Sankarshan Das: Srimad Bagavatham 4th Canto, chapter 20, Text10.

parityakta- gunah samyag

darsano visadasayah

santim me samavasthanam

brahma kaivalyam asnute

parityakta-gunah - one who is disassociated from the material modes of nature; Let’s try again. One who is disasociated from the material modes of nature; samyak-equal; darsanah-whose vision; visada-uncontaminated; asayah-whose mind or heart; santim-peace; me-My; samavasthanam-equal situation; brahma-spirit; kaivalyam-freedom from material contamination; asnute-achieves.

Sankarshan Das:Translation and purport by His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.

Translation: When the heart is cleansed of all material contamination, the devotee's mind becomes broader and transparent and he can see things equally. At that stage of life there is peace and one is situated equally with Me as sac-cit-ananda-vigraha.

Purport: The Mayavada conception of kaivalya and that of the Vaisnava community is different. The Mayavadi thinks that as soon as one is free from all material contamination, he is merged into the existence of the Supreme. The Vaishnava philosopher's conception of kaivalya is different. He understands both his position and the position of the Supreme Personality of God. In the uncontaminated position, the living entity understands that he is the eternal servitor of the Supreme, and that is called Brahman realization, the spiritual perfection of the living entity. This rapport is very easily achieved. As stated in Bhagavad-gita when one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is immediately situated on the transcendental platform of kaivalya, or Brahman.

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: When the heart is cleansed of all material contamination, the devotee's mind becomes broader and transparent and he can see things equally. At that stage of life there is peace and one is situated equally with Me as sac-cit-ananda-vigraha. This reminds me of what Prabhupada explained in the Isopanisad. One should not be happy or distressed over desirables and undesirables, knowing that such feelings are just created by the mind. So, when one sees things equally, he sees happiness and distress as the same thing. There is no difference between being happy or distressed because it is the feelings of the mind. In other words, in such a state, one just keeps transcendental happiness. So, the devotee is not interested in the happiness of this world, profit, adoration and distinction. He sees these things as enemies actually, running after profit, adoration and distinction. They are enemies of the living entity. The Living entity should only be running after devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna also confirms this point of equanimity in Bhagavad Gita chapter 2, text 14.

matra-sparsas tu kaunteya

sitosna-sukha-duhkh-dah

agamapayino ‘nityas

tams titiksasva bharata 

the appearance and disappearance of, one should not be happy or disturbed by the desirables and undesirables. Now that's a long thought. The appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. See how they go. The non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of the winter and summer seasons. One must learn to tolerate them, O son of Bharatha, without being disturbed. This is an art devotees have to learn. How to see everything equally. How to not become depressed or elated over happiness, over desirables and undesirables? How to see everything as the mercy of Krishna? Actually, Krishna is unlimitedly merciful. It's not that Krishna is sometimes kind and sometimes cruel. Krishna is always unlimitedly merciful. That's His nature. He's an ocean of unlimited mercy. So, we have to see Krishna in that way, not see Him in some mundane way. We have to see Krishna through the eyes of the scripture. Shastra caksus. Some of the people think, well, God is being very cruel to me right now. But there's no such thing. God is never cruel. God has unlimited loving mercy upon all living entities. The difficulty we have is we don't know how to reciprocate that mercy. That's why we're suffering, actually. And we come to the point of actually reciprocating that loving mercy of the Lord, we will not be elated or depressed over the desirable or undesirable. Whether I'm healthy, whether I'm sick, whether I'm wealthy, whether I'm poor, whether I'm being glorified, whether I'm being chastised, the body of the Lord sees everything equally. He doesn't become overwhelmed by the material modes of nature. He rises beyond the material nature. That's the key. Material modes of nature are always up and down, bouncing up and down. Different modes, sattva guna, rajo guna, tamo guna, always bouncing, bouncing up and down like a wave in the ocean. The devotee becomes transcendental to the modes of nature, that's the position to be in, beyond the modes of nature. Is situated in remembering that amazing personality. It is like we are singing that Jai Radha Madhava, Jamuna tira vanachari.I am just meditating as I was singing that. Just trying to visualize Krishna on the bank of the Jamuna River, meditating on an amazing personality, all powerful, all beautiful, all wealthy, all famous, all renounced. So, when will that day come when we can actually awaken our Krishna consciousness? Kabe habe bolo se dina amar When oh when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will Your mercy shine? Actually, the Lord's mercy is always shining, but we're not tasting it, we're not seeing it. We're not experiencing it. Not experiencing it. Why? We're lusty, we're angry, we're greedy, we have all these contaminations of our heart. So, we have to get beyond the contamination. And then flush it all out, get all that, all the stool and urine and all those lust angers flushed and get rid of it. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare As long as we continue to misidentify with these material bodies, we are bound to feel the effect of the modes. This bodily identification roots us or chains us to being affected by the modes of nature. We have to kick out this bodily consciousness

