Bhagavad-gītā Thematic #57

Bhagavad-gītā Thematic #57

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Okay, so this is, okay, lesson thirty-two. One should practice concentrating one’s mind only on Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, but also not disregard other empowered living beings known as demigods. And so in the meditation, because we brought about the meditation is that it should be on Krsna, right, exclusively. But it doesn’t mean that others are neglected, right, because the tendency of the neophyte will be to focus on Krsna and everybody else, you know, has no meaning at all, right? It doesn’t matter who they are. Just like there’ll be the guru and everybody else is a schmutz, right, you know, like that. Or there may be the sannyasis and everybody else is, you know, like that. Does that make sense? So that’s the tendency is that we’ll act in this way, this principle, because what we do with Krsna and the demigods, because the demigods are the empowered persons that manage Krsna’s universe, right? Does that make sense? So it is a spiritual movement, but the spiritual movement is being managed, right? So you have officers, you have temple presidents, you have treasurers, you have secretaries, you have all these different things. So it’s not that they’re disregarded. Does that make sense? So that principle, we will tend to disregard others because it’s all or nothing. That’s always the area. We always have difficulty in looking at what’s in between.

Does that make sense? You know, the two ends are easy. It’s what’s in between that gets difficult, right? You know, we’re here, and then there’s Calcutta. That’s clear. It’s getting from here to Calcutta, that’s where the problem is, right? There’s so many details like that. So 12.15. He by whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, whose equal post in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety is very dear to me. Notice here. One who is not put into difficulty. No one is put into difficulty, okay? But then it also who is not disturbed by anyone. Because then we catch the other one. It’s okay, we don’t disturb anybody, but we’re also not disturbed by anyone. Otherwise, we’re being very nice. It’s sentimental that we’re trying not to disturb anybody like that, but we will become disturbed, right? Or we may say, okay, oh, I’m not disturbed for myself, but I’m disturbed for this other person.

You understand? That’s the trick we’ll use. Extended sense. Because when sense gratification looks too bold, then we use extended sense gratification, and then it sounds all nice and wonderful or noble or even spiritual, right? We try to attribute all that depending on how we’re doing. It’s still the same thing. It’s just packaged more nicely. You know what I’m saying? That’s the yes. Sometimes when we’re preaching, we kind of disturb people. Here disturbed means that you’re speaking the absolute truth. They may get disturbed, but you’re not trying to disturb them. There’s a difference. Just like let’s say you have a disagreement with somebody, okay? Now, a common tactic will be say something that will bother them. Right?

It has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation. But just because they bothered you, you want to bother them back. So you’ll say something. Yeah, but you always do this. It’s like, what’s that got to do with the conversation? Then they’ll feel bad. So one doesn’t do that. So one is not speaking to bother them. They’re stinky, smelly, carny, rascal nonsenses, so we’re going to get out there and make them feel bad about that. No, it’s a matter of explaining according to that.

So they don’t feel bad. They may understand or not understand, agree or not agree like that. Someone has issues, then it doesn’t matter what you say, they’re going to be disturbed. That’s the meaning of issues, right? So you just use a word. You don’t mean to use it otherwise. They take offense to it, like you say varnashrama, or you say brahman, or something like that, and then they start freaking out. But that’s their own issues.

If you know that that bothers them, if you can use another word, then you’ll use that. You can say Vedic culture. Generally no one gets too disturbed by that, like that.

So then you can use that. But if there is no other word, or that is the meaning, or that is the exact what is meant, then you use it. But you use it pleasantly. You use it properly. You’re not using it to bother them. You’re using it because the point needs to be made. Does that make sense? But at the same time, it goes the other way. One is not disturbed. It means someone may do something, say something to you or to others, but it doesn’t disturb you. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care. Because we generally equate disturbance with care.

And so it means for yourself it’s personal, but if it’s someone else, then you care. But the point is, the caring doesn’t mean you’re disturbed by it. You can still care because it’s not correct. But it doesn’t disturb you in that it’s an issue, that it’s emotionally involving. So disturbed means lost intelligence. Yeah, it means you won’t be intelligent. Why? Because the point is, if you’re putting someone else into difficulty, you’re saying something that’s not actually best for making the point. And if you’re disturbed by what anybody else does, you’re not going to be able to think in such a way to understand what’s the best thing to say or do.

In our day-to-day dealings that we have to do, to deal with local people or whatever working for us, you try to be nice, that’s what’s going on. And if you have to push the point, you definitely disturb them. But they’re becoming disturbed by it, just like Yudhishthira Maharaj has no enemies. There’s no one that’s his enemy. It’s not that Duryodhana doesn’t think of him as an enemy. You understand? It means you’re not doing anything that should disturb them. They’re disturbed by it, that’s another thing. Because that’s why it has the both. What is not put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone. Because it’s both things.

But you have to just analyze, is there any way you could have avoided that and got the point made? And if there’s not, then that’s another thing. But if there is, then you try that next time. Because, well, the tendency is to look at it, well, whatever’s the easiest way for me, then that’s pragmatic. Because pragmatic is always a subjective… They’ll always claim it’s objective. Because if I say, oh, it’s practical, that’s supposed to mean it’s an objective point. No, but it’s absolutely, totally subjective.

Because it’s easy for them. Oh, I was just being practical, Prabhu. I mean, it’s like, you know, all this etiquette gets in the way and then we would have wasted ten minutes and then we could have gotten more done. But the point is, there’s more at stake than your ten minutes. The relationships, long-term applications of things, repercussions that come from one thing complicating into another, all that’s not considered. So it’s not actually practical. It’s niti for getting something done immediately. And niti is for practically getting something done. Now, niti is the law of the pragmatist. But the point of this niti is not based on dharma.

Then it won’t have any long-term effect. That’s why you see your nitiists, they’re always destroyed before the dharmists.

You know what I’m saying? Duryodhana used niti. It worked immediately. He got control of the kingdom. He got rid of the Pandavas. And that, it seemed to work. And it worked for a long… 14 years is not a long, short time on one level. But if you’re looking at a whole lifetime, then somehow another 14 years runs out sooner than you think. And then because of the niti…

Niti means just…

It’s how to get something practically done. It’s called ethics. You know? But unfortunately, nowadays, ethics and morality are confused.

Right? It’s different than dharma. See, because we try to give a more noble position to ethics and morality. Ethics simply means what’s the proper way of dealing with the thing. But the proper way of dealing with the thing, simply for getting your work done. You know what I’m saying? It means you’re nice to Mr. Smith because you want him to do something. If you’re not nice, he may not do it. Or he’ll do it grudgingly. Or he may not do a good job. But if I’m nice to Mr. Smith, he does the job. But am I really nice… Do I really care about Mr. Smith? Not at all. Just I know that by dealing nicely, he’ll do the work I want. So that’s why it’s called ethics. It’s not dharma.

It’s politics. Yeah, it’s politics. That’s why it’s called political correctness.

Political correctness is just pure, unalloyed politics. It’s just using what politics work for the situation, which means whatever is the nicest in the situation. It means, in other words, what’s the nicest that you have to use? You don’t have to be nice. You won’t be nice. So political correctness is only used when you need to be nice. So how much you need to be nice, that’s how much you should be. Not more. Not less. You understand? So it’s just politics. So we talk about political correctness as if it’s something noble, as something grand, as something even we attribute to it religiousness or even spirituality. It’s just politics. But the point is, is politics have a validity. But they are still politics. But because politics sounds bad, it’s not politically correct, which is why we call political correctness politics.

Right? Therefore we euphemize it to make it sound good. So because we’re devotees, then we will try to make it look like it’s spiritual.

Like that. Well, it’s not. It’s politics. You can use politics in devotional service, but you’re using politics. So it’s not that it’s a social system in itself. Just because you’re politically correct, then we’ll think, oh, I’m applying myself in the social system in a proper way. No, you’re only dealing on the social platform, but it’s not a social system. So that’s why devotees still don’t have a social system.

Varanasi is a social system. Political correctness is a way of dealing within the social system. Right? So Varanasi includes politics. Right? Dharma, then there’s artha. Right? And from artha there’s kama. But we won’t talk about artha and kama, because they don’t sound good. So we’ll talk about as if they’re dharma, but we’ll never talk dharma.

You understand? So the difficulty is subreligion sounds like it’s religion, but that’s what’s called in the Bhagavatam, the second verse, that’s called cheating religion. It’s not real religion. It may be valuable to use in support of real religion, but you can’t not follow real religion, follow this subreligion, and then call it real religion. That’s cheating. You understand? So that’s the point, is that since it’s just a play on words, then if we analyze it, you know, by the usage of the words, we see it’s not actually glorious. It may be practical, it may be useful, it may be necessary, but it’s not glorious.

You know what I’m saying? Like cleaning the toilet, it’s necessary, but it’s not necessarily glorious.

You understand? So it’s something that needs to be done. You have to speak the proper way in the proper forum with the particular personages you’re dealing with.

But that’s just etiquette, right? So etiquette already includes political correctness, if you understand etiquette properly, because the etiquette is based on the actual nature. So if you understand dharma, you’ll perform artha and niti properly, but because you’re looking at the big picture, therefore, you see that the immediate result isn’t going to be as important as the long term, right?

Duryodhana followed niti to destroy his enemy, and it worked in the beginning. Yudhisthira Maharaj could have acted exclusively within niti also and countered it, right? And no one would have complained, because someone’s using niti, you counter with niti. But he used dharma. So it appears in the beginning that it wasn’t very successful. Look at him. He’s ended up in the forest. So it wasn’t practical. He wasn’t being very pragmatic, right? Isn’t it? Like that. Duryodhana and Sakuni and that, they’re laughing, right? Like that. What’s his name?

The charitable one? Karna. Karna, he wasn’t very happy about it, because he says, we’re ksatriyas, we should just fight. You know, why all this politics? Right? But they were happy about it. But he respected authority. He dealt according to everything. So even though it created difficulty, in the long run, he got the complete results. Like before it was, he was the emperor of the world, but he had to put up with, you know, relatives that weren’t very supportive. Right? So by following dharma, then he again had emperorship of the world with no relatives to give any problems. Right? In other words, his result was better.

You understand? So that’s the thing. We think that by following dharma, that we should get everything on all points, at all places, there should never anything go wrong. But that’s not how anything works. Something goes wrong to make it right. Means you go into the kitchen, it’s nice and clean, right? Now you start cooking. What happens? It becomes dirty. Right? So, but one would say, no, no, but if cooking is really proper, it wouldn’t be. No, it means there’s peels, and there’s water, and there’s all kinds of stuff, pots to wash and everything. Right? But, if you follow it right, and because cleanliness is part of it, then you will clean as part of the cooking process. And then there’ll be, you know, at the end you’ll have something cooked, and you’ll have a clean kitchen.

You understand? But otherwise, practically you just go in there and grab whatever pot, cook in it, throw it wherever you want, get it out of the way. They’re there, move them on the side, put them anywhere, and then you finish cooking. You got your preparation. And you may have done it, you know, a few minutes quicker than the other guy who was doing the cleaning. You know, or let’s say, not that the cooking went any quicker, but you came in, you know, two hours later. You know? You came in 45 minutes before the offering. You know, to do the puris, sabji, pakoras, and chutney, and… No, but the soup’s already made, right? It’s on the tray. Right? So you did it in 45 minutes. You know, in fact, the puris you were running down the hall to put them on the plate before they went in, you know? So it’s practical. So you got it done. Well, the other person maybe came in an hour or more earlier, you know, and got everything cooked. But the difference is, is afterwards, the one looked like a bomb hit the place. Right? And now you have to do all that cleaning. So he will spend an hour cleaning while the other person… And no one likes to just clean. But the other one would have come earlier, he would have done all the things he would have cooked and cleaned at the same time. So it’s very subject. The other one was much more… had the element of rajas to it. That’s why there’s a discomfiture. Or you could even say ignorance, because then this… Does that make sense? So this is the difference between dharma and nitya. They both get the work done. But the one addresses the problems and actually deals with them. While nitya, you address directly the problem, but not anything else. You don’t… You don’t tolerate that there’s any problems. Dharma, you have to acknowledge that there are problems.

Right? So then the tendency is, we look to religion to get rid of all problems. There should be no problem at all. Right? I mean, if you think about it, whenever there’s these utopian ideas, there’s no problem at all.

Nothing. You know, it’s just… You just sit back… It automatically just takes care of itself.

Like that. Does that make sense? But that’s not realistic.

Because the point is, is for something to be good, then there must be the inverse of it. Does that make sense? Because something to be clean means that you had to get rid of the dirty.

Right? Something’s clean because you’re always attentive that there’s no dirt. So if you regularly clean, then there is no dirt.

Means if you dust your house every day, there is no dust. But if you don’t, then at the end of the week, there’s a lot of dust.

Hmm? There’s little… I know. I know. Dust balls there growling underneath you. I took care of them yesterday. Nipping at your ankles and stuff like that.

Yes?

Yes.

So then you have others do. Means the ones who have eaten, now they serve. But the idea is that once you’ve been served, now, you know, you’ve attained your godness, so now you don’t do any service to anybody else.

You know what I’m saying? Because actually, who’s supposed to serve are the senior devotees, not the junior. Juniors don’t have the qualification to serve prasad because they don’t understand what is prasad and what are Vaisnavas. So actually, they don’t have the qualification. But we always relegate it because serving prasad is, you know, one of those low-end, you know, dead-end, you know, like sipping burgers at McDonald’s or something. It’s one of those kind of dead-end services. But it’s actually, it’s a Bhagavata service. It’s a top service. It’s part of the pancharakic system. So technically, seeing that it’s part of the pancharakic system, only second-initiated devotees technically are supposed to serve the shop, according to the Gaudiya tradition.

You know what I’m saying? If you have a, you know, a mixed group, you know, if you only have new bhaktas, then amongst themselves they’ll serve, of course. But if you have, have a group of all these, technically only second-initiated devotees are supposed to serve, then that would naturally be second-initiated in good standing.

You know, they’re qualified because they actually appreciate the spiritual elements of prasad, cleanliness, you know, Vaishnavas, they’re sensitive so they’ll know who needs what. The reason prasad serving doesn’t go nice is because you have people that don’t really care about what they’re serving.

You know what I’m saying? The persons who like to serve prasad, then they don’t, I mean it’s like you had, I think it was, no, not Krishnadas.

Yeah, it was Krishnadas, probably. No, no.

It wasn’t Krishnadas. Can’t even remember what his name was. He was a brahmachari, but he was like 70 years old or something. 80 years old. But they called him Maharaj. I can’t remember what his name was. But he would always come prepare, cook, serve prasad, clean everything, and then after that take prasad. You know what I’m saying? So the brahmacharis are there. How many brahmacharis are there? How many serve prasad? 15, 20 serve prasad? How many are there? Especially at a festival. 300? 600? So why can’t they rotate? You know, one batch is served by one group of brahmacharis and then the next batch they sit and then those ones serve and stuff like that. So it’s just a matter of not wanting to. It’s not a matter of practical. It’s a matter of no one wants to serve prasad. That’s the bottom line. They could say oh, but this and that. No, you can’t. If you’re too old you can’t bend over. Don’t serve prasad. But that’s no… There’s plenty who can.

You know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying? How many are living in the old brahmachari building?

One building. Yeah. And how many brahmacharis are there? 300? Yeah. So those 50, okay. They don’t serve prasad. But they could be supervising it. They could be seeing that it’s going properly. Because you don’t have to bend over. You just walk around and see that it’s going on and that stuff. So you have a line. So you have at least one. One if not two per, you know, one of those little channel things like that. And there’s like how many of those? You know, eight of those. So, you know, 14, 15, 16, maybe even 20 are there because someone had seen that it’s coming out of the kitchen. Someone’s organized there. Someone’s, you know, like that. Or that’s it. Somebody’s there and somebody’s on the lines. And then you have all the new boys sitting. You know what I’m saying? So that’s because that’s the science of it. That’s the devotional aspect of it. But it’s not being appreciated because management, collecting money, things like this, this is more important. No, those are the organized things like devotional service. You know what I’m saying? Collecting money is devotional service. only because the money gets used in devotional service. The actual collection is not.

You know what I’m saying?

Does that make sense? It’s indirect. Serving Prasad is directly devotional. It’s a direct Bhagavata. Collecting money is not a Bhagavata activity. Right? It’s a Vedic activity. It’s not even Pancaratra. Do you understand? It’s a Vedic activity. It’s Vedic, but you’re using it in Krishna’s service. Therefore, it’s non-different. But the priority, you have to know the priority. Like, what’s more important, the pot or what’s in the pot? You can’t cook the preparation without the pot, so you can say the pot’s the most important.

You know what I’m saying? But just because you have a pot doesn’t mean you have a preparation.

But even though the pot is very prominent, the pot has no meaning without the subject. So in the same way as even though money is so prominent and important and necessary, it’s still secondary to the activities it supports. So prasad and prasadaseva serving it, that is, that is directly Bhagavata. Worshipping the Deity is directly Bhagavata. Distributing the book, not the collection of the money, is directly Bhagavata.

Right? From dharma comes artha. That’s why you get money from book distribution.

It’s enchanting.

Associating with Vaisnava, these are direct. So these five main direct activities are superior to any other activities. Everything else is in support of that or in detail of that. Does that make sense? The fe is only useful when, instead of everybody being able to sit at one time, they’re going to be coming at all different times over so many hours and hours. And there’s not no space for everyone to sit down.

So therefore, people have to move around and find a place. You know what I’m saying? So, you know, some are sitting outside, some are sitting inside, some are sitting over in the garden, some are sitting, you know, over there on this side, some are sitting in the back, some are sitting on a step somewhere. Then the buffet becomes useful only because you can’t serve the other way.

You understand? But if you notice when it’s just the brother you know, there’s only, whatever it is, you know, 50, 60, they sit down and serve. But only when there’s a festival then they use the buffet.

You understand? But when you have a building that’s dedicated to cooking and serving prasad, you have the place, you have the facility and everybody is there basically at one shot.

So, there is absolutely no reason for a buffet.

It’s only laziness. Lack of understanding of our culture, you know, that’s all. It has nothing to do with their backs can’t handle it.

It has nothing to do with that.

Because you go to any one of those brahmacharis’ houses and their grandmother is permanently in a 90 degree bend, she’s still serving the shop. Why? Because she knows how to do it. The young girls don’t do it. Why? They’re not as expert.

So, it’s just all, it’s just a combination of laziness, which is ignorance and a sense of superiority that they’re seniors. So, that combination being from the mode of ignorance then is detrimental to the devotional process.

You know what I’m saying? Like that. So, it’s not a matter of I don’t know. You know, when they say, who am I to say? But the thing is I’ve been organizing prasad service here in May, of course, since 76. And that means to the GBC.

You know, just the other day we had a festival. We cooked for it and served it after cooking.

And at the end, we took prasad.

So, what’s the problem?

You know what I’m saying? So, in this one area we can speak as strongly as we are. And we’ll say it boils down to lack of knowledge, lack of culture, lack of philosophical understanding. That’s all. There is absolutely no other reason. Here in Mayapur, where they got it from, I have no problem that they use it. But they use it here, it has absolutely no meaning.

It comes from a western thing where generally people stand around and eat while they’re standing. Because it’s supposed to be snacks, it’s not meals.

The people who invented it, it’s, I think, it’s called sandwiches. That’s the meaning of the whole thing.

Yeah, yeah. So, they come around, and they stand around. But according to Shastra, only shooters eat standing up.

So, therefore, then we’re going to trade that, which is meant for shooters standing up, eating a snack, and we’re going to turn it into Vaishnavs eating a full meal and sitting down.

If everybody’s going to come out of a meeting, sit around, get something, eat something, and go back into the meeting, I won’t complain about buffet at all. Not one bit. But if they’re going to sit down, then why can’t they be served?

