NoI 2 Text 1- The need and the means for authentic atonement – Mumbai 2013

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Introduction of the Upadesha Amrit.
Now, we will start with the first verse. So, as we mentioned, the Upadesha Amrit is basically a foundational book of practical instructions. And the instructions that it gives are meant to take a sadhuka from the basic level of beginning one’s spiritual life to the level of realisation of Radha Kunda.
So, that is the whole scope. Now, we look at the verses one by one. So, let us look at the first verse today.
So, वाच्च्ववेगं मनसः क्रोधवेगं चिव्भावेगं उधरोपस्थवेगं एतान्वेकान्यो विष्यहेत धेरा सर्वापिमाम् पृत्विन्सशिष्यार् A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world. So, now this first verse of the Omdeshwaramrit is a little mysterious in the sense that what is it telling us? शिष्यः सर्वापिमाम् पृत्विन्सशिष्यार् So, if this is a book for sadhakas, is it telling that the sadhaka what all the qualifications sadhaka should have so that he can become a guru who will have disciples all over the world? Is it like that? Not exactly. Actually, the verse serves two purposes.
The first purpose it serves is, it helps the sadhaka understand who is the right spiritual master. And in spiritual life, the spiritual master is not just a person to be exalted but also one has to develop those qualities. So, in that sense, it’s like if there’s a champion, the champion in the field, the champion sportsman, champion cricketer is there.
Now champion cricketer, whatever it is, any aspiring cricketer also should learn to do that in a small way. So, interestingly, when here Guru Goswami talks about the qualifications of the spiritual master, he is telling us who will be the model, the guide, the mentor for us. And also he is telling what all qualities should be developed.
And he starts first by talking the negative aspects, negative or regulative aspects. Generally speaking, you may think that if a person wants to be a guru, the person should know about Krishna, wouldn’t talk about Radha and Krishna. That is important, no doubt.
But given the tendency for sahajiyaism that is likely in people, he starts with first of all the regulative qualifications. If we want to get a spiritual master, also if we want to become serious spiritual aspirants, we have to control our interaction with the material world. And these are basically forms by which, forms of regulation by which we control our interaction with the material world.
So, Sri Prabhupada’s purport is very systematic and it takes one by one and explains this. So, what we will try to do, generally, when I take the, this is the first time I am taking lecture of instruction. I have taught Vishwamitra three, four times, Bhagavad Gita three, four times.
So, I introduce two different formats. For Bhagavad Gita, we cannot read the full book, it’s too big. So, there we recite the verses and then I explain the flow and the related concepts.
In Ishopanishad, normally, we would read the full book, read the book and then we will discuss the points based on the book. So, we have, I am here till around 30th, 29th and in between two, three days I have to go out. So, we will have around 18 classes, maybe 16, 15, 16 classes we will have.
So, we will see what pace we go. We will try, at least in the beginning, we will try to read the full book. We will read the past, we will discuss it and then if we are not able to maintain that pace, then we may, I will just summarise the purport and tell you what is the main point and then elaborate the point.
So, we will go a little slowly in the beginning because Shri Brahmapada’s initial purports are quite long and his subsequent purports become shorter. So, we can have a possible, all devotees can read one-month paragraph. Is that okay? So, whoever would like to start, you can volunteer and then we will move forward from there.
So, let us review this, what Shri Prabhupada is telling over here. So, basically Shri Prabhupada is talking, he starts off the purport by immediately doing a cross-reference to the Bhagavatam. So, here Shri Prabhupada makes a cross-reference to other scriptures.
See, the scriptural knowledge is symbiotic. Symbiotic means, if you know symbiosis, two organisms live together in a way that they both contribute to each other existence. So, the opposite is parasitic, where one organism lives at the expense of other organisms.
So, the scriptures are symbiotic. Symbiotic means that the various scriptures contribute to deepening our understanding of the existence and that is why every book that we read within the Vedic library, whether it is the Bhagavad Gita or the Bhagavatam or the Padma Purana or the nectar of instruction, our understanding deepens where we can bring about the correlation between the teachings of the various scriptures. So, this, in fact, in general, all knowledge progresses by connecting the unfamiliar with the familiar.
All knowledge progresses by connecting unfamiliar with the familiar. That means, say, if I tell you that in the last 10 years, the number of polar bears in the Siberia forest have decreased by 75 percent. What has this got to do with anything? Okay, it may be something which is an information.
What has it got to do with anything? But suppose I am giving a class on how in Kali Yuga, things are going to become worse and how one of the problems is going to become the environmental crisis and because of environmental crisis, many species are becoming endangered and then I tell this fact, then it makes sense. Otherwise, the fact just hangs out in the air without adding to our understanding of the universe. So, knowledge progresses by connecting whatever new we hear with whatever old we have heard.
So, scriptural understanding also deepens when we hear a particular thing, we connect it with what we have heard elsewhere, what we have heard earlier and understanding deepens by connections. This is what we should see in Srila Prabhupada’s purports. Whenever he is taking one verse or one aspect of the scripture, he will immediately connect with other sections in the scripture to give us a broader understanding.
So, here the connection seems to be a little abrupt. When the verses started with nectar of instruction, Srila Prabhupada set the stage in his preface where he explained that what is the, who is the author and what is the purpose of the book. Srila Prabhupada immediately starts off the theme of the verses that we need to control our urges and then Srila Prabhupada immediately steps back and says, points out how difficult it is to control the urges and he brought back, he gives the example of a thief over.
So, the idea of a thief is that when we try to control our urges, the senses are so strong that they keep troubling us. So, Srila Prabhupada is talking about different levels. Generally, all of us know about these two kinds of Brahmacharis, Upakurvan and Naishtika.
So, can anyone tell what is the difference between Upakurvan and Naishtika Brahmachari? Have you heard of these two terms? Naishtika Brahmachari, have you heard this term? What is the Kermesan Naishtika Brahmachari? Yes, celibacy from the beginning continues on throughout his life. That is a Naishtika Brahmachari. And who is a Upakurvan Brahmachari? Have you heard the word? Upakurvan Brahmachari is a person who practises Brahmacharya in the initial part of the life and then moves on to become a Grihastha.
So, Naishtika is a lifelong celibate. Whereas, Upakurvan is a Brahmachari for a few years. So, now what is the reason why some people in general Vedic culture, at least the higher varanas, they will all go for training at the Upakurvan.
And then they will decide whether they want to continue on as lifelong celibates or they want to go into Grihastha. So, Upakurvan refers to those who stay for a few years celibates and then they change their ashram as they go to the Grihastha. And that is not considered a blemish.
It is a progression, the next step forward in the spiritual progression. So, the next ashram. Now, the main difference between the two is the Naishtika Brahmachari, he hears and by hearing, he gains conviction.
Whereas, the Upakurvan Brahmachari, he needs hearing and experience to get conviction. So, that means the Naishtika Brahmachari hears that I am not the body, I am the soul. This world is a place of misery.
The pleasures of this world are actually traps, which will only increase our misery. Real happiness is in becoming spiritually advanced and developing our love for Krishna. So, when the Naishtika Brahmachari hears this, concentrates on it and then gains realisation.
So, Krishna talks about these two Brahmacharis, these two spiritual aspirants in 4.26 in the Bhagavad Gita. Generally, in these colony circles, the verses are referred to, sometimes some point are conveyed in a verse, one part of the verse. So, for example, Sarvadharman Paripriti Ma Mekam Sharanam Rajyam, this one has four lines.
So, Sarvadharman Paripriti, if I just want to refer to this line, I have referred to it as 18.66 A. Ma Mekam Sharanam Rajyam will be referred to as 18.66 B. Aham Tvamsa Rupapya will be 18.66 C like that. So, this point is talked about in 4.26 A and B. And this point of hearing plus experience, this is indicated in 4.26 C. This is the verse from the Bhagavad Gita. So, what do the Prabhupada transmit? The unadulterated Brahmachari.
What do they do? They take the Shrotraadi, Shrotraadi is the ears and they offer the ears in the mind, the senses in the mind. That means, they don’t let the senses interact with the sense objects, but they turn the senses inwards towards the mind. The idea is that whatever the aspiration of senses are, they turn them inwards and try to connect with spiritual theology without going towards the experience of the material world.
These are the Brahmacharis. That means, Brahmacharis, they take the senses and withdraw them inwards towards Krishna. So, this whole section, the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is talking about Yajna and it talks about Yajna not just as a sacrifice where he is offered into the fire, it talks about various activities that are performed in the mood of sacrifice.
So, the mood of sacrifice is that I can use something for my enjoyment, but I don’t use it for my enjoyment, I use it for some higher purpose. So, the senses, my interacting sense objects give me a pleasure, but I withdraw the senses and turn them inwards so that I will get some purification and higher happiness in relationship with Krishna. That is the Naishtika Brahmacharya.
Now, the Grahasthas also, the contact of senses and sense objects is considered to be Yajna when that is regulated by them. So, now what brings realisation even in the Grahastha Ashram is not just the engagement in sense pleasure, it is actual Dharma that is practised. So, when there is Dharma practised, then the Dharma gives a person the higher taste and one is engaging in sense gratification, that gives us an experience of sensual pleasure also.
And then at a deeper level, one understands this pleasure that I was imagining to be so great, there’s nothing so great about it. And on the other hand, when it’s practising Dharma, so one is getting purified and one is also experiencing higher happiness. And by that, one slowly becomes weaned off from the lower pleasure and starts getting detached from the lower pleasure and one starts concentrating on aspiring to the higher.
And eventually, one achieves that. So, now if somebody is not a Grahastha, somebody is a Grahamedhi, that means the person is not practising Dharma. Then in that case, what happens primarily is the person is only engaging in sense pleasure, his only experience and the experience of sense pleasure rarely leads to any lessons.
People may experience frustration in sense pleasure, but the nature of the mind is it makes us think, oh, something is wrong with the way I am enjoying, something is wrong with this person, something is wrong with the situation, something is wrong with this, our psychologies don’t match, our chemistry doesn’t match, people get all that, they find that I’ll find pleasure somewhere else with someone else in some other circumstances. So, in the case of if there is no hearing, there is no Dharma, so hearing is one way in which we practise Dharma. So, when there is Dharmic practise, then that leads to realisation.
So, only experience, it leads to frustration but no realisation, no conviction because one hopes for enjoyment elsewhere. Elsewhere means, okay, some other way we will enjoy, we will not hear in some other way and that’s how a person stays trapped. Vishwa Prabhupada is talking in this purport about a thief.
The best person would be a person who learns just by hearing. Second is a person who learns by hearing and seeing. Somebody who doesn’t hear, who hears and sees or experiences but still doesn’t learn, that person is unfortunate.
Somebody who only experiences the unlikely, the person will learn. Unless the experience is very traumatic, then that may lead to some sobering effect. So, let’s look at, so this is the verse which Vishwa Prabhupada’s purport harkens back to.
Whenever there are any verses in the purport, let him recite those verses. So, drishta is to see, shuta is to hear. So, one sees and one hears.
That papa is what? Janan api atmanohitam, that it is ahit for me. One knows that. Karoti bhuyo vivasha, but still vivasha, helplessly the person, bhuyo means again, the person does the same thing again.
So, imagine prayaschitamathokatham, so if such a person, even if the person performs prayaschita, what is the use of that? And I use the example about its utility. Kochin nivartate abhadrat, nivartate means to give up, abhadrat is auspicious, kochin means sometimes, sometimes one gives up and kochin charatitat punah, one does it again. So, prayaschitamathopartham, apartham means of no use.
What use is apartham, is waste. It is like an elephant’s bathing. So, here, hmm, so what, there is a difference between prayaschita and paschata.
No, prayaschita is actually atonement. So, he is, Prasanna is referring to prayaschita. Prayaschita is atonement, it is an external ritual done to make amends for one’s wrongdoing.
So, prayaschita is an external ritual. So, scriptures describe, okay, if you have done this sin, you can do this prayaschita. The other thing is paschata.
Paschata is actually repentance. It is an inner feeling that I have done wrong and I won’t do it again. There is a difference between prayaschita and paschata.
Taap means, you know, taap, trividha taap is there, burden, suffering. So, there is an inner feeling of repentance. Why did I do such a thing? I should not have done such a thing.
I will not do it again. So, prayaschita in and of itself doesn’t guarantee paschata. External ritual, I might do, okay, I did this wrong, I will do this as atonement for that.
But that itself doesn’t lead to the inner transformation. So, what we need is paschata. So, now, what will, so now let us begin.
