into the milk pot and warm it up to the Lord. I just think about those slaughter houses. It makes me so angry. We have to take charge of this planet. We really do have to take charge of this planet and shut down all these rascal slaughterhouses and abortion clinics. We must take charge of this planet. By forceful preaching, we must take charge of this planet and put a stop to all this nonsense. And the Lord appears, he has come as Lord Caitanya, he has come in the form of the ISKCON. ISKCON is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna has come as ISKCON and says put a stop to all this nonsense. We cannot just be happy while I am chanting my rounds and going back to Godhead. No we have to think we must now in the order of his divine grace,Om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada, We must now put a stop to all this nonsense by forceful preaching, convince these rascals to give up their nonsense. We must convince them by forceful, powerful preaching. We must convince them to give up this nonsense. Somehow or other we have to attract them to hear and then enlighten them on how to actually become happy. They cannot become happy because it's life of sense enjoyment. All they are doing is going to the lower species. All they are doing is going down to the animal kingdom. It's all they are going to get. I can feel it again this morning, this life of sense enjoyment, Even if neophyte devotees are meditating on sense enjoyment. Ah, the lower self as I was explaining yesterday. I was meditating, even meditating on sense gratification, what does it mean to have sense gratification? It's like illicit sex is sinful but even meditating on illicit sex is also illicit sex. So what is happening is like, well I pass stool and somebody gave me a spoon, I'm dipping it in the toilet, I'm dipping it in the toilet, mmm, that stool is so delicious, mmm, so delicious, eating stool. Would you do that? You pass stool, you take a spoon, oh it looks so beautiful, so attractive. Top of the hop. So those who go for sense enjoyment, they are aiming for the life of a hog. Oh, somebody is past due, keep shy. Why don't you run? Eat that stool. Oh, it's so delicious. So we have to wake up, my dear devotees, we have to wake up, we have to get out of maya. Here we are even as neophytes we are still cultivating sense enjoyment, not eating stool you see. Just see how far we are. If we want to become empowered preachers who are going to save this world from degradation to bring Lord Chaitanya's movement in every heart, in every home, in every town, in every village, in every government house. If we're actually going to bring Lord Chaitanya'smovement everywhere we have to become pure devotees. We have to kick out this stool eating propensity from our own hearts, meditating on sense enjoyment. We have to kick it out, kick it out, kick it out with boot. Am I right or wrong? Is this fanaticism? Am I right or wrong? I am some kind of fanatic up here saying you can't even meditate on sense enjoyment. Am I some kind of fanatic? Religious fanatic? Saying it's sinful even to think about sense enjoyment? Well I'm backed up by Prabhupad. I'm just repeating what the Prabhupad says. If you don't like it, you're in the wrong movement. Prabhupad said if you're too much a lover of vagina, then give up worshipping Krishna and start worshipping Indra. If you are too much a lover of the vagina, then go and become a devotee of Indra. Prabhupad is very heavy that the devotees are running after vaginas. So we have to become sober now. If you want to be a devotee of Krishna, you have to follow Krishna. Not make a show of being a devotee of Krishna. The Christians make a show of loving Jesus and go to McDonald's after church. Even though the Bible says thou shall not kill. Where do they go? Is it Kentucky Fried or McDonald's after church service? Just see the hypocrisy. Just see the nonsense, ridiculous hypocrisy going on. And I'm a very good Christian. Those Hare Krishnas are going to hell and I'm going to heaven because I accepted Jesus. Why don't you accept Jesus you rascals? Why don't you truly accept Jesus instead of making a show? So we devotees of Krishna we should also be truly devotees of Krishna. I was making a show, I got Tilaka on the nose, I got Kanti on the neck, I'm a great devotee of the Lord, I got on my dhoti, I'm wearing a sari, I'm going great. No. But what are you thinking about? What are you meditating on? Are you meditating on Krishna or are you meditating on sense enjoyment? What are your thoughts? Remind me of a song back in the 60s. It was a very poignant line actually. It said, if my thought dreams could be seen, they would probably stick my head in a guillotine. It's a very poignant line from a singer-songwriter who was very instrumental in the whole counterculture. My thought dreams could be seen, they would probably stick my head in a guillotine. So let's clean our insides, devotees. We made the show on the outside, Tilaka, and then kanthi. We made a nice show, but now let's really get it together and become pure devotees. Like Prabhupada told me, you have to become qualified to see Krishna face to face. Let's come to that level. Let's get off this neophyte platform we are on and actually become qualified to see Krishna face to face. We have to take this very very seriously, not for our own deliverance, but for the deliverance of these fallen souls. We are meant to make a mark on the world. We are meant to turn the upside down history right side up. We are meant to completely revolutionize at least this planet. What to speak of the other planets? What does it say in the Itihasa Samuchya? You know that verse?