That’s it. Makes sense. So, this is, this is the whole point, is that we’re trying to find what is the, what is the devotional element of what’s not. You know, because in here, to be able to set, you’re not putting anyone into difficulty means you’re not putting them into difficulty. They put themselves into difficulty, what can you do? You try to avoid that. And even if you see that they’re going to find difficulty, in your dealings, you try to avoid that by dealing in such a way to, you know, circumvent that. But if still, they become disturbed, what can you do? Does that make sense? But you have to discern what’s what. Because in here, we’re not discerning, we’re saying it’s pragmatic, but it’s only need to. The point is, is they don’t want to serve prasad. You know what I’m saying? Because serving prasad takes organization, takes management, it takes skill. Sitting behind a buffet and just taking a spoon and putting it on some plate, basically any new bhakta can do it. So in other words, you divine the system is that it’s meant for senior devotees to serve, the Vaishnav system. But because the senior devotees don’t want to serve and the new bhaktas are serving, but because they’re not good at it, therefore the buffet system is something that they can do and be efficient at it. Because it means, in other words, the system is made up by mlecchas, so therefore anybody could use it. Right? The Vedic system is meant for, you know, those who follow brahminical culture.

Does that make sense? Right? So therefore, it’s pragmatic. But the purpose is not, not serving Vaishnavs.

The point is, is just to eat. And to eat without any difficulty.

Right? He by whom one never puts one’s own self into difficulty.

Right? That’s the inverse of what it says here. And who is disturbed by everyone.

You understand? So, in other words, we’re reversing. So when we reverse these things, what does that mean? It’s a mode of ignorance. That’s what it says. When religion becomes irreligion, irreligion becomes religion. So, proper service of vishad becomes irreligion because it’s not practical. Because religion means what is the nature of something.

Does that make sense? And irreligion becomes the standard.

Does that make sense? So, it’s not that it’s buffet against the service. That’s not the point. The point is the principle on which it’s based. Why is one being picked over the other? They say the backs, but as we said, how many serve? You know? And rotate. What’s wrong with that? Oh, there’s so many services. Then, don’t have vishad. Let everybody, you know, do their own thing. Just, you know, encourage restaurants. You know, and then everybody can focus on the main things that this important work that they’re doing.

You know what I’m saying? So, why take something up and do it wrong?

Does that make sense? You know, it’s like, how is it this other service, since it is a direct bhagavata activity, what could be more important? It’s not that they’re chanting. It’s not that they’re studying bhagavatam. It’s not that they’re worshipping the deity.

You know what I’m saying? It’s not that they’re out on book distribution because they’re here.

Right? When they’re out on book distribution, there’s five of them. There’s no buffet.

You understand? So, the whole point is, it’s direct. Why would, that’s the problem. You understand? The form, the form is not the problem. The application of that form is being used in this situation. That’s the problem. You know what I’m saying? That we’re using a hammer to, you know, prepare the cauliflowers for the subject. Is there a problem with the hammer? Is the hammer bad? No, it’s fine. It’s used, meant for nails.

You know? It’s not meant for cauliflowers.

Right? So, the buffet isn’t the problem. Some will say, oh, it’s not Vedic, and this, no, it’s not a matter of that. Oh, it’s not Vedic, no, we’re just being practical. No, it’s a matter of, it’s the wrong thing for the situation. It’s not practical. Because in doing it, you lose so much culture.

Yes? What about management authorities who have established preaching centers internationally, and so you’ve got something like the Vindas Restaurant. Shouldn’t we be embracing this method as well? If you can, if you have the people and facilities, but if there’s three of you and there’s, you know, so many people eating and you’ve got just a couple of preps, then you can do whatever you need to do. Do you understand me? In other words, what we’re saying is that there are situations that might be practical.

Do you know what I’m saying? But in situations, here, what he’s quoting, it’s not necessarily.

Do you know what I’m saying? In other words, being Lord Caitanya’s place, why not try for, you know, the example, you know? Lord Caitanya went to Surya Prasad after Haridas Thakur. They all sat in lines. Krishna, you know, bhosi, sari, sari, we sing it every day, you know, they all sit in lines. Why would it mention? They would just say Krishna sat with his friends and ate prasad and he ate this and he ate that. You know, why do you even get into the detail? You know, because no one’s in the cooking. You just say Krishna sat, you know. Krishna ate with his friends, so we don’t even have to get into sitting part. He just ate with his friends. But it gets into, they sat in lines, right? What they ate, you know, what was the order of what they ate, that they got up, stood in line and washed their hands and mouth and feet. All that is said in the song. Why would that be said? Unless it’s something special.

You know what I’m saying? Shastras mention, even Radharani brushes her teeth. It tells how she brushes her teeth and how she spits the water. Why? Because these have some meaning.

And I guess that there are two aspects that we need to consider as well, if we’re to implement something like this, is that like, you know, you will need the, I guess, the training and also the qualifications.

Qualifications means you care for the other person. In other words, let us say, okay, the prasad is there, you go and just get in the line and get some prasad, sit down and eat. You’ll appreciate the prasad. So as far as the spiritual aspect of taking prasad, whether you serve it in lines or serve it as buffet, you still get the same spiritual benefit. You know what I’m saying? So, but the point is, is the Vaisnava interaction is missing. And especially in a, you know, in a day and age when, you know, Vaisnava, you know, the association, the community, and it’s, you know, all this kind of thing is all the buzzwords. Here’s a major one that then is just overlooked. So how, you know, how much buzz is going on? You know, the Vaisnava, you know, it’s no buzz.

You know what I’m saying? It’s not happening. So the point is, is you can sit down and appreciate the prasad, and you get the spiritual benefit. But if I’m serving you and seeing that you’re getting what you want and trying to ask at this and that and so many things, then the relationship develops. Plus there’s the thing, you’ve gotten up. Now, you have to get up to go there. What happens if you’re, want a little bit more, but, but the trouble to get up and get it is more than that little more you want. So you’re not going to get up and get it.

Yeah, you know, something like that. So I mean, yeah, that’s a good point.

The point is, according to Ayurveda, you’re never supposed to get up when you eat. That’s why someone’s sitting to eat, you don’t get them up. You know, so, but if you’re managing it, be a better manager. Next time, don’t let them sit down. You know, if they’re not supposed to sit there, manage that they don’t sit there, they sit where they’re supposed to sit.

You know what I’m saying? So, so the whole idea is that it disrupts all these things, these things we don’t know. You know, we’ve just taken this, you know, it doesn’t matter because, you know, you, you go up to the window, you order something, you stand there and eat it, you know, because if, if they have seats, then there’s a tax because then you’re a restaurant, but if they don’t, you know, you sell stuff, but there’s no place to sit, the taxes are less than if they actually have a place to sit. So a lot of places don’t have places to sit, so they just sit there and, I mean, you stand there and, you know what I’m saying? Or they can have a few seats outside, a dozen benches outside, like the garden, so then you can go sit out there. Problem is, when you get up, someone takes a seat, right?

So, these, all these elements are there as part of the culture. You’ll appreciate it more.

You know, there’s the Vaishnav interaction, that’s why it’s, say, bunk dey, bo, jayate. It’s sitting there behind the thing and giving something. You can make the best of it, you can, and be pleasant and nice and try to give how much they want, how they want, pay attention. So you can, you can bring it to its best, but it’s still not the same as when they come to you.

You know?

You have to go to them, it’s one thing, they come to you, it’s another thing.

Another point is that it interrupts the conversation that people are having when they’re taking, it’s like, just wait a second, I have to go. Yeah, yeah. Or you have to wait until they finish and get up together, so at least the etiquette of while the other person’s eating, you don’t get up, is maintained, but it’s only maintained only for practicalness. You know, it’s not, it’s, you know what I’m saying, it’s, elements are there, so you’ll appreciate it, that’ll be better because that’s an element of actual taking prasad. Yeah, it’s all a disturbance.

So, just being practical inherently actually means being inconsiderate. Being practical does have an element of being inconsiderate. Niti, Niti is famous for being inconsiderate. So, it’s from the Lord’s reference. Yeah, so that’s, that’s why the Shastra when it describes Niti, it’s trying to describe it in line with Dharma, so you get practically done and you don’t disturb the overall, but at the same time as you can apply it on a more closed circle. You know what I’m saying? In other words, it’s appropriate, it’s based on Dharma, but there are maybe Dharmic considerations that would slow down the process.

You know, as we’ve said, it means Duryodhana got the empire in one gambling match. Well, actually, it took him two.

Right? So, that’s, you’re talking about a few hours, but Yudhisthira took 14 years. But, but, the point is, Yudhisthira is, it’s an unrivaled kingdom.

You know, he has full support. Duryodhana doesn’t have full support.

Yeah. I just want to clarify, you’re describing a hierarchy of activities, and a hierarchy of consciousness, in which those activities can be performed. And they can be mixed. Yeah, you can mix them, yes. So, how would you describe that hierarchy of consciousness? What’s the organization? It means, anamo is your, the sensuality, that’s the lowest. Extended sensuality, that’s pranamo. It means where you care for others, life, life in general. So, it means that, it means, of the, it means, the sensual means, it’s, everything is done through sense perception. The knowledge is gained through there, and it’s, it’s defined by the sensual engagement. Right. Extended sensual gratification is defined by others’ engagement of their senses. So, it can be to a specific group, or to, you know, just life. You know what I’m saying? You see those who are very considerate of others, but only a specific group. Like, you have a suit on, they’re considerate. You don’t have a suit on, they don’t care. That’s what I mean. So, ideally, there should be a correspondence between the top consciousness, anandamaya, should be performing the bhagavata, not, you know, anandamaya. Yes. It means, it would be, that would be, that’s where mixed means. So, when we say mixed devotional service, anandamaya is being mixed with dhamma, artha, and kama, moksha. Right? It means, as a primary element.

