Sri Radha Damodara temple is a very special place. It is the emblem of determination, dedication and the pure desire to please spiritual master and Lord Krishna. The temple reminds one of the last stanza in Guruastaka- yasya prasdad bhagavad prasado yasya prasadad na gatih kutoh pi
when one pleases Guru, then Krishna gets pleased. When spirtual master gets pleased then Lord Krishna bestows the results.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Good guest
Advice for Holiday House Guests
Posted December 12, 2008
To Serve, Not to Be Served: from the Abhyagata-dharma section of the Susilata-sabhyacara-samhita
Many devotees are going to friends' and relatives' homes for holiday visits. As a houseguest, bring honour to Krsna and exercise courtesy and thoughtfulness.
Don't feel that householders "owe" you lodging or that your mere presence is payment enough. It may be true that you are a blessing, but not if that is your attitude. If you are a sannyasi or vanaprastha, that was your choice. It should not mean that you want the same lifestyle you had before but now want someone else to support it. Someone who invites you to stay does so for Krsna's sake. Accept what they give; do not ask for or take more. Vaisnavas always reciprocate; never take advantage of your host.
Following these suggestions can make one welcome anywhere.
- A brahmin leaves things cleaner than he/she found them. Be clean. Keep your room neat and your bed made while visiting. Don't spread your stuff all over the house or expect your host (or mother) to pick up after you. Don't leave hair, fingernail parings or discarded items for them to clean up. Rinse sinks and tubs after use. Before leaving, give them a good cleaning, and ask your host if you should strip the bed (if so, remove sheets and blankets and fold them neatly, but leave the bedspread neatly over the bed so your hosts won't feel they have to do the laundry immediately.)
- Don't be "high maintenance." Try to accept whatever your hosts offer, without asking for more. Don't expect them to provide arrangements for your traveling deities or to follow a temple schedule. Wash your own laundry, unless they graciously offer to do it, and do only the minimum necessary. Otherwise, wash your things by hand, and don't hang them to drip over their floor.
- Be considerate of your host's resources — time, money, food, water, electricity and other utilities, etc. Don't take long, hot showers; your hosts have to pay the hot water bill. Don't leave faucets dripping or lights on in empty rooms. If you are having to rely on the kindness and generosity of others, be respectful of the time, expense and trouble you may be putting them to, and minimize this as much as possible.
- Spend time with your hosts. Talk to them about their interests. Don't spend a lot of time on the computer or telephone (especially theirs, if they are nice enough to lend it). Don't make long distance calls on their dime. Don't regularly walk about the house talking or texting on a cell phone; your hosts might wonder why you visited them instead of the person you're telephoning.
- Don't disrupt household routines. Arrive when you say you will arrive; call if there will be a delay. Don't come early. Don't complain if they only eat twice a day. If they sleep late, don't expect them to get up early for you. It is possible that your hosts are exhausted from preparing for your visit. Be thoughtful about sharing a bathroom. Ask when it is okay to use it, and don't monopolize it.
- Don't treat the place as your own. Don't look upon your host's assets as items you can use either for yourself or your devotional service. If you want to pick a flower, ask, but don't denude the garden. Park your vehicle where requested. Don't nap on sofas (a sleeping person can leave odors or oils on furniture fabrics) or put your feet on furniture. Don't lean back on dining chairs; it can weaken them. Don't put used utensils on tablecloths, where they can leave stains. Never substitute your own judgment for your hosts' regarding their home or possessions.
- Don't expect royal treatment. Don't simultaneously look down on householders and expect hospitality from them. Don't use people. Be patient and understanding if there are children in the household. They are your host's first priority. You should not think that the world owes you food, lodging and handmaidens. If you are travelling with a retinue, be all the more considerate — one to three days — and instruct your party in guest etiquette. Happily, you have a place to sleep, something to eat and dry shelter. Don't expect your hosts to be your valet, travel agent or event booking agent. If they volunteer, be grateful and reasonable, not greedy, in accepting them.