janmāntara-sahasreṣu
yasya syād buddhir īdṛśī
dāso 'haṁ vāsudevasya
sarvāḹ lokān samuddharet
Narad Muni was telling Poundrik and Prabhupada quotes it in his books. After thousands and thousands of births, one realizes he is a devotee of Krishna and can deliver all the worlds. And Prabhupada in another space can deliver the whole material world. So that's a great power from actually realizing, actually becoming Krishna conscious. Krishna is giving the power to deliver the whole material world. That's the power of actually becoming Krishna conscious. So we can see how much we are not Krishna conscious. We are not able to deliver these fallen souls and convince them to close abortion clinics and slaughterhouses and liquor shops. Of course, Prabhupada is very tolerant. That is his great tolerance. I was reading līlāmṛta last night. He married 2 disciples who were living together but not married. He initiated them. Then he said, now you got to get married. Prabhupad arranged the marriage and cooked the wedding feast. Can you imagine? Prabhupad cooked the wedding feast, the disciples' wedding. And then he said, "You must invite your relatives because that's the standard." They were far away in Oregon, 3,000 miles, but one of them came. Her name was Joan. And so he engaged Joan in helping to cook the feasts. And he was so talented. in the middle she said, "Prabhupad, can I take a cigarette break?" He said, " Yes, but wash your hands. You have to wash your hands after you come back from your cigarette break." And that Joan became Jamuna, one of the most powerful devotees in our whole movement. Jamuna is a very famous powerful creature in our movement. Jamuna. Prabhupad was so tolerant, if she was smoking cigarettes, he would let her help him cook the food. The Prabhupad was very tolerant, very, very tolerant. So we can be heavy, but at the same time we are very, very tolerant like Prabhupad. Very, very, very tolerant. It's amazing how much he tolerated. He had nothing and then somehow I had this little storefront and apartment by, and I was reading how the whole thing took off like a rocket. It was amazing. And Prabhupad was so much appreciated by only one Godbrother. All his Godbrothers were critical of him when he became successful. But one, one Godbrother, Prabhupad was a very nice Godbrother. He said, Lord Caitanya said,
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
Anyway, the English is, In many towns and villages, I don't remember it, I don't remember the whole thing. The translation is, In many towns and villages there are throughout the entire world, this Krishna consciousness movement will be spread. So he said yes we were thinking it was some kind of poetry, some simile. We didn't think it was literally a fact, but you have made it happen. You have made it happen. So one guy that I really much appreciated Prabhupada, you have made it happen. So now, my dear devotees, it's up to us to continue with this same. We are Prabhupada anugas. If we are truly Prabhupada anugas, we will take the same mood, the same spirit, and we will have the best of the same profiency as Srila Prabhupada. He wants us all to become empowered like he was empowered to now take this movement and make the whole world Krishna consciousness. So are we going to do it or are we just going to think about eating, sleeping, mating and defending? Are we going to do it or not? That's the challenge for all of us. Am I getting out of maya, am I going to get out of this neophyte stage where I'm thinking about eating, sleeping, mating and defending? Or I will actually become an empowered Vaishanava truly taking the potency of Srila Prabhupada to turn this upside down Kaliyuga and make the beautiful golden age of Lord Chaitanya happen. A virtual Sat Yuga in the middle of Kali Yuga. A virtual Sat Yuga for 10,000 years, it's predicted it's going to happen now, we are challenged who is going to make it happen? Are you going to make it happen? Am I going to make it happen? Who is going to make this Golden era become fully manifest as predicted in the scriptures? Who's going to make it happen? Are you going to make it happen? Am I going to make it happen? Who is going to make this Golden era become fully manifest as predicted in the scriptures? Who's going to make it happen? Nobody? Somebody is going to make it happen. It's predicted. The scriptures will not go wrong. It's not a poetic simile. Somebody is going to make