Venue: ISKCON Noida
Dated: 3rd Jan 2015

“Om namo bhagvate vasudevaya”

There’s always something to keep us busy, so I am happy to have you here this evening, we are here at Govinda dham. You are very important persons because you are God’s people, God’s devotees, God’s parts and parcels and God’s servants. God is great so you being servant of great God is a very big position. You know I work for Birla’s, just because I work for Birla’s are big so, I am somebody in Birla so I am also very big, very important. Like that people just because you work for Birla’s or Ambani’s whatever other firms are there or companies. If that makes those people big then if you are God’s servant you work for God, at least you have come here, you are God’s people whether you are serving now or not, would like you to serve God because you are His servants.

Anyway regardless even if you have not taken up serious service unto God of course He has name, what is His name? Krishna, yes one big name, principle name otherwise He has thousands of names Vishnu, Sahastranaam so many big names. So being people or devotees, servants, associates of God, that is very very big position, infact there could be no better bigger position than being servant of God or servant of even some of His devotees, some of the devotees of Lord are friends of God, God’s friend, He’s my friend, Modi he was my friend we were working in hotel together or selling chaai together something like this people like remembering 20 30 40 years ago.

As soon as someone becomes big then people small people try to identify, he’s my friend and I know him. We went to the school, room-mates they like to make their connections, thus having connection with big people that makes you big. Devotees you could also be friend of ‘suhrdam sarva-bhutanam’ (Bg. 5.29) they are best friends suhrdam. We are different souls, we have different relationships with the Lord.

Basically we say we are servants of Lord but some servants are friends, God’s friend. Some servants or souls are even parents of God. Lord gives them that position or that post and He becomes the child or son of God. We don’t know as of yet who we are whether we are servants or friends or parents of God but certainly we are God’s, we belong to God. Yes? Is that ok with you? You accept this? Whether you accept or not, this is a fact, you are property of God, you belong to God. So that makes you VIP’s, you are all VIP’s very important or VVIP’s.

So we are happy once again very important souls, so many souls have assembled here, we feel happy to meet other souls and more the souls better it is, so many souls coming together. So when we come to the temple we come and we are souls everywhere even in the factories or industries or government office you are souls but no one remembers you as souls no one treats you as souls, you are treated as bodies, this is my ID, this is how I look like and all thoughts are mundane thoughts and mundane material jobs and like that. So but here as you come, we see you as souls each one of you is one individual soul spark.

So when one soul meets another soul on the soul platform spiritual platform they become happy. Are you happy? someone in the back. So we still have that presentation? anyway we will go through this and then we will talk little more. I am not quite familiar with but it is going to appear on the screen but I liked the topic its ‘Mera Bharat Mahan‘ at the back of lorries they write “Mera Bharat Mahan” my India is great, India is great, Incredible India.

So, is India great? How is it great? Why is it great? What do you mean by great and like that we will, that’s the approach. So there’s something to look at, something to give you, something colorful give your eyes and mind busy or focused then something to hear also. What I have to do? I am very new to this technology. I am using this just to open a topic, some other prabhu has prepared this kind of search for Bharat. So one time India was this size the presenter of this slide he thinks India was but infact one time the whole planet was Bharat-varsha not just what you see. At present it has been further reduced smaller shrunk so many countries are part of this map, geographical map are not part of Bharat India. But going into the past distant past, Hastinapur was capital of Bharat, “Maha…….Bharat” is greater India. Hastinapur used to be the capital of Bharat-varsha and this is some 5000 years ago and there was that Mahabharat big battle and that was world war because the kings from all over the planet were part of that war.

So, that’s Mahabharat means history of great India 5000 years and this is very, Bharat is a land for millions trillions of years, this is a different calculation that world is not aware of. We’ll not talk about that now, so Bharat thinks like that these are, the one understanding the time factor Bharat is way ahead of the rest of the world. You are taught the Darwin’s theory of evolution, so according to them its a different approach which is a incomplete and concocted and we say mental speculation and lot of imagination but what we understand from the history from Mahabharat scripture or many other scriptures, Ramayan is also history, it is a historical fact depends, ek tha raja aur ek thi…raja tha Ram aur rani Sita rani kahani history are narrated like that.

So Ram was on the planet about a million years ago not million but little less, million is 10 lakhs, 10 lakhs makes it million years. Because Ram was on the planet during Treta yuga we are now in kaliyug and kaliyug lasts for 4 lakhs and 32,000 years is a duration of kaliyug and twice as long duration is dwapar and three times is treta and four times is satya yug and then these four yugas put together makes one Mahayugaa and one such 1000 yuga cycles makes one day of Brahma only one day, not even day and night just the day and then night is also that long. You multiply that by 7 that makes one week of Brahma, multiply that by 4 that makes one month of Brahma and multiply that by 12 that is one year and he lives 100 years and this 100 years life span of Brahma is but just one breath of Lord Krishna Mahavishnu, He’s called Mahavishnu, one breath.

So this is a different calculation, we are talking about rest of the world, the Modern world is not aware so we talk Bharat these are the thoughts or idealogies or philosophies lifestyle. Everything is big and grand and old but old is gold. So, going by these calculations I was in Los Angeles in California, Los Angeles some years ago and they were celebrating bicentennial, 200th anniversary of California or I think Los Angeles may be city Los Angeles was founded 200 years ago, they were having big celebration and I had met one of those enthusiastic celebrator or one who was celebrating and then he was saying, “I know, I know, our Los Angeles is very old”. But he was saying Los Angeles is very old, he was thinking by stretching it oo….old, that would make it older. So I asked how old is it? Its 200 years old. So for them 200 years was very old and here we talk of Sri Ram was on the planet 10 lakh saal pehle Ayodhya town, that’s Los Angeles city and this is Ayodhya city. A million year but a million is also nothing just a drop in the ocean when you talk of the whole life span infact Time is eternal, kaal is eternal.

So, when you consider all this, when you know lot of things, then this amoeba business has now placed in with the facts presented by Mahabharat or Bhagvat Gita or other scriptures, the sages and sages they never tell lies, rushis, munis mahatmas they never do any cheating gambling, its called gambling, mental speculation, I think according to me…this is gambling, so they speak the truth and nothing but the truth. So Bharat, search for bharat, so they have shown previous one; this shows kab kab bata Bharat someone has done some studies and all these different countries one time according to this presenter he thinks Bharat is only this much big but we already said its much bigger picture. “Who is great me or Mahatma Gandhi?”, Prabhupada is saying this. Mera Bharat Mahan, Prabhupada is in London, why have you come here? So one time as topic has come here why have we come, so Prabhupada was talking to the reporters news media press, they ask this question why have you come here to our country, Prabhupada’s response was, it’s not here, but what I had gathered what his reponce was, “You came to our country.” You came, now I have come but then Prabhupada also said that you came and whatever was valuable you thought or your leaders, viceroys were thinking this is valuable that is valuable you are all stealing and bringing that over to England but in that attempt your leaders, those who were ruling India that time they forgot the most valuable items of the real wealth of the country they left behind. And when Prabhupada was asked, “Oh! what is that the most valuable that you are talking about our viceroys did not take note of that, they left behind”, Prabhupada then said, “the culture, culture sanskriti of Bharat”, that is the wealth of Bharat or teachings of the vedas or puranas, Bhagvat Gita this is the wealth of this country, most ancient thought are there in the vedic scriptures and in the past as it is Indian youth they migrate they go overseas for overseas education, they also take loan and by hook or crook they want to go to Australia, to America for overseas education. I am foreign return, I have a degree from here there to get a better job or whatever.

So these are the modern trends, Indians are going overseas for so-called higher education but there was a time the whole world came to India to study and that was certainly higher education, spiritual education, studying vedic texts in universities like Takshashila, Nalanda these are some big big names and many other. So, students scholars they would come and then they would go back, yes I am Bharat return, India return, look at my degree. Even Jesus Christ was, He was in India He had come to learn, that’s what biography of Jesus proves.

So Prabhupada was pointing out the knowledge, this is the intellectual property, these days they call intellectual property. Usually we think the buildings and this and bank balance this is property but there’s something called intellectual property. So, the intellect or intelligence or intelligent desings, intelligent ideas or thoughts, deeper thoughts, eternal truth all this was the wealth, so Prabhupada says this is the wealth of our country and certainly we are talking just the plain truth, its straight forward, the Holy Name Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, this is the wealth of golokera prama dhan Harinam Sankirtan is a golokera prema dhan spiritual wealth, real wealth that could make the soul happy. Why do you need wealth for? To become happy you need wealth, you make money to become happy but then the Holy Name in fact could make you happy.

So money could make your body happy, money could make your senses happy, money could make…like that wearing this kind of cloth, mera joota hai japan ka meri patloon englisthan ki, around the world in dollars, you don’t know this song? So anything important in the decoration of the body or this is for the body to make some pleasure some entertainment. So people acquire wealth, make money to satisfy the body and the mind and the senses and in this attempt the real You real YOU is ignored, forgotten which is the soul that we have been talking about in the very beginning. You are the soul when you come to the temple we see you as souls you as atma, Lord is parmatma He is Bhagwan and we are the souls.

So all this, run around, make money and then not taking care of yourself, parents say friends say take care, take care of yourself, take care but unless you know the self, your real self how are you going to take care of yourself? So we do not spend our wealth unfortunately in taking care of our real self. Something deep within is what we are, deep within, we are not floating at surface, we are within this body deep that is the soul. So I was telling Prabhupada’s point, this is the wealth Hare Krishna Hare Krishna is also wealth amongst all other valuable gifts of India. This makes you happy, your soul is made happy by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. Prabhupada made his claim when he went to America, he was teaching, propagating, spreading the Holy Name and so many Americans they had started chanting Hare Krishna, they were not happy before, in America they were not happy and don’t think just being American you could be happy.
No, this is not true.

So, they were frustrated and they were looking for some alternatives, all the wealth their pleasures were at the disposals but still not happy. But then Prabhupada gave them this mantra, Hare Krishna Mantra and they started chanting, even some of those frustrated young boys and girls of America they became happy, so Prabhupada used to say they were hippies and they became happies. They were hippies and now they are happies. So Prabhupada demonstrated all that wealth of America, land of opportunity. So everything was at their disposal even name and all that was there still not happy. What is wrong? The ignorance you do not know who you are and don’t know how to take care, why have you come here is the topic, so Prabhupada was saying I have come because your leaders they did not realise what is real wealth of the India Bharat and they left it behind so I have come, you are asking me why I have come, I have come to do the home delivery of that wealth and to do so, to deliver the gifts of Bharat, the wealth of Bharat, he traveled all over the world and what he started began some 50 years ago ISKCON was founded in 1966, so in one year Iskcon will be celebrating golden jubilee celebration of ISKCON (Haribol!) 2016 next year please be with us, lets celebrate this together 50th anniversary of Iskcon. So for past 50 years, what Prabhupada started sharing and delivering this, the gifts of Bharat, ancient India prachin Bharat. Present day Bharat is not much of Bharat, lot of things are same as west and be Indian- buy Indian, where are Indian we don’t see so much of Indian clothing here. So, west this was there understanding, misunderstanding I would say, their wrong perception thinking India as a poor country.

When first time I traveled to America was in 78, first time I traveled to America. So, and then, so those days when they would ask where have you come from?, a common question, so we would say I have come from India, Oh! that India that beggar’s country, poor country. So this was the impression. It was also because that whenever our leaders or Indians went, they went to get something, take something, beg for something. So that also gave wrong impression, they must be poor people, they are always coming with a begging bowl.

Srila Prabhupada was one he was convinced that India is the richest nation, Bharat is the richest, enriched in culture and knowledged in so many ways. So India could contribute that wealth, share with rest of the world. So this is what he did, he shared the most valuable gifts of India with rest of the world, he exported ways to call him, he was a exporter and importer also. Exported the most valuable export quality goods or items, like Bhagvat Gita is export quality and Hare Krishna is certain export quality, the lifestyle and culture is export, he exported there and then he imported American sadhus, European Brahmin, he traveled back to India with American, European, Australian Brahmins with sikhas and kanthi malas and Brahmin threads and tridands and chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.

So, Bharat is not some tract of land with man-made geographical boundaries which is decided and divided by some demoniac sense gratifiers in order to satisfy their personal desires or name fame profit adoration or politics. Bharat is a principle, devotee who has prepared this, Bharat is a principle, it is a way of life, it is a philosophy and its living application, it is a land of dharma, land of God, land of devotion and like that. So, Bharat, just by name Bharat, ‘bha’ refers to the light surya gives light so surya is also called bhaskar, ‘kar’ means to do, he does the light, he gives the light so he is called bhaskar.

So, Bharat is that land where people are absorbed in; Bharat break it into bha and rat, bha means light rat means absorbed, people of this land are absorbed in light, torch light of knowledge, they are not in darkness. Tamaso ma, vedas say “tamaso ma jyotir gamaya” get out of this ignorance, go to the light, come to the light, so those who come to the light then they become delighted in the light, then they become, then they are Bharat vasis.

So, it is not just because you have taken birth in Bharat doesn’t make you Bharatiya in true sense. Talking of Bharat is a principle, its a way of life, philosophy and all that. One may be living within the geographical boundary of Bharat may not be an Indian but one may be living outside the geographical boundary of India but may be a real Bharat-vasi if he is strictly practicing, so here’s one real Bharat-vasi amongst us who was not born in Bharat (Haribol) Srila Prabhupada’s direct disciple (Haribol) Prabhupada initiated and then imported him to India, he is not born Indian but by his life style and philosophy and principles which he follows, the values he cares and foreign practices he is genuine Bharat-vasi, Bharatiya than so many so-called Indians, they are called, they are so-called but they are not really Bharat-vasis they are called, so-called, they are so-called. Mera Bharat Mahan, Gopal Krishna but he eats beef, his name is Gopal Krishna but he eats beef so what kind of Bharatiya he is. In Ahmedabad, once I met, we had gone to some business man to make him a life member so we went, he said I am a Brahmin we were happy to hear he was a Brahmin but then he said I eat beef, he did not say he eats, he said I relish beef. You know what beef is? You don’t have to know, somehow it has become popular. He said I relish and I take great pleasure in eating, he was so shameless.

On one hand, I am a Brahmin, I relish beef. So, would you call him Bharatiya? Is that Bharatiya? Like that, some people I am chaturvedi, chaturvedi means I am student of four vedas. So, in the past their family they were students of the four vedas, adhyayan adhyapan learning and teaching but now they are only so-called chaturvedis, only so-called because what to speak of studying and knowing four vedas, probably they don’t know even know the names of four vedas. Please say what are the four vedas? (Rig veda, sam veda, atharva veda, yajur veda) Ok good, so you are chaturvedis (laughter). So names only, chaturvedis, trivedis and dwivedis, dwi means two, two vedis three vedis, infact now they are nirvedis (laughter) no vedas.