- Minimize transportation requests. Expect to arrange your own transportation, use the bus, etc. If your hosts are kind enough to pick you up or take you to the airport, offer to pay for their gasoline; airport shuttling is a round trip for your host. With high fuel prices, don't expect them to drive you about town, run multiple errands or cause them to miss work. If arriving late at night or during rush hour, consider taking an airport shuttle bus or taxi so as not to burden your hosts. If they do a lot of driving on your behalf, offer to fill or top up their tank.
- Be helpful and appreciative. Offer to peel potatoes, clear or set the table, wash the dishes, weed the garden, watch over the children or sweep the porch. Offer to take your hosts out to dinner or to cook for them or buy groceries. Write a thank-you note.. Compliment your host/hostess on his/her cooking, hospitality, lovely home, etc. Tell your mom that being home with her is special; tell your dad that his wanting to spend time with you means a lot and that you appreciate him — you get the idea.
- Don't be nosy. Leave cupboards, drawers and refrigerators unopened. You are not the bhoga police. If you overhear private conversations, keep quiet. Don't be a gossip. Don't tell others anything negative, judgmental or confidential about your hosts. Don't make assumptions. A canister of coffee could be for an uncle who makes everyone miserable unless he has his cup when he visits. A good general rule is to be strict with yourself and lenient with others.
- Don't be troublesome. Don't expect your hosts to provide you with toiletries; don't use theirs without permission. Ask which towels and blankets they wish you to use. Remove decorative bedspreads before sleeping or lounging on them. Don't put water glasses on furniture without a coaster or dish under them. Don't hang damp towels over furniture, risking mildew and damage. Don't put things into the toilet that could cause it to back up or overflow. Don't stain towels or bedding with hair pomades, cosmetics, kumkum, turmeric, coconut, mustard or tea tree oil, or use incense or aromatherapy fragrances without permission. (Some people are highly sensitive, and the aroma could linger long after you are gone).. Having something shipped to you at your host's address can leave them responsible for shipping, taxes, import duties, etc. If it arrives after you leave, they'll need to forward it -- a real imposition. Ask permission in advance, and be sure you cover all costs. Likewise, if they lend you a key, be sure to return it before you leave.
- Eat what you are given. Obviously, you will be following the regulative principles; but let hosts know that you will be satisfied with whatever simple vegetable dishes they prepare, and can help in the cooking yourself. Be on time for meals; it is rude to make your hosts wait for you. If you aren't sure the food has been offered, silently offer it to Krsna in your heart. Don't make a fuss or appear the martyr, especially at the dinner table. Better to bring your hosts a copy of The Higher Taste or one of Kurma's cookbooks than to lecture about how they are murderers.
- Minimize your demands. If you are used to having a cup of hot water and lemon on arising, etc., don't expect your hosts to supply it. Ask if it will be okay to make it yourself, or do without. If you have an allergy or special diet, minimize difficulties by providing advance notice of any individual dietary restrictions. If it presents problems, arrange to have your meals elsewhere or bring the special items you need (but don't have food in your room to attract pests). If you don't like something on offer, say: "No, thank you; I'm full," or: "It looks good, but I'd better not," or some such. Don't hurt your hosts' feelings; they may have gone to a lot of trouble to prepare food for you.
- Don't come if you are sick (except to your mom's house). The household may include young children, elderly or immune-compromised members; don't bring disease to the house of your hosts. If you have recently been exposed to a communicable disease, make sure you are past the incubation stage before visiting. Don't share dishes with the family if you think you might be contagious — recovering from a tropical disease, etc. — but ask for separate dishes that can be sterilized.
- Don't exude crisis. If you are having crises (lost luggage, marital problems, etc.), deal with them as discreetly as you can. Don't make your visit about dealing with your crisis, drawing all around you into the maelstrom.
