Dasha Mula Tattva 13 – Study scripture with focus on the purpose of scripture

Shri Prabhupada Ki So we will go to the last from Dashamul Tattvana This is in two parts So we will look at the first part Prabhu Prabhu kah ko jivah kah ko jivah katham vidam katham vidam achit vishwam achit vishwam iti va iti va vicharyaitan vicharyaitan arthaan arthaan Haribhajanakruch Haribhajanakruch Shastra Chaturah Shastra Chaturah Abhedasham Abhedasham Dharman Sakalam Dharman Sakalam So, Prabhu kahako jeevaha, who is the Lord, who am I, kathamitam achit vishwam itiva, what is this world and what is the eternal spiritual world? When one studies scripture, vicharita natham, with these questions in mind when one studies scripture and one follows scripture, hari bhajan means shastra chaturaha, when one practises hari bhajan then one becomes shastra chaturaha. One systematically studies scriptures with these questions and in this way one goes beyond the impersonal conceptions, one gives up offences, abhedasham dharman, one gives up the aspiration for oneness, one gives up committing offences to the Lord and hare nama nandam vibhati, one drinks the mixture of the names of Lord Hari, Haridaso Harijanai, in the association of the devotees of Hari and in this way one becomes a Haridas. So here Bhaktivedanta Thakur is describing the life of love of a devotee, the life of divine love.

Now the famous Subhashita, it says that there are many many scriptures, bahu shastra, anejita shastram bahu vedita uvyam, bhavascha vigno alpashcha kala, tatsara bhuta upasita uvyam, what it says is that there are so many scriptures and each of these scriptures there are so many meanings, every sentence in scripture can have multiple interpretations and there are, when you want to study scripture, bhavascha vigna, there are so many obstacles, we sometimes feel sleepy, we feel distracted, there are so many books to read and on top of that alpashcha kala, we have so little time, in such a situation, we can get lost in scripture itself, if you try to study scripture, you can get lost, shabda jaal, so in another Subhashita it says, shabda jaal maharanyam na bhuktaye na muktaye, shabda jaal, once you get caught in scripture itself, it can become like a maharanyam, big forest in which one can neither enjoy, na bhuktaye, na muktaye, neither one can enjoy nor can one get liberation. So, Kulashekhar Maharaj says about the Subhashita, about the Shastra, he says that, he says aranyaruddha, vedava aranyaruddhitham, he says that studying scripture without the remembrance of Lord Hari is like crying in the wilderness, if a baby is crying, the mother will come running to help the baby, but if the baby is lost in the forest and the baby cries over there, nobody is going to come there to help, so like that, if we do not know that the goal of scripture is Krishna and if we miss that purpose, then we can get lost within scripture itself, scripture itself is like an ocean within which we may get lost, so what we need is to keep the goal in mind, so here he says, when you are studying scripture, remember, what is the purpose of studying scripture, the purpose is, ok, who is Krishna, who am I, what is this world, what is the eternal world, keep the fundamentals in the centre, see even while studying scripture, we can get lost, at one time, when we talk about the Bhagavatam to the scholars, at that time they say that, you know, there is some description that, Maharaj Ugrasen had some millions and millions of bodyguards, in the 10th canto, there is some description like that, so he says, when we tell this to the scholars, the scholars are laughing, he said, on one island of Dwarka, where did they live, you know, where were their homes, where were their toilets, how did they manage over there, so now, Prabhupada could have given an answer, you know, Krishna can do anything, that's true, but according to time, place, circumstance, one has to answer, Prabhupada replied at that time, he said, you know, all the thousands of verses from the Bhagavatam, did you find this as the only thing to teach to the scholars, so one of the offences to the Holy Name is to instruct the faithless in the glories of the Holy Name, now what does it mean, it does not mean that the faithless are to be kept ignorant, it means, when you say, don't instruct the faithless about the glories of the Holy Name, does that mean, the faithless has to be condemned to ignorance, no, it means that people should be presented things according to their level of understanding, you know, if we present to people things, which they can't be expected to believe, then we are alienating them, suppose, we go to an engineering college, and one time, all new people, and at that time say, no, Matsya avatar was incarnation of Krishna and he was 4 million miles long, is that what you are supposed to speak to new people, it's actually violence to them, it's violence, it's just at a simple level, if a student is just entering KG, and that time, first standard, second standard, just basics of maths, just numbers that students are being supposed to be taught, and that time, the maths teacher starts teaching triple integral calculus, student is scared, gets scared and we have a lifelong fear of mathematics, isn't it? So, just as in any branch of knowledge, the knowledge has to be presented according to a timely circumstance, according to the level of the audience, so similarly, when we share scripture, we don't have to, rather we should not present scripture, those aspects of scripture, which are going to, which are likely to cause doubts in people. So, when we are, if our purpose is to make some philosophical point, we focus on that point and illustrate that point, there is no need to get into dimensions, which are unbelievable.