dehino ‘smin yatha dehe

kaumaram yauvanam jara

tatha dehantara-praptir

dhiras tatra na muhyati 

the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age. The soul similarly passes in another body from time of death. The self-realized person has not been good about such a change. How can we get rid of this bodily consciousness? You know the trick, how to do it? You know how to get rid of it? By absorption and devotion. As long as I'm trying to be the enjoyer of this material world, I'm going to be rooted and identified with his flesh and blood. The key is we have to get out of this mood of trying to enjoy this material world. We have to see, let me engage everything in Krishna's service. Everything. Mind, mind, tongue, belly, everything engaged in the service of Krishna. That's the key. If we continue to engage in sense gratification, we're going to stay caught up in the cycle of birth and death, one material body, another material body, after another material body. Do you want another material body? Do you want to take birth again in the material world? Do you want to get out of this hellish nightmare? I don't even know what I want anymore. The thing is we're not very intelligent. We keep desiring the sense gratification. That's the problem. We're very foolish. Instead of seeing through the eyes of scripture, we see through the eyes of the internet. Or Google, or whatever. We don't see through the eyes of the internet or Google or whatever. We don't see through the eyes of the scriptures. We see through the eyes of CNN. That's the problem. Instead of CNN consciousness we need Krishna consciousness. So how are we going to get free? That is why we have to hear the Bhagavatam, that is why we have to read Prabhupada books, that is why we have to study these amazing verses. Today I was really focusing on Bhagavad Gita chapter 6, text number 30, amazing verse.

yo mam pasyati sarvatra

sarvam ca mayi pasyati

tasyaham na pranasyami

sa ca me na pranasyati. 

The one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I'm never lost, and they weren’t lost to Me. So that's the way you have to do. so how can we develop that ability? See Krishna everywhere. The Bhagavat Gita helps us. Iam the taste of water, I am the sound of ether, I am the syllable Om, the Vedic mantra, and I am the light of the sun, the ability of man. Krishna appears as one of the prasadams, as one of the Deities. We have to learn. That's also Krishna, the sound and ether. That was Krishna. We have to learn to see everything, how to see Krishna everywhere, everything within Krishna. This whole material world is Krishna's manifested energy. It didn't come out of Darwinism or this or that or some big bang. It's all Krishna's manifested energy. He is emanating as Krishna from Himself for the purpose of rectifying the conditioned souls who are foolishly trying to enjoy independently. Giving a facility, alright, you might enjoy independently, here is a place where you can go and try to enjoy and realize that actually you can only enjoy separately. We have to realize that it is not possible to enjoy a separately from Krishna. It's not possible. Like a fish out of the water. Can a fish be happy on the land? Is it possible? No, it cannot be happy on the land. The kind soul picks up that fish and tosses it back in the water. That's the spiritual master. You see the living entity suffering in the material world, and he's going to pick him up and toss him back in the water. The spiritual master engages in the service of Krishna. That's why the spiritual master has to be respected and obeyed. Krishna says,

tad viddhi pranipatena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānam

jñāninas tattva-dārṣinah 

He says, try to learn the truth by approaching the spiritual master, inquire from him submissively, render service unto him, the self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. So, some people think, well I don't need a guru to be Krishna conscious, I can be Krishna conscious on my own. That means they are not obeying Krishna. How can you be Krishna conscious if you don't obey Krishna? Is that possible? Well, I am going to be Krishna conscious but I am not going to obey Krishna. Good luck on your Krishna consciousness sir. You might not disobey Krishna and be Krishna conscious. Being Krishna conscious means

