His Divine Grace Çréla Bhakti Rakñaka Çrédhara Deva Goswämé Mahäräj
12.12.81
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : ... and if we want our shelter , that will be overhead, äçraya, shelter, shelter not below the leg but shelter should be over the head. The Vedic mantra, the principal Åg Veda mantra ( 1.22.20) says: tad viñëoù paramaà padaà sadä paçyanti sürayaù divéva cakñur ätatam .
[oà tad viñëo paramaà padaà sadä, paçyanti suraya divéva cakñur ätatam
tad vipräso vipanyavo jägåväàçäù, samindhate viñëor yat paramaà padam ]
["As the sun and sunlight is continuous over the skies as light-giver to us (for that sunlight is the universal form of the Lord) similarly, the Divine Lotus Feet of the Lord Çré Viñëu is always spread widely (like a canopy) over our head."] [ Åg Veda , 1.22.20]
The holy feet of Viñëu, yaù idaà viñëuù vyäpnotéti , who is pervading everywhere, His feet, His lowest portion towards us, paramaà, that is not to be neglected. That is very highly qualified from all standpoints, from the standpoint of fine existence, knowledge, as well as sweetness, paramaà padaà. Sadä paçyanti suraya, the scholars they're always conscious of that fact, their real basis of life is there. Not an animal wandering in the forest or on the earth, or mountain, or jungle. But the real man is in his consciousness, and conscious of some higher entity, always. Sadä paçyanti suraya, always seeing that, looking at that, conscious of that idea, ideal. Divéva cakñur ätatam, vaguely or in a mystic way? No. As we see the sun in the sky so conspicuous, so clear, and so real. Tad viñëo paramaà padaà. So we shall really live and move in that higher consciousness, we are a child of that conscious world. So at the conclusion of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Çukadeva is giving warning to Parékñit Mahäräj, "The last, what I have got, what I have told to you so long, the firm basis you must be conscious of. What is that?"
tvaà tu räjan mariñyeti , paçu-buddhim imäà jahi
[na jätaù präg abhüto 'dya, deha-vat tvaà na naìkñyasi]
["O King, give up the animalistic mentality of thinking: 'I am going to die.' Unlike the body, you have not taken birth. There was not a time in the past when you did not exist, and you are not about to be destroyed."] [Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 12.5.2]
The serpent, that is the cheating, deception, serpent is the type of deception, stealthily it comes to bite and kills. Stealthily the ignorance has come and taken you down to the world of animal consciousness, and we are all moving under the deception we are this heavy flesh and blood, and for that, heavier earth is necessary to lift us above, on its lap."
Divéva cakñur ätatam , so our, mariñyeti paçu-buddhim imäà jahi, do away with you animal consciousness that you are flesh and blood. No, you are not limited within flesh and blood, but you are a conscious unit and you won't die. You are not a member of this dying world where everything is sure to die. Only for this misidentification this has come as a necessary truth on you, 'that you are to die, you are to become infirm, you are to be born, you are to suffer from disease,' all for misidentification of your self with this body. So mariñyeti, paçu-buddhim imäà jahi, this is animal consciousness that you are an animal.
But you are not so, you are a conscious unit, you are spirit, you are soul. Not only is the soul immortal, not only does God exist, not only He is the dispenser of good and bad, everything - but we, ourselves, are units of the conscious world. So paçu-buddhim imäà jahi, separate yourself eternally from that mania, from that misconception, misidentification, false identity with this material aspect, which is the result of your degraded life. Be reinstated to your glorious position that you are soul. And at the same time how it is possible? You are taöastha by constitution so you cannot stand on your own legs, you must have some shelter, either this mundane, considering yourself identified with the mundane world, or you must have some shelter above your head. Above your head, taöastha, you must have shelter from the Çvarüpa-çakti land, final land.
Paramaà padaà sadä , paçyanti suraya divéva cakñur ätatam, cakñur, viñëo paramaà pada, how His divine feet, the conception of the divine feet of Viñëu, of Näräyaëa, of Kåñëa, that is, paramaà padaà, like sun to you in the material comparison. That is seer, that possible seeing, feeling, if He is withdrawn everything is dark. If Viñëu's paramaà pada is withdrawn then everything will be dark. That is the light of light. And you must have a continuous eternal consciousness that above you there is another soil and your shelter is there, and you are a soul unit. This diabolical change you must have to adjust within you. That is your shelter. This is not your shelter; this is a prison house for you. So this broad and graphic comprehensive consideration must be at the basis of spiritual understanding. Otherwise we'll have to be sahajiyä , imitationist. Imitationist, we are to cross this Hindenburg line.