So, the point is that, just as scripture contains many things, there is a very interesting purport of Sri Prabhupada in 1.10, 10th chapter of the first canto, one of the last purports, so Krishna has just left Vrindavan, sorry, left Hastinapur to go to Dwarka, and as he is along the way to Dwarka, at that time, he goes through various places, and a path is described, he went to this city, this city, this city, this city, and Prabhupada writes in the purport over there that some researchers may try to retrace the exact path of Krishna, which place he went to, which place he went to, he says, but the surface geology of the earth is changing, and that's why retracing the path will be quite difficult. As far as we are concerned, we are simply satisfied that Krishna has reached Dwarka and he is going to perform pastimes with his devotees in Dwarka. So, Prabhupada's focus is what? His focus is on bhakti.

You know, we are not studying Bhagavatam to get knowledge of geography. If there is some knowledge about that, that's fine, but that is not the purpose of the Bhagavatam, isn't it? Bhagavatam, we are studying to learn about Krishna. Yes, Bhagavatam may give other branches of knowledge also, but that's not the primary purpose.

You know, we are building a planetarium in Vrinda, in Mayapur. A big challenge about the planetarium is that the Bhagavatam is not primarily a cosmological book. So, based on the Bhagavatam's description, the description is relatively not very deep, not very systematic, because that's not the purpose.

So, trying to build a planetarium based on the Bhagavatam's description of cosmology is like, suppose somebody reads Leela Amrit and Prabhupada travels to America and Leela Amrit is there, and based on those travels, somebody has to construct a map of America. It's going to be very difficult, isn't it? The purpose of Leela Amrit is not to give a geography of America. Similarly, the purpose of Bhagavatam is not to give the cosmology of the universe, cosmography of the universe.

So, as Prabhupada also told his disciples, you find some expert astro, expert, somebody expert in astro, Vedic cosmology and then consult him and then you make a model and then you make a planetarium. So, the point is that we have to keep our focus clear. When we study scripture, if we just get caught in irrelevant details, then we may get lost within scripture itself.

We study Vedasya Sarvair Aham Eva Vedya. We study scripture keeping the goal of scripture in mind. Scripture is meant to give us spiritual knowledge and it is meant to tell us about Krishna.

If we come from a scientific background, then we may have certain scientific conceptions and sometimes there may be a big tussle in the mind. How can science say this and scripture say this? What is true? How is it true? Yes, if we have very great interest in science, then we may try to specialise in that field and try to do scientific outreach or things like that. But otherwise, you do not have to worry too much about that.

You understand that this is one domain of knowledge and this is another domain of knowledge. I am studying scripture primarily for spiritual knowledge. So, here also a similar purposefulness has been pointed out.

Purposefulness is focus on who am I? Who is the Lord? What is this world? What is the nature of the ultimate world? Spiritual world. And with these questions when we study scripture, even in normal study, it is said that purpose-driven study is far more fruitful than purposeless study. Purpose-driven study means what? Simply, it is like suppose your exam is tomorrow and you are studying today.

And your exam is after 6 months and you are studying today. What happens? The attention level will be much different because now there is an urgent purpose. We may say it is fruitive, but still there is focus.

So, when we study any book, if we have a purpose, why am I reading this? I am just reading it for information sake. Then that will stay at the information level. I am reading it for comprehension, it will go to the comprehension level.