it happen. Now who's going to make it happen? It's going to be you, it's going to be me, it's going to be Bhakta Joe over there. Who's going to make it happen? Who is going to bring, which devotee is going to fully take this empowerment of Srila Prabhupad and bring this golden age of Caitanya into full manifestation? Who's going to do it? Are we going to be caught up in eating, sleeping, mating, meditating on sense enjoyment? I'm not ready yet. I still have to think about sense enjoyment. I mean it's so nice to meditate on sense enjoyment. I can just relish it in my mind. How wonderful is sense enjoyment. Even though I know it's wrong, still I'm very attracted to meditate on it. Sense enjoyment, lust, anger, madness, illusion, envy. Give me a little space Gurudev, let me meditate on sense enjoyment, have a little fun in my mind at least. Well, you want to cheat yourself or reward yourself. You want to cheat yourself or reward yourself, that's your choice. We can cheat ourselves or we can reward ourselves but we continue to hover on this platform of sense gratification, we're doing nothing but cheating ourselves big time. But if we get off this sense gratification mental platform and actually come to a platform of pure devotional service rewarding ourselves unlimitedly. So it's a choice each one of us has to make. Do I want to be rewarded or punished? Do I want to reward myself or punish myself? If you had a choice to inflict punishment on yourself, would you do it? You know, take a razor and cut my wrist with a razor for a little fun. Oh, it feels so good. I love blood coming out. It's like sex life. There's blood coming out. We heard it the other day, you know, it takes 40 drops of blood to make 1 drop of semen and each person is passing from 1 third to 1 teaspoon of semen. So I want to believe myself and think it feels so good, ah, passing semen feels so good. Or I reward myself by only passing semen if I want to produce Krishna conscious children, it should be according to the Prabhupad's principles, once in a month, after 50 rounds of japa. I want to minimize this and maximize my spiritual advancement, that's a choice I can make. So Maharaj Prithu is the ideal example, we should follow in his footsteps. We should follow carefully in the footsteps of Prithu Maharaj. He didn't want to stay in his comfortable home until the last minute. He wanted to go to his, We have our sacred places, Mayapur or Vrindavan. If you want to get ready to leave the body, you can go there and get ready to leave in a sacred place.
So, any challenges coming in? Any disagreements? Oh, Gurudev, you're just a stupid fanatic. Why are you so heavy? Please be lenient with us, please give us some scope and little space for, sense enjoyement, so wonderful, give me some sense enjoyement. So it's your choice devotees. I'm giving probably a short lecture today. Somebody is ripping us off, some company is ripping us off. We try to solve this problem as soon as possible. Yeah, go ahead.
Abhaya Charan : Srila Gurudev, Just by meditating on sense gratification we are enjoying it, just by meditating?
Sankarshan Das: Then we are actually not really engaging in it.
Abhaya Charan : But at the same time we also hear that in Kali Yuga we have a confession where we are not punished for our thoughts, But when the thought becomes an action, that's when we...
Sankarshan Das : Really? What should it be then? No, it's not as bad. But Prabhupad also said that meditating on sense gratification is also illicit. Meditating on illicit sex is also illicit sex. So now if you have a concession you can meditate on this illicit sex all day long, feel lusty and meditate on the illicit sex all day long and say okay. No. So it's not the same but it is simple. Meditate on simple things. Try to enjoy them in your mind.
Vishnurata : Why anarchism appears to be attacking when one is the least alert?
Sankarshan Das : That's why they are attacking you, least alert. That's why they are attacking you. When you let down your guard, maya comes in. You become a little bit lenient. If you are not heavy to stand guard against the attack of maya, maya will find a way to sneak in.
Amala Purana : What is needed to become a powerful devotee to bring revolution on this planet?
Sankarshan Das : Pure devotional service. Kicking out all the sense gratification, subtle and gross, kicking it all out of the heart.
Sahil Zele : Why does the mind want sense enjoyment?
Sankarshan Das : Well Sahil Zele we've been addicted to sense enjoyment since time immemorial through millions and millions of lifetimes. We're habituated to sense gratification, It's our habit. As dogs, as monkeys, as demigods, as human beings, as worms in a stool, we are addicted to sense enjoyment. It's our habit for millions and millions of lifetimes. So we are creatures of habit. So we have to develop new habits. That's why we have Sadhana bhakti, chanting 16 rounds a day, following the 4 regulative principles, we have to become obituated. That's why we have Mangala-arthi everyday and Tulasi worship. That's why we have Bhagavatam everyday. We have to create new habits. Become more attracted to Mangala Aarti than we are to nonsense activities. That's the whole point. We have to regulate devotional service to develop new habits. And when you become fully purified, there's no question of regulation. You do it spontaneously, automatically, because you love to do it.
Raja Ram Das : In the Purport it is mentioned that as per Vedic principles, when one is leaving retired life, one can take his wife with him. So it is not required to take Sanayas in order to go back to Godhead.
Sankarshan Das : It is a very exemplary thing, those who do take Sanayas, we offer them all respect. I have shown you a very profound example. You don't have to take Sanayas to go back to Godhead. You and your wife can go to holy sites like Vrindavan and Mayapur and go back to Godhead without having to take Sanayas. That's the point.
Anything else? Are we finished? Yes?
Abhaya Charan : Is it necessary that we have to go to Sri Vrindavan Dham or Mayapur Dham ?
Sankarshan Das : No, not absolutely required but it is certainly recommended. Prabhupad had been to Vrindavan and he said It's not required but it's very helpful. Because you may have your home here in whatever it may be, Austin or London or Berlin or whatever it may be. There's a tendency to be attached to your home. But when you go somewhere else, a holy place, then that attachment is there. You relish being in the holy place. It's like here, We have so much paraphernalia we're dealing with every day. I got my desk, I got my, you know, I have this, I have that, I got my place for my razor blade and there's a whole thing I'm living in every day where I have this, I have that, all these facilities here and there's a certain attachment to being in that place. That's why I like traveling. You get away from that attachment. You know, I have my car, I have the garage, I push the button and it goes up. The whole thing moves to that atmosphere. You get attached to it. I like traveling and preaching and you get away from all that attachment. I got my bathroom, I got a mirror, I got the heater, I got the hot, the hot and the cold, the whole thing, how you get attached to the whole thing. The whole thing. Traveling is good. I relish it, traveling. It's ecstatic for me. So that's the point of going to the holy place. You get out of it, you kind of break free from all this. Now I have the stove, I know where the burner is, I know where the switch is, I know where the refrigerator is, I know where the freezer is, you know the whole thing, you are attached to all these things. Going to a holy place you get free automatically, you get more and more into Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, NOT where your stove is, where your fridge is, where The pots are kept, the small pots are here, the big ones are over here, the spoons are here, the whole thing you get attached to. You go to the holy place, you get attached to the holy place naturally. I'm not getting attached to my drawer with the spoons and the pots and the paper towels and the toilet paper. All that attachment is not there when you go to the holy place. Now you get attached to going to Mangala-Aarti and seeing Krishna Balarama, going to Prabhupada's Samadhi from Mangala-Aarti. It is a natural thing. So it is very nice to go to the holy place.
So anything else? So, anything else? All right.
Hare Krishna Das : Hare Krishna, it is said that one should be tempered in eating, sleeping and reading. So what is in recreation?
Sankarshan Das : Eating, sleeping and recreation, that's an interesting thing. You mean football or baseball? Once you've been tempered in eating, sleeping and recreation? It's a very interesting question. I haven't thought about that one before. Once you've been tempered in recreation? I only go to the bowling alley once a week. I only go to the movie theater once a month being tempered in my recreation. I only have a illicit sex once a week being tempered in my recreation. No, it doesn't mean those things. It's an interesting question. I don't really have a better answer. What does it mean to be tempered in recreation? What is recreation for a devotee? Well for me recreation is taking a walk around the neighborhood. So to be tempered means I don't take a walk for the whole day. I just take one walk in the morning and that's it for 10 to 15 minutes. For me that's the greatest recreation is to hear Prabhupad's lecture and take a walk around the neighborhood. So that's my recreation but I don't do it all day long. I have to come back and offer the Aarti, so many things. I have to answer my emails, write thoughts for the day. For me that's what it means to be tempered in recreation. For me that's what it means. And now we have... Ok, go ahead.
