The appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

„Only by devotional service can Lord Sri Krsna be known”

bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram
(Bg.18.55)

 

Translation

One can understand the Supreme Personality as he is only by devotional service. And then when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the Kingdom of God.

So therefore, external things won't help. External things such as rituals, such as taking of certain dress during certain organization. Even taking initiation might not help one, if one does not perform devotional service with a loving heart and being fully conscious of the Supreme Lord. Therefore we call it Krishna consciousness by this name. It is taken from the name of Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu - golden name. Mahaprabhu's brahmacari name is Krishna Chaitanya and He preferred to keep that with the idea to show to the people in general that we can never become the masters. There is the parama-isvara. Only one controlling master. He is Krishna, and we are all His servants. Mahaprabhu has to demonstrate that by keeping his brahmacari name and not taking the name of swami, and again, also because he likes very much the name Krishna Chaitanya. Chaitanya means consciousness. So Krishna Chaitanya means Krishna consciousness, because that was his basic preaching, to be Krishna conscious. To be conscious of the Supreme day and night, 24 hours a day. It is actually possible. Twenty-four hours means that during the day and night you chant, perform devotional service, talk about Krishna. In this way at night when we take rest, one will simply dream about Krishna and His devotees and devotional service.

Like I have mentioned before, initiation alone will not help. Rituals alone will not help. It is not by a cheap thing, feet of a person or by taking initiation then everything will be arranged. Then we are able to go back to Godhead. Going back home back to Godhead is a very serious thing and everybody has to struggle hard. It is not that things will be automatically achieved, sort of package tour. People who are interested in cheap things like package. They have package tours for tourists. They pay a little money and then you go to everywhere. They take you everywhere, hotels, buses, etc. everything will be arranged and it is called package tour. Sold everything. So, people are also interested in package liberation. That I joined something, take some initiation or baptism and then have the best of both worlds. I will enjoy life here and after dying, I will go back to Godhead. That sort of package liberation is actually not worth. One has to be completely disinterested in material life and take up fully devotional service, then he might go back. And as much as we do Krishna says:

ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
(Bg. 4.11)

As much as we surrender to Him that much, he as much has been taken care of. In other words, if there is full surrender, Krishna is very much pleased. Then you made an advancement. But it is not possible to go back just like a ship, a ship stationed in the harbor. As there are many ships stationed there and in order not to be blown away by the wind or taken away by the current, they have this anchor. The anchor goes down to the bottom of the ocean to keep the ship. Then if somebody wants to go and he's steering the ship, eventually, it will not be good, it will not be helpful. The anchor has to be taken up. Similarly, if somebody thinks, "I will go back to Krishna to the spiritual world", is very simple. Although it is not that simple because first of all the anchor has to be taken up and then one has to go full speed forward... and what is that anchor? That anchor is described that it has six tongues, six parts. There is the kamah, krodhah, lobhah, mohah, madan, matsalya, meaning of it is the lust, anger, greed, delusion, and envy and madness etc., something like that. Those things we should become free from. Otherwise, the spiritual world will not be a good place for us. If we all could go to the spiritual world in an unclean state, unclean heart, then the spiritual world we would not like. Because in the spiritual world there's no place there for egoism, material egoism. False ego. There's no place there for all those material things such as lust, greed, envy, etc. only selfless loving devotional service is there. We have to become qualified to be like that and then only we can enter that place. It is visate anantaram , then only one can enter. It is not possible to purchase God. Do not think we could purchase God with some money or with some rituals, etc. or anything like that. It is not possible.

... (cannot be heard) individuality is there, but in pure Krishna consciousness. One should not misunderstand the word visate, "enters into me" , supports the monist theory that one becomes homogeneous with the impersonal Brahman. No. Visate means that one can enter into the abode of the Supreme Lord in his individuality to engage in His association and render service unto Him. For instance, a green bird enters a green tree not to become one with the tree but to enjoy the fruits of the tree. Impersonalists generally give the example of a river flowing into the ocean and merging. This may be a source of happiness for the impersonalist, but the personalist keep his personal individuality like an aquatic in the ocean. We find so many living entities within the ocean if we go deep. Surface acquaintance with the ocean is not sufficient; one must have complete knowledge of the aquatics living in the ocean depths.

Because of his pure devotional service, a devotee can understand the transcendental qualities and the opulences of the Supreme Lord in truth. As stated in the Eleventh Chapter, only by devotional service can one understand. The same is confirmed here; one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotional service and enter into His kingdom.

After the attainment of the brahma-bhuta stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins by one's hearing about the Lord. When one hears about the Supreme Lord, automatically the brahma-bhuta stage developes, and material contamination - greediness and lust for sense enjoyments - disappears. As lust and desires disappear from the heart of a devotee, he becomes more attached for the service of the Lord, and by such attachments he becomes free from material contamination. In that state of life he can understand the Supreme Lord. This is the statement of Srimad Bhagavatam also. Also after liberation the process of bhakti or transcendental service continues. The Vedanta Sutra confirms this: aprayanat tatrapi hi drstam. This means that after liberation the process of devotional service continues. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, real devotional liberation is defined as the reinstatement of the living entity in his own identity, his own constitutional position. The constitutional position is already explained: every living entity is the part and parcel fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord. Therefore his constitutional position is to serve. After liberation, this service is never stopped. Actual liberation is getting free from misconception of life.