So this is unfortunate situation in our country today. Just because I am born Hindu, I am a Hindu, same also with Christianity, because I am born in Christian family, I think I am Christian, born in Muslim family Muslim but they do not practice that’s the trouble. We say no difficulty, you ok? If you are Christian, practice Christianity, the Bible will immediately tell you the ten commandments, ten principles, thou shall not kill, thou shall not kill. Prabhupada always said talking to Christians, what kind of Christian are you? You don’t follow, someone was Christian he joined the Krishna Conscious movement then he came to India and he was asked by some Indian or some Hindu, Oh! why have you, why did you get converted and have become Hindu, that devotee said, no, no, I am a better Christian now, I am a better Christian, I was born Christian not practicing but as I have joined Krishna Consciousness Movement, I am better Christian. This is the fact, following all the principles, thou shall not kill, love thy Lord with all thy heart, with all thy strength is another Biblic statement, love thy neighbor as thy self and so many principles we had heard and read before but not practiced now I am practicing I am better Christian. So, what kind of Indian so called Brahmin relishing beef and then whole India now has become major exporter of beef also, big boat loads of beef or meat is exported everyday to the middle east and so many other countries of India by slaughtering animals unfortunately cows also.

So, where is the spirit of Bharat? Values, the principles? Some years ago in the Parliament there was a Indian Parliament this issue of animal killing and slaughtering was being discussed and there was some reporting that the Indian slaughter houses, machinery to cut the throats of animals, the blades they are not sharp, they are blunt, as a result it takes longer time to cut the throats of animals, so what to do was being discussed, what to do. So what they could have passed resolution ok no more killing, no more slaughter of animals in India, they could have passed resolution animals are suffering while they are slaughtered, instead the whole Parliament discussed and they concluded that we should modernize our slaughter houses, modernize we should import from Ireland some countries they are leading Chicago, children in the school were taught; sansar ka sabse bada katal khana kaha hai? Chicago, we had to do the matching, the names of cities and what are they known for, sansar ka sabse sundar shehar- Paris and like that sabse bada katal khana- Chicago and this and that.

So Chicago was biggest slaughtering at least this was 50 years ago when we were in school. So the members of the Parliament, lets import from this country that country, lets modernize our slaughter houses so that when animals are slaughtered, will pain less, animals will not suffer. In favor of this proposal, majority of them voted in favour of this proposal, that’s not Bharat. How kind were the leaders of this nation? The members of the Parliament were very kind to import some modern machinery so that while killing animals would suffer less so that’s very kind of them, they were very kind. So where is the Mahan Bharat? Searching for that Bharat, that spirit, Bharat, this is not tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, this is going back remain absorbed in darkness, stay ignorant.

So, ok who cares name may be this or that but so called Bharatiya his name is gopal krishna but eats beef, so there are some ‘mahatmanas tu mam partha’ (Bg 9.13) what makes great Indian great soul means mahatma because taking shelter of “daivim prakrtim bhajanty ananya-manaso” with unflinching faith he is worshipping and knows also “bhutadim avyayam” the Lord is source of all the, what is mahan? to take shelter of mahan Lord is mahan, I think we started there. So to be connected, be associated, be part of that mahan be servant of that mahan, friend of that mahan. So India is also mahan, Bharat mahan, Mahabharat, beacause of God centered, Krishna centred India. God centred, God’s thoughts, high thinking, simple living and high thinking and there’s more but I think we should stop somewhere here.

Mera Bharat mahan is a big topic, we are just taking some angles or some limited approach because time is limited and life is short, also miles to go before we sleep the woods are lovely dark and deep one western poet had to say, we have so much to do long way to go. So, mera Bharat mahan, Lord appears, Krishna Ram so many incarnations here in this part of the world, hum us desh ke vasi hai jaha Ganga behti hai Jamuna bhi behti hai and all the vedic texts the sages rishis, munis they did their experiments within their hearts and they have come to so many conclusions, they were scientists rishi munis were scientists.

So we should understand the Bharat, India and their talking to improve the Indian tourism and the visa on arrival, we already manage to go 22,000 visas they granted the westerners and they want, prime minister also talking that the westerners should be exposed to Indian culture and India’s ancient places like Varanasi, Mathura, there are 100’s and 1000’s of places here, they take way back into history, thousands of years they think 200 year old Los Angeles is very old, then they could visit so many places, hundreds and thousands of years old.

So, the attempt is being made so that westerners could also realize the value, the wealth of this great nation and this wealth its not Indians’ wealth, this is God’s, this is God in fact Krishna. Because of Him, Bharat mahan, when you take God consciousness Krishna consciousness out of India, so nothing that makes it, the rest is the waste. Even in India, India becomes like a waste, wastage, wasting life, wasting human form of life, the gratification, industrial civilization. So much science here Bhagvat Gita is a science and the great sages, munis they were scientists. There is also so much astronomy, astrology and all this are there part of vedic education and Lord Krishna went to school, Sandipani munis, he was learning, so many herbs ans sciences, that’s the science, science of self realization, that’s original science, science of soul, science of self. Ok I think we will stop here and if you have any thoughts, discussion points we could…

Question – Its shown on television about astrology, is astrology a science should we trust it?
Answer – I don’t know what exactly they show on the television, I never watch so I don’t but astrology is a scientific, even the sun eclipse the moon eclipse that is also part of the predictions, astrological calculations and there’s also bhavishya puran talks of the future of the world. The astrology science it exists but whether the present day astrologers are competent to understand the whole science and whether their predictions could be true or not true that could be a question. There’s nothing wrong with astrology science as such but the astrologers may not be qualified, competent or realised, so their predictions may or may not come true but there’s nothing that doesn’t make this astrology as science nothing wrong with that. Next year in December there will be winter and very cold this is my prediction, this is also part of the astrology because somethings are, there are cycles and they are repeated like that once in year or once in every age ‘harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha’ (CC Adi 7.76).

So this is everytime there is a age of kali, chanting is the way. Sukhdev Goswami, he was much more than astrologer, personality like Narada Muni, they know past and because they know past, they could also know the future, future depends on the past. So Sukhdev Goswami said ‘kaler dosa-nidhe rajann’ (SB 12.3.51) ok Parikshit, now the age of kali is about to begin ‘kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet’ just by chanting Krishna’s name, one could become free from the bondage. Because he knows age of kali, the symptoms of agle of kali everytime the age of kali, same symptoms making things complicated and everytime this age of kali’s solution is chanting Hare Krishna. So Sukhdev Goswami becomes astrologer because he knows these are the symptoms of, before it was predicted, at the beginning of age of kali, he predicted, everything that was predicted has come true. He also spoke about Lord Buddha, appearance of Lord Budhha was talked about 5000 years ago when Sukhdev Goswami spoke he talked about the appearance of Budhha. So after he talked some 5000 years ago and Budhha appeared. So there’s a whole universal time table or schedule this happens this time, that happens this time. So, knowing history and the past, he could also say future.

So this is one aspect of astrology also and then basically as you sow so shall you reap, that is always the law of karma, so by knowing you did this, you did that, you did this in the past, you eat too much, there could be diarrhoea or indigestion, action and reaction, cause and effect. So they are related, cause and effect, this cause then this would be the outcome effect of this. So by knowing your past and action reaction, by knowing action, you could talk of reactions. Shastras also say “mamsa” means mam and sa there are two parties myself and yourself, if you kill me today, I’ll kill you tomorrow, this is the law of karma.

So, one lady with her daughter were sitting while I was flying from Moscow to Delhi and mataji elderly, so when it was time for dinner during the flight, airhost was going around and he asked swamiji, swamiji, what will you have? fish or chicken? you have a choice fish or chicken. Atleast in India, they would ask swamiji veg or non-veg but there was no choice, fish or chicken. So, ofcourse we don’t take any food cooked outside. So I was just sitting chanting and those the lady and the daughter, one had a fish other one enjoyed chicken, I was sitting and chanting swamiji was sitting. So when they enjoyed the meal and their belly was full with fish and chicken, the elderly lady wanted to take advantage and she extended her hand, swamiji bhavishya jante ho? (laughter) So, I was not very happy with them because shamelessly they ate fish and chicken just next to me sitting there and so I did not respond, I kept chanting but I was then thinking if she asks me again, I wanted to keep my answer ready and so that did not happen but my answer was you ate fish so in future you’ll become fish (laughter), the daughter had chicken, she would become chicken in next life.

So, I am not a big astrologer but this is if you eat me today, I’ll eat you tomorrow, by that law of karma cause an effect. Also, the future could be predicted but if you are chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and also clapping and if you approach some astrologer, he would not be able to do the calculation, they are going to go wrong because what was otherwise going to be your future, that is not going to be your future anymore because what happened? because you chanted Hare Krishna. All those future reactions and births that is natural, this action that reaction, in this life or the next but its not going to leave you alone.

As you sow so shall you reap, again the Bible says. Jaise bovoge waise paoge, so all the astrologies are kind of based on this principle. So now in the past, you could talk of the future but we the Krishna Conscious person, he changes his future Krishna says, ‘mam ekam saranam vraja’ (Bg 18.66) You take shelter of me and then He says, ‘aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami’, I will make you free from all the reactions which are waiting in the corner, tomorrow is the turn of some actions in the past will have its turn, its the reaction and then something that you did in the distant past day after tomorrow is that reaction and next week is that reaction, next year is that reaction, so all that future reactions which are in a waiting list action reaction this all Krishna says I’ll take care “aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami” I’ll take care I’ll neutralise and get rid of all those reactions and then only it is possible then prediction of such devotee its again astrology, ‘punar janma na vidyate’ (Bg. 8.16) he doesn’t take birth again and then he goes to Krishna, Krishna lok, goes back to home, back to Godhead. So there’s no reason for him, ok I think this is some kind of answer to your question. Should we stop here?

Born in a little village of Maharashtra called, Aravade, Lokanath Swami Maharaj went on to become one of the most powerful bonafide gurus of ISKCON. Little did anyone know from his village that the spiritual words uttering from the divine mouth of Lokanatha Swami, would be the source of inspiration for hundreds and thousands on the path of spiritualism. His fate was sealed when he took his first initiation in the year 1972 from Srila Prabhupada. And from then on, he took up his Padayatra mission to spread the Vedic culture. He, together with his baritone voice and a deep ocean of knowledge, spread the divine nectar to one and all. His inspirational lectures have helped in the rapid progress of his followers on the divine path.

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Certainly the location that you have selected for this program would help you to mind your minds. I am very happy to see you all. You have assembled here in good numbers from all over. So it is very important that you have taken out your valuable time, not just little time but several days. So the topic is ‘minding the mind.’ Certainly it is related to yourself. Self is not just the body. We always heard from our parents, “take care of yourself”. But they didn’t really tell us who that ‘self’ was. The purport that I could gather or understand from my parents’ saying was that ‘take of yourself means take care of your body”. We were told how we should carefully by the side of the road to avoid accident or how we should eat properly etc. But all those concerns were boiling down to the body.

But we are not just the body. There are more things, which are part of that self. The dictionary meaning of the word self also includes those things. Of course the ‘self’ does include body. The mind is also part of that self. Intelligence is part of self. Certainly most importantly, the soul is the ‘self’ or the real self. Generally in the world, we talk about the body as self. We do take some care of the body, and little bit of the mind. I don’t know how much we take care of the intelligence and generally, we do nothing at all for the soul.

The topic is minding the mind. But the goal of course is the soul. And that is us. What good it is if we lose the soul? The bible says, “you gain the whole earth, you gain the kingdom but you lose the soul. What have you gained?” Means you have lost everything ultimately. This topic is also the subject matter of Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita talks about the topics of body, mind, intelligence and the soul. In Bhagavad Gita, the Lord has not ignored the topics of body or mind. He does talk about our bodies, of our minds and about our intelligence, even though He quickly wants to get to the topic of the soul. Yukta ahar viharasya: The Lord also talks about our ahar and vihar – food and recreation. Coming to places like this is a vihar. On the bank of lake here, spending a few days, this is relaxation, this is recreation. Lord wants us to take care of us like that. Some balanced life. Lord has not ignored our bodies and minds. But the goal is the soul.

Yesterday I read this slogan “Just do it”, meaning don’t even think. Just do it. If you feel good, go ahead and just do it. And this is a very dangerous thing to do. The mind functions in two ways; one is sankalpa (acceptance) and another is vikalpa (rejection). Is it not the reason for your being here? You are here for sankalpa. Taking some vows, returning to your respective places with some resolutions, some determinations. “I will do it, this is my goal, from now onwards, I will do this, but I will not do that.” Accepting some things and mind is also rejecting something. Acceptance and rejection, mind is going through this all the time. Day and night, at every minute, the process of acceptance and rejection goes on. If we let the mind function on its own, then mind is going to take dictations from its neighbor. The neighborhood of the mind is the senses. They are five in number – To see, to hear, smell, touch and to taste/talk. “Manah sasthani indriyani” (Bhagavad Gita, 15.7: Due to conditioned life, the living entities are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind). Krishna in Bhagavad Gita has counted mind also as a sense, the sixth sense, or even as the king of the senses. Mind lords over the senses, gives dictations. The senses are in touch with the world around. The world is also made up of five sense objects. If there was another sixth sense object, there is no way we could realize its existence, because we have only five knowledge acquiring senses. If there was a sixth object, there is no way that we would know about it because we are allowed to relate to only five kinds of sense objects, or perceive them or exploit them or do different things with them, deal with them.

The five sense objects are shabda (sound), sparsha (touch), gandha (smell), rupa (form), and rasa (taste). All around us are these five things; the world is filled with them. We are mounted or our bodies are mounted with five senses. These five senses come in contact with respective sense objects and the mind accepts or rejects. Some sankapa and vikalpa goes on.

However, mind alone is not competent to make all the best decisions on the earth, best decisions in our favor or in favor of the soul, that is what we are or in our best interest. In the shastra, there is something called shreyas and preyas. Something of the immediate benefit is called preyas. The shreyas means long term goal. So mind usually goes for what I feel good now (preyas). If the feeling is good, then the mind continues to do it. By doing one thing, over and over again, the habit is developed. You do the same thing over and over again and then get into the habit of it. For example, getting up late in the morning. It is a bad habit. But who is going to tell the mind that it is a bad habit?

Lord talks in Bhagavad Gita (7.4) of the eight elements – “bhumir apo nalo vayuh, kham, mano, buddhir eva cha; ahamkaram itiyam me bhinna prakritir ashtadha” (Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.) The earth, air, water, fire and ether are called five great elements or ‘pancha maha bhutas’. Then there is mind, intelligence and the false ego. Prakritir ashtadha. Lord says, these are My energies, My eight kinds of nature. It is external energy of the Lord.

So mind is there. In us there is mind, there is intelligence and there is the self and in conditioned state, the soul is covered over and it is called false ego, not the real ego. So we cannot leave everything up to the mind. So by “just do it”, they want to suggest that do not even think, just do it. Your mind is in touch with the senses and the senses are in touch with the sense objects; and you feel good. I feel good now with the garland here. Just because I feel good, it smells good, I accept it. But I would immediately reject it if there was a little bomb inside there. Sometimes people give you to smell something but then you feel dizzy. Then they rob you off, take all your money.

So this is where we always talk of living simply and thinking high. Simple living and high thinking. But when you are talking of ‘just doing it’, how much thinking you are talking about. You may say, oh, it is low thinking. But I would say there is no thinking. You are talking of just doing it, meaning, don’t even think, simply do it.

So we need help of intelligence. This intelligence is compared to a driver. In a vehicle, or say in boat, who is the most important person? The driver of the boat or in an aircraft, it is the pilot. Others could sleep in the back or do different things or even fight. But does the pilot afford to do this? If he would do such a thing, then there would be a disaster. So intelligence has a vital role, most important role as the driver in our lives.

So what is the function of the intelligence? What does intelligence do? What do you do with intelligence? We just said that it is a bad habit to get up late in the morning and getting up early is a good habit. We said one is good and the other is bad. Who is deciding? Intelligence is deciding. This is power of discrimination. Power of discrimination is the power of the intelligence; not power of the mind. Mind cannot decide. As soon as the mind is in contact with the senses, it is lost. Only intelligence could say, “hands off, don’t touch it”. Mind is like the children. They play with the fire. The elders have to say, “no, no, don’t do this. I say no.” Wise people, elders, well wishers tell the child what to do and what not to do. Similarly, intelligence tells the mind what to do and what not to do.

Minding the mind means taking charge of your mind, taking charge of your life, taking charge of your destiny. Just as the big boats moving in the middle of the ocean get closer to the country, town or sea shore, they look for light house for guidance. In life, we are also in a kind of boat. We take some sankalpa with the help of programs like this, we take help of Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, and the sadhus (saintly persons). We learn that this is good for me and I will do this. So my goal is set. I have to go to this destination. They act as the light house for us. When that is determined, then I will keep going towards that goal. Otherwise I will go round and round. There is no destination.

This is what is happening everywhere. Of course, this is happening with us and this is called kala chakra (cycle of time), sansar chakra (cycle of material life). “Punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi janani jathare shayanam” (again and again take birth, again and again die and thus take repeated slumbers in a mother’s womb). “yaha sansare khalu dustare, kripaya pahi pare Murare”. (this material life is wrecked and difficult. Oh, Murare, Krishna, please protect me from this). So we are in big trouble, in deep waters if we don’t take help of intelligence.

Besides the two broad functions of the mind, namely sankalpa and vikalpa (acceptance and rejection), there are other functions of the mind like thinking, feeling, willing. But again intelligence has to keep watch on what thoughts are going through the mind – good or bad?

Again with the help of intelligence, we need to discriminate between the body and the soul. This is body, this is soul. How would one come to conclusion? Again, it is with the help of intelligence. This is pious activity, this is impious. Like that so many types of discriminations, decisions, that we need to make in our lives. For this, in Bhagavad Gita, there is the whole hierarchy. Krishna says, superior to the dull matter are the senses. (Bhagavad Gita 3.42 Indriyani parani ahur, indriyebhyah param manah, manasas tu para buddhir, yo buddheh paratas tu sah. The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.) There is someone superior to the intelligence. And that is the soul; that is you, that is your soul, that is you proper. Is there somebody above you or are we all in all? Is there someone above us? Supersoul is above us, above soul. Krishna says, “Mattah parataram na anyad kinchid asti”. (Bhagavad Gita 7.7 – there is no truth superior to Me). Lord has made the declaration: No one is equal to Me and no one is superior to Me. “a-sam a-urdhva” No equal and no superior. Such a claim could be made only by the Lord. We are subordinate to the Lord. So this is the hierarchy. There is dead matter, above that are senses, above that is the mind, then intelligence, then soul and above that is the Supersoul.

Now how to obtain the best intelligence, the spiritual intelligence, the best power of discrimination? Otherwise the cat is also given the power of discrimination. Everyone is given the power of discrimination. The cat sits with eyes closed close to the milk pot and opens eyes from time to time to check out whether someone is around, if someone is watching the milk. As soon as there is no one around, immediately the cat goes, and drinks the milk. There is power of discrimination – when to drink and when not to drink. The cat knows that it will not be allowed to drink in presence of owner of the milk or person around. So the cat waits until there is no one around and then drinks. This is the power of discrimination. But this is only mundane intelligence. It distinguishes only one sense of object as better is than another sense object. This is all material business. This is fruitive intelligence.

However, the human being is known for or is distinguished from the rest of the beings for the spiritual intelligence. We are given the capacity to know who we are and that we are spirit souls. This kind of intelligence we receive from the Lord who is most intelligent personality around. Lord or Bhagavan means one with six opulences and one of them is being most intelligent personality. That Lord is promising in Bhagavad Gita, tesham satata uktanam bhajatam priti purvakam, dadami buddhi yogam tam yena mam upayanti te ( Bhagavad Gita 10.10 – To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.) I will give the intelligence, I will provide intelligence to that person who renders some service unto Me, unmotivated, uninterrupted service unto the Lord, and when you do that, what do you get – most important item in your life – you get intelligence. With that intelligence, you take charge of your life, you take charge of your mind and then you move on, you carry on successfully in your life. Otherwise, the mind will always bother, always keep us or bring us in some troubled situations.

Sometime, people in general, or students experience depression. They don’t see any meaning to the life, and go to the extent of committing suicide. Mind could kill you. The mind that is not controlled, the mind that is not purified, is full of ideas to enjoy and exploit this world and sense objects. The mind needs to be purified. We do of course that purification by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare. The people in general experience the stress and strain because they don’t use much intelligence. “Just do it” is the formula. So the stress and strain is there.

Recently, I read our president’s book about his vision for the year 2020. He has vision for 2020. By year 2020 he wants to see that this country becomes great nation, one of the leading nations, scientific, materialistic, with strong industrial economy, technological advancement, computerization and what not. Scientist as he is, he says we are not less than Americans, or Europeans. He wants to march this country ahead. Somehow I had the book in my possession and I read it during the day and then I was driving to evening program. The person who was driving me was a psychiatrist. One who cures the minds or deals with the mental disorders, gives medicine for the mind’s stress and strain. He was that kind of doctor. As we were talking in general, he started describing from his experience how the country’s, situation is real bad, very grave. He was talking with gravity. He said the kind of mental disorders people would get in their 40s or 50s now the same sickness is being experienced in our country by people in age of 20s -30s. Young people are experiencing more mental disorders and this is going to get worse and worse. He said by 2020, things are really going to be real bad. So there is our president’s vision the country’s progress by 2020, but the other side is very bleak, dark future of our nation. We would see that if we don’t mind our minds; if we don’t take care of our minds and if we don’t purify our minds. One out of every five Americans is just fit for mental hospital. This is statistics, this is all surveyed, and it is not my imagination. The other statistic is that the sickest country in world is America, the land of opportunities. The mantra “just do it” is an American mantra.

But then of course some people are coming to the senses. Once a person came to me and said that they are using a “KISS” formula. The KISS means, he said, keep it simple, stupid. O stupid, keep the things simple. Don’t make things complicated for your life, for your mind. We are stopping this “just do it” business. Think and proceed. This is what the king of the forest, lion does. It is called simha avalokan. Simha is lion; avalokan is seeing. Lion walks, jumps or runs some distance and stops and takes a stock of just now done, reviewing his performance, looks around, behind, ahead and then proceeds. It is considered as good quality of a leader. Leaders do simha-avalokan. Like leader of animals, king of forest, lion does, likewise good human leaders do this, they use their intelligence from time to time to review.

Even we could do similar review to see how the mind is functioning, what bad habits have I developed in the meantime. Take some new resolutions; take charge of life, so that one would never lose the sight of or goal of life, which is Krishna. Become God conscious, Krishna conscious and that does take care of everything else. When we talk of Krishna Consciousness, as we said in the beginning, Krishna also talks of your bodily needs, mental needs, (yoga kshema vahami aham – I preserve what they have and I provide what they lack) There is lot of logic, lots of food for thought.

So Krishna Consciousness, as Prabhupada used to say, is like having a hundred Dollars or hundred Rupees bill. Then all your needs of 5 rupees, 7 rupees, 10 rupees are taken care of; meaning they will be complete. When you have Krishna Consciousness, then you have everything. That cares of your soul, intelligence, mind, body, studies and everything else.

Try to understand the benefits of this controlled or purified mind. When you mind your mind, then your mind will be more focused, you will have concentration on what you are studying. You don’t have to study ten times. With focused mind, you will need to read only one time, and get it right away. You will have concentration like that. Otherwise mind is chanchalam (flickering). While studying you are not really there. Some of the kids in our devotee families, children of devotees follow this Krishna conscious process and when they go to schools and colleges, they get extremely good success. So many brilliant boys and students we have all over the world. Youngest PhD on earth is our Radhikaraman, one Ravi Gupta. He is the youngest PhD in the world. He chants his 16 rounds of Hare Krishna and he is only takes Krishna Prasad, gets up early morning, studies Bhagavad Gita and he does his PhD also. Others are busy watching the films and movies and making minds dirty and fluctuating. This is one of the worst things for students. Your mind gets dirty.

One of the dirtiest things is this man-woman business, connections and illicit thoughts and relationships. So if you are a brahmachari, you don’t have to wear saffron, it means your mind is in brahmacharya, your mind is pure, clean, chaste. Then you know your power will be so strong. You take some decision; you will stick to it because of your sankalpa, the brahmacharya sankalpa. It is called brihad-vrata. You take vows. Following principles of brahmacharya, the mind remains clean, focused, and there are lots of benefits. Prabhupada gave credit to Mahatma Gandhi because Mahatma Gandhi was following the principles of brahmacharya. “Ahimsa, satya asteya brahmacharya asangraha”. Mahatma Gandhi went for these principles and one of them was brahmacharya. Because he was following the vow of celibacy and he had great determination and he was successfully able to drive away the British. No compromising, he was just fixed. His mind was fixed because of this brahmacharya.

There are so many things that can affect the purity of your mind. Food that you eat, the kind of literature or books you read, your association all these have a lot of effect on your mind, on the pollution or purification of your mind. Some of these things are good, and some are bad. So what is good, and what is not good? We should be able to determine. Mind cannot do it, you need intelligence.

If you don’t have intelligence then what do you do? You borrow. Buy, borrow, or steal intelligence! Same thing happened with Arjuna. At one point in time, Arjuna went through some depression. Such a great worrier, but he was depressed and oppressed. He was crying, trembling and lost the concentration and focus. Then what happened, who helped him out? Lord Krishna gave him all the intelligence. What happened at the end? He was normal again. He said yes to Krishna (Arjuna uvacha, nasto mohat smritir labdhva tvat prasadat mayi Achyuta, sthito smi gata sandeham karishye vachanam tava: Bhagavad Gita 18.55: Arjuna said: My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.) No more doubts, I am established, fixed. No illusion. Everything was clear. This was the result of Bhagavad Gita. That Bhagavad Gita is available here, now and here. You could also study that Bhagavad Gita with the help of devotees. That is what this ISKCON Youth Forum is all about. Advising, guiding students, giving them intelligence with the help of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam and giving the whole process of purification of mind. The result is purified mind, clean mind. Then you could employ that mind in your day to day life, be that study or your profession or whatever. Once you have a trained mind, once you have right thoughts and intelligence, it will help you the rest of your life.

You must attend this type of programs more frequently. As soon as the battery is lower, charge it again. Or you form a group, wherever you are, form a group. Keep reminding of the talks that you had heard or understood. Krishna advises in Bhagavad Gita: bodhayantah parasparam (Bhagavad Gita 10.9: My pure devotees derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.) It is Krishna’s advice. So many bases are being established all over India by our ISKCON Youth Forum. We need association, we gain strength from association. There is a saying, “sanghe shakti kalau yuge”. You get shakti (power) through association. So form more and more sanghas all over the country, then you will be able to retain that shakti or revive or increase it. There are various ways and means to communicate in this day and age, like telephones. You could talk, use the phone, get in touch with your counselor. This literature is there. And the Hare Krishna is always with you, where ever you go, Krishna’s name goes with you. It is right there and then Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram, Hare Hare. Immediately you are connected with the power house. It is called yoga. It is bhakti yoga. Holy name is the Lord Himself through devotion. With some sincerity as we pray, we cry out for help, Krishna helps in the form of His holy name, holy scriptures, holy Prasad, holy association. So see how you could be in the vicinity of some of these sources of inspiration.

“Sthavar jangam dekhi, na dekhi tara murti, sarvatra haya nija ishta-deva-sphurti” (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 8.274: The maha-bhagavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.) In advanced stage of Krishna Consciousness, even though the whole world exists, good bad exists, male-female forms exists, gambling exists, person only concentrates on the Lord. He is always inspired from within by the Lord and his power of discrimination is always intact and he only chooses what is best for him. This world is there, always with dvandva (good bad, male female, rich poor, young old and like that) This world is there. Some fault of ours that we ended up in this world. You could get out of this and you could stay out of it. Next five, or ten thousand years’ period is golden period. This golden period is ahead of us. Prithivite jata nagara adi grama, sarvatra prachar hoibe morn am. (In Caitanya Caritamrita, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “In every town and village, My name will be sung by all creatures.”) In every town and village, the Lords name is going to be chanted and only charnamrita will be available, no other kind of drinks, only charana amrita available. So those days are ahead. This world will go up and down. Satya yuga is best, and worst time is kali yuga.

Instead of complaining about the world, just consider that you have fallen into the deep dark well. So what would be your thought, as you are deep into the well? What is the only thought you are going to be thinking about? How could I get out of here? Not how deep is the well and when did I fall etc. Only one thought – how to get out of here. So this world is made difficult. It is difficult. But Lord is also very kind and He has given us this human form of life. So let us engage our minds in serving the Lord. “bhaja hu re mana Sri Nanda Nandana abhaya charanar vindu re”: My dear mind, please you try to worship the son of Nanda, who is abhaya-carana, whose lotus feet are secure and fearless). So somehow we should think of lotus feet of the Lord in our minds and get closer to Him and transcend the mind, transcend the world.

Thank you. Hari bol.

/em“Punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi janani jathare shayanam”strongPower of discrimination is the power of the intelligence; not power of the mind. Mind cannot decide. /strong

Om Agyana timirandhasya Gyananjaya shalakaya chakshuh unmilitam yena tasmayi Sri gurave namah.

Namah Om Vishnu padaya Krishna presthaya bhutale, Srimade Bhakti Vedanta swamin iti namine, Namaste Saraswate Deve Gaura vani pracharine, nirvisesa shunyavadi paschatya desa tarine.

Jaya Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhar Srivas adi Gaura Bhakta vrinda.

All please say together, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Thank you for this opportunity to say a few words on Global Varnashrama Mission. I will quote from Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya lila, regarding Varnashrama, or the vision of Varnashrama.
(CC Madhya 8.58) “varnashramachara vata purushena param puman, Vishnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat tosha-karanam.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and ashrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varnas and ashramas.

Harer namaiva kevalam, Varnashramaiva kevalam!
The quoted verse is originally from Vishnu Puran 3.8.9. As we talk of daivi varnashrama, we are reminded of another kind of asuri (demoniac) varnashrama. But here we are talking about daiva varnashrama. How did we get from…not we…whoever got into this asurik varnashrama.

