SB 11.23.24 – Devotion enables us to make the best contribution in an interdependent world

Transcript

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thank you 11 23 24 these are the in the vedic culture it is understood that whatever we have doesn’t belong only to us it belongs um in its in some shares to others who by whose blessings by whose cooperation by whose assistance we are living so who are those people deva rishi so the devatas the rishis the ancestors the general living entities our immediate relatives the extended family so all these are bhagis so all these are entitled to parts so the way we offer our wealth to them is a different ways for the devatas we may do yajna for the family members we maintain them for the general people we may give some charity like that they all are entitled to some things but some but if one does not divide one’s wealth like that one keeps the wealth for oneself one falls down and one’s wealth is like the now the yakshas are said to be in charge of the treasury of Kubera so in the Mahabharata described how when Bhima went to one of the palaces one of the abodes of Kubera so at that time the yakshas were guarding and there was a fierce fight between them between the yakshas and Bhima of course Bhima was eventually triumphant but the point is that the yakshas they guard wealth but actually and they but that wealth does not really belong to them that belongs to Kubera and moreover even if they have some good position right now in terms of being servants devata but generally yakshas are not considered to be godly Kubera is considered a god but yakshas are not considered godly just as Yamraj is considered a god a godly minded person but Yamdutas are not so yakshas are because they are considered to be similar to the category of Rakshasas they are inauspicious beings and because of their inauspicious actions they often go towards inauspicious destinations so they are simply guarding wealth but they are not utilizing that wealth for their benefit like that when one keeps one’s wealth only for oneself actually one doesn’t use the wealth even for one’s own benefit because even in this lifetime one lives like a miser and at the end of this lifetime one goes because of not having done one’s karmic duties towards a lower destination so in that way in this life as well as the next life one loses so here this is spoken introspective and self-contaminatory mode by the Avanti Brahmana this is how he himself has lived and irrespective of how we may be living we may not be living so selfishly but the point is we have to recognize that we are all interdependent living beings you know we depend on a whole network of support and cooperation from others and only then can we live that is not just in terms of our immediate vicinity but also in terms of our distant relationships in terms of we may not be able to perceive the Devatas but they are making the background cosmic arrangements for providing universal utilities like heat, light, air, water so the way to fulfill the obligations to all these Devatas is difficult but if we water the root of the tree all the branches will get watered so similarly if we serve Krishna and satisfy Krishna then we can fulfill in the true spirit of interdependence fulfill our obligations to others by our devotion to Krishna and that’s what is the opportunity that is provided for us by the chanting of the holy names the chanting of the holy names is an opportunity to satisfy Krishna indirectly by connecting with Krishna we also become more mature more sensitive more self-controlled and we are able to reciprocate more responsibly and sensitively with others also in our relationships and thereby progress in fulfilling our debts to them but directly also just by attentively practicing devotional service and carefully remembering Krishna we are watering the root of the tree and in that way we are fulfilling our obligations to others so chanting is attentively is not just a service to our own for the sake of our own ultimate elevation and liberation it is also our contribution in an interdependent society for the well-being of others towards redeeming our debt to them