Spiritual Master
Book:
Canto:
Chapter:
Verse:
Location:
Date:
Srimad Bhagavatam
4
19
22
Austin, TX, USA
3 March 2023
Sankarshan Das: Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.19.22.
viras casvam upadaya
pitr-yajnam athavrajat
tad avadyam hare rupam
jagrhur jnana-durbalah
virah - the son of King Prthu; ca – also; asvam – the horse; upadaya – taking; pitr-yajnam – to the sacrificial arena of his father; atha– thereafter; avrajat – went; tat – that; avadyam – abominable; hareh – of Indra; rupam – dress; jagrhuh – adopted; jnana-durbalah – those with a poor fund of knowledge.
Sankarshan Das: Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace Om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Tridandi Goswami Maharaj, Prabhupada.
Translation: Then the great hero, Vijatasva, the son of King Prthu, again took the horse and returned it to his father's sacrificial arena. Since that time, certain men with a poor fund of knowledge have adopted the dress of a false sannyasi. It was King Indra who introduced this.
Purport: Since time immemorial, the sannyasa order has carried the tridanda. Later Sankaracarya introduced the ekadandi-sannyasa. A tridandi-sannyasi is a Vaishnava sannyasi and an ekadandi-sannyasi is a Mayavadi sannyasi. There are many other types of sannyasis, who are not approved by Vedic rituals. A type of pseudo-sannyasa was introduced by Indra when he tried to hide himself from the attack of Vijitasva, the great son of King Prthu. Now there are many different types of sannyasis. Some of them go naked, and some of them carry a skull and trident, generally known as kapalika. All of them were introduced under some meaningless circumstances, and those who have a poor fund of knowledge accept these false sannyasis and their pretenses, although they are not bona fide guides to spiritual advancement. At the present moment some missionary institutions, without referring to the Vedic rituals, have introduced some sannyasis who engage in sinful activities. The sinful activities forbidden by the Sastras are illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating and gambling. These so-called sannyasis indulge in all these activities. They eat meat and flesh, fish, eggs and just about everything. They sometimes drink with the excuse that without alcohol, fish and meat it is impossible to remain in the cold countries near the Arctic zone. These sannyasis introduce all these sinful activities in the name of serving the poor, and consequently poor animals are cut to pieces and go into the bellies of these sannyasis. As described in the following verses, such sannyasis are pakhandis. Vedic literature states that a person who puts Lord Narayana on a level with Lord Siva or Lord Brahma immediately becomes a pakhandi. As stated in the Puranas.
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: Battery is dead.
Sankarshan Das: Battery is dead?
Srimati Vishnupriya Gurumataji: So, you are not a class, you can't collect it.
Sankarshan Das: (Purport continue) Okay. In Kali Yuga the Pakhandis are very prominent. However, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has tried to kill all these pakhandis by introducing His sankirtan movement. Those who take advantage of this sankirtan movement of the international society for Krishna consciousness will be able to save themselves from the influence of these Pakhandis. (End of Purport)
Vande ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam sadvaitam savadhutam parijana–sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
Sankarshan Das: Unfortunately, nowadays there are so many bogus sannyasis. One came to Austin and he said, I'm God, you're God, we're all God. Another became very prominent and popular. He charged money for the mantra, mantra fee. He made a very successful business. He became a millionaire by selling mantra. So, we are very fortunate that we have a bona fide sannyasi, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is actually a proper representative of the Vedic culture. The Vedic culture was an amazing time on this planet. You can imagine, right now there are so many nations fighting with one another. So many difficulties. You want to go to Canada; you need a passport. So many difficulties. But in the Vedic ages, the whole planet was one country. India was the capital and the whole world was under one rule. One scripture, one philosophy, one government. It was a wonderful time, the Vedic culture. So, our Krishna Consciousness movement now, the Prabhupada wanted to bring back that Vedic culture. So that's why we distribute books, why we do Harinaam, we have preaching programs, prasadam. In so many ways we're trying to introduce Krishna consciousness, to bring the world back to the Vedic culture. There's no reason for all this suffering to go on, it's simply due to ignorance. The actual position of the living entity is full of bliss. That's the natural position of the living entity. So suffering is simply due to ignorance. It's not due to a lack of money or a lack of power or a lack of this or that. It's simply due to ignorance. So, we want to enlighten everyone to understand who you really are. You're not that body. Doesn't mean we neglect the body. Take proper care of the body. Are you your car? No, you are not your car, but you take proper care of it. Put air in the tires, keep the battery charged, put oil, gasoline. You take good care of the car so you can do your activities. So, this body we take good care of it, we feed it properly, we give it proper rest, we give the proper necessities to the body so we can use it nicely for Krishna. The whole point is to use everything in Krishna's service. That's the whole point. Mind becomes completely absorbed and getting that mind completely absorbed in Krishna consciousness. The nature and the material world our minds are very flickering. They want to jump here, jump there, jumping, jumping, jumping, very unsteady. But as Krishna says,