Then, tad viñëo paramaà padaà , this is the basic advice of Åg-Veda, the first Veda that comes down from the upper world to this world. The primary conception which is needed from you all is that you must think that there's a world above, and that 'above' means in the line of consciousness. Your highest acquaintance is that you are conscious, and that conscious world is above you on your head. You must have to adopt that as your shelter. You'll move and live there. The diabolical change, here, you are in the atmosphere of exploitation, but that is the land of service. There, you are to think in terms of service. That is on your head. That is the superior region, more superior than you are made of. So do you want that connection? Or you will be better to reign in hell? Do you like to reign in hell or to serve in heaven? What do you like? You consider and then come out. If you do such, then you will have a land, you have got prospect, you have got everything up to Kåñëa, the Absolute, you can reach. Otherwise you are to have eighty-four lakhs [8,400,000] of species.
jalajä nava lakñäni , sthävarä lakña viàçati
kåmayo rudra-saìkhyakäù , pakñiëäm daça lakñaëam
triàsal lakñäni paçavaù , catur lakñäëi mänuñaù
[In the laws of Manu, it is written: "There are 900,000 kinds of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of trees and plants, 1,100,000 kinds of insects and reptiles, 1,000,000 kinds of birds, 3,000,000 kinds of four-legged beasts, and 400,000 kinds of human species."]
[Viñëu-Puräëa]
These are the eighty-four lakhs of classification under which you are to wander, action reaction, in this way. You are to select what you want to do. Do you want to be a member of the land of mortality, janma-måtyu-jarä-vyädhi (birth, death, old age and infirmity) - or immortality? Then you are to pay for such ticket. And you are to take the visa. You have to be prepared for such categorical beginning. And creed, the bond, you are to sign. That cause, that slavery,
jévera 'svarüpa' haya-kåñëera 'nitya-däsa'
[kåñëera 'taöasthä-çakti' bhedäbheda-prakäça']
["The constitutional nature of the jéva soul is that of an eternal servant of Kåñëa; the jéva soul is a manifestation of divinity which is one with Kåñëa and different from Him. The jéva souls are the marginal potency of the Lord."]
[Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä, 20.108]
That mystic land, the land of infinite hope and prosperity and prospect, if you want to go there you will have to go as a slave, as a slave, because that is made of higher stuff than you yourselves are.
vaikuëöhera påthivy ädi sakala cinmaya , mäyika bhütera tathi janma nähi haya
["The earth, water, fire, air and ether of Vaikuëöha are all spiritual. Material elements are not found there."] [ Caitanya-caritämåta , Ädi-lélä, 5.53]
They're all conscious, everything made of consciousness, spirit. And again, upper, that is änandam, made of not only consciousness, but it is endowed with - just as medicine in the beginning it may be bitter, but in the higher stage the sweetness is added in the medicine. So in räga-märga, in Kåñëa-loka, there is not only consciousness, but there's sweetness, the beauty, that is the prevailing element there.
So, ideal - when a ship without a rudder is moving distance, this way, that way, in the ocean. But if a particular ideal we have got, the Kåñëa, Mahäprabhu, Bhägavatam, then I am captivated, captured. This tuft of hair is tied with the feet of Guru Mahäräj and the divine grace. The tuft of hair captured, the head is captured there, and everything will be done through the head, the most reverential part of my body in this material world. So, one who has got a good ideal, he is in possession of a valuable wealth. Otherwise, these things, this kanak , käminé, pratiñöhä - the popularity, then the materials of sense pleasure, and the money - all these things, but they're all animal consciousness. They're all properties in the land of animal consciousness. A diabolical change must be effected within us if we want really a life to be worth living.
So, ideal - a man should be judged by his ideal. What sort of ideal, how great an ideal has he got? And he's trying to realise that. The man of the future, the man of tomorrow, should be judged by his ideal. If his ideal is great, he is great, because if he's sincere, tomorrow he'll reach there. After a few days he will reach there. So we should be judged by our ideal. I may not attain it. It is not very easy. It is not rotten goods that are to be very cheaply sold in the market. It is costly. But whatever may be the cost it does not matter.
'I want not less than that highest thing, that Advaya-jïäna, that Autocrat, that Goodness Autocrat, that Absolute Autocrat, that Supreme Most Commander of everything. I want that, nothing less than that. And I should live and move and feel myself, or whatever I shall do, at every second I shall have to realise that I am meant for that, I am meant for my ideal. I have no time to waste to hesitate for this or that.
