10th April 2019

PROVE YOUR INTELLIGENCE!

From many countries people are chanting with us. Some of you are regular chanters but also many of them are not chanting on the conference.

When we chant ‘Hare Krishna’ , you know what we are doing. We are worshipping Krishna. Serving Krishna. As we chant ‘Hare Krishna’, we have to know, how Lord makes His appearance. Then we have to experience as Lord appears. His appearance is for spiritual enhancement, very very subtle. In order to feel Lord’s presence, experience His presence, we have to be very very attentive & focused to identify the Lord & connect with the Lord as He appears before us, around us. He appears as Harinaam-prabhu.

kali kale nama rupe krsna avatara
nama haite haya sarva jagat nistara ( CC adi. 17.022)

To experience this incarnation of Lord, what can be done? We can attempt to chant attentively. We have been talking, ‘dhyan’ is our goal. Meditation & remembrance of the Lord is our goal. Goal of Chanting – goal of life. That meditation, that full focus & then perception of the Lord, that He is before us, around us, is not going to be possible instantly like an instant coffee. That’s why we have to do study of Chanting , so keep Chanting .

asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho
mano durnigrahaṁ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
(BG. 6.35)

So, Lord makes Himself available through the name, we call that as Yoga. Yoga means linking. Linking with the Lord, that is soul & the super soul is called yoga. We try to re-establish the lost relationship with the Lord through Japa-yoga. We are Japa-yogis. Japa-yogis are also Bhakti- Yogis.

iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ
kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanaṁ nātaḥ
parataropāyaḥ
sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate
( Kali Santarana Upanishad verse 6)

This is what Narad Muni said to Brahma. What Narad Muni said was this

shodashakam namnam

sixteen names

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

This is to realize the presence of Lord Hari.

Natah upayaha sarva vedeshu drishyate.

Narad Muni said other then this there is no other way, no other way like

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā ( CC adi 7.26)

These sixteen names will destroy all the bad qualities of the Kali yuga. All the kalmasha of the Kali will be destroyed by these sixteen names. There is no other way. There is no other way. So this is Kali Santarana Upanishad Vani. Dialogue between Narad Muni & Brahma. This is a veda-vani i.e. statement of the Vedas.

It is also said ‘ shabda parabrahma’ . Shabda is parabrahma. These sixteen names is parabrahma.

Arjuna also said,

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavan
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
(B.G. 10.12)

Arjuna said O Lord! Who is standing before me , as Parthasarathi! You are parabrahma. Elsewhere it is said – shabda parabrahma. That parabrahma becomes shabda. That parabrahma takes the form of the sound. It becomes naam. Then our job becomes difficult. Seeing the Lord in a deity form, although we don’t understand, but appears little easy. Understand this ‘shabda’ is ‘parabrahma’, then it is bit easier. This shabda ‘Hare Krishna’ is parabrahma. Then shastras also say,

Bhagvan shabda gocharaha
Indriyaani hayaan aahuh vishayaams teshu gocharaan
Aatmendriya-mano-yuktam bhoktetyaahur maneeshinah (Katha Upanishad)

You could understand Bhagvan through the shabda, through the sound. You could perceive Him. ‘Go’ means senses. Spiritual knowledge acquiring senses. Go-chararaan. We have heard, otherwise Lord is ‘a-gocharaan’, why? As it is difficult to understand Him with our senses.

Ataha Sri Krishana namadi na bhavet grayham indriye
(CC madhya 17.136)

Our senses are blunt, impure. With those senses it is not possible, to understand Sri Krishna naam, roop, gun , lila dham (name, form, qualities, past times, dham). Then

sevonmukhe hi jivadau swayameva sphuratyda
(CC madhya 17.136)

You could serve the Lord, beginning with the shabda & then ‘shabda- gocharaha’. Then you realize the Lord. You use your tongue for serving the Lord & then you say

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

If you chant attentively then that sound will reach our hearts. Then it cleanses the consciousness & our love for the Lord will be revived. That is Yoga. This all is supposed to be happening. Union of Atma & Parmatma. They stay adjacent to each other, but soul is not aware of it. Soul is right there in the heart next to the Lord. But soul is not aware of presence of the Lord. Lord of course, knows but the soul doesn’t know who this person is. He is the Super soul! Supreme soul!

Bahirmukh Krsna bhuliya
Jiva bhog vancha Kare nikatastha
Maya tare zapatiya dhare (Prem-Vivarta and CC Madhya 20.117)

Soul just want to go out, trying to reach out, going to the mall, here- there. Trying to gather object of senses. grab them , touch them. smell them, see them , hear them, taste them. This becoming ‘bahirmukha’ which we had been doing for long long time, life after life after life. Going ‘bahirmukah’. This has to be stopped.

By Chanting ‘Hare Krishna’ we become ‘ antarmukh’. So we should stop this nonsense! Foolish ignorant act. Looking outside, trying to get objects of senses. Whatever we are looking for outside, that is all there in purest form within us & in the Lord. Lord is the source of all shabda & everything. So by chanting & hearing, our ‘bahirmukahta’ or going out, will gradually go down & eventually stop. That is also ‘ Kali kalmasha nashanam’, whatever bad things of age of Kali, will be destroyed by the holy name.

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (S.B. 12.3.51)

Sukadev Goswami told age of Kali is full of all flaws & defects, but kirtanad Eva Krishnasya Mukta sangaha param vrajet. Sukadev Goswami said this, only by Chanting Krishna’s names. Kirtanad eve Krishnasya muktasanga param vrajet. ‘Mukta sangaha’ you will become Mukta, you will become free from bad association of this age of Kali. All the doshas will leave.

So we were talking about ‘shabda- gocharaha’. Bhagwan shabda- go-charaha . We could understand, realize, reconnect with the Lord by su-shabda. By way of sound vibration. So this ‘Shabda’ is Bhagwan.

Hari! Hari!!

Vedant Sutra also says, ‘anavritti shabdat’. There is one sutra like this ‘Anavritti shabdat’. It means no Anavrutti, means repetition. ‘Shabdat’ means with the help of the sound. With the help of the sound you could stop the repetition. Repetition of what? Birth & death. This could be stopped. Repetition of birth & death is stopped with the help of shabda.

Those Shabdas are these set of sixteen names. These are very powerful. Ultimately He is Lord Himself. He is Radha & Krishna. So ‘Krishna suryasum Maya hai aandhakar jaha Krishna tahar nahi Mayer adhikar’

As we chant ‘Hare Krishna’, then Krishna is making His appearance. He is like a sun & then the path is lit. Then the darkness caused by ignorance, caused by Maya will flee or run away. Light & darkness cannot stay together. As soon as you light a candle, immediately darkness is dispelled. When there is Chanting, there is Krishna, that’s how we become free from ignorance.

‘Vidya vadhu jivanam
(shiksastkam sholka1)

is also there. You become knowledgeable.

If you have done Chanting means nothing more remains to be done. Complete activity has been done. Chanting is a complete activity. As it is said ‘Harer naam Eva kevalam’. We are not doing any other thing. We are doing only Chanting. But in fact this ‘only Chanting’ is everything, we have done everything. It’s complete activity.

‘Kayen vacha manasendriyeva buddhyatmana’ (S.B. 11.2.36)

So Kayen, manasa, vacha, buddhi & soul also . So atma means nice body, Atma is mind , Atma is soul. As we Chant ‘Hare Krishna’ we are using our body, speech & mind – which has to be there. Use of intelligence is very essential & then involvement of soul has to be there. Then you do the offering.

‘Narayanay samarpayet’

Chanting of ‘Hare Krishna’ is a japa-yajna or sankirtana- yajna. It’s an offering. Swaha! Swaha! swaha! This Japa yajna is offering. Soul is offering himself. He will be able to speak with Lord. Soul takes shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Sri Krishna sharanam mam! Sri Krishna sharanam mam. Some people chant like this. So those emotions are there.

Iam surrendering unto the Lord.

Iam offering to the Lord.

O! Lord make me eligible to serve you.

So ‘yajne sankrtane hi prayai yajantihi hi sumedhasa’

(SB 11.5.32).

Intelligent people will do japa-yajna. So you prove it that you are intelligent. How will you prove you are intelligent? By Chanting . If you are not Chanting ‘Hare Krishna’, you are not intelligent. You have no intelligence. Maya has stolen your intelligence. Mayaya aprhuta jnana . Maya steals your knowledge. Bewilders you. So keep Chanting & Make your life successful & be Happy for ever.

Hare Krishna!