yato yato niscalati
manas cancalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
atmany eva vasam nayet
Sure, wherever the mind wanders, I do it with flickering and unsteady nature, one will suddenly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self. People take the mind to be the self, that's the problem. They don't realize the mind is just a tool to be utilized by the self. So, when the tool is not being properly utilized, just like you may have a saw, electric saw, if you don't use it properly you can cut off your hand. You, see? To use it properly you can do things very nicely. So, tools have to be used very nicely and properly. If they are misused it leaves us with so much trouble and chaos. So right now, our minds are being misused.
dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho ‘bhijayate
krodhad bhavati sammohah
sammohat smrti-vibramah
smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat pranasyati
While contemplating the objects of the senses, the person becomes attracted to them. From that attraction lust develops, from lust comes anger, from anger comes delusion, from delusion comes the bewilderment of memory, when memory is bewildered, the intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool. So, we have to properly utilize the mind. To utilize the mind becomes a very powerful instrument. What does that say? Conquer your mind and conquer the world. We actually bring our mind under control; we can actually have great power and influence on this planet. Bring these suffering souls out of their illusion of bodily consciousness, bring them to the transcendental platform of Krishna consciousness. So just consider how fortunate we are, just amazing how this movement took off like a rocket, I mean is it really amazing, can you imagine? 70-year-old man with 10 rupees after 2 heart attacks. Can you imagine how it happened? How miraculous it was? He went back and left a whole year, but nothing happened. Nothing happened. But then somehow or other, he got that storefront down at 26th Second Avenue, the hippie neighbourhoods and he became very popular with the hippies. Oh, there's a swami in town. And so, they would go hear the Swami and they would hear his lectures and he took them to the park. They went and they chanted in the park and the thing just took off like a rocket. It's amazing how it took off. And then some devotees went to San Francisco and took out a raga there too. And then it was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. It's amazing. Thousands and thousands of people, young people, joined this Krishna consciousness movement and he sent them to India to re-establish the bona fide Vaishnava culture in India, the home of Vaishnava culture, which had been so much polluted by all these bogus Sanyasis. So just consider the great fortune we have to be connected with Srila Prabhupada and this movement. We have to actually learn how to sacrifice our sense gratification. We have to minimize our own personal sense gratification as much as we possibly can and maximize our devotional service. We have a tendency because we are so addicted to sense gratification to continue, want to continue in that sense gratification mood. But that, where does it lead? It leads to birth after birth after birth in the material world. So, we have to say, okay, let me take whatever sense gratification is necessary to keep body and soul together. But beyond that, let me not overdo it. Let me take whatever sense gratification is necessary. Just like how much gasoline do you want to put in your car? Only as much as the gas tank will hold. You don't want to try putting more than the gas tank will hold. Put oil in the radiator. You want to take proper care. So whatever sense gratification is necessary, let's do that. But let's not overdo it. Let's maximize our devotional service and minimize sense gratification as much as possible. The more we can put Krishna consciousness first, put everything else second, the more we'll actually awaken that amazing consciousness called Krishna consciousness which has been sleeping in our hearts for millions and millions of births. We have been diverted by sense gratification for millions and millions of births. But here we are in a human form and even more fortunate here we are having contact with this great Vaishnava acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Tridandi Goswami Maharaj, Prabhupada. This great, great Vaishnava acharya. He's still present with us. You remember me? I am there. It's not that well, only those devotees who were here when Prabhupada was here to see him, to get initiated, only they are in a good position, no. Anybody who takes Prabhupada, even many Prabhupada's disciples gave it up because they didn't prioritize Krishna consciousness. They deprioritized Krishna consciousness and prioritized sense gratification. That's why you have so many Prabhupada's disciples. So let us, the disciples, grand disciples, let us all be very serious now to prioritize Krishna consciousness. Put Krishna first and then everything will follow automatically. When you water the root of the tree all the leaves and branches are nourished. When you feed the belly, you nourish the whole body. So, we have to do that by priortize the Krishna consciousness not be carried away anymore by the material nature.
prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate.
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego considers himself to be the doer of activities and actually carried out by the three modes of material nature. We shouldn't take credit. We should give our all credit to Krishna. Whatever we are able to accomplish, we shouldn't say, yes, I'm so great, No. We should not take credit. We should just try to see everything as Krishna's arrangement and try to be instrumental. Let me, let Krishna act through me. That's the key. Let Krishna act, let me be an instrument. Let me be the puppet. Krishna is the puppeteer and I'm the puppet. What is that prayer? Make me dance, make me dance, make me dance as you like. That's our prayer, right? Begging Krishna, my dear Lord, You please use me in whatever way You want to use me. How ever I can best please You and serve You, You engage me in that way. Let me make pleasing You my only real business in life. My only business is actually to please You. Please let me do everything for Your pleasure. Actually, you will not be the losers by doing that. Krishna is the Supreme controller; everything is under His direction. Everything is under His direction. We put ourselves fully under His direction, you will be amazed everything, it become working so perfectly in your life, wow amazing, how did this happen? The most amazing thing will happen when you put Krishna first. As long as we try to be the controllers, things will sometimes be good, sometimes they will not be good. It will be up and down, up and down, up and down. You say, okay, let Krishna get complete control, let my every thought, my every word, my every deed, in all times, places and circumstances, be it for the pleasure of my beloved Lord." Then you'll be amazed at everything that happens. You'll say, wow, it's amazing how Krishna is arranging all these things. What did we say in the American currency? In God we trust. So, let's actually trust Krishna. If I put myself completely under His, I can trust Him. He's not going to abuse me, He's not going to cheat me, He's not going to torture me. Let me put myself completely under Krishna's direction. Whatever my dear lord You want me to do that I will do. Let's take that mood. Then it is amazing how we can become fully awakened living beings. We can get out of this darkness of illusion.
yatha dipo nivata-stho
nengate sopama smrta
yogino yata-cittasya
yunjato yogam atmanah,
as a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist's mind is controlled, it means always steady, and in meditation on the transcendental self. That's what we have to do. We have to have mind like a lamp in a windless place. If it's windy, the flame will be flickering this way, this way. When there's no wind, that flame is just steady. We only have mind like a lamp in a windless place, not flickering mind. So, the transcendentalist whose mind is controlled remains always steady and meditate on the transcendental Self, Krishna. And it's also the transcendent Self with big ‘S’ that’s Krishna and the transcendent self with small ‘s’ is us. Transcendental self, that's who I actually am and not just a corpse. Just a rotting corpse. I am the transcendent self. I am the eternal spiritual being, qualitatively one with the lord. I have this amazing pastime going on. Amazing, amazing pastime going on.
venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam-
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-kodi-kamaniya-visesa-sobham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the primeval lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals, head decked with peacock feathers, with the figure of beauty tinged with a hue of blue clouds. His unique loveliness is charming millions of Cupids. Can you imagine what kind of complexion He has? A bluish complexion like dark rain clouds, beautiful dark rain clouds. He is an amazing, amazing person. Attracting that most beautiful of all girls, Srimati Radharani, attracted to Krishna.
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities and the accompanying of Her confidantes (sakhis), the embodiment of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized me with a blissful spiritual rasa. Can you imagine what kind of relationship is going on between Radha and Krishna? These pastimes of the cowherd boys also have amazing, amazing lilas. Amazing, amazing lilas. Now after the Aghasura demon, killing the Aghasura demon, Krishna was taking His lunch with the cowherd boys. Can you imagine the scene? There are thousands of cowherd boys, each has thousands of calves. Can you imagine? That means millions of calves. What a kind of a scene that is. You actually go there and see that, in the middle of millions of calves and they wandered off to take some grass. And Krishna said, you boys, you keep taking your lunch, I'll go look for the calves. And then Lord Brahma thought he'd play a trick. Who was this little boy being so much celebrated? He stole all the calves and the boys also. Now Krishna is telling you, what about the mothers, the mother cows and the cowherd boys’ mothers, what will they think? They will be totally devastated. Their calves and their boys are gone. So, Krishna then manifested Himself in every one of those calves and every one of those boys. And He went home after the day, the normal thing. And Krishna knew the personality of every single boy and every single calf. He could perfectly duplicate every mood, their gesture. He had probably duplicated everything. So, the mother cows and the mothers of the boys, they couldn't suspect that this was someone else. But one thing was different, they had amazing increase of affection for their son, for the calves and the boys. Amazing increase of affection. They never had so much affection for their son for a whole year this went on. Now Brahma's time is different. This four billion, three hundred million years is twelve hours. So, he said, well what happened when I played this trick? So, a moment later, a moment later, Brahma's time, he came back, it was a year later for our time, he came back and he was amazed. There's a whole chapter in the Krishna book where the prayer is offered like Brahma. That's where he had that experience of understanding who is this cowherd boy. It's amazing how Brahma actually, he would sometimes be covered by the material energy and think Krishna was an ordinary boy. But he also compiled the Brahma Samhita. So, he had different moods and different times. Interesting, his relationship. He is the head of our Sampradaya also. He is the head of our Sampradaya. But sometimes he thought Krishna was an ordinary boy. It's amazing the pastimes of Lord brahma and Krishna. There are so many amazing things, amazing, amazing pastimes. And what we have in the Krishna book is just the tip of the iceberg, you know, the tiny tip of the iceberg. So, we actually become a pure devotee. You can actually experience all those pastimes. You are being a part of those pastimes. Actually, we all are a part of Krishna's pastimes. We have forgotten it. We are thinking here I am a citizen of the US or a citizen of this or that, here is my passport, my driver's license. We are forgetting who we actually are. We are actually associates of the Supreme Lord in His pastimes in the spiritual world. So Prabhupada now is bringing us back, bringing us back to who we actually are, getting us out of this illusion of bodily consciousness.
See if anybody has any questions. There's no questions on the internet. Any questions from you all here in this kind of Austin? Have all questions been answered? You fully realize now in the science of self-realization no longer be carried by the influence of material nature. How can we get out of maya? That's a good question. I'll ask the question and answer it. How can we get out of maya? How can I stop misidentifying with this male body or female body, American body, Lithuanian body, the Mauritian body, Indian body? How can I become fully convinced? This is the advantage of absorbing ourselves in the sadhana bhakti. This ragnuga bhakti when you fully realize it, spontaneous, you come back and actually realize your eternal relationship with Krishna, you spontaneously engage in devotional service in great ecstasy. But then there is sadhana bhakti, that's us. We are taking the medicine to become healthy. So, the medicine is generally sixteen rounds every day of the Hare Krishna mantra. Avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, gambling, that means no recreational sex. In married life it means only for procreation, according to the Prabhupada's instructions, once in a month, four to six days after the menstrual cycle, after fifty rounds of japa. Some devotees say it's not really practical to do that, no one can follow it. No, it's not true. If you're properly trained by someone who himself is, if you're properly trained by someone who has himself been able to strictly follow the principles throughout his whole married life, then you can also follow. The person who is training you couldn't follow himself, then how can he train you to follow him? But if the person who is training you, he follows perfectly throughout his whole married life. He completely and perfectly follows the Prabhupada's standard for grhastha brahmacharya. He can show you how to become grhastha brahmacharya. As I was explaining yesterday, losing semen is a very detrimental thing because it takes many pounds of blood to make one drop of semen. Many, many pounds of blood. So, one should withhold one's semen as much as possible because it gives you, increases your memory power, it gives you better resistance to disease and increases your life span as well. The more you can withhold your semen, it is actually concluded by Urdhva Reta, it rises to the brain. When you withhold your semen, it rises to the brain. It gives you very good intelligence. The Prabhupada said, for those who want to remain brahmachari, if they are in strict brahmachari age of twenty-five, never having passed semen, then he hears from the spiritual master for the whole life. So, it's a very powerful thing. So, we should take this process as Prabhupada, as given it, not water it down saying it's not practical. No, it is practical. If you are trained by someone who is strictly following it and learning from them, you get inspired by them, you can see it's very practical. It's not difficult at all. It's actually very easy to strictly follow these principles. It's easy, as we say, it's easy as pie. It's easy. Why? Because, what does that Krishna says?
visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso ‘py asya
param drstva nivartate
the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, although the taste of sense objects remains. But, if he thinks that such a gayness by experience, the higher taste he has placed in consciousness. So, if you are trained by someone who actually had the higher taste, who had the higher taste, and is able to, not artificially giving up sense enjoyment, but giving it up because he is relishing something more delicious, more nutritious, more delicious. And it is not difficult. Not difficult? The higher taste. Whether it is in any of that cookbook, the higher taste cookbook. So, we can easily give up meat eating because we can get prasadam. If you go buy a McDonald's hamburger steak, you get attracted now. You just feel sorry for the poor cows that are being abused. So, we are not, Kentucky fried chicken, these are popular in the US, you get, oh, Kentucky fried chicken, no attraction at all. Why? Because I have to .. So, giving up illicit sex is not difficult because I have Krishna consciousness. I have the holy name. Chanting Hare Krishna is better than having sex, more relishable than having sex. So, in this way we can give up all these lower tastes because we get the higher taste. Now we have,
Visnurata Das: If there are unfulfilled desires in the devotee's mind, or those desires experienced in his dream and get away from his pathway of going back to Godhead.
Sankarshan Das: Well, there can be unfulfilled spiritual desires also, which are very beneficial. Just like Prabhupada said to liberate the world. And the devotee thinks, well, my spiritual master ordered me to liberate the world, So I want to carry out that order. I want to see this whole world become delivered because my spiritual master said to liberate the world. So that's my unfulfilled desire. I have a desire to liberate the world but it's not fulfilled. So, there are unfulfilled spiritual desires also which are very good. Now unfulfilled material desires, they could lead you to have dreams of sinful activities. But the thing is you have to learn, you think it's a higher taste. Why should I desire anything material? It's just punishing yourself. Why should I have unfilled material desires? It doesn't make sense. Why should I have any material desires? It doesn't make sense. It's just desiring to be punishing myself. Are you a masochist? You want to punish yourself? You see, unfulfilled material desires mean you're a masochist. You're punishing yourself. So don't be a masochist punishing yourself by holding on to material desires. Why don't you fill your heart with spiritual desires? You see, they're much more relishable than material desires. Why don't you fill your heart with spiritual desires. I'd like to accomplish this. I'd like to memorize. I'd like to have at least hundred verses memorized on the tip of my tongue. I can pull them out any time I want. Hundred verses at least. Hundred verses. Why not have spiritual desires and work on fulfilling your spiritual desires. Who needs these material desires? It's just a waste of time.
Questions locally?
Local Devotee: I heard that one devotee was telling me that Krishna can send us unlimited amounts of people but we have to be ready for them. So how do we become ready for them to...
Sankarshan Das: That's a very excellent question. It reminds me of what Prabhupada said. This is an amazing quote to hold on to. Prabhupada said, if one chants the holy name of the Lord without offense, he becomes Jagadguru, and in this instance the whole world will chant Hare Krishna. So, it's the same principle. We have to become pure chanters of the holy name. We have to see how am I committing offenses. What is that prayer of Bhaktivinoda? kabe ha'be bolo se-dina āmār When, O man, Will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will your mercy shine. aparādha ghuci', śuddha nāme ruci,kṛpā-bale ha'be hṛdoye sañcār So, you have to hanker for that day when you have a pure chanter of the holy name. Because that's how you become qualified to lead the whole world out of chaos. So, when I become actually qualified, you see. The Prabhupada personally told me, he said, you can aspire to become a Jagadguru. So, when will that day come when I become a offenseless chanter of the Holy Name so that by my chanting the whole world will take up Krishna consciousness. When will that day actually come when I can give up all these offenses, I commit in my japa? So, the best way to prepare yourself is to become an offenseless chanter. We should regularly study these ten offenses. Actually, we should read them periodically in our classes actually, the ten offenses. It's a good idea. We should bring them to class, have a printout and sometimes we can discuss them in our classes in a sense. To be in attendance while chanting the holy names it makes a sense. Consider the names of the demigods to be equal to and independent of the name of the Lord Vishnu. So, we should read these in our classes sometimes, discuss these ten offenses, because that's how we become qualified. Become the offenseless chanters of the holy name. Then everything will come. Right now, we're struggling, how can we make up our Krishna consciousnes but it's simply due to our offenses. Actually, we're not doing it. Here we have,
Govardhan Das: Why am I still unable to get a higher taste?
Sankarshan Das: Well, Govardhan, right now you're not getting the higher taste. But if you hanker for the higher taste, you should intensely hanker for that higher taste. And that hankering also will give you the higher taste. Just like Bhakti Vinod has said, When I have my offences ceasing, taste of the name increase. I recommend that song. You sing that, learn that song and sing it. kabe ha'be bolo se-dina āmār. When and when with that day be mine. And the hankering for that day when you get the higher taste, intensely hankering, that hankering itself will become the higher taste. So, you learn that song and sing it also. Very nice bhajan by Bhakti Vinod Thakur.
Any other questions? Everyone satisfied now and ready to embrace pure devotional service? You don't leave business in all times, places and circumstances?
Alakananda Devi Dasi: How I know I'm chanting purely?
Sankarshan Das: When you can see Krishna face to face, eye to eye, and you'll know your chanting has become perfect. Krishna manifest. Jaganatha swami nayana pathagami My dear Lord Jagannath please come to my vision. Krishna fully manifest and you can see Krishna face to face, eye to eye, and your chanting will become perfect.
Thank you for coming in. Well, thank you all for hearing. Has this made any sense to you, what I'm saying today? Is this one ear and not the other? You take it into the ear and into your heart, deep into your heart, it just goes... What is it?
Local Devotee: I feel like my heart is already so much full of crud, there is very little room for Krishna consciousness.
Sankarshan Das: Now that's an interesting thing. My heart is so full of crud, there is no room for Krishna consciousness. It is 100% mixed out already with crud.
Local Devotee: I think there is maybe 1% or 2% Krishna consciousness.
Sankarshan Das: If you can put 1 or 2% Krishna consciousness in there, you see, you put in 1% Krishna consciousness, you only have 99% crud. You, see? You can go to 2% Krishna consciousness and 98% crud. So, in that way you can just keep going. 3 % Krishna consciousness, 4 %, 5 %. This way, the more you put in Krishna, the more the curd is squeezed out. So how do you squeeze it in? My very sincerely chanting japa every day in the mood of, my dear Lord Krishna, please bless me, I can surely chant these names without any offense. See, Krishna is begging, Krishna is begging him, please, you can actually beg Him, my dear Lord, please let me get all this lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion out of my heart. And let my heart now be completely filled with Krishna Bhakti. If you beg Krishna for that, He'll reciprocate with you. He'll help you. Krishna wants you to be His pure devotee. He's been watching and waiting for millions of lifetimes. When will this all come back to Me? Now that you've made this endeavour, you got initiated, you're second initiated now, you see, you've made this endeavour, now Krishna will help you. He's ready to give you all help and support within your heart at every minute. My dear Krishna, please now bless me that I can become completely absorbed in Your devotional service.
Will Barber: I accept your wonderful words, but still how to overcome the dark forces in the mind.
Sankarshan Das: This is what I am telling Kardama muni right now, the same thing. My dear Lord Krishna, please let me drive away all these dark forces in my heart and in my mind. Let them completely gone. Actually, chanting japa is very good. Hearing Prabhupada's lectures, you can go on the internet and hear Prabhupada's lectures. Just go to Prabhupada audio, and you can go to Google and type in Prabhupada audio, and you'll have all the Prabhupada's lectures right there, that you can listen to. You can hear Prabhupada. And when you hear Prabhupada, it's a very powerful instrument, to hear Prabhupada speaking. Here's somebody who can see Krishna face to face, eye to eye; with the power and potency deliver the whole world. You can say, why didn't he deliver it yet? This reminds me of a question that Vishnu Jana Swami asked Prabhupada. He said, Bhaktivinoda said he is leaving with his work unfinished. Why did he say that? Prabhupada said he is leaving it for you. So, these great acharyas, they could have delivered the whole world according to what Prabhupada told in that conversation. They had the power to deliver the whole world but they are leaving it to us. It has been passed on to us. Now it is up to us to do it. They could have done but it is their kindness to give this opportunity now to become world saviours of the world, you see. We've been given this opportunity to become the world's saviours, you see, through their kindness.
See who that is. Let's see who that is. It's not a safe number. The number is not safe. Not a safe number. Okay, forget it then. Here we have some questions coming in.
Devotee: How to maintain enthusiasm?
Sankarshan Das:That's a wonderful question. How to always be enthusiastic for devotional service? Well one thing is you can pray, my dear Lord Krishna, please bless me I can always be enthusiastic for devotional service, 24 hours a day, as much as possible. Let me always be enthusiastic. Oh no, I got to do some more service, I want to sleep. I mean sleep is necessary, take what you need. The Prabhupada said 6 or 7 hours, so you take the sleep you need, at the same time be enthusiastic to do as much devotional service as you can every day. Not devotional service makes me nervous, no. How can I do more service, more service, more service? Because Krishna becomes captured when you embrace devotional service with enthusiasm, you capture Krishna. That Supreme Person who controls everything becomes captured by you when you are enthusiastic in devotional service.
Priti Manas: Is Sincere chanting is the solution to everything.
Sankarshan Das: Absolutely, Sincere chanting will solve every problem that you have. It will solve every problem the world has. Sincere chanting will solve every problem in the whole material existence. It can be solved by sincere chanting.
Any more questions from the locals? We undertake this process very very seriously. It's a life and death situation. If we embrace this process seriously, we don't take any more births in this rascal, nonsense material existence. We go back to the eternal abode of Lord Sri Krishna; my life is eternal full of knowledge and bliss. But if we don't take it very seriously then we stay here birth after birth after birth after birth. Please understand this is my opportunity now, I've come in contact with this movement, this movement of Srila Prabhupada, I've come in contact with a bona fide spiritual master, I have come in contact with a process now that will liberate me from all sufferings that I have gone through, millions of births. So let me take this as my only business now to become Krishna's pure devotee, not become enamoured or carried away by material desires. How to chant sincerely every time? Just pray for it. Every time you start, pick up your bead bag, you chant your mantra, my dear Krishna, please bless me that today I can chant without any offense. Let my chanting now become perfect. Keep begging and begging and begging, and that will help you move forward to that day when pure chanting becomes fully manifest. Let's see how many people we have tuned in right now. Not very popular today. Usually we have like 60 today, only 44. We want to get the whole world tuned in, that's our goal. At least the whole English-speaking world. That'd be our big dream, get the whole English-speaking world to join. Finally, I have 44 million. That's my desire. That's my undeserved desire, to have millions and millions of people to join in these classes That's my desire. To have the President of the United States tunes in every day. I have many, many undeserved desires. The Prime Minister, the President of every country. Putin, the Russian, let him tune in also. Let every leader in the whole world tune in. We have our website worldleader.com. Because this process, Prabhupada is the actual leader of the world. These teachings will lead the whole world out of chaos. Anybody who fully embraces these teachings is also popular as a powerful leader. Anyone who purely embraces these teachings, as a life and soul become a powerful leader on this planet. So, I want all of you all to become powerful leaders, world leaders, by embracing these teachings as your very life and soul in all times, places and circumstances.
Anything else? Okay, we will stop here. We thank everybody for tuning in.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.