Sankarshan Das Adhikari:

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

4.25.25

tām āha lalitaṁ vīraḥ

savrīḍa-smita-śobhanām

snigdhenāpāṅga-puṅkhena

spṛṣṭaḥ premodbhramad-bhruvā

tām — unto her; āha — addressed; lalitam — very gently; vīraḥ — the hero; sa-vrīḍa — with shyness; smita — smiling; śobhanām — very beautiful; snigdhena — by sex desire; apāṅga-puṅkhena — by the arrow of glancing; spṛṣṭaḥ — thus pierced; prema-udbhramat — exciting love; bhruvā — by the eyebrows.

Purañjana, the hero, became attracted by the eyebrows and smiling face of the very beautiful girl and was immediately pierced by the arrows of her lusty desires. When she smiled shyly, she looked very beautiful to Purañjana, who, although a hero, could not refrain from addressing her.

Purport

Every living entity is a hero in two ways. When he is a victim of the illusory energy, he works as a great hero in the material world. Every living entity is a hero in two ways. When he is a victim of the illusory energy, he works as a great hero in the material world, as a great leader, politician, businessman, industrialist, etc., and his heroic activities contribute to the material advancement of civilization. One can also become a hero by being master of the senses, a gosvāmī. Material activities are false heroic activities, whereas restraining the senses from material engagement is great heroism. However great a hero one may be in the material world, he can be immediately conquered by the lumps of flesh and blood known as the breasts of women. In the history of material activities there are many examples, like the Roman hero Antony, who became captivated by the beauty of Cleopatra. Similarly, a great hero in India named Baji Rao became a victim of a woman during the time of Maharashtrian politics, and he was defeated. From history we understand that formerly politicians used to employ beautiful girls who were trained as viṣa-kanyā. These girls had poison injected into their bodies from the beginning of their lives so that in due course of time they would become so immune to the poison and so poisonous themselves that simply by kissing a person they could kill him. These poisonous girls were engaged to see an enemy and kill him with a kiss. Thus there are many instances in human history of heroes who have been curbed simply by women. Being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the living entity is certainly a great hero, but due to his own weakness he becomes attracted to the material features.

kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga-vāñchā kare

nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

It is said in the Prema-vivarta that when a living entity wants to enjoy material nature, he is immediately victimized by the material energy. A living entity is not forced to come into the material world. He makes his own choice, being attracted by beautiful women. Every living entity has the freedom to be attracted by material nature or to stand as a hero and resist that attraction. It is simply a question of the living entity’s being attracted or not being attracted. There is no question of his being forced to come into contact with material energy. One who can keep himself steady and resist the attraction of material nature is certainly a hero and deserves to be called a gosvāmī. Unless one is master of the senses, he cannot become a gosvāmī. The living entity can take one of two positions in this world: he may become a servant of his senses, or he may become master of them. By becoming a servant of the senses, one becomes a great material hero, and by becoming master of the senses, he becomes a gosvāmī, or spiritual hero.

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

So in this connection, Srila Rupa Goswami, one of the six Goswamis, is like we pray,

Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

The six Goswamis, Rupa, Sanatana, and then the Raghunatha Bhatta, Raghunatha Das, Jiva and Gopal Bhatta. These six Goswamis completely mastered their senses. They weren't material heroes, they were Spiritual Heroes. So we have a choice, become a material hero or the spiritual hero. We have to see what is the difference. Well, you become a great materialist, you still have to get sick, get old and die. What is it good if you become rich and famous? Right now you're a rich and famous hero in the material world, but in your next life you become a dog in Scandinavia. So what is the use of becoming a big, big hero when you're going to end up being a dog or a monkey or a pig or a mosquito or an ant? So we have to use our intelligence, my dear listeners, my dear devotees, we have to use our intelligence and analyze very carefully what is the result of becoming a material hero or a spiritual hero.