- Don't complain. Don't judge. You may be annoyed that there is no convenient transportation, that the town is miles from nowhere, that your hosts don't live up to your devotional standards, etc., but cultivate a mood of gratefulness and tolerance. That person's heart may be purer than yours, even if their house is messy, they have a weakness for ketchup or eat "karmi bread" or prepackaged cereals. Don't expect busy working people to provide you three home-cooked meals a day including piles of fresh chapatis and slow-simmered dhal. If the family is having peanut butter sandwiches and milk, then say, "Thank you, Krsna," and act like it is your favorite preparation, or fast.
- Don't overstay your welcome. Limit your visit to three days if possible, a week at most (even if they are relatives), and only if your host assures you it is not a hardship. (Even then, watch for clues that your visit is wearing thin, and if so, find a convenient excuse to leave early).
- Recompense your hosts. If you stay more than a few days, are expecting more than a place to sleep and one meal a day, or know you have occasioned extra expense, you should absolutely offer to pay, leave a nice tip or otherwise reimburse your hosts. It is far cheaper than commercial lodgings, and you got fed, too! Unless you can reciprocate by having your hosts visit you in turn, you should give a nice gift or freewill offering for their hospitality. Those under a vow of poverty should still offer what they can. Your hosts could easily be out $100 or more. If they, like many devotees, have a tight budget, this could be a real hardship.
If you think that following these rules is just too much trouble, then maybe as a guest you're just too much trouble; humility is a virtue to be cultivated. Keep in mind the examples of Lord Krishna, Lord Madana-Gopala and Lord Ramachandra, who were happy even with chipped rice, dry chapatis and banana peels.
Friday, June 20, 2008
nectar of instruction
This is text number 4. And it describes the ways in which devotees should relate to each other. Six Types loving exchanges. In traditional cultures of the world like China and India, there are natural relationships that exist, for example, between family members- elders and children, between Government officials and citizens, and in so many different ways there are so many types of relationships. Now we learn today about how devotees should relate with each other. The word priti means love. There is a difference between love and duty. A duty is something that you are obliged to perform. But love is something that comes more naturally and it involves the emotions of the heart. The word duty is also connected with law, but love transcends law. For example, supposing a young man breaks the law and comes to the house of his parents for protection. Will the parents hide the boy? Or will they hand the boy over to the police?
Probably they would protect him, That means that love is higher than the law. We have to follow the law but at a certain point we have to develop something greater than duty – that is love. We are practicing bhakti yoga and bhakti yoga has two divisions. The first is vaidhi bhakti. Vaidhi comes from the word vidhi which means rules. We have so many rules to follow, just like when you come in front of the deities, you should bow down. But that rule does not tell you how you should feel. But the idea is that by following the rule, if the rule is a good rule, then the feeling will gradually naturally come. You have seen in the temple room, Radha and Krishna and the Gopis. We understand that Krishna is God and Radha is the energy of God. Radha and Krishna together is the Supreme. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Perhaps you have seen on the altar, if you go up close the smaller deities of Radha Madhava and Caitanya.
So that teaches us that Lord Caitanya is right next to Radha Madahava because Radha and Krishna together are Lord Caitanya, and when they are separate, they are Radha and Krishna. Radharani is the greatest lover of Krishna. She loves Krishna so much that sometimes Krishna thinks the only way I can understand Radharani’s feelings is that I can take her position. So when Krishna meditates very deeply like this on Radharani, Krishna’s body turns golden color which is the color of Radharani. And that golden Krishna is Lord Caitanya, Inside is Krishna and outside is Radharani. That’s Lord Caitanya. So when we look at Radha and Krishna, Radha Madhava and the gopis, they all have very natural love. They don’t serve each other because of any rules or laws. They serve each other due to loving feelings. So gradually, when our devotion becomes natural and follows a type of mood that they have that is called raganuga bhakti. So we have explained a little bit about natural love for Krishna, but in order to learn to love Krishna naturally we have to learn how to love Krishna’s devotees. So this verse explains the six ways in which love takes shape in between devotees. The first word is dadati- to give charity. In India and in China, to give charity is a very good thing. The Bhagavad Gita explains that charity can be given in three different ways, in ignorance, in passion or in goodness. Supposing someone is begging on the street, in India, there are many people who beg on the street, but sometimes they look quite healthy. Even in America, so many people are begging. But often we see that when they get some donation, they go and purchase some cigarettes or some liquor.So to give such persons money is charity in the mode of ignorance, it does no good for them, nor for you. On the other hand, something better is to give charity for good cause. Supposing you hear that we are going to help to build a school, and we will give a donation for that purpose. And after giving that donation, they will put our name on the plaque of the school hall. Everyone will know that we are very charitable. That kind of charity is better than the first, but it is still not perfect, it is called charity in the mode of passion, because you are still expecting something in return. You are doing it for name and fame. One the other hand, what is charity in the mode of goodness?
