Surrender to Pure Love
Sri Madhan-Madhuri Kunja Ashram, Vilnius
Hari-katha by Sripad Vasanta Prabhu
2019-06-06
Everything is given
The purpose of knowing dharma is not to be bound to the material nature created by Krishna, not to be bound by illusion. Everything in the world is available – every taste, desire, everything that we may aspire to taste or experience. Depending on our karma and desire anything is possible and between all things the process of dharma and the process of Krishna consciousness has been given to us for the purpose of purifying our hearts.
If you want to know the Truth you must to ask the authority who knows the Truth
In this age many people have many conceptions. Through the internet you can be connected to everybody’s different ideas what is happiness and what is love, what is the right path, the right way. There are many speculative philosophies that are not dharmic.
Sometimes people try to understand why is the Truth in a challenging way. Once a person asked Gurudeva: “Do you know that God exists?” and Gurudeva said: “Yes, I know, God exist”. The person asked: “How do you know?” and Gurudeva replied: “By the mercy of my Guru Maharaja I have realized”. Anyhow the person didn’t believe: “How can you prove that God exist?” and Gurudeva replied: “In many ways – God is present in the speech and life example of the devotees in the world, in the life of my Guru Maharaja I saw a presence of God, in the scriptures, both in oral and written – Bhagavatam, the Shrutis, Smritis, Bhagavad-gita is the prove”. “What if I don’t believe in the scriptures? Maybe somebody made up the scriptures?” – the man was arguing. Then Guru Maharaja asked a very direct question to the man: “Who is your father?” and the person said the name of his father and Gurudeva asked: “Are you sure he is your father?” then the man said: “Why are you asking, of course he is my father” but Gurudeva said: “Are you sure?” and then a man started doubting and Gurudeva said: “If you want to know who your father is, who is the only person who knows? Who can you ask and who knows who your father is? Only the mother knows”. So if you want to know the Truth you must to ask the authority who knows the Truth and in this case the authority is Guru Maharaja, the Guru-parampara and the holy scriptures left to us spoken by Sri Krishna and commentaries of the Sadhus. This is how we know the Truth. Otherwise how can we know? We are not realizing.
The nature of the soul is to love and to share with the other soul
Nowadays many people saying: “Love is love, philosophy of love is love, be open” but is this dharmic? Is this what the scriptures telling us? Is it what has been left behind or what has been spoken by Sri Krishna?
There is remembrance of love in the soul. Anybody who is naturally attracted to love, speaking about love it is because the nature of the soul is to love and to share with the other soul. Important to understand that there is a very big difference between material love and affection and spiritual love and affection. If God is not at the center of our meditation, our activities, if the source of love is not present in our consciousness, then how can pure love be present? This is very bogus philosophy. There are many philosophies that speak about free love but in Vaishnavism through Bhagavad-gita we know that pure love is absolute, selfless devotion for the beloved without wanting any type of karmic reaction, pleasure for oneself, benefit and without wanting of moksha or liberation.
Rupa Goswami has left us the definition of pure bhakti – anja vilas sita sunja. He is saying, that pure love is all the activities that are done for the exclusive pleasure of Sri Krishna without wanting any type of positive karmic reaction for oneself, so it is selfless, we don’t want anything from it, we just want God to be happy. Ideally if you love something you give yourself so the person may be happy.
The second thing we don’t desire any type of jnana, which means the power of the knowledge. So our motivation is not to rule material nature by the power of our knowledge.
Then the third thing is that we are not looking for any type of mundane pleasure – this is not part of pure bhakti, we are not performing because it gives us pleasure, we are performing because it gives God pleasure. Finally we are not performing with an intent that: “If I am performing bhakti then it will give me moksha”. Moksha is liberation from my own nonsense, which is that I have done sinful activities in the past, now the reaction is coming and now I am performing bhakti trying to nullify these activities.
Pure bhakti
It is difficult for conditioned souls in Kali Yuga to get pure bhakti. Both very difficult and very easy. Difficult because even if Mahaprabhu has come and the process is very simple – chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, respect Vaishnavas, follow footsteps of Vaishnavas, listen to hari-katha – very simple. Only by following maha-mantra and listening to the instructions and trying to follow the footsteps of the acharyas very simply we can advance. In Kali Yuga the problem is that we don’t know how to follow because we have material tendency which is we are so much attached to our own conception of what Truth is and this is why life time after life time we are reincarnating in this world of birth and death which is full of pain and suffering also we are enjoying from time to time. Most of the times we realize that every karmic reaction is due to come and comes out of nowhere: “I was feeling okey yesterday, where does this bad feeling and situation come from?”. Past life, some reaction is there and we are so unconscious of what we do and of the bogus philosophies that we followed in the past. Sometimes people follow bogus philosophies trying to understand how to make the world a better place but many philosophies are not rooted in anything substantial. They say that love is love but can you explain what love is? Bogus teachers teach that it should be given free: “I am love, you are love, all is love” – no rules and regulations, everybody can do whatever they want? There is no consciousness in it.
Why should I believe in you?
Human beings have the capacity to reason, we are not monkeys. For monkey love is love, it can go anywhere, no rules or regulations, only following senses but human being understands: “I have duties, responsibilities, I have capacity to understand that I must take care of another, I have capacity to practice the well-being of another”. This is in a very human level. If anybody comes with any bogus philosophy you have to ask yourself: “How do I know that this person is speaking the Truth? Does this person has Guru-parampara?”. If no what is the possibility that they may be wrong – one day he was sitting one the rock and became enlightened? What does it mean for you? Can you prove it in the disciplic succession? Did your Guru and the Gurus before become enlightened? How can I be sure you are saying the Truth? Why should I believe in you?
The second prove – is your knowledge based on the holy scriptures that has been written for the benefit of humanity? Can everybody in humanity apply the method that you are speaking about and benefit from it? Is it rooted in something that has been written or is it your own speculation? Why do we need to invent any type of system or method? Everything already given form time immemorial from the beginning of creation. If you look at Sri Brahma Samhita, the first thing that Brahma did: “I offer my obeisances to Govinda, the supreme Lord that sits at the centre of all creation” and then he prays to Govinda: “May you give me the quality of performing my duties according to your desire”. So even Lord Brahma from the beginning he is praying to Lord Govinda and then Brahma creates the universe. Everything is written and everything is left for us to know what proper conduct is. Proper conduct is that which ennobles us, it takes us out from the animal consciousness to higher human consciousness and even divine consciousness and it is called dharma. Dharma is the rules and regulations that are set so we may not forget that we are human beings and that each and everyone of us have duties, even if we are in the world we are bound by duty. Our duty is very important because by performing our duty we are actually performing yagya, sacrifice. This sacrifice is meant to purify us from going to hell or descending into madness or descending into the place of absolute confusion.
Surrender to the Truth
Many times people come to Gurudeva asking for advice and instruction and Gurudeva would tell what to do and what not to do. One person challenged Gurudeva: “Why are you telling like this? This doesn’t sit well with my idea” and Gurudeva said: “You asked me, I am not asking you”. Gurudeva is not asking anyone, he is asking his Gurudeva. You are coming to me, you are asking, I am responding according to the scripture and according to the instructions of the parampara and Sri Guru. I am responding in this way and if anybody is not acting in this way in saranagati, not surrendered to the scriptures, parampara, Guru – what is the guarantee that they will be right? If God is giving the presence of Vaishnava, the presence of Devotees in life, senior Vaishanvas, it is pride alone that is stopping us from associating with high-class devotees. Also it is pride alone that is preventing us from listening to devotees. Mahaprabhu says: “Everybody in the world have propensity to enjoy their senses.” To purify ourselves the dharma is set forward. Gurudeva is not expecting everybody to be brahmacharis, he knows that most of people are going to get married and if Gurudeva sees that you get married and in this way progress in spiritual life then he give you all blessings. Gurudeva sees that you have material desire and tells to do it in dharmic way so that you may not go to hell.
What happens when we get what we want
Anything you like in the world when you get your desire, three things may happen: first you get it, enjoy for some time and then one of two ways: it is not tasty any more or you become addicted to it and in this case the first pleasure not going to be enough you want more and more pleasure. This happens to alcoholic people, people who have a lot of power, money. You get your desire, you like the taste, for some time you have satisfaction and after it is not satisfying any more so you are looking for new taste or you become addicted – both ways painful, because there is no satisfaction. If you ask yourself: “How many times in my life I have been satisfied?” It is when you go to sleep and think that was such a satisfying, perfect day? Not many. When Vaishnavas and kirtan comes to our life then more satisfaction comes but without spiritual life actually no satisfaction, maybe for a little moment and then after we cry. Satisfaction in this world is not long turn, it fades away because it is not based on the internal principal.
Another thing that may happen is that you get what you want but you don’t like it.
The third thing that can happen is that you get what you want but you can’t handle it, you have no qualification. So any of three paths you take is suffering and everything is the mix of three modes of nature.
How to choose correctly
We can choose correctly under the guidance of Guru. Srila Prabhupada said: “Krishna consciousness movement has been given for the people of the world who are smart enough to worship God, because they understand that He is the cause of all causes, the centre of all centres, and the source and destiny of satisfaction. So smart people in society naturally worship Krishna and naturally have respect for Sadhus.
The main quality for advancement
One of the main things what happens to people why they can’t advance in Krishna consciousness is that they didn’t develop very important quality – they have no respect for Sadhus. They don’t understand that Sadhu is a well-whisher and he is connected to Guru-parampara so everything that he is telling you is verifiable throughout history back hundreds and thousands of years Guru-parampara is unbroken. So whatever Guru is telling you and if you apply in your life that technology works. You can see it in his own personality, in those who have come before him. So there two ways to check if the statement is truthful: is it based on the scripture? Is it based on the personal realization? Or is it based on the guidance of nitya-siddha pure devotee? Even Dalai Lama coming and teaching and he also has a disciplic succession, it goes all the way to Buddha and what he is saying about Buddhism is true.
Perform your duty under the guidance of Sadhus
People come from all sorts of life paths and it is very common that people want to challenge: “Why love God? I want to love everybody”, but do you really have the capacity to love everybody? Do you have the power to eliminate the world’s hunger? Do you have the capacity that everybody will follow your order and instruction? Can you relieve the pain in the universe if you are the source of the unlimited love? This is called pride that everybody should do what they want and how they want. Krishna in Bhagavad-gita says that you have the right to perform your duty according to dharma and you must seek for the blessings and guidance of the Sadhu so you can always perform under the guidance of somebody who is pure, otherwise where does your freedom lead you? Again and again we find suffering in our lives. We are so proud to understand that maybe I am not so smart, maybe I am taking the wrong choices, maybe I must surrender to the Sadhu and simply follow his instructions. This is why dharma is important because as Vaishnava you will always be challenged by so many questions and so many lines of thought.
What is our philosophy?
In Satya Yuga people were naturally dharmic and then you progress everything and go to Kali Yuga where the first thing what happens to a baby when he is born is vaccinations and nobody asks if you agree or not – welcome to Kali Yuga. People who don’t want to do that are seen as weird people. There is no natural feeling any more. So the world has so many philosophies and ideas of what the world could become. If you follow the philosophy that is based on nothing, just pure sentimentalism and the philosophy that everybody should be who they want and do what they want – society should not run on dharma, there is no rules. I believe, that everybody should have equality of opportunity that is true according to their merit.
Everybody have the opportunity to love and be happy and it is called the maha-mantra, Mahaprabhu came to give it. Many people want to talk about love and the best way to do it is to take mridanga and go and chant the maha-mantra, because that is what the avatar of compassion said. It is pure and it is good for everyone – distribute and give people a choice. Srila Prabhupada said that in Kali Yuga dharma is nama-sankirtana and the yagya is nama-sankirtana and to do nama-sankirtana is the way of purification.
Advance in the process of purification and realization
So anytime when bogus philosophy comes we have to ask ourselves – what is the goal of our life? Do we want to advance in the process of purification and realization of our potential which is pure love for God or do we want to do whatever we want? There is always going to be somebody proposing us the philosophy to do whatever we want but Vaishnavas have one important quality – surrender. If you realize that you have been doing nonsenses upon millions of lives and that you have a great resource and mercy – the advice of the pure Sadhu and saranagati – you are going to go so fast. It means that: “Gurudeva, I have this desire so may you give me a blessing that in this life I will satisfy this desire under your guidance?” and Guru Maharaja will give his blessings. Otherwise it will only create the attachment to material nature and confusion in your mind because you will identify yourself with your body, mind, your material desires and think that this is who I am internally: “I have desire to enjoy God’s material energy and this is me, this is who I am internally” but it is far away from the Truth. When we enjoy beyond dharma or blessings of the Sadhu – we become deeply attached and identify ourselves: “This is my identity” and then a very great confusion comes in our mind who am I. Only who is pure and liberated can tell you who you really are. Who can tell that he is not going to reincarnate again? If you are reincarnating then you are in illusion. Who has pure love this world is non-interested in illusion. Who has pure love never coming back to this world. If the person talks about love but has so many material attachments – where is he taking you?
Cultivation of pure love is the only way that is going to give self-realization, happiness, satisfaction
Anybody who has realized love, the first quality they will have is the quality of saranagati. They understand that: “I do not need to worry about my destiny, I am surrendered. Anything coming or going – I am surrendered”. If my own karma and decisions, reactions I am running – what can be expected? Only confusion, lack of clarity and association of people who are involved into material life. With Vaishnavas there is never competition, there is always mercy – come, take prasadam. Saranagati can’t be forced upon people, it is God’s desire that the soul has free will. Vaishnava will not go against God’s free will and tell you to surrender. They may give you an advice that surrender to Guru Maharaja is good for you, like the doctor prescribe the medicine. Usually is like we come to the doctor, we didn’t study medicine and we challenging the doctor – whatever you are telling is not Truth and we are going to the debate with a doctor. So much we go into debate with Gurudeva, Guru-parampara, because there is pride and no saranagati. Once saranagati is there you realize – Vaishnavas are my well-wishers, it is Truth that they are here to help me out of humility. You realize that I am not humble, I am very stupid, my best choice is to follow somebody that is not stupid – how do you live, how do you achieve happiness, how do you have a good life? Vaishnava will say to take prasadam, sit and sings a love song that reminds the purpose why you are in this world. I am here to cultivate the pure love because it is the only way that is going to give self-realization, happiness, satisfaction. If you want to begin your spiritual life – first saranagati. Surrender. Without it we can’t advance. Gurudeva more than millions of lives is more advanced spiritually, he is liberated. Every moment that I am trapped in illusion Gurudeva was not. Every moment that I am trapped in material life Gurudeva is in reality that is non-violent, full of love, Krishna consciousness. We still think that we can be more smart than the acharyas by our own limited brain. How possible? We don’t know what pure love and devotion is.
The importance of saranagati
The first thing that Bhagavad-gita tells us is saranagati – take association of a high class Vaishnava, he is going to take you to somebody who is higher than him. Even Gurudeva would do that: “Let me take you Srimati Radhika or let me speak about my Guru Maharaja”. Then Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Goswami would speak about Srila Prahupada and he would speak about Babaji Maharaja Bhakti Vinod Thakura and Bhakti Vinod Thakura would glorify the glories of Rupa Goswami and Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu: “I beg you please come and surrender to Mahaprabhu”. All acting under the guidance. This is the main quality Vaishnava must have – the quality of saranagati. If you are surrendered – everything facilitated flowing, coming your own way because you are blessed by Gurudeva.
Many people are coming near by Vaishnavas and disturbing – one day they are here then they change their mind and going there, then again change their mind. Who can trust? They have no saranagati. If one has saranagati then he is absolutely appointed at the Lotus feet of Guru Maharaja and does nothing but Guru-seva. It is safe to be with him. It is safe to have Guru Maharaja at the center of the life. No need to waste time or energy looking there, absolutely appointed this month, next month, this life, next life, this good condition, this bad condition – saranagati. Simplified life absolutely. As long as we have too many choices, there will always be pain in the mind that: “I have to choose this or that”. If Premananda Prabhu is giving you a blessing then just go and do it. He sees what is good for you, Sadhu’s heart is pure. We know that Sadhu can advice in the best possible way because Sadhu’s heart is pure, he has been chanting maha-mantra, has saranagati, follow his Guru, surrender to the will of God, not to his own philosophy, so wise. It is wisdom to have saranagati. If I follow Guru’s instruction it is going to be good for me and it is going to be in harmony. If I do this I will be a source of joy and happiness for another. This is wisdom. Some people say that: “Premananda Prabhu is just a cook, always in the kitchen, never coming to hari-katha”. Yes, but cook with saranagati, following the instruction of Gurudeva who said: “You are always in the kitchen, feed everybody” and he said: “Yes, Gurudeva”. Surrendered. Everybody taking the benefit of hari-katha but then somebody has to stay in the kitchen so when the people who are taking the benefit of hari-katha are done and hungry, they can come and take prasadam. That would be Premananda Prabhu’s role. This saranagati – to give up everything that one wants for oneself and to fully give oneself, life to the service of Gurudeva. Devotion means – every hour, every day I will serve Guru Maharaja. All life, every life until eternity I will serve Guru Maharaja. Anywhere you are attitude is the same – serving Guru Maharaja, pure activity, not bound by karma – Vrindavan.
We must pray for saranagati, until that doesn’t come, advancement in spiritual life will not come because Guru and Vaishnavas will try to give us so much mercy in so many ways, but if we don’t show the quality of saranagati, our character will never change. We are object of our own pride, of our own choices and our own misbehaviour. But if you are surrendered then even if you are doing mistake Guru have compassion. Material desires, sinful activities – no problem, Gurudeva can liberate you, he is so much stronger, his bhajan, determination will never break, they have iron will. There is no one day when they are going to miss out on their devotion. It is admirable to have such personality in our lives.
Burn propensities to enjoy in service
Sometimes we are thinking: “I am not feeling so good about this bhakti thing any more”. At the beginning it was fantastic because in the beginning kirtan was going on, dancing, people smiling, the food excellent, flowers, interesting stories – full of colors and happiness, devotees are very kind. After a little while we start feeling that it is getting serious, we don’t understand what is happening – we want to enjoy life, be young but we can’t figure it out how to enjoy myself with Krishna bhakti movement, where to discharge my propensities. Then we get frustrated and it goes on for a years and you have to suffer and cry and the best way of suffering is bathroom, pot washing, sitting at the computer for days and making Gurudeva’s books under the heat of Vrindavan. Why? We are burning our propensity to enjoy in service. We have so much energy, specially when we are young, we are full of passion and it is good to have a purpose, it is good to have a purpose given by Gurudeva otherwise how that passion naturally going to come out – in an animal way or Vaishnava way? Cause it is passion and it is burning inside of us and we want to enjoy and if we can’t get to enjoy then we become frustrated and angry and life has no meaning any more, it is not so funny. So what Vaishnava is doing to burn passion? If Vaishnava sees that you are very passionate he gives a creative activity. Or if you have a taste for money – go and make money and help the Vaishnavas. You have brought that good karma with you so go and serve the Vaishnavas. Other people have passion in other way – sing. So if Gurudeva is telling you to do something – go and do, it is good, you are under he control. Who in this room have no material desires? Anybody who invents the philosophy they have the desire to invent the philosophy, have the desire to have followers – that is passion. If you want to invent your own philosophy then there is no saranagati, then how can you be enlightened without saranagati?
Fight with your higher-self
At some point people understand that there is no way but I must surrender. When you manage to please the Vaishnava then Vaishnava gives blessings then wonderful things happen in your life. Once I wrote a letter to Gurudeva and asked him for a blessing and he replied: “My blessing for you is I want you to serve me all your life under the guidance of Premananda Prabhu”. blessing was Premananda Prabhu. What a blessing – you are going to play in the team of somebody who is fantastic, breaking and crossing over through the ocean of misery and illusion of this world. He is an expert at it, he is like divine warrior – this is the way that he fights for everyone of us. It is like he is opening the ocean so we can pas through and he is feeding us on the way, giving clothes, singing a song. So it is a blessing to have Vaishnavas in life. Don’t get cough up in whatever karma happens, fight with your higher self and understand that this is temporary and then you start desiring: “Gurudeva, whatever you send me to my next life may I have Vaishnava association and life time after life time I pray that you my give me Vaishnavas from the beginning of my life and they will teach me: Don’t look down, don’t get cough in bogus philosophies, always look up and know that Gurudeva is there”. From the beginning of life they will remind me about Srila Gurudeva, Prabhupada – they are well-whishers. That is a standard, the goal and the Truth.
Relevant is if you are sincere, surrendered
Sometimes we think that preaching is when you are coming to people and smiling to everybody and being nice with everybody. No. Preaching is saranagati. It is to understand that sometimes there are things that we just can’t tolerate because when the standard in the line breaks, it is so painful because you really want to be okey with everybody but the point is that not everybody wants to be ok with Srila Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupada and they want to do whatever they want. It is offensive and painfull to associate with them. Why Sadhus and Gurudeva are not enough for them? No saranagati. It is called pride and independence. When you are preaching at some point you are going to realize that there are many people who are not going to like you but it is not about people liking you. If you try to impress everybody – irrelevant. Relevant is if you are sincere, surrendered, you understand that: “I chose this path, I prayed in my past life for this path and with joy and humility in my heart every morning I pray: Gurudeva, I surrender” then you will not fail.
What is the real friend?
When we are young it is normal that we want to enjoy – but how can we do it right in a dharmic way – ask for the guidance of Vaishnava: “What should I do?”. Talk to Guru what is going on, if you don’t talk then how Guru can help you? If I am afraid, I don’t want to tell, maybe Guru will laugh from me. Why would Guru laugh from you, Guru is here to help you. A real friend will teach you how to serve so Premananda Prabhu will become pleased with you. A real friend teaches you saranagati, reminds you that it was your choice, reminds you that you a strong and good enough and you can do it and at least you have to try. He will give you faith and he will make you strong – that is a real friend. Therefore Srila Gurudeva was called Bhaktabandhav – the friend of all. Real friend is serving, who has saranagati – they can be friend of all. Otherwise what am I teaching – do whatever you want? Follow your own consciousness? Vaishnavism is you follow the guidance of the senior always because they understand more than you.
I don’t belong to myself, I belong to God
In Bhagavad-gita (chapter 3, text 10) Krishna says:
“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Visnu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things“
He is speaking about the dharmic sacrifice. By performing the prescribed yagya for the prescribed Yuga we will attain two things: live happily and achieve liberation. So he is not even speaking about pure bhakti stage but saying that you will live in harmony and balance and you will realize that everything in this world is irrelevant and that everything can be an offering of love. If you are constantly offering yagya then you are going to understand that you are the offering and that should make you happy – I am offered to God. But instead of that we have these dark places in our consciousness – why should I be offered? I want to be my own-self, I am the captain of my own boat. It is much better for you if you let Gurudeva to be the captain. Until you don’t understand that Vaishnavas are your well-whishers and your friends and you don’t open to them – who can help you advance?
Commentary (chapter 3, text 10): The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Visnu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home—back to Godhead.
Srila Prabhupada define material life by saying: “It is a change to go back to God”. Your life is a chance given to you to go back to God. If you ask any bogus philosophy what is life they will say that life is freedom, do whatever you want, all is love. We must use, not waste this opportunity.
Commentary (chapter 3, text 10): All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patim visvasyatmesvaram.
Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also Srila Sukadeva Gosvami describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:
sriyah-patir yajna-patih praja-patir
dhiyam patir loka-patir dhara-patih
patir gatis candhaka-vrsni-satvatam
prasidatam me bhagavan satam patih
(BG 2.4.2)
“The praja-pati is Lord Visnu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world for the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajnas(sacrifice) for the satisfaction of Visnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety. Then after finishing the present material body, they can enter into the kingdom of God.“
Yagyas are to burn all your passions and you make an offering and when you end your life you don’t have to come back because your burned and offered everything. Burn everything means to offer everything. If you burn in material selfish activity then karma will happen to you but if you are burning in the service for the Lord then there is no karma, then this is service, I am offering this. So if I burn, I offer my energy to God then everything belongs to Vishnu and this is purely spiritual. We are trying to realize that I don’t belong to myself, I belong to God. Krishna is saying to realize to do service then very quickly you realize that you are service inclined.
Comentary (chapter 3, text 10): That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajna, the conditioned souls gradually become Krsna conscious and become godly in all respects. In this age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajna (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajna and Krsna consciousness go well together. Lord Krsna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Srimad- Bhagavatam as follows, with special reference to the sankirtana-yajna:
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.29)
“In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna.“
Other yajnas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this age of Kali, but the sankirtana-yajna is easy and sublime for all purposes.
If anybody has a desire to know what is love and cultivate pure love then the Acaryas, Srila Prabhupada, pure devotes in the disciplic succession are coming from the avatar of pure love have indicated that the yagya for this age is the congregational chanting of the holy name: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. If we are in Kali Yuga that means our choices are not very enlightened. Anyhow Mahaprabhu is coming and giving easy entrance. To attain saranagati and break ego is very hard thing but Vaishnavas are relentless, never stopping because they are surrendered and they understand that in this life Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva came to grace this world.
Whatever you do – do it well
Our mission is to help the others to understand that they have reality, mercy and everything we do in our life is we remind others. If you want to do good for others – give lotus feet of Prabhupada, of Gurudeva. They can deliver the universe. Gurudeva got the title of Yuga Acarya. All the pandits in Vrindavan got together and named Srila Gurudeva Yuga Acarya. So the leader and the supreme teacher for this age – this title Gurudeva came from all pandits in Vrindavan. He is not ordinary. I am here to remind to look not at me but to Premananda Prabhu and Premananda Prabhu reminds to look to Gurudeva. This is a gift, Vaishnava will always point you to the right direction, then can you go wrong? Then anxiety, depression and fear going away because you know that you are doing right if you are surrendered, no worries. You don’t have to wonder what to do, you just ask Gurudeva what to do and that it is, no tention. All tention you put in service and something good is coming. Gurudeva tell you what to do according to your nature and qualification, degree of purification you have to go through in this life and you do. Gurudeva giving some service, some platform, place mercy that you can. Gurudeva is aware what association is good for you that you may advance. Gurudeva is extremely kind, he is taking you any place you are getting sadhu-sanga according to your natural mood and also who can help you advance. This is not our choice where Gurudeva is arranging. Krishna is choosing, the only thing we have to be smart enough to surrender, humble enough to understand. Now maybe in kindergarden, abc, chant, and when we are ready go to a pure devotee. If I am qualified only wash pots and sing kirtan once a week then why do I think that I have the quality to go high? Because I am proud, thinking that I am better. If you are better you understand that I am here to serve, not to be served and you spend every second of your life to become the most qualified servant that you may become so when the pure devotee comes you are ready for a battle because he is here to save the world, he can but if you are not a qualified servant then… So whatever you do – do it well.
Love is service and service is love
We must remember what is the glory of Srila Gurudeva and we must remember that we are here not to enjoy ourselves, we are here not to have a good time – non of that matters, in this life we came to the point where we understood that love is service and service is love and we understood that we are not the center of the universe, Krishna is the center of the universe and you prayed that: “Please give me the opportunity to serve in my next life”. Krishna heard your prayer and said ok: “You will go to Kali Yuga, where I will come in the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and you all together distribute the holy name of Krishna in the country of Lithuania”. So we must be appointed. We have a great mission to serve the Yuga Acarya, Bhaktabandhav Srila Naryana Goswami Maharaja, this is what we are doing in our life, this is our identity. This is a great honor and mercy. You all serving pure devotee, direct servant of Radharani, the person that revealed the most confidential intimate pastimes of Krishna in this world. The person elected for that by Radharani herself was Srila Gurudeva to explain the purports of Rupa Goswami – this Gurudeva and we have honor to serve his mission and this is enough and beyond my capacity. Light and love of Gurudeva is good for everybody, it is truth-full and it has essence, and it is deep and rooted in the truth and has a tradition master after master all the way to Mahaprabhu. We must do our service and appreciate it and be fearless because I understand that I am not doing, Guru Maharaja is doing. I asked for the service that Guru gave service, it belong to him, not to me. My body don’t belong to me, my beauty and youth, voice do not belong to me, nothing belongs to me, everything Guru Maharaja gave for the purpose. When you realize this then humility will come. No saranagati, no humility. No humility no love. Then you are only remembering yourself how great you are. But if you remember how great Guru Maharaja is then you understand the meaning of deep love. So don’t put an image of yourself in your heart, out an image of lotus feet of Guru Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada then you will realize love.