That love of Godhead is actually only possible to have - it is coming from Krishna-bhakti. And that we have to clean our heart just like a mirror. If the mirror is dirty it will not reflect anything. And if we look in the mirror we could not see anything except the dirt. Similarly, if the heart is not pure, it is not able to reflect the bhakti of God. But, if it is pure it is reflective. Then one will have wonderful devotional sentiments and love of Krishna.

Therefore, Krishna consciousness means in the beginning - sadhana bhakti. To purify the heart. All unwanted desires, anarthas, become purified completely. For this reason we are interested in taking initiation. For this reason we are interested to associate with the devotees to perform devotional service and chanting our rounds, take prasadam, follow the regulative principles strictly. So that the heart will be purified. That's the first stage of bhakti. Like what we said the other day, when the car is broken down you have to push. Push. Push. Push. Push with all strength and then - brooom - it goes. And once it's going, it's going. So similarly, we have to push. We have to use our force. Say no to the senses and push our way in sadhana-bhakti. Then when the heart is purified, then it will go as the wind.

It means we don't have to be told that at the time of such and such is the time for worship, time for thinking of Krishna. We'll concentrate thinking of Krishna with love and devotion, certainly always. That is spontaneous stage. Therefore our duties are to take advantage of the things offered. And that means initiation, saddhu-sanga, books, prasadam, etc. Take use of it for the right purpose and that is to purify the heart, our heart. When the heart is purified, then one's devotional service is guaranteed. That is why this verse is saying:

bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tatvatah

Krishna cannot be understood. Krishna cannot be approached by anything else but pure devotion. He cannot be approached by simple rituals or promises, anything like that. Simply only by pure love. Pure devotion that we should always keep in mind. Pure devotion is not something cheap. It's not something sentimental that one day I think of Krishna, shed some tears and another day I forget. That is not devotion. Devotion means full dedication. Sacrifice. Srila Guru Maharaja' s words, "Die to live". Full surrender. Full sacrifice...

Love means sacrifice. If somebody says "I love you" but you are not ready to do for sacrifice. He's always saying this. So many boys and girls are saying to each other, "I love you", "I love you". But as long as there are some enjoyment, sense enjoyment. But as soon as there is none, no more love. But Krishna consciousness means sacrifice for the other, and then love become sacrifice. As much as we can sacrifice and as much as we are willing to want to sacrifice, that much devotion, everyone will sacrifice to Him. Everything in full devotion. Are there any questions?

So many people can learn from the Bhagavad-Gita. They hear the philosophy but they don't practice it. They do something foolish. There is no guaranty in any group that you will be safe. You have to take personal responsibilities and fight your battle. It can happen to us if you would not be careful and still claim to be a devotee? We should avoid that. We should learn from their example and not commit the same blunder. Nothing will help. We'll waste our life. We say that one should take an initiation, but if he does not live according to the teachings, then he commits an offense. We must understand that these things are there to help us only to progress. Eagerly one to make progress and go on. We have to try to understand and improve on it in that way.

Rupa Vilas dasa: It is said that there are no hard and fast rules in chanting the Holy Name.

Maharaja: There is no hard and fast rules if you chant without an offense. But there are offenses. With offenses or without offenses is not included in "there are no hard and fast rules". You can chant daytime, you can chant nighttime, you can chant while eating. Anytime. There are no hard and fast rules but that doesn't mean that you can do with offenses. What is the meaning of chanting the name of Krishna if I am offensive to Krishna?

Rupa Vilas dasa: What will happen to that devotee? It's like death.

Maharaja: Yes, so what is the use of decorating a dead body? We want people to be Krishna conscious. Krishna consciousness means alive. Without consciousness it is dead. So you are right. It is like death also. So one should always be afraid to lose the association of Guru. I want to go to him. I want to go to Krishna. So we should be careful. Even if we have this neck beads. I will lose. If I lose, then I stay in the material world. Material life means you stay here. If you want to get rid of material life then you develope pure love of Krishna. Then we should be very serious. It is not a cheap thing that one year initiation, two years brahmin, three years sannyasi. Whatever. Brahmin, sannyasa, it is not that way.

It might be that you may meet some accidental falldown. You might be able to recover again. But however, again... that he's really trying to get initiated. Trying to work for Krishna very sincerely, he might be corrected. But if he deliberatedly loses his position and falls down again and again, it would not be possible. Nobody can help you then. Not with Guru, not with anybody. Not even with the whole world cannot help you. Just stay in this world. Why do you wish to stay? Naturally, because you like to enjoy. Time, money, fame, all enjoyable things.

Sríla B. A. Narayan Swami Maharaj

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