Everbody’s health is ok? So charity in the mode of goodness means to give to a proper person, at a proper time and a proper way. No expectation of name and fame and for a proper cause. But Prabhupada suggests another type of charity, even beyond this.
In the caitanya Cartitmrta,in the teachings of Lord Caitanya you will find the chapter about Ramananda Raya. And in the discussion, the question is asked, who is the most charitable person? And this is what Prabhupada is going to speak about when he says what is the best form of charity. The best charity is to distribute Krishna consciousness to others.
To give knowledge, to give the teachings of Krishna consciousness to another person is the highest charity work. Does it cost money? Very easy, no one can say that I cannot afford it. And it is the most valuable gift that you can give. So similarly to receive gifts. pratigåhëäti : to accept something in return. These are ways of loving exchanges between devotees: to give a gift, and to receive a gift. Just like this morning, Jahnava gave me a gift, counter beads. So this is a loving exchange, to give a gift, she gave me a gift, I accepted a gift, these are two ways of loving exchange. So we can do like this between devotees. If we feel something for someone, we can give them a gift.
Just like you may have many friends who could not come to India this year. You can purchase them a sari, or a dhoti, and give them a gift. That’s a way of showing your love.
Then the next thing is guhyam äkhyäti påcchati . guhyam means something which is private or secret. Prabhupada translates it, confidential. This is not such an easy thing to do. To talk with another person about your inner feelings. Now before we go to that, we will say, that this may mean to show love to another person is to talk to them about Krsna. And from the other side, to hear someone speak to you about Krsna.
So devotees should speak always together about Krishna consciousness. The two most important principles of devotional service are hearing and chanting. So hearing and chanting together, just like in the evenings, we are having kirtanas. And just like now, we are hearing and chanting, Somebody is speaking, somebody is hearing. This is what is described here. But we should be also willing to reveal to another person any problems or doubts that we may have in the practice of Krishna consiounsness.
So we should be willing to have our doubts removed. But I think that this is not a very easy thing to do. Because generally we do not like to expose our weaknesses to another person. They make take advantage of us. They may tell other people about what problems we have. So generally we keep our problems and weaknesses to ourselves. And we only show our good face. Jut like when you wake up in the morning, you don’t look very good. But after properly bathing and putting on some tilak, and the ladies put on other things, then everything looks much better. So nobody likes to be seen early in the morning after getting out of bed. In the same way, nobody likes to have their inner problems shown outside. But in the morning, if you don’t wash you face then how would you get clean and look good?
Similarly, if you don’t get rid of the problems and doubts that are inside, then how will you ever become free from them. So we must develop close relationships with our fellow devotees based on trust. Where we can speak to another person and feel confident that they will not expose our doubts or problems, but will help us over them. Best is that you choose someone, there are two things, one is that you talk with people who are advanced as you are, and another is if you speak to persons who are more advanced. Both are good. Those who are more advanced should explain to those who are newer how they themselves made advancement in spiritual life. How they themselves have been able to advance.