I am reading it for application, it will go to the application level. So, when we study scripture, we can study scripture like a newspaper. What is the news? Aaj ki taza khabar.

And then you will feel aaj kuch taza hai nahi. Sab kuch puran hai. You will feel what is the new over here.

But then if we are going to cook something and we are reading a cookbook where there is a recipe. Then, you know, at the time when we are reading the recipe book, we are not looking for some, arey, there is no new ingredient today. No, if you are going to cook an item, you don't need a new ingredient every day in the recipe.

Isn't it? We just need to remember the recipe and put the ingredients, put the components properly so that it gets good quality. So, like that, a scripture does contain new information also. There are many new concepts, there are deeper concepts.

It's all there. But the primary purpose of scripture is to be, say, cook our consciousness, purify our consciousness, transform our consciousness. And there is a process for that.

So, we study scripture primarily to understand the process, primarily to apply the process on ourselves and become purified. So, just as if we are going to, if anything which we are going to apply, you know, if you are, if you have got a new cell phone and then you are looking at its manual, to see how to operate that cell phone. Then, that is a very purposeful study.

Okay, this is a function for this, this is a function for this, this is a function for this. And then at that time, if it is somebody else's cell phone which you may or may not use, then you will not be as attentive when you are going through the cell phone manual. But if it's your own cell phone, you will go through it carefully because you have to use it.

So, like that, if we keep the point that we study scripture not so much for information, it is for application, then we will not be focussing on what is new, what is new, what is new. We will be focussing on, okay, how can I apply this? How is this? How is this? How much am I applying this in my life? So, this is the example of a purpose-driven study. When we do purpose-driven study, we move onwards, steadily towards Krishna.

And we are able to, whatever sidetracks might be there, we won't get sidetracked by other things. In our spiritual path. So, for example, when we study scripture, sometimes you may get a question, this doesn't make sense to me.

It's fine. It's not that just because it doesn't make sense to us, we stop reading scripture. We just make some notation somewhere and move onwards and read scripture.

Even if we study our normal books, it's not that because if we don't understand a concept, we stop reading that. We keep moving forward. Later on, when we meet someone who is an expert, and depending on how important that concept is, we may consult and get a clarification and understand.

So, in general, while studying scripture, you just keep moving onwards, keep studying scripture. Study scripture, less in the mood of gaining information, more in the mood of application. And not even in the mood of application.

Krishna says in 18.70, So, he says that those who study the sacred conversation of ours, they are worshipping with their intelligence. So, what he is saying is, when we are studying scripture, that study of scripture is worship. It is worship.

So, when we go in front of the ladies to take darshan, we go there in the mood of worship. So, similarly, if we study scripture in the mood of worshipful service, then we will get a lot of purification by that. So, this way, Shastra Chaturaha, we become expert, we become wise, we become insightful about the essence of scripture.

Chaturaha means wise. Shastra Chaturaha means wise about the essence of scripture. Hari Bhajan occurs.

So, one starts performing Hari Bhajan based on scripture. As a person, what is it, if this kind of purpose-driven study is there of scripture, then what all happens? Abhedasham Dharman Sakalam. We give up the aspiration for merging with the Lord.

So, a devotee has no urge to merge. Devotee has no urge to merge. We have only the aspiration to love and to serve.

How does that happen? Because we understand that actually merging with the Lord, we are depriving ourselves of the ecstasy of love. When there is oneness, then where is the room for affection? There is no room for affection. Love is essentially a feeling experienced in relationship with someone.

Sometimes people ask, can't you love yourself? Well, yes, we can love ourselves. But when we are loving ourselves, also in the act of loving ourselves, we are creating the duality of the subject-object. I as a person, as I am, I will love.

Certainly, as devotees, we are not meant to hate ourselves. If we understand that I am a part of Krishna, if I hate myself, I am hating a part of Krishna. So, that is aversion, that we should not do.

So, if we talk about self-love in terms of self-obsession, that is, I want to talk about myself, think about myself, I don't think about anyone else, that is undesirable. That will be egomania. But if we think of loving ourselves in terms of understanding that the body that I have been given, that is given to me by Krishna, I should take care of it.

I as a soul also belong to Krishna. I am a part of Krishna. And I should take care of myself so that I can serve Krishna properly, so that I can do positive contribution in my life.

And that more, if we value ourselves, that can also enhance our spiritual consciousness. But even when we do that, even if we say I am loving myself, still at that time, there is the conception of I as the object and I as the object. And then I am loving myself.

But normally for love, that is the intellectual conception. Normally for love, there are two people and there is the reciprocation of love between them. And that's how love takes place.

So, we go beyond the urge to merge. And sakalam aparadham parihara, we give up the offences. Aparadha, it has the same root Radha, Radha.

So, aparadha means upper is to move away from or to go away from. So, aparadha means that which takes us away from Radha. Radharani is the one who gives us devotion.

And when we commit offensive activities, we are turned away from Radharani and thus we turn away, we turn ourselves away from devotion. When thus we give up the aspirations for liberation and thus we free ourselves from offences, then Harinamanandam, that in the name of Lord Hari, we get great ananda, we get great joy in that Harinama. Bhakti is relished in the remembrance of Krishna in the association of devotees.

Why is that? We can ourselves also remember Krishna. That is good. And we should cultivate the habit of remembering Krishna also.

But at the same time when we are the devotees, we can, different devotees based on their individual natures, perceive Krishna from different perspectives. So, our appreciation of Krishna increases. Prabhupada said learn the philosophy from different perspectives.

Prabhupada said also that a devotee has knowledge about Krishna, but because Krishna is unlimited, so the devotee's knowledge of Krishna keeps increasing unlimitedly. A devotee knows Krishna, but Krishna is unlimited. So, a devotee can keep knowing Krishna more and more and more.

And a difference, I will conclude with this point, a difference between knowing about Krishna and any material knowledge. There are many differences, but one major difference is when we are talking about material knowledge, it is a process of discovery. There is something which I do not know and then I come to know.

Whereas, when you talk about spiritual knowledge, it is a process of recovery. Discovery means, there is something I did not know, I came to know and that is it, done now. What do you do after that? Sir Newton did not know about the principle of gravity, he came to know about gravity.

It is not that the thought of gravity will give him ecstasy for the rest of his life. Yes, he may feel happy that I was able to discover this, that sense of achievement comes from that, but it is not that, that thought can give ecstasy for the rest of the life. Once something new is discovered, then it is over after that.

A discovery itself cannot give ecstasy continuously. But when we are approaching Krishna, when we are trying to attain Krishna, it is like, we are, suppose in our childhood we used to live somewhere and we have forgotten where we are living and we find a map of the place where we are living in childhood and there we have an old close friend from childhood who is there. So, when we find the map and we go along the map and we reach that place and we find our friend waiting over there, we meet and we reunite with the friend and we have joyful exchange with that friend.

So, it is a process of recovery. We had, we knew the person, we had the map, but now we travelled along the map and we met the person. So, in that sense, spiritual knowledge is not about information, it is about connection.

We connect with Krishna and because Krishna is a living, loving person, that connection stays on continuously and that connection is reinforced in various ways by connecting with those who are connected with Krishna. So, there is an example given that how do we remember things. Now, some people say a good memory, some people have poor memory.

So, there are different theories of memory, but one simple theory to understand memory is that when we hear something, when we learn something, it gets stored somewhere in our memory. Just like if you have, sometimes there are quarters. In the quarters, all houses are similar.

So, you can identify the house primarily by a particular number. You forget the number, then all houses are similar. How will you find that particular house? It becomes very difficult.

But suppose you have gone to a particular house and you come back, then there is one path to that house. But suppose if you have gone to some other house, which is a regular place you go to, and then you know, okay, from there, if I go here, I will come to this house. And that means to go to that house, you have got two paths.

Or if you know there is a new friend's house you have gone to, and then you find, okay, from this friend's house, it is here. From this friend's house, it is here. From this friend's house, it is here.

Then if we know the path there from multiple connections, then if we have to go there, we can go there much easier, much more easily. So, like that, everything that we learn, now, it is like stored at one location in our memory. But if we just memorise it and leave it at that, it is like once we go there and come back, and afterwards we wonder, where did it go in my memory? It is not there only.

But after we memorise something, we connect it with other things that we know. Suppose I memorise a particular verse from the Bhagavad Gita. And I think, okay, this verse is similar to that verse from the Gita.

Or this verse can be quoted to substantiate this point. This verse I had heard in this class, and he quoted, it was so beautiful, the metre was so nice. Or this verse, he uses this word, and this word is a very interesting word.

So, basically, what are we doing? We are creating many connections between what we memorise. Knowledge progresses from the known to the unknown, from the familiar to the unfamiliar. So, for example, if I come for a class today, and if I say today I will speak on the demographic trends of polar bears in northern Siberia.

What? I say, what is the relevance? You may not feel any relevance only, and you will not feel interested in that knowledge. I am not interested in demographic trends. But suppose, the same thing I say, that based on understanding the demographic trends of polar bears in northern Siberia, we can understand how climate change is happening.

And then based on that, in how many years Mumbai is going to be flooded by the Indian Ocean. Then we see some connection. Then there is some interest that comes up.

So, basically, when we learn something, we need to connect what we learn with what we know before. To the extent we connect what we are learning now, with what we know in the past. The more connections we establish, the more we will be able to unsolve.

So, for example, when we hear a class, and our mind starts saying, I already know this point. And that thought that I already know this point, that can make us apathetic. I do not know, I am not really interested in hearing.

But we can turn on the mind, okay, if you know it, when did you know the last, how do you know it? When did you hear this? Okay, I heard it. And I heard it in that context. At that time, that context is different.

This example can come for this point, this example can come for this point also. So, we turn around and try to establish more and more connections. So, we should be absorbed in Krishna.

One of the easiest ways of absorption is connection. So, whatever we are hearing, we try to connect it. Now, this connection happens spontaneously when there is affection.

When we like something, you know, suppose somebody is a very great cricket fan. And then that person is told, oh, yesterday was a very close match between India and Pakistan. And India barely won somehow.

And this is what happened, this is what happened, this is what happened. Suppose somebody tells that. Then what happens for them, immediately the mind goes, oh, you know, that was also a close match.

And in the last over, they hit a sixer and India lost, but now this time we won. And, you know, it is like instant samadhi. When there is attraction to something, the connection happens spontaneously.

Now, for us, in the field of Krishna Bhakti, the connection may not happen spontaneously, but we can strive to develop that connection. And the more we are able to connect things, the more our absorption will increase. And this enhanced connection happens through association, because different devotees appreciate Krishna Bhakti from different perspectives.

And now, I never thought this is like this. We get more and more connected with Krishna in different ways. And that way, we can drink and relish the nectar of Lord Hari.

So the last part of this 10 B, this sattva has two parts. Samsevaya dashamulam. So, understanding these 10 fundamental truths, as given in these verses, after understanding this, samsevaya, when one renders service, when one cultivates devotion, hitvavidyam ayam janah, one gives up ignorance and misconceptions coming out from ignorance, ayam janah, such a person, bhavo pushtim tatha tushtim.

So, this person gets nourishment, bhavo pushtim, tatha tushtim. So, nourishment and satisfaction. These are different things.

Now, when we eat food, there is some food which satisfies us, but it does not necessarily nourish us. Some food may be very delicious, but then it doesn't give us energy. It simply gives taste to the body, but then adds bulk to the body.

It doesn't give energy. There is some food which gives energy to the body, but doesn't taste all that great. But Krishna katha is such a food that for the soul, it gives both tushti and pushti.

So, tushti and pushti, satisfaction as well as nutrition. It is when you eat bhavo pushti, which is similar to this. Yeah, very similar.

It is as you eat food, you know that. Hunger is satisfied. Bhakti pareshan bhaviraktir anyatra cha, tushti pushti shuddh abhavo.

That we get certain strength, we get satisfaction and hunger goes away. So, sadhu sangataha. This happens in the association of devotees.

So, here what he is saying is, this is the phalashruti. Traditionally, whenever a composition would be given, or any book is written or any pastime, any song is composed, the phalashruti is given by that great saint who has done it. So, here is the phalashruti that if we understand this dashamool tattva and we practise bhakti with an understanding of dashamool tattva, giving away, putting aside misconceptions.

