CONTENTS:
- LILA AVATARS FINAL PART Q&A
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. LILA AVATARS FINAL PART Q&A
Question unclear
A: What I meant is the origin of consciousness is spiritual. Consciousness originates from spirit but it can become materialized. Like it is with your eyes you see but if you put on coloured glasses then you would see that colour. Similarly, our consciousness is spiritual but when it is projected through the material mind and material senses then the consciousness becomes material.
Q: Sometimes it is said that Bharatvarsha is earth but also in Srimad Bhagavatam there are nine varshas mentioned. Please explain?
A: Janudwip has nine varshas, or nine oceans and in that way, we have to understand that the patch of land that is surrounded by the salt water oceans that is Bharatvarsha.
Q: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead internally but how can we present it to the public so that they can accept it?
A: The first consideration is that you have to be convinced about it and once you have been convinced about it then it doesn’t matter how you present it or whether they accept it or not because that’s not important, but you feel that it’s important that you must present it to others. As I said it’s not like everybody will accept it because most of the people of this world are foolish, they don’t have any inclination or desire to understand or listen but at least those who are interested to hear and are curious to know, we can explain to them. Explanation is when the basic understanding is clear that there is a difference between matter and spirit when you recognize that it’s the spirit soul that makes the body alive and when you recognize that there is a supreme spirit who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who is the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation of everything then we can also provide this information to others.
If there is a creator then who is He? We can’t say that this material nature is a creation due to accident, only foolish scientists say that as the big bang or primordial soup and all kinds of nonsense that they presented. There is a very nice statement of an American philosopher about creation being caused by accident. He made a statement like creation came out of accident sounds like saying that there was an explosion in a printing press and due to the explosion, all the types went flying but when they fell, they fell in such an order that Webster dictionary was printed. (Laughter). Out of accident you only get chaos, you don’t get order. Do you see chaos in nature? No there is wonderful order and whatever chaos is there that is created by man. All the chaos of this world has been created by man.
Krishna’s creation is wonderful and see how man is actually destroying everything. Krishna gave us one perfect ecological balance: man take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide and the trees take carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. This balance is perfect there will never be any scarcity of oxygen. Then man came and created automobiles and they are pumping out not only carbon dioxide but carbon monoxide and polluting the whole atmosphere. Man is the biggest destroyer and since their tendency is destructive, they claim everything is out of accident. When it comes to enjoying this material nature then they don’t say its accident, then it’s very very real to them. Unfortunately, people are being very badly misguided due to some unscrupulous leaders. Those who are intelligent, they will understand.
Q: The spirit soul is alive with Krishna but when it goes to Maya is the consciousness dying?
A: It is not dying it is becoming bewildered and in illusion. Consciousness is there, like aren’t you conscious? A little, ok, whatever little consciousness is there proving that you are not dead. Yes, we all are conscious but unfortunately our consciousness is being projected in this material nature through our material means of mind and senses.
Q: Is Krishna an incarnation of Vishnu?
A: Krishna says as one surrenders unto me accordingly, I reciprocate. So, if someone thinks that Krishna is an avatar, an incarnation, then yes, his understanding is right. Incarnations of the Lord come from Kshirodakshahi Vishnu so in that sense He is an incarnation. But the real and ultimate understanding is that Krishna is The Supreme Personality of Godhead. When you say the original Supreme Personality of Godhead that is Krishna. Srimad Bhagavatam describes different incarnations of the Lord but after that it is said that all these are parts and parts of the parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna stu bhagavan swayam and Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brahma Samhita also says:
Brahma Samhita TEXT 39
ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tistham
nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu
krsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
That is Rama, Nrsingha, Varaha, etc, these are His parts. He manifested Himself in different incarnations. But Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, in this way when we approach the Vedic literatures, we can see that Krishna is THE Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is not avatar but avatari, the origin of all incarnations. Then again it has been described that although Krishna incarnates in innumerable ways those incarnations are all equal to Him there is no difference. Although they are Krishna’s ansh, which means Krishna’s parts still they are non-different from Krishna and have the equal potency. To explain that further
Brahma Samhita TEXT 46
diparcir eva hi abhyupetya
dipayate vivrta-hetu-samana-dharma
yas tadrg eva hi ca visnutaya vibhati
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
It takes only one lamp to light other lamps. When the lamps are lit, they give out an equal amount of light and there is no difference. The first lamp lights the second lamp and once the second lamp is lit the first and second lamp are identical and the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, it goes on but still the first lamp that lit all the other lamps is the original lamp. Similarly, Krishna is the origin of all the incarnations. It is also described that when Krishna incarnates then all His incarnations are also there present in His body. To say that Krishna is an incarnation of Kshirodakshahi Visnhu is not wrong because the yuga avatar aspect of Krishna is an incarnation of Kshirodakshahi Vishnu and those who want to see that yuga avatar in Him they also see Him and will identify that as the incarnation of the Kshirodakshahi Vishnu.
Question unclear
A: The soul is there in the body but the soul is not displaying the signs of life. Soul resides in the region of the heart not exactly in the heart. People often question what happens when there is a heart transplant. Does it mean another soul came into the body? No, the same soul is there, soul does not exactly reside in the heart but the soul sits on the heart. It is situated in the region of the heart so when there is a heart transplant, although the heart is taken out the soul is still there. It something like you are sitting on a chair but the chair is broken so someone tells you, “Can you please just get up for a minute, I will bring you another chair, a good one.” So, you stand up for a few seconds and somebody takes out the old chair and brings in a new chair.
Q: Sometimes some people have to decide to put off the machines of someone in a coma how can one do this, does the soul decide this?
A: No, the soul doesn’t have the ability to decide, it is the nature that decides. See nature is like a government. Like the government says, I built this and this person will stay in this house. The government decides ok, this house is going to collapse so let him come out of this house and go to some other house. Similarly, when this body becomes uninhabitable then nature says let this soul leave this body and go into another body. As I said man creates all kinds of chaos. Man is very expert in creating all kinds of mess. Man, so called doctors say he should not die let him stay in this body, poor guy is suffering so much and still they won’t let him leave the body. It’s like living in a house where nothing is functioning, there is no lights, water, no gas and the roof is leaking, walls are cracking now what’s the use of staying in a house like that and the government says that house is finished you go to another house we got a brand new house for you but your so called friend who is actually your enemy comes and tells you, No, you stay here, you don’t have to leave.
This is exactly what is happening as you were saying someone is in a coma and they put all gadgets in his body 24 needles are stuck in and he can’t eat they putting drips, he can’t breathe and they got oxygen. The thing is that we have to realize that there is a superior controller, nature. Nature is not inert; nature is intelligent and nature knows. Where did we get this body from? We got it from nature and it’s functioning and nice and when it becomes dilapidated and nature says now you leave this body so isn’t it intelligent to follow nature’s love? Nature’s dictates.
Question unclear
A: What Prabhupada actually meant is that according to one’s consciousness and his constitution also differs from others. Prabhupada was not talking about those born in Brahamana families but those who are brahmanical their constitution is in a certain way and Prabhupada meant that their blood is of a certain kind. I don’t know if it will tally with the way they group the blood now with medical science. They have another way of judging it. In English there is a saying that the Aristocrats are called blue blooded. Aristocrats are actually Ksatriyas and they have another type of blood. Of course, the colour is not blue that is an English expression.
Question unclear
A: Blood transfusion is not actually done in the Vedic culture; in Ayurveda it’s never done. This modern medical science is very demoniac. Vedic medical science was very pure and in that system blood transfusion was not done. They had the medicines for everything.
Question unclear
A: This is a very personal thing; I don’t know what to say. If she doesn’t feel comfortable doing it. One thing I can say is that by serving the devotees one doesn’t get affected adversely, he or she can only benefit serving the devotees. If there is any transmission of karma then she will only get good karmas of the devotees that will be beneficial for her. Devotees need treatment. I know one psychic healer in South Africa, she’s a European lady and she is very good. I personally did not believe in psychic healing before but I personally saw what she could do. Last year I had a problem with my knee and I went to South Africa to do an operation and I met her a month or two prior to that. She came to one of my lectures and became very attracted to Krishna Consciousness so when she got to know that I was going to have an operation so she asked the devotees if I could give her a chance before going for the operation.
It was just the day before the operation so I agreed. She is a very nice person, I knew her as a person not a psychic healer and in ten minutes she cured me, there was no pain. Not only did I cancel this operation but I started to travel all over South Africa. I got the pain again after seven days, in Johannesburg she came to see me (she was from Durban) and she took out the pain and since then I have had no problem. The doctors before the operation when they saw they told me I won’t be able to sit cross legged after the operation but today you can see. The lady’s name is Heather and she was explaining that psychic healing is very close to Krishna Consciousness. She said there is a store of energy and generally the aliments of the body are caused by two things one is natural decay of the body and the other is not proper supply of energy from the storehouse of energy to the body.
As a healer what she does is she creates the link between that store and the body. She said her student tried to heal someone without being qualified and right after that the person who she was healing got healed but she became sick. What happened is instead of making a link between the store of energy and the body, she took the whole thing and became sick. The person who is healing if she is a medium between that store of energy and the person whom she is healing then she won’t have any problem. Instead of becoming a medium and think that she is doing it then yes, she will have to take the karma.
Q: When you do this how do you know that you don’t have any connection with the demons?
A: Good question. The demoniac force causes harm but the divine force causes good to others. We have to see how that ability is being used, if it is being used in harming others then of course it is demoniac but if it is used for benefitting others then it is not demoniac. Example there is a knife, an expert surgeon can use the knife and operate on someone and cure them but the same knife in the hand of a murderer will kill someone. The ultimate consideration is the application of the energy.
Question unclear
A: Then we have to consider whether it is for their ultimate benefit and the ultimate benefit is Krishna Consciousness. If something is meant for linking or helping him become connected to Krishna then of course it is the Supreme divine but if the person who is doing it is doing it for his own aggrandizement without linking or bringing them to Krishna then it is not divine in the ultimate sense.
Question unclear?
A: It depends upon the person’s spiritual advancement. An advanced devotee will accept everything as Krishna’s mercy. Prabhupada did not want to take any treatment but a person at neophyte stage who doesn’t have that conviction to accept everything as Krishna’s mercy then he can take the treatment. It ultimately depends on the person’s state of consciousness, Krishna consciousness. Yes, if one can take everything as Krishna’s mercy but are you ready for that? If not then take the treatment. Instead of using a healthy body for enjoying use it for Krishna’s service, which is the understanding. Ok get cured for the sake of rendering better service for Krishna.
Q: What is the definition of real culture and real art?
A: The Sanskrit word for art is kala, and it means the way of expressing one’s ideas or one’s inner expression and the Sanskrit word for culture is samskriti which means the process for purification. What is the process of purification? The cause of our impurities and contamination is our separation and rejection of Krishna. We rejected Krishna therefore we became contaminated therefore the way to become purified is by remembering Krishna. So, the activities that remind us of Krishna that is culture but to express our inner feelings or state of consciousness. You see the difference; one is with Krishna and the other may not be with Krishna. When the art is used in remembering Krishna. Somebody is a musician and he is using music to remember Krishna so in that way he is remembering Krishna and he is making others remember Krishna so that is a culture but someone is an artist and he is just giving expression to his inner moods so that is art. So, what do you want to be an artist or culturist?
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Every day the devotees rose early to worship at mangala-aarti, chant japa together, and then go to Srila Prabhupada’s tent for guru-puja. A devotee was leading a lively kirtana one morning during guru-puja and the rest of us were jumping up and down in ecstasy. Then he started to sing, “Bhaja Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,” and all of a sudden Prabhupada shouted to stop the kirtana. Everyone froze; the tent went silent. “Where did you learn this “Bhaja Hare Krishna?” Prabhupada roared. The devotee was speechless with shock and embarrassment. Prabhupada continued, “The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra must be chanted just as it is – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Nothing should be added to it, and nothing should be subtracted.”
(Excerpt from page 74 of Ocean of Mercy, a book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- We rejected Krishna therefore we became contaminated therefore the way to become purified is by remembering Krishna.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami entitled Lila Avatars given on 2 August 1993)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)