We should not be miserly about Krishna consciousness, we should be willing to share with others everything that we ourselves have understood and known. But we should choose proper persons to share it with. Supposing you are a cook, and you know a recipe and you think I am not going to tell anyone else, because I am the only one who knows this recipe. No, if it is a good recipe we share it freely. Just like yesterday, I was invited to eat some pizza. So the person who invited me showed me a list of offenses against pizza. And one of the offenses is to not teach the pizza recipe to other people.We should be willing to share the knowledge. So if you have understood something that has benefited you a lot in Krishna consciousness, you should not keep it to yourselves thinking this way I will be more advanced than the others but you should offer that knowledge and help freely. Our teaching is to learn how to be servants, not masters. The guru does not think of himself as the master but he thinks himself as the servant of his students, Just like parents, they serve their children. Parents are in a superior position to children but still they are the servants of their children. So to be a servant is the best position. And to be servant of the servant is even a better position. And to be the servant of the servant of the servant is still better. That means humility is the most important quality of the vaishnavas. Just like it is said, the tree which bears the most fruit bows the lowest. And the tree that has no fruits stands up very tall. So the fruit that we are talking about is love for Krsna. And Lord Caitanya considers Himself to be a gardener. He says that He has planted this tree of Krsna bhakti, and now there are so many fruits of love for Krsna which are growing on this tree and He is in anxiety, how to distribute all these fruits. So whoever considers themselves to be a follower of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, should relieve Lord Caitanya of this burden of these fruits. The burden or anxiety He feels by helping Him to distribute the fruits of Krishna consciousness. It is said that the fruits of love for Krsna are so sweet, sweeter than any mango. It is a fruit with very small pith and very thin skin. And it is full of juice. Of course if you pick a mango before it becomes ripe then you don’t get the full sweetness of the mango. So the fruits of love for Krsna, each one of us must allow the mango to ripen fully. In order to get the full sweetness of the taste. That means that the process of Krishna consciousness must take time to mature or ripen. You cannot expect to immediately taste the sweetness of Krishna consciousness, just as a mango takes time to ripen.
Wake up, everyone should try to remain awake. Sometimes when we sit too comfortably, we many find it hard to stay awake. There is an advantage to sitting on the floor. It is not very comfortable. I have seen people who have fallen asleep while lecturing. I wont mention the person’s name but he used to be a very prominent member of ISKCON for sometime. Many people fall asleep listening to lectures but he fell asleep while giving them. One time Prabhupada was giving a lecture in Gorakhpur, it’s a city somewhat near Vrindavan. So his servant was feeling very tired. He was sitting on a wooden floor. And everyone was listening very carefully to Prabhupada and the room was very quiet and suddenly we heard this very big sound. The servant had fallen asleep and hit his head on the floor. Then he woke up. Prabhupada said, Now go to sleep. So Bhagavad Gita has taught us that we have to practice patience and we also heard this from the 3rd verse the previous verse talked about being patient. See now it is easy because many of you are very new devotees. When children are 2 or 3 years old, life is easy. Of course they fall and they scrape their arm and get a little hurt, but other than that, not much problem. But as you get older, you have to go to school, then the problems get more difficult. Then you have to get married and there’s further problems. As life goes on, problems increase. So you are all in a very nice stage because so far theres not much problems. But you’ll see within six months, one year, two years, three years, five years, things will become more difficult. It wont get easier. By then you will have so much knowledge and then you will realize how much you have to do to become Krishna conscious. If you can embrace, if you can hold on to the teachings of books like these, this will help you later on. When those problems come you will be able to talk to another person, who will help you through those problems. So I have spoken after four types of loving exchanges.
To give a gift, to receive a gift, we also said the word charity right? And to speak confidentially and to hear confidentially. There’s two more left. And these two are very easy.
To offer prasadam and to receive prasadam. I have always said, just like Gopal raj cooks for me so much, I always tell him, 50% is in cooking and 50% is in serving prasadam. Just like in England, he was cooking for me, and there were two other people living there. But I would not let them serve the prasdam. Because the mood was not right. The main thing about serving prasdam is that you have to serve prasadam just like the mother feeds her baby. When the mother is feeding her child, the mother is not thinking about eating herself, sheb is only thing that her child should eat more. She is not thing, I better save something for myself. She is not distracted, thinking about something else. She is only thinking, how can I get my child to eat nicely and be healthy. That kind of serving is good. But that’s very hard to learn if you don’t feel that way. In some good temples, the persons who serve the prasadam are the senior most people. Because they are more advanced, they can give more freely and easily. In your cooking and in your serving of prasadam, the love has to pass through. Just like sometimes in restaurants you may see that there are extra cooks but you cannot eat that food because there is no love in that cooking.
