CONTENTS:
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH GURU MAHARAJA
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH GURU MAHARAJA
Q: Why do people go to Haridwar and at Prayag do the last rites for family members who has passed away?
A: The general understanding is that the place for offering pinda is Gaya but because Haridwar is a holy place, Ganga is there, maybe from North India because its close by they prefer to go to Haridwar.
Q: Is it possible that one may concoct ideas after reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and deviate from Vaishnava philosophy and how may one prevent this from occurring?
A: Chances of concocting from Prabhupada’s books is very little because Prabhupada gave Bhaktivedanta purports and that is sealing that possibility. Prabhupada made it so clear like when you read Prabhupada’s books you are not only reading translations of scriptures but along with that comes clarifications through his purports. At least to me it seems that way but somebody can concoct anything from everything it’s up to the individual but an intelligent person will see what is deviated understanding.
Q: We heard how Lord Nityananda mentioned that anyone who chants the holy name He will take it upon Himself His responsibility to take one back. Rupa Goswami also mentions that one needs loba intense greed. It’s an apparent contradiction that one chants the holy name and Lord Nityananda will take one but at the same time one needs more effort and endeavour. Please clarify?
A: It may start with chanting the holy name and Nityananda Prabhu will naturally bestow His mercy but as one becomes involved in Krishna Consciousness the greed will naturally develop provided, he is moving in the right direction. It will happen so it is not that one chants the holy name and Nityananda Prabhu takes the responsibility and the matter ends there. It’s a continuous process when one accepts Krishna Consciousness and chants following the process then these consequences are inevitable. The greed will automatically come.
Q: Were there Vaishnava sanyasis at the time when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was present and if there were why didn’t Lord Chaitanya take sanyas initiation from them?
A: The Vaishnava culture at that time was so subdued and sanyas at least to me it seems was not really that recognisable. We can see all sanyas even Madhavendra Puri he established process of pure devotion he is in the same category, Isvara Puri in the same line. They are apparently all ekadanda sanyas. Maybe in other sampradayas sanyas was there but all those other Vasihnava sampradayas were practically non-existent. Vaishnava acharyas were there like Vishnu Swami before Mahaprabhu but the thing is he was not really that recognisable. The real development came after Ramanuja Acharya and Madhava Acharya defeating Shankar Acharya. Buddhism prevailed at that time and Lord Buddha came to stop the animal sacrifice that was going on in the name of the Vedas. What He did is He rejected the Vedas and started something new, this is the real way there is no need to follow the Vedas but He did that with a purpose to stop the animal sacrifice. There was a need to re-establish the Vedas and then came Shankar Acharya and then Shankar Acharya’s influence was prevailing all over India. Then to subdue that established way Ramanuja Acharya was the first one to establish personalist philosophy based on the Vedas and then the other Acharyas came and finally Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and harmonised both contradictories Sankara Acharya’s Mayavad and the Vaishnavas philosophy in acintya beda beda tattva. The point is at that time sanyas meant taking sanyas in Sankar sampradaya.
Q: What would have happened if Nityanada Prabhu’s blood fell on the earth?
A: Then the Lord would have allowed that to happen.
Q: After Mahaprabhu took sanyas and left Saci mata and His wife at home, they were left unprotected at the mercy of Krishna and no male person can you please elaborate how they survived considering they were women at home?
A: They had a servant Ishan and he used to take care of them with all the outdoor chores and naturally all the other people in Navadwip also gave them support. That is the nice thing about Vedic culture the whole village becomes one family. The whole world and planet are one family and unfortunately due to Kaliyuga that is not there even the families are not together. Previously all the families were together that was eastern culture and now after they get married, they go and now even husband and wife cannot live together this is Kaliyuga.
Q: It is said that a pure devotee can recognise another pure devotee and when that devotee comes to the earth planet and leaves the planets other advanced souls can feel them coming and leaving so from all the pastimes you mentioned Chaitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His identity to many people how come it was not obvious to them that this is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
A: When it comes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He wants to hide His identity you can rest assured no one will be able to recognise Him because His Yoga Maya is so powerful. He is covered by His Yoga Maya but when He revealed His identity then they could recognise. Also, some pure devotees did recognise Him. There were two types some who recognised Him and some that He revealed to them. Some recognised Him by hearing from others, we are recognising, we didn’t see Him but through His description in the scriptures and by the words of our previous Acharyas it is becoming clear that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Q: Some recognise Him and some don’t but nowadays you explain to people and even show sastric references and they still don’t accept Chaitanya Mahaprabhu especially Hindu people accept?
A: As Gopinath told Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya you can recognise the Lord only when you receive His mercy. So, we have to understand that they are unfortunate souls although you are explaining to them and revealing to them with scriptural evidence and still, they don’t want to accept. What to do? That kind of mentality will always be there but with time there will be a change. I will give you an example, when Prabhupada was here how many Indians accepted Prabhupada then but now this room is full of Indians so see with time things are changing.
Q: There was two defects Lord Chaitanya picked up in Keshava Kashmeri but I can only recall one of them?
A: Not two but five, two are of the same category.
Q: Was the two in the same category contradiction in the expression?
A: Others are grammatical things. The structure is such that certain aspect will be before and certain after. This I mentioned because its easily understandable other things if you don’t know Sanskrit you won’t be able to figure it out. This one we can understand with common sense. Lord Siva’s wife’s husband. As if she has someone else’s husband.
Q: One pastime that comes to heart is Lord Nityananda with Jagai and Madai, Lord Nityananda displays so much humility and in our daily lives sometimes we are faced with these kinds of challenges so how do we use this scriptural knowledge to help ourselves to develop this kind of humility when these challenging situations arise?
A: Things will happen according to one’s spiritual advancement when you practise the process things happen internally and according to the internal development and attitude. When we are new in the movement we behave in a certain way, when we mature in the movement our attitude changes. I will give you an example when I was a new devotee there was one devotee who showed his Brahmana thread and said I am a Brahmana you must listen to me. My feeling was that was the most arrogant person I have ever seen but today he has become one of the humblest devotees. At an immature stage one may behave in a certain way but as one advances spiritually his attitude changes. Similarly, the ability to display compassion will depend upon our advancement.
Q: Why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is Krishna Himself spend so many years as a scholar and then after a certain age began the sankirtan movement?
A: We have to understand that the Lord’s pastimes are like a drama. The drama develops in a certain way like when you go to watch a movie do you expect to see the last scene first? The whole this would be based on the last scene or rather it develops to the conclusion. A drama has two aspects one is entertainment and the other is education so Krishna’s pastimes are the real drama and develops in a certain way. All the aspects that make a good drama is there. Here He is acting in a certain way like you know from his birth if you are a pure devotee talking about Krishna Consciousness then probably the excitement would not be so much but to see the transformation in Him, He is actually developing, He is one of the most brilliant personalities and then after His Initiation He is totally transformed. Isn’t it more exciting? See the contrast, not only is He the greatest actor but also, He is the greatest script writer! He wrote the perfect drama.
Q: The eligibility of receiving the Lord’s mercy is the most degraded or fallen could someone just say it in words, I am so humble and fallen so how do we develop true humility as compared to just a facade?
A: There are two aspects one thing is coming from your lips and the other thing is coming from your heart. Which is real out of these two? Let us consider, I am the most humble person, lip service but real humbleness will be displayed by the way I act the way my heart is and that is what humbleness. That happens when one practises the process properly.
Q: The transformation of Lord Chaitanya from scholar to fructifying this Hare Krishna movement it reminds me of ….unclear …
A: My immediate response that person is not a pure devotee and what he is portraying is from his imagination, it may be true and happened in some individual’s case but pure devotion works a different way altogether. The transformation we can draw the line Sridhar apparently is so poverty stricken anybody will pity him seeing his situation but from his interaction with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu we can see he is the most content person although materially he has nothing yet he is the most content because he is spiritually situated. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to offer him 8 siddhis that leads to opulence as much as the Lords. My point is the pure devotion is not real. Russian authors had some spiritual understanding like Tolstoy you can see he has deep spiritual understanding but still it is not real.
Q: Lord Chaitanya took all the sins of Jagai and Madai why was that necessary?
A: As I have said these are His pastimes. Pastimes He is enacting in a certain way so that we can understand we can comprehend. Krishna by His will is making all these universes float can we understand what it means? Not really but when He lifts Govardhan with His little finger that we can relate to. That is why He performs these pastimes so that we can understand. Nothing in this material nature affects Him. He is transcendental but He acts in that way so that we can relate to that.
Q: We hear that Guru Nanak and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu actually met and discussed is there any evidence of that?
A: If Guru Nanak is a great devotee and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was on this planet, won’t He make it a point to let Guru Nanak know. He travelled all around India just to bestow His mercy.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Chances of concocting from Prabhupada’s books is very little because Prabhupada gave Bhaktivedanta purports and that is sealing that possibility. Prabhupada made it so clear like when you read Prabhupada’s books you are not only reading translations of scriptures but along with that comes clarifications through his purports. I will give you an example, when Prabhupada was here how many Indians accepted Prabhupada then but now this room is full of Indians so see with time things are changing.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTION
- It is not that one chants the holy name and Nityananda Prabhu takes the responsibility and the matter ends there. It’s a continuous process when one accepts Krishna Consciousness and chants following the process then these consequences are inevitable. The greed will automatically come;
- We have to understand that the Lord’s pastimes are like a drama; and
- I am the most humble person, lip service but real humbleness will be displayed by the way I act the way my heart is and that is what humbleness. That happens when one practises the process properly.
(The content of this E-Magazine was based on a Lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja on given at Drakensburg Retreat, South Africa on 21 January 2017.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)