Brahmana is described by the Lord as one who has vidya and vinaya (knowledge and humility). “Vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini, shuni caiva shva-pake ca panditah sama-darshinah” (BG 5.18: The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].) These are the good qualities, qualities in mode of goodness. He has knowledge and he has humility. So in place of these good qualities, knowledge and humility, the brahmanas, they got degraded. Instead of humble, they became proud and arrogant. What mode would they or anyone who has arrogance and pride be? Not goodness. A little tint of passion, but lots of ignorance. This is how “kalua shudra sambhavaha” (In kali yuga, everyone is shudra). Not only shudras are shudras, in this age of kali, the brahmanas are also shudras.
There was a time when there were ‘rajarshis’ or saintly kings. Because of their association with the saints, they became saintly kings and then they were the first ones, the recipients of knowledge. “evam parampara-praptam imam rajarshayo viduh.” (BG 4.2: This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way.) Raja (king) is the first party, Krishna says (in Bhagavat Gita) to receive this knowledge. So as they did not get this knowledge anymore or could not imbibe this vidya, as a result in place of vidya, avidya took place. Avidya took place of vidya. (Knowledge was replaced by the lack of it). Then there were no more rajarshis (saintly kings). So there was a time when the Brahmana and kshatriya they were kings. Because of the brahmanas’ pride and arrogance, they degenerated into lower nature and the kshatriyas were not getting direction or knowledge of how to implement the principles of dharma. They were not even hearing it, then what to speak of implementing.
Gradually the state and religion got separated in the west and in India also. It was said, “We have nothing to do with your religion! You are such kind of people; look at your face. You are so called brahmanas. No qualities. You speak of ‘untouchables’. You say, “Hey, don’t touch us, stay away, stay away.” In India, they call it ‘asprushyata’ (untouchables) “don’t touch us, we are extinguished… (Laughs)… no no… not extinguished, but distinguished. We are distinguished personalities. Only brahmanas and nobody else. Stay away.” That kind of mentality they developed.
So Lord says in Bhagavad Gita,“chatur varnyam maya srushtam guna karma vibhagashah.” (BG 4.13: According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.) This Varna and ashrama is not concoction or it hasn’t come from somebody’s fertile brain. It has come from the Lord. It is Lord’s creation. (maya srushtam: created by Me). So varma and ashrama. First you determine varna and then comes ashrama. Varnas are determined first and then the ashramas. They are governed by the three modes of material nature. “Prakrite kriyamanani gunaihi karmani sarvashah ahamkar vimudhatma karta aham iti manyate” (BG 3.27: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.) They think they are kartas (doers); their aham (false ego) is there. These beings, human beings are governed by the three gunas. Prakrite kriyamanani…
So the goal is how to dovetail… I am in goodness, I am in passion, I am in ignorance. So how to dovetail, how to spiritualize my situation so that the goal is to transcend the three modes of material nature. Krishna talks next in the 9th chapter. “Mahatmanas tu mam partha, daivi prakritim ashritah.” (BG 9.13: O son of Prutha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.). Daivi varnashrama. Being handled, governed, dangled but the three modes of material nature… from that situation how to get into divine, how to spiritualize, how to devotail? (Is the goal). Utility is the principle. Making the goal of satisfying the Lord. Vishnur aradhyate. How to get into aradhana of the Lord… panthah… that path (how to choose), so that the result is ‘tat tosha karaman’ – Lord is satisfied by those activities of those situated in different varna and different ashramas. Eventually they transcend these three modes of material nature.
There is karma, gyana, yoga and bhakti. This is the ladder. All these components, or all these stages could be just described as “bhakti” (devotion). The whole thing could be just bhkati. You are evolving from karma, to gyana to making further progress… karma… karma yogi… then there is some knowledge and renunciation… now he is gyani… then some ahstanga yoga… some devotion is added.. then he becomes bhakti yogi. But if they get stuck at certain level, and they think that this is it.. I got it.. I achieved it… then they end up in becoming the respective yogis on the yoga ladder.
I was just reading, Prabhupada uses the word ‘stuck’… they get stuck at karma level and then they become karma yogi…Some come to level of ashtanga yoga or gyana yogi… so if they get stuck there, then they become known by the names karma yogis, or gyana yogis or ashtanga yogis. If they keep moving forward… upward mobility… then the whole process from beginning to finish could be called bhakti process. So our goal is to become vaishnavas, to become free from all the “sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam” (from Narad Pancharatra, quoted in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 1.1.12: One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’)
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Oh I have nothing to do with this.” “Naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaishyo na shudro, naham varni no cha griha-patir no vanastho yatir va, kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamritabdher, gopi bhartum pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasam.” (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 13.80: am not a brahmana, I am not a kshatriya, I am not a vaishya or a shudra. Nor am I a brahmachari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sanayasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Shri Krishna, the maintainer of the Gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.) Who are you? I am das dasanudas. So we get established – this is it; this is it. We have nothing to do with this varna and we have nothing to do with ashrama. Hey, we are vaishnavas! We start jumping, we are vaishnavas, we have nothing to do with varnashrama. Naham vipro, naham… we are not this, we are not that. But it doesn’t go away like that. That is the philosophy, that is the vision, that is the goal to become vaishnava, free from designations, free from three modes of material nature. But how to get there? How to achieve that level or status? So that is where the varnashrama or daivi varnashram, divine varnashrama comes into the picture.
So the goal is daivi varnashrama. Then all the principles of varnashrama are strategy. There is vision, obstacles, strategy, resources, time line for any activity. Consider these five factors. What is the vision? The maharaja has a vision or ISKCON has a vision. This is varnashrama. This mission has a vision. Global Varnashrama Mission has a vision. To achieve any vision, there are obstacles, stumbling blocks. To overcome those, there is strategy – how to get over so as to achieve the vision and who would do it? The resources, manpower, we also need money. Economics has to be there.
When I joined the movement, I was a brahmachari. During Prabhupada’s days, most of us were brahmacharis or grihasthas. At least I was thinking – this is it. This International Society for Krishna Consciousness is going to remain this way. If there were some devotee wearing white clothes (householders), we thought that it was a black spot. That white was black. If someone was thinking of changing ashrama, so many brahmacharis would corner him and they would brain wash him. During Prabhupada’s time; one time I remember, one temple president of Vrindavan, he was thinking of changing ashrama and there was heavy preaching by other brahmacharis. Prabhupada came to know. He was annoyed with the attempts of these brahmacharis. If someone wants to change his ashrama, this is natural. Everyone is not going to end up becoming brahmachri or sanayasi.
Scene changed after 20, 30 and now 40- years. It is other way round. The saffron cloth has become black spot. All there is now is this white background (householders). Mostly white. Mostly grihasthas with few saffron spots. So lot of devotees did enter ashrama which was natural for them, grihastha ashrama.
So if we had varnashrama system strategy in place, then those who had to leave, those who could not remain brahmacharis or sanayasis, they could have stayed on within the family, within the society. But that was not the case. Devotees had to leave the society for economic reasons. That is the major factor, other reasons may also be there. So in order to keep all those, who came to Krishna Consciousness movement, there could have been planning about how to keep them in the house, which Prabhupada built for the whole world to stay. You need not step outside the house; you are taken care of whether you are brahmachari, sanayasi, whichever ashrama or varna you belong to, there would be a place for you in that house. There would be a situation for you, there would be some engagement for you. Economic arrangement for you, education for children, protection for the cows, the land is to be utilized, not lying around. Prabhupada would make comments, while flying over Australia or something, “see thousands of acres; no cultivation!” So land and the cows, Prabhupada always used to say, “land and the cows! Land and the cows!!” So you saw last year, Bhakti Vaibhav Maharaja came up with a documentary called ‘Lost Village.’ Did you see ‘Lost Village’? It was my village. Maharaja picked up my village.
So what is lost? Varnashrama is lost. The cows and brahminical culture and other aspects of that varnashrama are basically rapidly vanishing/ diminishing. So within our family and world at large, we are at a serious juncture. So much loss. Everything is kind of getting lost. It is becoming unbearable for mother Earth. Her fever is going up. Global warming. She is warming up. And as a result human race is suffering to such an extent that no one seems to have any solution. Big scientists, they have been promoting this industrial civilization. There are two types of economies in the world, one is industrial economy and the other is agricultural economy. Agricultural economy is the only real economy. The other one is just a trial and error. The trial is a failure. One big scientist, physicist in fact, he was asked, “What should be done now in this situation for the human beings on this planet”. He said, “They should look for another planet!” Like in a boat, if there is a hole and hence it is sinking, then there are life boats attached to that boat. So they say, now this is sinking, now is the time to look for lifeboat. This is impractical. No solution. The only solution we could say on the basis of ‘na anyat tat tosha karanam’… there is no other way or cause but to go for varnashrama charavata. Practice of varnashrama. And the goal is Vishnu aradhyate. Sometimes, those who get into varnashrama, they have forgotten this Vishnu aradhana. So that is how they went the other way. There is exit. They become asuric.
So while practing varnashrama, the goal of Vishnu aradhana has to be kept intact. The goal should remain in focus. I was just looking at the background information from Global Varnashrama Mission, and the very first quote I came across here, very interesting Srila Prabhupada’s quote, “Krishna consciousness movement is the movement of brahmanas and vaishnavas.” Sometimes we think the Hare Krishna movement is only for vaishnavas, sometime we think that way. Or it is only for the brahmanas because Prabhupada wanted to create brahmanas. Here Prabhupada is saying it is for both of them together, brahmanas and vaishnavas. So initially they are brahmanas. But to become Brahmana is not the goal of human race, or human form. To become vaishnava is the goal. But you cannot jump over, skip some steps. We need to go through the process of varnashrama. Varnashrama is the process of purification. Sansiddhi haritoshanma… there is another verse. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.13: It is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.) Perfection is in Hari toshana. (satisfaction of Lord Hari). If Hari becomes santushta or satisfied, then what we have done is perfect.
Varnashrama is also the name of dharma. Varnashrama dharma, sanatana dhrama, bhagavat dharma, sankirtan dahrama as we say now. So by protecting dharma, there is statement that says, “dharmo rakshati rakshitah” from Vedic source, from writings of vyasadeva. Very popularly used. Very scholarly words. Dharmo rakshati rakshitah. Those who protect the dharma, they will be protected. So while protecting dharma, daivi varnashrama dharma, protection comes with it. No separate endeavor is necessary. Just protect, and you will be protected. Do everything in your mind to protect or practice. Protection is not just giving talks or speeches. With Gyana (knowledge), there has to be vigyana or implementmentation. So by doing this, the whole human race would be protected. It also applies to ourselves within our Hare Krishna movement. Protection: cow protection, children protection, elderly folks protection, land protection, deity protection, so many. This varna protection, that ashrama protection. This is all part of upholding the principles of dharma. Immediately there is an umbrella over you; you are protected.
So I have kind of overheard, something from a devotee talking. He is disturbed. He said that the body or the society is in very bad shape. Only lying down. Now if you want it to stand up, initially the crutches are used. You need crutches. But the crutches should not be there forever. At one time, you should be able to throw away the crutches and walk on your own and run. So degradation of this civilization or society is there. Like a dead state lying down. So get it up. So this varnashrama is providing some kind of crutches to lean against or some support system with the help of which you kind of stand up, rise and do some kind of fighting and walk. You can endeavor to walk. All that endeavor for the pleasure of the Lord, samsiddhi Hari toshanam. Here these crutches represent the three gunas. We have to become free from the three guna… because guna has three mode of material nature. The goal is nistrai gunya bhavarjuna, Lord declares. (Bhagavad Gita 2.45: O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes.) You become transcendental to the modes. Trai gunya vishava veda (Bhagavad Gita 2.45: The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature.) Lord says, the subject matter of the Vedas is full of three modes of material nature. Lord has declared already in the Vedas, there is karma kanda section, gyana kanda section, this section, that section. The Upanishadas is for different folks. Different folks – different shloks. Different sections are for those in goodness, passion, ignorance. Lord says, become transcendental – like throwing away these crutches. No limitations anymore. You are not a brahmana. You are above the brahmaha. You are a vaishnava.
So keep up this good work and nice. Take advantage of this divine arrangement on divine varnashrama, within Krishna Consciousness movement. Sometimes, we do hear some controversy. Prabhupada said, “I have done 50% of my work and 50% has yet to come.” He was referring to Varnashrama as the remaining 50% of his mission. So we may want to get out, get away or have shortcut but I think it won’t work. We just cannot declare that we have become vaishnava and that we have nothing to do with varnashrama. While coming here, I was debating whether I should carry danda or just go without danda – dandaless. But I was going to varnashrama, I’d better carry danda. We kind of keep our dandas away. But Prabhupada was not happy with that. I was given sanayasa in Vrindavan.
Prabhupada returned to Bombay and we followed him. And we were together. Mostly I carried my danda. I was a good boy. It was Sridhar Maharaja, our god brother. Sometimes he would carry and sometimes he would not carry. Prabhupada would ask, “Why did he not carry?” You are a good boy, you are carrying, why is he not carrying?”
Sometimes, we quickly want to leave our varna, ashrama behind and transcend but we need to hang in there for the longer so that we leave these three modes and the crutches, this process behind and enter into divine divinity and the spiritual realm where we are only spirit souls. Here we are the body and the soul. We are put together. So while we are body, some varnashrama has to be there. When we are only soul, then we are only vaishnavas. We have to leave this body behind. Until then we need to follow, practice this varnashrama. Once again thank you for being connected with varnashrama. Daivi varnashrama ki jay!
em

VENUE: ISKCON PANDHARPUR, SESSION II: THE VISION, OBSTACLES AND PLANNING FOR THE HOLY NAME

FIVE POINT PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

This is like some project management. There is a five point program to organize a project, plan the project on local, regional, global level. It has five steps of planning. We had applied this to our Srila Prabhupada’s centennial 1996 project. Of course, we started planning in 1992 and the celebration was in 1996.

CHANTING PROJECT – FOR CHANGE:

So what is our project here? Not only chanting, what did we say yesterday? “Chanting for change”. Change what? Change our consciousness and eventually change the world. Go deep within and make the change in there with the help of your chanting. When we say with the help of chanting, it is a big help out there. With the help of chanting, we change. With Krishna’s help, we bring about the change. It is possible if Lord helps. Then we could change ourselves and change the world, change people around us. So chant for change. It the theme of our seminar here. It is chant for change. So that is our project. So we want to apply these five universal principles to organize or plan the project. It has five components.

FIVE COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT:

1. Vision,
2. obstacles,
3. strategies to remove obstacles,
4. resources,
5. timeline.

First one is vision.

Next one is obstacles, stumbling blocks to achieve that vision. This is my vision. What could possibly keep me away from achieving this vision? This proactive approach, in advance we take the note of our difficulties which we may encounter on the way.

Third one is strategy. This is our vision, these are possible potential difficulties. Then what would be our strategy to get rid of these obstacles so that we achieve the vision.

Fourth thing is resources. There are two aspects – man power and funding. We will talk of resources. There may be some more types of resources.

Fifth one is time line. Time factor. How much time is it going to take for me to achieve this goal? If the total time is say five years. Then we must decide what is my first phase; what is my second phase. Let’s say we decide that we should achieve this much in first phase of six months. Then we decide in the next phase, I want to go forward this much and then each subsequent year this much.

APPLY THE 5 POINT FORMULA TO OUR PROJECT “CHANT FOR CHANGE”

Ok so this is the formula or the universal principle that we talked about. We want to apply these to our project “chant for change”. It is not just ‘chant for change’ for today and tomorrow. How to apply this 5 point formula for chanting japa. So we will go through these steps one by one and invite your comments.

VISION: (Maharaja gets a few responses from the devotee audience and approves them)
1. Transformation of heart.
Nayanam Galad ashru dharaya vadanam gadgad ruddhaya gira, pulakair nichitam vapu kada, tava nam grahane bhavishyati (Siksastakam , verse 6). So that is the vision. It is also Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s statement.
2. Chant purely.
3. Getting empowered.
Smaranam (remembrance of the Lord). Yes we want to end up with smaranam. We go with shravanam, kirtanam (hearing and chanting) and the goal is or the vision is remembrance.
Kirtaniya sada Hari (constant chanting) could that also be vision.
4. Seeing every object in relationship with Krishna, that is the goal.
5. Getting situated into our eternal position as a servant of Krishna is also a goal of chanting.
6. Realize abhinnatvat nam namino: realize that Krishna’s name is not different from Krishna.
7. Attachment to the holy name
8. Attentively chanting the prescribed number of rounds is a vision.
9. Please Guru and Gauranga by my chanting. Bring service attitude.
10. Chant for begging for service. When Krishna gives service, then you say, see you later. I will think about it. (Laughter)
11. Going back home. Back to Pune? (Laughter). One devotee said when he was in London, he always thought that going back home means I have to go somewhere else. So when he came to Vrindavan, he was on Vraja mandal parikrama and towards the end, he was sharing his realizations. He talked about all his thoughts from the past. He said, “I always thought of going back to home, means I have go somewhere else. And here now I thought I have to go somewhere else”. But once you are in Vrindavan, then he said, “This thought disappeared. I have come back home. I am back home. Now I need to go nowhere else.” Swadham here. So like that.
12. Self realization is the goal. Then Krishna realization. Self awareness, in fact. Very important. Become aware of the self as you chant. Awareness of the supreme.
Krishna prema. Holy name is Krishna prema (love of Godhead). Realizing this is the vision. Realize that Holy name is Krishna prema.

OBSTACLES:

Now you have to keep in mind our respective vision. We have to think, “I am sitting for chanting every day. So what could stop me from achieving this vision or goal?” So that is the next exercise. You understand the next exercise? What is the difficulty; what are the problems; who are the enemies of the chanting. Enemies of the chanting! As soon as I said enemies… (Laugher) almost everyone is alert. (Again Maharaja invites for various responses from the audience and approves them)
1. Offences against the holy name, especially vaishnava aparadha.
2. Laziness. Lazy to work. Lazy to chant.
3. Mind doesn’t cooperate.
4. No taste for chanting due to past conditioning.
5. Enemies. What are they? Kama, krodha, sad ripus from the past. (Lust, anger, greed, pride, illusion and envy).
6. Sleep. Nidra devi especially comes during chanting (laughter). Start chanting and she appears. In Bhagatavan class also she makes sure she is there! Om namo bhagavate…. (Laughter). So this is pretty serious obstacle.
7. Prajalpa (mundane talks) that you do or you entertain others to talk during japa.
8. Over eating is an obstacle.
9. Not being prayerful is an obstacle. What is it called? Mechanical chanting. Dry, routine, machine like. So body is chanting but you are not there, the soul not there, prayer is not there if that was the case, then the tape recorder or the radio will also go back to Godhead because the tape recorder or radio is singing Hare Krishna or devotional songs.
10. Lack of determination. Utsahat niscayat dhairyat, (Upadesamrita, Nectar of Instruction verse 3: with enthusiasm, patience/determination and confidence) applying that. If not applying that, it is obstacle.
11. Lack of preparation of mind.
12. Not sleeping enough at night time is also an obstacle. Lot could be said about this preparation. Do not worry about ‘chanting’, during chanting but the day before you should be worrying about tomorrow morning’s chanting. I will chant tomorrow morning; so what I will do? Is it going to help me or will it be an obstacle. Sachinandan maharaja also does yoga, stretches and gets ready.
13. Mental preparation. How I am going to prepare? Am I prepared?
14. Uncontrolled tongue and bodily disorders. Overeating results in sickness.
15. Being stubborn. Not being honest or obedient, not taking suggestions from others, not taking good advice in relation with his chanting from others for improving.
16. Lack of reading and hearing sufficiently. One should be philosophically sound and in that mood come resources, as we go for resources.
17. Considering ourselves as doers. Some kind of pride or aham. Boasting ourselves, “I am Mood of finishing the rounds for the sake of finishing. with it. Have celebration (laughter) finished. Finally I am let’s have a party. That kind of mood. We are eager to finish for sake of finishing.
18. Not understanding enough mahatmya or greatness, importance or significance of chanting. Not having faith in chanting. Lack of shradha because we have not heard the glories of chanting. So we have lack of faith. Commit the 5th offence. Consider glories of chanting to be imaginary.
19.Lack of humility. Lacking the qualities listed in the verse “Trinad api sunichena…; humility, tolerance, not being respectful to others. One thing is good that you had that ‘sadachar’ (appropriate behavior) program before this. Sadachar has a connection with chanting. A sadachari person could do chanting better. It is the right sequence. First prepare for the chanting session, be well behaved. Observe vaishnava etiquettes. Dealings, sambandhas with vaishnavas and with Lord also. If you are not sadachari, your chanting is very difficult. You may be chanting 64 rounds but you may be thinking you are doing kirtaniya sada Hari but there is no sadachar then that vision that we listed will not be achieved. Although chanting, kind of chanting is going on… one will be haunted by material desires… pratistha, pooja, labha (honor, profit, prestige).
20. Not wanting to reform. We may have some bad habits, we are doing something wrong twice, thrice, and then that becomes habit that becomes character, your second nature. It may be so that just the material part of your nature is getting solidified. So we want to change that. But not wanting to reform, not wanting to change is an obstacle. Sticking to our style. It is good to come out and chant with devotees. Then devotees will point out “prabhu, you are doing this wrong. This is not right. Do this way.” Or if you are chatting on your own, at Radha kunda by yourself, but incorrectly but what are the chances? Only Radharani could intervene. If you don’t have vaishnavas around, then that is an obstacle..
21.Breaking regulative principles. Bad association. Prayas (over endeavor). Prajalpa (mundane talks). Niyamagraha (Insisting on some niyam, or rules not knowing purpose of the niyam). Jana sangas ca (association of worldly people)

STRATEGY: is our next item. How to overcome the obstacles is dealt in these items called ‘strategy’. (In this section, maharaja picks up some of the items listed in the obstacles category, collects responses from the audience and addresses each of them by suggesting a strategy to overcome the obstacle.)
1. Strategies to overcome sleep:
Take proper rest. You take up a sankalpa (vow) about how much to, not going to sleep, or talk during japa, or attend to calls. Sankalpa is preparation. Reduce over eating, specially eating at night. Lunch eating may not be as bad as your eating at dinner time. So skip dinner or light dinner some fruits or milk. Water spray (laughter) if nothing else works. You could apply water especially on the temple. Applying cool water on the temple directly helps you to overcome sleep.
It is good to stay away from those who sleep. If their association is going to make you sleep, then no. Some drivers don’t allow persons sitting in the front seat to sleep because if they sleep he also feels sleepy. So like that. You could stay away from those who sleep.
Sitting position also. “Sit properly” Prabhupada used to say. So what is the right position as a part of strategy? Right sitting posture? Back bone and neck straigth. You could sit in Sukhasana, or in Vajrasana. Sit like yogis. When someone looks at japa yogi, the chanter, the person should get idea that this person is chanting. He is just like yogi. Sometimes you don’t get to chanting, you may be just sitting, or sleeping, not being alert, not being attentive. On the face there is no expression, it is just a blank face or the way he is sitting, his mind, his body, face; there you don’t read anything, nothing reminds you there of this person. What possibly he might be doing right now?? So if we know he has a bag in hand. We could probably say that he is chanting. But if a new, stranger looks at this person what would he think? There is no proper mood, not proper posture, not with proper facial expressions, alertness, attention, eagerness, crying like baby… All those things are not there, then how could anyone think that or be reminded that this is a “japa yogi”, this person is busy now in japa. So it is said that the atmosphere or aura around him should be so thick, that it should be difficult to penetrate. Another person would have to think: how should I approach this person? How could I stop this person? He is chanting. In that case, he may offer obeisance; or ask, “May I say something?” Lot of times, we won’t get to see that. As if that person is already eager to talk to you (laughter), you don’t have to seek permission.. He may be just waiting, just waiting for someone to come and talk to him and intervene. Praying intensively to overcome the sleep obstacle or for wakeful chanting.
To a question, whether walking and chanting is okay, Maharaja responds – for some time it is okay. If sitting is not helping then it is okay. But one has to try sitting down. That is the proper posture, asana for chanting. As you walk, the passion mode arouses. Then you are thinking of other things, other than even chanting. If we are chanting while walking and some thoughts come to you and they send you back and forth. So you could walk just to fight lower mode but not continuously.
2. Strategies to overcome distraction of the mind:
First point is what is distraction. Mind is wandering… yato yato nishchalati manah chanchalam asthiram (Bhagavad Gita 6.26 From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self.) so you have to overcome roaming or wandering of the mind.
Not allowing sense to come in contact with sense objects. In chanting there is no scope for eyes to look. Seeing and not seeing at the same time. There is a difference between seeing and seen. See just enough and not see more. Not like see, and then go deeper, contemplate and get attached, then it becomes a habit, That is the whole process. Our goal is not stop the senses, like stop smelling, or put ear plugs or stitch the mouth, not talk etc. So the positive approach would be to see Krishna’s form or try to see or remember Krishna’s form. If another form is in front of you, try to think of Krishna’s form. So that other form is still there in front of you, but you are more influenced by Krishna’s form rather than the form in front of you, so try to practice this.
If service is giving distraction, it is very good to learn management principle to prioritize chanting, like management principle. We are learning that also here now. Chanting time and some other time. We must determine the priority. First thing first.. it is management principle. First thing is to chant. Then other things can come. Control you mind like that. Hold on or have some patience. Don’t be impatient. Don’t jump ahead of the time. When that time comes, you dive deeper.
Writing maha mantra and keeping it in front of you. Sachinandana maharaja also recommends meditating on written maha mantra.
Each name should be pronounced distinctly. When we can get all 16 names like this, no other thought can enter. Not think of 16 words at a time but one word, or even one syllable at a time. So this is more micro managing your chanting, rather than macro. HA – R E,K RISH – N A.. (emphasizing each syllable)
There is another dimension to the above point. Not only you are saying the names clearly and attentively, but the other goal is remembrance. While chanting, you are supposed to be remembering Krishna, praying to Krishna, remembering His form. There is so much to be busy with when you are chanting. Yesterday some devotee was comparing kirtan to japa saying that, “Japa is monotonous; same thing goes over and over again, one may have disinterest. It may be mechanical etc”. So these things are being addressed here. Hear, chant, remember; crying like a baby. If your mind is going elsewhere then you have another exercise to do… Drag it back, bring it back. Take the help of intelligence. Who is superior to the mind? Intelligence is superior to the mind. So where is mind going, whether it is going to the right place or wrong place or is it timely for the mind to go… Who will decide all this? Intelligence decides. Power of discrimination is with intelligence. Mind doesn’t have its own philosophy. Mind is just floating. Just like child. While walking, passing by the shop, the child cries… daddy, daddy… I want that. Mind is like that. Daddy tries to convince… no no… Take this lollipop and then the child runs for that. Just a moment ago the child was crying for something else and now drops that and runs for something else and then something else. There is nothing fixed about the mind. Hence you could change the mind. Mind you could change. Train the mind. Shape up the mind. So there is a scope. Knowing that there is scope for changing the mind, it is possible to changing the habits of mind. Mind doesn’t have its own philosophy. Superior to mind is intelligence. So you have to be very very alert, very very active. It is business. It is a serious business. You can’t do your business if your intelligence is not working. Chanting is a serious business. Do you do your business without intelligence? You have to be a very intelligent person. Very intelligent person could chant attentively or could really chant and achieve the vision. Krishna jei bhaje sei bada chatura. That person is called chatura who does “Krishna bhaje”, one who worships Krishna , serves Krishna.. very smart, very intelligent. So what does Srimad Bhagavatam say? Yajnair sankirtanah prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah” (Bhag. 11.5.32 In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna). Sumedha… this is job of ‘sumedha’, not some ‘drop outs’ or those who fail, miserably fail and so they become sadhus. This kind of worldly understanding is incorrect. Krishna says: “Gyanavan mam prapadhyate” (Bhagavad Gita 7.19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.) . One who surrenders to Me, he is gyanavan, knowledgeable. So chanting is the job of a very very intelligent person.
We have to have intelligence and exercise it, use that intelligence for improving our chanting. So you prove you that you are intelligent by using the intelligence. So your two hours, the 16 rounds – this is the time for you to use intelligence. Otherwise it is just sleeping business because intelligence is not being exercised. If intelligence is at job, alert sharp intelligence, immediately you will be able to tell: oh you are sleeping, you are doing this, your mind is going away.. you will watch and point out and come up with rectification measure. So japa is not just the time to sit around, just sitting the round. Your whole being, your whole existence is being used, in action. Body, mind and intelligence. So use the intelligence.
3. Strategies to overcome false ego
Falsely egoistic chanter is just the opposite of trinad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna (Siksastakam, verse 3: One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others). He will not be tolerant, patient, respectful and all that. So that is all ego. If somebody is helping that person to wake up from sleep etc. and that person who is receiving the help doesn’t appreciate the help, but fights back… That is also ego. This trinad api sunichena stragegry of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is free from ego. No false ego. Your real ego, your soul is humble, pure, and tolerant. Dadami budhhi yogam. Krishna gives intelligence to those who are… ananyas chintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate, tesham nityabhiyuktanam yoga kshemam vahamyaham (Bhagavad Gita 9.22 But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.) satat and Yukta and priti purvakam means rendering service. Then Lord is pleased and He gives intelligence, buddhi. This is one kind of intelligence you are getting. Others are also getting intelligence. Materialistic people are also getting. But Maya (illusory energy of the Lord) is giving them intelligence.
Devotee gets intelligence from Krishna and materialistic person gets it from Maya or Maya’s agents or energies. What kind of intelligence we need during chanting? That intelligence which comes from the Lord. If the person has false ego then again there is a resistance. The intelligence coming from Krishna is not going to flow in his direction. Ego is the stumbling block. Ego is going to stop that flow. He may be getting intelligence but that he will get is “vinasha kale viparita buddhi” (at the time of one’s destruction, one gets absurd intelligence).. vinasha (destruction) has come and he is getting self destructive intelligence.
4. Strategies to avoid the offences:
So the 10 offences are to be avoided in order to quickly achieve the desired success of life, namely going back to Godhead. You should be familiar with the ten offences. Learn what each one is. What does it mean? Which offence I commit? I may not be committing all of them. Each one of us is specialized (laughter); someone commits first offence more, someone 5th, and so on like this… each one is different. So again we know. What is my obstacle? Which offence I commit? Work on that. Inattentive chanting is a result of offences. Vaishnava aparadh is an important offence.
5. Strategies to overcome laziness
Due to laziness, the mind doesn’t want to chant. Laziness could be of varieties. You should be around those who are enthusiastic. Then what happens? Chanting is enthused and you laziness runs away. If you don’t chant in the morning, chanting during the day takes longer because mind is not concentrated. This is common experience. Those who don’t chant in the morning, they take a long long time to complete. Then you may be just hiding behind the chanting. You are supposed to finish chanting and get ready for the service. But if you just keep chanting, that is not right thing to do. So we have to get up and chant.
With use of intelligence you get mind to surrender. With your intelligence, you should decide what is good for your life, what is good for you and you may also take the help of sadhus, sastras, to make a list of what is good for you and then just do it. Tell the mind also to cooperate. You don’t surrender to the mind but you get mind to surrender. What is good for you that you have decided with the use of intelligence and you want to get that done; so let the mind not interfere.
Planning: Plan your chanting or plan your 24 hours. Plan for your rest time, plan for eating also. When you sit down for a meal, you could have a determination that I am going to eat as much as required… yukta ahar. So this is planning before you sit down to eat. Once you start eating, then only after you are too much full, you may be doing lamentation. But that also could be reviewed after meal but you could also have a strategy before you sit down for meal. So there is strategy for everything. So planning. Plan your mind, 24 hour time, plan sleeping. Basic necessities are to be planned.
6. Strategies to overcome past conditioning:
During this “chant for change”, we want to work on past conditioning. Past is not only past life, but past five years, past ten years, or past so many lives we had. So all that is conditioning… cheto darpana marjanam… There is an example: There is a lake or well and the water doesn’t have any ripples or anything. Suddenly a bubble comes….. phat….. (Makes a bursting sound by mouth) Prabhupada gave this example. If the water is clean, everything is still and clean, then where is this bubble coming from? It proves that at the bottom of the well there is some kind of dirt, contamination. For a long time there is nothing, clean, clear, calm water. Suddenly… phat… This is an indication that deep within there is some conditioning, some contamination and then it pops up suddenly. You are taken by surprise. Why do the bad things happen to good people like ME you know..?(Laughs). Bad things happen to good people? We are not fully good yet. There is some bad. We have to go deeper and find where that bad is hiding. Trace is out. Not wait for it to appear. Who knows when it could appear? You could go deeper and take out the root.
7. Strategy to overcome lack of taste in chanting
We have taken chanting as a vow. So we must keep doing it. Secondly, the lack of taste may be because of past conditioning. We need training for developing the taste. These seminars are like training sessions. Attend more this kind of satsang, discussions on such an important topic of chanting. We have so many other topics. We rarely get to talk about this most important aspect of life. It is due to the mercy of ISKCON Leads program that this topic has come up today. This is also being discussed now a days in japa reforms and books also there in the market for this topic: Mahanidhi maharaja has a book. Sachinandan maharaja has a book. Satswarupa maharaja had one long time ago. ISKCON market is there with literature also on this topic. Some seminars are also held. We are doing it here also.
8. Strategy to overcome mechanical and dry chanting
Bring prayerful mood and remembrance, so that it is not just machine like chanting. Even if external chanting and lip movement are there, mind has to be involved. Intelligent has to be active, and the soul needs to be stirred up. Chanting is what? Soul stirred up. It is very active. Not mechanical. Mechanical means only body. In spiritual chanting, soul is involved. Soul is there, mind is there, favorable mind, cooperative mind and sharp intelligence. When all of that is there, then it will not be mechanical any more. Not having taste, because you may be doing just mechanical chanting. That is why no taste. Not striving harder for go forward. Not fighting with sleeping. No planning for eating or your uncooperative mind. So don’t have ruchi (taste). So all this is because of mechanical chanting.
9. Strategy to overcome lack of determination
Cultivate determination. It is also nistha… becoming nishtavan… you have to have a lot of determination, fixed up. So how does one get to the fixed up nishthavan stage? How does one get there? You have to do all the prior steps. Shraddha, sadhu sanga, bhajan kriya, anartha nivritti. (Faith, association of saintly persons, chanting of the holy name of Krishna and eradication of unwanted desires). More you do sadhu sanga, more bhajana, more anarth nivritti. As you become more and more free from anarthas. What happens? That results in determination/ nishtavan. You become steady, sober. This is science. We are spiritual scientists. Wes should be knowing… more shraddh, more glories of the holy name I should be hear, more sadhu sanga, more association, more guidance, I should be praying “give me some bhajana dan. Please purify O vaishnava with more of your bhajan gyan. How to do bhajan, how to worship to Krishna, you give me, teach me, share with me.
10 Strategy to overcome lack of preparation
Do your preparation a day before. Prepare a day before, night before; is my quantity of eating, time of eating going to help me tomorrow’s chanting? Or my association, is it good? So that way prepare.
11. Strategy for uncontrolled tongue
Not only eating but the uncontrolled tongue is.. vacho vegam manasah krodha vegam, jivha vegam udaropastha vegam, (Upadesamrita – nectar of instruction, verse 1 urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals)…. So the tongue is in the middle. Just see how the arrangement is! Six items (the devotee is recommended to tolerate). In the middle is the tongue… one time mentioned as jivha and other time as vacha. So jivha eats and vacha speaks. Both are tongue. And then the two items up from tongue – mind and anger. From jivha two items beneath (the urges of belly and gentials). If speech not controlled, then uncontrolled mind and anger. If eating is not controlled, then udara upasatha (urges of belly and genitals). So same tongue two functions. Then there are 2 pushings. Up and down. Uncontrolled tongue… not taking good advice from others. That is the difficulty.
12. Strategy to overcome lack of hearing and reading
Philosophical soundness helps us in chanting. Doership mentality or false ego is a problem. If we are chanting out of humility, thinking humbly that I am chanting by the grace of my superiors and my spiritual masters, by Krishna’s mercy, then this is a good kind of mentality. It will result in good chanting. But if you are chanting mechanically, then you will be happy to quickly finish the rounds. But don’t be conditioned to chant only 16 rounds. Get out of this conditioning.
13. Lack of value and importance of chanting. How to overcome that? Read the glories of the holy name. There is a book called, Sri Namamrita. All Srila Prabhupada purports are there. Other literature is there. Caitnaya Caritamrita has several sections on the holy name. Hari nam chintamani is also a very good tool on how to remove obstacles. Bhajan rahasya is also very essential reading material. So get fixed up so you could say “sthito smi”.. now I have no more doubts of chanting, or chanting as the yuga darma of this age of Kali (religion of this age). So hear more.
14. Strategy to overcome lack of humble and tolerant mood
Lacking “trinad api sunichena” (being humbler than a blade of grass and tolerant than a tree).. Be humble; it is easy to say right? Sometimes people have t shirts that says… “Smile or “just do it.” Similarly we could say, “Somehow be humble”… Somehow… (Laughs)… yena kena prakarena… (By hook or crook) because there is no other way… chanting is also the only way… but to get right results from chanting, be humble… there is no other way. There is no short cut. We have to come to this stage. Person who has this kind of mentality can only chant… What is the translation of the verse trinad api sunichena? “One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Please note the words “in such a state of mind”. So this instruction has come from Maharpabhu. If you have such a state of mind, then only kirtaniya sada Hari (you could chant constantly).
15. Strategies to overcome material desires:
We are haunted by material desires… pooja, labha, pratistha. (honor, profit and prestige) This is basic disease of the living entity. Bhakti Sidhhanta Saraswati compared his pooja, labha, pratistha with shukarer vishtha (stool of a hog). Vishtha as it is very bad. What does shukar (hog) eat? Vishtha. So shukarer vishtha is like the essence of the stool. That is the value of pooja, labha pratistha. Till we are convinced of this, we should be remembering this statement of Bhakti Sidhhanata Saraswati. We have to realize this is very important. As if this is like the vision of my life… (That pooja, labha and pratistha are like stool of hog for me)… there is no value of stool, what to speak of the stool of the hog. So you could convince yourselves of that.
16. Strategy to overcome the breaking of four regulative principles
Don’t break th has a book. Sachinandan maharaja has a book. Satswarupa maharaja had one long time ago. strongem! (Laughter). Again, keep chanting Hare Krishna. We have to resist the temptation that says, “This is inviting me. This is attracting me”. When we are attracted by Krishna, or Krishna’s holy name via chanting, then we could kick the temptation to break the regulative principles.
17. Strategy to avoid bad association
Give it up! First of all you should know what good association is and what bad association is. Who provides good and bad association? How do you determine this? With intelligence, you could discriminate and come to a conclusion that this is bad association. So keep safe distance from bad association, bad company.

RESOURCES:

All the things we listed so far are needed as resources, like:

1. Proper rest, Sankalpa (determination), Man power (help from others).
2. Reading Srimad Bhagavatm. Proper atmosphere. Dham or temple, association of devotees, good time. Good place, good circumstance. Morning time is a good time.
3. Japa quotes, written form of maha mantra in front of you. Some reading material, some literature is a resource. Photo, if you want a small one to carry in your travel kit with you.
4. Tulasi devi… chanting next to Tulasi is highly recommended. It is clean place. Fragrance, incense, flowers.
5. Ear plugs! You have to make sure you hear yourself
6. Well lit place, but not too bright. It can distort your attention. If it is dark, then also it is conducive for sleep. Light should be not too bright, not too dark.
7. Water bottle, sprinkler… (Laughter).
Many items from the strategy, items would be part of these resources.

TIME LINE :

How much time for chanting 16 rounds? 2 hours. If chanting one round takes 15 minutes, then it could be said that the mind is not focused. So two hours are considered kind of standard time. Then what time of the day chanting? Morning.
To achieve the vision for chanting, one must decide how much time will be needed. It could be said that we need one lifetime. Prabhupada gave that kind of goal. You could finish your business in one lifetime. Srila prabhupada used to say… like a business man doesn’t think “oh, I will make profit in next life. I will do business now, profit I will gain in the next life”. Businessman never thinks like that. He wants all profit in this life time. Then he used to say.. for devotees also, they should achieve their goal in this life time. So you don’t have to wait. Because we don’t know how much is the lifetime. How many days, months are at our disposal. .. “Adaiva vishatu me manas raj hansa” that prayer is there (by King Kulasekhar; “Krishna, I am now in good health. So kindly award me death immediately.”). Not waiting till the last minute, last moment. At the last moment, it is very difficult to induce mind and voice is choked up. So take advantage. ‘This’ is the time. Adhyaiva… Today… Now. Especially when one is young, it is easy to achieve things. If you do them when you are old, it is difficult or impossible. Lot of people, they don’t even get old. They die before they get old. Some people die even before they take birth. They are not allowed to take birth. They are killed in the womb. So take it seriously now. Intelligence is working, body is functioning. There is good association. We have resources at our disposal. So this is favorable now. So reap the results. So that is the time.

Question: Do we have to tackle each obstacle with a time line or all obstacles at once?

Answer: it could be both. You could get into the detailed exercise and then each obstacle you apply now only time line. For each obstacle, you could apply the vision, strategy, resource, and time line. That way you could achieve the vision faster if you get the details.

But not all obstacles are for everyone. One obstacle may be there for one, other obstacle for others. Similarly, the degree of obstacle may be different for everyone. Overeating may be a general obstacle, but for someone it may be very acute, very serious. For others, it may not be so serious. One needs to work on this. Okay. Hari bol..Thank you. (Maharaja ki jay!!)

Venue : London Date : 19/06/10 The Material world is hot and cold, young and old, birth and death, ladies and gents, etc. The list gets longer and longer. But the Maha-mantra is not from THIS world.

Whilst we were just chanting together, I had a thought that each one of us is chanting and we were all with Krsna, in the form of the holy name. For most of the year, we are not physically together, but wherever we are, we chant and we are with Krsna. Therefore in this way we stay together. It is the easiest way to remain together.

When Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was getting ready to take sannyasa, everyone was naturally thinking that “we shall be deprived of His association!” Mahaprabhu spent 24 years together with His associates and then suddenly in the middle of the night He left and decided to take sannyasa. Prior to His departure He gave a speech to pacify and console. “No No! I will live with you in two forms! The first one, I will stay in the form of the holy name (chanting). Even when I am gone, keep chanting”. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from the holy name. So, one avatar of Mahaprabhu is the Holy Name.

kali kale nama rupe krsna avatara
nama haite haya sarva jagat nistara

“In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. (CC Adi 17.22)

The Lord appears in every age. But in the Holy Name, He appears to all of us, unlimited, everywhere, everyday for each and every one of us! Even in THIS tent. The Lord appears at midday (Rama), in the middle of the night (Krsna) and during dusk (Caitanya Mahaprabhu/Nrsimhadeva) and so on. But Krsna’s holy name is ready to appear every day! Everywhere! And to Everyone! It is the beauty, the Lord making Himself accessible to everyone, and we all, each one of us, have our very own Lord. In this form He can become our cherished property.

This is homework for us – to chant Hare Krsna and be happy! This is the only transaction on initiation. We have the four regulative principles, which are the “DONT’s”, but what will you “DO”? This is the most important bit. We all have received Krsna in the form of the Holy Name. ‘Here is Krsna, in the form of the name”. Narottama Dasa Thakura said:

krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro
tomara sakati ache
ami to’ kangala, krsna krsna boli
dhai tava pache pache

We are paupers, penniless (kangala), poor – Oh Gurudeva, Oh Vaishnava Thakur, I am running after you for Krsna that you can give to me. This way, Krsna is given by Guru.

The second form in which Caitanya Mahaprabhu said he will stay is “Ananda” – Bliss! This Bliss, comes from chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore Chant Hare Krsna (first form) and be Happy (second form).

When you chant, ‘Ananda’ will also make an appearance. From Krsna comes bliss and this bliss is Krsna. Any genuine bliss in this world comes from Krsna.

‘Nanda ke Ananda bhayo’. When Krsna appeared at Nanda Baba’s home, all the Vrajavasis were singing this in joy. Some did not know what had happened and all they could hear was ‘Nanda ke Ananda bhayo’ from the other Vrajavasis running by them. They would try and stop one of the running Vrajavasis to inquire what has happened. But the person would not stop and keep on running in happiness and joy. They say “Ananda has appeared”, not Krsna, not Nanda Nandana, not Kesava, etc. Ananda, actual bliss, has incarnated. ‘Sat Cit Ananda Vigraha’.

The lilas, pastimes of the Lord in Vraja, are Ananda-Kunda. They fill up the lakes and reservoirs with Ananda. The residents of Vraja drown and swim in this Ananda. As it is written in the Damodarastakam prayers

itidrk sva lilabhir ananda kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

Thus bathing Gokula in a great lake of bliss, He shows that love defeats Him. Devoid of reverence  conquered only by those in complete confidence. I offer Him unlimited loving praises. (Verse 3)

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu‘s strategy, His plan. He appeared to expand the ocean of love of Godhead. He started in Mayapur and now He has reached London! The River comes to you! This is His kindness.

Our acaryas cut a canal from this river and they brought the same ‘Rasa’, Ananda, to us. Srila Prabhupada brought the flood of the holy name to us all. One press reporter asked Srila Prabhupada “Why have you come to our country?” I think it was here in London. Srila Prabhupada replied “You also came to ours” and they had come to loot, plunder and steal all the riches and precious gems, like the Kohinoor, which is on display in London. But Srila Prabhupada carries on “But what brings me here is to come and give what your viceroys left behind. The precious gem which is the culture of our country, the most ancient and valuable gift. The Holy Name is the wealth of our nation! All the scriptures are our wealth!”

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Our homework, which can take a whole lifetime and more, is to realise this name is Krsna. This name, holy name, is non-different from the Lord. “Abhinnatvan nama-naminoh”. This is the glory, the introduction of the Holy name. “Nama Cintamani” – It is a gem, “Caitanya” – it is full of spirit. The word “Jada” means Matter, dead matter. But the Holy Name of Krsna is lively and is “Rasa-Vigrahah” – Source and Embodiment of all the Rasa’s.

The soul within this body is aspiring for that rasa, that joy and to drown in that bliss. But the living entity is finding it hard to find this and is just going round and round in search. But finally, by blessings of Krsna, we come in contact with devotees and vaisnavas and acaryas and we get the mercy to know the holy name!

I have been thinking recently, ‘You know the body, but does the body know you are there?’ Do your hairs and nails know you exist? Is the tooth aware of the teeth next door? “I think, therefore I exist”. Of course the body exists, but it cannot think. The soul exists and possesses and uses the body. It exploits it and unfortunately, the soul then thinks “I am the body”. But this soul, thinking this way, is not realized. The Holy name is to be realized by the soul. We use the body to chant the holy name, we use our lips and tongue to chant, but you can chant and exist without the body, naked, like without clothes, but I don’t think many of us would do that.

One time, when we become thoroughly purified, not aspiring or hankering to experience anything from this world, we are connected to the spiritual world and Krsna. The soul will exist regardless and dance, chant, eat and touch. The soul is also a person! The holy name is to be realized by the soul, not the body, even thought we use it to chant, clap in kirtan etc. It is the soul that will be liberated, not the lips. So Chant:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

and be with Krsna. Also be together with each other (fellow devotees) and be happy. Hence when Caitanya Mahaprabhu said “I shall stay behind in the form of Name and Bliss”, He meant be happy and chant. Therefore keep chanting constantly and follow the regulative principles and associate with devotees.

One devotee was talking to me and mentioned that we should do our ABCDD.
A – Association – Sadhu Sangha
B – Books – Read Srimad Bhagavatam/Bhagavad Gita daily
C – Chanting of the Holy Name – Kirtan
D – Dhama Vasa – Stay in the Holy places, Go to temple, Make your home the Dhama
D – Deity Worship – Arcana, worship the Deity with faith.

By doing these ‘ABCDD’ with faith, we can achieve perfection in this life.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana
sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga
krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga

“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura, and worship the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krsna.” (CC Madhya 22.128-129) spent 24 years together with His associates and then suddenly in the middle of the night He left and decided to take sannyasa. Prior to His departure He gave a speech to pacify and console.

Venue: ISKCON Pandharpur

Hare Krishna !! You are all welcome. Pandharpur dham ki jay.
Pandharpur dham is known for chanting. Lot of chanting goes on here. Lot of singing. Varkaris (walking pilgrims) also sing. Gaudiya vaishnavas also sing. Prabhupada writes in the purport. They chant, they dance and they chant and they dance along with mridangas (drums), and kartalas (hand cymbals). Prabhupada compares like this the Caitanya Caritamrita. There is a description of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s visit to Pandharpur. And many if not all saints from Maharastra, Vithhal bhaktas – they all sing bhajans, abhangas. Nam ghosh (loud chanting) on the banks of chandrabhaga river goes on. There is a connection. Namacha ghosh chandrabhagechya kathi, chandrabhagechya valvanti (loud sounds of chanting in the dessert on the banks of chandrabhaga river). So to such a place of Pandharpur dham we have come for Japa and kirtan. So I think we have very favorable setting here. We have the contact of dham. You already feel surcharged with chanting. This is going on for thousands of years. So we have not selected any particular verse this morning from Bhagavatam. But we have something from person ‘bhagavat’, Srila Prabhupada that I would like to share. Maharaja reads from the section “Mahamantra – the great chant” written by Srila Prabhuapda.
“This transcendental vibration – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare is a sublime method of reviving our Krishna Consciousness. We are all Krishna Conscious entities but due to our association with matter with time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere.”
Knowing Krishna is knowing His name: So that is the text for today from Srila Prabhupada. This is the Hari Nam mahatmya, japa mahatmya- the greatness of the holy name. Prabhupada describes here “transcendental” vibration of the Hare Krishna maha mantra. So this vibration is “transcendental”. It transcends material existence. In other words this chanting of Hare Krishna is not from this world. We also say ‘out of this world’. This chanting is from out of this world. Or chanting Hare Krishna is from spiritual world, the transcendental world. “Hare” is not from Maharashtra, or India or from this planet or even not from heavenly planets. From beyond this existence. “Golokera premadhana – Hari nama sankirtana” Although it sounds like ‘ha’ and ‘re’. Last varna (syllable) in varna- mala (list of syllables) is ‘ha’. Sometimes ksha also. Adhokshaja .. Adh- akshja –. From ‘a’ to ‘ha’ or from ‘a’ to’ ksha’ – both versions are there. We know ha , re; we know k , kr, sh, na .. .. it appears like these word are from this world. I was just looking at yesterday this Hari Namamrita Vyakarana. It says “Narayan udbhava varna” All the varnas (syllables) come from Narayan. “Aham Sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate (BG Verse 10.8 I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me). Even varna mala (list of syllables) a, aa, e, ka, kha, gha. these have origins in Narayan. This is the statement of Jiva Goswami. So originally these syllables – they are coming from Narayan. So people use these syllables, these varnas, these aksharas, but Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare …32 syllables, 16 words, “iti sodasakam namnam kali kalmasa nasanam” (verse from Kali Santaran Upanishad: these sixteen names can nullify all the degrading, contaminating effects of the materialistic Age of Kali.) 16 words, 32 syllables. They are all transcendental.
When they come from the Lord Himself and when they are used to utter the names of the Lord, Hare Krishna and Ram.. Srila Prabhupada explains that this is transcendental vibration. They certainly do not address or they certainly do not indicate anyone from this world. Krishna is from transcendental world. (BG 8.20 paras tasmat tu bhavo ‘nyo, vyakto vyaktat sanatanah : Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter.)
“Goloka dhamni nija dhamni” (verse 43 from Sri Brahma Samhita: above them all is located Kåñëa’s own realm named Goloka). There is His own abode. So there is no one in this world called Krsna, called Ram and called Hare or Hara. Do you know anybody? Or Krsna from Pune, or Mumbai? If someone claims that “my name is Krsna and my wife is Radha, you know!” Sometimes we go to life members. They introduced “I am Krishna” We say to them “you are Krishna devotee”. Oh, I am Krishna and my wife’s name is Radha. We correct them and say that you are prabhu, Krishna- dasa and your wife is Radha-dasi. Krisna is Krishna and Ram is Ram and Radha is Radha. There are not two Radhas and three Krishnas and five Rams.
There is but one Krsna and one Ram and one Radha and that is “Goloka namni nija dhamni”. They reside in Their own aobde. So here it is His name. Krishna’s name. Who is Krishna? Whose name is Krishna? Krishna’s name is Krishna. No one else has name Krishna. The name is non different from Krishna. We cannot separate it from Krishna. So it is transcendental. These names are transcendental. There is so much in these names. That is not the case – Chinku, Pinku, Tinku! (laughs) There is not much in there. There is not such much that you go deeper to understand those names. But these names! “Namnam akari bahuda nija sarva shaktis” (Siksastakam prayer 2: You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies.) So much shakti (power) is there in these names. There is so much to know. You could spend the whole life time just knowing name “Krishna”, knowing nam-tattva. “Bahunam janmanam ante” or you could take many life times just to know “Krishna” or even name “Krishna”. When you understand name Krishna then you will understand Krishna also. Krishna’s name is not different from Krishna. This is knowing the name of Krishna.
“Abhinnatvat nam namino” there is so much to know. (verse from Padma Puran: To know the name is non-different from Krishna – this is knowing Krishna or knowing person Krishna. So transcendental. (Reads) Srila Prabhupada says: “Chanting these names is the sublime method of reviving our Krishna Consciousness. As living entities or living spiritual souls, we are all originally Krishna conscious entities. But due to our association with matter since time immemorial our consciousness has now been polluted by the material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are trying to exploit the resources of material nature but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities”
So more one tries to enjoy, it becomes exploitation. Srila Prabhupada uses the word ‘exploit’, ‘ Exploitation’. What happens when one gets entangled? Exploitation begins with contemplation. “dhyayato vishayan pumsan sangas tesupajayate” (BG verse 2.62: While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.) Entanglement is already started as soon as you contemplate. So the process of entanglement, exploitation begins with contemplation. One becomes attached, entangled just by contemplation. Making plans to enjoy, contemplate on, aspiring to enjoy or even contemplate on what had enjoyed in the past. Just remembering that, contemplating that, we get more entangled.
(Continues reading) “This illusion is called Maya, our heart’s struggle to winning over the stringent laws of material nature. Our heart’s struggle of existence for winning over the stringent laws of material nature. Every word, every sentence is loaded with full meaning. Living entity never succeeds, never wins in this attempt.
(Reads) “This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krishna Consciousness.” How does it begin? “Daivi esha gunamayi mama maya duratyaya” (BG Verse 7.14 his divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.). So both statements are here. Struggle for existence for winning over. They do not know that this is Krishna’s Maya. And it is very strong. My Maya- your Maya, if it was; then not much strong Maya because we do not have much strength. But this His Maya, Krishna’s Maya. Krishna says. Hence ‘duratyaya’ (difficult to overcome). Never ever we would succeed or no one has ever succeeded and there has never happened. Individually or collectively there would be no winning. “Oh we won! We won!!” We could never say… “Oh these stringent laws – we broke, we changed them. We dismantled the system or the laws”. More one breaks the laws, he gets harder punishment. If he was in imprisonment only for three months and he breaks more laws – what happens – three years. And then he breaks and what happens – thirty years! You break the law, you are imprisoned, and you are punished. And then you again try to break, again the punishment during that imprisonment period. Then behind the bar, behind wall you may be sent to “kala pani” in the middle of some ocean, some island and imprisoned there. So like that. Living entity has already broken and is attempting to break. They again break or attempt to break laws then they get worst punishment ‘hang them’ – capital punishment they call it. Hanging. So by breaking laws of the Lord, going against the nature of the Lord, what happens? Punishment. What punishment? Death. So many other kinds of punishments are there.
Adyatmik, Adhibhautik, Adhidaivik. (from one’s own mind and body, from others and from demigods). This goes on and finally ‘kill’, “Mrutyuh sarvahas chaham” (verse 10.34 BG Krishna says I am all-devouring death) I come in the form of death. It is “Punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi janani jathare shayanam” (again and again birth, death and again sleeping in the womb of another mother). So every time there is death punishment. Isn’t that what is happening?
Every time living entity goes against His laws, varieties of punishment come and capital punishment at the end. “Kill him” give another chance. If he breaks more laws, kill him, just take his life. So this has happened over again and again and again. So don’t think only the government has prisons and punishment or capital punishment. Lord also has this. There is arrangement and there is death.
(Continues reading) “So this illusory struggle against material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krishna Consciousness.” What is the process for revival? By chanting of Hare Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has already said that.
Chanting of Hare Krishna is the process of revival of our dormant love for the Lord or dormant consciousness, original Consciousness, Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. So Krishna Consciousness is not something foreign or some imported or outside thing. From outside it is not imposed upon the living entity or injected into living entity. Not imposed. It is original energy of living entity. Chant like a mantra, just to get it into our head. “Krishna Consciousness is original energy of the living entity. It is original energy of the living entity..”
Go on saying this until we really understand, really realize this that Krishna Consciousness is original energy of the living entity. When we hear transcendental vibration this consciousness is revived. So living entity’s original consciousness is Krishna Consciousness. It is not imposition. It is natural and that original consciousness is revived by chanting of the holy name of the Lord and therefore the process of chanting of Hare Krishna is recommended by authorities for this age.
Everyone is recommending. Authorities are recommending. Not only Hindu authorities or Bhagavat dharma but everyone is into chanting. Allah….Oh Akabar. It is also chanting. Five times a day. “Dhyanan stuvam tasya yashah tri sandhyam”. We have three sandhyas. Islam has pancha sandhyas. Five times a day they chant. Broadcast the glories of the Lord. Even they chant their mantra. “Allah o Akabar.. Mohammad is the only prophet. Allah is the only God and Mohammad is the only prophet”. On their rosary they chant this mantra. Their rosary, Muslim rosary has 99 beads. We have 108. They have 99. We have Vishnu sahastra nam. Koran has 99 names of Allah. 99 sacred names of Allah have been listed in Koran. So 99 names. So they chant and they have their bead 99 beads. Their beads are made from the sacred clay of Makka and Madina. We get our tulasi beads from clay of Radha kunda. So we have tulasi beads, they have bead made from the clay of Makka and Madina. So they chant. Christians also chant. So all the authorities have recommended chanting. Srila Prabhupada said all authorities have recommended chanting Hare Krishna. That they don’t do. Krishna is kind. So they have other names. Al- Rahim, Al- Rahaman. Means God is kind or compassionate (Rahamna). Allah means God is great. There are other names.
(Continues reading) By practical experience also we can perceive that by chanting this maha mantra or great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from spiritual stratum. Let us see whether we feel… (all chant Hare Krishna). Do you feel something? Coca cola. Coca cola.. ?? Do you feel anything? By chanting Hare Krishna there is a feeling. Thinking – feeling, willing. As we chant Hare Krishna, there is some feeling. Feeling is revived, feeling of the soul is revived as one chants Hare Krishna. Each time one gets more feeling. The original consciousness is revived. The soul comes in contact with the Lord in the form of the holy name and what happens ultimately? “Nayanam galad asru dharaya, vadanam gadgad rudhhya gira, pulakaira nichitam vapuh kadah tava nam grahane bhavishyati” (Sri Siksastakam, verse 6 : O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?).
The soul comes in contact with supreme soul; this is what happens during chanting. This is yoga, jap yoga, bhakti yoga. We are bhakti yogis and japa yogis. So as japa yogis, we chant the holy name of the Lord and our soul comes in contact with the Lord, the supreme Lord. As we chant Hare Krishna, who chants? The mouth is chanting or the tongue is chanting? Original chanter is the soul. Who is hearing? Soul is also hearing. It is attentive chanting. When the chanting is attentive, then the soul is chanting and the soul is hearing. The chanting is not attentive then “ikadun tikadun jai ware” (meaning the sound waves just pass through one ears and come out from the other ear). So when we hear, sound goes into one ear and out through the other. That is all. You are not there. Your soul is not there. There is a disconnection or short circuit. The complete circuit is when the soul is chanting with the attention and faith also. Adau shraddha (in the beginning faith) has to be there. If not enough shraddha (faith), then we have to hear again and again more and more mahatmya of the holy name. We should never be tired of hearing the glories of holy name. More we hear, more we will say .. this is it! this the process.. Nam chintamani Chaitanya rasa vigraha; purna shuddho nitya mukto, abhinnatvam nam namino. (Padma Puran – The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure.) Full of juice, full of nectar, full of mellow this holy name. The holy name is nitya, mukta, shuddha and purna. (Krishna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself.
Since Krishna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.’) The holy name is eternal, free, not bound, not conditioned. Liberated, pure. The goal of chanting name is shuddha nam (pure chanting).
One devotee in Vrindavan, my god brother. He was chanting and so what is your wish, I asked, what do you want, what is on your mind when you are saying. He said: “I wish to chant this shuddha nam. One of these days, I wish to chant shuddha nam. When will the shuddha nam be uttered and then relished by me.” My god brother responded like that. So the holy name is shuddha, pure. Pure chanting. Shuddha, nitya, mukta, and abhinnatvat nam namino. Nam and nami are non different. Krishna is the name. Whose name is it? It is krishna’s name. abhinnatvat nam namino.. nam- nami. Like Dham-dhami. Kama-kami, Dukh-dukhi. One who is full of dukh (misery) is called dukhi (miserable). One who is full of sukh (happiness) is called sukhi (happy). One who is full of kama (lust) is called kami (lusty). Like that. Full of dham is called dhami. Dhami means person. Dhami of Vrindavan is Krishna or Radha-Krishna. Dham-dhami, nam-nami. Full of name. Krishna is full of His name. Cannot be separated.
So we need to hear more. Not only we hear, but attentively hear more and more. We need to hear the glories of the holy name more and more. Or even the glories of the devotees, who are lovers of the holy name. We could hear the glories of Haridas Thakur. What are the glories of Haridas Thakur. Glories o f Haridas Thakur are the glories of the holy name. Glories of Krishna are glories of the holy name. Glories of the holy name are glories of Krishna. So as we hear more and more, then shraddha , dridha shraddha. From komal shraddha goes to dridha shraddha. It is called nishtha. Adau shraddha, sadhu sanga, bhajan kriya, anartha nivrutti. Then nishtha like that. These are all the topics of holy name, japa, japa reform topics are from shraddha to prema. Whole Siksastaka is about glories of the holy name. Cheto darpana marjanam, bhava maha davagni nirvapanam.. this sound “um” “um” comes seven times. Finally “param vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam” Vishesan. Seven vishshanas. The last is visheshya. Visheshan – visheshya. So seven.
The very first Siksastaka is the glories of the holy name. 7 glories. 7 glorious points about ‘param vijayate’. It says ‘whereas.. whereas.. whereas.. then therefore..param vijayate sri Krishna sankirtanam’. Not for nothing param vijayate. Seven times, seven glories, seven points,….then.. therefore this holy name is param vijayate. victorious. So shraddha. In the very beginning, shraddha is established by hearing. You hear the glories, your shraddha comes . Not to have faith, lack of complete faith in the holy name is offence at the holy name. Not only it is an off you cannot go forward. No faith no chanting.
So with faith and with attention as one chants, and one hears, what happens there? There is Yoga. Yoga happens there. What is yoga? Communication happens, milan, meeting , reunion happens, ‘shake hand’ happens there as one chants and hears with attention. What comes when we are not hearing with attention ? Whose is active there? Mind is active. Mind is active all the time. So that is the topic, that is the discussion that should happen one of these days. We should be talking about the mind.
(BG verse 6.5) uddhared atmanatmanamnatmanam avasadayet (One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.) The sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita is very useful tool to those who are chanter of the holy name. Sixth chapter. People may say: “we don’t want to be ashtanga yogis! We are bhakti yogis. So 6th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita will not be useful. We are bhakti yogis.” But bhakti yoga includes ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga yoga plus much more is bhakti yoga. Ashtanga yoga is not excluded from bhakti ygoa. It is part of bhakti ygoa. So in sixth chapter there is dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna (verse 6. 34) Chanchalam hi manah Krishna pramathi balavad dridham ..( For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.)
So the chanter of the holy name has to be also student of mind. Student of mind doesn’t mean follower of the mind. It means one should know the mind, study the mind, how it functions, where does it reside, how does it work, where does it fit into the hierarchy, where are the senses, where is the mind, where is the intelligence, where is the soul, where is the Supersoul. In 3rd chapter of Bhagavad Gita, towards the end of third chapter. So know the mind as chanchalam hi manah Krishna. It is very important exercise for those who wish to chant the holy name with attention.
Chanting of the holy name is not just sitting around. You are on the job. You are on duty when you are chanting, what are you doing? You are on job/duty. Attention!! The police or army Major says “Attention!!” Then everyone straightens up, acts up, including tightening their belts. When they are not on duty, the belt is around the waist but loosened.
If you see NCC college, as soon as the person in charge says attention, they really get together, not spaced out, looking here and there. No. they have to be together, belt has to be tightened. I was at Ratha yatra, during procession, police were standing there. We were encouraging everyone to chant Hare Krishna. We asked to police also to chant. They said, no I am on duty (laughter) he probably thought that chanting of Hare Krishna was distraction from his duty. He is on duty now. When you come to my home, or another time when I am not on duty, I will chant.
Chanting is being on duty, full attention, full focused. When I was just a new bhakta, and in Mumbai one life member had come to see our temple president and this life member he was looking for temple president. So I helped him out: I asked “what are you looking for?” Your president, he said. I said, “I will find out, I will arrange your meeting with him”. When I went looking, I found him he was in the temple and he was chanting. I just told him that such and such life member would like to see you and the president said, “tell him I am busy.” What was the president doing? He was chanting. And he said, “tell that life member that I am busy.” So that time, I thought what?? You are not busy. You are just sitting and chanting. You are not busy. Big life member has come all the way from downtown Bombay and you are coming with excuse that you are busy. You are not busy!! So of course, I did not say it to my president. I was thinking like that. Then after some time, I could understand, realize that yes yes, chanting of Hare Krishna is business, it is serious business. More important than any other business in the world.
So during the chanting mind also gets busy. More we try to control; more it goes out of control. May be at normal times, mind is not bothering us so much or going hither or tither. But during chanting it really wants to wander off, take off. So then sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita comes handy. What does Krishna say? What do you do under such circumstances when your mind is wandering off. What is the advice by the Lord? (BG Verse 6.26) Yato yato niscalati manah cancalam asthiram, tatas tato niyamaitad , atmany eva vasam nayet. (From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self.) If it goes, wherever it goes, do not be surprised. That is the nature of mind. What do you do as a part of business, part of your chanting exercise? Tatah tatah, from there wherever it goes, drag it back, bring it back. Atmani eva or Paramatmany eva vasam nayet. Bring under the influence or under the shelter of atmany, Paramatmany. Here it is the holy name. Bring it under the holy name, influence of the holy name. Let that mind come back and surrender unto the holy name. So there is so much to do like this. This is big business during chanting. Otherwise that yoga, that link is not there. Otherwise between the soul, the chanter and the supreme soul (holy name), there is not yoga. Although there could be lots of chanting, they would be just the sound of hasty chanting “snik snik Hare Hare” Don’t just do the sound “snik snik Hare Hare”. Prabhupada wanted you to chant Hare Krishna , not snick snick. After chanting and chanting for five or ten rounds, and then we may begin just this sound“snick snik Hare Hare..” Prabhupada said, “say each word, pronounce each syllable properly”. We will have to be attentive. Ask yourself: Did I chant properly? Am I chanting properly?
(Maharaja demonstrates how to say each word separately, emphasizing each one). This is addressing – because I am addressing the Lord. Chanting the holy name is to address the Lord. So there are 16 addresses, 16 holy names are there each time it is addressed. That is why Hare is a form of Hara. We are addressing Hara. So it is Hare. We are addressing Krishna. That is why there is no visarga there. Without visarga, it doesn’t become even Sanskrit word. Ramah. That is Sanskrit. Krishnah. You understand the visarga? In the list of ‘k’ syllable, there are ka, kaa, ki, Kee, ke, kai, ko kau kam and kah. That ‘kah’ is visarga. Or Vishnu sarga. When there is visarga, then it is complete. Ramah. Then it is name. Ramah. Krishnah. Harah. It is not in maha mantra Krishnah, Ramah. Why this visarga is not there because it is sambodhan, address. Then there is no visarga. So Hara is not Hara, but Hare. Radha is Radhe. Sita is Site, Gita is Gite. Like that. So because each word is sambodhan, each word is address. So 16 addresses. 16 times we have ask the mind am I addressing the Lord?
Prabhuapda said stop this making of some sound. Say the complete mantra. There has to be attention. There has to be mind and business. If you are mindless then what kind of business? It is mindless. Mind is not there. Then who knows what is is going on. Whether we are chanting 16 names or not. We have no idea. Others, who are hearing while chanting, have probably some idea. But you have no idea because you are not there. Mind is not there. So full attention is the business. Very active while chanting. Very alert. “sit properly” Prabhupada said once in the middle of that chanting tape. Srila Prabhupada was chanting and others were chanting. And couple of times he said– “Sit properly.”
That also shows the importance of sitting properly. Some sitting postures are favorable. Some sitting postures are not favorable for chanting. Not favorable for attention of the mind. Again sitting is proper. Sitting is goodness. Standing is passion and lying down is ignorance. If you are transcendentally situated already, then doesn’t matter whether you are upside down, shirshasana or shavasana, sukhasana or standing asana. You are already, always transcendental. Anyway you are thrown, horizontal, vertical or whatever. You are always transcendental. But if you are not that, then this applies. So sitting is goodness, standing is passion, lying down is ignorance. In order to become transcendental, we should be at least situated in mode of goodness which is closer to transcendence. That is goodness. So that posture that sitting that helps chanting.
So this sitting and then some kind of yoga in 6th chapter of Bhagavad Gita. There is description of how we should be sitting. Backbone, head straight and nasagre (focus on the tip of the nose). So some of those things we should not think that we are transcendental to this ashtanga yoga principles or yoga principles. No. we are not. We have to follow those things. When chanting is attentive it means that we are made our mind as our friend. When our mind is uddared atmanatmanam, natmanam avasadayt ..then atmaiva hi atmano bandhuratmaiva ripuratmanah (BG verse 6.5 One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.). So atma could be mind, body. Or atma is soul. These are part of self.
So atmaiva ripuratmahan…here atma is not soul but atma here means mind. Mind could be your enemy or your friend. So during chanting we want our mind to be our friend for always. That is the goal. During chanting we have to strive harder to make our mind our friend. So it doesn’t go against us and drag us here there. So the mind has thinking, feeling, and willing, these are functions of the mind. Mind thinks. Mind has feelings. And then there is will. Thinking this way and that way. There are feelings that are aroused in the mind. When feelings become so strong or settled, then there is will, ichha, tivra iccha (strong desire). So thoughts about chanting, thoughts of the Lord, name are there in the mind, then the feeling comes. That is what Prabhupada is talking. The feeling is there. Prabhupada talks about “the feeling”.
(Continues reading) By practical experience also we can perceive that by this chanting of mahamantra or the great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from spiritual stratum. So feel while you chant!! We can at once feel, at once feel. But we cannot act with just some feeling. We want wholesome, not just some but wholesome feeling. During chanting, we want nothing else but that wholesome feeling, Krishna Conscious feeling for transcendental ecstatic feeling from spiritual stratum. When one is actually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of mind, senses, intelligence, once is situated on transcendental plane. So going beyond senses, beyond mind and beyond intelligence also. All this mind, intelligence, senses – they act materially, they are contaminated. Our goal is to use the senses, mind, intelligence in service of the Lord and spiritualize them. (BG Verse 5.11) Kayena manasa buddhya kevalair indriyair api, yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktva atma suddhaye (The yogis, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.)
Our senses are instrumental. Make senses the instruments. This is tritiya vibhakti, bahu vachan. (plural). Kayena is eka vachan (singular) because kaya (body) is one. Manasa is eka vachan (mind is singular). Buddhya also. Mind is one, intelligence is one. But senses are many – indriyair – it is bahu vachan (plural) Yogis do activity with body, with mind, with intelligence, with senses. The yogi is utilizing all that he has at his disposal – the body and its mountings – whatever is attached to the body he uses all that. Why doesstrong he do it? What is his goal? Sanga tyaktya atma shuddhye.
For atma sudhhi karan. For self purification and mind purification and intelligence purification and senses purification – ultimately soul or consciousness purification. The yogi is utilizing all kayen manasa buddhya. So during chanting are these things used? Do we use kaya? Of course, we talked about sitting. Body we need for chanting in the conditioned state we need body for chanting. Pure souls in the spiritual sky are also chanting. You don’t need body to chant. But now we have body; we cannot get rid of it. So we could only make best use of that bargain. Spiritualize that body, engage that body. Utility is the principle. So use the body. Use the mind. Yogi uses the mind, intelligence, uses senses also. All this things are used during chanting.
The lips have to be used Prabhupada makes the point one place. During chanting not just wishpering. That is why that .. mere sound ‘snik snik’ comes when you are not chanting each word separately H-a-r-e- K-r-i-s-h-n-a…emphasisizng on R – A – M – A. (Maharaja demonstrates how to stress on the ‘M’ fully and not hastily finish the sound M) ‘A’ has to come out then it is sambodhan. No ram but rama. Lot of times, North Indians, marathis do that. (Maharaja again demonstrates how people sometimes finish hastily the sound M which is incomplete) But that is incorrect. Technically incorrect. Hare ram is not sambodhan, not address. There is no A in there. It is called ‘halanta’ ‘M’ (half sound of M) M without A is half M. (demonstrates) Do you understand? I should use the black board or something. Open the mouth RA-. Closing the lips say M A. because this is “Oshtha” (pronounciation done with the help of lips). M is from the category of syllables pronounced with the lip movement) p, ph, b, bh and m. Oshtha is used but then you have to say another A. In order to say complete M sound , you have to say halanta/ half M plus A. In order to say A at the end of M, you must use kantha (throat) for A to come out. You must use kanthasta (sound through throat) and open your lips again then it is complete pronunciation.
So you could see you have to be so much alert, so much attentive. So many factors are involved in chanting . The point was that surpassing the stages of senses, mind and intelligence, one is situated on the transcendental plane . Transcending mental plane and sensual plane, then there is transcendental plane. Situated in atmani. Atnmani eva vasam nayet. It is hearing the names with full attention. (Maharaja and every one else chants Hare Krishna maha mantra).
So whole body senses, mind, intelligence, soul of course are busy. We already said that the original chanter is the soul. Who is hearing? Hearer is also soul! That is the whole goal. Soul is the goal. Soul has to chant. Soul has to be involved. Soul has to interact with the holy name. Then it is complete circuit. The chanter soul, the process of chanting and the holy name are the 3 things.. So chanter is the soul and this whole process, as we discussed some part of this process, some techniques, some aspects that we seem to be aware of and the goal is the holy name.
We could say in other words, there are three parties bhakta- bhakti and Bhagavan. Then it is complete, right? Bhakta does bhakti and he attains Bhagavan. They are all eternal. Bhakta and Bhgagavan are linked by bhakti. So here soul is bhakta. The holy name is Bhagavan. The process is chanting japa or kirtan. Japa or kirtan is the process and it is chanted by bhakta, the soul and the holy name is Bhagavan. So when they are linked, bhakta to Bhagavan, then it is complete circuit. That is yoga, bhakti yoga, japa yoga and not getting short circuit. Short circuit will not derive any benefit. Or there will be resistance. Either short circuit or resistance. Some metals are good conductors of electricity.
Some metals are naturally bad conductors. So when there is good metal wire, it is good conductor. Then electricity flows. Just like for the fan, there is a regulator. When the regulator is on number one, there is more resistance. Less current is allowed to flow to move the fan. When on 2, more current is allowed and faster it goes. Then go on and on upto 5 and then there is no resistance at all. In side is the device that regulates the current less or more resistance. If the device doesn’t exist, then the whole current from the power house will go in.
So mind is like that regulator of the fan. Mind could cause such so much resistance that chanting could stop. Nothing will come out of the mouth. Or one time may stop all together. No chanting for 6 months or 1 year or 2 yeas, 5 years. Nothing. Full stop. Mind will cause the resistance. Stopping lips and tongue and other parts, not even allowing to move lips. So we want that kind of mind to get out of here. Get out of our way. Get rid of that kind of mind. “Bhaja hu re mana”. My dear mind. Please.. please chant.. thank you.. thank you for chanting , thank you for worshipping .. bhaja hu re mana. Bhakti Sidhhanta Saraswati said – beat the mind. Sometimes beating the mind with the shoes, stick or broom – morning broom, evening shoes. So that kind of mind. Whatever it takes, work on this mind. Tame the mind. Subdue the mind. Shama and dama. Subduing the senses is dama. Sham is subduing the mind. From shama come shanti.. from subdued mind comes peacefulness. Krishna bhakta nishkama at eva shant. (Caintanya Caritamrita: Devotee of Krishna is detached (in mind), that is why he is peaceful).

Thank you. Hari Bol.