So this preparation of prasadam and serving of prasadam must be done in a loving mood and a giving mood. Prabhupada called prasadam our “secret weapon” If we think about weapon, we think about warfare. We are making war with maya. The material civilization And the secret weapon is prasadam. People who do not agree with our philosophy still like our prasadam. So prasadam can go where the philosophy cannot go. Prabhupada told me in the last year when he was living, he said to me that we do not need to open more temples, like in America we had many temples, we don’t need more temples in America, we should just open restaurants. So I think in Taiwan there are many vegetarian restaurants, Budhist restaurants. But there are no prasadam restaurants. So this is something for the future.
52.42
Ques and ans
1. what is the qualification for distributing.holy names
purity. If chanting is done offensively.not effective.
Probably they would protect him, That means that love is higher than the law. We have to follow the law but at a certain point we have to develop something greater than duty – that is love. We are practicing bhakti yoga and bhakti yoga has two divisions. The first is vaidhi bhakti. Vaidhi comes from the word vidhi which means rules. We have so many rules to follow, just like when you come in front of the deities, you should bow down. But that rule does not tell you how you should feel. But the idea is that by following the rule, if the rule is a good rule, then the feeling will gradually naturally come. You have seen in the temple room, Radha and Krishna and the Gopis. We understand that Krishna is God and Radha is the energy of God. Radha and Krishna together is the Supreme. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Perhaps you have seen on the altar, if you go up close the smaller deities of Radha Madhava and Caitanya.
So that teaches us that Lord Caitanya is right next to Radha Madahava because Radha and Krishna together are Lord Caitanya, and when they are separate, they are Radha and Krishna. Radharani is the greatest lover of Krishna. She loves Krishna so much that sometimes Krishna thinks the only way I can understand Radharani’s feelings is that I can take her position. So when Krishna meditates very deeply like this on Radharani, Krishna’s body turns golden color which is the color of Radharani. And that golden Krishna is Lord Caitanya, Inside is Krishna and outside is Radharani. That’s Lord Caitanya. So when we look at Radha and Krishna, Radha Madhava and the gopis, they all have very natural love. They don’t serve each other because of any rules or laws. They serve each other due to loving feelings. So gradually, when our devotion becomes natural and follows a type of mood that they have that is called raganuga bhakti. So we have explained a little bit about natural love for Krishna, but in order to learn to love Krishna naturally we have to learn how to love Krishna’s devotees. So this verse explains the six ways in which love takes shape in between devotees. The first word is dadati- to give charity. In India and in China, to give charity is a very good thing. The Bhagavad Gita explains that charity can be given in three different ways, in ignorance, in passion or in goodness. Supposing someone is begging on the street, in India, there are many people who beg on the street, but sometimes they look quite healthy. Even in America, so many people are begging. But often we see that when they get some donation, they go and purchase some cigarettes or some liquor.So to give such persons money is charity in the mode of ignorance, it does no good for them, nor for you. On the other hand, something better is to give charity for good cause. Supposing you hear that we are going to help to build a school, and we will give a donation for that purpose. And after giving that donation, they will put our name on the plaque of the school hall. Everyone will know that we are very charitable. That kind of charity is better than the first, but it is still not perfect, it is called charity in the mode of passion, because you are still expecting something in return. You are doing it for name and fame. One the other hand, what is charity in the mode of goodness?
Everbody’s health is ok? So charity in the mode of goodness means to give to a proper person, at a proper time and a proper way. No expectation of name and fame and for a proper cause. But Prabhupada suggests another type of charity, even beyond this.
In the caitanya Cartitmrta,in the teachings of Lord Caitanya you will find the chapter about Ramananda Raya. And in the discussion, the question is asked, who is the most charitable person? And this is what Prabhupada is going to speak about when he says what is the best form of charity. The best charity is to distribute Krishna consciousness to others.