So, what he is telling is, manne kujne re shouche. So, Parishad Maharaj gives an example that if someone does something wrong and gives it up and then starts it again, then what is the use of giving that up temporary? That is like elephant bathing. An elephant takes bath.
What, let us see what elephant does. We will read it out. Who would like to read it? Just one minute.
So, here there are some places where Srila Prabhupada does not give a literal sentence translation in the verses. So, when the devotee is, so you know how Srila Prabhupada wrote his books was, he would speak in the dictaphone. And when he would speak in the dictaphone, generally he would tell the translation.
He would tell approximate translation because other places, say if it is a book which Prabhupada has already translated, then there would be a proper refined translation which is given elsewhere. So, then the editors would just refer to that translation. And some places Srila Prabhupada would quote a verse and not give a sentence translation.
He would simply paraphrase the verse. So, here we see that Srila Prabhupada does not give a full sentence translation. You will see many times this happens in his Bhagavad Gita Purports and especially it happens frequently in his lectures where he quotes sometimes just one part of a verse and then he approximately explains it.
So, Srila Prabhupada does that over here and then he says that when we do something wrong. So, in the sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, there is the story of Vritrasa. And you know that Indra because of an offence, he first killed Tvashta.
Tvashta’s son was Vishwarup. Tvashta was a Rishi and his son was Vishwarup, whom he killed. So, Vishwarup was his, he was he was doing sacrifices for him.
But because Vishwarup was related with both the demons and demigods, he actually was doing the offerings for the demigods officially, but secretly he was doing some offerings even for the demons. And when Indra saw this, he became so furious, he just took off his sword and chopped off the head of Vishwarup. It’s a horrifying thing to do.
Just to kill a Brahmana itself is horrifying. And to kill one’s own priest, that is extremely terrible thing to do. And then as Tvashta made a yajna by which Vritrasa came about.
But anyway, this time he got reactions So, those reactions were distributed to the river, to the pregnant women, to the land, like that. The river started having bubbles, the land had deserts on it. Then the trees started having sap and women started having labour pain.
So, the point is wrong actions bring reactions. But after that when Vritrasa started assuming menacing proportions and threatening everyone, Indra was afraid to fight with him because he thought I’ll commit another offence. So, at that time his advisors told him, don’t worry.
Actually, if you kill him, we will do a sacrifice by which you will be protected. And that mentality is wrong. So, afterwards he got a prolonged reaction because only by sinful reactions came and he had to suffer for some time, significant amount of time.
So, the point is that there are two kinds of sinful activities that are possible when we are chanting the holy names. There are some sinful activities that happen because of the force of our past condition. And there are other sinful activities some people may do, which they feel they are no big deal because I can atone for them by the chanting of the holy names.
So, the point we are discussing is when do sinful activities lead to the seventh offence. Seventh offence is to commit sinful activities in the strength of the holy name. So, sometimes we may commit sin because of the momentum of our past conditions.
So, all of you probably know about the concept of momentum. If a train is moving at a high speed and suddenly the driver finds that there is some child playing on the track, the driver may press the brakes. Still, the train will not stop immediately because it is moving at a high speed for it to stop takes some time.
So, like that we have been doing sinful activities, religious activities prior to our coming to Krishna consciousness in this life and of course for many previous lives also. So, that’s why our mind and senses have a momentum for sense gratification and that momentum doesn’t immediately stop. Although we try to, it doesn’t stop immediately and because of that we may push to do sinful activities.
So, that is not the seventh offence. This doesn’t mean that sinful reactions won’t have their reactions. Whatever sins we do, some reactions will come.
But when a person does that because of the pressure of the past conditioning, that is not the seventh offence. But when one thinks that because I am chanting, the sins won’t matter, that’s the second, that’s the seventh offence. So, there is a difference between the two.
The difference is when one makes sinful activities as unimportant, as no big deal, as we read in Hindi, the attitude when it comes up, then that is injurious. So, this is not happened in Maharashtra. Reviving Gaudiya Vaishnavism, at that time, even the Europeans came to Bengal, they found that Gauranitha, they were like, Chitra Mahaprabhu was like a household deity for everyone.
In Indian history, the Britishers first came to Bengal primarily and from there they spread all over the country. So, anyway, they found that everywhere, practically, people were worshipping the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They had deities and they would also do chanting of the Guru.
But at the same time, people were doing lots of sinful activities. It’s not uncommon for people to see, at that time, a person would come back from the market, tilak on the forehead, feed bag in one hand and fish in the other hand. It’s perfectly okay for a Vaishnava to eat fish.
And similarly, Vaishnavas would smoke, some of them would drink and they were also doing illicit sexual activities and the whole idea was that actually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is so merciful. It’s okay, all is good. And then, the glory of the Holy Name would be talked about.
But the need for moral standard was not talked about. Although, it was there in the Gaudiya literature. Some of you may have heard how when Bhaktavartha Thakur wanted to study about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he had to search six years to find a copy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
He knew from his childhood about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu because it was folklore at his times. But the books that were there like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chaitanya Mantra were largely non-philosophical books. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not available because it was a heavily philosophical book.
He had to search for a long amount of time and then Bhaktavartha Thakur studied the Gaudiya literature in there. And then, when he started his outreach, at that time he told that actually, if one doesn’t follow moral standards and if one justifies one’s immorality in the name of chanting, that is the seventh offence. So, the point here is not… we may fall prey to our sinful activities.
And of course, we have to fight our best to not fall prey. But the seventh offence is when we minimise the sinful activities and think that by chanting, everything will go on right. That is where it is the seventh offence.
Now, Srila Prabhupada gives another example. Now, the example which he gives from the Christian culture. Yes.
Is the hope that by our chanting, our past sinful activities will be removed? No, that is certainly not the seventh offence. We certainly want to get rid of our past sinful activities, both the reactions as well as the mental. And hoping the chanting will do that is not an offence at all.
But at the same time, that is also not our primary motive by the chant. You have heard of these four levels at which people approach God, fear, desire, duty and love. So, these four can apply to chanting also.
So, I may chant because I am afraid of sinful reactions and I hope that the chanting will free me from sinful reactions. And then that can be desired. Sometimes scriptures give some promises.
If you chant about this many times, you will get this, you will get that. Then that will be desired. Then there will be duty.
Now I am going to be initiated, I am initiated. I have a chance to be initiated. It is a duty.
And then there is the highest level is love. We chant because we want to be initiated. We want to develop a relationship with Krishna.
We want to become that Krishna and return back to Krishna. So, as sadhakas, our chanting should be at least at the level of love, at least at the level of duty. So, love, duty, desire, fear.
So, actually these two levels, these two levels are basically, these are not exactly bhakti. These are the beginnings of, actually bhakti begins from this level. Sadhana bhakti starts from here.
And here it will become higher levels of bhakti. You will have ava bhakti and prema bhakti. So, here before that, it is something like bhakti abhas.
We are doing bhakti, but we are not exactly, we are doing the activities of bhakti, but what we are doing is the similarity of bhakti. It is not exactly. So, now the situation that you asked specifically, that if I do some simple activities and then to atone for that, I chant.
Yeah, is that the seventh offence? No. See, the seventh offence is primarily centred on the idea of minimising sinful activities on the strength of the body. So, if we may commit sinful activity, then we want to express to Krishna that I am sorry for that.
And one way we express sorry to Krishna or express our apology to Krishna is by doing some more intense bhakti. That is good. But the idea that because I am doing bhakti, sinful activities don’t matter.
The seventh offence, so basically the centre is what? Minimisation of sinful activities. That is the real impact. So, if I minimise sinful activities, then I am committing the seventh offence.
But if I am trying to get rid of them, then that is not an offensive in charity. Any other questions? So, let us move forward. Yes.
So, now actually Prabhupada talks on Saturday. We are normally speaking, the church gatherings are on Sunday. But there are few denominations where it happens on Saturday.
So, the important point is not the specific detail over here, it is principle. So, it is like, in fact, there are some churches where they also offer the atonement is you have to make some confession. But then there is also the payment of money.
So, this payment of money, it can go to a huge extent sometimes. We are not criticising Christianity over here. Because the similar trends can be there in all religions.
So, the people commit sinful activities and they say that. If I give some donation, the sinful activities get indemnified, I get protected. And at one time in the history of the church, they had the idea that if you, so, in the Christian theology, they have the idea that this one life is all that you have.
And the end of this life, if you accept Jesus as your saviour, you will go to heaven. And if not, basically, we do not go to heaven immediately. The idea is, they have different ideas.
But eternally one goes to heaven based on once, otherwise you go to hell. So, now this seems to be a very unfair doctrine in one sense, because what about the millions of people who never hear about Jesus. So, then the Catholic Church came up with a concept, which they said there is some intermediate place where the souls go till judgement day.
And that’s where they stay. And then at the time of judgement day, they will be sent to hell. And then the Catholic Church came up with the idea that the place where they are at, the intermediate place, if the surviving Christians, so, somebody has died maybe 100 years ago, 500 years ago, 300 years ago, if now the descendants pay a substantial donation to the church, those people will be transferred from that locale to heaven.
So, this was the primary cause of the split in the Catholic Church in the 15th, 16th century, roughly when the protestant commission came up. So, this was called the sale of indulgences. So, the indulgences were sold like this.
And the whole idea that one’s next life destiny can be changed just by giving a donation to a temple over here, that was what seemed very depraved. It seemed to be like totally making a commercialisation of religious beliefs. So, Sri Prabhupada explains that this sort of mentality is not of much use.
So, if one does some sinful activities, a wise person will observe that, as Parikshit Maharaj observes that if people do the wrong, then they may even reform, but then again, they will do the same thing wrong. So, Prabhupada, now in the whole paragraph, the most important point is the real Prayaschita attainment is the awakening of our dharma and Krishna Consciousness. This statement is what Sri Prabhupada will explain in his next paragraph in the purport.
Let’s see how Prabhupada builds up this point that real atonement will happen by Krishna Consciousness. So, here, basically, Sri Prabhupada is paraphrasing a section of the Vedic system. When Prakriti Maharaj asks this question, what Sri Prabhupada is telling over here is, the later part of this, most of the places, if we have studied this, we will find that even when Prabhupada is giving English translations, he is actually giving us his purpose, he is often giving us some further points which are talked about later.
So, this is the verse which Prabhupada is translating over here, Tapasa Brahmachariyena Shamenachidameinachi. So, Prabhupada says over here, one can be graduated by practising austerity and celibacy. So, Tapasa Brahmachariyena Shamenachidameinachi, which is 6.1.13 and 14.
Basically, Sri Prabhupada is paraphrasing over here, practising austerity and celibacy. Tapasa Brahmachariyena Shamenachidameinachi. So, by controlling the senses in the mind, Shama is mind controlled, Dama is sense controlled.
And Tyagena Satya Sauchabhyam. So, Tyag is giving up one’s position in charity, Satya is overlooking, Sauchabhyam. So, that is keeping clean and Yama and Niyama, Prabhupada is referring to Yoga Asanas.
And then there is much more things which are given. Now, a few verses after this. So, this is the gradual process.
And in this section afterwards, Kechit, there is a famous verse, this next verse which comes over here. This is what Prabhupada is paraphrasing afterwards. Actually, this verse is that.
It says that actually speaking, this is what is all Tapasa Brahmachariyena one way to purify oneself. But if one just gets bhakti to Lord Vishnu, then bhakti will act like a effulgent sun. And this is the fog can be removed by the rise of the sun.
Similarly, all our conditionings, contaminations can be removed by the rising of the sun. So, the Bhagavatam gives this progression. And Srila Prabhupada also gives this.
This is one process and this is the second process. So, he is saying it is this process that is pointed to by the scriptures. Now, this verse simply tells us that one should just, if one gets bhakti, Vasudevan Parayana, then the person will become liberated.
Now, Srila Prabhupada’s purport goes forward and tells us how we will become Vasudeva Parayana. He says one should associate with the devotee and take instructions from that devotee. And then one will become purified, one will become elevated.
So, it is this easy process is being recommended by Srila Rupa Goswami. Now, Rupa Goswami is not talking about bhakti in this purport. But in subsequent verses, he will talk about it.
So, Srila Prabhupada, one of the characteristics of his writing is that he makes sure that people get the essential message practically on every page. So, in the Bhagavad Gita, sometimes Krishna is talking about Karma Yoga. Most dramatically, this happens in the sixth chapter.
It happens everywhere. In the sixth chapter, Krishna is being told that he has to do this half-case. He has to go out in the forest and sit in a secluded place.
And Srila Prabhupada in the purport says, he is supposed to chant Hare Krishna. Now, there are some mundane scholars who have been critical of Prabhupada’s purport. They say, what audacity does Bhaktivinoda Swami have? He says, he is writing a commentary.
But in the commentary, instead of elaborating the words, he is cancelling the words. How can a commentator cancel the words of the Vrindavan speaker? Now, is Srila Prabhupada cancelling Krishna’s words? Yes. But Prabhupada is cancelling Krishna’s words.
Because Krishna himself cancels his own words. Now, what does Krishna say? Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. And if you see later on, this is 18.66, 18.64 says, I am going to give you the most confidential knowledge.
Now, more than anything that I have given you. Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Shrume paramam vacha.
Most confidential knowledge. Supreme words. So, what cancellation Krishna does at the end of the Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada does throughout the Gita.
So, Prabhupada has a planned strategy in the way in which he presents the Gita. And why does he do like this? The Prabhupada has mentioned that people in Kanyuda are, as Mandasubandham says, people are not very intelligent, they don’t have much time. And even if they get a book, it’s unlikely they will read the full book.
So, Prabhupada mimics the mentality of, I have given some money to this Hare Krishna. Let me see what they are saying. And they will just open one page and read.
And Prabhupada says, in one page that they open and read, they should get the message of Krishna. So, whichever page they read. So, Prabhupada has taken a strategy based on compassion.
That every purport, he will give the conclusion of our philosophy. Krishna Prabhupada starts every purport. It’s almost as if people don’t know because you get the essential message.
That’s why Guru Goswami is not talking about Krishna consciousness here, about Bhakti Yoga, but he is going to talk about it and Prabhupada is giving it to us right now here itself. So, let’s move forward now. Now, what is this easy process? Now, Shrila Prabhupada has set the background for explaining.
There is a need to control the senses and the best way to control the senses is by practising Krishna consciousness. Then he will go into this now and we will go into the specifics of how to control the senses. Yes, so now here Vacho Veda is the first aspect of Guru Goswami’s instruction.
The word Veda, Shrila Prabhupada translates as urge. Now, the word urge is related with the word urgency or urgent. So, what does it mean? When we say something is urgent, that means it cannot stop.
It has to be done right now. Similarly, when these desires hit us, then they come as urges. I want this and I want it right now.
So, the word Veda is different from the word Krishna or Vasana. These are passions, they are temptations, desires. But the word Veda means something which is urgent.
When it comes, it has to be fulfilled. I want it and I want it right now. That’s the urge.
So, let’s say something is urgent, it can’t be stopped. So, when the urge comes, I feel as if I can’t stop it at all. I have to get it right.
That’s how the urges come. And Vacho Veda, the urge to speak. So, the urge to speak is seen especially, there are various ways in which people have used the speaking power, but we see it constantly in people say gossiping.
Very few people actually can sit silent for a long time because what happens is when they are silent, their mind is screaming. I want this, that is wrong. Why did you do that? What will happen over there? And most people speak because they find speech more tolerable than silence.
If they are silent, the screaming mind will get to them. People speak something. If you can’t speak something, then turn on some machine which will keep speaking.
Turn on a radio, turn on a television, turn on the internet. So, now the Vacho Veda, it’s not just speech. It can also be, as I said, television can be there.
It can also be anything. Currently, the Vacho Veda in today’s society is through, it’s largely run through text messaging and internet messaging and blog making and Facebook and social networks. So, now, what is happening is, this is a huge network of everybody just blurting out and bursting out whatever is there in their mind.
Now, we may say that actually, when Prabhupada gives the example of a frog over there, a frog attracts a frog, croaks, croaks, croaks and then in the darkness, the snake cannot see where the frog is, but the croaking attracts the snake and frog meets his death. So, now, we may wonder how does this apply to us? Now, is it that because we are going to speak, so death is going to come faster to us? Not exactly. See, every metaphor has a, every metaphor or every analogy, every example that we give has a particular point.
So, generally, whenever we use an example, we need to, if you only have the example, have the proper effect, it has to have these three aspects. How analogies are to be used, are to be used or understood. Sometimes, we also give examples, but then the examples will not be effective if we do not state the principle, that is the first point.
What is it that we want to illustrate? Then second is state the example or the analogy, state the analogy. Then third is state the correlation between the principle and the analogy. So, when we do these three steps, then the point, the original principle that we want to state becomes clear.
So, any analogy, if we neglect the principle, then it can be stretched and it can break down. For example, now, what is the standard analogy that we use for soul-body difference? Car driver, correct. Now, another analogy with respect to soul-body is the, clothes is another analogy.
Let us look at these analogies. Clothes is one, before I go to clothes, then there is a chariot. Now, okay, parrot is also a good example, but I got an analogy, analogy over driver, coming up with good analogies, nice.
So, the analogy chariot. You know chariot analogy is also there, all of you know that. Now, if you look at these, each analogy has its focus and its analogy is different.
So, in the car driver analogy, the soul is the driver. But if you look at the chariot-body analogy, the soul has become the passenger. The soul is not the driver, it is the passenger.
So, what is the point? Is the soul the driver or the soul the passenger? See, each analogy is conveying the principle. The car driver analogy conveys how a bodily action cannot happen without the soul, cannot happen without the soul. That is the point that is conveyed by this analogy.
The car cannot move without the whereas the chariot-body analogy conveys the mechanism by which the soul interacts with the body through the subtle body. So, we have the senses, we have the mind, the intelligence. The mind is the reins, the senses are the horses and the chariot is the intelligence.
So, different analogies convey different points. Why is the soul the passenger over here? Because the soul is actually not the doer. The soul is basically going along with it based on the propositions that come up.
So, the passenger is not the active person. That is conveyed through this analogy. Now, if we stretch the analogy of the parrot, the parrot is not fed, the parrot will die but the soul will not die.
So, then the analogy here is not to convey the point that the soul is immortal and the parrot is immortal. The point that is conveyed through the parrot analogy is that the folly of pandering to the body and neglecting the soul. So, the point that is conveyed by this is something different.
If a person has got a parrot in the cage, the whole purpose of having the cage is for the parrot. So, if you just take care of the cage and neglect the parrot, that is foolishness. Similarly, if I neglect the soul and just take care of the body, that is foolishness.
So, every analogy has a particular purpose. Now, the clothes analogy, now generally speaking, when I take out clothes and I put on new clothes, that is not a very traumatic experience. I just do it routinely.
But when we die and we go to a new body, it is traumatic. The clothes analogy is not used to point out the trauma of death and birth. The clothes analogy is primarily used to point out how the soul and body are essentially different.
So, the difference, they are two different. So, the clothes are different from me. So, I am different from myself and that is why they can be.
Their change is no big deal. Isn’t it? That is the point that is conveyed over here. So, every metaphor has a particular purpose.
Every analogy has a particular purpose. So, only when I keep the purpose in mind, then I can use the analogy properly. Otherwise, now what will happen is sometimes if we give the analogy without clearly stating the principle, then people wonder what was the example given for and then they will try to extrapolate from their own views and that is why the number of similarities should be significant also.
Now, let us look at, with this background, let us look at the frog snake analogy. So, what the analogy conveys is not acceleration of death. No, that is not what it conveys.
What it conveys is a sense of real danger. That means, as I said, when a frog is croaking, the snake comes towards you. But the frog is busy in its own croaking and is not even aware what is happening.
The snake is going to come and devour. Similarly, when people are caught in mundane things, say chit-chatting, gossiping, surfing, watching movies, watching TV, then they do not realise that actually time is ticking away. I am going closer and closer to death.
So, just as if there is a frog is blissfully aware, people who are croaking like frogs are also blissfully unaware, they are blissfully ignorant, unaware or ignorant. So, the frog croaking analogy conveys this point of being ignorant, blissfully ignorant of the real danger that is there. So, every analogy has a particular purpose.
We need to always keep that purpose in mind when using the analogy. See, the analogy, it is like every analogy is like a rubber band. What is the purpose of a rubber band? For example, this mic is much bigger than the rubber band, actually.
I can put a rubber band around it. When the rubber band is put, the rubber band covers one part of the mic. That helps me to get a little bit hold on the mic, isn’t it? But still I am putting only, holding only one part of it.
Another point is, if the object is too big, if I try to stretch the rubber band, the rubber band breaks. So, similarly, when I try to stretch the analogy, the analogy will break. So, the analogy, what does the analogy do? Just like a rubber band gives us a physical hold on something, an analogy gives a mental hold on the concept.
But the concept is always different from and bigger than the analogy. Just as the object is different from the rubber band that holds it. So, the rubber band does serve a useful purpose.
But still the rubber band is not the object. So, analogy is not the principle. But the analogy gives us a mental grasp on the principle.
So, that is why the scriptures use analogies to help us understand the principles of life. Any questions about this? So, what do we do with the urge? It can be any idea. It is like the urge to speak.
Generally, the energy that is there can’t be suppressed. But it can be freed up. Shri Prabhupada will talk about how instead of speaking nonsense, we can speak about Krishna.
Similarly, we have our urge to see beauty. So, instead of seeing the beauty of worldly objects, we see the beauty of Krishna. So, basically, we have to find out some devotional direction for the energy that is there below the urge.
So, once I find a devotional direction, the urge will subside. We can’t crush that urge. But because of the force of the urge, sometimes we will be pushed in that direction.
That time we have to fight and check it. But the lasting solution is to find a devotional direction for our energy. That is what the Bhagavad Gita says.
Yes, sir. Good point. Parallels.
Yes, definitely. The more the parallels, the better the analogy. So, that is why the analogy also should be carefully chosen.
But still, the nature of things is that no things are identical in the world. And that is why all aspects of the analogy will never gel. And that is why some analogies can be misleading.
And in logic, there is a concept called the dis-analogy. Dis-analogy means something that is used as a part of a false argument to mislead, to misdirect. That is called as a dis-analogy.
So, analogies should have major points of correlation, and they can have minor points of difference, at least with respect to the main principle that we are trying to convey. So, yes, the more the correlations, the better the analogies. But still, the point will always remain that no analogy will be perfect.
So, that is the nature of concepts. The concepts are one thing, and the objects that are used to illustrate the concepts are different things. Two will never be identical.
Any questions further on that? Yes, please move forward. So, now, I will talk about this a little later. The materialistic in the Mayavadis, they are kind of croaking to frogs.
They are like controlling speech. If you would like to read. Maybe we can turn on.
There it can be off, but here lights can be on. Light is there or here? Okay. Is that okay? Maybe this is enough.
This light, the switch is where? Okay, it is there. Fine. Yeah, you can continue reading.
Yes. So, the speech of Krishna Katha is always beyond the branches of death. How does this happen? Death is going to come to everyone, but death happens at the material level.
And one who is practising Krishna Consciousness is rising to the spiritual level of consciousness. And spiritual level of consciousness is a spiritual reality is not affected by death. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Vishwaroopa chapter, verses 28, 29, 30, 20, 29, there are two analogies given for how people die.
So, one analogy is of a river entering in an ocean. So, it is described that just as rivers enter into the ocean, some warriors are entering the ocean. And the other analogy that is given over there is just as the moth enters into fire.
So, a prominent Acharya in the Shri Sampradaya, after Ramacharya was Vedant Deshi. And Vedant Deshi was a very insightful analysis of these two verses. He says, what is the difference between a river entering into ocean and a moth entering into fire? The differences are primarily the river entering into ocean is a natural course of action.
As a moth entering into fire. So, that’s the first difference. So, his point over there is like warriors like Duryodhana, they themselves chose obstinately to go against Dharma and that’s how they quoted death.
Whereas people like Bhishma, by the arrangement of providence, they happened to be on the wrong side and they fought against their will and they had to die. So, there’s a difference between them. So, the second point he makes a difference is that when the river goes into the ocean, the essential nature of the river doesn’t change.
On the other hand, when a moth enters into the fire, the moth gets burned, destroyed, completely annihilated. Similarly, those who are materialistic people, when they encounter death, everything that they value is destroyed. Whereas when the devotees meet with death, they basically continue the same activity that they were continuing before death.
Their essential nature doesn’t change. What they were doing before, they do afterwards. So, in that sense, death does not affect them in a material way.
Whatever they were doing before, they continue afterwards. That’s how he says in the Upanishad that the breacher of Krishna Katha is always beyond death. And then third point he makes very interesting is that when a moth goes towards the fire, the moth does not do good to anyone.
It is going to destroy itself and not do good to anyone. But when the river goes to the ocean, the river waters and irrigates all the land that is on their banks. Similarly, when the devotees are going through the journey of their life, they are benefiting everyone.
So, when they speak Krishna Katha, it is not only taking, not only attaining the spiritual level of consciousness, but they are also radiating spiritual consciousness for others. In this way, they are actually at a higher level of consciousness. So, let’s explain this point quickly.
Now, there are many examples for this point, how KC takes us beyond death. We all have to die, there’s no doubt about that. So, what KC does is rise to a spiritual that is beyond the effects of death.
So, because we rise to a spiritual level of consciousness and that spiritual reality continues on. So, the river doesn’t change its essential nature when it enters the ocean. So, this is how as devotees, we will also see devotees die, non-devotees die, but the consciousness of the devotees of Kali Yuga, that is what will take them beyond death.
That is what will enable them to transcend death. So, the whole process of Bhakti is meant to take us to a higher level of consciousness. The body is going to die, whether it is for devotees or non-devotees.
To the extent our consciousness is caught in the body, to that extent we will suffer. A simple example illustrates this. So, now currently there is this cricket IPL craze going on.
So, now when people are bad for cricket, actually people will be sitting here somewhere in Mumbai and a match is going on in say Chennai. Now, if one team loses, one team wins, if people are caught to their TV sets, then their consciousness through their TV sets is there in their cricket match. And to the extent they are caught in that cricket match, to that extent they will suffer when their favourite team loses.
On the other hand, say somebody is completely detached from cricket, somebody else, say come from some country like Gujarat or some other country, you know cricket is on over there. What is this big passion about cricket? Whoever wins, whoever wins, no difference happens. So, how is the difference? What is the difference? The consciousness is not caught over there.
So, as long as our consciousness is caught in the body and in body enjoyment, to that extent, death is an extremely frightening and devastating consequence. But when our consciousness is risen beyond bodily enjoyment, death as an event will still happen. Whether a person likes it or not, a particular team is going to lose, a particular team is going to win, that is going to happen.
But whether that will affect the person or not, that will depend on whether the person is entangled in that particular consciousness or not, in that attachment or not. So, in the Bhagavad Gita 13th chapter, 21st verse Lord Krishna says, So, he describes that actually the changes in material nature will happen because of the order of nature. The cause and effect in material nature will happen because of prakriti.
But whatever changes happen in material nature because of prakriti or whatever changes happen at the material level because of prakriti, whether those changes will affect us or not, whether they will cause purusha, sukha-dukha or not, that will depend on So, if I do not have a mentality to try to enjoy cricket, then win and loss are not going to affect me. Similarly, if to the extent I have the desire to enjoy the body, to that extent any hurt for the body will cause me some pain. So, Krishna consciousness enables us to gain a pleasure higher than the pleasure that develops the body.
And that is why the death does not become a devastating termination of life, but it just becomes a transition. I move from here to another level of reality. Let us move forward now.
Any questions about this, you can feel free to ask. Yes, now we go to Manohar. Shri Prabhupada will come back to this.
This purport is, it is cyclic. Shri Prabhupada goes all over the Vegas first and then he goes and he refers to Bhakti Sahasranath’s commentary on the electoral construction and he comes back to these points again briefly. So, let us look at what Shri Prabhupada is saying about Manasahavekam.
Shri Prabhupada says, Krishna is just like the sun. There is no question of darkness. Similarly, if Krishna is present in the mind, there is no possibility of the mind.
All material thoughts will not be there. The mind is artificial. How to always think of Krishna and how to think of Krishna best.
Yes. So, a vacuum removed. Actually speaking, the whole process of spiritual life becomes extremely difficult to the extent we focus on avoiding the negative.
I think I cannot do this, I cannot do this, I cannot do this. That makes spiritual life extremely difficult because avoiding the negative means trying to empty the mind and the mind by nature cannot stay. So, the Bhagavatam says that this verse is comparing the devotees and the jnanis.
It is comparing the devotees and the jnanis. So, what the verse says is, it is 4.22.39. So, a devotee should do vilas, vilas means delight in the lotus feet of Krishna. And then what will happen by this? Like the karamasha, the desire for material enjoyment, which is like a hard knot, that will be uprooted and contrast.
So, this is what the saints do. On the other hand, there are other people, what do they try to do? That one, matayo means mati, mind or consciousness. No, in Hindi sometimes an example, fill in the blanks.
So, these people, they try to empty the mind. These are jnanis. I mean to try to empty the mind, it is an impossible, it is an impossible activity because the mind by nature is active and we cannot stop the mind from thinking of something.
So, the jnanis who try to make their mind ritta matayo, they basically set themselves up for frustration. And therefore, what is written? So, sroto gana refers to the wheels of material enjoyment. So, sometimes I may feel that okay, I have got the empty mind emptied, but if somebody is in the coast, suddenly the waves come.
We are helpless against the waves. Can we keep the coast dry when the waves come? It’s impossible. So, similarly, when the waves come, we can’t keep ourselves dry.
The waves will just flood it. So, what we have to do is, we will fill our mind with Krishna. And that’s why the whole process of sadhanavakti is to try to find out how we can keep ourselves connected with Krishna only.
The more we keep ourselves connected with Krishna, automatically we become disconnected from maya. So, within bhakti, we will all find that there are certain activities which we enjoy doing, which we like doing. Now enjoy, there are some words which have negative connotations.
So, the word enjoy often within bhakti circles has negative connotations. You know, like the word say, people say, you know, I went for a motivational seminar. Sometimes people say, I went for a seminar, which was meant for, now the word motivation is not necessarily a bad word, but the way we use it is unmotivated devotional service.
The idea of motivated becomes a little, he’s motivated by something. So, he’s selfishly motivated, that’s the idea. So, the word motivated sometimes gets a negative connotation.
But the whole idea is, we are saying, we have delight in bhakti. So, to find out which activity gives us joy in bhakti and then doing that activity more and more, that will keep us safe and satisfied in Krishna consciousness. All of us will have certain sadhana, certain services, which we naturally do because they are prescribed for us.
But along with that, we always have some time. Sometimes, so now if you can find, generally speaking, when they’re saying that nothing is the place where something is usually hiding. What that means is, nothing is the place where something is usually hiding means, when we are doing nothing, that is where we find out where our inclinations are, where our attachments are.
When I’m doing nothing, then my mind may go to sense gratification, my mind may go to prestige, my mind may go to sleep. I think, you know, I didn’t get enough sleep last night, I have to sleep now. So, generally speaking, when we’re doing nothing, we can find out where the default attachment of our mind is.
So, of course, we don’t have to try to do nothing to find out what the default attachment of our mind is. We all know what the attachment of the mind is. The point is, when this sort of situation comes up and we don’t have anything to do, if we have found out some devotionally attractive thing, something which nourishes us.
Some devotees may be studying scriptures, some devotees may be taking darshan, some devotees may be just talking with some devotees if they like. And it’s not that one activity will be standard all the time, it may change also. But when we know these things, then we can consciously train our mind to go to that activity.
And when we do like that, we train the mind to go to that activity as soon as we are free, then we’ll stay safe and satisfied in our devotional service. So, what Srila Prabhupada is telling over here is, we have to redirect the mind. So, we’ll conclude this point now.
We have to, how to redirect the mind’s default motion towards Krishna. This is the essential challenge of bhakti. The mind’s default motion in our sadhaka stage is towards maya, towards sense gratification.
So, the first step in this is to find out what gives us joy and strength in case. Now, we may say that everything is supposed to give us joy and strength, that is true, but all of us are individuals and certain things will give us joy and strength more than other. So, we have to find out.
Now, this is our responsibility. Each of us is an individual, each of us has an individual relationship with Krishna and finding out what attracts us to Krishna is our responsibility. And then once we find that out, then create facilities and opportunities to do that more.
So, for example, somebody likes to sing, then create a fortune in association. Somebody would like to sing, learn singing. So, if I like to sing, then if I train myself in singing, then in the future, I’ll get more opportunities to sing.
If I like to study the philosophy and speak based on the philosophy, then I take more time and eventually I’ll get the service of the teacher. As a teacher, I’ll get more opportunities. So, we find out, create facilities and then, now these are both actually external, then actually this is the most critical part, train the mind to go to that activity, to munch on that activity whenever we are free.
So, this training requires effort. Munch means what? You know, people have this, let me tune down. So, with that, we will see that some activity sort of sparks our dreams in devotional service.
This is what I would like to do for Krishna. It’s not easy to discover this, but once we discover that, this is what I would like to do for Krishna. As soon as we are free, our mind will start to do that.
Okay, how can I do that? How can I do that? How can I do that? And then we will become, so when we start doing this, what will happen is we will become safe and satisfied in devotional service. By this, safe and satisfied. Safe means we will not be able to reach with maya and satisfied means inculcating something productive, something constructive, something absorbed, engaged, we will be satisfied in devotional service.
So, the whole point is that we redirect the mind’s default tendency from maya towards Krishna. This is how we move from the mano vegam towards maya towards Krishna. Okay, now are joy and strength essentially different? See, there is, the question is that should we do the activities that give us joy and Krishna consciousness or say those activities which please Krishna and they give us strength.
So, are the two necessarily different or the necessarily same? See, it’s not that Krishna wants us that we should make him happy and we stay miserable. It’s not like that. When we serve Krishna, he becomes happy and when he becomes happy, he also becomes happy.
So, what that means is that these two are not necessarily opposite. For example, if I say the thing that gives me joy in Krishna consciousness is eating prasad. So, can I make that my default activity? 24 hours a day I because that is giving me joy but it’s not going to make me strong in Krishna consciousness.
That will make me lazy and that will probably talk later about how the belly and the genitals and the tongue are in one line. So, there are certain activities if they are done excessively, disproportionately, they can lead to an imbalance and that can create some problems. But in general, the process of bhakti is not to deny ourselves of all pleasure.
Like one devotee, he asked a question that in a pragu way, when we have a class and in class there’s some joke, how can we know whether we are laughing for Krishna’s pleasure or our own pleasure? Now, if I start thinking about that, if the speaker makes a joke and everybody’s thinking, is it for Krishna’s pleasure or my pleasure? The speaker will feel like crying. So, we don’t have to go, that is called as the same paralysis by analysis. We don’t have to go so much into analytical mode.
In general, the activities that give us joy in devotional service are within the circumference of devotional service. And we also gain the blessings of senior devotees. We can take the guidance of senior devotees.
This is what I feel inspired to do. Can I do that? Krishna says. Then surely we can do because it’s not that our spiritual guides will have the time to completely observe our nature and find out what is the service that is best for us and how we do that service.
Initial stages, sometimes it may be there. But if you have to practise lifelong our devotional service, we will have to be self-motivated. And the self-motivation will come when we feel inspired and alive in our devotional service.
So, there are certain activities which we will do disproportionately and that can create a problem. Somebody says, I like to give classes, I don’t like to give classes. Well, that will not work.
We have to hear and we have to speak also, both are there. But if there are certain things we like to do, as long as we are doing it in a balanced way, then that is perfectly okay. So, we don’t have to go into all of that, whether I’m doing this really for Krishna’s pleasure or my pleasure.
What we should focus on is that as long as we are within the limits of devotional service and it is contributing to Krishna’s mission, it is also helping us stay in Krishna’s service, we can always do that. And as a matter of surrender, if we are told to do certain activities which we don’t like to do, we will do that. As a matter of surrender, we should be ready to do that.
But as a matter of sustained lifelong service, now we should discover what it is that we feel most satisfied and inspired. See, the original principle of Varanasi culture was engaging people according to their religions. So, a Brahmana is not told to do a Vaishya activity.
Although a Brahmana in emergency or in exceptional situations may do that activity also. But the standard process is to engage people according to their nature. Now, it’s not so easy in Kali Yuga to ascribe Varanasi to people and Prabhupada did not want devotees to be labelled as Vaishyas or Shudras or something like that.
But the idea is that the principle of Varanasi is to engage people according to their nature. So, we also should engage ourselves according to our nature and discovering our nature takes some time. And as we discover it, so discovering it is our responsibility as well as we be getting the guidance, receiving the guidance.
So, we should as a matter of surrender be ready to do whatever we are told to do. But over a period of time, we should also be observing what are the services that make me feel strong, satisfied, inspired. And then later on, as we grow in our spiritual life, we will naturally move towards those services.
This is how I want to serve. So, it’s not a matter of selfishness or independent-mindedness, but it is a matter of matured harmoniousness, how we can bless each other.