Every moment, if with the ideal in our heart we move, every way, every minute I shall make some progress towards it if I can keep intact my relationship with my ideal. So that will control, that will inspire me, to any and every action, whatever I do, undo, take rest, but that is on my head, on my head. And that will gradually take me out of all these entanglements and enticements. And one day or other I shall be able to reach there.
jäto-çraddho mat kathäsu , nirviëëaù sarvva-karmmasu
veda-duùkhätmakän kämän , parityäge 'py anéçvaraù
["He who has imbibed heart's faith in the tidings of My Name, nature and pastimes; who has become indifferent to all kinds of fruitive work and its rewards; who has learned that all forms of enjoyment of sensual passions ultimately transform into misery, yet he is unable to fully abandon such passions - such a faithful devotee, being determined that his shortcomings will be dispelled by the potency of devotion, gradually comes to abhor those evil passions that enslave him, knowing the havoc they wreak - and he serves Me with love: When his object is pure and sincere, I give him My mercy."]
[Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 11.20.27]
"One who has by chance, has got a taste for Me - jäto-çraddho mat kathäsu - he has anyhow acquired some taste - mat kathäsu - in My talk, in My activities, in My movement, in Me, anyhow got some attraction - jäto-çraddho mat kathäsu, nirviëëaù sarvva-karmmasu. So necessarily, no other temptation can catch him and keep him under it any longer. Nirviëëaù sarvva-karmmasu - indifferent to all other activities and the results and outcome of that.
Veda-duùkhätmakän kämän - he can understand within that all other things they give some unpleasant reaction. 'I'm in the midst of so many things already acquired. It is not very easy to leave them at once at my sweet will. Previously I had some obligation, I incurred it consciously, and abruptly I cannot cut off their connection. They won't let me loose, get free.' So - veda-duùkhätmakän kämän - he can conceive that these are all pain producing. Parityäge 'py anéçvaraù - but helpless, can't make himself free at once from their clutches. Because of the already incurred debt the debtors won't allow him to get out."
tato bhajeta mäà prétaù çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù
juñamäëaç ca tän kämän duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan
[Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 11.20.28]
"But what çraddhä , the pure attraction he has acquired for Me, that is of eternal nature. That cannot be subdued, or that cannot be cut off by any mundane, ordinary attempt.
Tato bhajeta mäà prétaù çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù - though undergoing so many different ways and types of suffering, but he goes on with My remembrance, aspiration, earnestness for Me.
Çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù - and as much as he's compelled to suffer from the pressure of the environment, the firmness in Me becomes more and more sure, invulnerable. And by the tests of all these stands beyond, and grows beyond the jurisdiction of these mundane forces.
Bhajeta mäà prétaù çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù - as much pressure comes from outside, so much firmness he feels in the necessity of My help to him.
Tato bhajeta mäà prétaù çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù juñamäëaç ca tän kämän duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan - at the same time he gives his back towards all these pains of the world, and keeps Me in the front, and begins to move onward.
Juñamäëaç ca tän kämän duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan - 'whatever You like, You can do, will do. I can't say anything if my Master looks at it. It is His jurisdiction. But I won't leave my new ideal - I can't. Whatever my come, it may happen, no mind.'
Juñamäëaç ca tän kämän duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan - and at the same time he's abusing himself, 'what have I done? What have I done? It is rather the justice that I should be tormented; I should be troubled, in such ways. It is not wrong. It is not wrong. It is the just thing; just dealings have come over me. Because why should I have committed? I entered this wrong alliance, entered into the tribe of the goondäs for exploitation. The reaction that is coming on over me that is well and good.' Blaming himself, not to blame the environment, not to blame the agents that are causing trouble to us, but the concentration comes within that. Garhayan - he's blaming his own self, his own free will, own fate, in this way. That should be, that becomes the nature of his temperament at that time. He does not try to look and place the fault on the shoulders of others, but the whole burden he takes on his shoulders. 'Yes, and the nature, the environment is doing justice to me, the traitor, the ambitious, the oppressor of the environment.' Duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan.
proktena bhakti-yogena [bhajato mä 'sakån muneù
kämä hådayyä naçyanti sarvve mayi hådi sthite ]
["When an intelligent person engages constantly in worshipping Me through loving devotional service as described by Me, his heart becomes firmly situated in Me. Thus all material desires within his heart are destroyed."] [Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 11.20.29]
Proktena bhakti-yogena - when he's in the mood of such consciousness the bhakti-yoga becomes dåòha, it is more and more intense, more and more intense. When he began to blame himself then the intensity of his progress…
Proktena bhakti-yogena bhajato mä 'sakån muneù - then his attempt to make progress, to increase his progress, bhajato mä 'sakån muneù, more and more with accelerated motion his intensity grows.