Spiritual is a much better deal. You become a master of your senses in Goswami, much better deal. You become, you achieve eternal form full of bliss and knowledge in the pastimes of Krishna in the Spiritual world, and while you're here in this world you become a powerful influence for making Krishna conscious movement spread more and more as Rupa Goswami says,

vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ

jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ

sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt

When we can conquer our mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals, can make disciples all over the world. pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt So what's better, to be a dancing dog in the hands of women or to be like this Antony and Cleopatra, to be subdued by a poison kiss as described here, Vishakanya? Or is it better to actually become a conqueror of the senses, become a great hero, pushing forward the Krishna consciousness movement?

We should analyze very carefully and intelligently and not be carried away by all these bogus arguments going on. Just like I have a philosophy to justify sense enjoyment, it's called atheism. One of my students in Mumbai, in his college, they're going to have a debate between theism and atheism. He wrote me to ask me what arguments we can use to defeat atheism, to promote theism. I told him very simply like this, God means the source of everything. Atheism means there is no source. Now, let's analyze this intelligently, use some intelligence here. Let's look at it very intelligently. We can analyze everywhere there's a source for everything. It's like the tree comes from the sea, or you know, there's so many things you can see. Or this iPad comes from a manufacturer. There's so many examples. This floor comes from a stone quarry, you see. We can analyze so many situations, but we think to see every things have a source. Everything, we can analyze everything. This turtleneck came from a source, this watch came from a source, the Seiko company. We can analyze the source for everything. So, it's logical or scientific to conclude that since everything I can see, everything I can observe has a source, therefore Everything itself must have a source. It's logical. It's more logical.

But the atheists say, oh, there is no source. There's a source for this, a source for that, but ultimately there is no source. That's called blind faith or fanaticism. Krishna consciousness means use your intelligence, don't be carried away by fanaticism. Analyze intelligently and scientifically and you will come to the conclusion there must be a source for everything. That is called God. The source. Krishna says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds. So to conclude that scientifically, logically, philosophically, to conclude there is a source, that is intelligent, whereas the neither is no source, that's fanaticism. So we do not want to be fanatics here. We want to be intelligent, philosophically minded people. What is that saying? What's that saying? Man is a (Isn't that Devi) Man is a rational animal. They say man is a rational animal. Well, what does it mean if you don't use your rationality? It means you're less than an animal. So, these atheists are actually less than animals. You see? They're less than animals. They want us to accept their philosophy to justify sense gratification. If there's no God, that means that I can do anything I want and they're not responsible for it. God means he also can observe everything that's going on. So if there is no God, I can do whatever I want. I can gratify my tongue, my belly, my genitals, my false ego. I can just gratify as much as I want and get away with as much as I want and not care about any results or any reactions. Well, even in physics it's been deduced for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It's a law in physics. So, that law is actually very true. If I throw a ball against a wall, it will bounce back on me. So actually everything you do bounces back on you. Even your thoughts bounce back on you. So everything bounces back on us, therefore We should be careful what we do, what we think, what we say, because it's all going to come bouncing back.

So those who are intelligent, they actually say, well, what can I do that will give me a very good reaction? And then we have the authority of that person who has created everything. Just like you want to learn how to use your iPad, you go to the manufacturer for the instruction manual how to use it properly to get the proper utilization. So, since God is the source of everything, he's very kindly given us a user's manual, a whole series of user's manuals of the Vedic wisdom, the Puranas. He's given us this wonderful series of user's manuals so we can understand how to properly utilize this thing called existence, to get the proper utilization out of it. Therefore, we have to very carefully study the scriptures that Krishna has given us because these will guide us and tell us how we can utilize everything in a way to achieve a very, very, very good result. If someone thinks this iPad is simply a hot pad, when you take the pot out of the stove, you stick it on the iPad, that's what it makes for, it's a hot pad. Then they're going to ruin the iPad and it's not going to be of use to them. If you understand the proper use of the iPad, then you get a very good utilization. We can even use it to make classes available to people all over the world. So let us not be fools, my dear listeners, Let us not be fools to go on mental speculation.

Well, I think, I think, what is that saying? I think, I think, I sink. So don't be a mental speculator, trying to judge everything by your own imperfect senses. Try to take instructions from the Supreme Creator, the source of everything. Utilize everything in such a way you get a very good utilization out of it. Therefore hear in the Bhagavad Gita,

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

"I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds. Everything comes from me. The wise who know this perfectly, engage in my devotional service and worship me with all their hearts."

What does that really mean? The wise who know this perfectly? In other words, you understand, Krishna is the source of everything. Everything is coming from Him. So, if you understand that, you understand well, everything is coming from Him, therefore everything should be engaged in His service. That's to know perfectly, since He's the source of everything, to know this perfectly, engage in my devotional service. You may ask, why should I serve the source of everything? Why should I serve the source? Since everything is coming, this is called loving reciprocation. Since everything is coming from the original personality of Godhead, and He's giving everything, I simply take, take, take, take, take, without reciprocation. That's not a very nice situation. Actually, that tendency to serve is there in all of us. We have that tendency to serve. You see the dog serves the master, the master serves the dog, the wife serves the husband, the husband serves the wife, the politician, he promises so many things to serve the citizens. And then the citizens think, oh, he's going to serve me nicely if he gets in the office, so I'll vote for him. Now, all this service going back, back and forth in every position, this is called dharma. The intrinsic nature of Every living entity is to serve. You can't take service away. We have an, it's called dharma, the eternal occupation of every living being is to serve.

So we have to see, we read in the introduction yesterday, the Bhagavad Gita, we have to see what is the perfection of service. How can I serve in such a way that I get the perfection of that service relationship? So the point here is, since Krishna is the source of everything, if you serve that Supreme Source of everything, then you get unlimited reciprocation. Unlimited energy is coming from Him. If you can learn how to tap into that energy by giving your loving service to that Supreme Person, then that unlimited flow of energy comes to you also. So in this way we can actually become liberated from all the stresses and anxiety. This pure devotional service is so wonderful. Actually, that's an amazing thing. This pure devotional service is so wonderful. Do you know how wonderful it is? It's so wonderful, pure devotional service. It brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress. It's the beginning of all auspiciousness. It puts one in transcendental pleasure. Amazing thing. It's the only means of attracting Krishna. Those in pure devotional service, they spit at the thought of merging into the Supreme. I spit at it. I have derived the conception of liberation. It's such a wonderful thing, this pure devotional service. Who wants to merge with God? That means there's no service. Just like there's this loving reciprocation, where the ecstasy is tasted. If I merge into the object of my reciprocation there's no reciprocation anymore you see. This is why the Mayavadi philosophy doesn't work. āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ They fall down back again, because the nature is to serve.

If I emerge on my object of service, then I have no opportunity to serve, to accept or give, to accept service or give service. So that's why pure devotional service, those in pure devotional service, they spit at the thought of merging into the Supreme. Sāyujya-mukti. They say, forget it, I don't need this Sāyujya-mukti. They may accept, sometimes accept other types of liberation. Sārūpya, to have a form like the Lord, or Sāmīpya, to be a companion of the Lord, or Sārṣṭi the opulence of the Lord, or Sālokya to reside in the same planet as the Lord. But even that is not important to the pure devotees. They completely reject Sāyujya, they're not even interested in these other types of liberation. Because when you engage in pure devotional service, you're already situated beyond all the miseries of material existence. In other words, when you engage in pure devotional service, you're as good as back to home, back to Godhead right now. You know, you think, well, I need to go back to home, back to God. No, you're already as good as back to home, back to God. Why? Because Krishna is here. Do you think Krishna is not present in this material energy? He's present within every atom, between every atom. Krishna is omnipresent. So when you actually become in this mood of pure loving service of that Supreme Person, you're already connected to them as good as the devotees in the spiritual world, as the Gopas, the Gopis, the cows, the peacocks, the Yamuna River, the flute, the dhotis, everything. You're just as connected right here, right now, as you are with Krishna in his transcendental pastimes in the spiritual world.

