​Learning to change our rasa from the world to Krishna

​Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Scarborough, Toronto, Canada

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. Thank all of you for coming today morning for this discussion on the concept of rasa and how it relates with our life.
Especially when we practise bhakti. Now most of us have probably heard the word rasa in terms of amras or ganna ras. Mango juice or sugarcane juice.
So rasa usually connotes juice. Now when in Sanskrit the word rasa is used it has a slightly different meaning. It refers not so much to the state of the object as the effect of the object on us.
So rasa when we use as mango juice we are referring to the state of the object. It is in a liquid state. Whereas something is juicy when we say.
That means we can easily drink it. We can savour it very easily. There are different foods.
Some foods have to be chewed. And there is chewing gum. Keep chewing, keep chewing.
And then some little taste comes from it. But rasa is just drink it. And keep savouring it.
So the Bhagavatam says in its third verse vibhata-bhagavatam-rasamalayam muhur-aho-rasika-bhuvibhavukaha vibhata, vibhata means drink. bhagavata-rasamalayam alaya is abode. So rasa alaya is actually an abode of rasa.
vibhata-bhagavatam-rasamalayam muhur-aho-rasika-bhuvibhavukaha become muhur, again and again drink, oh rasika, oh people who can relish taste bhuvibhavukaha that bhavukaha means those who appreciate bhav, those who appreciate this essential emotion, they can relish this rasa. So become like that and relish the rasa. Just drink the nectar.
So here when it says rasamalayam that the bhagavatam is a reservoir of rasa this is 1.1.3 in the bhagavatam now what does it refer to? See all of us as per our nature, as per our interests, as per our cultures we find certain things relishable. So there is just recently a new video game that has come which has become like a craze, Pokemon Go. And people just become crazy just clicking the button trying to catch some Pokemon somewhere.
All around the world is whizzing by and there they are known world. On this wall some Pokemon is there. In this building some Pokemon is there.
They are just going there. So now a few months ago this game did not even exist. But just the game has come now and people have just become crazy for it.
Some people were met with road accidents because they were walking on the road trying to catch a Pokemon and the vehicle catches them on the face. So this is an example of an acquired rasa. The people did not have any taste for that before.
They did not even know that such a game existed. But that game, they got a taste for it now. Such a great taste that they become oblivious to the world around it.
And when they become oblivious to the world around it then they quote danger sometimes. But rasa, if you want the word can be understood in many ways. One way which we will look at today is you know anything that arouses us and absorbs us.
That is the thing for which we have rasa, for which we have taste. Anything that arouses us and absorbs us. Arouses means it can sensually arouse us, it can mentally arouse us, it can intellectually arouse us, it can spiritually, devotionally arouse us.
So arouse means to activate and then it does not just activate us, it absorbs us. Now what arouses and absorbs us that varies from person to person. So you know some some of us who are little older who are not into video games, we may look at it and say what is this crazy thing? Why are you wasting so much time on a video game like this? So that does not arouse us, that does not absorb us.
Or maybe at a more common level, you know Indians we see are crazy for cricket. So when they are crazy for cricket at that time if they come to America and we find in America people are not so interested in cricket. So they may find our infatuation with cricket odd.
What is so great about it? So when we talk about rasa, I think it was George Bernard Shaw who said that what is cricket? He said it is 11 grown up fools chasing after a ball watched by 11,000 grown up fools. So now somebody who is a cricket fan may say hey this is such a dry description. Cricket, there is so much artistry, there is so much expertise, there is so much character that comes.
When you hit a ball, when you chase a ball, when you throw a ball you are not aware of this at all. So in a rasa when we have a taste for something our whole way of looking at it changes. There is somebody who can just dismiss cricket like this and others, there are people who can write books upon books about cricket.
People can spend hours and hours, you know sometimes when we chant our japa, you know we count each bead. Now more carefully than we count the names of God that we chant, there are cricket statisticians who count every cricket record. They keep records so exhaustively of every small thing.
So this is the result of taste that the whole way of looking at the world or looking at least at that particular aspect of the world changes. So now different people can have rasa for different things. And at one level we may say, ok, people may tell us, ok, you know, ok you have rasa for Krishna Bhakti, you do Krishna Bhakti.
I am not interested. I have rasa for cricket. Or I have rasa for Pokemon Go or whatever else.
So now at one level so Bhaktanand Thakur talks about this in his book Chaitanya Shiksha Amrit and he says that there are pious materialists there are pious materialists who think that religion and bhakti is just another part of life. Life has many enjoyable parts and one part of it is bhakti. Now even this level is good because at least rather than looking for enjoyment in gross materialistic things, the people are looking for some enjoyment in something religious.
So for example, people they like to watch TV so on TV there is a serial, maybe something Ramayan is there, some Mahabharata is there, they watch that. And they enjoy that. So instead of watching some sensual movies if they are watching this, this is good.
At the same time, at this level the appreciation for Krishna Leela is not spiritual. It is simply cultural. So what is the difference between a spiritual appreciation for Krishna Leela and a cultural appreciation for Krishna Leela? Cultural appreciation is simply because this is what we have done.
This is what we always do. This is what my friends do. This is what my social circle does.
This is what my parents have done. This is what my grandparents have done. So I do it.
It’s a part of my culture, so I do it. And that is also good. But when we consider culture, now culture is changing and culture is changeable.
Changing means that culture never stays the same. If you consider culture in terms of the way people dress or the food that people eat, how people what kind of language people speak. Now this keeps changing.
Even the language, even if we say traditional Indian culture we may say. But if you look at just even Sanskrit. The way Sanskrit, today not many people speak Sanskrit.
But the way Sanskrit is spoken today is different from how it was spoken 500 years ago. And the way it was spoken 1000 years ago. Or the way it was spoken 5000 years ago.
Most of us may be more familiar with changes in English. When we grew up and we studied English, we might have studied poetry where there was thee, thou, thy. Now today if somebody starts speaking with thee, thou, thy, we’ll say which century have you come from? So, language is a part of culture.
Language changes. Similarly the way people dress may change. The kind of food people eat, that may change.
So culture is changing. And culture is also changeable. Changing means what happens out there, it is changing.
And changeable means I can choose to change my culture. When we lived in India, we may have lived in a particular way. When we come to America, we adapt and start living in a different way.
Some of us may change, some of us may not change. But the point is, culture is changing and is changeable. Whereas, spiritual reality is unchanging and is unchangeable.
Spiritual reality means that beyond my cultural practises, I at my core, am a spiritual being. I am, my existence extends beyond my body. Our destiny is bigger than our biology.
Biologically, we are all fated to grow old, get deceased and die. That is the fate of our body. But that is not our fate.
We as souls are eternal. And that eternality of the soul does not change whether people are speaking in Tamil or Telugu or Hindi or English or Hinglish. Hinglish is a portmanteau of Hindi and English.
So, most Indians speak Hinglish. Now, whichever language we speak, the truth that I am not the body, I am the soul, this is not going to change. This is going to remain as it is.
Similarly, if Krishna is God, if God exists and God is Krishna, then that truth is not going to change irrespective of what my cultural practises are. So, when we understand, when we approach the spiritual knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita or the practises given in the broad Bhakti tradition, when we see them as simply cultural practises, then we see them as optional. This is my culture, so I am doing it.
That is not their culture, so they will not do it. That is fine at one level. People’s behaviour is shaped by culture.
But reality is not shaped by culture. If I am the soul, then whatever is my culture, I am still the soul. So, now we rise from the cultural level to the spiritual level with our intelligence.
So, an intellectual understanding of the principles of the Bhagavad Gita takes our practise from the cultural level to the spiritual level. This is a very striking compound word in the Bhagavad Gita. Compound word means two words are brought together as one word.
So, this is a verse which comes just after three much more famous verses, 4.78 and 9. 4.78 are probably the most quoted verses in the Bhagavad Gita. So, Krishna says that whenever dharma decreases, adharma increases, at that time I descend to establish dharma, to remove the adharmic and to reestablish the dharmic. So, this is actually when Krishna descends, he has a contextual purpose and he has an eternal purpose.
Contextual purpose means at that time when Krishna descends, what does he do? He establishes dharma at that time. That is the context. But you may say, okay, Krishna came, established dharma and went away.
What is the benefit for me? Now also there is adharma again. No, there is an eternal purpose also for Krishna’s descent. That is described in the next verse, 4.9. He states, janma karma chame divyam evam yo vetti tatvataha tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mameti So, Arjuna, janma karma chame divyam that my appearance and my activities, they are transcendental.
evam yo vetti tatvataha, one who understands this in truth, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti, such a person does not, on giving up their body, does not take birth again. But mameti, so Arjuna, they actually attain me, mameti. So, here Krishna is telling that attaining him is the ultimate purpose and that purpose can be achieved if you understand his appearance and activities.
So, Krishna comes in this world, he appears, he performs various pastimes and he departs from this world. But the legacy that he leaves for the world for all time to come is the record of his pastimes. If you understand the tatvataha in truth, you will understand this is not an ordinary person.
This is a supreme person. Because his pastimes are divine. They are transcendental.
And by becoming attracted to him, we can actually become liberated. Krishna Leela is not meant for entertainment. It is meant to be entered into.
Entertainment is fine, but we can have entertainment with some cartoon characters, we can have some entertainment with some movies. But Krishna Leela is meant not just to be for entertainment, it is meant to be entered into, enter into Krishna Leela. Because Krishna exists at a higher stratum of reality.
We are existing at the material level of reality. There is a spiritual world beyond this material world. In 8.20 in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, when all in this world is destroyed, that part remains as it is.
And Krishna comes to invite us to that part. So, when we understand Krishna in truth, when Krishna descends to the, when people come to the temple and they say, you know, Krishna. See, Krishna is playing his flute.
And he is playing his flute. You know, there are different devatas who are in different postures. Often the standard postures of devatas are just less.
And that is good. You know, we can go to the devatas and seek their help so that you know, whatever problems in our life, they can be solved. But even if problems are solved, the problematic nature of this world can never be solved.
One specific problem can be solved, another problem will come. That problem is solved, another problem will come. Because problems are natural to this world.
Just like water is natural to the ocean, just as heat is natural to the desert. Similarly, problems are natural in this world. And Krishna offers a different solution.
Krishna says, not just solve solution to specific problems which we face in this world. Krishna offers that also. But Krishna says, come out of this problematic world.
Come to me. Be with me. Then you will be eternally joyful.
Krishna is playing his flute. You know, the other devatas may seem to be blessing us, but Krishna seems to be lost in his own world, enjoying himself playing his flute. But the playing of his flute is meant to attract us.
Just as Krishna played the flute to attract the Gopis when he wanted to perform Raas Leela. From the same lips from which came the Vedu Gita, which attracted the Gopis, from those same lotus lips of Krishna has come the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita.
And that is the song of Krishna for all of us. By that song, he wants us to be attracted to him. And when we are attracted to him, our love for him awakens, we become purified, and yaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti saurjuna.
Krishna says that, they will attain me. Those who become attracted to him. So, the purpose of Krishna is not just to establish order in this world.
Yes, he establishes dharma in this world. But the purpose of establishing dharma is to give us a path to come out of this world and to attain his abode. So, Krishna comes and Krishna tells us, I am performing such beautiful pastimes.
Come and join me. Come to my abode and join me. But quite often we come to Krishna and tell Krishna, Krishna, I want to perform pastimes here.
You come and assist me here. You solve my problem. Solve this problem.
Solve that problem. Solve that problem. So, now, this is, when we approach Krishna at this level, it’s also good that we are approaching Krishna at any level.
Chatur vidhā bhajante mām janah sukṛtu navarjuna ārto jijñāsura arthārthi jñāni ca bharatārśabha. Krishna says, four kinds of people approach me. 7.16. And one of them is those who are having problems.
Ārto. Those who are distressed and they want Krishna, I have this problem, please solve this problem. Or, arthārthi.
They say, I want to become wealthy. I want to become powerful. Krishna, give me the resources to become powerful.
Krishna appreciates these two kinds of people also. He says, they are sukṛti na. Sukṛti na means they are pious.
If they are not pious, to solve their problems, they would go somewhere else. Now, when they have problems, there are so many people, instead of coming to God and praying, they may just think, oh, the solution to every problem lies at the bottom of a bottle of alcohol. I’ll drink their way and they think this will solve my problems.
That is duṣkṛti na. This is Krishna’s sukṛti na. So it’s good to approach Krishna even if you have problems.
Krishna can help us solve our problems. But rather than asking to solve specific problems while we are living in this world, what Krishna offers us is to the solution of our problematic existence in this world itself. He comes to elevate us out of this world.
And this he talks about in 4.10. So in 4.9 he has said that those who understand me, those who become attracted to me, they will attain me. And how will that happen? That he describes in 4.10. vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodha manmayā mām upāśhitaḥ bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgataḥ bahavo Krishna says many in the past, what has happened to them? Pūtā. Pūtā means they have become purified.
mad-bhāvam āgataḥ They have attained my nature. And how have they attained? Jñāna-tapasā by the austerity of knowledge. Jñāna-tapasā.
By the austerity of knowledge they have become purified. And that means, Krishna is telling over here, we can rise from whatever level we are to the spiritual level of approaching him through knowledge. That’s why I said earlier, you know, we rise from the cultural to the spiritual through the intellectual.
It is when we get intellectual understanding of Krishna Bhakti, then Krishna Bhakti doesn’t just remain a cultural practise. Yes, it is a cultural practise, but it is much more than a cultural practise. It is, when we talk about culture, different people can have different cultures.
That can be sectarian. But Krishna Bhakti is actually not just, is not sectarian. It is universal.
It is the universal longing of the human heart for the divine heart. And this longing of the human heart for the divine heart is expressed through the practise of Bhakti. Anshula Prabhupada in that sense was very non-sectarian.
He appreciated Bhakti wherever he observed it. Even when the cultural forms were different. Anshula Prabhupada had sent some disciples to Iran and then he visited them.
And while he was talking with them about how to share Krishna Bhakti there, he was talking in the background, the namaz prayer started. And as it started, Prabhupada fully joined his hands and closed his eyes in a very reverential mood. And then he heard the full prayers of namaz as they were loudly recited.
And afterwards he opened his eyes. His eyes were bright. He said, wasn’t that beautiful? Now the devotees, Prabhupada, wouldn’t it be better if they chanted Hare Krishna? So Prabhupada looked hurt.
He said, you know, they are worshipping God in their way and we are worshipping God in our way. Why are you making me sectarian? Why are you making me sectarian? So the point is that Bhakti, certainly we would recommend chanting Hare Krishna because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is extremely merciful. Krishna is a direct reference to God’s most all-attractive manifestation.
So there are times when Prabhupada would preach to Christians. Most of his early disciples were from a Christian background. So if some people were just nominal Christians, I mean they were born in a Christian family but not practising anything, then you would encourage them to practise Krishna Bhakti.
But at other times if somebody was a committed Christian practitioner, Prabhupada would not tell them that you have to give up your Christianity and practise Krishna Bhakti. He said, you follow the principles of Jesus more purely. Understand his teachings, understand the basic principles and follow them more purely.
So the point is that we all have to raise our consciousness from the material level to the spiritual level. And there are different pathways to raise our consciousness. You can imagine climbing up a mountain.
Now there is a mountain to the top which we want to go. Now there are different pathways from which we can go to the top. So like that, the top of the mountain is spiritual consciousness.
It is devotional consciousness. Bottom of the mountain is material consciousness. So there are different paths by which we can rise from the bottom to the top.
So different religions we can say are like different paths to rise from the bottom of the mountain, from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. And now, yes, because this is Chaitanya Hare Krishna Mahamantra is a Yuga Dharma. So this particular path is easier.
This particular path, progress on this is swifter. But that does not mean this is the only way or that other ways are wrong. Bhakti is a universal expression of the human heart longing for the Divine heart.
So that heart’s longing for God will be expressed in different ways in different cultures. So Sri Prabhupada in that sense was non-sectarian. He says whatever is the name of God in your tradition, you chant that name of God.
So the point I am not going to have a talk here about world religions. It’s a whole different subject. On my website I have six lectures.
I have a whole course on world religions where I have analysed each religion, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, like this different religions I have analysed from the Vedic perspective. But here my focus is simply this point that Bhakti is not just a cultural practise. It is a spiritual practise.
It is actually the spiritual nature of the soul. And there can be different cultures where there will be different practises. They are all meant for awakening the spiritual nature of the soul to love God.
So it is the intellectual that raises us from the cultural to the spiritual level. When we appreciate how it is the soul’s nature to love and serve God, then we practise Bhakti with intellectual understanding. Not just because of cultural sentiment.
Cultural sentiment is very good. If it is there, that brings us to piety. But piety is not spirituality.
Piety is the tendency to be religious, tendency to be good. That is good. But that itself is not spiritual.
We rise from piety to spirituality through philosophical education. That’s why Krishna is telling over a Jnana Tapasa. Jnana Tapasa.
So the austerity of knowledge that purifies us and takes us from the cultural to the spiritual level through the intellectual understanding. And that’s why Sri Prabhupada stressed a lot on philosophy. Prabhupada wrote so many books and he told that it is by studying the books that our conviction will increase.
In the Chaitanya Charita Amrit it is said, you can repeat after me, Siddhanta Baliya Chitte Siddhanta Baliya Chitte Nakare Alasa Nakare Alasa Iha Haite Krishna Lage Iha Haite Krishna Lage Sudhrudha Manasa Sudhrudha Manasa Siddhanta Baliya Chitte Nakare Alasa Some people say all this is philosophy. I am not interested in the philosophy. People are lazy about philosophy.
My heart is attracted to Krishna. I don’t need all this philosophy. But Chaitanya Charita Amrit says, Iha Haite By this study of philosophy, what will happen? Krishna Lage Sudhrudha Manasa Our mind will be firmly fixed on Krishna.
How does this happen? When our attraction to Krishna is simply cultural, then that is good. But then, this is one nice cultural activity. I have some other activities also, which I like.
So, some people are watching Krishna Leela. And maybe in Krishna Leela, they read about how the Gopis are separated from Krishna. Or they see some TV serial where exalted devotional sentiments are described.
And you know, when they hear about Krishna’s separation from the Gopis, Gopis’ separation from Krishna, they may get tears. And then that programme gets over and another programme starts. In which there is some ordinary romance song going on and a hero is crying for a heroine or a heroine is crying for a hero.
And they get tears over there also. So, what has happened is that they may see some fight in which Abhimanyu attains martyrdom and he may start crying. And after that, that programme gets over, then a cricket match starts.
And then Sivirat Kohli gets out for zero. And they start crying there also. So, what is happening here? Here, this is one entertaining thing, that is another entertaining thing.
That gives you some sentiment, this gives you some sentiment. But here the understanding is not spiritual. Bhakti, what happens when there is actual bhakti? Bhagavatam explains.
Bhakti, Paresha Anubhava, Viraktir Anyatra Chalo. Bhakti gives us Para-Isha Anubhav. Anubhav means experience.
Isha is God. Para is the one who is transcendental. So, you know, I may come in front of the temple, I come in the temple and I say, this is just an image.
This is just idol. And I just go, what is this people? They are just decorating idol. And they will go away from there.
So, there is no Isha Anubhav that happens. There is no experience of God that happens. Why? Because God is Para.
He is transcendental. He is not just to be seen with these eyes. Yes, we can see with the eyes and we may say, oh, this is beautifully decorated.
But when there is Bhakti, when we understand that Krishna is so merciful, that he has descended from the spiritual world to the material world as a deity. There is a great Sri Vaishnavacharya, Pillai Lokacharya, he says that the deity is a manifestation of the great mercy of the Supreme Lord. He gives an example.
Suppose a small child, that child sees an elephant walking on the road. A child has a desire, I want to touch the head of the elephant. But the elephant is so big, how can the child touch? The child cannot reach the elephant’s top.
But if the elephant sits down and elephant moves his head down, then what happens? Then the child can just touch the elephant’s head very easily. This is like that, the child’s soul wants to reach God. But God exists at the spiritual level.
How can the soul reach God? So, it is the mercy of the Ishwara that the infinite becomes finite. The transcendental becomes manifest in this world. So that we can touch him, so that we can dress him, so that we can feed him, so that we can serve him.
So, when we approach, when we see the deity manifestation as a manifestation of Krishna’s mercy, when we see with this bhakti vision, when we come in front of the deities, there is a paraishan bhav, that is the experience of Krishna. We feel peaceful, we feel joyful, we feel our consciousness uplifted by approaching Krishna. So, bhakti, what it does is, bhakti is the process that gives us experience of God.
And when there is experience of God, what is the result of that? viraktir anyatra ca One no longer craves for other experiences. Because this experience is so rich, so fulfilling, one feels, you know, all this, watching this, going here, doing this, all this is so superficial. It’s not so substantial.
So, how do we know if somebody has bhakti or not? It’s not just by how much tears come from their eyes. That’s one way. It’s not how high they leap during kirtans.
That’s also nice. But that is not the primary thing. Bhakti is, the internal symptom of bhakti is paraishanubhav.
We get experience of God. And now, how can we know what somebody else is experiencing internally? We can’t know that. But what we can see is, next is the external symptom of bhakti, that is viraktir anyatra ca.
If somebody has experienced Krishna, then the result is that they become detached from other experiences. They are not craving for material, worldly pleasures. Because they have experienced something higher.
So, bhakti rasa, our topic is rasa. So, bhakti rasa is the taste for Krishna that we get. And when we get the taste for Krishna, it makes all other tastes pale and stale.
This is so rich. I don’t need any other things. So, when our attraction to Krishna is cultural, then bhakti is one rasa, cricket is another rasa, Bollywood is another rasa.
So, like that we have many different rasas which we get. But when our attraction to Krishna is not just cultural, it is spiritual, we have philosophically understood that Krishna is the ultimate reality. That everything else is temporary, Krishna is the absolute truth.
Then our attraction to Krishna becomes wholehearted. Iha haite Krishna lage sudhrudhamanas. With determination, we become, focus ourselves on Krishna.
So, in the story of Prahlad Maharaj and Narasimhadev, at one particular point, Hiranyakashyapu is infuriated with Prahlad. And he says, I just raised my eyebrows and the demigods tremble in fear. And he says, you are fearless.
How are you so insolent? On whose strength are you so insolent? It’s like, you know, if there is some small child or little thin person, there is a big pehlwan, big bodybuilder. And this small child is going and challenging that big bodybuilder. On whose strength are you challenging? You don’t have that much strength.
There must be somebody behind you. So, he is asking like that. Who is there behind you? And what is Prahlad Maharaj’s reply? Who is the source of your strength? What is the reply? Narayan.
Yeah, but he gives a more specific reply. No. Yes.
He says, the source of my strength is the source of your strength and is also the source of the source of your strength. That is Brahma. So, now, this might seem to be just a cheeky answer, you know.
It’s like you are provoking someone. He is not giving a straightforward answer. Who is the source of your strength? So, saying Vishnu, he says, the source of my strength is the source of your strength also.
So, it’s like somebody is very wealthy and he says, from where did you get so much money? Where did you get so much money? Jaha tum se jumara paisa aaya, wahin se mera bhi paisa aaya. From where your money has come, my money has also come. That means, you are actually reminding that person your strength is not your strength.
It has also come from somewhere else. So, at one level, it might seem to be like a very cheeky answer. Is Prahlad trying to provoke Hiranyakashyapu? No, Prahlad is not doing that.
He is trying to free Hiranyakashyapu from this competitive frame of mind where he is seeing God as a competitor. His whole idea was that I want to kill Vishnu one day. I want to become more and more strong.
He had performed tapasya by which he is going to become more powerful, more powerful and eventually he becomes so powerful, he says, I will kill Vishnu. He thinks that Vishnu has killed my brother Hiranyakashyapu so I have to take revenge. So, he tells him that, you know, don’t think that God is your competitor.
Sometimes people have to understand that God is the best of all beings. You know, I am a being, you are a being, we are being and God is the best of all beings. Actually, God is not just the best of all beings.
He is the basis of all being. God is not just the best of all beings. He is the basis of all being.
Nothing can exist without God. Nathadastipitivyamba Divideveshu, no. In 10.39 in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, Yacchapi sarvabhutana bijam tadamarjuna Nathastipinaya chyan maya bhutam characharam.
He says, I am the seed of everything that exists and nothing can exist without me. So, God, if we have this idea that God is the best of all beings, then there is competition. You know, like there is a number one tennis player.
So, there is a number one cricket team. Just a few weeks ago, Pakistan was number one. Now, India has become number one.
So, when we think that there is a best of all beings, that means the idea is, okay, that player is number one now. But if I perform better, then I will become number one. So, some people have this idea that, okay, there is a hierarchy of beings and God is at the top.
But if I acquire more power, then I will go there at the top. That was Hiranyakashipu’s understanding. So, Prahlad is saying, no, God is not just the best of all beings.
God exists in his own category. He is a different being. And the strength of all of us comes from God.
And therefore, he says in the next verse that actually don’t think Vishnu is your enemy. Your only enemy is your own uncontrolled and misguided mind. Uncontrolled and misguided mind.
That is your only enemy. So, this, all this, why is this relevant for us? We are discussing about rasa. So, I talked about, when we have a cultural appreciation of Krishna Bhakti, we think, okay, cricket is one rasa, video game is another one rasa, and Krishna Bhakti is one rasa.
So, like that, we think that all these different rasas are competitors. And this is one rasa which you are attracted to, but I am not attracted to that. But when we have a philosophical understanding of Krishna Bhakti, then we understand that Krishna is the source of everything attractive.
As I said, Krishna is the best of all beings. Krishna is not just the best of all beings. He is the basis of all beings.
So, Krishna is not in competition with various entities in His creation. Krishna is the source of everything. He is the sustainer of everything.
Similarly, the rasa of Krishna, rasa of Krishna Bhakti, that is actually not a competitor to all rasas. The rasa of Krishna Bhakti is the source of all rasas. That means, in 10.41 in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna states, So, He says, whatever is attractive in this world, so, know that its attractiveness is a spark of My splendour.
It’s a spark of My splendour. So, anything that is attractive in this world, how does that thing get that attractiveness? Krishna says that among the devatas, Indra is considered the best of the devatas, the strongest of the devatas, the king of the devatas. He says, Indra’s strength comes from Me.
Among Pandavana Maham, Krishna does Arjuna. Among Pandavas, I am Arjuna. Now, what is Krishna saying in this 10th chapter? He is not talking about absolute oneness.
If it is absolute oneness, then when Krishna says, then Arjuna will say, So, there is no need for you to speak Bhagavad Gita to me. I am enlightened already. You are enlightened, I am enlightened.
So, this Krishna is not talking about a simplistic oneness over here. When he says, among all the warriors, among all the Pandavas, Arjuna was the foremost as far as warriors was concerned. And Krishna therefore says, among all the Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya.
So, Krishna is telling over here, in whatever attracts us in this world, this section, 10.20 to 10.38 in the Bhagavad Gita, that is actually called as Vibhuti Yoga. Vibhuti means bhuta is existence. V is a prefix, means vishesha.
So, vishesha bhuta, that means something special in existence. See, in this room where I am sitting, there are so many things over here. But, if say, somewhere, there is a jewel lying over there.
Now, everything in this room is important, but a jewel is precious. So, that is a special existence. Naturally, our attention, attraction gets attracted.
Oh, where did this jewel come from? So, like that, in this world, there are many things, but some things attract our attention. So, whatever attracts our attention is like special in that existence. So, that is a Vibhuti.
And Krishna’s essential message in the 10th chapter is that, whatever is attractive in this world, you should know that its attractiveness comes from me. Its attractiveness comes from me. So, the list that Krishna gives in the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is indicative.
It is not exhaustive. It is an indicative list. And Krishna also says that, for example, I am giving this list.
But, for my Vibhuti, there is no end. So, for example, in today’s world, we could say that, the batting expertise, if Krishna had come, Krishna was speaking today’s language, among cricketers, I am Sachin Tendulkar. What does that mean? It simply means that, among cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar is a special calibre.
So, people are attracted to him. So, now, where does his talent come from? That talent comes from Krishna. So, whatever is attractive in this world, that attractiveness of that attractive object comes from Krishna.
So, when we see this, then we understand that actually, if one person with some talent can attract so many people, can have millions of fans who are practically mad for that person, and that is the attractive potency of just one spark of Krishna, then how much will be the attractiveness of Krishna himself? So, by this way, what we see is, if we have a cultural attraction to Krishna, then we see different rasas as competitors with the rasa of Krishna bhakti. But when we have a philosophical understanding of Krishna bhakti, when we have a spiritual understanding through philosophy, then we see that actually, everyone is attracted to Krishna. Now, in the Krishna book, George Harrison wrote the introduction and there he says, everyone is attracted to Krishna.
Some people know it, some don’t. So, Prabhupada also writes in the Krishna book that everyone is dancing in Ras Leela. But some people are dancing under Yoga Maya, others are dancing under Mahamaya.
So, whatever we are attracted to, actually, we are attracted to a manifestation of Krishna itself. But, all manifestations of Krishna are not equal. In the sense that, they do not have an equal effect on us.
They do not have an equal effect on us. So, Srila Prabhupada writes in a purport of Chaitanya Charita Amrit that the Mayavadis say that they take the same principle. Everything attractive is actually an experience of God.
So, they say that if I drink liquor, then by that also I am experiencing Krishna. The taste of liquor is Krishna. People go mad after alcohol.
So, where is the attractiveness of alcohol coming from? That is also coming from Krishna. But, now the difference is, see, everything comes from Krishna. But, everything doesn’t take us to Krishna.
The taste of alcohol also comes from Krishna. But, does the taste of alcohol take us towards Krishna? No. It makes us more and more forgetful of Krishna.
So, everything comes from Krishna. But, as devotees, as sadhakas, we focus on those manifestations which take us towards Krishna. So, everything attractive, different people have assigned different things.
So, people are mad after Pokemon Go. Now, where is the taste for Pokemon Go coming from? A manifestation of Krishna. That is also a manifestation of Krishna’s all attractiveness.
That is manifesting through the brilliance of the designer of the game, through the entertainment that the game offers. And, that is also a manifestation of Krishna’s all attractiveness, a spark. But, that is not taking us towards Krishna.
Whereas, when we come to the temple and chant Hare Krishna, this rasa takes us towards Krishna. So, philosophically, whoever is attracted to, now, we can see that they are attracted to Krishna. And, we can get inspiration.
Oh, these people are so attracted to this thing. Therefore, how attractive Krishna must be? Let me focus and become attracted to Krishna. So, philosophically, we can have an inclusive vision wherever, whatever people are attracted to, that can actually remind us of Krishna.
So, Bhaktivinoda Thakur says that, when I see materialistic people working so hard, he says, what is the taste that they are getting in that hard work? If I work hard for Krishna, I can get that and much more taste. Rupa Goswami, in a prayer, he says that, युवतीनाम्यथा युणव् युणव्च युतिम्यथा मनो भी रमते तत्र मनो में रमतां द्वाई He says, just as a boy is attracted to a girl, and a girl is attracted to a boy, he says, similarly, Oh, Lord, let my mind be attracted to you. Normally, if we see, the male-female attraction is considered to be the source of illusion, the source of bondage.
And it is said that one has to give up this attraction to become attracted to Krishna. That is one way of looking at it. It is valid, but at the same time, another way of looking at the same thing is, what is the force of this attraction? Where is it coming from? Ultimately, the male is attracted to a female, you know, what is that attractiveness of that female? You know, that is actually a spark of Krishna’s attractiveness.
When a female is attracted to a male, what is attractive about that male? That is a spark of Krishna’s attractiveness. But when this attraction is only to each other, without an understanding of Krishna, then that attractiveness, that mutual attraction increases illusion. Whereas, when we see Krishna present, so when we see Krishna present in the world, when we see Krishna as the source of all attractiveness, then we become attracted to Krishna, not to the attractive things in this world.
Because we see, yes, the attractive things in this world, they also offer pleasure. But it is little pleasure. It is a little, just a drop of pleasure.
So, the things of this world, they offer a drop of pleasure, where Krishna offers an ocean of happiness. So, if this drop can attract so much, then how much can the ocean attract? With this contemplation, we can focus and intensify our attraction towards Krishna. So now, the people who say that, oh, the taste of alcohol is also Krishna.
Therefore, when we are drinking liquor, we are experiencing Brahman. They say like that. What is their mistake? Yes, you can say at one level they are experiencing Brahman.
But actually, they are creating a Tamasic consciousness which will take them further and further away from Brahman. Further and further away from spiritual reality. Prabhupada, in his book, On the Way to Krishna, explains how the same thing can be approached devotionally.
Say, somebody wants to become a devotee. But they are just addicted to alcohol. They can’t give it up.
So, at that time, what can they do? They can think that, oh, the taste of this alcohol is also Krishna. So, when they are attracted to that, when they are unable to give it up, they may succumb to it. But after that, they can again start chanting Hare Krishna.
And if they do this, so, when they are chanting Hare Krishna, they are directly focussing on the manifestation of Krishna which they can access. When the spell of the desire comes and drags them down, they can say, oh, what is this? So, the force of the illusion, which is actually a partial manifestation of Krishna’s attractiveness. So, when they think like that, even when they are attracted to the taste of alcohol, they think that this is the taste of Krishna.
Then, what will happen is, they will gradually become purified and become attracted to Krishna. So, the point is that if I rationalise my addiction to alcohol, saying this is also Krishna, then, you know, rationalise is an English word. Its normal spelling is r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l-i-z-e.
Rationalise means to try to intellectually argue and prove that which is wrong to be right. Rationalisation is like a deceptive argument which is done to prove that which is right, which is wrong, we try to prove it to be right. So, rationalise, it can also be read as r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l-l-i-e-s.
Rationalise. So, when we rationalise, we succumb to rationalise. So, when we rationalise, we succumb to rationalise.
We don’t have to succumb like that. This is what I am attracted to right now. Now, this is manifesting the spark of Krishna’s splendour.
And I cannot resist the attraction of the spark right now. But, when that attraction is not so strong, at that time, what do I do? I focus on Krishna. And I try to increase my attraction to Krishna.
So, for us, as sadhakas, also there is this competition. We have some attraction towards Krishna bhakti, but other things also attract us. And we may say, I can’t resist this.
What to do? So, sometimes we become discouraged by that. I decide I will not do it, but again I succumb to it. Again I succumb to it.
So many times I am doing the same thing. And we become discouraged. Such times, we need to know that, actually, all of our consciousness often goes through spikes.
Now, for example, say, if I am attracted to something. So, it’s not that the desire is tormenting me 24 hours a day. That desire might be there, but there are times when the desire becomes very strong.
If you consider the graph of, say, electric current which is coming into our house. Sometimes the electric current has a spike. Other times it is normal.
Sometimes it has a spike. So, like that, spike means it shoots up suddenly. So, like that, sometimes our desire shoots up.
So, the desire is there, but it is normally tolerable. Sometimes it just becomes irresistible. So, now, when the spike comes, at that time, it may be almost impossible to resist.
So, we may feel that the spike comes and we can’t resist. We fall back. Oh, I am so fallen.
I am so useless. I cannot practise this bhakti. Let me just give up.
I am so impure. Nothing like that, actually. The spike comes, that time, we may not be able to resist.
But what do we do during the remaining time? If in between the spikes, we are wholeheartedly practising bhakti, we are trying to become attracted to Krishna, then what is happening? Our heart is moving closer and closer to Krishna. And as we develop a taste for Krishna bhakti, by that practise in between the spikes, gradually, our rasa for Krishna bhakti awakens. And when the rasa for Krishna bhakti awakens, then, bhakti pareeshaanubhava viraktiranyatrachura.
Then that spike will become tolerable. It will become lesser and lesser. Even if it doesn’t become lesser, we will have the inner strength to resist it.
So, what happens when… We all have certain attachments which are almost irresistible. So, we may not be able to immediately give up those attachments. We don’t have to worry too much about that.
We are meant to be devotees of Krishna. We are not meant to be devotees of renunciation. Our test is how much am I attracted to Krishna? Our test is not exactly how I am detached from the world.
We want to be detached from worldly things also. But our goal is not detachment from the world. If our goal is only detachment from the world, then that detachment can create hard-heartedness.
Where I become proud of how renounced I am. And I look down at everyone else. I become very desensitised towards others who are not as detached as I am.
So, for example, if it’s Ekadashi and I am fasting nirjan on Ekadashi, then I go to the kitchen and see who all is eating what. So attached. So fallen.
A sense gratifier. If I think like this, then my body is fasting but my ego is feasting. So, my ego is feasting.
And I am not making any spiritual advancement by that actually. So, if we if we are actually not attracted to Krishna, if we are simply detached, if our spirituality is, if we define our spiritual advancement simply by our detachment, not by our attachment to Krishna, then when we define our spirituality primarily by detachment, we become very judgemental towards others who are not so detached. And that judgmentality is actually very harmful.
It alienates people. But if we focus on becoming attracted to Krishna and we strive to get attracted to Krishna, then we move onwards steadily. And eventually the detachment will also manifest.
So, if we are not able to be detached, if others are not able to be detached from certain specific things, it doesn’t matter. We should practise Krishna bhakti, let others practise Krishna bhakti. And as the attraction to Krishna becomes more and more, gradually the other things will fall away.
We will be able to resist them, we will be able to overcome them. And for, so this is we’re talking about Krishna bhakti, rasa in Krishna bhakti and rasa in other things. We should just focus on trying to develop our rasa in Krishna bhakti.
And the rasa in other things will gradually become pale and stale. We don’t have to worry about the other things. Now, I’ll conclude with one last point about developing rasa in Krishna bhakti.
We all need to, there is a standard process of bhakti that we follow. We chant the holy names, we come in satsang, we study scriptures, we worship the deities. There is a process of A, B, C, D. A is association of devotees, like we’re all in.
B is books, study of scriptures, like Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatam. C is chanting the holy names. And D is deity worship.
We worship the deities and we diet, we take the prasad that is offered to the deities. This is standard process by which gradually our attraction to Krishna will increase and we will get rasa in Krishna bhakti. Along with this process, standard process, we can also look ourselves, what is it in Krishna bhakti that attracts me the most? Some of us may find, you know, I love kirtans very much.
Some of us may find a particular Hare Krishna mahamantra tune. Now, when I start singing that, I just get absorbed. Some of us may find that, you know, okay, this picture of Krishna, this darshan of Krishna is so beautiful, my heart gets attracted to this.
Some of us may find, oh, this leela of Krishna, I love it so much. I just want to hear it again and again, hear it more and more. Some of us may find that, that, you know, I like to recite verses.
When I hear the verses being recited, when I recite verses, I become absorbed. So, in the language of rasa, this is called as uddipan. Uddipan means spiritual stimulus.
So, all of us, we can find out what is our uddipan in Krishna bhakti. You remember I said that, whatever rasa is, that which arouses us and that which absorbs us. So, we can find out within the realm of Krishna bhakti, what is it that arouses us and absorbs us.
When we find that out, we can maximise doing that. While doing the standard process of Krishna bhakti, whenever we have time, in between, we can do that. Some of us may like philosophy.
We can make notes in the class or if we are reading books, we note down striking points and keep them accessible. So, whenever we have a minute or two, we are waiting for a bus, we are waiting to meet someone, we just take out our phone or take out our notes and just read them. We just take a minute, but we get stimulated by that.
So, if we find out what is it that gives us rasa, we maximise our exposure to that. And this is actually the role of individuality and creativity in bhakti. Sometimes people think, oh, everybody has to do the same thing.
Same chant, the same mantras, worship the same deities. All of you are becoming like one. No.
Actually, by the practise of bhakti, our spiritual individuality awakens. And in the practise of bhakti also, there is abundant room for individuality. So, whatever is it that we find attractive in the realm of Krishna bhakti, we do that.
And by that, we can move forward steadily, joyfully in the practise of Krishna bhakti. So, if there is one circle, this is the circle of the things which I have rasa for. And there is another circle, that is the circle of the rasa of Krishna bhakti.
Now, these two circles, in some aspects, they are non-intersecting. You know, I may have some taste for some immoral activities, some sinful activities, which I have to give up. But, there is also an intersecting zone in these two circles.
That means, there are things which I naturally like to do. And there are things which are also in the scope of Krishna bhakti. So, if I like music, then the music can be used in Krishna’s service.
So, then I situate myself in that intersecting zone. When I situate myself in that intersecting zone, then I can become steadily and joyfully attracted to Krishna. And we need, as a matter of service, we all have service attitude.
And whatever services we are told to do, we do that. But while doing whatever services we are told to do, we can also be observing. You know, which is the service in which I can absorb myself very nicely? What is it that I can do by which I can be inspired to serve Krishna myself? And this uddipan, this spiritual stimulus will be different for different people.
So, you know, when I come for commenting darshan of Krishna, I usually recite some verses. When I recite verses, then my intelligence gets stimulated. I meditate on the verses.
Oh, this same Lord who is being glorified in this verse, this Lord is manifesting over here. And then, I find that is the uddipan for me. That arouses me spiritually.
I get absorbed by that. So, once in a class, I told some devotees that we can also recite verses and by reciting verses in front of the Lord, we can become absorbed. So, after a couple of days, one devotee came to me and he said, you know, you told that we should recite verses.
But when I go in front of the devotees and I try to recite verses, trying to remember the verse causes so much tension that whatever bhakti is there goes away for me. So, now, that means his uddipan is different from my uddipan. So, for some people, they can just sing kirtan and they can just sing Hare Krishna tune.
They get so absorbed in that. You know, others may feel, yeah, kirtan is nice, but what else is there? I want to do other things. So, this is there is room for individuality in bhakti.
So, we may not be attracted to the things that others are attracted to. But rather than feeling that, oh, they are advanced devotees and I am not advanced devotees. I am not an advanced devotee.
You should think, okay, they have got absorption in Krishna through this. In what can I get absorption in Krishna? As we keep observing ourselves, we keep doing the services that we are told to do. But along with that, we observe.
And as we find whatever it is that attracts us towards Krishna, we do that more. And that will become the channel by which our attraction to Krishna will increase. And we can become committed in that one activity.
So, for example, say, some people you know, I like to recite Narasimha mantras. Okay, then recite Narasimha mantra every day. We do that, make commitment to that one activity.
Through that one activity, we connect with Krishna. When we connect with Krishna, the rasa of Krishna bhakti comes into our heart. When the rasa of Krishna bhakti comes into our heart, we become purified.
And then we start relishing that rasa in other activities also. So like that, our commitment, we make commitment to Krishna in one activity. And through that one activity, gradually we can start connecting with Krishna in other activities also.
And thus, we can increase our rasa for Krishna bhakti more and more. And when we are absorbed in the rasa of Krishna bhakti, then actually, it is not that we become negligent about the world, but we don’t, we no longer remain dependent on the world. So, while we are living in this world, we need material things.
We have relationships, we have jobs, we have finances. All these we need for living in this world. But, you know, when we are not spiritual, money is what we live with.
But unfortunately, for many people, money is what they live for. You know, what we live with and what we live for are two different things. What we live with is the tools for living.
What we live for is the purpose of living. So, money is a need for, it is a tool for living. It is not the purpose of living.
So, it’s not that we neglect worldly things when we develop rasa and Krishna bhakti, but we understand this is important, but it is not all important. And that way, we don’t get too obsessed, too worked up, too agitated by worldly ups and downs. Yes, these things, sometimes they’ll be good, sometimes they’re not so good.
But if I’m absorbed in Krishna, that will give me peace, that will give me stability. In the world, there will be always ups and downs. Just like if I’m in a boat, in an ocean, the ocean, there’ll be waves.
And the waves means that sometimes I’ll be up, sometimes I’ll be down. So, like this, this world is a place of duality. Sometimes there’ll be, sometimes there’ll be, financially we’ll be in a good situation, sometimes not such a good situation.
Sometimes health-wise, we’ll be in a very good health, sometimes in not such a good health. So, as I said, relationally, sometimes our relationship is very, very good. Sometimes, there’ll be some bitter feelings in the relationships.
All these things just keeps happening. That’s the nature of this world. But if we are sheltered in Krishna, then that’s like the boat is anchored.
When the boat is anchored, the ups and downs still come, but the wave cannot shake the boat so much because the boat is anchored to some higher, some much heavier thing. So, like that, Bhakti Rasa, it anchors us in Krishna. And when we are anchored in Krishna, the world’s ups and downs come, but they don’t shake us that much.
We can move forward more stably. We can respond to world’s ups and downs more maturely. And thus, we can actually pass through this life also much more happily, far less turbulently.
Bhakti can actually not only grant us the ultimate spiritual happiness, but it can also grant us greater stability and maturity in our life in this world. So, I’ll summarise. I talked about the concept of Rasa.
All of us have taste in different things. And in the material world, people think that your taste is in this thing. So, people think Krishna Bhakti is also like one taste among many tastes.
And I say, you have taste for that, I don’t have taste for that. Now, this understanding comes from seeing Krishna Bhakti as a cultural activity. And a major part of the class was differentiating between the cultural and the spiritual.
So, the cultural is in one sense, sectarian. There are different cultures, you have different ideas. But the spiritual is universal.
And I talked about Prabhupada appreciating Muslims doing Namaz. They are worshipping God in their way, I am worshipping in my way. So, Bhakti is so inclusive that even people outside the fold of Vedic culture, we appreciate their Bhakti also.
It is a universal human longing of the human heart for God. So, material consciousness is like the bottom of a mountain, spiritual consciousness is like the top of the mountain. And we rise from the material to the spiritual.
There will be different paths for that. And different religions comprise that path. Now, when Krishna descends to this world, there is a contextual purpose to establish Dharma at that time.
But there is an eternal purpose. That is, to reveal his pastimes by understanding which, we can become attracted to him and attain him. And to understand those pastimes, we need Jnana Tapasa, the austerity of knowledge.
We need to become Puta Jnana Tapasa, purified by the austerity of knowledge. That means we philosophically understand that Krishna is not just a Hindu God or Krishna is not just an Indian mythological figure. Krishna is the absolute truth, the source of everything.
And that’s why philosophy is what इहा है ते कृष्ण लागी संतु रूट मान है. By philosophy, our focus on Krishna will increase. Otherwise, without philosophy, we think that, okay, you know, Krishna is performing pastimes and Krishna should help me here perform pastimes.
Krishna should help me solve my problems here. Krishna can do that. Krishna does do that also.
But we are actually underused, we are underusing Krishna Bhakti by that. So, we may be able to solve problems in this world, but no one can solve the problematic nature of this world. That’s why Krishna says, come out of this world, come to me, rise to spiritual consciousness.
And that, rising to spiritual consciousness means changing our rasa from the things of this world to a rasa for Krishna Bhakti. And, so, we discussed that, people think, okay, there are various rasas and Krishna rasa is also one candidate among the competitors. But that comes from misunderstanding of God as just one being among many beings.
This is the Prahlad Hiranyakashipu pastime where we discussed that, and Prahlad says, the source of my strength, he doesn’t say it’s just Vishnu. He says the source of my strength is also the source of your strength, the source of the source of your strength, that is Brahma. The point is, don’t see God as just the best of all beings.
See God as the basis of all being. So, similarly, God is not just Krishna Bhakti is not just one source of pleasure among many sources of pleasure. Actually, it is the source of supreme pleasure.
Whatever is attractive in this world, its attractiveness comes from Krishna. So, if people are attracted to cricket, or a particular cricketer, that cricketer is manifesting a spark of Krishna’s attractiveness. So, rather than, therein, so what we can see is, oh, if a drop of, here this is a drop of rasa, and Krishna is the ocean of rasa.
So, if the drop can attract people so much, then how much will the ocean attract? And therefore, let me strive to become attracted to the ocean. And that we do by practising Krishna Bhakti. While practising Krishna Bhakti, if we focus too much on detachment, oh, I can’t give this up, I can’t give that up, then we become discouraged.
And if we succeed in getting detached, we become proud. We become very judgemental towards others. The way to avoid this is to know that the central point is to develop our rasa for Krishna Bhakti.
And we may have taste for other things, those tastes come like spikes. So, when the spikes come, we may not be able to resist. But in between those spikes, if we are focussing on Krishna Bhakti, getting attracted to Krishna Bhakti, gradually that attraction to Krishna Bhakti will give us the inner strength and intelligence by which we will be able to resist those spikes.
And eventually those spikes will become endurable, resistible. And they will actually disappear also. So, whatever we are attracted to, we are actually attracted to Krishna.
But everything’s attractiveness comes from Krishna, but everything’s attractiveness doesn’t take us to Krishna. So, whatever we are attracted to, the taste of wine also is coming from Krishna. But that taste does not take us closer towards Krishna.
So, that’s why we avoid wine. But if we are irresistibly attracted to it, then we practise Krishna Bhakti when we are not attracted. But while we are attracted irresistibly, at that time also we can try to think, this taste is also coming from Krishna.
That way we can be Krishna conscious. And we can find out our uddhipan in Krishna Bhakti. That which gives us taste, there are standard activities of Krishna Bhakti, the ABCD, and there are specific activities which may give us taste.
So, if we find out our uddhipan, then we can become committed to that one activity in Krishna Bhakti which arouses and absorbs us. And through that one activity, this taste of Krishna Bhakti, the rasa of Krishna Bhakti will enter into our heart. It will permeate our heart and then we will become attracted to Krishna in other things also.
And Krishna Bhakti not only liberates us ultimately, but it anchors us to Krishna. And thereby, when life’s ups and downs come, we don’t get so disturbed. We don’t mistake the things we live with to be the things we live for.
We recognise wealth is important, but not all important. And when ups and downs comes, we can tolerate them and thus Krishna Bhakti can help us not only attain Krishna at the end of life, but also live more maturely and live more effectively even in this world. So, thank you very much.
Hare Krishna. So, does anyone have any questions? Yes. Okay.
Thank you to you. Yeah. We are studying Chapter 7 to 12.
We are also interested in Krishna Bhakti Yoga. Chapter 4 also. Beautiful.
And then you told from Chapter 7 that Krishna and Krishna Yes. Yes. Thank you.
Hare Krishna. Yes. And also, they have the mantra Om So Om.
So, what is, I know the difference, but do they also attain Krishna or Brahma? Okay. So, Gyan Tapasa, there are impersonalists who also cultivate lot of knowledge and they are attracted to the God in the impersonal manifestation. So, do they also attain liberation? Yes.
Ultimately, the impersonal and personal are aspects of the same one absolute. So, just as we can, sun is here and the sun’s light pervades around it. So, like that, Krishna is Bhagawan, he is the sun and the light that goes from his body that is called as the Brahma Jyoti, that is Brahman.
Brahmanohi pratishtaham. Krishna says in 14.27 in the Bhagavad Gita that I am the support of Brahman. So, those who are attracted to Brahman, if they devote themselves to the pursuit of Brahman, Krishna talks about this in 12.4, 12.3 and 4. Yatvakshanam anudesham agyaktam paripasate sarvatraga machintancha kutastha machulendriyam sanyamendriya gramam vinyamya buddhaya te prapnuvantimameva sarvabhutahite rata, they also attain me, Krishna says.
Next verse, 12.5, he states that kleshodiktaras tesam avyakta sattacetasam avyakthahigatirdukham dehavadbhiravapithe, he says that for actually becoming attracted to the impersonal is not all that easy. Why? Because we are attracted to specifics. We are attracted to specific manifestation.
I am attracted to blue colour, I am attracted to this kind of dress, I am attracted to this kind of personality. It’s specifics that attract us. Whereas Brahman is actually bereft of all specifics.
So to fix the mind on Brahman is very difficult. So the only thing to think of is that there is nothing to think of. That whatever I am thinking of, that is in the realm of illusion.
This is actually implication of impersonal philosophy is that whatever I am thinking of, it is all illusion. So I should think that everything is illusion and when I go beyond all such thinking, then I will attain Brahman. Krishna says it’s kleshodiktaras tesam.
It’s a difficult process. So those who worship, those who cultivate gyan of impersonal Brahman, they can attain Krishna but it’s so difficult process. Now there are some among these impersonalists, they are not just attracted to the impersonal but they also go beyond that and they offend the personal.
That means they say that actually the personal is not real only. The personal is simply an illusion which is temporarily manifested and ultimately we have to go beyond the personal manifestation. So some people put some put some slogans on their t-shirts.
One slogan, I was an atheist till I discovered that I was God. So this idea is there that they think that God means simply that impersonal absolute and the personal is also temporary and I have to go beyond that. That becomes offensive and those who offend like this, their destination is not auspicious.
Krishna talks about this in 9.11 and 12. अवजानन्ति मामूढः मानुशिंतन्माशृतम् परंभावजानन्तो मम्भूत्भहिश्वरम् मोघाशा मोगकरमानो मोगग्यानामचेतस हा राक्ष्यसिमासुनिम्चैव प्रक्रतिम्मोहि निम्षृतः So he says that those who think that I am just an ordinary human being. He says, they are deluded.
And whatever spiritual aspirations they have, they will be frustrated. So, those who are attracted to the Brahman, it’s a difficult path but they will attain Brahman. But those who are offensive to Bhagawan, for them there is no auspiciousness.
But Krishna talks about here, when He talks about Jnana Tapasa, what He is talking about is, by the Jnana Tapasa, He is talking about the austerity of knowledge by which our attraction to Him increases. We get bhava, emotion for Him. And that is, so even in bhakti we cultivate knowledge.
But this is the knowledge that is anukul to bhakti. And you know, in the impersonal path, the gyan that they cultivate is, how I and God are one. That is truth.
We are qualitatively one. But there is also difference. That God is vibhu and I am anu.
He is infinite, I am infinitesimal. In bhakti, we focus not only on the qualitative oneness of God and us, we also focus on the quantitative difference. God is so great and so tiny.
And that knowledge of both the oneness of the soul with God and the difference of the soul from God, that is the basis for bhakti. And that elevates and liberates us ultimately. Thank you.
Yes, ma’am. I said Krishna is the best of all. Krishna is not just the best of all beings.
He is the basis of all being. So, what that means? Being means here existence. Being is the basis of all being.
That means that nothing can exist without Him. He is the foundation of all of existence. And whatever exists, whatever has any attractiveness, it all comes from Krishna.
The best of all beings means that there are many beings and Krishna is at the top of the hierarchy. But if I can get at the top, I can pull Krishna down. So, the point I was making is Krishna is not just one among many beings.
No, Krishna is the one being who is the basis of all beings. So, He is the source of all of us. His strength is the source of all of our strength.
His attractiveness is the source of whatever attractiveness we have. So, Krishna exists in His own category. That is the point I was making.
That means God is not just… He is the best of all beings. But He is not just the best of all beings, not one among all beings. He is His own category.
In a different category, He is the basis of all beings. So, as I mentioned, I write articles every day on the Gita. So, there is a website called gitadaily.com. The same statement which I made, there is an article on this title itself.
God is not just the best of all beings. He is the basis of all beings. So, if you search for this phrase on gitadaily.com, if you search for this phrase, basis of all beings or best of all beings, you can find that article and you can read it more systematically also over there.
So, you had a question, Prabhu? Do we have time? Sure. One more question. Yeah, sure.
So, Prabhu, thank you again for this wonderful… We were always associating with you through the internet and we never thought that this day will come when we can meet you in person here. So, we are very grateful for that. And thank you for the wonderful class.
And the question, Prabhu, you had mentioned twice about how Srila Prabhupada heard this prayer from the mosque and he was closing his eyes and meditating. And you also mentioned about how different paths lead to the same destination from the bottom of the mountain to the top. So, just to understand, you know, we have some differences when it comes to different religions.
Say, some of them could be fundamental, not know meaningful verses. So, can every tradition follow their own way but then we see some differences. But will that be sort of… How does that… How can they overcome that? Or is that okay when they follow… Okay, yeah.
So, if we say that different religions are like different paths leading to the peak of the mountain, but we see that there are differences among the religions. And some even seem to be fundamental differences, like say, with respect to meat-eating. So, will they attain perfection by following their path itself? How is this to be understood? Yeah, there are… Basically, all religions have an exoteric aspect and an esoteric aspect.
Exoteric is external. Esoteric is internal. So, Bhaktivinoda Thakur talks about it in the Chaitanya Shikshambud quite a bit.
He says, based on language, based on culture, based on the prevailing worldview at that time. Now, different people, the same one absolute truth reveals himself in different ways. So, that’s why there can be differences.
But those differences are external. Essentially, the soul wants to love God and there is God who offers different ways for the soul to move forward towards God. Just like, you know, we consider traffic rules.
You know, in India and America, you know, we in India, we move on one side of the road. In America, we move on exactly opposite side of the road. So, as far as the rule is concerned, the rules are not just different, they’re opposite.
You know, if in India, we move on the right side, we’ll get into trouble. In America, if I move on the left side, I’ll get in trouble. Is that right? So, now… So, they’re not just different, they are opposite.
But yet, the rules are different, but the purpose is the same. And the rules can be opposite and still the purpose can remain the same. The purpose is the regulation of traffic, the regulated movement of vehicles along the road.
That’s what is required. And that is what is served by this. So, similarly, there are different people at different levels on the spiritual journey.
Not everybody is at the same level. And what is good at one level may be bad at another level. So, for example, say a father has two children, a family has two children, and there’s two sons.
So, both of them have come from school today. So, one of them is a very intelligent student, always gets good marks, maybe say 80% marks. The other student is a very below average student, barely scrapes through, gets 40% marks.
And today, both of them have come. And both of them have got 60%. So, the first person, the father will say, Shabash, I’m proud of you.
I’ll say, Badmash, what have you done? Say, hey, the second son will say, hey, both of us got the same percentage marks. Why the difference? So, the father says, difference is because, you know, for you, for him, from 40 to 60 is elevation. But for you, from 80 to 60 is a degradation.
So, like that, you know, what is good and what is bad is not absolute. When it comes to individual application, the same thing that is good at one level, may be actually bad at another level. Or the same thing that is bad at another level, may be good for a person at another level.
You know, we could say that, when Narada Muni tells Bhrigari, why are you half-killing animals? Kill them completely. You know, in today’s internet age, you know, immediately we could have an article, Narada Muni, a deviator from Siddhanta. He’s telling people, kill animals.
You know, he’s committing, he’s deviating from parampara. We could have, Narada Muni being targeted with a, with people who are always out to claim deviation. But what is Narada Muni doing? You know, for a person who is half-killing and causing pain and delighting in causing pain to others, see, for him, hunting was a professional necessity.
But torturing animals is not a professional necessity. So, what Narada Muni is doing is, elevating him from that level to one level higher. Okay, you have to do your professional necessity, do it.
But you say that, that’s, how will you live without that? Okay, you do it, but don’t half-kill them. Don’t torture them. Don’t delight in causing them pain.
So, for him, it’s one level higher from there. So, like that, in different traditions, depending on the cultural context in which people are, they are given instructions. And they will become elevated from where they are towards one level, towards higher levels.
Now, exactly how far they go, that will depend on how committed they are, how purely they practise. And ultimately, it is not that, that when Prabhupada was asked, you know, Prabhupada was on Lescrain’s TV show and it’s a Christian feature and there was Prabhupada. So, the TV host went and asked the Christian feature.
So, according to this person, this Swami’s path, he follows the Bhagavad Gita. He couldn’t pronounce also. He could follow the Bhagavad Gita.
So, will they attain God? So, that’s Swami, that monk, that Christian priest remained silent. He said, so, will they attain God? He remained silent. So, he came to Prabhupada.
So, by following the Bible, will they attain God? He says, yes. Anyone who follows the path of God, they can attain God by that. He went back again.
Then he said to the Christian priest, he said that, no. He asked, will they attain God by following the Gita? He said, no. He said, the path to God is very narrow.
The path to God is very narrow. So, this is actually narrow-mindedness. So, now, the purpose is to become attracted to Krishna.
And the test is, how much are we attracted to Krishna? So, now, we may say that we are practising Krishna Bhakti, but that doesn’t mean that… So, somebody may ask, okay, if somebody is eating meat, will they attain perfection? They will rise higher from wherever they are. Will they attain perfection? Will they attain Krishna? That way, if you want to say, there is no guarantee that we ourselves will attain Krishna. It’s not just chanting Hare Krishna.
It’s actually developing love for Krishna that is important. So, we have to become purified. We have to attain love for Krishna.
And even in the Christian tradition, even in the Muslim tradition, there are people who are vegetarians. So, there are people… And certainly, there is no mandate which says that you have to eat meat to worship Allah. I have a whole different analysis of the Bakri.
There are other Eid festivals. They are not integral to Islam. They are later accretions.
There are so many Muslim countries where there are Bakri and goats and that kind of animals are not there only. So, how can they perform that particular ritual? And are all these Muslims deviant just because they are not killing goats? No, it’s not like that. So, that is not essential.
Many religions get cultural accretions. Accretion means some later addition which was not originally given in scripture. It gets added on.
In Hinduism also, that is there. There is God, there are demigods and there are semi-gods. Semi-gods means, say me God.
I am God. So, there are many… So, the worship of such spiritual teacher as God, that is not a part of the tradition originally. That is an accretion.
So, every religion can have accretions to it which can often be deviations. So, essentially at one level, we understand that there is love of God to be acquired. We want to develop love of God to attain perfection.
At another level, we understand the different people are at different levels. And so, rather than being judgemental about others, we appreciate and encourage them to rise higher from wherever they are. And if they are following a path which is given by God, if they are following a bona fide path, then it is between them and God.
It is for them, it is for Allah, for Christ, for Buddha to guide them onwards. And how that happens, whether it is in this life, in the next life, that is between them and the manifestation of God, the representative of God that they are worshipping, that whom they are following. So, we focus on practising the principles that we have learned and appreciating others and encouraging others when they are also moving towards God.
Does it answer your question? Wonderful. Thank you so much.