These are the central conceptions. If you understand, then the misconceptions will go away. Once those misconceptions go away, then you will be nourished in bhakti, you will feel satisfied and ultimately you will attain life's supreme perfection.

So, thank you very much. Are there any questions? So, as we grow in our spiritual life, often we have services. Which require us to often go away from devotee association if we are to preach in new places.

So, how exactly can we get sadhu sanga at that time and what role does sadhu sanga play? Yeah. Actually, Prabhupada, you could say in external vision, he left Vrindavan to go to America. But actually speaking, he did not leave Vrindavan.

He carried Vrindavan with him in his heart and he manifested Vrindavan wherever he went. Now, a pure devotee may go out of the dham, but the dham never goes out of the devotee. The dham always stays in the heart of the devotee.

So, like that, Prabhupada also said, I was never separated from my spiritual master. He said that, although, literally speaking, he associated the spiritual master only on a few occasions, 10-12 times he heard from him in the 10-12 years that he was there. But he was associating in his heart, he committed his life to spiritual master.

So, we need to have that kind of affectionate connection with the Vaishnavas. We may be away from Vaishnavas physically, but if we have affectionate connection with Vaishnavas, even if it is not with many Vaishnavas, we don't have to have that affection only with our spiritual master. Any Vaishnavas who inspire us, if we have that connection and then we do our bhakti in a mood of service to them, then we are connected with the devotees.

So, association does not have to be physical. Association, it is true that as we advance more and more or as we get more and more responsibilities, we may not be able to have association of others so frequently. But there should be time for associating with them.

And more importantly, or along with that, time for them, the mood of associating and serving should be there. For example, if you are preaching in some far away place, then we actually create association over there. Sometimes at one level, if there are people who are younger to us, their worship and their service attitude, their glorification, that can go to our head sometimes.

We may become proud. Or other ways, their seeing them can also increase our mood of responsibility. Now, they are getting inspired by me.

They are seeing me as a role model. I have to become inspiration for them. I have to become exemplary for them.

So, there is a danger in associating only with juniors, but junior association also inspires. And similarly, when you are associating with seniors, there is inspiration from that. But sometimes when we are associating with seniors, that can also lead to sort of comfort and confidence.

They are there, they will take care of everything. Why do I need to do anything? If we are in a place with a lot of devotees, then we may not feel the sense of responsibility to do something ourselves. Yeah, the programmes are going on, the preaching is going on.

Anyway, I don't even have opportunities for preaching, so why bother? So, it's not necessary that if we are associating with devotees, we will be safe in that. It is probable, but it is not essential. Ultimately, whether we are associating with devotees or not, we are always associating with the mind.

And the mind can trouble us anywhere. It can trouble us when we are in association, it can trouble us when we are in seclusion. And in fact, you know, if we don't discipline our mind, when we are in association, we can commit offences.

And that can create a big set of troubles on its own also. So, ultimately, our protection comes neither from association nor from seclusion. Our protection comes from absorption in Krishna.

Association is very conducive, very inspirational, in many ways essential for absorption in Krishna. But it is the absorption in Krishna that is our ultimate protection. So, that absorption in Krishna often comes by the inspiration of those who are absorbed in Krishna.

Even if we don't have that association capability. So, we may have a little association. Many Akshara Prabhupada disciples had very little association with Prabhupada.

But through that association or little association also, they were very inspired. And they moved onwards in their spiritual life through those inspiring memories. So, even if we don't have physical association, we should always have the mood of associating with devotees.

And thereby, we can move onwards towards association. So, some devotees discuss mostly about Krishna. And other devotees may discuss, so if we are to speak according to the circumstances, how do we do that? Yes, there are different devotees with different inspiration.

And we should also recognise that not all devotees, even if they are very learned, it is not necessary that all devotees will be suitable for giving classes to new people. Especially if we are doing specialised teaching to a niche audience. Sometimes there may be some devotees who are very learned in Bhagavatam and Krishna Katha.