But since we're not so qualified right now to see those pastimes, Krishna kindly reveals them here on this planet. Just imagine, there's a, what is the place called? Vrindavan! It's somewhere, what is it, 90 miles from Delhi? 90 miles? How far? 90 miles? There's a place called Vrindavan. Where we are sitting there right now. Krishna's mercy, you see. This place, Krishna revealed, those amazing pastimes took place. They're just to attract us, you see. To attract us they come to pure devotional service. Krishna gave us a sneak preview of what it's like in the spiritual world, you see. It's called a sneak preview. In motion pictures they give you a sneak preview of what's in the movie, so you want to go see the whole movie. So Krishna gave us a sneak preview of this Vrindavan pastimes. And our great Acharyas have very kindly explained them for us. They've given us such an intimate glimpse into these amazing pastimes, especially we're devoted to Rupa Goswami, but he's given us a sneak preview. Just like that one verse, you know that verse, Smerāṁ bhaṅgi?

smerāṁ bhaṅgi traya paricitaṁ sāci-vistīrṇa dṛṣṭiṁ

vaṁśī nyastādhara kiśalayam ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa

govindākhyāṁ hari-tanum itaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe

mā prekṣiṣṭhās tava yadi sakhe bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṇgaḥ

When Gopī is talking to another Gopī, he says, My dear Gopī girlfriend, if you have any desire to enjoy society, friendship, or love in this world, then don't you dare go to the bank of Yamuna tonight by the Keshigat. Because you go there, you see this beautiful boy Krishna. He's known as Govinda. He has very, very enchanting eyes. He's playing on his flute. He's playing on his flute and he has a peacock feather on his head, and his beauty, his beautiful body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky. So, don't you dare go there, my dear Gopi girlfriend." So, what did that gopi girlfriend do? She immediately ran to the Yamuna. Oh, this boy Krishna, I got to check this out, you see. Krishna.., Rupa Goswami give a little sneak preview, a glimpse of what it's like in these pastimes, these pastimes in Goloka Vrindavan, you see. So we can get some attraction. Oh, such amazing pastimes. This beautiful boy illuminated by the moonlight in the sky, playing on the flute, standing on the bank of the Yamuna in Keshigat with a peacock feather. Wow, pretty amazing thing, you see. Much better than Bollywood or Hollywood or any of this garbage out there, you see. Amazing stuff, you see. So how much we're indebted to these great Acāryas like Rūpa Goswāmī. Look at Raghunad-Bhātā Goswāmī, this amazing austerity that he did. Rādhā-Kuṇḍa, can you imagine, every other day one pat of butter, that's all he took? He was so skinny, but he had tears in his eyes, tears of love in his eyes. In fact, he was not eating at all. Can you imagine, one pat of butter every other day and that was it, nothing else. But he was in total ecstasy of Krishnaprema. So we see the Acharyas as these great examples of entering into Krishnaprema. We think, well, I've got to get this Kṛṣṇaprema. I've got to get out of the Māyā being lustry, angry, greedy, all this garbage in my consciousness polluting me. I mean, I should be able to see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is actually present, but I can't see him because I'm covered by this lust, this anger, this greed, this madness, illusion and envy.

So these great Acharyas have given these wonderful books like Nectar of Devotion. You know what Prabhupada said about Nectar of Devotion? He said, if you read Nectar of Devotion, you're directly associating with Rupa Goswami. So we have to understand the great power in these words and these instructions. Just like Prabhupada is still present in his instructions. One of my disciples, she's written me, she said, Gurudev, What am I to do when you're no longer physically present? How will I find any guidance or association? Who will I write?" But I told her that actually the spiritual master is fully present in his instructions. Just like I have personal instructions that Prabhupada gave me, and by remembering those instructions, by trying to follow those instructions, I'm directly in contact with Srila Prabhupada, just as much as I was, you know, 50 years ago, standing there new Vyasasan, a few inches away from his transcendental form. So the instructions of the spiritual master contain full potency to carry them out and to have his constant Sangha. So whatever instructions we receive from the spiritual master, we take them deep into our heart and we embrace them as our very, very life and soul. So in this way, by connecting with our spiritual master and Srila Prabhupada and the previous Acharyas like Rupa Goswami, we can be blessed with our divine Sangha and empowered by them to actually come to that position of awakening pure love of God within our hearts.