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami ma sucah 

we can fully surrender to Krishna and follow Krishna's instructions. It's like Arjuna. It's like all these great Vaishnavas. What made them great Vaishnavas? Because they were obedient to Krishna. Krishna is giving us so many instructions, but you have to follow these amazing, amazing Krishna's instructions. This will liberate us from all the difficulties in material existence. As long as we think, well I'll do it on my own, I'm not going to follow what Krishna says or what Guru says, I'll just do this on my own. Good luck. You remain a slave of maya, slave of sense gratification. The material energy is not a pleasant place to be entangled in. It means you get sick; you get old, you die again and again and again. Some devotees are caught up in sense gratification, they are addicted to it, they can't give it up. That's foolishness, you see. I may have an attraction for sense enjoyment, I may have this addiction, but if I give in to that urge, what's the problem? I'm a slave of my senses. Goswami means who's master of the senses. Now, only the Sanyasis are supposed to be Goswami? Everybody else can be a Godas? No. Every devotee, a Brahmachari, a Grhastha, a Vanaprastha, every Sannyasi, every devotee must be a Goswami. You must control your senses, the mind, words, and your tongue, bowel and genital. Everything must, indriya seva doesn't cut it. Serving your senses doesn't work, it keeps you a slave of maya. You have to give up serving your senses. You have to serve the master of the senses, Rishikesh. If you serve the master of the senses, you become a liberated soul. If you continue to serve your senses, you become a slave of maya. So why is it that some devotees are so foolish, even though they know it's not good they give in to sense gratification. Even though they know it's wrong why do they do it? Because they're addicted to it. So how do you give up an addiction? You have to by force say okay senses I know you want sense gratification but too bad you're not going to get it. I'm not going to let you have it. You have to be heavy. You want to become a master of your senses, you have some addiction, you have to be heavy. No, you're not going to have it. I don't care if you want illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, gambling, you can't have it. Some devotees are very, very loose. They think, well, I don't really have to follow all the principles. Well, the job I work at, you know, I'm supposed to serve meat to the kids. I work in the kindergarten; I serve them meat. And I can't, since I was trained to be a school teacher, I really have to keep working as a school teacher to earn a livelihood. So, it's okay I'll be a devotee and I'll serve meat to the kids. That means they're more interested in what's convenient for me. They're saying they're inconvenient. Well, it'd be inconvenient for me to take up another livelihood that I wasn't trained in when I went to school. It'd be difficult. So, I just go ahead and work as a school teacher, a kindergarten teacher, and I give out, I give meat to the kids. It's part of my job, what can I do? It's my job. I think it's not necessary for me to give it up. I'll be a devotee and I'll serve. You see how lazy that mentality is, how lazy. You have to be heavy with yourself. No, my dear mind, I know you're trying to be a kindergarten teacher, but you can't work in that situation you have to serve meat where you can't be serving meat for people. You have to find some another occupation even though it is an inconvenience for you. Devoting means I am willing to accept all inconveniences myself. What is convenient for Krishna? My own inconvenience I am willing to accept my own inconvenience. Not convenient for me to get up for the Mangalarati every day. It is inconvenient to go to sleep in. So being a devotee means I have to accept that it's inconvenient for me, it's an austerity for me. That's what I have to do. I'm just being willing to accept austerity. There are a lot of other austerities I just want to enjoy, but here's the point. If you accept Brahmachari ashram, I accept austerity. You may enter the realm of transcendental enjoyment. One has to have that intellectual understanding. By embracing austerity, I actually give up all difficulties. See, the biggest austerity is birth, death, old age and disease. That's the big austerity I'm going through right now. The horrible austerity. I'm forced to suffer this austerity. So, by taking some other austerities like rising early in the morning, not working in a job where I have to serve meat to the kids, by embracing some minor austerities you overcome the greatest austerity. So, it’s a matter of being intelligent. It's a matter of seeing through the eyes of the scripture and understanding things not according to my mental whims but according to the vision of the great Vaishnava acharya. Let's look at this verse again. When the heart is cleansed of all material contamination, that's the lust, the anger, the greed, the madness, the illusion, the envy. So, we get free by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. giving up the sinful activities, not contaminating the heart anymore by sinful activities and purifying it. We have all this contamination for millions of lifetimes in the material world, but actually one pure chanting of Hare Krishna can purify you from more sins than you can commit even in millions and billions of lifetimes. That's how powerful this mantra is. We have to learn how to chant offenselessly without any offense. It's very important we learn how to have the proper mood in chanting. Not to be inattentive, not to be offensive to the Vaishnavas, to be obedient to the spiritual master. All of these things are very important if we want to chant offenselessly the holy name. The more we can purify our chanting, the more we purify our heart, the more we cleanse the heart of all this dirt accumulated years and years together. So, we should take pure chanting of the holy name as my most important activity every day. My japa is my most important activity every day. It's my every day I should complete my rounds. Of course, if you don't finish on one day you can finish on the next, but don't make that a normal habit. The easiest way to do it is don't allow yourself to take prasadams, you get your rounds done. That's the easiest way to make sure you get your rounds done. No prasadam to get your rounds done. Of course, it's not a hard and fast rule. But that's something that 1 could do. To make sure that one gets one's rounds done. No prasadam to my rounds of friends. The next thing, the devotee's mind becomes broader. Broad minded. What does that mean to be broad-minded? Well, it's the opposite of being narrow-minded. What does narrow-minded mean? It means you don't see things as they are. You see things according to your own mental concoctions. So, we have to say, okay mind, you've been misleading me long enough for millions and millions of births, taking me from one body to another body to another body. My dear mind, now no longer will I be your slave. bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana abhaya-caraṇāravinda re My dear mind, please now engage yourself in the devotional service of the Divine sound of Nanda Maharaj. When you actually focus your mind on Krishna, focus your mind on Krishna, bring the ok mind, come back,