But if we have a forum of scientifically orientated students or corporate people, they may not be able to connect with them. So, we should take up the responsibility to have appropriate devotees connected with new people especially. After they become devotionally orientated, then they will also become Sarang Rai.

And they focus on the devotional aspect and there will be some devotional aspect. But there are, that's why it is not that every senior devotee can speak to new people. They may be able to speak, but they may not feel inspired to speak also.

So, we have to see what is the inspiration of those devotees. And it is actually if somebody is very learned in Bhagavatam and we take them to speak a one-line programme on the art of mind control or something like that. We are underutilising them actually.

So, they can speak at a much deeper level and more inspiring for devotees. And there are other devotees who can speak on basic topics. Now, it is not that somebody who speaks on basic topics is a less advanced devotee and somebody who speaks on advanced topics is an advanced devotee.

No. Prabhupada often spoke on very basic topics because he felt that was the need of the audience. Now, at the same time, now we have a Krishna Conscious Movement where there are devotees who are 6 months old and there will be devotees who are 20-30 years old.

So, they all need to be nourished. And then we just cannot have, if you have a university where there are 1st year students, 2nd year students, 3rd year students, suppose it is a PhD programme, there are 10-12 year students, a school. Now, you cannot have one teacher for all students.

Is it not? For 1st standard students, you may have a different teacher. For say 12th standard students, you have a different teacher. For postgraduate, then you have different teachers.

So, like that in our movement also, for different devotees and different people, there will be different teachers. So, that is why we will see that when there is programmes for new people, it is not that every senior devotee can give programmes to new people. It is like simply speaking, we take kirtans.

When there are kirtans to be done, it is not that every senior devotee is automatically a good singer of kirtans. So, if they are not a good singer of kirtans, then there will be some younger devotees who are good singers of kirtans. They will be asked to give kirtans at that time.

And that is perfectly fine. And usually, the senior devotees understand this point. But yeah, many devotees may not even like to do programmes for new people.

Just arrange programmes for devotees only. Some devotees will say, yeah, these people can speak nicely. Some devotees can speak nicely.

It is not that at one level, we could say anybody who hears about Krishna is purified. See, that is true. But purification is a process.

And our purpose in connecting new people or arranging programmes for new people is not just to purify them one time. It is to inspire them to join the process of purification. So, yeah, if we organise a one-time programme and we have a devotee who speaks just pure Krishna katha, you know, we have university students who don't even have a doubt whether Krishna exists or not.

And then we have the prayers of the demigods to Matsya avatar. And we have a one-time programme on that topic. So, yes, they will be purified by that.

But that will not inspire them to come for future classes and get purified on a regular basis. So, the initial stages when we are giving classes, it should be to inspire them to start the process of bhakti. And once they start the process of bhakti, then they will come regularly and then Krishna katha will purify them.

So, the process of education and the process of purification should not be mixed up. Any kind of Krishna katha is purifying. But it is not that any kind of Krishna katha is educating.

If there is an educational forum, then at that time there has to be education. So, just like now in India, you are having a course. Now, if you are having a course in Dashapur Tattva and somebody comes and starts speaking Chaitanya Jal Tantra, that is also purifying.

But that is not education. So, initially when we are preaching to new people, the purpose is education. And through the education also purification happens.

But still, there is definitely an intersection between these two circles of education and purification. But the two are not identical. The two are interchangeable.

And we should not think the two as equivalent. Any kind of Krishna katha is purifying. But every kind of Krishna katha is not educational.

So, the purpose is educational and keep that purpose in mind. And then have those devotees who can serve the educational purpose and they will be able to present properly by which people will start hearing Krishna katha for the purpose of purification on a regular basis. So, thank you very much.

Shila Bhaktivinoda Thakur ki Jai. Shila Prabhupada ki Jai. Gaur Bhaktivinda ki Jai.

PTA Bhaktivinda ki Jai. PTA Bharata Gauri ki Jai. Shila Prabhupada ki Jai.

Jai Krishna. Thank you. So, let us offer our respect to you.

Thank you. In spite of this, so much of history, he has been through so much of time with us and he has very mercifully given his life. So, let us express our gratitude by bowing down to him.

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna.