Ocean of Nectar: Devotees Are The Best People In The World | His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Archives

1. DEVOTEES ARE THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

BG 13.14

sarvataù paëi-padaà tat

sarvato 'kñi-çiro-mukham

sarvataù çrutimal loke

sarvam avåtya tiñöhati

TRANSLATION

Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything.

PURPORT

As the sun exists diffusing its unlimited rays, so does the Supersoul, or Supreme Personality of Godhead. He exists in His all-pervading form, and in Him exist all the individual living entities, beginning from the first great teacher, Brahma, down to the small ants. There are unlimited heads, legs, hands and eyes, and unlimited living entities. All are existing in and on the Supersoul. Therefore, the Supersoul is all-pervading. The individual soul, however, cannot say that he has his hands, legs and eyes everywhere. That is not possible. If he thinks that under ignorance, he is not conscious that his hands and legs are diffused all over but when he attains to proper knowledge he will come to that stage, his thinking is contradictory. This means that the individual soul, having become conditioned by material nature, is not supreme. The Supreme is different from the individual soul. The Supreme Lord can extend His hand without limit; the individual soul cannot.

In Bhagavad gita the Lord says that if anyone offers Him a flower, or a fruit, or a little water, He accepts it. If the Lord is a far distance away, how can He accept things? This is the omnipotence of the Lord: even though He is situated in His own abode, far, far away from earth, He can extend His hand to accept what anyone offers. That is His potency. In the Brahma-saàhita (5.37) it is stated, goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhütaù: although He is always engaged in pastimes in His transcendental planet, He is all-pervading. The individual soul cannot claim that he is all-pervading. Therefore, this verse describes the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, not the individual soul. [As-They-Surrender Unto-Me].

So here Krishna is describing how He is all pervading. Although He is one but He unlimited and inexhaustible. In the material nature we see when something is divided it becomes exhausted, it diminishes but with Krishna that is not the case. Although He expands Himself unlimitedly still, He remains the same Supreme Personality and not only that when Krishna expands Himself each of His expansions become equally potent as He, Himself. So, in this way the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s supremacy can be perceived. Krishna is unborn and at the same time He is inexhaustible.

KRISHNA IS THE SUPREME PERSONALITY AND HIS POTENCY IS INCONCEIVABLE

Krishna is the Supreme Personality and His potency is inconceivable. Actually, from our material perception we cannot possibly understand how Krishna is. Krishna expands Himself into unlimited incarnations. There are innumerable incarnations of Krishna but all of them are Krishna, they are non-different. It is not that when Krishna divides Himself into half His potency also becomes half. It is not that when Krishna expands Himself into four then His potency becomes divided into four. No, on the other hand, Krishna no matter how many forms He expands Himself into every single form of His is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as in Brahma Samhita, it has been described as

ramadi-mürtiñu kala-niyamena tiñöhan

nanavataram akarod bhuvaneñu kintu

kåñëaù svayaà samabhavat paramaù puman yo

govindam adi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajami

Krishna expands Himself into innumerable forms like Rama, Nrsingha, Varaha, Kurma, Vamana, and Parasurama. Although He Himself expands Himself into unlimited forms ramadi-mürtiñu but Krishna remains unchanging, eternal and inexhaustible, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For example, Krishna expands into Rama, Rama is a kala avatar, part of the part of Krishna. Lord Ramachandra is Krishna’s expansion bur Ramachandra also possesses the same potency as Krishnachandra. There is no difference between Rama and Krishna. Rama has the same amount of potency. Similarly, Nrsinghadeva is Krishna Himself, then Varahadeva, Kurma, all these are Krishna’s expansions and they are non-different from Krishna. So, Krishna expands Himself into unlimited forms and He retains His Supreme position in spite of these expansions.

All of these expansions are also Krishna or non-different from Krishna. Now from a material perspective it is not possible to understand therefore Krishna’s potency has been described as Achinta, means inconceivable. Chinta means thinking/thought and Achinta means beyond our thought. Like, by our thinking/reasoning/ intelligence we cannot understand how this is possible. Actually, everything about Krishna is inconceivable. First of all, we cannot understand how He is the all-pervading, omnipotent Supreme Person. It is impossible to understand how He is all powerful. How Krishna acts is impossible to understand. Just as it has been described here, His hands, legs, eyes and heads are everywhere.

HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THAT?

How can we understand that? It is impossible for us to understand that, like how one person can have his eyes, ears, heads, hands and legs everywhere. We cannot understand how Krishna keeps these universes floating in space, how Krishna makes them float? He does it by His wind. Krishna also makes these universes float in the causal ocean. It is inconceivable for us how this is all possible. In order to understand Krishna the first thing we must understand is that Krishna is inconceivable. Achinta, He is beyond our mental ability. One of the first instructions of the Vedas is the thing that is beyond our conception, things that are inconceivable there is no need to argue about that. The thing that is beyond this material nature that is the symptom of Achinta, what is Achinta? Anything that exists beyond this material nature is inconceivable. How Krishna expands Himself into innumerable forms? It is inconceivable. How Krishna creates this material nature? It is inconceivable.

He just glances towards the material nature and the material nature becomes manifest. The whole creation of the material nature is just due to His glance. How is this possible? Does this mean that these are fairy tales? No! If someday we develop our proper spiritual vision, then we will see how Krishna does this. We will see Krishna and Maha Maya. We will see how Krishna glances on the prakriti and creation begins. If we develop our spiritual vision we will see how Krishna as the Maha Vishnu lying on the causal ocean and each bubble caused by His breathing creates one universe and in this way there are innumerable universes. First of all Krishna is lying in the causal ocean and He is breathing, not only breathing through His nose and mouth but He is also breathing through the pores of His body and His body is unlimited and each bubble that is produced out of breathing is one universe and then Krishna enters into these universes as the Garbhodakashaye-Vishnu and He fills up half of the universe from the sweat from His body.

These are all inconceivable. Now if somebody thinks that these are all fairy tales then he is a looser and will not be able to understand the secret behind the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But, one who accepts it with faith then he will make spiritual advancement, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that one who has faith, he can receive knowledge. A person who does not have faith will never be able to receive knowledge. A person who tries to judge everything with his limited and tiny little brain he will never be able to understand the mystery of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

When somebody approaches this realm of knowledge with faith, faith means accepting whatever is mentioned in the Vedas as THE truth and nothing but THE truth, then he will make advancement. The faith is not blind and is established on proper reasoning also like the faith is based on trusting that person. The faith is the person who is giving the knowledge he is trustworthy and he is not going to lie. It is very important that those who accept the role of a spiritual master or those who are preachers of Krishna Consciousness they should not lie. If devotees lie then people will think that he sometimes lies so I can’t take whatever he says as the truth. A sadhu, saintly person or a devotee must be truthful so that people will trust yes here is a person I can trust so whatever he says is the truth and nothing but the truth. What does the spiritual preachers or masters do? They simply repeat the words of the Vedas and Vedas are simply telling the truth and nothing but the truth.

When Vedas say that Maha Vishnu lies in causal ocean and from His breathing all these universes are created then we have to accept that, yes, although I cannot see with this tiny little eyes and puny little brain of mine but Maha Vishnu is lying in the causal ocean and every single universe is a bubble caused by His breathing. Someday if we develop our spiritual vision, we will see how Maha Vishnu is lying in the causal ocean and how these universes are generating from His body. When we have faith, we can also see that in our mind’s eyes. When you trust the words of the Vedas and the teachings of the Acharyas then whatever has been described we can see that in our mind’s eyes. Like we don’t only read and believe but we get to see also, it doesn’t really take very much.

ALL IT NEEDS IS FAITH!

All it needs is faith! Shradha is the first qualification/ requirement for understanding the spiritual subject matters. As we develop faith, Krishna will give us the knowledge from within. divya-jïana håde prakaçita the transcendental knowledge is revealed in the heart. It is not that we have to make a big journey to go beyond this material nature and then enter into the causal ocean and then we will see Maha Vishnu lying there and go beyond that past Brahmajyoti and then we will see Vaikunthaloka and how Narayana is residing in every single planet. No, we don’t actually have to go out externally to understand that. As we make spiritual advancement that spiritual understanding will be revealed from within our heart.

A BONA FIDE SPIRITUAL MASTER ACTUALLY REVEALS THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE HEART OF A BONA FIDE DISCIPLE

It is said by the mercy of the spiritual master one receives this knowledge which is revealed in the heart and as a result of that one received Prema bhakti, loving devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. divya-jïana håde prakaçita prema-bhakti yaha hoite, avidya-vinaça yate vede gay yahara carito. So that is the spiritual master. A bona fide spiritual master actually reveals the knowledge in the heart of a bona fide disciple, sincere disciple. It is not that the spiritual master performs some magic and the knowledge is revealed in the heart of the disciple. No, actually the spiritual master is sitting in heart of every living entity and that is Krishna Himself. Krishna in the heart of the living entity, the Supersoul is the original spiritual master of the living entity called Chaitya guru and the mahanta guru, the diksha guru, the siksha guru, he is the representative of Krishna externally so that we can see him. As we reciprocate to the spiritual master accordingly Krishna registers that from within the heart as the Supersoul.

When Krishna sees that a candidate is reciprocating/dealing very nicely with his representative, Krishna becomes very pleased and from within the heart of that living entity Krishna gives the knowledge and that is called divyajïana or transcendental knowledge. This transcendental knowledge is not acquired by studies or learning many many verses, memorizing many slokas or intellectually understanding the philosophy. This understanding cannot be revealed by much study even the studies of the Vedas, memorizing, intellectualizing, not by discussion, not intelligence, much practice, this knowledge can be revealed. When one surrenders unto the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead then by his mercy this knowledge automatically revealed. The sum and substance of this point is that when somebody becomes a devotee of Krishna then Krishna gives him that knowledge.

ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS JUST TO BECOME A DEVOTEE

All that is needed is just to become a devotee, everything will become achieved. When you become a devotee then everything will become accomplished. We don’t have to separately endeavor for anything. So, the most important thing is to become a devotee and what is the meaning of a devotee? A devotee means to try to please Krishna with our senses håñikesha sevanam bhaktir ucyate. Bhakti, devotion means to try to please the Lord of the senses by means of our senses How many senses do we have? Eleven, what are they? Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch, these are five knowledge acquiring senses. Five working senses are hands, legs, anus, belly and genitals. The eleventh sense is mind. So, when all of these eleven senses are engaged in giving pleasure to Krishna that is called devotion. Trying to please Krishna the Lord of the senses with the senses then that is called devotion. This is another very important aspect; devotion does not mean to physically do something for Krishna with a sense of duty. No, we should not think that when I am supposed to come for the mangal aarti and chant 16 rounds and now by 10 o clock I have finished everything, I chanted 16 rounds, attended the morning program and the Bhagavatam class, I took prasadam so now I am free to do all kinds of nonsense. No, that is not devotion.

DEVOTION MEANS USING ALL THE SENSES IN SERVING KRISHNA

Devotion means using ALL the senses in serving Krishna. We have our eyes our eyes should be engaged in serving of Krishna; we have our ears, our ears should be engaged in the serving Krishna; we have our nose, our nose should be engaged in the serving Krishna; we have our skin, our skin should be engaged in the serving Krishna; we have our tongue, our tongue should be engaged in the serving Krishna; our hands should be engaged in the serving Krishna; our words should be engaged in the serving Krishna; our stomach should be engaged in the serving Krishna; our anus and genitals should be engaged in the serving Krishna; then ultimately our minds should be engaged in the serving Krishna. That means whatever we do with our senses must be done for the pleasure of Krishna and that is called pure devotional service. Actually, when all the ten senses are engaged in serving Krishna then mind automatically becomes engaged in thinking of Krishna.

When the mind is engaged in thinking of Krishna all the time then intelligence automatically becomes engaged in devotional service and then our consciousness, our consciousness becomes engaged in serving Krishna and that is called Krishna Consciousness. Consciousness usually works through the mind in material nature but when the mind becomes engaged in serving Krishna all the time man-mana bhava mad-bhakto when you attain that stage with the mind you can always think of Krishna then our consciousness will automatically be running towards Krishna and that is called Krishna Consciousness. In our consciousness all the time, Krishna will be predominating but that doesn’t mean that one stops thinking or stops acting. No. One does everything like anybody else or even better than everybody else but he does it with Krishna in the mind all the time and that is called Krishna Consciousness. There is a specific way of doing it, like in Krishna Consciousness we do not stop the activities of our senses but rather engage the senses in serving Krishna. Devotional service begins with the sense that is most difficult. Which sense organ is most difficult?

TONGUE

Tongue. lobhamoy sudurmati ta'ke jeta kaöhina saàsare. Of all the senses the tongue is the most voracious, very greedy and it is very wicked. The first thing is to grab the tongue and how do we get hold of the tongue? By giving the tongue Krishna Prasad, just give a lot of Krishna Prasad to the tongue and then make the tongue chant Krishna maha mantra and the glories of Krishna. We start our devotion with these two things, first feed the tongue and make the tongue chant Hare Krishna. In this way when the tongue becomes controlled then the other senses become automatically controlled. Prabhupada put so much emphasis on good Prasad. Prabhupada often used to say that the prasadam should be good. Prabhupada told me at least in three different occasions to see that the devotees get nice Prasad. When Prabhupada was sick in Vrindavan, Prabhupada sometimes used to send me to the devotee prasadam and tell me, “Go and see how the prasadam is.” One day I felt that the prasadam was not so nice and I told Prabhupada. Prabhupada called the temple president and Prabhupada chastised him and, “why was the prasadam not nice?” Prabhupada, himself in the beginning when he started ISKCON, used to cook Prasad himself and serve it to the devotees.

PRABHUPADA USED TO KEEP A JAR FULL OF GULAB JAMUNS FOR THE DEVOTEES TO EAT WHENEVER THEY FELT HUNGRY

Prabhupada used to keep a jar full of gulab jamuns for the devotees to eat whenever they felt hungry. So, a whole jar full of gulab jamuns were kept in the passage of 26, second avenue and the devotees as they would feel like it would pop a few gulab jamuns in their mouth and the popular name for these gulab jamuns were ISKCON bullet. So, a bullet a day keeps Maya away. When you take the ISKCON bullet them Maya won’t come. So, this is how we have to learn when you take ISKCON bullets then Maya won’t come. So, this is how we have to learn to control our tongue, of course that does not mean that we should always feed the tongue. The best is to help other become controlled. The best way to control our senses is through the tongue by chanting Hare Krishna and taking Krishna Prasad.

THIS WAS ALSO CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S FORMULA

This was also Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s formula, you take Prasad up to your neck and then don’t go to sleep, chant all the time you chant the holy name of Krishna. This is the best way to start of spiritual life. When the tongue is controlled what is the next thing we have to control? Ears. Spiritual life means bramachari, genitals are one sense organ that one does not really need to use only for procreation one may use that. When the tongue is controlled, belly will be controlled and when the belly is controlled then sex desire will be controlled. The next thing is the ears, when we hear nicely then our heart will automatically become satisfied. When we hear the glory of Krishna, we immediately feel how wonderful and I have noticed when we tell the stories of Krishna, devotees just get spellbound, they forget eating and sleeping. In this way by just using our hearing facility in hearing about the glories of Krishna, we control our ears. This way our nose, eyes and our skin become engaged. We should always be very careful or vigilant that we are using all our senses in serving or giving pleasure to Krishna.

Then comes our legs, in Srimad Bhagavatam verse it has been pointed out, this morning what I have discussed that the legs are very important because legs are symbolic to movement but in the material, nature living entities are just moving like an animal just for sense gratification. Prabhupada used to say that animals move on full four legs and modern men are moving on four wheels but they are just running around for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Actually, the legs should be used for the movement for rendering devotional service. In this way devotional service actually means to engage the senses in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a living entity does that, his life becomes automatically joyful and happy. A devotee does not need to look for things outside for his happiness and enjoyment.

DEVOTEE IS ATMARAMA

Devotee is Atmarama, feels the satisfaction from within and that satisfaction comes just by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna gives him whatever is needed, Krishna provides. Devotees are not suffering, devotees are not poverty stricken, and devotees have everything. Prabhupada often used to say also that a devotee should dress very nicely so that people should think that these are very high-class people. If people think that devotees are low class then they won’t come near them but if they feel devotees are high class then they will be attracted to come to them. Actually, devotees are the highest class of people. They have the highest philosophy; they have the highest culture and when people come to our temples, they see that. They see that the devotees have such wonderful kitchen culture, their prasadam is so nice so they immediately become attracted and they see since these people eat so well, they must be high class. Food is one of the most important aspects of culture. You will notice the most cultured nation have the best cuisine, isn’t it? I don’t know what the German culture is. In Europe you can see the Italian culture is very old and rich. Whatever little culture they have at least they have some good foodstuff and if you go to the Vedic culture then you will see that it has the most fantastic cuisine, people can’t even imagine. Big big people get completely flabbergasted when they see our prasadam.

INTOXICATED WITH PRASADAM

Couple of months ago when I was in South Africa, we invited the mayor of Durban, she is a lady and her husband is a doctor and she came with her whole entourage about 12 or 13 of them, her body guards, chauffer, secretary and we served them the prasadam and it completely blew their mind. When she was coming, she was quite doubtful what we would serve them for dinner because she knew that we were vegetarians but at the end of it one could see that they were completely intoxicated with prasadam although there was no alcohol served but they had the best kind of intoxication that night. They liked it so much; I was told that one week thereafter she was in a board meeting or conference and practically half the time she spoke about how she appreciated our temple and prasadam and the devotees. We have the best things in the world man can even aspire to have. We have the best philosophy; we have the best culture and literatures. We have the best people, actually devotees are the best people in the world. I remember before joining ISKCON one of my main objectives was to be in the association of the best of people, that’s all I wanted, I just wanted to be in association of best people. Krishna fulfilled my desire and I realized my desire was fulfilled when I joined ISKCON.

DEVOTEES OF ISKCON ARE THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

I could see that the devotees of ISKCON are the best people in the world and it’s not only me I have heard many people say this. In England a devotee who left the movement and went away and when I was there the last time, he was expressing his feelings about the devotees. He said that he realized that the devotees are the best people. Although he is running his business and meet all kinds of people, he realized no one comes anywhere near the devotees. That is why it is very important that we make people, the outsiders aware that we have to offer or what they will get if they come close to us. Like when they come close to us, they should feel that now their live has become successful and this is what they were looking for and now they found it and they are not going to go anywhere else. That is how our temples should be, our temples should be a kind of a place when one comes, he won’t feel like going back just like yad gatva na nivartantetad dhama paramaà mama Krishna says when one goes to the spiritual sky he never comes back. Actually, our temples are the spiritual sky.

When one comes to the temple, he should have the feeling of being in Vaikuntha and he would like it so much he wouldn’t want to go back. After all, when one comes to Vaikuntha why should one want to go back? That is how we should try to spread this Krishna Consciousness movement, it is very important responsibility we have. First, we have to understand what we have received ourselves, what is the value of the thing that we have received and then we must try to give it to others to enrich them to help them make their lives successful. Srila Prabhupada gave a very simple formula but very effective and it is this movement is a preaching movement, the books are the basis for our preaching, utility is the principle, purity is the force and preaching is the essence. So, our preaching will become effective as we become more and more purified. If we don’t become pure our preaching will have no effect but when we get purified then yes immediately our preaching will be effective.

Once Prabhupada asked, “Can you tell me why everyone respects me so much, wherever I go people respect me, why?” He asked his devotees. Different devotees gave different answers but that was not the real answer the Prabhupada said, “Because I conquered sex desire wherever I go people respect me.” Conquering sex desire means conquering all material attachment. Sex desire is the ultimate material desire, all the material attachment converge into this one point. Therefore, a person who has conquered sex desire has conquered all material attachments that means he has become completely pure and when that person goes out and preaches it immediately has a result. We see when Prabhupada was here was such a tremendous spiritual wave, the whole world was flooded with this spiritual vibration of Srila Prabhupada because Srila Prabhupada was a pure devotee of Krishna. In order to represent Srila Prabhupada to fulfil his desire to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world most effectively we have to become purified. Preaching is the essence and our purity is the force how effective our preaching will be. Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION

Prabhupada put so much emphasis on good Prasad. Prabhupada often used to say that the prasadam should be good. Prabhupada told me at least in three different occasions to see that the devotees get nice Prasad. When Prabhupada was sick in Vrindavan, Prabhupada sometimes used to send me to the devotee prasadam and tell me, “Go and see how the prasadam is.” One day I felt that the prasadam was not so nice and I told Prabhupada. Prabhupada called the temple president and Prabhupada chastised him and, “why was the prasadam not nice?” Prabhupada, himself in the beginning when he started ISKCON, used to cook Prasad himself and serve it to the devotees.

We see when Prabhupada was here was such a tremendous spiritual wave; the whole world was flooded with this spiritual vibration of Srila Prabhupada because Srila Prabhupada was a pure devotee of Krishna.

3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS

The best way to control our senses is through the tongue by chanting Hare Krishna and taking Krishna Prasad;
We should always be very careful or vigilant that we are using all our senses in serving or giving pleasure to Krishna; and
In order to represent Srila Prabhupada to fulfil his desire to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world most effectively we have to become purified.

(The content of this E-magazine is based Seminar given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami in Berlin, on 24th August 1993)

(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)

CONTENTS:

1. DEVOTEES ARE THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION

3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS