Seeing Krishna’s mercy amidst loss – Krishna’s instructions after Govardhana lila

[Govardhana lila Bhagavatam study at Juhu, India]

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
speaks here and he says, I gave mercy to you by doing what I did, because by this, the pride which you had got, went down.
There is a paradoxical situation that we all of us are in the material world. To function in this world, we need resources. Even to serve Krishna in this world, we need resources.
So, if we don’t have resources, we can’t serve Krishna very effectively. If somebody has very good singing ability, then they can sing nicely and attract people to Krishna’s songs. Now, even if somebody can’t sing nicely, they can still sing for pleasing Krishna and Krishna will be pleased with their devotional intention.
But their singing may not attract people in the world. Because people in the world look at materially impressive things. Krishna Prabhupada, when he was in Mayapur, he said that, for ourselves, we can stay in small huts.
But we need to build magnificent temples so that people will come to see the temples. And then they will hear from us also. So, Krishna Prabhupada worked considerably.
Prabhupada always wanted to give the message of Krishna. But then he went all the way to America to actually influence Americans, attract Americans. And then when Americans started hearing and Indians saw Americans are hearing this message, applying this message, Indians also wanted to do it.
So, what did he get by that? He got American followers, he got the prestige that he had American followers. And that enabled, that inspired people to hear. So, in this world, for serving Krishna, we need resources.
But the very resources that we need for serving Krishna can also take us away from Krishna. Because those resources can make us feel that, oh, I am so great, I am so special. This is the, this is the catch-22 situation we are in.
Without resources, we can’t serve Krishna in this world. Certainly, we can serve Krishna. It will simply be absorbed in Krishna and we can remember Krishna.
But, if we want to do some practical service in the world, we need resources of this world to serve Krishna in this world. At the same time, with those resources, which are from this world, while interacting with them, we can go away from Krishna. So, Indra is also a devotee.
But, he is a mixed devotee. Mixed devotee means that some percentage of his heart belongs to the world, some percentage belongs to Krishna. And often, that percentage keeps changing.
So, nityasya sruti, Krishna says, remember me constantly. In the Bhagavatam, it is described in the seventh canto that when Hiranyakashipu was killed by Narasimhadeva, different people offered prayers. Indra, his prayer was, my dear lord, our hearts were terrorised because of the atrocities that Hiranyakashipu was performing.
Now, that you have killed him, now we will all be able to resume our dharmic activities peacefully. But, Prahlad, even when Hiranyakashipu was trying to kill him, Prahlad’s heart was not terrorised. Prahlad did not say, after Hiranyakashipu is killed, then I will perform my devotional service.
Even then, he was performing. That’s the difference between mixed devotion and pure devotion. So, most of us, we are sadhakas.
So, we are, we want to strive for pure devotion, but our devotion presently is next. So, we need resources of the world to serve Krishna. So, it’s a constant challenge that while we have the resources of the world, we don’t become attached to the resources.
Rather, we use the resources to increase our attachment to Krishna, and we use the resources to increase others’ attachment to Krishna. So, I like to, somebody likes to sing, they sing for Krishna, and by that, their attraction to Krishna increases and others’ attraction to Krishna increases. So, Krishna is telling him that basically, that means, say, I am here, the world is here, Krishna is here.
Sometimes, we feel that I give up the world and go towards Krishna, but that is not a path of bhakti. Even if we accept the renounced order, still, we, even as renunciates, we stay in the world. So, even as renunciates, we stay in the world and we serve in the world.
We may not be exactly having all the things that people in the world have. But still, we are not living in, as renunciates, we are not living in forests. So, we are here, the world is here, Krishna is here, the resources are here.
So, we, for serving Krishna, want to use these resources to ourselves go closer to Krishna and to help others go closer to Krishna. But sometimes, the resources, instead of taking us towards Krishna, they take us in. They take us in means, our consciousness gets consumed by them, in them.
And when that happens, Krishna may temporarily take those resources away. That’s what he did to Indra. So, he is saying that, O Indra, matta se indre, you have become intoxicated.
And that’s why this was a mercy to you. So, normally, for serving in life, the resources that we have, they are also Krishna’s mercy. Somebody has singing ability, somebody has speaking ability, somebody is very good at their studies, somebody is good at a particular job, somebody is good in a particular say, management, whatever we are all good at, they are resources from Krishna.
And they are valuable, because they are what help us to do our particular service to Krishna, to make our particular individual offering to Krishna. They are valuable. At the same time, we should never let them become more valuable than Krishna.
Everything gets its value from Krishna. Everything has value to the extent it helps us move towards Krishna. If that, if in pursuing a valuable thing, we start moving away from Krishna, then that valuable thing is becoming an obstacle in our devotion.
Sometimes, in bhakti, we may have to give up the bad things, the sinful things for Krishna. But sometimes, the good things may also become competitors to Krishna. And we may have to give those up also.
So, Krishna is telling, Indra, your opulence was well learnt. You have done good karma, that’s how you become Indra. Got this fantastic opulence.
But, if that power intoxicates you, then I’ll take that also away from you. So, the resources for serving Krishna should take us towards Krishna, not come between us and Krishna. And when that happens, Krishna may take away the resources.
So, this was my mercy to you, Krishna, said Indra. Let’s go to the next verse. This is Mam Aishwarya Shri Madandho Mam Aishwarya Shri Madandho Dandapanim Na Pashyati Dandapanim Na Pashyati Tam Brahm Shayami Sampadhyo Tam Brahm Shayami Sampadhyo Yasya Chechchamy Anugraham Yasya Chechchamy Anugraham So, Anugraham, this is my mercy to you.
Again, Krishna is using, second time, the mercy, the word. Mam Aishwarya Shri Madandho You know, if I see that somebody has become intoxicated by the opulence, then they can’t see Dandapanim. Now, normally, Krishna is not seen as standing with the rod of chastisement.
Krishna is seen as a God who is merciful. How often do we see Krishna? We see Krishna more difficult as playing a flute. But, basically, Krishna is saying, you become blinded that I have greater power than you.
I can chastise you. So, in the Bhagavatam, it says, Madbhyadvati Vayoyam, Suryas Tapti Madbhyad Varshati Indra Dahati Agni Hrityus Charati Madbhyad That the wind, the air, the wind, the rains, the sun, and even death, they move all in the fear of God. Now, this fear is a healthy fear.
This fear is not like terror. Fear is that which enables us to do the right thing. Inspires us to do the right thing.
Now, that fear can also be of different kinds. Oh, if I do the wrong thing, I’ll get punished for it. But, there is a higher level of fear.
If I do the wrong thing, I will displease those whom I love. When we are small children and we obey our parents, our parents may punish us. We say, okay, I’ll not let you play with this toy.
You cannot go out of the house. You are grounded in your house. As you grow older, our parents don’t have that kind of power to punish us now.
Then, still, if we have a strong relationship with our parents, we may feel that, oh, if I do this, if I don’t study well in my exams, if I get poor marks, they are not going to punish me, but they will feel hurt. They will feel sad. And I don’t want that.
Same way, if we are tempted to do something wrong, if we are well-connected with devotees, it’s not that devotees have any power to punish us. We may give them some power, but bhakti is a voluntary process. What is that? I don’t want to displease them.
So, fear can also be of various levels. One is fear of punishment, but fear of punishment is one fear. Fear of displeasing a loved one is another fear.
And when there is a fear of displeasing a loved one, that fear is actually indicative of a closer relationship. I just have, oh, this person will punish me. Then it’s more like official relationship.
Oh, police will catch me, police will punish me. That’s how I think. I don’t want to displease the person because I care for them.
I care for their emotions. My life is meant to please them. So, here, what has happened? Krishna dandapani means Krishna chastisement is not that… Krishna is not a chastising kind of God.
But the idea that Krishna has the power to chastise me. That there is some authority higher than me. We tend to forget that when we become intoxicated by our power, our wealth.
Mama Ishwaryam Shri Madan Dho. When we become intoxicated like that, then we can’t see. Then, brahmashyami sampadhyo.
So, then I cause that person brahmashyami. I cause that person to fall down. Echcham Anugraham.
And then, that is my mercy. So, basically, if you consider the hierarchy, the world is here, we are here, Krishna is here. So, there is Jagat, Jeev and Jagdish.
Jagat is the world, Jeev is the soul and Jagdish is the lord. So, the hierarchy is that in general, the Jeev has some control over Jagat. So, there is Prakriti which is general material nature.
And there is Kshetra. Kshetra is that part of material nature over which we have been given control. Some person is a very good manager.
Then, they have that managing ability and they have a sphere of influence in which they can influence people. Some people are very good speakers. Just captivate and mesmerise people when they speak.
So, that is also a part of that sphere of influence. So, all of us, we Jeevas have been on the Jagat given some Kshetra, some sphere of influence. But, if this makes us forget that there is someone above me.
I am here, the world is here but there is someone above me and that is my lord. That is Krishna. If you forget that, then the result is we go into illusion.
And then Krishna doesn’t want us to go into illusion. So, what Krishna does is he removes our Kshetra. So, we were high above controlling things.
Suddenly, we lose control. That is what happened to Indra. I have the power to destroy anything and he found he could destroy nothing.
And this is not simply meant to humiliate the person. This is meant to help us understand that there is some hierarchy, there is some higher authority and I am going to surrender to that higher authority. So, to the extent we can, that means if my sense of self-identity and self-worth has come by what I can control and then if I can’t control that I think what is the use of my life.
But, if my sense of self-identity and self-worth comes from my connection with Krishna, not what I can control but with whom I am connected then if my focus, my identity is not that I am an engineer, I am a doctor, I am a manager, I am a singer, I am a renunciate. These are all identities in relationship with the world. They are all identities of what I can control.
A king may think I can control the kingdom. A renunciate may think I can control the kingdom of my body. But, if our identity is shaped by what we can control, when what we can control goes out of our control, our sense of identity is shattered.
But, if our identity comes from not what we can control but what we can connect with, who we are connected with, that we are connected with Krishna, we are servants of Krishna, then even if this goes out of our control we will not be so disturbed. Now, actually our identity is both. We are servants of Krishna and as servants of Krishna we have roles in this world.
And, we want to do those roles well. But, sometimes these roles may no longer be possible for us. At that time we have to go back to our fundamental identity.
So, when Krishna sometimes, so when Krishna disrupts our functional identity then that is a reminder for us to go to our fundamental identity. My functional identity is, say, I am a preacher. But, suppose I get some throat issue and I can’t speak.
If I think I am a preacher then I will think my life is wasted. If I think I am a servant of Krishna then, okay, I can remember Krishna, I can read about Krishna, I can hear about Krishna. Okay, I can’t speak, I can hear.
And, that way I can go back to my fundamental identity. So, we have a functional identity and it is responsible for us. If I define myself solely as a renunciate and if I can’t renounce, somehow my attachments catch me.
I feel my life is worthless. But, no. If I can’t be a renunciate then serve Krishna in some other way.
Or, I can’t be a renunciate at this level, I can be a renunciate at that level. That’s up to us. So, our defining identity is based on not what we can control but on whom we are connected with.
And, this Krishna reminds us. So, now, Krishna will tell you can go now, basically, he says. The last verse he says.
Can you go ahead? kriyatam mehanushasanam kriyatam mehanushasanam sthiyatam svadhikareshu sthiyatam svadhikareshu yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye yuktaye We all are trying to serve Krishna in various ways. And we often strive, okay I’m in this ashram I want to go to that ashram. I’m doing this service I want to do that service.
I want to..I want to join this ashram. I want to do this. I want to do that.
So we all sometimes get into too much anxiety trying to get a position for serving Krishna. But what we should strive for more is to get the disposition for serving Krishna and then the right position will be revealed. What that means is that sometimes we think that I can serve Krishna only when I’m in this external position.
So I want to get into this ashram and once I get into this ashram then I can serve Krishna. So it may be brahmacharya ashram for those who want to be brahmacharyas. For some people they want to get married.
Oh when I get married then I can serve Krishna properly once I get into that ashram. But yes whatever it is ashram that’s fine. The important thing is the position is helpful in serving Krishna but what is required fundamentally is the disposition.
Sometimes the mind is such that it makes us think is this right for me is this wrong for me. This conflict is there for everyone. Should I choose this ashram or that ashram? If I’m going to be married this person or marry that person? If I’m going to be initiated should I take initiation from this guru or that guru? Should I do this service or that service? All these are positions.
They’re important but they are not of foremost importance. The most important thing is the disposition to serve Krishna. We strive Krishna I want to serve you.
Please guide me how I can serve you. If we focus on cultivating the disposition to serve then Krishna will reveal the best position. Sometimes when which position to serve Krishna is not so clear for me.
Should I do this or should I do that? And that indecision paralyses us and we are paralysed by indecision that is in the mode of ignorance. So when we are in the mode of ignorance actually we are far away from Krishna and at that mode of ignorance we think that I want to make a decision to serve Krishna in a big way but how to serve Krishna I’m not able to decide. Then I go into the mode of ignorance.
Okay I have to make a decision right now let me simply focus on doing what I can to serve Krishna and as I keep doing that small small steps I keep taking. The one definition of intelligence is to know what to do when we don’t know what to do. To know what to do when we don’t know what to do.
So for example if I’m driving on a road and I have gone on this road it’s a familiar road I know what to do but then once I come to a place a turn from where I don’t know the road so I don’t know what to do but I know what to do that consult a map. When we don’t know what to do to know what to do that is intelligence. So if I got some little cough I might just take some simple medicine apply some ointment I know what to do but if the cough is getting persistent then I don’t know what to do but still I know what to do.
What is that? Go to a doctor. So similarly for us there are certain situations when we know what to do but there are certain situations when we don’t know what to do. So what happens when there are certain situations we don’t know what to do at that time we have to continue doing what we know we should be doing.
That means continue serving Krishna in whatever way we can. Continue studying scripture, continue chanting, continue associating with devotees and then take some time out for introspection. Introspection is what do I really want to do? Generally if this is if I do this this is the result if I do this is the result.
So as long as thoughts are inside our head they congest us. Just congest us and they just don’t allow us to function. Sometimes devotees ask you how can we make mature decisions? So actually one very powerful way to make mature decisions is to make our intelligence the counsellor of our mind.
What do I mean make the intelligence the counsellor of our mind? That means that we let whatever are our concerns, whatever are our fears, just write everything down. That means we are letting the mind have its say. As long as the thoughts are inside my head, no this is a problem, that is a problem, what about this, what about that and the mind will keep distracting and disempowering us.
But just okay suppose you know a child is very naughty and child wants attention. Mother is not able to give attention. Mother says okay now tell me what do you want? I’ll give you attention.
So at some time just sit down and give the mind quality time. What does it mean give the mind quality time? Okay what are your concerns? What are your fears? What are your problems? Just speak it out. What if this happens? What if that happens? What if that happens? Just write everything down.
Once you have written everything down, then the mind will become a little deflated. Now what else do you have to say? No I don’t have to say. Come, come.
Then that constant agitation that is there, as I said the thoughts that are inside us, they congest us. We just keep going round and round and round and we go nowhere. But you get all of them out.
Let the mind have its say. And then, now this especially if there is a major decision like which ashram to go to or something like that, that decision you have to take, then do that. And after that, next day we do some praying, do some reading of scripture, get yourself in the mood of goodness and then go and read everything that you have written.
What are we doing now? First we let our mind have its say. Now we are letting the intelligence have its say. This here, it is a valid fear.
What will happen if I fall sick? What if this happens? What if that happens? So whatever are the fears, address those fears. If this happens, one, two, three, I can do this. If this happens, I can do this.
This, I am just imagining too much. It is not likely to happen. This, I will have to think, what do I do? So basically address all the points one by one.
And then after you have done that, then this combination of what the mind has said and what the intelligence has said, this comprises a picture of our inner world, a snapshot of our inner world, snapshot of the way we think and then keep it. Keep it in a journal, keep it in a phone note and the mind again starts nagging, oh what about this, what about that? Tell the mind, we will have a time to discuss, not now. So you may decide, this is an important decision in my life, so maybe every week, half an hour, one hour, I will seriously contemplate this.
And that is the time to contemplate this. Serious decisions in life can’t be made when we are in the mode of passion or ignorance. When we are running around, doing this, doing this, what about this problem? We just feel burdened by it.
And in the mode of ignorance, we just think of this, this, this, this, this and nothing will reside by it. But okay, if some new thought has come up, just note it down in some scratchpad, in some page somewhere and decide my thinking time is at that time, maybe the weekend or sometime when we have time. And every week, maybe half an hour, one hour, like that, we look at that.
And maybe say, okay, this point I didn’t think, I heard this class, this is also one point, I didn’t think about this. At this point, this is a new point, I will add this over here. And then if we do it for three months or six months, depending on how much time we have and how important the decision is.
And then, after six months, you look, okay, three months ago, this was my thought process. Now, six months later, this is my thought process. So, if the thought process remains the same, then that means that this is not just some fleeting idea that I have got, just a feeling of frustration.
But this is some deep inspiration. And this way, when we take a decision, then we follow it up with conviction. Then the problem with the mind is that it will always make us second guess our decisions.
Second guess means even after we do something, maybe that was not the right thing to do. Maybe we should have done that. And that way, if we let the mind second guess our decisions, it will simply paralyse us.
So, if we have gone through this whole process of understanding ourselves better in the light of scripture, then we will arrive at a mature understanding of what inspires us and what we are meant to do. Based on this, when we take a decision, we will follow up the decision with conviction. And life never comes with a guarantee of right decisions.
Sometimes even going through all this process also, the decision may not turn out to be right. But if it turns out to be wrong, we won’t simply beat ourselves. What a foolish person, why did I take that decision? No, I had done my thought process.
And based on that, I had taken the decision. But this new issue has come up. And therefore, in the light of this decision doesn’t seem to be sound.
Then we will also do a mature course correction. Not just a frustration, oh, I always keep making a mess of my life. No.
This was the reason basically I made this decision. Now, my life has come to a turn and I will make this decision. So that way, if we cannot always be in the mode of goodness, but we can ensure that our decision making happens when we are in goodness.