yato yato niscalati

mana cancalam asthiram

tatas tato niyamyaitad

atmany eva vasam nayet, 

from whatever and wherever the mind wanders, due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self. That means to fix it on Krishna. Under the control of the self means to fix on Krishna consciousness. Now the yogis they may say to make the mind still, to make the mind quiet, but the mind's nature is to be active. You can't turn off your mind. Your mind is always going to be active. You can't just say, okay, mind, flip it off. You can't flip off your mind. Your mind is going to go with you birth after birth after birth, mind is always there. Therefore, you have to fix the mind on Krishna. That's how you become liberated, that's how you become broad minded. Because when you see through Krishna, when your mind sees everything, when your mind is fixed on Krishna, that means you see everything through the eyes of the scripture. And when you see through the eyes of the scripture, then you see things as they are. What does Krishna say? What does Krishna say? He says, in verse 2, he says, "...beyond this one comes enlightenment and knowledge which is beyond..." very nice point, I give the whole verse because one achieves that knowledge but beyond which there is nothing further to be known. When you actually see things through the eyes of Krishna consciousness, through the scriptures, then everything is, then you become perfect in your seeing, sees everything perfectly. When you see through the eyes of scripture, you see everything perfectly. So let us not be slaves of maya, keeping our minds fixed on sense gratification. They say, okay mind, I've given you liberty for millions of births and you can go wherever you want and that's how you've kept me entangled here in the cycle of birth and death. But now it's time for you to get serious and to take to bhakti yoga as your only business. Give up all your nonsense and now become fully absorbed in Krishna. This is where you belong, my dear mind. My dear mind, please now engage yourself in the devotional service of the Divine son of Nanda Maharaj. So why should we do anything else? Is there any reason we should do something else besides pure devotional service? Can anybody give a reason why we should do something else besides pure devotional service? Do you have any reason to do something beyond pure devotional service? Anybody here on the internet? Do you have any reason to do something beyond the devotional service? No one can give any reason. But even though we can't give any reason, still we go after it. Isn't that stupid? Isn't that asinine? Even though we can't give any reason to do anything beyond devotional service, we keep doing it. It's unreasonable, but we keep doing it. A little bit of Krishna, a little bit of Maya, a little bit of Krishna, a little bit of Maya, a little bit of Krishna, a little bit of Maya. We haven't made our own minds, like a windshield wiper, going back and forth, going back and forth. Krishna consciousness, sense gratification. Krishna consciousness, sense gratification. When are we going to make the mind still fixed at the lotus feet of Krishna? That's what we have to come to. What does that verse say? yo ’ntaḥ-sukho ’ntar-ārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṁ brahma-bhūto ’dhigacchati one whose happiness is within, who rejoices in his action, and is active within, whose mind is focused inward, is liberated in the Supreme and ultimately attained the Supreme. It is a very nice purport that that verse Prabhupada explained that one who is actually Krishna consciousness and he can sit in any place, can silently sit in any place and relish the pleasure within. Can you imagine just sitting in any place and relishing the pleasure within? What does that mean? It means Krishna, the gopis, the cowherd boys, the cowherd girls, the Jamuna River, all that is there within. Pastimes of Krishna are happening right now and one can meditate on those pastimes as good as being in the pastimes. So, Krishna conscious person can be in any situation. He can be riding on a train, he can be sitting in a temple room, in any situation. He can be flying in an airplane; he can be in any situation. Diving down the street, in any place he relishes the pleasure within. He sees everything in relation with Krishna. He says, well, this city I'm driving through right now, Austin, Texas, or Connors, Lithuania, wherever it is, this is Krishna's expanded energy. This is His pastime of facilitating the fallen souls, to give them the facility to enjoy separately and at the same time the facility to come back. So, the devotee can see everything in relation to Krishna. So that's called Krishna consciousness. The more we chant purely, the more we hear, the more we serve nicely, whatever service we've been asked to do, whatever service needs to be done. The more we can be absorbed in serving, the more we can actually become reconnected with our actual identities as spiritual beings. 

Anybody have any questions?

Kaspers: Will you still accept me if I get serious?

Sankarshan Das: I'm not rejecting anyone. I'm automatically accepting anybody who is serious to become Krishna's pure devotee. There's a famous lecture by Tamala Krishna, it's called, It's time to get serious. It's time to get serious right now. Right now, is the time to get serious about becoming Krishna's pure devotee, qualified to see Krishna face to face.

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-

laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam

laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam

govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami 

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose tending of cows and abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purposed trees, and always serving with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of Lakshmi's or Gopis. Time to connect with that person. Krishna is not a myth. God is not a myth. God is more concrete than anything else that exists. He is the most concrete, real, absolute thing in all of existence. Because He is the source of all existence.

The question from Lithuania.

Mandagas: listening together 3 classes and asking what is self-realization?

Sankarshan Das:Self-realization means to understand what is the self. The first step in realization is to understand I am not this body. First thing is negation. What I am not. Right now, we are caught up in false identification with the material body. These eyes, nose, tongue, belly, we think this is me. It is not you. So, the first step in self-realization is to understand I'm not this body. First step, not this body. And if I'm not something then what am I? Because I know that I can experience that I exist. I have consciousness. I know that I exist because I am conscious of my existence. So, what is my actual identity then? My actual identity is an eternal spiritual being, qualitatively one with the Lord. It's like a drop of ocean water has the same quality as the entire ocean. The same chemical composition is there in the drop that you find in the entire ocean. You know the quantity is different. You can flood a battleship on the ocean but you can't flood a battleship in a drop of ocean water. The qualitative is one. So, self-realization means understand I am eternal, I am full of knowledge, I am full of bliss. That's my actual identity. So how do I then become self-realized? That's the process of Krishna consciousness, the process of bhakti yoga. By chanting Hare Krishna, I'm giving up illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, gambling, by accepting a bona fide spiritual master, becoming obedient to the spiritual master. These activities help me become liberated from false identification with matter and to actually awaken my spiritual consciousness, my Krishna consciousness, my identity as a spiritual being. So that in a nutshell is self-realization.

Now we have more questions. Let's see what we got here.

Jagadeeshwar: Some devotees say that every service is absolute. So, they tend to skip chanting their prescribed rounds daily, even if they are initiated.

Sankarshan Das: This means they are nama aparadhi. They're disobeying the order of the spiritual master to chant 16 rounds. Disobeying the order of the spiritual master means you are an offender against the holy name, nama aparadhi. So, if they are nama aparadhi that means they are not connecting with Krishna. That means all of their service is defective. If you are nama aparadhi, you say, well, I will take prasadam instead of chanting because service is absolute. That means everything you are doing is offensive. Service is absolute, that is true, but you have absolute quality. You obey the orders of the spiritual master; you obey the orders of Krishna. Satatam kirta yanto mam, always stand in my glory. Spiritual masters minimize it, okay, since you can't chant constantly Hare Krishna, at least 16 rounds a day. So, they are nama-aparadhis. They are not connected with a spiritual master, they are not connected with Srila Prabhupada, they are not connected with Krishna, they are just following their own mental whims, which means they will stay in the cycle of birth and death, even if they are initiated. So many initiated people have gone away. And they're not going back to Godhead. If you don't surrender the order of the spiritual master, you're not going to be inclined to remember Krishna at the time of death. You're not remembering Krishna now. You're not surrendering to Krishna now. So, what do you think is going to happen at the time of death? You think something is better than surrendering to Krishna. So, at the time of death, you also think there's something better than surrendering to Krishna. You would stay in the cycle of birth and death.

