CONTENTS:
- JUST SURRENDER
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. JUST SURRENDER
Hare Krishna. First of all, I want to extent my very earnest joy for receiving you all here; you all have come here from all over the world. I feel very happy.
UJJAIN IS A TIRTHA ONE OF THE SEVEN HOLY PLACES OF INDIA
Ujjain is a tirtha one of the seven holy places of India so it is a very important place of pilgrimage therefore there are a lot of facilities, hotels, guest houses and that is why we could accommodate all of you. This temple is only 10 months and we do not have any living facilities. We have about 50 devotees here and all the devotees live outside therefore we did not have much facilities. The local people here are very helpful. Many people are accommodating the devotees in their houses. I am staying as a guest in someone’s house, Mr. Ajay Bargav. The people in Ujjain are very nice. I feel very thankful to Krishna that He brought us here. Personally, I feel that this is one of the most wonderful places that one can actually come and try to spread Krishna Consciousness because the response is so nice. People are so nice and responding so favorably.
The other day someone was telling me they are from America, husband and wife came to Ujjain and they went to Mahakaal temple and there was a big queue so they didn’t have much time to stand in this queue and get darshan of MahaKaleshvar and requested some special arrangement for them to get a quick darshan. That person happened to be a person involved in that temple and said oh you are from ISKCON so please come and they took them straight inside the temple. Wherever we go we get a very wonderful response. We are building a temple here and the concrete structure is almost ready only the three domes need construction and then the temple has to be clad in marble. The construction of the temple was only 6 months ago and it’s already up. We have 5 months to completion of the temple and planning to inaugurate the temple on 10 February 2006.
KRISHNA HAS BEEN VERY KIND
Krishna has been very kind that is about all I can say. Krishna has been very kind, Krishna brought me here and this is also a place of His pastimes. Krishna and Balarama came here to study in the ashram of Sandipani Muni and this place is considered to be the centre of India and India is the center of the earth planet. So, this place is the center of the earth planet and that is why all the astrological calculations used to be conducted from this place, Ujjain.
UJJAIN IS THE CENTER OF BHARATVARSHA, LAND OF INDIA
Just as the navel is the center of the body, Ujjain is the center of Bharatvarsha, land of India. This place bears very special significance as I had mentioned, Krishna and Balarama came here to study in Sandipani Muni’s ashram. Purnamasi used to be here. Purnamasi is actually Sandipani Muni’s mother. She took Madhumangal and Nandimukhi, Sandipani Muni’s son and daughter to Vrindavan just before Krishna was born. She knew that Krishna was going to come down to this earth planet so she went to Vrindavan from here. This is the place of Lord Shiva, Mahakaleshvar. This is one of the 4 places where 4 drops of nectar dropped when the fight ensued between the demigods and demons over the pot of nectar. Then when the Lord appeared in His Mohini Murti to bewilder the demons and give the nectar to the demigods He distributed the nectar here in Ujjain to the demigods. So, it is a very important place for us. Everyone knows that it is one of the oldest cities of India.
You know of King Indrayumna to whom Lord Jaganatha appeared and his capital was here in Avanti. The Vedic name of Ujjain is Avantipuri. The name Ujjain came later on. A very famous King Vikramaditya who had the 9 gems in his court known as Navaratna including Kalidas, Varahameer, Banabhatta. So, King Vikramaditya’s capital was here in Ujjain. Kalidas the famous poet and dramatist who wrote Abijnanasakuntalam, he was here in Ujjain. And finally, ISKCON came here. It is naturally going to bear a very special significance this place. Our movement will have a very deep impression in this place. We are very happy to be here and we are very happy to have you all here. Please come and try to help Srila Prabhupada’s movement and try to spread Krishna Consciousness.
BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS, CHAPTER 6, TEXT 37
Generally, in the evenings we discuss Bhagavad Gita, we are doing 6th chapter and will discuss the verse. Bhagavad Gita as it is, Chapter 6, text 37:
arjuna uväca
ayatiù çraddhayopeto
yogäc calita-mänasaù
apräpya yoga-saàsiddhià
käà gatià kåñëa gacchati
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O Kåñëa, what is the destination of the unsuccessful transcendentalist, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization with faith but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?
So, the 6th chapter Krishna is explaining about astanga yoga which consists of 8 different limbs or stages of gradual development of practicing the process of yoga. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is discussing about different spiritual practices. There are different kinds of spiritual practices and fall into 3 categories:
1. Karma-kanda section of the Vedas; 2. Jnana-kanda section of the Vedas; and 3. Bhakti, devotional service.
All the practices of spiritual progress fall in these 3 different categories. The purpose of Karma-kanda is to have worldly benefits, enjoyments in this material nature. The purpose of Jnana-kanda is to attain liberation. Bhakti takes one out of the material nature and situates him in the spiritual sky. These are the 3 different processes. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna discussed about Karma-kanda and the perfection of this lies in Karma yoga; the perfection of Jnana-kanda is in jnana yoga. Karma-kanda becomes karma yoga when it is mixed with devotion. Similarly, jnana-kanda becomes jnana yoga when it is mixed with devotion. So that is what Krishna is pointing out that karma rendered with devotion is karma yoga, jnana rendered with devotion is jnana yoga. Now through these discussions, Krishna is actually establishing the fact that these are not the ultimate goal. Karma yoga and jnana yoga is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is pure devotion.
These are the propensities we have. When we have a tendency to enjoy in this material nature then that tendency is dovetailed in devotional service that is Karma yoga, we have a tendency to enjoy but when we make that endeavor for enjoyment with Krishna and devotion to Krishna then that becomes Karma yoga. Similarly, when we are aspiring for liberation and knowledge but when that endeavor is mixed with Krishna Consciousness then only it becomes jnana yoga. Karma and Jnana yoga are not the ultimate goal. In this 6th chapter Krishna is discussing about the astanga yoga and the purpose of this is to achieve that state of Samadhi which is the state of perceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face in the heart. When one sees the Lord in the heart that is the state of yoga siddhi. Krishna is then pointing out to Arjuna that at that stage one actually becomes perfectly Krishna Conscious because at that stage he not only sees Krishna as the Supersoul in the heart but he also sees Krishna in everyone’s heart and in everything.
He also sees everyone and everything in Krishna. The ultimate perfection of yoga siddhi is to become Krishna Conscious but the process is not directing the process is indirect. It is a very hard and laborious process to achieve the perfection of astanga yoga. For example, the 4th stage of astanga yoga is pranayam which is the art of mastering the process of breathing. The purpose of pranayam is to retain the life air inside and stop inhalation and exhalation completely. That is one of the stages of astanga yoga which means the yogi at that stage when a yogi perfects the stage of pranayam he stops breathing for months and months. In that respect we can consider Hiranyakashipu who was standing on his toe and he was not moving, eating, he practically stopped all the functions of the body. The ants started to eat up his body; the whole body was eaten up only the skeleton was standing. Such an austere process who can ever perform those austerities? Hiranyakashipu was a yogi but in his yogic perfection he did not see the supersoul in the heart, he performed his austerities and eventually it created so much disturbance in the universe that the demigods when to appeal to Brahma please do something about it.
Then Brahma went to pacify Hiranyakashipu. In this way we can see that austerities and penances may give us certain physical power but that does not elevate us spiritually. Only when it is projected towards Krishna it can derive a spiritual benefit. In this way through explaining different processes of spiritual practices, Krishna is pointing out to Arjuna that the ultimate goal is to surrender unto Him and that is the purpose of Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is not going directly to devotional service but Krishna is making that progress step by step. Ultimately Krishna is making Arjuna negate that. Like when Krishna explained about the yoga process, Arjuna told Krishna that is not going to happen; I am unable to perform these difficult processes. It is impossible for me to control my mind in this way. This is how Krishna through Arjuna is pointing out how these processes are not really necessary. What is actually important that is surrender unto Krishna and that is not difficult. The process of astanga yoga is very difficult even the process of practicing karma yoga is very difficult but surrender to Krishna is not at all difficult, very easily we can surrender unto Krishna. Surrender doesn’t take any endeavor. Surrender simply requires surrender that’s about all it takes.
JUST SURRENDER
Just surrender; just give up your tendency to become big and a controller. Give up the tendency to control and just surrender. Just surrender. Sometimes we consider in the wrestling match 2 wrestlers fight and the looser ultimately has to say I surrender, isn’t it? Now there is so much effort not to surrender and finally one surrenders especially when that wrestling is going on with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we are going to lose so why not just straight away surrender? Surrender is how in wrestling one is made to surrender the winner pins him down on the ground and as his back touches the ground that is the sign of surrender, that he lost. He lost means when his back touches the ground he lost. Now in our battle in surrendering to Krishna eventually we have to surrender at the time of death our body will be lying there flat and then we have to say I surrender but that is such an arduous way to surrender. Why not surrender directly? All it takes you just say Krishna I surrender I know I am not going to win therefore I just accept you. I know I am going to lose so I just accept you as my Lord and Master and I surrender I am your humble servant.
KRISHNA TAKES CARE IN ALL RESPECTS
Krishna takes care in all respects Krishna is taking care of us in all respects anyhow. Even before you surrender Krishna is taking care of us so what to speak of when we surrender to Him; there is no way of knowing of how Krishna will take care of us. So that is all it takes. So, Krishna’s final instruction is just surrender. mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja and throughout Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is trying to convince us that we should surrender unto Him. Krishna explains in the 6th chapter the entire process of astanga yoga and then finally what does Krishna say? The best yogi is the one who renders devotional service to Me. So, if that is the best process of yoga then why go through all these very difficult phases what’s the use? If I know I have to go some place isn’t it the best to go directly what is the point of going in a roundabout way. There is a saying we can hold our ear in this way or this way now what’s the use of holding our ear like this it’s impossible I can’t even hold it this way but if I want to take my hand around and hold it in another way that is not going to be possible.
Why take the difficult way? Go straight to Krishna, surrender to Krishna. I am yours Krishna and please accept me. That’s about all it takes. So that is the purpose of Bhagavad Gita. That is the uniqueness of Prabhupada’s presentation of Bhagavad Gita. The last instruction of Krishna was the first instruction of Prabhupada. When he is explaining Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada goes straight away to the point surrender to Krishna. So, if you want to understand Bhagavad Gita just surrender unto Krishna and understand that He is God and accept His teachings that’s it and everything will be revealed to you, Bhagavad Gita will be revealed to you. That is why we see the wonderful benefit of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita as it is. The uniqueness of Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita as it is that this Bhagavad Gita is making hundreds of thousands of Krishna devotees all over the world whereas thousands of so called Gitas put together doesn’t even make a single devotee of Krishna. In the market there are so many Bhagavad Gitas but after reading those Bhagavad Gitas no one becomes a devotee but when one reads Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita what happens? He can’t help but become a devotee. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai. Srimad Bhagavad Gita ki Jai. Sri Krishna Bhagavan ki Jai.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
That is the uniqueness of Prabhupada’s presentation of Bhagavad Gita. The last instruction of Krishna was the first instruction of Prabhupada. When he is explaining Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada goes straight away to the point surrender to Krishna. That is why we see the wonderful benefit of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita as it is. The uniqueness of Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita as it is that this Bhagavad Gita is making hundreds of thousands of Krishna devotees all over the world whereas thousands of so called Gitas put together doesn’t even make a single devotee of Krishna. In the market there are so many Bhagavad Gitas but after reading those Bhagavad Gitas no one becomes a devotee but when one reads Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita what happens? He can’t help but become a devotee.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- Just surrender; just give up your tendency to become big and a controller. Give up the tendency to control and just surrender. Just surrender;
- All it takes you just say Krishna I surrender I know I am not going to win therefore I just accept you. I know I am going to lose so I just accept you as my Lord and Master and I surrender I am your humble servant;
- Go straight to Krishna, surrender to Krishna. I am yours Krishna and please accept me. That’s about all it takes Go straight to Krishna, surrender to Krishna. I am yours Krishna and please accept me. That’s about all it takes; and
- So if you want to understand Bhagavad Gita just surrender unto Krishna and understand that He is God and accept His teachings that’s it and everything will be revealed to you, Bhagavad Gita will be revealed to you.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami at ISKCON Ujjain on 15th September 2005)
This year marks the 10th anniversary for Ujjain Temple. By the mercy of Guru Maharaja, we have all had the opportunity to get to know about this auspicious place and appreciate the Ujjain Temple. It has expanded so wonderfully and is one of the most amazing temples in the world.
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)