You get the difference? During the course of our life, we will be in passion sometimes, we will be in ignorance sometimes. But we can ensure that our decision making happens when we are in goodness. And when we do it this way, then the modes will come, they will go, they will make us a little shake, but again come back on the track.
And this is we are using our intelligence to serve Krishna, we are using our mind to express our concerns. And then we are bringing the two in a dialogue. And then when we get the inner conviction, then even if you have to consult someone after that, we have done our homework, then we can actually consult others more effectively.
Otherwise, this is some random worry, this problem, this problem, this problem. No, our guides will also not be able to address us. So, when we get to solid points of concern, they can also be addressed properly.
So, by this, what are we trying to do? Okay, we are trying to get the disposition to serve Krishna. Krishna, I am your servant, and I want to serve you, please guide me how I can serve you. I use my intelligence in your service to understand how best I can serve.
And when we do this, cultivate the disposition to serve Krishna, not just by this decision making process, but also by doing our sadhana bhakti nicely, by doing our seva as well as I can, then Krishna will reveal what is the best position we can serve him in. So, we focus on getting the disposition, not on the position. With the disposition, even if we are in the wrong position, we will understand it is wrong, and we move to the right position.
And if we are in the right position, we will be able to make the best use of that right position, because our mind will not be second guessing us and sabotaging us. So, we focus on the decision making process. And whatever decision comes, that will be followed up with conviction.
And if that needs to be corrected, we will correct it. But do not worry too much about what position I should serve Krishna in. Focus on getting the disposition to serve Krishna.
Krishna will reveal the position in which you can best serve him. So, I will summarise. We discussed in this session about three main themes.
First theme I discussed about is that we need resources to serve Krishna. The same resources which are used for serving him can actually take us away from him. The paradox of this world is that if we are to serve in this world, we need resources.
But instead of using those resources to serve Krishna, we will become attached to those resources, as it happened to Indra. So, sometimes the bad may be the enemy of the best, and sometimes the good can also be the enemy of the best. So, when that happens, what do we do? We remind ourselves that this is meant for serving Krishna.
We strive our best to serve Krishna. If Krishna has given us some Kshetra, an area of influence in this world, which is to serve him, but if that makes us forget that he is our Lord, then he will take it away from us, temporarily. His purpose is not to frustrate us, but his purpose is to redirect us, remind us that our defining identity is not the way we control this world.
Our defining identity is the way we connect with Krishna. And both roles are important, but it is the connection with Krishna that is primary. And when we operate based on the connection with Krishna, then we will be guided towards the right position.
Rather than worrying about what is the right position and agonising over it and going to the mode of ignorance, we focus on cultivating the right disposition. That Krishna, I am your servant, please guide me how I can serve you. I use my intelligence to arrive at mature decisions, and then Krishna will reveal to us the best position in which we can serve him.
Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Yes.
We often feel that when I have time in future, maybe after exams, I will do so many services for Krishna. But actually we don’t end up doing much of it at all. What to do? Yes, it happens with everyone.
When I am travelling, I am dreaming. When I will get some time, I will write a new book. But when I have time to write a book, I want to interact with people.
I want to travel. So the nature of the mind is, it will always keep us dissatisfied with the present. That is the nature of the mind.
Oh, you can’t serve Krishna right now, because you don’t have facility. In future, when you have facility, you will be able to serve. But when we have the facility, the mind will think of some other excuse.
It will make us do something else. So yes, it is good to make plans for Krishna. But plans about future service to Krishna should not be at the expense of our present service to Krishna.
Let me serve Krishna to the best that I can in my situation. And if I do that, then in the future, Krishna will guide me how to use that time. The mind is always looking for some excuse to get us to stop serving Krishna.
Oh, you don’t have time now. In future, when you have time, do a lot. But okay, let me start right now.
I was recently very inspired by one devotee. I have many, many book plans to write. But somehow, I just get caught in other things, various things.
So one devotee told me that he decided that every day he will write 50 words. Now I said 50 words is nothing. But he said, yes, 50 words seems like nothing.
But if you write it for 10 days, it becomes 5000 words. It becomes, yeah, it becomes 500 words. You write for, and sometimes you write 50 words, it just grows up.
So this is a small thing. And I say, oh, when I have time, I will read the full Bhagavatam in the vacations. Okay, read one verse right now.
One verse doesn’t take long. One verse, what is going to happen by that? No, at least one verse you can read. So start with something.
So yes, we can do more when we have time. But let’s do something right now. And then when we have more time, we will do more things also.
So if future planning is a substitute for present doing, then it will always stay as future planning, it will never be done. But if the future planning is accompanied by present doing, something, even if it’s a small thing, do it. Then what will happen? Sometimes we may not be able to do exactly the same thing.
Maybe some other something related also. But we keep doing something. Then in the future, we will be able to do it much more.
So doing something in the present is important. Second thing is, in general, we have to, we have to get our ego to assist us in our devotional service. How do you do that? Tell some people that I’m going to do this.
And don’t tell 100 things, because then we’re not going to do anything. Out of 100 things which you want to do, decide one or two things that are most important, and then tell someone. And it’s best if they also plan to do it.
If I decide, you know, I’m going to read Bhagavatam. And they also say I’m going to read Bhagavatam. Now read the same thing.
Okay, in this vacation, I’m going to read one canto of Bhagavatam. I’m also going to read one canto of Bhagavatam. Now with technology, we can stay in touch with each other.
Just every day, every once in three days, every once a week, just call them. They call you. How much have you read? How much have you read? Just thinking that, oh, I have to tell them.
That will make us do it. So this is basically getting the power of association to work for us. A provocative way of saying is using the ego in our service, but just getting the power of association to work for us.
And third thing could be that when we are inspired to do something, at that time, we need to, it’s good if we note down why I want to do it. Because the nature of the mind is, it doesn’t allow our inspiration to last. Right now, I feel very inspired.
I have to, I have to study. If you had a very, very illuminating class on the Bhagavatam, I don’t know all this. I didn’t know all this was in the Bhagavatam.
I want to study. I want to read the Bhagavatam. But say two months later, when I have the time, oh, there are so many books to read by Bhagavatam.
I will read some other book now. So if something inspires us, don’t just make a resolution. Also, write with the resolution the reasons for that resolution, that which gives us conviction for that resolution.
And then, when the inspiration goes away, at least the conviction will go away. The mind’s feelings will always go up and down. I feel like doing it, sometimes I don’t feel like doing it.
But the intelligence conviction can stay much more steady over a longer period of time. Thank you. Any other questions? Yeah.
So when we are doing some service, how do we know whether we are doing it for our ego or for Krishna? Usually, we do it for both. It’s very difficult at our age to do something only for Krishna. So generally, the way we become pure is not by stopping the service till we get purity, but by continuing the service with whatever purity we have right now.
If I think that, oh, if I do service, I’m doing this for my ego, so I’ll not do the service. Then what happens? If I can sing nicely for Krishna, and I don’t know, if I sing, I’ll become proud, so I don’t sing, and somebody else sings. And then they sing very nicely and others praise them.
And then, you know, he sings so nicely. Do you know how much he eats? What happens? We start subtly minimising them, so that pride comes off as envy. So actually, it is good to be afraid of our ego, but to think that if I do this service, then I’ll become proud.
That is already being proud. How? Because I’m thinking I’m not yet proud. When I think I will become proud, that means I’m assuming I’m not yet proud, but we are already having pride within us.
It is just that right now, we don’t have any reason to express that pride. We have pride, but we have not done anything by which I can show that pride to others. So the cure for pride is not suppression of talent.
The cure for pride is purification of intent. It’s not suppression of talent, but purification of intent. That means we continue doing the service and slowly shift the focus from the ego to Krishna.
And this happens over a period of time. If you speak for Krishna, you may say, I want to prove to the world how clever I am. But after some time while speaking for Krishna, you know, one time I prepared very well for a class.
I was completely absorbed for hours in preparing for a class. And I delivered the class also. It was flawless delivery.
Almost all the points that I remember, I wanted to speak, I spoke them, I spoke them as articulately, as effectively as I would have loved to. At the end of the class, not one person appreciated the class. So initially I was a little frustrated, but then it struck me that actually while preparing and while delivering, I was absorbed.
So yes, if somebody appreciates, that’s good. But actually, even if somebody appreciates, that gives a few moments of pleasure. But the absorption is something which can stay with me forever.
And that way, that was a powerful experience for me. It reminded me when I’m speaking, let me speak for the absorption, not for the appreciation. If appreciation comes, that helps me also to understand, okay, which points devotees can connect with, which points I can emphasise more, which points I need to clarify more.
So that kind of feedback, positive, negative helps. But if I had not spoken about Krishna till I’m purely motivated, then I would not have got that realisation also. So basically just do the service.
And while doing the service, gradually try to increase the Krishna connection. We shift the focus from appreciation to absorption. So when we commit a mistake, instead of accepting our mistake, we feel offended and act in an improper way, as Indra did.
So what do we do in such a situation? I think this question is similar to what I asked earlier, how our Arthas make us lose perspective. So basically, we have to find out what are the ways in, what are the typical areas in which we commit mistakes, and where we get aggravated when somebody points out the mistakes, and then prepare for that. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, we may just shout at someone.
But afterwards, we realise, okay, this is the situation and I get provoked. Then prepare for that. We come near provocation, at that time, it’s an avoidance.
We’re going on the road. If we don’t know there’s a bump, and we get jolted. But next time when we go on the road, we know there’s a bump, then we’ll not get jolted.
We’ll protect ourselves. Similarly, as self-observation, we can go about doing self-correction. There’s a question here.
During the time of reversal, when most of the time is invested in stabilising the situation, then at that time, how to keep ourselves in the mode of goodness, and how to perceive everything as the mercy of the Lord? So when reversals come, how to perceive everything as the mercy of the Lord? Well, I’m not at that level where I can perceive everything as the mercy of the Lord. So I can’t tell, and I don’t even know whether everything is the mercy of the Lord. When Dushasan was disrobing Draupadi, was that the mercy of the Lord? When Ravana abducted Sita, was that the mercy of the Lord? We don’t know.
So basically, I gave a whole class on this topic. We can’t have unrealistic expectations from ourselves. When bad things happen, bad things happen.
We don’t have to somehow think that this bad thing is good. Let’s be human, acknowledge the bad thing is bad, and then see how can we best respond to it. So I gave a class in Alachua in America, that we can’t be grateful for all situations, but we can be grateful in all situations.
We can’t be grateful for all situations, but we can be grateful in all situations. Sometimes some things may be so terrible. I don’t know, I’m working at a company, working at a job, and suddenly I’m fired.
And then at that time to think this is the mercy of Krishna, it’s very difficult. And if I make that as the characteristic of my devotion, then I say I will feel it’s a valuable devotion. Okay, this is a terrible thing that has happened, but I can’t be grateful for the situation, but I can be grateful in the situation.
How? Okay, this has gone wrong, this is wrong, but what is right in my life? Oh, I’ve got a good devotee community, I’ve got a good degree, I’ve got good health, I’ve got good intelligence, I’ve got some experience, I’ve got some contacts. Just list all the good and be grateful for that. So, try to see the bad as good is very difficult.
And sometimes it’s just, it’s psychologically damaging to try to do that, unless we are spiritually advanced. Let’s accept that it is a bad thing that has happened, but instead of just obsessing over the bad, oh such a terrible thing happened, such a terrible thing happened, such a terrible thing happened, let’s look at what is the good. And to do this, it is good if we have made a list of the blessings in our life.
In the normal course of life, we made a list like that, then it helps us at that time. And then we look at that and then first step is just count your blessings. And there’s a big problem and the mind starts obsessing over the problem, count your blessings.
Second step is that focus on those blessings which help us to deal with the problem. If somebody finds they have got cancer, to see the cancer as mercy is very difficult. But you can see, okay, at least I have spiritual knowledge by which I can tolerate it.
I know I’m not going to be destroyed, I’m an eternal soul. Or at least this particular version of cancer is curable, let me take treatment. Whatever, look at this, among the blessings that we have, look at the blessings that help us to deal with that problem.
And then in this way, we can feel grateful even amidst the problem. And maybe over a period of time, it will be revealed to us how, what bad thing happened, it was also for our good. See, it’s not that everything that happens is good.
But everything that happens can be for good. Bad things do happen. But Krishna can bring good even out of the bad.
So it’s not that we have to see the bad thing as Krishna’s mercy. If somebody can see that, that is also good. But the bad thing is not Krishna’s mercy.
It is the good that comes from the bad, that is Krishna’s mercy. And some devotees sometimes, we may hear some story of some devotee was not very serious in bhakti and then they got cancer and they become very serious. So one devotee asked one senior Prabhupada disciple, should we pray that we get cancer so that we become serious in our devotion? He said, cancer is not the producer of devotion.
Otherwise all the thousands of people who get cancer will become devotees. It is not cancer. It is actually the mercy of Krishna.
It is actually the mercy of Krishna and our free will combined together that help us to become devotees. The blessings of devotees, the prayers of devotees that help us to cope with it properly. So basically, when bad things happen, if it’s a terrible thing, to try to see it as Krishna’s mercy is very difficult.
So see Krishna’s mercy in other things that are right in our life that help us to deal with that thing. And then later on retrospect, we’ll say, okay, this bad thing happened, but it was for my good. Then we can see it as Krishna’s mercy.
One or two last questions. Oh, it’s already 6. Why do you feel it will not be effective? Means, what is the reason you are feeling it will not be effective? Okay. So when we don’t feel Krishna’s presence at this stage, so is praying to Krishna, I am your servant helpful? It is a gradual process.
We don’t just pray Krishna, I am your servant, we also act as a servant. And we don’t pray simply to get something done. We pray also as a part of sadhana.
Vandanam is also one of the limbs of devotion. So we pray, because it’s not because we are sadhana sadhakas, we can’t pray, we don’t realise Krishna, so we can’t pray. It is a limb of sadhana bhakti is to pray.
So pray at this situation also, no problem. Okay. There’s a question here.
When we do seva, it means we are surrendering to religions. Correct. But in background, there is a dependency also because we pray.
Yeah. So how now, how to balance the dependency and delegency? Because many times it feels like, should we depend on Krishna or should we try to like execute by our own way? Okay. So how to balance between dependence and diligence? It said that pray as if it all depends on Krishna, work as if it all depends on you.
That is while we are working, just do it wholeheartedly. So when, say if you’re preparing for a class, we can pray to Krishna. Krishna, as a super soul in your heart, please help people understand.
As a super soul in my heart, please give me the right words to speak. But when we are speaking, at that time we are fully absorbed in what we are speaking, in speaking the right way. If we are answering questions, we are fully absorbed.
Okay, what exactly is the question? How best can I answer it? So now, can we do the both of them parallel? I would say that it’s possible, but most important thing is to stay focused on doing what we can the best we can. So there is a, when Arjuna was fighting the war, he was taking aim and shooting. There is no report in the Mahabharata that Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna.
He was not chanting Hare Krishna. At least that’s not reported in the Mahabharata. He was completely absorbed in fighting.
But his devotion was in his absorption, his service to Krishna. So one time, when Prabhupada would come every day after morning walk, the devotee would wait and he would recite some elaborate, complicated Sanskrit words to Prabhupada. And every day he would come.
First day he came, second day he came, third day he came. Prabhupada looked at him, why don’t you do something practical? It’s not that he didn’t want to recite, but he himself started the Sanskrit recitation of verses in this con. This devotee was doing it on the show-off way.
Prabhupada didn’t appreciate that. So basically, just do what helps you to work the best. Each one of us is individual.
So for some of us, taking quality time out to pray and then getting into service helps. Some of us, in the heat of action also, maybe take a few steps back and pray. And then answer the question.
Then address the needful. For some of us, just do the whole thing, at the end of it we pray again. So whatever helps us to do our best, we do that.
One last question. I want to add a quote that can be perceived every reversal in our life as a virtue of Krishna. First, it is my own karma which is coming at bad situations.
In Bhagavad-gita we find that because of our past ones, our future was going to change. So then, on reversal, bad situations, after getting that creation, my impious activities are nullified. So in this way, Krishna will be there.
So in this way, we can see that even if my karma is there, it is getting nullified. So it is much easier. Secondly, Krishna is well-wished.
He knows best for us. So in every situation, from every situation, he can do best for his devotees. So he can find out the means and ways so that he can bring his devotees back to his lotus feet.
Third point I want to add, whenever in his life, whenever any reversal is there, so naturally he takes shelter of Krishna. He remembers Krishna. Even if some disease is there, he chants the holy name of Krishna.
So in this way, he is coming to the lotus feet of Krishna. So can we remember like this? Then we take, in this way, we take that this is mercy of Krishna. So can we see that whatever is happening, bad things, it’s our own karma getting exhausted, Krishna is our well-wisher, and that we are taking shelter of Krishna.
It impels us to take shelter of Krishna. So it is mercy. All these sound very good, till it happens to us.
All these are very good intellectual explanations. But when bad things happen to us, when our emotions are devastated, at that time, whether this works or not, it’s very difficult to know. It’s very, very difficult to know.
And to expect someone to do that at that time, it’s not easy. There is no evidence in the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, when Sita is kidnapped, nobody tells her, jo hua ho achcha hua. See the kidnapping as the Lord’s mercy.
Nobody tells her that. This world is filled with monstrous evils. And in fact, I was in UK, there’s a court case filed by an atheist to declare belief in God, belief in a good God as immoral.
He says that it is an insult to the gravity of human suffering to make people believe that there is a good God. He says, therefore, this belief should be deemed immoral. There are horrible sufferings in this world.
If you actually go and see a mother whose six month old baby has got a disease by which from the moment of birth till it dies at the age of six months, constantly screaming, you tell that mother, God is good. This is your karma getting exhausted. It’s monstrously insensitive.
To even talk about such things when, and these can also be devotees. The kind of problems we may get in life, we can’t even imagine that. And people who are going through those problems, it’s not easy.
It’s not easy. The kind of suffering if a woman is raped, you tell her that it is your own karma getting exhausted. Did anyone tell Sita that you must have been a demon in your previous life and Ravana was a woman and you must have kidnapped him.
That’s why you’re getting kidnapped like this. Nobody does that. So, at that, even when Abhimanyu is killed, Krishna doesn’t tell Arjuna, it’s all my plan, it’s my mercy.
Krishna is there with Arjuna and Krishna tells, oh Arjuna, calamities happen to you. But people who are mature people act in a way to decrease others grief, not increase their grief. Just see how much your brothers are afflicted.
Arjuna is furious. He tells his brothers, are all your weapons bangles, that all of you couldn’t protect my son. So, there is no insight that generally speaking, when people are in the midst of misery, to try to speak philosophy to them, it may work, but sometimes it may just become completely counterproductive.
I met a devotee whose spouse had committed suicide. Now, at that time, it’s a terrible situation. The spouse was also a devotee, but the devotee had committed suicide.
You tell them, it’s Krishna’s mercy. Tell them, it is your own karma getting exhausted. It’s difficult, because at that time, there’s the guilt.
Maybe I was too harsh with that person, because of which they committed suicide. At that time, it’s best not even to talk about the cause of the suffering. You see that, okay, in this situation, you remember Krishna and that will give you some solace.
And it’s actually inhuman. As I said, at the level of head, it all sounds very nice. But at the level of the heart, it is extremely difficult to accept for oneself, when it happens to oneself, and extremely insensitive for others to say to such a person.
There are many cases in scripture where a person who is suffering may say, oh, I don’t know what karma I had done, because of which I’m suffering. But hardly anyone tells anyone else, it is because of your karma you’re suffering. So, everyone focusses on, even Draupadi, after she goes through the whole mortifying incident, and they’re exiled, and they’re in the forest.
At that time, Krishna comes to meet them in the forest. And Draupadi breaks down and says, Krishna, I deserve your protection. I’m your friend, I’m your relative, I’m your devotee, and I called out to you.
But still, a terrible thing happened. So, Krishna doesn’t tell her, how dare you doubt my perfect plan? Krishna takes a very human approach. Krishna says, I didn’t know that this gambling match was planned.
If I had known, I would have come and stop it at all costs. He says that there was a demon who had attacked Dwarka, and I was caught in saving Dwarka from that demon. As soon as I came to know, I have immediately come.
Oh, Draupadi, the grievous wrongs that you have gone through, they will not be waived. Your offenders will be punished. So, we have to practise spirituality that is emotionally healthy, not spirituality that is emotionally unhealthy.
So, making somebody who is going through great pain, somehow, trying to make them think, this is Krishna’s mercy. It’s not possible. It’s just not possible.
I was in Brisbane. No, not Brisbane, Sydney. I don’t know.
Brisbane. I was in Brisbane, and there, I just arrived in Brisbane, and that, just about, I was going to have a big satsang programme. Almost like 300-400 people were there.
And just before that, one of the congregation leaders, a young Mataji, who had been like a brilliant preacher, she had been in on the spot. Now, everybody is shouting, this is a devotee of Krishna, devoted her life to Krishna, and doing so much service to Krishna. Why did this happen? It was probably the most difficult class I have given till now in my life.
But, you know, tell them, Krishna is the well-wisher of everyone. How does it work? At that time, we have to see what works. We cannot take a holier-than-thou attitude, it’s your own karma coming to you.
See, karma may be an intellectually satisfactory explanation. Karma is not an emotionally satisfactory explanation. It is.
It is not that Krishna, what we have to say is that, in this world, bad things happen. We don’t know why they happen. But, Krishna is there with us to help us deal with whatever bad things happen.
Later on, if they are in a proper situation, then we can help them come to terms with it, and what you are saying can make sense at that time. But, it won’t make sense at that time. When Shri Prabhupada, when he had that severe altercation, and he told his wife, choose tea or me.
Then, he said, his wife drank a cup of tea and Prabhupada walked away. But, as a devotee, Prabhupada went to one of his, one of his Godbrother’s ashram, and his Godbrother writes, there is a book written by, called Our Dear Prabhupada. He says, for several days, Prabhupada was just chanting, chanting, chanting.
And he says, this Godbrother of Prabhupada, at whose ashram he is, Swami was agitated at that time. Agitated means, it’s a major decision. If you have a family you have lived with and you have to give it up, it’s a major decision.
And, Prabhupada did that. In the final, in the final pastime, in the TKG diary, which describes how Shri Prabhupada’s last days were. Prabhupada had a very excruciatingly terrible disease and it just, disease went on for a long, long, long time.
So, Tamal Krishna Maharaj writes, now one time, you know, Prabhupada started the new medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and things were looking up and he seemed to be curing. And then, one night, it was just two, three days it was going up and then one night everything collapsed. And Prabhupada became worse than earlier.
And then, at that time, Prabhupada asked, why is this happening? You know, now, does that mean Prabhupada doesn’t have faith in Krishna? At that particular point, Prabhupada, why is this happening? Does Krishna want me to leave this body and go? Or does Krishna want me to stay in this body and continue service? Should I take treatment or should I not take treatment? So, even a pure devotee may get that question. So, we can’t, we can’t suppress our emotions simply through intellectual philosophising. There is a time for grieving and there is a time for healing.
And if you don’t give ourselves the time for grieving, then healing cannot take place. It’s, suppose I’ve got a fracture in my hand. When I have a fracture, if somebody tells me, Prabhu, you’re not your body, you’re the soul.
Just continue working, everything will be alright. Well, I can’t lift any weight, my hand is a fracture. But, if I don’t give my hand time to heal, it will become worse.
But, if I’ve given it two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, whatever doctor has told, and after that also I don’t exercise my hand, then it will never heal. So, there is a time for letting it rest and there is a time to exercise it also. Similarly, when something terrible has happened, at that time, there is a time for venting the emotions.
There is a time for grieving. And unless that grieving is allowed, the emotions will stay all choked. Now, if one keeps grieving all the time, doesn’t learn to grow through it, then it’s a problem.
Even in the past, when Dashrath passes away, Pandu passes away, there is a nationwide period of mourning that is described. Bhagavatam also says that after the Kurukshetra war gets over, all the Pandavas, they grieve for the deceased ones. So, grieving is not a bodily attachment.
Even if somebody else has a body and their soul has gone to another body, we had connected with that person at a bodily level and their loss is something which we have to process. So, this kind of speaking can be extremely emotionally unhealthy. Emotional wounds are as real as physical wounds.
Just as we won’t expect a physically fractured person, physically fractured hand to lift weights, similarly, we can’t expect an emotionally wounded person to just frisk away the wound and move on. While they are wounded, we can’t minimise that wound. Everything is Krishna’s mercy.
The first thing that person will do, you are not Krishna’s mercy for me, right? I need someone who understands me, not someone who lectures to me. When bad things have happened, what are we to do? Bad things have happened to someone, we are to be there with that person to help them deal with that bad thing. To think that anyone deserves to suffer is the beginning of depersonalisation, is the beginning of impersonalism.
A devotee doesn’t feel that nobody should suffer. We should not think that anyone deserves to suffer. If they have some karma, that is between them and Krishna.
We have to see what is my dharma. How can I best help this person? If we start thinking about karma like that, we can become terribly insensitive. If a baby is crying, should the mother think, oh, the more the baby cries, the baby’s past karma will get exhausted.
No. Mother is to think, what is my dharma? My dharma is to console my baby. When in the fourth canto, Prithu Maharaj, citizens come to him and tell him that, oh, we are afflicted because there is drought over here.
He doesn’t say, it’s all Krishna’s mercy. See it as your own karma. He works as a king to help.
So, we should first and foremost be an instrument of Krishna’s love. Then we can be an instrument of Krishna’s wisdom. If we try to be an instrument of Krishna’s wisdom before being an instrument of Krishna’s love, we will simply come off as judgemental.
Sri Prabhupada cooked for the hippies. He washed the plate of the hippies. He served them.
They saw that Swami really cared for us and then when he spoke, you are not the body or the soul, they were eager to hear. So, there are times when we should be definitely instruments of Krishna’s wisdom. So, we have the example of Chitraketu.
Chitraketu Maharaj was attached and sages spoke to him and he became enlightened. But he already had a great reverence for the sages. He already had philosophical knowledge in the background and he was reminded at that time.
Whether if we do it, it has the same effects, I don’t know. I have seen many many devotees burned out because of this kind of attitude. So, if this devotee who told me his spouse had committed suicide and another devotee came to him, good we are free from material entanglement.
Now, that is horrendous. That may be true at one level but that is not the time. You know, normally when someone commits suicide, there is a huge problem called as survivor’s guilt.
All those who live, they feel guilty. Did I do something because of which this person committed suicide? And you have to process that. You have to help people process that.
You know, it’s like without understanding what emotional situation a person is in, we bring a truck of philosophy and run it over them. It just injures people all the more. So, when people are distressed, first and foremost, when adversity has struck someone, first be an instrument of Krishna’s love.
Help them, tell them I am here with you. I am not here to lecture you. I am here to cry.
I knew one devotee who was very young and passed away. So, one of our senior devotees went to meet their family and they were just blasting Krishna. He dedicated his life to Krishna and he passed away like this.
So, this brahmachari just heard it. He did not speak any philosophies. Now, whatever is your anger, it’s justified.
Just bring it out. Just bring it out. There is a time when people need emotional healing and at that time if you do philosophical lecturing, it is violence.
So, first and foremost, be an instrument of Krishna’s love. So, later on, as I said, eventually we will be able to see it as Krishna’s mercy. We may ourselves be able to do it.
Others may be able to do it. But trying to tell people to see Krishna’s mercy when they may even be doubting the existence of Krishna also. It happens.
It happens. I know one devotee, one devotee mataji, one devotee couple, they were preaching very nicely and they had three miscarriages and naturally if they started preaching, if they had a child, then their preaching would go down. So, this third time when they had a miscarriage, this mataji told me, you know, I felt so angry with Krishna.
I said, Krishna, you want, you are preaching more than my baby. That’s why you’re taking my baby away from Krishna. Now, at that time, losing your baby is Krishna’s mercy.
She’s questioning Krishna at that time and it’s understandable for a mother. We men, we can’t even understand it. To carry a life in one’s own womb and then to lose that, it’s a horrible experience.
We just, you know, if we become like, if we think that we can just philosophically lecture people out of their emotions, we are going to horrendously misrepresent Krishna and alienate a lot of people from Krishna. So, when people are hurt, we are there to help them heal their hurt, not lecture how, not lecture how God is good. There’s one, one of my friends, he was atheistic.
He was, he was a Christian who became an atheist and now he’s become a devotee. He said, when I face problems and I will go to my pastor, why is this happening? He said, the whole pastor’s mood was not to help me. The whole pastor’s mood was to get God off the hook.
Don’t blame God for this. He said, I didn’t feel that pastor was trying to help me at all. He became an atheist because of that.
So, one of the greatest reasons, and this is, I mean, I’m speaking this so strongly because this is the strongest criticism of the Abrahamic religions against Hinduism. That, you know, Hindus have no sense of compassion because they believe in karma. They feel that if a person is poor, they’re suffering their own karma.
So, they stay rotting in poverty. Somebody is born in low caste, because of past karma, you’re born low caste. You stay degraded.
We do not have anything like this. And thousands and thousands of people actually have left the Vedic path because of the insensitivity exhibited by followers of the Vedic path in the name of karma, in the name of karma. So, I was there at one, not there, one devotee who was there at a place where a big calamity had happened, a natural disaster had happened.
And the devotees went there, and devotees where people had lost their homes, people had lost their family. Well, there’s one young man, you know, he had two sisters, a father, mother, he just lost everyone. And there the devotees gave a lecture on how everything is our karma.
Everything is our karma. It was horrible, horrible, horrible. It is, it is, that was the village over there.
It is, some devotees gave a lecture over there. It was like, after that lecture, like 97% of villages converted to Christianity. This person is coming and telling us we are responsible.
The Christians are coming and giving us relief. So, if we use karma as a tool for making people deny their feelings, then we don’t know. We are doing terrible violence.
I was, I’ll conclude with this point. I was in Texas, and there one atheist had written on the car bumper, Oh God, please save me from your preachers. So, I feel preachers who try to make people think that everything is God’s mercy.
Let, oh God, please save the world from such preachers. Thank you very much.