So why, my dear listeners, should we torture ourselves any longer? Does it make sense to torture yourself by remaining lusty, angry, greedy, maddened, delusional or envious? Does that make any sense? So it's time for us to come out of Maya, come out of Maya, get off this bodily platform, try to gratify our material senses, our subtle senses, our gross senses. It's time to get off this platform of sense gratification, become a little intelligent, you see. Stop being so idiotic, so foolish, as much as an imbecile running around like a stupid dog, sniffing this, sniffing that. It's time to get off this dogish, monkeyish mentality and come to the actual Transcendental Platform.

Give me pure bhakti or give me death. That should be our determination. Give me pure devotional or give me death. Pure bhakti or death. I don't want to be in the middle trying to gratify myself halfway into devotional service. I want pure devotional service right now or death. Give me pure bhakti or give me death. That's the determination we should have. I want pure devotional service and nothing but pure devotional service. Everything, even not semi-devotional service. I want pure bhakti right here, right now. That should be our determination. And you know what will happen when you have that mentality? If we have that mentality, demanding pure devotional service, guess what? Krishna reciprocates. Is Krishna not aware of what we're going through, what we're thinking? Krishna is aware of everything we're thinking about. He's aware of every single thought we have, every single feeling we have, every single urge we have. He's completely, totally aware of everything going on within our hearts, you see. So we can't hide anything from Krishna. He can totally see us, so our heart should be completely open book. We cannot hide anything from Krishna. So, we should simply say, My dear Lord, please bless me now. I can come to pure devotional service. We have a mantra for that. How does that go?

Devotees: Hare Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: That's right. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We can dance, chant and dance in ecstasy. Prabhupada taught us. Prabhupada showed us. You see, Prabhupada himself would dance in ecstasy and devotees learned from Prabhupada. Prabhupada was dancing in ecstasy. The devotees said, Oh, Samaji is dancing in ecstasy. We can also dance in ecstasy. In this way, Prabhupada sparked up a global spiritual revolution. It's going to go down in history. We've in turn [26.16] this demonic Kali-yuga culture into beautiful spiritual celebration all over this planet. And it's going to spread all over the material world actually. That's how powerful it is. It's even stated like that. There's one sloka, the Itihasa, the Itihasa sloka says that one, after many, many births, Sarval, after many many many births and Janme Janme, after many many births, when we realizes the eternal servant of Vasudeva, he can deliver all the worlds. Sarvaloka, all the worlds he can deliver. So Prabhupada's potency is there, delivering all the whole material world. His potency is there, delivering all living entities throughout the entire material existence. So Now we have to become instruments in the hands of Srila Prabhupada. As our Guru or our Paramguru, we have to become instruments in Prabhupada's hands now, so through us, this pure knowledge can be given. We have to be instruments in the hands of these Acharyas to preach, preach, preach, preach, preach all over the world, wherever we go, always in the mood of preaching, spreading this movement. Every chance we get, every opportunity we can to preach, take it with very great enthusiasm. We must be very enthusiastic to cultivate pure devotional service in all of our relationships, and at the same time very enthusiastic to bring everybody into this wonderful spiritual atmosphere that Prabhupāda has created.

So, that being said, we have a few minutes left. So if you have any questions rolling in from the assembled internet Vaishnavas, and then we'll take the locals as well. Let's see. Sound not available. Oh, there's no sound.

There may be sound now.

Guru Mataji (Vishnu-Priya Devi Dasi): That was in the beginning.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Oh, okay. Now, very good. Thank God. Vishnu Ratadas, Srila Gurudev, when aspect makes one become fully happy, possessing only devotional service instead of materials... He's typed it, it means what aspect? What aspect makes one become fully happy, possessing only devotional service?

Really sincere, it boils down to sincerity, to be honest with you. It boils down to sincerity. If you sincerely desire it, Just like we had an experience, one of my disciples, he decided he didn't really want to practice Krishna consciousness, he wanted me to give him an excuse, he doesn't have to practice it. Allow him, doesn't want to chant japa anymore, he wanted me to give him permission that he could not chant Japa anymore. But Guru Mataji spoke to him very strongly, and that inspired me also to tell him, if you're really sincere, Krishna will give you all facility and intelligence how to do it. He was saying it wasn't practical for him to chant anymore because of this, this, this, this, this and this. It's all bogus things, you see. So the thing, what it really boils down to is sincerity. If you sincerely desire to become Krishna's pure devotee, and give up all your nonsense, Krishna will give you all facility. Krishna is there within the heart. If you're sincere, He will know it. He will know you're sincere, and He can make all arrangements. Your association, your what... He can make all arrangements. What's happening to you 24-7. Even your dreams, Krishna will make all... When you're sincere, Krishna will appear. He'll be there 24 hours a day to facilitate you becoming his pure devotee. Simply boils down to sincerity.

Sharda Devi Dasi, Since one is in material world, still one experiences so many mis... Let's get some locals here. We'll kind of alternate between the.. alternate with the locals. Yeah.

Devotee: So what is the first step one should take to get out of this atheism mentality and...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: What kind of mentality?

Devotee: Atheism and impersonalism.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Oh, to get out of the impersonalism, then loving service is the way to get out. See, in impersonalism there's no service, there's no love, it's just... One! Loving service is the way to get out of impersonalism. Loving service to the Guru, to the Vaishnavas, to the Deities, to Tulasī Devī, even to all living entities by preaching. So Loving service is the way to get out of Impersonalism.

Devotee: Yes, Gurudev. And one more thing. I have never witnessed, like, I have always witnessed, ever since I have met you, that you are always very ecstatic, always very enthusiastic, and always give lectures with full conviction. Today also, while I'm, like, attending the class, I'm seeing that you are full, with the full conviction you are giving the class that how much we should have that faith in Krishna, on Krishna. But This is sometimes like for a few seconds it comes and with me, after that it doesn't come. After I go out from this class...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: What comes? Enthusiasm?

Devotee: Enthusiasm and motivation and faith, it comes just for a while. And after some time again it goes back. So, why it is disbalanced?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: That means you're neglecting the order of the Spiritual Master. On the Spiritual Master's order you should always be enthusiastic. So, if you're not enthusiastic, you're neglecting the Spiritual Master's order. If you're not enthusiastic, you should get back and be enthusiastic. I mean, Prabhupad told me, he gave me an order, as a young brahmachari, he said, continue enthusiastically as you were doing. I had enthusiasm, he appreciated it, now you order me, you must always be enthusiastic. Sometimes it happens we get kind of discouraged, this happens, this happens, we get discouraged, we become emotionally devastated sometimes. It happens to everybody. We have our ups and downs, but you got to pick yourself up. There's an old saying, pick yourself up and get back in the race. That's a saying. So when you see your enthusiasm goes away, you got to pick yourself back up and get back into the enthusiasm track.

Devotee: Does that mean that we may have a lot of responsibilities, but if we keep one responsibility...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: You have one responsibility and it's become a pure devotee.

Devotee: Yes.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Any other responsibility that helps you become a pure devotee, you can accept it, but if it's in the way, then you reject it. Take whatever responsibility helps you awaken pure love, accept it. Whatever doesn't, gets in the way, reject it. Simple then. Everything, I have one responsibility, one duty, and that is to become a pure devotee of Krishna, nothing else. Reject everything else.

I'll take one from the internet? Since one is in material world, still one experiences so many miserable situations.

Yeah, that's natural in material world, you get sick, you get old age, so many problems, one of our disciples has a very bad health problem right now. These miserable situations come, that's natural. Actually, instead of being discouraged by them, take them as impetus to become more Krishna conscious. Take them as a blessing. Take all difficulties as a blessing. It's like somebody may chastise you very heavily and severely. Instead of being angry, why that person is scolding me and chastising me so severely? Instead of becoming angry, so this is a blessing. 'tṛṇād api sunīcena' one should offer all respect to others without expecting any respect for oneself. So when somebody is very cruelly and scolds me and chastises me very severely, wow, they've been blessing me, they've given me a great blessing. They help me now to become more humble develop even more humility. So take everything in a positive way to increase your Krishna consciousness that's the key. Take everything in a positive way, everything that happens at every second is a blessing to help you awaken pure love of God within the heart.

Now what about the locals? Anyone from the locals? Guru Mataji, You want to add some points? Anything else? No? Here we go.

Devotee: What is meant by that our thoughts bounce back on us?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: What is meant by what?

Devotee: Our thoughts bounce back on us. I didn't understand. Our thoughts bounce back on us. What does that mean?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: How your thoughts bounce back on you? If you're thinking materialistic thoughts, that will drag you down in the material nature. Thinking spiritual thoughts, that will elevate you to the spiritual platform. You're thinking, thinking, thinking, willing, speaking and acting. If you're thinking something, then after a while you'll decide to do it. You will to do it, then you will do it. Your thoughts can... In other words, if you meditate on doing something that's not good, you'll end up doing it sooner or later. So your thoughts will either drag you down or pull you up. So we have thoughts, we're thinking to enjoy something sinful, we have to kick it out with boot. Like Yamunacharya Alavandar, you spit at the thought. Some sinful thought comes, you got to spit at the thought and get it out. So your thoughts will either elevate you or degrade you according to what you're thinking. So you have to be very careful. Be your own psychoanalyst. Don't identify with your mind. Your mind is an instrument. Don't let your mind pull you away. You have to be a psychoanalyst to analyze. What is my mind thinking right now? Is it good for me or bad? You have to always analyze. What's there in my mind? Is it good for me or bad? If it's bad, kick it out. If it's good, embrace it. Be your own psychoanalyst. Analyze your own mind. Intelligently analyze your own mind, what it's going through, and then do the needful to increase that thought pattern or decrease that thought pattern, get rid of it. Okay?

Okay, now we have something more from the internet. 

Bhaktan Allison, How can I serve my Spiritual Master in the best way?

By complete, total surrender to the instructions of Guru and Krishna, and with no other business. Sharda Devi, anything else locally? Anytime you want to add something, please jump in. Okay.

Devotee: What does purity mean?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Purity means all impurity is finished. It's like you have a dirty pot, it means you clean all, you scrub all the dirt off, there's no dirt left. Purity means there's no lust, there's no anger, no greed, no madness, no illusion, no envy. You have no desire to displease Krishna, Guru, with your every thought, word and deed, in all times, places and circumstances. That's purity. Okay?

Devotee: Gurudev, so, after coming to devotional life also, I get to see the hypocriticism in devotees also. So how do you...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Get to see what in devotees?

Devotee: Hypocritic devotees.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Yeah, what about your own hypocrisy?

Devotee: Double standard. Huh? Double standard. Saying something but not actually following.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari:  What about you?

Devotee: I'm also... But I'm a very...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Here's the key, here's the key. If you want to be qualified to be able to point out and correct the faults of others you had to start with yourself, Unless you can correct your own faults, you're not qualified to correct the others. As I was saying, physician heal thyself. If you want to preach in such a way to guide others how to get out of their hypocrisy, you've got to get it out of yourself first, otherwise you're not qualified to guide them how to get rid of it. You see, hypocrisy in others, unless you're free of hypocrisy in yourself, you're not qualified to guide them how to get out of their hypocrisy. First, get yourself out of hypocrisy, and then you're qualified to guide them how to get out of their hypocrisy. You understand?

Devotee: Yes. Srila Gurudev, when I'm struggling myself to getting out of those hypocrisy for myself, shall I take association of those devotees who are like myself only?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Devotees who are what?

Devotee: Who are also double standard like me.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: No, you've got to find those who are free from hypocrisy and take shelter of them. That's the key. And by their guidance and their example, then you can learn how to be—just like Prabhupada was for us—a person totally free of hypocrisy. So by taking shelter of him, we have the ability to learn the art of how to get free of hypocrisy in ourselves.

Okay, now let's see what else is coming in. All right. So Saradha was finishing. So Bhaktiin Alisan says, when I eat onions and garlic I feel very sick. So, you gotta get... Why are you eating onions and garlic?

Okay. Krishna seva. Okay. You're not Bhaktan Allison if you're eating onions and garlic, you're Rascal Allison, not Bhaktan Allison. If you want to call yourself Bhaktan, you've got to live up to your name by strictly following the regular principles of love. You're not bhaktin. You're rascal Alison, not bhakti Alison.

Okay, Krishna Seva. How to correct myself even in my devotional service I am seeking sense gratification. That is natural for a neophyte devotee. We've been after sense gratification for thousands, millions of lifetimes. It takes a while to cure ourselves of that habit. We're habituated to sense gratification. So it's natural to have that desire there for a neophyte devotee. So we have to get rid of it. Just like Krishna says,

viṣayā vinivartante

nirāhārasya dehinaḥ

rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya

paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing the higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness." So you have to find those things that give you a higher taste. You have to see what helps you get your mind free from this nonsense and take shelter of that. Remembering, hearing, offering prayers, worshipping the deity. We have to find what gets you fixed and increase that, get more absorbed. Find those things that help you become free from hypocrisy, from contamination, and increase those more and more and more to drive out all the dirt in your heart.

Okay, Vrajasevadas. Let's see here. Kindly enlighten, as a spiritual master gives many merciful instructions, as one is not able to remember many of them, what is the prime instruction one should remember by..

Surrender to Krishna!

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Give up all your sinful activities and fully surrender.

Okay, anything else? Everybody satisfied? Yes?

Devotee: Gurudev, as per my understanding, I feel Krishna created Maya, which is the power of Krishna, as an examination paper to test...

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: It's like the government creates a prison for those who don't want to obey the laws. Because to facilitate you, Krishna created... To facilitate your desire to enjoy independently, Krishna is giving Maya to help facilitate your desire to enjoy independently. To facilitate you, he's given Maya. He's created Maya for you because you wanted to serve, enjoy separately. He said okay I'll give you a way you can do that. Here's Maya. I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds. Krishna is given them material world to facilitate those who want to enjoy separately from Him.

Devotee: Is there an option like if you go for Maya, if you choose me.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Krishna gives you a choice because love cannot be forced. I put a gun on you, you either love me or I'll blow your brains out. That's not love. You can't love unless there's a choice. So the material and spiritual worlds are there, so you have a choice. Love has to have a choice. It can't be forced. So that love can exist, the material nature has to exist also to give you a choice. Understand? Love requires a choice. There is no material world. You'd be forced. You have no choice, but the choice is there. Therefore, love can actually manifest, because you have a choice to serve Krishna or serve Maya. See? Make sense?

Devotee: So Maya actually defines our destiny.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: Maya is Krishna's facility to give you the opportunity to not to reject him. She gives you the facility to leave him. You love him or leave him. You have the choice. Unless there is an opportunity to leave him, love cannot exist. Love requires a choice. So to facilitate you are having that choice, Krishna gives the material nature, if you choose not to love him. Understand?

Devotee: Everything comes under maya. It's like, everything is, all the materialistic world, everything is love.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: This whole material world is under the influence of mayadevi. Mayadevi is the whole thing under her direction. That's right.

Guru Mataji: First thing, understand what is Maya. Maya means illusion. You think what is not belonging to you, you think it is yours. That is Maya.

Devotee: But like materialistic things we try to enjoy in life.

Guru Mataji: Yes, whatever. All the things you want to enjoy. It is not for your enjoyment. And you think it is for you. And when you enjoy it, you get punished. It is for the enjoyment of the Lord. So then when you engage in His, give it to Him for His enjoyment, you don't get punishment. Maya means, which is not illusion, that you think that you are the enjoyer. Then you suffer.

Devotee: This is created by God itself. It's the power of God. Maya comes, like it said Maya is the Shakti of God only, Krishna.

Guru Mataji: No, Maya is which does not exist.

Devotee: It's illusion.

Guru Mataji: Yeah. Everything is for Krishna's enjoyment and I think I am the enjoyer which is Maya. And when I do that thinking I'm the enjoyer I try to enjoy others property I get punished.

Devotee: And then he smiles like see I told you not to opt for it.

Guru Mataji: Yeah, that's what happens. Then he brings it back, no, you are wrong, come back. So then we have to accept what He gives us. Okay?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari: I will drink only decaffeinated tea. You don't need to drink any kind of tea. You can drink herbal tea, but don't drink decaffeinated tea. It may have a slight tinge of taffin in it, so don't drink decaffeinated tea. Drink herbal tea, but not decaffeinated tea. Anything else? Okay, we'll stop here. We thank you all for tuning in.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare