tasma idam bhagavatam
puranaa dasa-laksanam
proktam bhagavata praha
pritah putraya bhuta-krt
Translation:
Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Srimad-Bhägavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father [Brahma] to his son Narada.
(Bhag. 2.9.44)
(Purport)
(Invocatory Prayers)
Srimad Bhagavatam- the ultimate authority
It is said that when Maharaja Pariksit had heard Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Gosvami, that there was still a moment, a moment before he was actually bitten by that serpent, and that within that moment His mother, Uttara, appeared. And basically, she was making the point that, ‘now you have received this knowledge, you have duly heard all this transcendental knowledge and accordingly you have been uplifted but please don’t neglect me. I am your mother, please don’t neglect me; give me the mercy also. You are my son; you’ve got the mercy. Now please remember your mother and give your mother some mercy.’ So Maharaja Pariksit did not really have that much time because after all he was cursed to die within seven days. So he could not once again repeat the entire message because he did not have another 7 days. So Maharaja Pariksit then elaborated on the knowledge of Srimad Bhagavatam and gave that same knowledge of Srimad Bhagavatam in the expanded form of the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, and that is quite interesting.
Actually, it must all be transcendental because last night, Caitanya Candra Prabhu started to give us an explanation of the Vedic literatures and how they are divided into sruti, smrti, purana and so on. It sort of reminded me of the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, where in the second part there is a chapter, which deals with the situation of Brahma loka. And we know that Gopa-kumara is the hero of Brhad Bhagavatamrta and he is traveling, looking for the truth. And as he is traveling, he travels throughout the universe, and in due course of time he reaches higher planetary systems. But never is he satisfied with that local situation because his desire is to worship the Supreme Lord. So he comes to Brahma loka and then he is there for some time and then he is amazed by the all the amazing arrangements for worship that are going on. But then, by some arrangement, Lord Brahma disappears and he himself, Gopa-kumara, becomes the next Brahma, he gets the post of Brahma. How that happened, we’ll leave that out of this discussion!
And one day he is in an assembly of sages who bring up a question about how one can attain liberation. And then the Vedas personified enter into that discussion and a big debate begins to take place between the sruti, the principle Upanisads enter into the debate and on the other side are the Puranas and the agamas. It is said that the agamas are the particular scriptures that deal with descriptions on how to worship the Lord in a ritualistic fashion and it gives like practical advice on how to act and how to do that worship. So in this way these scriptures were all debating and it became a major debate between a number of the Puranas and the Upanisads. And the debate was just getting hotter and hotter. And then the main point was, is it possible? And the agamas and the Puranas were adamant, that it was possible to attain liberation merely by chanting mantras. Some of the more confidential Puranas and more confidential agamas and even some of the confidential Upanisads like the Gopala-tapani Upanisad remained silent. And then when the discussions went more and more on about liberation, they just covered their ears.
So at one point these confidential Puranas, agamas and Upanisads left. Meanwhile the debate continued and it is said that the agamas, they won, they won the debate to everyone’s delight and it was clearly established that mantras indeed, mantras describing the Supreme Lord can indeed give liberation. But then Gopa-kumara as Lord Brahma, was not satisfied that these confidential agamas and Puranas had left the assembly. So he went personally to bring them back to the assembly. And when he brought them back to the assembly then in front of everyone they established that the mantras were not only mantras about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, were not only offering liberation but actually that they were offering pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord and pure love of God. And in this way, in a glorious way, they established the ultimate conclusion of all the Vedic literature. And Srimad Bhagavatam was declared to be the ultimate authority of Vedic conclusions and being victorious in the entire debate to the delight of all.
Srimad Bhagavatam- the foundation of our movement
So it was very nice and of course I am just repeating that chapter in a short fashion. And if you read it they are much more intricate detail than what I can just give you from my memory. But in itself it is very nice and this is indeed the essence. Srimad Bhagavatam,
nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam, it is said nigama- of all the Vedic literatures this Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence. And that is the ripened fruit of all Vedic knowledge. Thus we are simply preoccupying our time with Srimad Bhagavatam. We’re seeing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in spreading His teachings is basically using Srimad Bhagavatam as the foundation of His teachings. We’re seeing that in His discussions with the disciples of Prakasananda Sarasvati, the Mayavadi sannyasi guru in Kasi, we see first how there is a description of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu convinced them by showing him His effulgence. But then in the Caitanya Caritamrta there is a later chapter, which describes the discussion that took place between the disciples of Prakasananda and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And they’re questioning; they’re asking what evidence Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu really has to establish the personal conclusions on the Vedanta Sutra. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately begins to explain from Srimad Bhagavatam. He is quoting from Srimad Bhagavatam and all His evidence is practically all coming from Srimad Bhagavatam and an additional verse from the Purana and so on. But otherwise one quote after another from Srimad Bhagavatam because this movement is simply founded on Srimad Bhagavatam.