Right? It means, ultimately, it’s secondary, but in the, in the application, it’s primary. That’s why you’re doing it because of your interest in dharma, artha, kama, moksha. So, the idea is that anandamaya means the service to the Lord is the prominent. And then, you’re engaging dharma, kama, moksha. Point is, is, these, these four activities, these are the activities of, of human life. You know what I’m saying? You’re performing an activity according to your nature. Right? So, that’s dharma. It will give a result. So, you deal judiciously with that result. You know, and see that others get benefit from that. You also get benefit from that. Right? But, ultimately, that whole process of endeavoring and being involved is being done without a desire for a result for yourself. So, in other words, you’re performing activities of your nature without desiring the result. Right? And the result is being used in sacrifice for the benefit of others. So, Krishna and the Vaishnavas. Sound like devotional service? Right? That’s a clear definition of devotional service. So, performing your activity, dharma, without attaching to the result, moksha. Right? For the benefit for sacrifice for others. Right? That’s artha. And, you benefit for yourself. Kama. That’s all being seen in connection with devotional service. So, therefore, dharma, artha, kama, moksha is not called that. It’s called devotional service. It’s just anga-sabhakti. It’s when they’re separated off and they’re not anga-sabhakti. Then, they’re called dharma, artha, kama, moksha. Right? Just like engaging the senses in the Lord’s service is devotion. Engaging the senses not in the Lord’s service is called sense gratification. Right? So, that’s karma. Engaging the intelligence and mind in contemplating philosophy connected to the Lord is called vichara. Not connected to the Lord. It’s called mental speculation. You understand? So, all the items that we give names to that we will say are non-devotional, they have those names only because they’re not connected to the Lord. They’re connected to the Lord. We don’t separately define them. Right? They’re just part of the devotional process.

Right? Because if it’s part of the Lord, then it has its place. If it’s not part of the Lord, it becomes exaggerated. So, does that make sense? Someone has a motorcycle, they ride it to the, to, you know, to work and back. Do you call them a bikey? No. But when the motorcycle itself is so important to them, then they’re a bikey.

You know? And then the question is, why are they going to work?

Right? Bikers can go to work, but not bikeys. Does that make sense?

And then you have weekend warriors.

Does this make sense? What is emphasized then it gets a title.

Right? If it’s not emphasized, if it’s in a balance, it’s not given a title.

You know what I’m saying? The cook can cut subji and wash pots. But if all you do is wash pots, you’re a kitchen, you know, cleaner. Or if you cut subji and that’s all you do, you’re a kitchen assistant.

Right?

Does that make sense? The good cook is, is, is, knows how to eat, otherwise how will he cook? Right? But you don’t call the good cook a commissure. Right? The person who eats, you call a commissure.

Do you understand? So it’s a matter of where, where the emphasis is.

Does that make sense?

Okay.

So after that preliminary talk, just on the verse, now we get to the, we get to the third one. By Krishna’s mercy one becomes dear to Krishna. No one is put into difficulty, anxiety, fearfulness, or dissatisfaction by such a devotee. Right?

So, difficulty means there’s some problem. Anxiety that they’re perceived will be a problem or some problems already come up. Fearfulness because there’ll be a loss in their position and everything because you’re moving in on them or you’re doing something or you say something that breaks down their identity of themselves because that’s nothing. Someone’s confident. Then what do you do? You say something to unnerve them. Right? Right? So difficulty, you’re trying to take what they’re taking. Right? The anxiety caused by that fearfulness of losing their position, dissatisfaction because the dealing they weren’t satisfied in the interaction.

Right? So any of those. You may have done everything nicely but they’re dissatisfied.

Right? Or you’re dealing nicely but you’re making them fearful. You’re dealing nicely but you’re about to take away their position.

I was… Explanation is one thing but are you… is what you’re doing according to authority that that’s what should be done at that time?

Okay. So then, yeah, you explain the best you can but you try… It’s not that you’ve explained it and that’s it. If you can continue to try to then you work with it try to make them comfortable. Then they’re satisfied.

Then what can you do? It means if there’s opportunity to continue working at it you do. If not, then you don’t. Is that…

Since… Since a devotee is kind to everyone he does not act in such a way as to put others into anxiety. Right? Because he’s kind. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get done when he needs to get done but he’s kind. Because much of the time there is other ways to get something done. It just takes a little longer and it’s a little more effort. Right? But because of pragmatism we won’t make that extra effort. Right? Because… pragmatic is value. It’s an important aspect. The pragmatism being the prominent only element is technically only the idea of the Vaishya.

Right? Because it’s just a matter of what you have to do to get profit. Because it may… You get maximum profit when there’s the least amount of investment. Right? So if I use the shortest possible method to apply it it’s less… less investment so that means more profit. Does that make sense? Like that. So pragmatism is very important for Vaishyas. That’s why the Vaishya is encouraged to work according to Dharma but their actual field is Artha. Right? And they’ll have a tendency to sometime… If Dharma is in line with Artha then great. To them it’s double profit. You’ve got your profit plus you’re considered religious.

It’s just like I’m going to… Let’s say the government is going to take $100,000 anyway. I’m going to lose it anyway in tax and nobody will know except some guy sitting in some little office somewhere that I don’t want to know and he doesn’t want to know me. But now if I give that $100,000 away in charity that’s a big donation. There’ll be pictures there’ll be photographs there’ll be those big six foot checks all that kind of stuff and I’ll be a great guy and I’m the supporter of this and that so I make double profit.

You understand? So that way then the tendency is there. That’s why Dharma is there. The Kshatriya Dharma is their situation.

So in other words if you see an administrator that is not considerate considerate of social structure right and practical is superior to social structure you’re not dealing with the Kshatriya. Or you’re dealing with a very untrained low grade Kshatriya mentality.

Then the influence becomes more important. So in other words you have to check is the profit what’s most important? Profit or the influence? So it’s profit then they shouldn’t be doing that. If it’s influence they need training.

Does that make sense?

At the same time if others try to put a devotee into anxiety he’s not disturbed right because the modes in nature are stuff it happens. Either the modes in nature just by how they work sometimes it’s nice sometimes it’s not. So even if they’re not planning it happens. But even if they’re controlled by the modes and they’re planning to give you a problem then you’re not disturbed because you know it’s just the modes. It’s not the soul. The soul is pure. The soul couldn’t care less about fighting over position or you know power or money or facility. Right? Because it’s all Krishna it’s all for Krishna anyway. So it’s the conditioning that’s fighting. The conditioning is the modes in nature. Right?

You understand? So here both things because one will say not putting others in a difficulty if we’re just looking if we’re just practical managing all of this is very sentimental we have to be practical. But let’s say we’re a little little bit more enlightened so we’ll say yes, yes it’s good like that but then when we get to this we’re not disturbed by others then we’ll say well this is theoretical. Right? Unless one is quite you know saintly then one will try that but then you know how many of those are there? You know what I’m saying? In the western paradigm how many are that’s not disturbed by others?

I mean this comes to mind Francis of Assisi OK Anyone else?

Jesus Huh? Jesus Yeah OK Jesus Two Are we going to make one handful here? No, OK So that’s the thing that will be kept for that’s really not practical and nice it’s glorious but not at all practical but trying to be nice to others is OK but generally tendency is they may be nice but not practical so the guys that are practical are not nice Nice guys finish last Yes Nice guys finish last In a sense So here it is is that all of these have to be applied You don’t disturb others they don’t disturb you That’s the actually most practical because if you’re not disturbed you always work nicely, right? Just like you’re going along you could do it You could let’s say there is something going on in the meeting there’s discussions and there’s something that’s putting your position in jeopardy right? and so you make your presentation they’re making their presentation right? but you know maybe you followed the thing that you OK tried to do it in such a way not to bother them but they don’t have any problem in saying something that will bother you so now the point is what they’ve said it’s just to bother you it doesn’t actually have any substance so therefore the people who are making decisions since it doesn’t bother them they’re still using their intelligence right? but because it bothered you so much emotionally and the others just sat there while they said it then you storm out of the room and say you know I’m out of here and I’m not doing this so then the other guy gets it well if you weren’t bothered you could have just said no but that’s this and that what’s that got to do with this?

you know? and so then the others go right and so then the other they would be dropped right? and if you don’t bother others then it may be slower to get something done but the point is is you get it done the other person that that you were worked with is not going to bother you you understand? well if you disturb him to get done what you want he’s going to be disturbing you all the way through and even after he gets his position he’ll still bother you you understand? so as far as pragmatism Krishna means just material this is better but the reason is is because everybody is a devotee all souls are servants of Krishna so Krishna doesn’t want us to bother other souls that are trying to elevate ourselves because we are going to be dealing with our conditioning and we have to deal with you know occupations you know in ashram so all these things we have to work with others so we shouldn’t disturb anybody in that process because they’re also devotees yes but it seems like it may slow not slow but pushes you to work on a lower profile lower profile at least in the beginning practice in that so is working at a lower profile a problem depends depends how you look at it depends no but how we look at it but in practically getting it done it is a problem it is a problem because why would it be a problem low profile means that you can accomplish much less trying to no but why does a profile no I’m just saying to analyze it why does a profile what is the what is the efficient element of a profile you’re saying that if you work on a lower profile then less people involved less things involved so less possibility to disturb oh so your profile here means you don’t mean attitude or show you mean no but it can be that you can still work with as many people in as much facility just you move it slower it may mean you’re working with less it may mean you work slower so what’s more important to implement this principle or to get things done for the mission let’s say but what is the let’s get it done before okay squeeze that under the line okay what’s the mission made of devotees okay so are devotees therefore important very much okay so is the mission more important than the individual so you know what I’m saying or is the mission to engage the individual right so of course you do have the principle of you can sacrifice a member of the family from the family like this but at the same time as you have the ultimate poise you can sacrifice the whole world so that means the spiritual spiritual element is the highest right so there is the element of okay it would be good for everything spiritually but for one person it may be a difficulty but it doesn’t mean you don’t try to work something out for them maybe it won’t be in that situation something else right so the element of the the mission or in this case because we’re looking at it generally when we look at political things we don’t look at so much mission the state being the superior thing that was something created by I’m not sure if he did it directly himself or he did it with the help of others but it was Louis XIV established that you know what I’m saying because before that you had the king the king was the state so there wasn’t a state but with Louis then he made the state he was the king of the state so he’s the first citizen but he could be a first citizen as a king now you have to be you know a first citizen as a president or a prime minister or chancellor you can’t be as a king so much I mean some do it but it doesn’t work as well huh? yes yeah like that you know Augustine in Rome after Caesar came to Augustine he had the same system he was like a first citizen but basically he ruled over the whole period yeah I mean it works if you can do it someone like him can do it that’s why you remember him and you don’t remember many others after him because after him it only went for another I think four or five hundred years like that well the east empire lasted another fifteen hundred years you know so the the the difficulty is is that the state takes on a life of its own well the state is only meant to support the people but what happens is the state takes on preference over the people so if it’s seemingly good for the people then it doesn’t matter what happens to the individual so of course you have to make a balance you know it’s not this or that but the problem is that it overemphasizes the state does that make sense so you overemphasize the mission you know what I’m saying but who defines the mission because Krishna defines the mission Rupa Goswami defines the mission right we don’t define the mission we take part and we try to practically apply the mission in the particular situation we’re in so the thing is is you have the long term ok the temple president did get a lot done in the festivals and all that but he only has you know five brahmacharis in the temple and three hundred live outside right and those three hundred aren’t supported they don’t give money they show up for some some of them show up for major festivals basically for prasad and a few of them come for you know this and that but out of the three hundred it’s not many you know does that make sense I can speak of one place fifteen hundred and thirty would show up as a regular I’ve heard now it’s up to fifteen you know so that means the proportion is not great so was it practical you got it done now we had a great festival but next year no one wants to take part in any festival so was it actually good that’s that’s the point you know so therefore the the profile profile only has a value if it’s through profile people will appreciate you know what I’m saying it means if you show up at the job interview in a Mercedes it may take you more seriously than you show up in a Polsky Fiat right you know that’s the only reason to show up in a Mercedes it’s not that you are the Mercedes you know everybody said Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes yeah what was the first thing yes yeah yeah it means yes you would say that it means that the mission would be the masculine but the the individuals are feminine so that means the masculine acts in such a way that the feminine is engaged right so of course the mission is more important you can’t sacrifice the mission but that doesn’t mean that who decides where where is the importance line so just saying it was practical is that actually authority do you understand the point is you could have done something else yeah but that would have taken so long you know so some can appreciate that there is other methods and they might have some benefits but it’s just too much so there’s impatience they want immediate and then because you do this you get so many things done no but the point is it’s better a little bit done than you know what I’m saying it gets somewhere because then that part’s done because otherwise it’s you keep doing but nothing’s ever done you’re moving through but then it’s like I’m probably expelling Alexander he conquers one place when he moves to the next place then the old regime just comes back up and they’re running again like they were before so you could say he conquered the whole of you know the Middle East the Central Asia but at the same time he didn’t have control of any of it so when he came back the other way he has to conquer again you know so you could say it’s definitely freedom yeah yeah but you also have the element of just the the natural degrading element that’s there from being the material world so you always have to reestablish so that don’t mix it with that what we’re saying here is that means you follow a plan that gets an immediate benefit but then in other words the festival went well but then the day after the festival no one wants anything to do with anything but if the festival went well people engaged it took longer to set up in other words you couldn’t have just done it yourself means if they did it yourself then you know you put in a little bit of time this and that and most things get done something’s 90% something’s 80 % something’s 60% you know so the festival did run but if you work with everyone else you have to have more meetings start earlier do all these different things engage people according to their expertise you might even have to listen to them because they know more than you in the area that’s always a problem so all these different things then having done that the festival come off well everybody would be very satisfied everybody’s inspired to continue working with the president and in that environment because now a festival now is the next festival some of those things you can always do they made nice decorations for the deities well hey why don’t they get into the outfits for the deities or you know the daily just you know who does the vases and stuff or you know I’m saying what about the quality of the devotees or you know I’m saying you could and so then that would be better it was way more trouble but the effect was way greater you know what I’m and if you know nobody wants to work you’re on your own then you work on your own that’s another thing we’re not discussing that we’re saying when there is opportunity to do something more and one does something simpler because it’s more practical it doesn’t get a long term result does that make sense so another why we’re discussing that because we may put other people into difficulty by pragmatism or we will be disturbed by others because of our pragmatism they’re getting in the way but the point is is we’re not disturbed we don’t disturb we’re not disturbed so I’m just bringing out a way of that otherwise there’s also the whole you know political thing and you know all that gossip and you know all social interaction that we can put others into difficulty and they us does that make sense it is by the grace of the Lord that he is so practiced that he is not disturbed by any outward disturbance so it is by the grace of the Lord he is so practiced means he didn’t have it in the beginning he developed it it is by the grace of the Lord that we’re able to realize it so practiced means now realization is there actually because a devotee is always engrossed in Krishna consciousness and engaged in devotional service such material circumstances cannot move him because he’s always absorbed in Krishna so therefore seeing it in all relationship with Krishna then the circumstances won’t bother him does that make sense so we see here there’s the element of automatic the same time as automatic you know what’s going on and so if you are engrossed in Krishna consciousness engaged in devotional service then this quality of not disturbing others and not being disturbed will come automatically right so therefore you know these things it comes so much easier if you don’t know just what time it’ll happen anyway if you’re always absorbed it’ll happen anyway even if you don’t understand it a devotee who is always transcendental to all these disturbances is very dear to Krishna why why would he be very dear to Krishna just because he’s unmoved and so he just kind of floats around in the state of you know looking undisturbed you know is that is that what Krishna really likes to look you know take the cigarette out of his mouth you know you can engage in service engage in service he’s always engaged in service but that’s that’s for himself but what what makes him that’s dear to Krishna what makes him very dear others can also because he’s dealing with others he sees everybody else in a relationship to Krishna so he sees himself in a relationship to Krishna he becomes dear to Krishna you see everybody else you become very dear to Krishna because then the interaction the pastimes are there is that everything we finished the lesson lesson thirty three of all of all such devotional practices the most important are the association of devotees chanting the holy name of Krishna living in a sacred place and worshipping the Archa Murti of Krishna so ok what should practice concentrating mind on Krishna in other words following your you are hearing the instruction that means we want to go back to Godhead but we can only become transcendental by hearing from the Lord so the Lord comes himself the Lord sends the devotees then in that we hear from a devotee about the Lord’s instructions right and then somehow or another apply that in our life then when we become more developed then we try to follow everything in a regulated form and in that regulated form it’s not the regulation it’s remembering Krishna right but in that remembrance of Krishna in practice is the most important of all the practices right means you are doing the activities the regulation so of that remembering Krishna is the most important and then of the activities then these are the most important association of devotees chanting the holy name living in a sacred place worshipping the Archa Murti right now also this order has some meaning right why the devotees we’ll say chanting Hare Krishna but you’re not chanting you only chant because of the association of devotees so it’s by the association we’ve taken up chanting by the association we continue to chant by the association we improve the quality of the chanting then we chant then naturally we’ll want to be in a place that’s close to Krishna and because we’re close to Krishna we worship Krishna right why is the why is the sacred place sacred because Krishna lives there so therefore then we worship the deity does that make sense so therefore association of devotees is the most important that’s why we were making the point before serving the Prasad the buffet may be practical but the association of devotees what you could gain from it that is afforded by Prasad is lost you understand does that make sense let’s say you take how do you make what’s the quickest way to make friends with an animal feed it right so how powerful is that so that means in the association of devotees the distribution of Prasad you know is so powerful in developing relationships right it’s just there in the bucket you know you get it yourself where is it where is the development you could say no but we sit and talk with devotees but that’s part of it but then what about the part of caring because we’re all saying oh nobody cares yeah nobody cares that’s why they do the buffet they care they wouldn’t do buffet so these elements are there does that make sense so we’ve regulated the life we’re following all the activities in those activities you’re trying to remember Krishna in remembering Krishna we’re not neglecting everyone else in the process and of all these processes these are the main right does anybody catch something here in this yes yeah that’s what I was going to say there’s no mention of fifth because what happens when your association of devotees footnote yeah yeah but I’m just saying in these four what do you hear what do you do in the association of devotees discuss Krishna so that’s the Bhagavatam that’s why that’s why sometimes it’s mentioned hearing Bhagavatam in the association of devotees they’re put as one and then worshiping Tulsi is brought out but if you worship the deity you worship Tulsi because it’s part of the process means in the archa program you’re supposed to worship Tulsi right because you’re already chanting you’re already Prasad is also it doesn’t mention Prasad but that also comes in the archa work okay so this is what’s the 50 that’s the footnote in the association of devotees one will get oh it’s a very big yes footnote okay in the association of devotees one will hear Shree Madhav okay 438 in this world there’s nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism and one who has become accomplished in the practice of devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of time that one who has become accomplished in the practice so in other words that was the whole point before is you’re going to hear about those practices from the Lord right that’s going to be confirmed and directed by the spiritual master and having been given by the spiritual master one’s going to see the purpose of following rituals is to serve Krishna remember Krishna and the direct activities are the most pure so now having being accomplished in this one will be able to appreciate this knowledge within himself he’ll be able to one means he can practice it it comes like it says it’ll come come very naturally it says here oh yeah here it is by the grace of the Lord he is so practiced that he’s not disturbed by any outward disturbance so it’s by the grace of the Lord through his practice the Lord being pleased therefore he’s able to apply it so he’s enjoying these within himself because otherwise you can say I’m enjoying within myself but who’s the self so if we’re doing things that are envious of ourselves you can’t say we’re enjoying within ourselves we may be enjoying the enviousness of ourselves but we’re not actually enjoying within ourselves knowledge culminates in Krishna consciousness because that was the whole point Krishna gives knowledge through the spiritual master through the practices it culminates again back in having that realized knowledge before it was you’ve heard the knowledge right then you understand the knowledge then you realize when we speak of transcendental knowledge we do so in terms of spiritual understanding because the knowledge itself doesn’t have an importance unless it gives spiritual understanding as such there’s nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge ignorance is the cause of our bondage and knowledge is the cause of our liberation this knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service and when one is situated in transcendental knowledge he need not search for peace elsewhere it’s a mature fruit of devotional service that means knowledge will come by mature devotional service not other things that comes by just practice you become good at a skill you know by Krishna’s grace you’re blessed with that skill but it’s the knowledge that comes with it that doesn’t necessarily mean they have technical book knowledge he didn’t know so many shlokas that it may, may not but scholar means that he knows Krishna so Krishna is knowledge so knowing understanding not means you know Krishna so they can explain Krishna because they understand does that make sense? means if you are associated with somebody and someone else asks you about them you can say so many things so it’s not that this is gained through academic study it’s gained through how you say practice does that make sense? so one may have the ability to have so much knowledge also technical knowledge but even if one doesn’t it still means that you can still establish the point like Gorkha Shodas Babaji Maharaj is not known for his study in fact he is known for not even being able to read right? but if he would have a discussion with a scholar he would be able to make the points that would defeat him right? does that make sense? because he knows Krishna and they only know some aspects of Krishna they may know a lot of aspects but they don’t know how it connects to the Lord so therefore they are actually ignorant but the difficulty is that he would generally tend to not get in such one, why waste your time? and two is because the scholars themselves wouldn’t appreciate it because it’s presented so simply they would want all their nice fancy language and words like that therefore he would say because he could talk their language so they couldn’t complain that he wasn’t studied yes some definitions of uttama adhikari can defeat others according to Shastra yes so that means he is quoting Shastra but he could take one verse any verse and explain it down to the detail he could defeat anything you understand but much of the time scholars require a volume or specific words to feel that you’ve had a discussion like so many times somebody will come up with something and you’ll point something out and they can’t see it so they’ll think that what you said is not relevant so then you have to go in and give examples in their area and then take them step by step through until you bring them up where they’ve understood so you’ve already technically defeated them is that what you’re saying? they just have to realize they just can’t acknowledge what you’ve said they can’t see it they’re blind to what you’ve said so therefore it’s not that they couldn’t do that but it would be so much easier for in this case Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati because he’ll just immediately go and use their language use their quotes and everything and then establish it or he could do it but it would take so much longer because then you’d have to establish common definitions that they would appreciate having established those then you could slowly take them through but they wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it because if their ego is too big they wouldn’t appreciate going through technical philosophy in layman’s terms even though technically only a master of scholarship could do that because they’re experts that’s why they can’t do it a new person who has some knowledge can appreciate just using it in common language or a few fancy words the expert it has to be only fancy words but the master can explain it in simple language does that make sense?

ok and when one is situated in transcendental knowledge he need not search for peace elsewhere for he enjoys peace within himself so he doesn’t have to find the peace ok we get this facility that I’ll be useful or this position or you know when I go off nobody else around and chant no so he’s peaceful within himself so it doesn’t matter where he is he’s fine like Sukadeva Goswami is walking along there’s a whole crowd around him you know like that but he’s happy within himself you know Jarabhara is having to carry a palanquin you know and while he’s carrying the palanquin then there’s ants so he’s going around the ants he’s satisfied with himself you know so the point is it doesn’t matter the situation that’s why you see Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Srila Prabhupada their idea of preaching would go where’s the center you know where is everything happening go there you know what I’m saying you know the uptown you know there is quiet you have established people you know have money and have some extra time so then they use you know for yoga hearing a little bit of this and that a little bit of eastern you know exposure to the eastern nice you know it sounds good you know peaceful like that but you know if you go lower east side you know it’s crazy there but that’s where it’s happening people are looking so if you can if you establish yourself there and then you know you get yourself an out of the way place no you get yourself a store front you know we see some I think it’s Satsrugh he came in contact because he walked by and saw you know the store front you know and that was intriguing and then it had the thing there that there’s lectures so he came back you know but if they had been in some nice little you know resorty kind of place then it wouldn’t have happened so that’s the idea you go right in the center so you can say oh it’s not peaceful there no the peace is within yourself you can be out in the middle of the forest and not be peaceful also you know you’re worried that you know are the stocks doing ok you know stuff like that so you can be out in the forest that is the last word in the Bhagavad Gita oh in other words this knowledge and peace culminate in Krishna consciousness so this knowledge and peace culminates in Krishna consciousness you’re always endeavoring in Krishna consciousness therefore you get these qualities and by practicing those qualities then it culminates in Krishna consciousness so that’s the idea right full Krishna consciousness you’re Krishna conscious to practice it of course in the first place but we don’t have the qualities by practicing it like that we get the qualities by Krishna’s grace by continuing that then it culminates in full knowledge and peace right so that’s the last word the previous point it’s for the preaching that we should go in the center and live where everything is happy but for the parable life and kids and everything wouldn’t it be better why not for a more peaceful situation but but the point is is means you do have yes you want to see what will be better for the children because they’re not seeing the preaching you know it’s not that they’re going to high school and they’re not speaking about preaching like that you know if they do then they’ll get the born again so run for the money but otherwise they’re not so the so you’ll create an environment that’s there just like we see in student life they’re taken out of the normal social system but we’re talking about those who are within the social system does that make sense so there’s we see you know Narada Muni he preaches everywhere but much of his famous preaching is where right he goes straight to the king why does the king go to the emperor catch the emperor then you get all the other kings the king to control everything else so do you know what I’m saying so as I was saying you could consider the new new branch you know emperor preaching yeah not going for these heads of state or going for the emperor you know what I’m saying yeah think about it okay that is the last word in Gita in consciousness that’s what we’re trying to get so it’s always coming back to that but you have these tools so in other words the form is the manifestation of of how to gain what it is you’re looking for understand so in other words what you’re looking for is the masculine the forms and activities of the feminine right so the point is is if we the feminine engage in this masculine that’s what you’re trying to do the difficulty is we see the feminine and try to enjoy it for ourselves so we take the forms and actions for our own purpose rather than the forms and actions are for Krishna so that’s the difficulty when we discuss Krishna okay like that then we can appreciate but there’s no forms or actions so therefore it’s impersonal because person means action means form so actually that’s why we just see Brahman remember Prabhu saying that the neophyte tent leans towards the impersonal doesn’t mean he’s an impersonalist he leans towards the impersonal right in other words the Brahman aspect but not even understanding that’s what he’s doing right let me get into that okay yes so when we come to the point by the practice that we’re not trying to exploit the forms and actions that gain that quality that we’re looking for then we can be an assistant too that’s why we’re servant of the servant so the forms and actions are the servants of that particular goal so we’re servants of that you know what I’m saying so instead of us being the lord of the kitchen we’re the servant of the kitchen this kitchen is the form through which you can obtain Krishna as you know a Bhoga offering you know what I’m saying so the pots and utensils was the feminine form to get the Bhoga offering now the Bhoga offering is the feminine form of you know pleasing Krishna you know what I’m saying so that’s why they’re non-different we have to be equivalent you know meets what we were discussing before and that non-difference if that’s appreciated then one can then one can appreciate it because at any one time the one turns into the other does that make sense the one always becomes the other because there’s a non-difference does that make sense okay so then 51 Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur writes in his commentary to 438 in this world amongst those who engage in austerity yoga and other processes there is nothing to compare with knowledge that knowledge is not easily obtained by everyone but it is fully obtained by practicing nishkama karma yoga it is not unobtainable but it is obtained in time not immediately that knowledge is obtained spontaneously within the self not by accepting external sannyas so here is what he is bringing out is that you have all these processes right but those processes are to gain knowledge right so these processes would be forms knowledge would be what you’re trying to gain right so knowledge is superior right the masculine is superior to the feminine right but it’s through those forms right so now it’s not easily obtainable but it’s only through practicing so that means you’re using the forms but you can’t use the forms for yourself you have to use the forms for Krishna right if you use it for someone else yes you use it for the family then you’ll get that benefit you know you use it for you know fruit of then you go to the heavenly planets you use it for for you know in the connection with knowledge you get liberation you understand so therefore the nishkama here means the connection to the lord otherwise why would it turn into devotional service right so this knowledge you’re talking about is that knowledge of knowledge of Krishna right so that comes it says in time not immediately because Krishna is unlimited so you’re not going to know him so how can the unlimited be known it’s only through his grace right so this is yes confirm yes it always seems to be through class it seems to always yes not always that tree right yes when this knowledge is not connected to Krishna then it becomes a dhyana which we yes then we call it austerity yoga other processes but when it’s connected to Krishna we call it nishkama nishkama karma yoga or you know nishkama or nishkarmya generally we see in the Gita generally probably uses nishkarmya and in earlier chapters of the Bhagavatam the latter chapters you see they use they use this term nishkama karma yoga 11th canto uses this but nishkarmya is the when you put it together right does that make sense so nishkama karma then when you do samdhi on it you get nishkarmya so it’s the same thing sometimes devotees get we use the term nishkama karma yoga Prabhupada doesn’t talk about that no he talks about nishkarmya it’s the same thing just you know a little fancy with the Sanskrit so okay so it’s not immediate this knowledge obtained spontaneously within the self means Krishna reveals it right and it’s appreciated by the self the soul right so in other words the conditioning is not going to appreciate it it’s the soul so that means if you have a very intellectual conditioned nature you still can’t understand this right because other processes means the process of yama right so it can’t be understood that’s the difficulties we may think I’m intelligent therefore I can understand that’s the problem with the academics they think I’m intelligent so there’s nothing I can’t I’m a PhD so there’s nothing I can’t understand but the problem is there’s plenty you can’t understand like that so so that is the the the difficulty is that it’s revealed within the self so the soul understands through the consciousness then one is able to appreciate that and apply that through the medium of your intelligence so you can explain everything in this understand so the gross gross and subtle body is based on the consciousness so the consciousness is fully Krishna conscious that means then that will be you’ll be able to express that through whatever the conditioned nature you have so you’re an intellectual you’ll be able to intellectually explain it you’re not an intellectual you’ll explain it in a simple way but you will be able to get to the essence that explains it that’s why then this whole point is that that it keeps coming back to the knowledge that is given by Krishna through by the spiritual master right but the most important is to remember Krishna right and so all these practices are there but the most important are these direct practices right but one will be able to always perform these direct activities be absorbed in Krishna by Krishna’s grace through practice it’s not immediate right because we say this is the last this is this is transcendental knowledge because one is situated in serving Krishna right so there’s no difference between the knowledge and the practice right different forms but of one thing you know what I’m saying does that make sense like we don’t make a big deal out of Sri, Bu and Nila well it’s the internal potency internal potency means these three but Krishna doesn’t make a big distinction right as individuals maybe but as potencies no does that make sense so the point is they are distinct aspects you know the form itself and the activity applied to the form you know but they go together means what’s the that activity can be only applied to that form that form only has practical application to that activity so they’re different but non -different and through that activity form with that form you get this result that result can only be obtained through that form and activity and that form and activity only have meaning connected to the result you understand so this is where you always get this masculine feminine principle it’s just as you expand it you know the position changes but it’s the same thing it doesn’t change from that yes alright very often it seems like the soul understands we understand things on some luminal or level before the intelligence can really grasp it is that possible yeah because the lord is revealing because the condition of nature that’s practice that’s why he uses the term practice but fully obtained by practicing nishan karma yoga and then up here it says I have a question based on that oh ok so you said yeah it’s true so when Prabhupada would say things to people like understand Krishna consciousness by your intelligence because intelligence is the next door neighbor of the soul he wasn’t talking about materialism no it’s the cittapotency means knowledge is knowledge then you have its application in its natural state or through its conditioned state but intelligence is intelligence just like your arm is your arm whether it’s the real one or the one in the mirror but the original one is there so when you talk about your arm we mean the original one but if you do that the one in the mirror automatically works but if you try to operate just the one in the mirror then you’ll get it but it’s indirect because you look in the mirror and then see how it moves and then you’ll think ok I want it to go ok there we go it’s indirect that’s why the use of our material conditioning is indirect but these qualities what this lesson is talking about association of devotees chanting the holy name of Krishna living in a sacred place and worshipping the archa-murti of Krishna those are direct so at any point you can use your the natural intelligence the spiritual intelligence the soul the sat-chit -ananda you can use it at any time the tendency is we’re not accustomed to or we don’t like to because then it means giving up that we’re the controller and enjoyer so but at any moment you can go no this is what’s the right thing to do but then we’ll go no but then this and that and so on and so on so I can’t do this so we’ll fall back into under the conditioning but the direct intelligence one can use so one is connected and one is disconnected that’s the meaning of mixed devotional service that it’s you’re doing both at once means it’s dynamic because it is connected but it’s not it’s not prema because it’s not fully connected right so that means every devotee is doing devotional service but devotional service by its proper definition is uninterrupted so therefore only prema is technically devotional service but the others are not considered devotional service only because it’s not constant not because it’s not prema ok so original intelligence is fully connected to Krishna fully submissive to surrender yes but you still have to develop it you have to develop it to because we’re saying here is that the point being brought out is there’s no need to search for peace elsewhere in other words this knowledge of peace culminate in Krishna consciousness so we are also there’s nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism and he’s mentioned here that knowledge is attained spontaneously within the self not by accepting external sannyas so we can understand here is what we’re now we’re coming to the point of discussing the platform of bhava liberation because before in the lessons before then prabha is discussing you know just the authority where authority is then hearing from that authority you know and then having that faith and then somehow or another in that association practice then practicing properly then becoming fixed in that but then the point is Krishna is the main thing so hearing and chanting that’s the prominent like that so he’s bringing us through this you know shraddha right on up so at this point we see is what we’re dealing with is the element of one’s on the liberated platform one is situated in the self satisfied in the self has knowledge in the self but still prema can be cultivated because then that is an attraction to Krishna so in other words there is the knowledge and peace is there because there is no connection to the material therefore you don’t disturb anyone you’re not disturbed by anybody right that was the last the point just before this yeah yeah yeah yeah so this is so the idea is that that’s why that’s why I use sannyasa because sannyasa is not the form of sannyasa the form of sannyasa is supposed to include indifference that’s the point so indifference here doesn’t mean the indifference of you know the modern usage where indifference means you don’t care indifference here means is that you’re not disturbed you don’t have an opinion you don’t have a bias so therefore whatever situation you’re in you use it for Krishna therefore the situation’s nice you use it for Krishna situation’s not so nice you use it for Krishna that’s sannyasa so the form of it is supposed to afford that because as a sannyasa you don’t have a home so therefore you’re moving around and sometimes you’re in a good situation sometimes not sometimes nice food sometimes not sometimes good association sometimes not so it affords that you have to practice indifference but the point is nishkama karma yoga can be practiced by anyone because sannyasa means the result’s not for you right but the tendency is I use it for myself so whatever it is I use it for myself right so the next stage is I don’t use the situation for myself so therefore the austerity the knowledge that hardness but the actual after that is that whatever the situation I use it for Krishna just like whatever the situation I use it for myself here it’s whatever the situation I use for Krishna but that interim state we’ll generally call that the sannyasa but actually it’s that third stage that’s sannyasa the other one is simply tools to get there you know what I’m saying just like the kitchen isn’t the result the kitchen’s the method is that what it is that’s the point so so okay so 1855 and 913-14 one can understand me as I am as the supreme personality of Godhead only by devotion and service and when one is in full consciousness of me by such devotion he can enter into the kingdom of God O son of Pritha 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 always chanting my glories endeavoring with great determination bowing down before me these great souls perpetually worship me with devotion so now you’re bringing out that these these four practices are the problem are the main right so yeah so those who understand this right and then it says he understand me as I am only through devotional service right so only as we said before only when God descends himself or sends the devotees in other words the knowledge given by him is accepted by us through the spiritual authority then we can understand Krishna so when one is fully conscious by such devotion right in other words we’ll be conscious by that devotion we’ve heard from authority so we take up the practice so we are practicing devotional service we are conscious but we’re not fully conscious but when we’re fully conscious then we can enter into the kingdom of God because otherwise if not we’re acting here based on our own conditioning that’s the difference entering into the kingdom of God means you’re fully conscious otherwise it’s the eternal platform so you can’t be in the spiritual world as sometimes you’re always thinking of Krishna and sometimes not you know what I’m saying there what we do with Baba you’re always thinking of Krishna but it’s how intensely you’re thinking of Krishna right before Baba it’s whether you’re thinking or not Baba means you’re thinking of Krishna but on what level are you thinking of Krishna you know what I’m saying so when it’s full of Samadhi then it’s complete right that develops Purva Raga therefore one’s able to enter into the pastimes you understand because being in the spiritual world and being directly in the pastimes they’re two different stages does that make sense you can be here in Mayapur and be doing services for Krishna and then there’s being in the temple room you understand so they’re connected but then there’s that direct interaction that only comes when you’re fully absorbed because the point is Krishna is fully conscious so if he’s going to interact with you he’s going to be conscious of you at every moment there’s not going to be one breakage in that so therefore how will you satisfy him if you’re breaking now and again the consciousness it won’t be consistent in other words it won’t be devotional service as defined right so it has to be constant this makes sense like that so therefore that’s why it says that here that’s why it’s important to see the stages that are talked about because otherwise we will say no but these the other Acharyas they bring it all out no problem it’s just saying it in the language that we catch you know what I’m saying because of the other the Acharya’s language it’s only those who are more scholarly catch it the general devotee reads these scholarly things and it doesn’t mean anything they’d rather stick to you know Prabhupada’s stuff but it’s just because of the language we are able to appreciate our conditioning is able to appreciate it therefore we put the effort but here we see it’s just as the words go what Prabhupada’s saying one can understand as they are only by devotional service so he’s saying before it has to come by knowledge and devotional service means the knowledge received from authority practiced that’s devotional service and when one is in full consciousness it means and one one means you’re not originally it means you’re starting off the process and you’re not then you become right? so it’s by that consciousness and that devotion so in other words that devotion applied in that consciousness then you enter in the Kingdom of God in other words before you have consciousness was not full so you’re applying that in your devotional service but it will make you advance like Krishna will reveal within the heart so then one will come to the point where one is fully conscious right? and able to apply that in one’s one’s activities right? in all situations right? so those who are not deluded means they’re not conditioned right? so the great soul under the protection of the divine nature because they’re functioning because otherwise if you’re you’re not just because you’re not liberated just because you’re liberated doesn’t mean that you’re under the internal potency right? so by performing naiskarmya right? by this sannyasa external sannyasa you could come to the liberated platform but you’re still not under the internal potency right? so that’s only when it’s done in devotion so that’s why nishkam karma yoga has to be there right?

