CONTENTS:
- NECTAR OF DEVOTION Q&A WITH GURU MAHARAJA (PART - 2)
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. NECTAR OF DEVOTION Q&A WITH GURU MAHARAJA (PART - 2)
Q: The difference in rasa…..love….?
A: A young boy falls in love with a young girl. What is that? That is mundane rasa. In their association they derive some pleasure, some taste and that is rasa. Spiritual rasa is when one falls in love with Krishna. The same love the young boy and girls feels towards each other. When one feels the same kind of attraction for Krishna that is spiritual rasa.
Question unclear
A: That is a neophyte state like serving Krishna in order to become free from misery which means liberation but pure devotional service is even free from desire of liberation.
Q: Is Navadwip eternal?
A: Eternal means always. Navadwip is always eternal no beginning no end. When Mahaprabhu comes the spiritual becomes manifest and when Mahaprabhu goes the spiritual becomes covered. Only with our pure eyes, pure perception we can see that spiritual aspect or dham. Till today Mahaprabhu’s eternal pastimes are going on here, only some fortunate souls can see that. Who are those fortunate souls? Those who have developed spiritual vision. We see rikshawvalas, shops, dirt and so forth but with spiritual vision we will penetrate through that into Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Some fortunate souls are getting a chance to be in Navadwip but you can see that they are participating in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes most of the time.
Q: In Navadwip are the residents four armed?
A: In Navadwip they not in four-armed form. In Jagannatha Puri Bhaktivinod Thakur sees the residents there in four armed forms but in Navadwip they are two armed.
Q: Is bhakti pure?
A: Bhakti is pure but the question is how you are performing it. As long as there is anya-abhiläñ, other desires are not pure. Nectar of Devotion is also clarifying what is pure devotional service for our benefit. Pure devotion will describe karma-miçra-bhakti, jïänamiçra bhakti giving us the informations but execution is up to us. The devotion becomes pure due to execution. The question is whether you are executing pure devotional service or mixed devotional service.
Q: A soul trapped in one’s own body attends ISKCON programmes, kirtans…. body has limited ability to do work but you have taste….?
A: Pure devotional service is rendered by pure spirit soul. The body is the medium. Now in our conditioned state we have become limited by our body. We are rendering devotional service through the body and therefore we are rendering devotional service with the body through our mind we are identify ourselves with the mind but ultimately when we become our pure spiritual identity then we are able to render pure devotional service. Now we are practicing since our identity is with the gross and subtle body. We are using gross and subtle body in serving Krishna but time will come when we will transcend the gross and subtle body and then execute pure devotional service in the pure spiritual identity but then again, the body also becomes spiritualized. A pure devotees body is also pure. In this respect I was mentioning in a class this morning where Prabhupada gives the example of iron and fire. Now even the iron becomes red hot is it iron or fire? Fire. A pure devotees body although it is apparently made of matter being in contact with pure spiritual soul it is spiritualized. It is not mattering anymore its spiritual.
Therefore, you come across devotional service in three stages and the later chapters describe in detail.
- Sadhana bhakti – devotional practice;
- Bhava Bhakti – ecstatic devotional service or spontaneous devotional service; and
- Prema Bhakti – loving devotional service.
Loving devotional service is pure devotional service its love. You rendering devotional service to Krishna simply out of love.
Q: How can we ……parents?
A: Out of gratitude just as Krishna is grateful and the devotee is also grateful. When someone does something for a devotee the devotee feels gratitude. So, parents are considering how much they have done for you. Just like Druva Maharaja when he was going back to Vaikunta, he asked about his mother who actually led him into this path and he felt how he can go without his mother who had done so much for him and then it was pointed out that his mother was already ahead of him in another Vaikunta plane/ chariot. Also, when Hiranyakashipu was killed by Nrsinghadev, Prahlad Maharaja, although he was a demon Krishna was merciful. Prahlad prayed for him to be merciful. The more one advances the more one prays for others. Vasudev dhatta he wanted that everyone should become delivered.
Question unclear
A: Maybe you will become purer, demonstrate, we are all here to become pure. The process will purify us and we will see. Rishabdev was an incarnation of the Lord and avaduta. He did not remain in external consciousness but we cannot imitate Rishabde, his mission and our mission is different. Our mission is to preach and when you are preaching for an avaduta he does not have external consciousness, he does not even wear any clothes. Like Rishabdev used to go around stark naked but in modern culture to move about naked is so disgusting. No gentleman will come in front of those people therefore we dress ourselves nicely in order to preach we not concerned about our own liberation and our freedom we are only concerned about delivering others. Delivering means to carry the message to others that is our mission, the mission of Nectar of Devotion to distribute. The last six pages of the introduction of Nectar of Devotion is very important. What pure devotional service is. Thank you very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
“Srila Prabhupada had though that by running his business he would make money and then be able to go to the West to fulfil Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s order. As it turned out, when he did go to the West, he went as a pauper, without support. Then everything just started to happen in the most amazing way. It was, he said, all by the arrangement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And through that experience, he had learned an important lesson – that when one served the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one did not have to worry about money or anything. The Lord would make all the arrangements; if one served Him sincerely, He would provide everything. Even as I was listening, I was aware of my own good fortune to be hearing about Srila Prabhupada’s life story from his own mouth.”
(Extract from “Ocean of Mercy” by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
“Devotional service means doing things as an expression of love for Krishna and to please Krishna. Krishna is very quickly satisfied.”
(Quotes by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a Seminar on the Nectar of Devotion given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)