Srimad Bhagavatam- destroys impurities in the heart
Srila Prabhupada is also, in his introduction to Srimad Bhagavatam, quoting a verse from the 5th chapter of the first Canto, which is
tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
(Bhag. 1.5.11)
He is speaking how this Srimad Bhagavatam is always sung and heard by men who are thoroughly honest. He is saying how this Srimad Bhagavatam, even if it is imperfectly composed or presented, it is always glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore it is perfect. And he is pointing out that it can bring out a revolution in a misguided and a misdirected civilization of the world. And Srila Prabhupada, one could say, took that verse; he didn’t just appreciate that verse, he didn’t just read that verse or quote that verse as evidence, Srila Prabhupada simply based his whole life on it. He just based his life on that very verse because he took that verse and made it his mission- he dedicated his life in giving Srimad Bhagavatam. And Srila Prabhupada said, Srimad Bhagavatam should be placed in every house on the planet.
When Srila Prabhupada was on the Boston pier when the Jaladuta had just landed, he said that ‘My Lord, you have brought me here to this place- to this sinful place- people are addicted to all these sinful activities. How will I convince them?’ and then Prabhupada said, ‘ I can’t think of anything I can say, other than I can repeat Your words.’ And then he quoted,
srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam
(Bhag. 1.2.17)
And a whole series of other verses from Srimad Bhagavatam, which are all dealing with the point that this knowledge can remove all the impiety from the heart of the living beings. vidhunoti suhrt satam, ‘vidhunoti’ is referring to sound vibration and in India, just at the beginning of winter- especially in the colder parts- you hear these people walking in the street and they have these big bow and it has a string in them, and they pull the string and it makes some sort of very loud sound (imitates sound) throughout the streets. And you can hear it everywhere and you may wonder what kind of music is this! But actually these are the vidhunotis, these bows are vidhunotis, which are used for the old quilts. You see, the quilt for the winter is packed away during the warmer seasons and then it is taken out. And because it is packed, all the cotton inside has become pressed together and after use also for a whole year. And to buy a new quilt every year is a costly thing so no one in India will just waste money like that. So they take the quilt, open it up and then the man with the bow (vidhunoti) comes and by his string, by that sound, the cotton becomes fluffed up- the strings become separated, it becomes fluffed up and it is fresh again and then it is filled up as the quilt one more time.
So this sound vibration, this transcendental sound vibration is so potent. It is so potent- it is unlimitedly potent- because this sound vibration is non-different from Krsna Himself. It is stated that Srimad Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of Krsna. Therefore this Srimad Bhagavatam has the full potency, the full potency to purify the living being to the fullest extent. And therefore it is mentioned as one of the five principle angas or limbsof bhakti. And it is said that if only a little bit engaged in any of these 5 types of service, then one can very easily and quickly attain the ultimate goal of life, which is love of God.
Of course there is also different,
nasta-prayesu abhadresu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
(Bhag. 1.2.18)
Srila Prabhupada said that yes, hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam is so potent that it will almost destroy all impurities in the heart. So Tribhuvanath Prabhu, who is now departed from this world and he was a wonderful devotee, he said that once Srila Prabhupada came to England and they had given Tribhuvanath the service of garlanding Srila Prabhupada. So he was standing near the door ready with the garland. And then, he had never met Prabhupada before but he had become a devotee and he was even accepted as a disciple. So he was initiated through a letter as Prabhupada often did. So he was very eager to see his spiritual master, so he was waiting there with the garland at the door. Then when Prabhupada came to the door, everyone just fell to the ground and Tribhuvanath felt so shocked and overwhelmed by seeing Prabhupada’s presence that he also fell on the ground! And then Prabhupada walked passed, and then he stood there with the garland! And there’s all these devotees and then he still didn’t give the garland. So he was like, ‘now how am I going to give him this garland?’ it was quite difficult to get to the front, because it was packed, and to finally give the garland. So after he gave the garland he sat down and then Prabhupada said to the devotees, he said that, “Krsna consciousness is so simple, you might just miss it!” which is very nice. ‘it’s so simple you might just miss it’ and then he began to speak this about verse, nasta-prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya…and he beagn to describe. He said, “why almost?” and he gave different explanations at different times but at this occasion, he said, “almost, almost because, when we get learned in the scripture we tend to become proud. That is why ‘almost’; we tend to become proud.” He said, “Therefore this reading of Srimad Bhagavatam must be accompanied by the chanting of Hare Krsna so that we will develop humility.”
Humility breaks the heart of the Lord
Because, in the chanting of Hare Krsna, there is no question of being a master. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that, He was never the master of the holy name or the master in chanting the holy name, but rather he was always the servant of the holy name. So it is not possible to master the art of chanting and to become expert in chanting the holy name. There is no question that anyone is ever expert in chanting the holy name, it doesn’t arise. One can simply realize before the holy name that one is helpless; that one is incapable to properly make the offering of chanting and that one simply depends on the mercy of the name. And only in that mood of dependence…Srila Prabhupada said depending like a child calling out to his mother, in that mood of dependence it is possible to actually chant the holy name. So there’s no question of being a master of the holy name. Thus humility and successful chanting are hand in hand. Thus Lord Caitanya’s movement is depending on this principle of humility and we see it being emphasized throughout.
We see how Rupa and Sanatana, with a blade of grass in their mouth, fell at the feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They describe themselves as being more sinful than Jagai and Madhai, they ask the Lord for shelter and they explain why they were more sinful than Jagai and Madhai. They said, “because Jagai and Madhai, they engaged in so many abominable activities and they became totally degraded and that was of course certainly very sinful. But we are much more sinful because we are protecting many, many men like Jagai and Madhai. Therefore our sinfulness is much greater; therefore we are the most fallen.” Lord Caitanya responded and said, “Please stop! Please stop! Your humility is breaking my heart…” So this is one instance in the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees, where it is described how humility affects the Supreme Lord and how it breaks the heart of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how that made the Lord just want to glorify these brothers, shower them with mercy. So this is partially our meditation.
The mystery of the disciplic succession
In this verse, Srila Prabhupada is commenting on the verse and is explaining how the acaryas expanded on Srimad Bhagavatam and how Rupa Gosvami expanded on it, and how Jiva Gosvami further expanded and how Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura again further expanded. And then sometimes we can see how Baladeva Vidyabhusana again further expanded…and this is a very interesting point because it is the mystery of the parampara. Sometimes it is stated that the parampara is an unaltered succession, there’s no change in this parampara. Yet the knowledge and the message should not be delivered in a parrot-like way; we are not meant to just literally repeat like tape recorders. Then the tape recorder will be the best guru because no one can remember as well as the tape recorder. Then better we have only tape recorders.
But Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is giving an interesting essay called, “The Bhagavat and the ethics of the Bhagavat.” And in that essay, he is explaining how to deal with knowledge, and he is saying that when we are studying, he said that most men are simply studying books and are just collecting different information and storing the facts that they have read there. He said that but such fruitless retention is not the purpose of reading. It is not the purpose that one takes the information and imprisons that information just like a magistrate imprisons a criminal in the jail. He said but rather, one should take the same knowledge and be creative by applying it in one’s life and then sharing it in one’s own experience.
So this point made by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, is casting some light in the mystery of the disciplic succession. Because, the mystery of the disciplic succession, is that on the one hand there is an unaltered succession and the disciple is simply repeating the message of his spiritual master, as he has heard from his spiritual master but yet he may expand also according to his own realization and on experience. It doesn’t mean that the substance is changing- the siddhanta remains the same but in details he may expand and he may add further examples, and he may show how these principles indeed apply and how it is confirmed. And this realised knowledge is very important because it is this realised knowledge that the sadu is carrying in his heart. Therefore it is said, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam, it is stated that there is the knowledge of the scriptures…let me just remember the first word of the verse…(devotee speaks)…huh? (Devotee speaks) yes, thank you very much, tarko 'pratisthah smrtayo vibhinna, it is said that there are so many scriptures and there are so many opinions based on different scriptures by so many scholars, they have so many opinions- they have so many different opinions, matam na bhinnam, different opinions they have. But the essence is dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam, the actual secret, the truth remains hidden within the heart of the vaisnava, of the devotee because the devotee, the devotee by living his life according to the scriptures Krsna reveals Himself from within.
The secret is hidden in the heart of the devotees
We see in the Madhya lila of Caitanya Caritamrta, the Ramananda sangat- the discussion between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya. And it is interesting that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is taking the role of the questionerand that He lets Ramananda Raya be the speaker. Why? Because, this principle was in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mind, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam, that the secret is hidden in the hearts of the devotees and there are secrets. So the discussion started on scripture and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked about the goal of life and Ramananda Raya gave different verses one after the other. But each time, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, No, that is external, that is external, that is external…he gave, for example, yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juhosi dadasi yat, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever austerity you perform you should do that as an offering to Me…Lord Caitanya said, “no, that is external, that is external…” Then he came to devotional service in different rasas and he went step by step through the rasas, and Lord Caitanya was considering that also external, until he came to madhurya rasa and He kept on asking more and more. And at one point Ramananda Raya was speaking and speaking and then he began to speak about very intimate dealings, very intimate exchanges between Radha and Krsna, and at one point, Lord Caitanya covered the mouth of Ramananda Raya! He covered the mouth of Ramananda Raya and said that these things are not to be spoken. And then He covered his mouth. So then He got what He wanted; he had sort of gone beyond the verses of the scripture, beyond the conclusion of the scripture to what was there in Ramananda Raya’s heart and it was just pouring out, and then He covered his mouth.
There is only one Prabhupada
So it is very interesting how this all…so dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. So Srila Prabhupada is just such a vaisnava. Last night the class was extended a little bit because that topic came up: if there was possibly somewhere else to go, obviously where is the question. Srila Prabhupada would refer to his spiritual master as a simha guru, as a lion. He said he was a lion! And we can also see that lion guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, had only one lion disciple- there was only one amongst his disciples, only one lion. There was no doubt about it. Well, the others, whatever they were, we give them their due credit- even if disagreements do arise- they do deserve a lot of credit for their seva, their qualities and we give, we bow down- no problem- but the truth is the truth and no one- no one- can compare. There is not even a question of trying to compare, it is foolish. If you’re trying to compare anyone to Prabhupada, if you’re looking for another Prabhupada then we make a mistake. There is no other Prabhupada, there is will be no other Prabhupada, Prabhupada is unique in the entire day of Brahma! He was chosen for a particular work, that work, tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api, that work of taking the message of Srimad Bhagavatam from East to West…hmmm! It was predicted, it was predicted in the Bhagavatam itself that it would be done, that it could be done. Then Prabhupada took this Krsna consciousness from East to West and at one point Prabhupada said, he said, “Now it is too late, now it is too late, now they cannot stop this movement anymore!” he said, “it’s like a contagious disease, it’s too late! It has spread and when it’s too late there is nothing you can do to stop it. Now it’s too late!”
Srila Prabhupada’s work- unique in an entire day of BrahmaSo this statement is significant because it is the evidence that it has been done- it has been done. The transfer from this transcendental knowledge from East to West, it has been done. Prabhupada did it- complete! Something, something that is done very rarely because yes, in Bhagavatam we find a whole list of avataras and there are the dasavataras. And the dasavataras are particularly listed and mentioned. Why? Because in every divya-yuga, in every cycle of four yugas, these dasavataras appear again and again. So in one day of Brahma they all appear- these dasavataras- a thousand times, a thousand times in a day of Brahma they appear- but not Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, He appeared only once in the 28th millennia of the 7th manvantara. Then in the kali Yuga, after that appearance of Lord Krsna, appears Lord Caitanya! Only once! And then in that kali yuga, Srila Prabhupada appeared, and in that kali yuga Srila Prabhupada did that particular thing of taking this knowledge of Srimad Bhagavatam- this perfect transcendental knowledge, the science of love of God- from East to West and established it.
Thus what Srila Prabhupada did is unique in an entire day of Brahma. We should understand that in the whole day of Brahma there is only one such person who fulfills that mission. It is only done once, cannot be done twice, cannot be changed…it is eternally Prabhupada’s position that he did that. Now what did Prabhupada do? Prabhupada…some years ago there was a devotee who was very learned and who had studied commentaries of various acaryas on Srimad Bhagavatam. And he spoke up and he said, “Actually, these purports of Srila Prabhupada are not at all Prabhupada’s purports! Actually, they are full of the commentaries of the acaryas.” And he gave a commentary called, ‘unzipping the purports’ using computer language like unzipping a file. ‘Unzipping the purports’ that now it comes out; these purports are not just Prabhupada purports, these are actually just full quotes from the previous acaryas and actually the credit should just go to the previous acaryas. Yes, the credit should go to the previous acaryas- undoubtedly- but the credit that should go to Srila Prabhupada is that he took all that, put it all together, he took from everywhere, he took, yes he took full advantage of the scholarship of his spiritual master, who wrote a book called the Gaudiya-bhasya, where he included all the commentaries of the acaryas on Srimad Bhagavatam and published that book…Prabhupada had it lying on his desk as he was translating. Yes, he was using it to write his purports. And in these purports therefore we faithfully find the entire sampradaya, the entire parampara presented and Prabhupada brought it all to the West, to people who had no idea what they were getting.
The mind of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada are the same
And now Prabhupada’s movement has been established. Now we know more than we did then. Now we have also read some of the commentaries, now we also begin to realize that these purports are so rich and now we gradually begin to understand even more than before how great Prabhupada was. And now we realize how little we actually understand of the greatness of the gift that he gave and of the greatness of the work that he did. Therefore, this greatness is obviously there that he was the chosen one- chosen by Lord Caitanya to be his representative. Because, he was so close and intimate to Lord Caitanya that his mood is the perfect representation of Lord Caitanya’s own mood. There is no difference between the mind of Prabhupada and the mind of Lord Caitanya- they are completely on the same wave length- cent per cent. There is no difference; there is no clash- nothing. And Prabhupada, simply, in this way is the founder acarya of the worldwide movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
There are many off shoots of that movement- undoubtedly. There are many branches that have branched off from ISKCON and started independently. There are also some branches that came out from the Gaudiya Math and so on. And all that is there but these are all resting on Srila Prabhupada, on what Srila Prabhupada established. And they are also in support of what Srila Prabhupada established; they all depend on Srila Prabhupada. When Srila Prabhupada came to the West, in the beginning he came to just see- he was preaching but he also came to see. He was in New York and it was a new experience. One day he looked out of the window and he thought that people had painted all the buildings white- but it had snowed overnight and everything looked white! He had never seen; he just thought that everything is painted white! Not so many people were just coming immediately; he was alone, no money and it was a great struggle. Sometimes he was just thinking, “I may have to go back to India if there’s no support.” He looked for support from the Gaudiya Math but didn’t get it. It was a struggle. He would sometimes go the Scindia Steamline and inquire about boats going back just in case it would come to that. He didn’t do that; he carried on.
Srila Prabhupada extended the mercy
Prabhupada made adjustments; Prabhupada adjusted the number of rounds to 16. Caitanya Bhagavat gives us that famous quote, the quote where Lord Caitanya said…He was invited by brahmanas for prasadam and Lord Caitanya said that, “No, I cannot take. I don’t take anything in the house of anyone who is not a lakhpati.” A lakhpati means very rich- 100 000 rupees. Nowadays a lakh is not so much but 500 years ago to be a lakhpati was very rare, very rare. Where would you find a lakhpati? Very few! So the brahmanas were all like… ‘If He would only take…’ They had such a desire for Mahaprabhu to take that they didn’t criticize Mahaprabhu; they simply said, “ A lakhpati? Then what can we do…”
Then Lord Caitanya explained, “No, a lakhpati means one who chants a 100 000 names!” A 100 000 names is 64 rounds. So this particular incident in the Caitanya Bhagavat is the basis for the magic number of 64 rounds in the Gaudiya vaisnava sampradaya. It is there where it comes from. And whenever we hear about 64 rounds being the number then this where we can trace it back to. 64 rounds are to be chanted but Prabhupada simply extended the mercy.
I have an analogy, which I use sometimes and it is like this: that there is a beach and on the beach the ocean is washing. And we all know beaches- those who are from Orissa they know Puri, those who are from Holland they also know beach- so I know the beach! And on the beach, the waves wash on the beach and they reach the furthest point on the sand and they wash back. And when they reach the furthest point on the sand they leave a line on the sand- a watermark. And each wave leaves a different line. So the beach are the Vedic literatures. And the Vedic literatures, they give us certain standards of mercy. If we follow these standards then the mercy of the Lord will be available. And everything is there within the Vedic literatures and specifically in the confidential Puranas, agamas and upanisadas-it’s all there- the ultimate conclusion about love of God and about sravanam kirtanam Visnu smaranam…being the essence. It’s all there in the Vedic literature. But then, then comes the mercy of Mahaprabhu. And this mercy of Mahaprabhu…the waves are washing onto the beach and the mercy is going straight onto the beach of these regulative principles and it extends it way beyond and in this way it all is made easier by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is all just a gift that is given so much more liberal, by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Srila Prabhupada’s mercy- the powerful wave
Then, then comes Prabhupada as a powerful wave! Prabhupada is simply acting as a powerful wave in Mahaprabhu’s ocean. But that wave in Mahaprabhu’s ocean is extending further than any other wave and puts a line on the beach where it was never put before. And suddenly now the same mercy that was available before only by strictly following the Vedic literature, then that was easier available by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, now that same mercy is even available by that special wave of Srila Prabhupada! And that is Srila Prabhupada’s role and thus he has made it available to the entire world- uncompromised; at 16 rounds and 4 regulative principles Srila Prabhupada has made full perfection available. That means this lifetime one can go back to Godhead. That means Krsna-prema! And even if it is not attained here in this earthly realm then it will be attained some where on the way before we enter the spiritual world by the mercy of Mahaprabhu. This is what Prabhupada is giving! How could he do it?
Srila Prabhupada himself in a lecture explains that when Lord Brahma gave benedictions to Hiranyakasipu, then later the Lord came as Lord Nrsimhadeva and kept all the words of Lord Brahma in tact. Hiranyakasipu had said, not in the day, not in the night, not in land, not in water…and Lord Brahma said, tatastu- so be it! And so was it, and Nrsimhadeva kept all the words of Brahma in tact. Because, rsi ucuh- when the saintly person speaks, the Lord will uphold his words. So simply when Prabhupada said, “Yes, 16 rounds will do…”
And Srila Prabhupada said on many occasions, “Chant 16 rounds, follow 4 regulative principles and you will go back to Godhead…” those words are upheld by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So like this…
How many rounds?
Now we see that amongst the offshoots that came out of this movement, or around other movements or other branches that came out of the Gaudiya Math, there also Lord Caitanya’s mercy is present without a doubt. They have it; we cannot claim that we have the monopoly to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Some are stressing, “64! 64! 64 rounds we must do!” others are saying, “We’ll be more liberal- 4! 4 rounds!” So it gets utterly confusing! Should we really be chanting 64? ‘Well there is a case that you can make from Caitanya Bhagavat, there is a quote and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta said that we ultimately should chant 64 rounds although a minimum of 4…but what should it be? They never really formalized that at initiation. It was only Prabhupada who started it at initiations where you had to promise, ‘and how many rounds would you chant everyday without fail?’ minimum 16! All right, that was previously not said; it was just ‘here are your beads, here is your name’ and then initiation done- complete! And it was understood what it meant but now there’s confusion- lots! ‘Well you know, if I can get it for 4, why would I pay 16?’
With us you have to pay 16 and you have to wait forever and go through all kinds of committees and approvals and tests and what now and then finally you get it! And then you get it for the price of 16! And across the river you get it for 4! And the boat only costs one rupee! ‘Okay, let me check it out…it’s quite cheap!’
Yes all right, I admit that it’s cheaper. But my question is, are they selling the same? (Indian accent) ‘Yes, price is cheap- 4 rounds…’ but are they selling the same for 4 rounds? Are they selling the same goods? Are they selling ‘Back to Godhead in one lifetime’ for that price? So that is a big question. For 4 rounds are they selling that? Rsi ucuh, do they have the power, by their own austerity in devotional service, and by their own purity to extend the mercy of Mahaprabhu? Only a very rare vaisnava has the potency to make such adjustments. The other one’s who are following in the parampara, who are not as potent… it is said guru tattva is one- akhanda guru-tattva- there is no end to guru tattva, it continues. But different gurus in that guru tattva are like different lights of different strength. Only a unique person, a very rare person- an extremely powerful person can make such adjustments on the strength of his service and know for sure, ‘Krsna will uphold my words.’
Srila Prabhupada’s mercy stands always
Sometimes people try to negotiate with me about either the 4 regulative principles or chanting and I said like, ‘I appreciate, I know, I can understand your predicament. I understand that it’s very difficult; I know it’s hard, I understand that it’s hard to chant these rounds, especially in your circumstances I would also find it very hard to do.’ Or these principles, ‘Yes, I know, I agree, I have all understanding and appreciation for your position…’ But see, my predicament is that I don’t have the power to change the mercy; I am simply depending on the mercy arrangement that Prabhupada made. Prabhupada extended that mercy of Mahaprabhu; I can only carry forward that same mercy because Prabhupada’s mercy still stands. So I’m bringing that 16 rounds now- that same mercy- and if you follow that 16 rounds and 4 regulative principles you are getting the same mercy. That’s all I can do; I cannot extend the wave. I don’t have that purity; Krsna is not so much in my control you know. It is said that when a devotee becomes purified and advanced, he says, “Krsna, I am Yours!” but when he becomes even more advanced he says, “Krsna, You are mine!” Well, I mean I’m not always sure that I can say, ‘Krsna You are mine…’ not like that. I wish it was true, that Krsna was mine. I desire it to be so but I would not dare to count on it when I’m distributing the mercy because I cannot take a risk with what I’m giving. But Prabhupada, yes, he could do. Krsna was his! Krsna se tomara, krsna dite para, tomara sakati ache, he had the sakti, he had the power.
So in this way…sometimes now in modern times, now that we are getting more learned, we learn a lot, we read more and more books, they’re translated…we learn more and more about Vedic standards and we begin to introduce more and more. We are getting more strict, we add more to Deity worship, we are knowing better how to follow this ekadasi, that ekadasi, do this fast, do that fast, do this vrata, do that vrata…we know better than before. But how far do we want to go? Because, we should know that many of these things don’t matter so much. I have given sometimes the example from Hari-bhakti-vilasa, there is one quote in Hari-bhakti-vilasa where it says that…well, usually I first ask the devotees the question ‘have you ever eaten on ekadasi?’ serious question, have you ever eaten on ekadasi? Those who have, raise your hands. Did you ever take prasadam on an ekadasi? You also? Yes, I also did! There is a quote in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa that in the next life you will become a hog! I’m very sorry, it is there! (Laughter) So how do we deal with this? You know, Sanatana Gosvami’s literature and it is right there and there is that verse and what would you do with a verse like this? We become a hog!
But no, it’s okay; Srila Prabhupada allowed us to simply take these things- whatever we’re taking. No beans, no grains and a few things; no mustard seeds and there is a few little things here and there. But Prabhupada didn’t worry and on ekadasis we eat only papaya subjis and…he didn’t make such a big thing about that. And ‘eggplant? On ekadasi? Ah, Prabhu- aparadha!’ But Prabhupada didn’t worry about these things; we don’t see that, he didn’t teach that.
Does that mean, oh, he gave us the ABC? No it didn’t mean that he gave us the ABC, it means that he extended the mercy, he knew that would be too difficult for the world. So he just designed the programme for the world, which would fit. And our main service is to broadcast that programme. If we start to add too much extra rules, too much difficult standards, then we are doing a disservice because we’re not transparent to Srila Prabhupada- we are just confusing the issue! Not that we cannot learn a little bit more of culture- we need culture. But we should not get carried away and add in so many rules and regulations; we should understand that Srila Prabhupada gave Krsna consciousness in the form that the world is meant to have it and that it is meant for the people of this age. Not ABC- but the very essence- with extended mercy. And those who think to make it more difficult are doing a disservice. Those who are thinking of making it more cheap, do they have the power to make it more cheap? So therefore, sometimes we chant 64 rounds maybe. It is nice, it’s good. But our regular business in a minimum of 16 rounds- of course Prabhupada said, “Why only 16 rounds? Why not 16 000 rounds?” Yes, he also said that we chant on the beads and that we chant off the beads- continuously. So chanting must be there.
Respecting a vaisnava means to respect his service
But I think that the one mission that we have in relation to all the other groups of vaisnavas that exists, I think that the mission that we have is to rise above this competition. What Caitanya Candra Prabhu described yesterday was that ‘we are making, they are taking.’ In Holland, where I’m from, the people are very fond of cheese- he knows, Thakura is also here! So we know that the people from Holland are fond of cheese. So they like bread, butter and cheese- that is the national tradition. And there is a saying that, ‘I’m not going to let anyone eat the cheese off my bread.’ That is a Dutch saying right, and we know that very well right- we don’t let others eat the cheese off your bread. So this is the way I phrase that same thing! So they sometimes come and say, ‘but we are all vaisnavas, Prabhu. We should all appreciate each other and if we don’t it is an offense…’ that’s okay, that’s all very good and I agree with you and I want to be with you- but don’t touch my cheese! Keep your fingers off my cheese! (Laughter) That’s very clear! So what to do!
But we want to rise above this platform. We hope that one day we can appreciate each others service because really, it is not about cheese and bread- not about making and taking- it is about respecting the service of another vaisnava. Respecting a vaisnava means to respect his service; I cannot just come and render lip service, (dramatic) ‘Prabhu, please accept my respectful obeisances. I respect you so much…’ no, you have to also respect my service. I’ve made a whole garden, ‘I respect you so much’, and I walk right over your garden and step on your plants! No, you have to respect my work also if you respect me. So when they respect each other’s service and the vaisnavas respect each other’s service, they can unite. So I hope that one day the day will come that all the followers of Mahaprabhu can unite. But I think that in the process of that, somewhere, will also have to recognize that Prabhupada was the chosen one and that the standards that he gave are the standards for the whole world and that other standards are other programmes and are also nice but cannot produce the same result and the same perfection that he gave. And therefore we are very lucky- very lucky- that somehow or other we are in this movement of Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you very much. Any questions or comments?
Comment: I know that on ekadasis there is no harm in eating only papaya subji but I should not preach that this is the only way…
Maharaja: That it, that’s it…
Comment continued: …and Krsna is happy if I’m a little austere…
Maharaja: Nice, yes. Yes we should not preach that this is the way, you know, ‘if you don’t do this you will not get the benefit, you will not go back to Godhead.’ But vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga, this vairagya, tapasya- these activities are part of Lord Caitanya’s movement. They are purifying us. So it’s good if we are fasting on ekadasi but we should now advertise this as the common standard, ‘…and now this is the real standard and if you don’t follow the real standard and if actually you don’t stay up on ekadasi, you’re not really following an ekadasi and then you cannot really get the mercy of Mahaprabhu!’
No, you know, there are different austerities that can purchase the mercy of Mahaprabhu. The austerities of the devotees that stand on the street with books after having had like a big breakfast of French fries and chutney and…I don’t know what other ekadasi preparations, you know, and then just stand out there on the street- that austerity, that can certainly purchase the mercy of Mahaprabhu- without a doubt! There’s no doubt about it. So some bhajan is good, it gives us strength, but ultimately, Srila Prabhupada showed by his example the greatest austerities he was ready to perform in preaching. There, Prabhupada excelled.
Prabhupada was not the most austere in terms of fasting, in terms of, for example, walking bare feet in the parikrama in Vrndavana- No, Prabhupada was wearing shoes! So like, ‘shoes! On the parikrama marg in Vrndavana!’ If you do it all the vraja-vasis will point at you like (dramatic) they do with their hands like this, ‘what is this! You are wearing shoes on the parikrama marg!’ they do like that. Sometimes of course you do like (dramatic), what to do! Soft western feet! Maybe whatever is, but Prabhupada wore shoes! I have soft western feet, so I say, ki Jaya! (Laughter) Although, I go on parikramas without shoes, but you know, believe it or not, on all those hours, I can maybe chant 10 rounds! Because all the time it’s like, (dramatic) ‘Hare Krsna…eeh! Hare Krsna…eeh! Oww!’ and that’s how I go around Govardhana without shoes! I can hardly chant! So sometimes I think, is it really worth it to do it bare feet? If I would just put on shoes I would chant so many rounds…
But leaving that aside, austerity…Prabhupada’s greatest austerity that he performed for somehow or other spreading this mercy all over the world, that for me is the greatest inspiration. Although my spiritual master likes to fast on ekadasis! But I don’t. (Laughter) what to do!
Question: Prabhupada said in the Nectar of Devotion that on fasting days like ekadasi and Janmastami, that one should chant the holy names of the Lord constantly and hear the pastimes of Govinda. He doesn’t really stress the fasting.
Maharaja: Yes, and of course these fasting and these things…when we eat papaya subji, why? Because it’s very light and then it doesn’t make you so tired like other type of things do. Like if you eat on ekadasi lots of potatoes, then after a little while you feel a little bit like a potato! And the quality of your chanting goes a little down also. So papaya subji helps. Yes it helps our chanting and remembering Govinda.
Okay, thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki, Jaya!