they’re fully engaged in devotional service so that means all their knowledge is used in service to Krishna so the naiskarmya means the results for Krishna not for getting liberated right? because you perform activities that are authorized without design result you will get liberated so that’s just not understood now because of conditioning to apply that let’s say in the grihastha ashram that would take a long long time then one would see that that’s too difficult so eventually one would come to the to the jnan platform or applying it in sannyas but you’re still talking thousands and thousands of lifetime the devotional service the grihastha can apply it and just because he does every aspect without the desire for the result for himself to please Krishna therefore the activities of the grihastha ashram or the brahmaprastha or the brahmacharya so all of those liberate one that’s the lower level and because it’s done for Krishna then you get devotional service Krishna reveals so that’s the meaning of sannyas so that’s why the external is not necessary but as a natural progression it affords a situation in which you know if you’ve been a whole lifetime with nice facility then you know there’s a tendency is you only like nice facility so then you know if you put yourself in a situation you may have nice may not have nice you know because devotees only complain ok the sannyasis they have all this facility they only talk about the nice facility they don’t talk about the not nice you know the person will complain oh you know they got upgraded they rode in business class on their flight to India but the person complaining how often does he come to India how often does he fly once every two years try flying every once or twice a week everywhere you go it gets old real fast along with yourself you know what I’m saying so it’s not a facility it’s just it’s uncomfortable to be on an airplane they’re taking it as oh it’s fun it’s different because you’re doing the daily life so therefore something different is a variety is is is you know your happiness right that’s what holiday is you do something different the holiday is more difficult than your regular life but to get out of the regular the typical of your regular life you go on a holiday but the holiday is way more difficult but because it’s different you take it oh this is great you’re enjoying yourself right does that make sense so that’s the illusion so then they’ll think oh they’re enjoying themselves no but for them flying on an airplane it’s normal you understand this grass is greener on the other side is this is this a sutra mentality that means you could say means from the element of that lament means ignorance it was not necessarily that the person means by varna their their shudra you know but generally most of these comments come from from shudras and vaisyas shudras from the enjoyment part you know that they would like it would be and vaisya from the money part why they should have the money I should have the money like that you know so the shudras why they should have the enjoyment I should have it and the vaisya why they should I should have the money for that because it’s so expensive you know the others complain oh it’s not such luxury that’s how you tell the difference like that these are the subtleties of ok ok so they are fully engaged because they know me as the supreme person so they are fully engaged because they know Krishna so Krishna has revealed himself so with that knowledge they are fully engaged so we see each one nourishes the other but it starts with Krishna and then he empowers the devotees then we become touched by the chit potency right then we try to apply that said somehow or another right Prabha didn’t say and then you take up the regulated no he said somehow or another because somehow you don’t know anything about it but so you are starting so you are sitting there in your apartment somewhere and then whatever is in your house then you know you offer that can of beans you know like that that at the time you figure out that after opening it you will offer it rather than before you know stuff like that or you offer it then put it in the microwave you know after the microwave then you offer it you know so like this then you start to you somehow or another connect it then by association of devotees then you start to become regulated yes somehow or another does that also indicate that the process is supreme to the person performing it yes it’s supreme to the person it’s supreme to the forms it’s supreme to the activities but it doesn’t mean that one can by false ego think that a lower level is good enough you know you can’t the adult can’t say well the kid threw a tantrum and got what he wanted so why can’t I no it means yes when you’re new you do these things no one’s going to complain but once you’re mature then that’s why it says the next stage is now you follow a regulated process that is authorized by scripture right because then you’ll you’ll means now means somehow or another you just connect whatever you’re already doing but then you start learning that some of the things you’re doing aren’t ideal you know I’m saying the person starts devotional service he sees being a vegetarian so you know he goes out you know to dinner with somebody and they’ve ordered something like that so he picks the meat out and eats the preparation that he thinks of Krishna and things like that so that’s somehow or another then by doing that then after a while he gets the point you don’t eat those perhaps that the meat was in in the first place you know so slowly somehow or another right then then it comes to this then it comes to the point of remembrance right right you know and you have that knowledge so we see here you’re also going through that yoga ladder your your karma’s there you know unregulated then regulated then that knowledge then that meditation but of these of the meditation then these these activities are the most important right remembering Krishna is what you want to get but you still have to express that through activity so these are the most important so it’s not that when you get to Dhyan karma’s not applied or Dhyan’s not applied they’re always applied so the yoga ladder is showing the natural step through but devotional service means the whole thing is there you understand like that so we see we perform the with a little bit of knowledge we perform the activity because you activity has to be performed with knowledge from that you gain more knowledge from that you improve the quality of activity so that goes back and forth by Krishna’s grace until it comes to this point of it’s complete fully engaged because they know me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead original and inexhaustible so up to that point we may be actually functioning on you know Paramatma or Bhagavan so Krishna’s everywhere or Krishna’s in control if I do this I’ll get a bad result or if you do that you’ll go to hell but who controls that not Bhagavan Paramatma controls that you understand so the considerations are there so it becomes comes to this state because he’s come to the point of Bhagavan his realization is now within that there’s non -difference of the three so we realize Krishna is the ultimate goal but what we’re dealing with is Krishna as Paramatma you understand but as we start to deal with Krishna as a person that becomes more prominent then the quality of his devotion increases always chanting my glories endeavoring with great determination so that understanding and then endeavoring so the two go together see here he’s always remembering Krishna by that knowledge he has of Krishna and endeavoring he’s applying it in devotional activities so the two go together bowing down he’s submissive so they worship with devotion so all that means in that submissive mood he’s always chanting and serving but then that’s perpetual he’s come to that stage so that’s what we’re trying to get to today is Monday tomorrow is Tuesday yes now a discussion has come up on this is that we have the material here for whoever is supposed to get the material that means by material we do not mean mundane though it is Aparavidya so that’s the difference in what we’re dealing with here we’re dealing with Paravidya this will be Aparavidya material knowledge connected so the question is it means this is a 10.32 10 to 12 that’s the standard time that’s what we have there one difficulty is is that to prepare this then it would be an advantage if we did it in the afternoon because Antaduip has classes in the morning so he could come that way he can take the notes and he can develop it because then you get because as we go here because this is this is only the first part 16 pages just part 1 like that part 2 is will be hundreds of pages part 2 and 3 1 and 4 are this big so he could be happy about that so there’s a question with that the only reason of bringing that up also is that there’s the idea that when we’re going through these topics means the first year at work this year you can see is we’re not finishing just the volume is not finishing in that 6 months the idea of the 6 months was only for devotees could come for 6 months attain the thing the courses and then go but the original concept was it was 27 weeks of classes right so 18 and 9 so this is the 9 we had the 18 so it seemed to work when we were doing the first year of the Gita this year it’s not working so well it did on some of the things but the next year and after that the Bhagavatam it becomes very obvious because you have to deal with a certain amount of chapters per term means year you have to get 54 chapters a year otherwise you don’t finish in 6 years so somehow because we had done the Gita in that I had just stopped out there and then I was calculating the other day and it won’t so that means this morning class would go right from Vishwa Mahotsav right through to the Akshaya Tritiya does that make sense does it make sense means we’ve been having the morning classes is the main lesson right so this is Gita and then the second class is you know Ishupanishad Upadesha Medha Nectar Devotion right does that make sense so the main course the smaller ones then may be able to fit in or may you know like that at least the earlier ones did we’ll have to see next year but then in this one it’s definitely not right it has to go for the full 27 weeks right now now the other aspect is that because of that then that cuts into the Bhakti Nuchana because the Bhakti Nuchana was also originally conceived of running on the full year for the full 27 weeks because the depth we’re going to go into even though we’re dealing with just the principles but the depth will be the depth that we’re using here in studying the Gita you know does that make sense so then the problem comes up is does that have to therefore run as a third class so that’s the point coming up is that the third class would be you know not that it’s third class but it certainly exists is that that would be the evening you know this 4-5-10 that’s the time it could be run does that make sense so that 4-5-10 that would be the time that it could naturally run so all we’re doing is checking if that would because we know that the 10-30-12 works for the philosophical course but now it’s a matter of checking will this time work for the Bhakti Nuchana because then instead of it taking 12 years we might also be able to get through it less because less than 12 years would be ideal you know 6 years would be better or shorter it was originally conceived of as 3 years but then it was much more time so the 10-30-12 would be used to finish off the no it means we wouldn’t necessarily run that now and just run this and then that or we could run that you know now that’s the chance that next September we’ll continue that running like that then the other question is and we would have the 10-30-12 would be that so there would be definitely that question now is are we comfortable with running that the Bhakti Nuchana at the 4 o’clock and if that’s there then the question comes do you want to run the 10-30-2 now also just in case so that means do we want to try running all three now and see if we kill ourselves so that we know huh no because it’s a matter of because here we only have nine weeks so if it works great then we can try it for 18 weeks but if it doesn’t work then we know we have to make an adjustment what’s your problem I can’t afford so you’ll apologize or whatever no that’s there that’s true yeah well the thing is it is a separate course this you know so that’s the one one advantage okay but the the second course in the morning is that something we continue with okay so then it’s just a matter who can come in the evening yes come 4 4 4 I would try this in nine weeks but as we said we were going to do nine weeks of this of two periods but so because we’ve taken one by this oh you’re saying is then do this for two periods what we can do is we will try that if this one ends ends then we can take the two periods from well then send me back to me because this is actually very big you know it’s I think it’s I think it’s something like 2,000 shlokas so it’s it’s you know it’s three times bigger than the Gita but it doesn’t have the purports so we start on today’s three classes couldn’t work according to plan oh well we’ll continue this thing and wear out the blankets Oh

