CONTENTS:
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH GURU MAHARAJA
- SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
- SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH GURU MAHARAJA
How to be grateful to the Lord in all conditions because I find it difficult?
The ideal condition for a devotee is to be grateful to the Lord and the way to become situated is that state is by recognizing that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is taking care of us in such a wonderful way. Be thankful to Him for everything that happens to us. When we enjoy some situation when you are happy, for our happiness who should we give credit to? Who made this arrangement for our happiness? The Supreme Personality of Godhead but sometimes we are in distressful situations so what we should this about these distressful situations? It’s my karma. What actually happens for the good happenings in our lives we want to take the credit ourselves its my credit I got all these arrangements made and when something goes wrong why did Krishna do this to me? For good things we want to take the credit and for bad things we want to give the blame to Krishna now reverse that situation for good things thank Krishna and for bad things blame yourself and that is the way to remain grateful to Krishna all the time.
Srila Prabhupada did so much for us so how do we reciprocate?
Very good question. The best way to reciprocate is always remember what Prabhupada has done and remain grateful to Srila Prabhupada. The best way to reciprocate is by helping Prabhupada’s mission. Prabhupada himself said that your love for me will be shown by how you co-operate with each other to continue this mission. Try to work together with other devotees to spread Krishna Consciousness or those who are spreading Krishna Consciousness movement try to assist them and help them.
How to happily situate devotees in Krishna Consciousness?
When the understanding comes that whatever we are doing we are doing for Krishna. Whether I am sweeping the floor, cooking, cutting vegetables, distributing books, managing the temple, rendering deity service, all are for Krishna therefore they are absolute they are all for Krishna’s pleasure and Krishna is happy and Krishna is pleased. By reminding and preaching and creating facilities for them. To properly lead you have to engage, activity must be there because lectures, imparting the theory real understanding will not work. While giving the theory we have to provide the facilities for practical application
How to overcome the pain of the body?
The nature of the body is that it is an instrument to receive pain. Life is actually trying to avoid pain but ultimately, we have to succumb to that situation. We came here through a painful situation; we are here in a painful situation and we trying to ward off that painful situation but that painful situation we can’t ward off when we become old and when we become diseased and ultimately death. So actually we have to learn to that, when we are young we are so expert in avoiding that painful situation that we don’t really feel that painful state but when you become old we can’t do that anymore, when you become diseased the situation becomes painful and that is why we have to learn to tolerate them. First, we learn to tolerate them and then we become Krishna Conscious, when you become Krishna Conscious then actually this painful condition of the body does not matter. Sometimes I gave the example of anesthetic, when one is under the anesthetic spell then what happens? Does he feel the pain? No. Why not? Anesthetic simply withdraws the sense perception numbs the senses; the senses don’t register therefore they don’t feel the pain.
Now the anesthetic does the thing artificially therefore it can only do it for the time being by giving some drugs but by Krishna Consciousness we withdraw the senses of the body to Krishna. When you project the sense consciousness to Krishna then what happens? Will there be any perception of the body? No. So that is how a devotee naturally becomes free from the painful state of the body and on top of them when we project our senses to Krishna then that state is so joyful that the body consciousness becomes automatically lost, we can’t experience anything but joy. Material involvement the senses being in the body is painful. Consciousness being with Krishna, what is diametrically opposed to painful? Joyful so it’s a naturally joyful state of existence. Therefore, as devotees we should not be so much concerned about the body. Tolerate that thing. The other day I was talking to some doctors and one point actually became very clear what they were admitting that the medical science is simply extending the painful state of existence they are not extending our life as such they are extending our painful situation.
The person should be so much better off if he left the body but the doctors are just extending the duration and that state of that existence is painful. At the time of death naturally we will stop breathing but what they doing they introduce a thing called ventilator and through the ventilator you breath, What’s the point in extending and it has become such a common thing nowadays giving ventilators, just pumping oxygen in your lungs, the body can’t take it so pump it artificially what’s the use? Let us change the body get a new body. Instead of wearing a worn-out body get a new body, wearing a dirty, torn and completely dilapidated dress when you have a dress like that do you want to continue to wear it or change it? Change it to a new dress why try to prolong existence in this material nature and they say medically we have advanced so much.
Which is the best attitude of observing fasting?
The best attitude of observing fasting is to give pleasure to Krishna. We are doing it simply to please Krishna. This is a day we must spend our time in glorification of Krishna by chanting His Holy Name, worshipping Him and other such activities.
Please explain friendship between devotees?
When one person likes golf and the other person likes golf, they become friends. They phone each other up and say did you see the world champion make this stroke so tomorrow let’s go to the golf course and imitate that stroke. Similarly, when two persons love Krishna, they become friends and have a common interest. It’s a matter of having a common loving object that is why devotees become friends because both of them love Krishna and whenever they meet they talk about Krishna. Krishna says that those who love me understand each other and they always talk about Me and by doing that they derive pleasure.
Should we engage educated people in something else maybe intellectually?
Not necessary. When I joined the first service, I was asked to do was to clean the pots and I did it happily. When I came into Krishna Consciousness, I knew I was coming to serve Krishna and service to Krishna is the main goal and you know what they asked me to do next? Was to cut the grass for the cows and I was happy to do it. That is why preaching is necessary we have to preach to make them understand the advantage, benefit and excitement to serve Krishna. It won’t work if you tell them to do something but you do something else. We have to be with them especially guiding them.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA’S APPRECIATION
The best way to reciprocate is always remember what Prabhupada has done and remain grateful to Srila Prabhupada. The best way to reciprocate is by helping Prabhupada’s mission. Prabhupada himself said that your love for me will be shown by how you co-operate with each other to continue this mission. Try to work together with other devotees to spread Krishna Consciousness or those who are spreading Krishna Consciousness movement try to assist them and help them.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
We should develop attachment to Krishna then we can lead a normal life but because our attachment is to Krishna at the time of death who will we naturally think of? What will be our last thought? Wherever our deepest attachment is that will be our last thought. If we can develop our attachment to Krishna then we will think of Krishna at the time of death. If we can leave our body thinking of Krishna then what will happen? The dream will be over, we will wake up from the dream and we will see that Krishna is standing there and Krishna will say, “Okay, come back.”
The best attitude of observing fasting is to give pleasure to Krishna. We are doing it simply to please Krishna. This is a day we must spend our time in glorification of Krishna by chanting His Holy Name, worshipping Him and other such activities.
(The content of this E-Magazine was based on questions and answers given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja in his lectures.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)