CONTENTS:
- THE MOOD OF A DEVOTEE
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. THE MOOD OF A DEVOTEE
SB 3.9.14
sasvat svarupa-mahasaiva nipita-bhedamohaya bodha-dhisanaya namah parasmai
visvodbhava-sthiti-layesu nimitta-lilarasaya te nama idam cakrmesvaraya
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Transcendence, who is eternally distinguished by His internal potency. His indistinguishable impersonal feature is realized by intelligence for self-realization. I offer my obeisances unto Him who by His pastimes enjoys the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord is eternally distinguished from the living entities by His internal potency, although He is understood in His impersonal feature by self-realized intelligence. Devotees of the Lord, therefore, offer all respectful obeisances unto the impersonal feature of the Lord. The word rasa is significant herein. The rasa dance is performed by Lord Krishna in the company of the cowherd damsels at Vrindavan, and the Personality of Godhead Garbhodakasayi Visnu is also engaged in rasa enjoyment with His external potency, by which He creates, maintains and dissolves the entire material manifestation. Indirectly, Lord Brahma offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Sri Krishna, who is factually ever engaged in rasa enjoyment with the gopis, as confirmed in the Gopala-tapani Upanishad in the following words: parardhante so budhyata gopa-veso me purusah purastad avirbabhuva. The distinction between the Lord and the living entity is definitely experienced when there is sufficient intelligence to understand His internal potency, as distinguished from the external potency by which He makes possible the material manifestation. (End)
SOMETIMES WE HAPPY AND SOMETIMES WE SAD, WHY?
Lord Brahma is offering his prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead after he had been instructed through Him to get involved in creating this material universe. This is the mood of a devotee. A devotee before he does anything takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers prayers to Him so that he can successfully execute that mission. That is the difference between a materialistic personality and a devotee. What is the meaning of material mentality? It is to think that I AM THE DOER but when one becomes a devotee then what happens to his mentality? First thing he understands that whatever is happening is happening due to his past karma and due to the arrangement of the modes of material nature. Ultimately how is everything happening? Sometimes we are happy and sometimes we are sad. Sometimes something happens to us that is not very nice. What should we think? What is the actual reason for it? All of a sudden someone comes and gives you ten lakh rupees how do you feel? Happy.
So, what do we have to understand when something like that happens? As a result of good karma this has happened to me. Sometimes someone comes and steals away everything you have why that happens? Also, because in the past you have done something. So that is the preliminary understanding. Everything is happening by guna and karma. My karma and the modes of material nature. My karma is the main cause of whatever is happening to me. Generally, materialistic people how do they think? When something good happens to them, "It’s my doing. I have done that." When something bad happens to them, “Why Krishna did it to me? Why God did that to me? So, there is no God, if there was God why did this happen to me?" So that is the materialistic mentality. When Prabhupada was in Germany some people told him, “We don't believe in God because why in the war so many of our relatives and friends died?" Prabhupada's reply was, "You are blaming God for losing your family and friends but when you started the war yourself did you consult God? You started the war yourself and now in the war when your relatives died then you are blaming God?" So that is mundane mentality. When one becomes a devotee, the reality is whatever is happening to me is due to my past karma and then when he gets engaged in some activities he prays to the Lord, " My Lord let me do it for You, let me do it for Your pleasure and please bless me in my mission to serve You," This is a devotee's mentality and that is what we are seeing with Lord Brahma.
BRAHMA'S HUGE TASK
Brahma has been assigned with a very big responsibility, "Brahma you fill up the universe with living entities. It’s a huge task. Not only living entities but make all the arrangements for them. Brahma was thinking, "How am I going to do it? I am all alone, such a big task how can I do it?" Brahma had the confidence, "Okay, I am trying to serve the Lord therefore the Lord will bless me." and he is offering his prayers to the Lord. "I am serving the Lord so I don't have to worry about anything. He has instructed me to do it for His pleasure so let me go ahead and do it. I know that He will help me. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme controller, the Supreme powerful and the Supreme Proprietor so when the Supreme is behind me why should I worry about anything?" And that is the mood of a devotee.
This mood is very wonderfully displayed here by Lord Brahma. In one hand he is feeling confident that the Lord had asked him to do it so he will go and do it. Like Arjuna the Lord wanted him to fight no matter how strong and powerful the opposition was and he prays, "My dear Lord, since you have asked me, please bless me also so that I can successfully execute that instruction.
Consider Brahma's position. Like if you are alone with no money and no help how will you feel? Now consider at least you have some people around you here and can get some money and buy cement, concrete, steel and bricks and make all the arrangements. In Brahma's situation there was no one around but himself therefore we can understand why Brahma was so upset with the four kumaras. With so much trouble he got four assistants and they said, "Please forgive us we are not interested in this activity." and that is why Brahma was so upset and angry. Brahma controlled his anger.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER ALWAYS THAT WE HAVE COME HERE TO BECOME DEVOTEES
That is another thing about a devotee, he gets angry but controls his anger because he thinks in a broader perspective. Devotee means no false ego and materialistic means full and big false ego. The more materialistic one is the bigger his false ego. The more advanced in devotion one is the more he is freed from false ego. Sometimes we see that some devotees they are so humble so what we understand he is very advanced. Sometimes we see some devotees they are so puffed up and what we understand he is still hovering in the material platform. Advancement means being humble. trinad api sunicena this is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's words. Mahaprabhu is indicating devotee means trinad api sunicena taror api sahishnuna. We have to remember always that we have come here to become devotees. Devotees means we are free from our false ego. Why? False ego is what is tying us down to this material world. It is the false ego that is the cause of our material bondage. What is the meaning of false ego? False means wrong and ego means identity, wrong identity. What is our real identity? Jive swarupe Krishne nitya das. Our real identity is servants of Krishna. False ego means I am master, Lord, controller and proprietor that is the false ego.
IS OUR POSITION ANY BIGGER THAN AN ANT?
You will notice a small little ant, in our eyes the ant is so small but go close to the ant and the ant is also thinking, "See I am carrying so much sugar, such a big piece everyone should glorify me. Do you see I am carrying such a big piece of sugar? Winter is coming and you all will be starving but because of me you all will survive. If I am not here you will die in winter." Even an ant is thinking in that way. Is our position any bigger than an ant? The demi-gods look at us like an ant. In the eyes of the demi-gods how big are we? I am Bill Gates, I have millions of dollars and I am the owner of Microsoft, I control the whole world! In the eyes of the demi-gods? "Microsoft a small little ant, Mr. Microsoft how are you doing? Why are you so puffed up?" Demigods have such power they can control affairs of the nature like wind for example. They also become defeated by demons. Sometimes demons are more powerful than demi-gods. We can see how powerful some living entities are but they are also jiva and their identity is one ten thousandth tip of the hair. Demi-gods are thinking I am so big like Indra sometimes he gets puffed up, "I am so big and powerful." Compared to Krishna he is nothing. So that is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To become a devotee means to recognize our actual situation and act accordingly. I am a humble servant of Krishna; I am fortunate I am able to serve Krishna.
SO MUCH ENDEVOR TO BECOME A NOKER (SERVANT)
We see in this material nature nowadays especially everybody is so proud of serving somebody, some powerful person. They feel so proud, I am a servant of Microsoft, I am a servant of TATA, I am a servant of Manmohan Singh but all these personalities who are they? Materially people are actually trying so hard I must get IIT the BTEC and then he is a BIG personality. He struggled so hard for so many years to please engage me in your loving service (laughter) this is the situation a nokri (servant). So much endeavor to become a noker (servant). Very good but become the servant of the right person. Who is the actual master? Krishna, so become the servant of Krishna because He is the greatest.
IN THIS AGE THIS VARNA HAS BEEN DESTROYED
You want to get a job to take shelter of somebody. You know you cannot stand on your own feet; you cannot maintain yourself that is sudra. Vaisya, Kshatriya and Brahmanas they not worried about maintenance they will make arrangements. Vaisya will manipulate, they will bring something from one place and sell it in another place and make his profit. He won't become anyone's servant. He will be independent. Generally, Vaisya families never take a job but now things are changing. They making so much money by getting a salary more than profit from their business. I notice some families the father has a business but the son does not want to join the father's business because he feels more prestigious to get a job and become someone else's servant but normally Vaisyas will not become anyone's servant. Kshatriyas will chop your head off if you want him to be your servant. To stoop down to someone is the biggest insult for them.
His head is always high and if somebody comes and challenges him, he will fight and will not stoop down to him. Kshatriya will never become anyone's servant. A Brahmana is always independent and he is only submissive to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Guru but otherwise he is independent. He does not care about anything, money, prestige, fame or glorification. He is free from the duality of this material nature. Three varnas Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaisya will never become somebody's servant but a sudra his business is to serve and become a servant. In this way we can see in this age this varna has been destroyed and most of the people have become sudras. In the age of Kali even the Brahmanas are like sudras, there is no Brahmanas, no Kshatriyas only some Vaisyas and most of the people are sudras. Prabhupada came to create the Brahmanas. Prabhupada actually came to create devotees but at least they will become Brahmanas. A devotee's situation is even beyond a Brahmana's. Thank you all very much. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
When Prabhupada was in Germany some people told him, “We don't believe in God because why in the war so many of our relatives and friends died?" Prabhupada's reply was, "You are blaming God for losing your family and friends but when you started the war yourself did you consult God? You started the war yourself and now in the war when your relatives died then you are blaming God?" So that is mundane mentality.
Prabhupada came to create the Brahmanas. Prabhupada actually came to create devotees but at least they will become Brahmanas. A devotee's situation is even beyond a Brahmana's.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- We have to remember always that we have come here to become devotee. Devotees means we are free from our false ego;
- To become a devotee means to recognize our actual situation and act accordingly. I am a humble servant of Krishna; I am fortunate I am able to serve Krishna; and
- Who is the actual master? Krishna, so become the servant of Krishna because He is the greatest.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3, Chapter 9, text 14)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)