Lecture Notes

A brief summary of the lecture contents, based on the notes of Śāstra-cakṣus students

  • Due to the neophyte understanding of ‘all-or-nothing’ we will tend to only see Kṛṣṇa and/or spiritual master and neglect everyone else. Our focus on worshiping Kṛṣṇa alone does not mean that we do not give any regard to others – we appreciate the potencies that they are invested with and the service they perform.
  • Even if we are not disturbed for ourselves, we try to extend it to others and make it look spiritual.
  • Disturbing people while preaching – we should try to use the proper words and dealings, but some people will be disturbed anyway, no matter what we do.
  • Not being disturbed by something does not mean that we don’t care.
  • Nīti is the law of pragmatism, how to practically get things done, but if nīti is not in line with dharma, the results achieved by it will be short-lived.
  • One who understands dharma will perform artha and nīti properly. But on its own nīti is nothing glorious and it cannot make for a complete social system.
  • For someone following dharma things may sometimes get worse, but only to get better. Yudhiṣṭhira was the emperor of the world, but with many inimical relatives. After the war, he was again the emperor of the world, and the inimical relatives were no longer there.
  • Serving prasādam is directly a Bhāgavata activity, and any management etc should be subordinate to that. In Vaiṣṇava culture, the senior members should be serving prasādam.
  • Buffet system of serving prasādam is only useful when there is actually no proper place to arrange prasādam and there are many more people coming than the place can accommodate, so then they just take a plate and sit anywhere. Otherwise, it is simply lack of knowledge, lack of culture, lack of understanding, and laziness.
  • Without training and in the mleccha environment proper service of prasādam becomes irreligion.
  • According to Āyurveda one is never supposed to get up while one is eating.
  • All the activities of karma, jñāna etc are only so called when they are given undue emphasis outside of devotional service, otherwise they are simply used in devotional service where necessary.
  • An administrator to whom profit is more important than social structure is actually a vaiśya or at most an untrained, low-grade kṣatriya to whom influence is the most important.
  • To not bother anyone and not be bothered by anyone is actually the most practical way of getting things done.
  • 1:04:50 The mission is the masculine, the individual is the feminine. The mission should engage the individual according to their nature. Of course, the mission is more important than the individual, but if the mission does not engage the individuals properly, there is no much meaning to it.
  • Alexander conquered so many places, but actually he had no control over them and coming back from the conquests he had to conquer them again.
  • If we are doing things that are envious to our self we cannot actually say that we are enjoying ourself.
  • Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is what we are trying to obtain by the different activities of devotional service.
  • The knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not understood by academic qualification. It is revealed in the heart by Kṛṣṇa’s grace through the practice of devotional service. After one has realised it, one can explain it either intellectually if one is intellectual, or simply.
  • At any moment we have the choice to take up our natural spiritual form and act accordingly.
  • Indifference (sannyāsa) means that we do not have a bias towards any situation, whether they are good or bad we use them for Kṛṣṇa. Indifference does not mean that we do not care.
  • People complain about sannyāsīs going on business class in an airplane, but one who has to go on airplane every week or so, does not get any enjoyment form it at all

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