To give knowledge, to give the teachings of Krishna consciousness to another person is the highest charity work. Does it cost money? Very easy, no one can say that I cannot afford it. And it is the most valuable gift that you can give. So similarly to receive gifts. pratigåhëäti : to accept something in return. These are ways of loving exchanges between devotees: to give a gift, and to receive a gift. Just like this morning, Jahnava gave me a gift, counter beads. So this is a loving exchange, to give a gift, she gave me a gift, I accepted a gift, these are two ways of loving exchange. So we can do like this between devotees. If we feel something for someone, we can give them a gift.
Just like you may have many friends who could not come to India this year. You can purchase them a sari, or a dhoti, and give them a gift. That’s a way of showing your love.
Then the next thing is guhyam äkhyäti påcchati . guhyam means something which is private or secret. Prabhupada translates it, confidential. This is not such an easy thing to do. To talk with another person about your inner feelings. Now before we go to that, we will say, that this may mean to show love to another person is to talk to them about Krsna. And from the other side, to hear someone speak to you about Krsna.
So devotees should speak always together about Krishna consciousness. The two most important principles of devotional service are hearing and chanting. So hearing and chanting together, just like in the evenings, we are having kirtanas. And just like now, we are hearing and chanting, Somebody is speaking, somebody is hearing. This is what is described here. But we should be also willing to reveal to another person any problems or doubts that we may have in the practice of Krishna consiounsness.
So we should be willing to have our doubts removed. But I think that this is not a very easy thing to do. Because generally we do not like to expose our weaknesses to another person. They make take advantage of us. They may tell other people about what problems we have. So generally we keep our problems and weaknesses to ourselves. And we only show our good face. Jut like when you wake up in the morning, you don’t look very good. But after properly bathing and putting on some tilak, and the ladies put on other things, then everything looks much better. So nobody likes to be seen early in the morning after getting out of bed. In the same way, nobody likes to have their inner problems shown outside. But in the morning, if you don’t wash you face then how would you get clean and look good?
Similarly, if you don’t get rid of the problems and doubts that are inside, then how will you ever become free from them. So we must develop close relationships with our fellow devotees based on trust. Where we can speak to another person and feel confident that they will not expose our doubts or problems, but will help us over them. Best is that you choose someone, there are two things, one is that you talk with people who are advanced as you are, and another is if you speak to persons who are more advanced. Both are good. Those who are more advanced should explain to those who are newer how they themselves made advancement in spiritual life. How they themselves have been able to advance.
We should not be miserly about Krishna consciousness, we should be willing to share with others everything that we ourselves have understood and known. But we should choose proper persons to share it with. Supposing you are a cook, and you know a recipe and you think I am not going to tell anyone else, because I am the only one who knows this recipe. No, if it is a good recipe we share it freely. Just like yesterday, I was invited to eat some pizza. So the person who invited me showed me a list of offenses against pizza. And one of the offenses is to not teach the pizza recipe to other people.We should be willing to share the knowledge. So if you have understood something that has benefited you a lot in Krishna consciousness, you should not keep it to yourselves thinking this way I will be more advanced than the others but you should offer that knowledge and help freely. Our teaching is to learn how to be servants, not masters. The guru does not think of himself as the master but he thinks himself as the servant of his students, Just like parents, they serve their children. Parents are in a superior position to children but still they are the servants of their children. So to be a servant is the best position. And to be servant of the servant is even a better position. And to be the servant of the servant of the servant is still better. That means humility is the most important quality of the vaishnavas. Just like it is said, the tree which bears the most fruit bows the lowest. And the tree that has no fruits stands up very tall. So the fruit that we are talking about is love for Krsna. And Lord Caitanya considers Himself to be a gardener. He says that He has planted this tree of Krsna bhakti, and now there are so many fruits of love for Krsna which are growing on this tree and He is in anxiety, how to distribute all these fruits. So whoever considers themselves to be a follower of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, should relieve Lord Caitanya of this burden of these fruits. The burden or anxiety He feels by helping Him to distribute the fruits of Krishna consciousness. It is said that the fruits of love for Krsna are so sweet, sweeter than any mango. It is a fruit with very small pith and very thin skin. And it is full of juice. Of course if you pick a mango before it becomes ripe then you don’t get the full sweetness of the mango. So the fruits of love for Krsna, each one of us must allow the mango to ripen fully. In order to get the full sweetness of the taste. That means that the process of Krishna consciousness must take time to mature or ripen. You cannot expect to immediately taste the sweetness of Krishna consciousness, just as a mango takes time to ripen.
Wake up, everyone should try to remain awake. Sometimes when we sit too comfortably, we many find it hard to stay awake. There is an advantage to sitting on the floor. It is not very comfortable. I have seen people who have fallen asleep while lecturing. I wont mention the person’s name but he used to be a very prominent member of ISKCON for sometime. Many people fall asleep listening to lectures but he fell asleep while giving them. One time Prabhupada was giving a lecture in Gorakhpur, it’s a city somewhat near Vrindavan. So his servant was feeling very tired. He was sitting on a wooden floor. And everyone was listening very carefully to Prabhupada and the room was very quiet and suddenly we heard this very big sound. The servant had fallen asleep and hit his head on the floor. Then he woke up. Prabhupada said, Now go to sleep. So Bhagavad Gita has taught us that we have to practice patience and we also heard this from the 3rd verse the previous verse talked about being patient. See now it is easy because many of you are very new devotees. When children are 2 or 3 years old, life is easy. Of course they fall and they scrape their arm and get a little hurt, but other than that, not much problem. But as you get older, you have to go to school, then the problems get more difficult. Then you have to get married and there’s further problems. As life goes on, problems increase. So you are all in a very nice stage because so far theres not much problems. But you’ll see within six months, one year, two years, three years, five years, things will become more difficult. It wont get easier. By then you will have so much knowledge and then you will realize how much you have to do to become Krishna conscious. If you can embrace, if you can hold on to the teachings of books like these, this will help you later on. When those problems come you will be able to talk to another person, who will help you through those problems. So I have spoken after four types of loving exchanges.
To give a gift, to receive a gift, we also said the word charity right? And to speak confidentially and to hear confidentially. There’s two more left. And these two are very easy.
To offer prasadam and to receive prasadam. I have always said, just like Gopal raj cooks for me so much, I always tell him, 50% is in cooking and 50% is in serving prasadam. Just like in England, he was cooking for me, and there were two other people living there. But I would not let them serve the prasdam. Because the mood was not right. The main thing about serving prasdam is that you have to serve prasadam just like the mother feeds her baby. When the mother is feeding her child, the mother is not thinking about eating herself, sheb is only thing that her child should eat more. She is not thing, I better save something for myself. She is not distracted, thinking about something else. She is only thinking, how can I get my child to eat nicely and be healthy. That kind of serving is good. But that’s very hard to learn if you don’t feel that way. In some good temples, the persons who serve the prasadam are the senior most people. Because they are more advanced, they can give more freely and easily. In your cooking and in your serving of prasadam, the love has to pass through. Just like sometimes in restaurants you may see that there are extra cooks but you cannot eat that food because there is no love in that cooking.
So this preparation of prasadam and serving of prasadam must be done in a loving mood and a giving mood. Prabhupada called prasadam our “secret weapon” If we think about weapon, we think about warfare. We are making war with maya. The material civilization And the secret weapon is prasadam. People who do not agree with our philosophy still like our prasadam. So prasadam can go where the philosophy cannot go. Prabhupada told me in the last year when he was living, he said to me that we do not need to open more temples, like in America we had many temples, we don’t need more temples in America, we should just open restaurants. So I think in Taiwan there are many vegetarian restaurants, Budhist restaurants. But there are no prasadam restaurants. So this is something for the future.
52.42
Ques and ans
1. what is the qualification for distributing.holy names
purity. If chanting is done offensively.not effective.
Monday, April 2, 2007
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