Abhaya Charan : That reminds me, Srila Prabhupad in one lecture he says, "For devotees, the recreation is putting tulasi leaves and decorating the Lord."
Sankarshan Das : Ah, decorating the Lord is recreation. That's nice, very nice. They reckon the deity is recreation. Actually we are visiting Prabhupada in the morning is recreation also.
Devotee : How do we develop the mood of Prabhupada?
Sankarshan Das : Well, by reading Prabhupada's books, and following what Prabhupada says, by getting initiated, by a disciple of Prabhupada. All these things will help you develop the mood of Prabhupada.
Raja Ram Das : We have read in Canto 3 that Kardma Muni left his good wife, how to become enthusiastic, to let go of one's good wife, at the time of retirement. How is it to be understood?
Sankarshan Das : Well that's an option, not required but it is an option. one can become a Sannyasi or a virtuous Sannyasi. That's also there. If your wife is a rascal, that's a good idea. I'm not saying his wife is a rascal. If your wife is a rascal, she doesn't want to be Krishna conscious. It's a good idea to leave her body. Your wife is very advanced and very fixed in Krishna consciousness and there's no reason to leave her association, to leave your body. Okay.
Bhaktin Shivani : I am having great enthusiasm in meeting people in my dreams rather than in real life. How to be enthusiastic when awake?
Sankarshan Das : Well the first thing is to get initiated and take the order of your spiritual master as your life and soul. The spiritual master will order you to be very enthusiastic in preaching and then you have to do it to please your spiritual master. Actually the disciple is in constant contact with the spiritual master by accepting his orders as one's life and soul. So you get initiated, you follow the order of your spiritual master and he orders you to be very enthusiastic in preaching. You know what Prabhupad papa told me, he said, "I see you are a very sincere and enthusiastic boy, eager to spread this Krishna consciousness movement. Now continue enthusiastically as you were doing and surely Krishna will bless you." So I had that enthusiasm when I was a young kid. Now Even though the body is 75 going on 76, I have to keep that enthusiasm. Even though I have pain in this knee, and pain in this finger, and I have pain in this arm, or whatever it may be. Even though I could hardly read the verse today with these eyes, and I have hearing aids and so many things, I have to keep the enthusiasm in all cases. Prabhupad never lost his enthusiasm even though his body was going down the tubes.
Sharda Devi Dasi : Is it that when one doesn't give in to one's senses, as it grows to settle one feels free and mind feels enthusiastic?
Sankarshan Das : Yes, we can master over these senses.
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
One who is in control of the mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals can deliver all the fallen souls in this world back to Godhead. Just see the power of controlling the mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals. A great power in doing that. And can easily connect with Guru and Krishna. Absolutely when you bring these pushings under control you can be tightly connected with Guru and Krishna at every nanosecond.
Chaitanya Das : How to keep big spiritual ambitions by becoming a pure devotee, going without being discouraged by the external conditions, kindly enlighten.
Sankarshan Das : That's a real challenge. We see that externally sometimes the discouragement comes there. It's like somebody who discouraged me through the email about preaching. It's not really necessary to preach. They just wanted to do the mood with sense gratification. Why worry about a living and fallen soul? Just enjoy your senses. That was the whole mood. That was somebody who was writing me like that. So they said, what is the innermost feelings you want to reveal that I desire to present to God. That's what they want to reveal. I said my innermost desire is to make the whole world Krishna conscious. So you have to keep that, your burning desire in the middle of all the things, I have to do this thing, I have to do that thing. All the externals are there but you have to keep the burning desire within your heart of hearts. I must do my duty to deliver this world. You have to always remember that's my real business here. These other things I have to do going to the doctor, going to the gas station, going to the grocery store, those things are done. You may have to take prasadam, you may have to take rest. So many things are there for the body and the senses. So many things we are doing. We have to remember that these are all external, but my real business here is to become a pure devotee and make this whole work Krishna conscious. That's my real duty here. Anything else? Now if we can stop a little early. Okay, we'll stop a little early. We thank everybody for tuning in. This is recorded. Do you want to hear it again? Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama.
Thank you very much.