Kämä hådayyä naçyanti sarvve mayi hådi sthite - then, by My appearance, gradually, all his internal and external discrepancies, naçyanti, gradually destroyed, evaporates. Sarvve mayi hådi sthite - when by such type of approach he reaches My domain, or rather, I come down, I extend My existence to his heart, then everything else disappears, sarvve mayi hådi sthite.
[bhidyate hådaya-granthiç, chidyante sarva-saàçayäù
kñéyante cäsya karmäëi , mayi dåñöe 'khilätmani]
["The knot in the heart is pierced, all misgivings are cut to pieces and the chain of fruitive actions is terminated when I am seen as the Supreme Personality of Godhead."]
[Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 11.20.30]
Then bhidyate hådaya-granthiç - all the ties and entanglements, corners, angles, all vanish, crookedness vanishes. Straight, plain, graphic, spacious, all-embracing temperament he finds in the midst of; his atmosphere changes."
In the meantime I want to mention a practical experience. One day I was sitting in that chair, suddenly was thinking something, I felt some higher subjective sphere has come down and surrounded my existence. I felt, what is this? I never experienced, I had some peep from far off, but a new conscious atmosphere has come down and it has covered, surrounded my whole existence, whole knowledge. What is this? There was perhaps (Arjunabhodi and other gentleman?) I could not but tell them, 'Just now I feel the higher, I consider myself to be some subjective existence, some higher subjective existence has come and surrounded my whole existence, whole feeling. Is it the rasa that came for Ajämila? This next suggestion came to me, that the soul enters into a rasa and if this atmosphere, how it is covering my whole existence, conception of existence. Take me anywhere; I shall have to go there. My whole conception of my own self is surrounded. And wherever it will go I have no other way but to go within, and within that. And I find that it is a living thing. It has got its choice. It has got its freedom. Then I had some new experience, (the svarüpa-çakti hemisphere?) and I am, just when the earth moves, the tree, anything also, automatically has to move, so, new soil.
Bhidyate hådaya-granthiç - all the ties, with so many attractions, so many things of different type of things of different promise, different achievement, at once dissolves. At once dissolves, no necessity, no necessity of them in this land. Hådaya-granthiç, chidyante sarva-saàçayäù. Hådayenäbhyanujïäto [Manu, 2.1] - internal approval comes to insure that where you have come this is your land. Chidyante sarva-saàçayäù - no room for any doubt, all your hankerings are more than fulfilled here you'll find, sarva-saàçayäù. 'I was searching; my whole body was searching only for me.'
In Vaiñëava-padävali (Anthology of Vaiñëava Songs, by Jïäna Dasa), there is an expression: prati aìga läge kände prati aìga mora. In mädhurya -rasa , where Çrématé Rädhäräëé is Çakti She say that, "My every limb is crying for the respective limb of My Lord. Not only My Self, but every part of My body earnestly aspiring for the corresponding part of My Master's."
So, bhidyate hådaya-granthiç, chidyante sarva-saàçayäù - every part stands a witness, 'Yes, we have come, have attained which we were searching after; the whole body and whole unit of the body; wholesale satisfaction. That this is my soil, this is my home; this is my home. The every atom of my body will say like that, that chidyante sarva-saàçayäù. No trace of any doubt will be found, no room for that. But every atom will find their fulfilment. 'It is my home, it is my home. I am in home comfort I find.'
Kñéyante cäsya karmäëi - and also the force of reaction won't come to trouble him, to drag him down, or attract him towards the back. That is also cut up.
Mayi dåñöe 'khilätmani - "And I am the fullest of the full perfection, and he will be able to feel everywhere My help, My assistance, My friendship. Wherever he will cast his glance, or move, or live, My friendship he will be able to trust. I am here, his friend is here. The friend is there, mayi dåñöe 'khilätmani."
That should be the course of our life, the direction towards which we want to go. Çrémad-Bhägavatam says like that. Sweet, sweet home, sweet home; home, you are a child of that soil. This is, in one word that is the goal. Why is that the goal, highest goal? Because that is your home; svarüpe sabära haya, golokete sthiti, this one word is sufficient to attract you. You are wandering in the foreign land, and that is your home. Home comfort you will get there and you won't be able to deny that. So back to God, back to home, back to Godhead.
To avoid the Christian conception of 'God', the 'Godhead', our Guru Mahäräj Prabhupäda [Bhaktisiddhänta Saraswaté Öhäkura], used the word 'Godhead,' because bhagavatä. God means a particular conception of the same. So 'Godhead,' what is at the back of the conception of God that is Godhead; that is Svayaà Bhagavän - Bhagavän Himself, the highest conception, highest conception of God, that is Godhead, meant by that. So not back to God, but back to Godhead. That is the necessity of the name of the paper was given from such consideration. Back to God, back to home, it is a proverb perhaps, it is coming from previous time. But 'Back to Godhead' that means that Svayaà Bhagavän which is the highest conception of God. So back to God, and that is the home is there, home is there.
So, we are running hither and thither, we have got no principle, no principle of life, unsettled, so our position is very sad, no rest from here, from one, two, three, five, six. In this way, but that is a troublesome life. I can't put my faith anywhere. That means I can't find any friend anywhere. Friendless I am moving friendless. I am moving amongst the foreigners, enemies, sometimes. But I must have some friend, some friendly atmosphere. I must attain such a position that I can fetch full faith; I can believe, I can trust, such company, such company. Otherwise my life will be miserable, miserable. Everywhere, what direction I shall cast my glance I can't trust, I can't trust, all inimical. That is a particular prison house to live in that atmosphere, to live in a prison house, all uncertain, all untrustworthy. That is a very deplorable position. So, by God's grace it should come to us, that çraddhä. Not only I can trust, believe, but I shall have to, cannot but show my regard. Such a higher positioned life; that is gurum eväbhigachet.
When we suffer from this uncertainty to the extreme, then we hanker after Guru, reliable source. Not only I can put something to him, we can trust him, but Guru means guardian who is a well-wisher of me more than I am of myself. 'Guardian' means a friend who thinks more about me than I myself think about me, who knows about my welfare more than I do, to have a guardian, friend, Guru.
So Narottama Öhäkura says, äçraya laiyä bhaje täìre kåñëa nähi tyaje: "If I get a bona fide guardian then my future is insured." Kåñëa cannot dismiss him so easily, because my guardian has some solid position there; and if I can enter into the domain of his care, that of my guardian, then my position is insured. So, äçraya laiyä bhaje täìre kåñëa nähi tyaje, ära saba mare akäraëa: The others who have not yet been able to tie himself with the holy feet of his guardian, Guru, then his position is uncertain and he may be enticed by any agent to any direction. His future is deplorable.
So to have a real ideal in life, and also a living guardian, that is real guardian, to have, if we can catch through our çraddhä, then almost, our future is more or less insured. Only my duty towards my guardian, my Gurudeva; that will be my lookout and the others will be done automatically.
So, to run through the length and breadth of this wide world of this land of exploitation, nothing but exploitation of different natures, of different planes is visible, is existing. So only through çraddhä can we connect us with our highest goal and achievement and fulfilment; that should be solved. Then, real life begins. Otherwise like a ship without rudder that can be drifted away by the sea storm this side, that side, no end, endless, no meaning; no value.
Hare Kåñëa. Gaura Hari. Nitäi.
Any questions?
Devotee : Guru Mahäräj, you mentioned that the material world is like a prison house. Are the demigods such as Brahmä and Indra also prisoners?
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : They are also prisoners, just as there are officers in the prison house. The prisoner also may become an officer in that jail government. Prison government, senior and qualified prisoners they are also given some chance of post. Is it not?
Devotee : Yes.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : So they are like that. They are also imprisoned but their position is a little higher and so they are given some duty. Just as a cowboy keeps his cows or a horseman keeps his horses, in that way. But they are also prisoners.
Gaura Hari. Gaura Hari. Gaura Hari. Gaura Hari. Gaura Hari.
Nitäi Caitanya. Nitäi Caitanya. Nitäi Caitanya. Nitäi Caitanya.
Dayäl. Nitäi Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol!
The man who went away with Vidagdha, was he a newcomer?
Devotee : Yes.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Newcomer, for the first time he came here?
Devotee : Yes.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : What is his name?
Devotee : Kåñëa Vallabha.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Who's disciple? [ Çréla A.C. Bhaktivedanta] Swämé Mahäräj?
Devotee : That we do not know Mahäräj; new to us also.
Çréla B.R. Çrédhara Swämé : Gaura Sundara. And what part he comes from you also don't know?
Nitäi Gaura Hari bol! Nitäi Gaura Hari…
End of side A, 12.12.81