Sadhu Bhushana: Your Grace, spoke about cleansing of the heart from impurity but can it happen in an environment where devotees don't keep their words?

Sankarshan Das: Sadhu Bhushana, if you can keep your word, you're in good shape. If you're in a situation where devotees or neophytes are committing so many offenses, you should be a powerful spiritual leader. What Prabhupada said, if one chants the holy name without offense, he becomes Jagadguru and under his influence the whole world takes up chanting Hare Krishna. So, if you are in the association of neophyte devotees who are not keeping their initiation vows, who are not being honest, committing so many offenses, you should be their leader. You should be so pure in your own chanting that you inspire them to give up their nonsense and become pure chanters.

Kirtan Devi Dasi: As the soul and mind are different, then what happens to the mind after liberation?

Sankarshan Das: One keeps one's mind, but his or her mind is purely absorbed in Krishna consciousness 24 hours a day. Liberated souls, they have minds in the spiritual world, they have minds, they don't become mindless robots. They have minds, but their minds are fully absorbed in Krishna 24 hours a day without deviations.

Bhakta Sunil: Is it true that hearing Krishna katha is the best way to meditate in the pastimes of Lord Krishna?

Sankarshan Das: That's one of the ways. Another way is to read Prabhupada's books. Pick up the Krishna book and start reading. So many amazing, amazing pastimes. There, just read, you can hear, you can read. Reading is also silent. Reading is silent hearing.

Kirtan Devi Dasi: Another spiritual mind is the same mind.

Sankarshan Das: It's the same mind. Not that you lose your mind, you keep your mind, it's completely pure. Right now, your mind is contaminated, but that same mind will become completely purified when you go back to the spiritual world.

Anybody else, have some questions about our audience here?

Local Devotee: Yeah, I was wondering, it's like mentally exhausting not being engaged mentally in devotional service. Like, so I'm wondering, why is it that we're recommended, at least me, I'm recommended to stay here rather than somewhere where it's easier, like somewhere in India where everybody's engaged in service and everywhere you look there's Krishna. Like me, I'm such a neophyte, anywhere I look I'm so attracted to maya and it causes so much strain on the mind.

Sankarshan Das:  Prabhupada saw this because he was moving all over the world. He said, he personally ordered me, make all Austin centre a grand success. So, by leaving the holy Dham and coming out of the holy Dham, but actually this place is as good as Vrindavan. Radha and Damodar are here. We have advanced devotees like Gurumataji here. This place is as good as Vrindavan. So, learn to be in Vrindavan wherever you are. It's a matter of your consciousness being fixed. Even in Vrindavan you sometimes have to go to Delhi or go to Mathura to do some shopping or whatever. Go to some mundane. Even in Vrindavan we have to go down to the market to buy something, you know, dealing in a material way. Even in Vrindavan you have to deal with material things. So, we have to learn how to be in Vrindavan. When the mind is fixed on Krishna, you are in Vrindavan. So, learn to be in Vrindavan constantly. Prabhupada is, if you think of me, I am there. I just remember Prabhupada. I have Prabhupada with me. I have the best association, Srila Prabhupada. You think of me, I am there. So, you have Prabhupada's association. When you have Prabhupada's association, you have Bhakti Siddhanta, Gaura Kishore Das Babaji, Bhakti Vinod Thakur, six Goswami You have everything. It's just a matter of tuning in. Tune in, turn on, and bliss out. If you're not tuned in, you're gonna have trouble. You are in Vrindavan Dham. You'll have problems. What do you think?

Local Devotee: Yeah, that makes sense.

Sankarshan Das: All right, let's see what else we got here.

Neelam Rana: Today I have done 14 rounds and 2 rounds before going to sleep.

Sankarshan Das: Very good. Thank you, Neelam Rana.

Neelam Rana:  What is your condition to accept me?

Sankarshan Das: Okay, here's the condition of being, you must chant 16 rounds every day without fail, and you must strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, and intoxication and gambling. If you do that, I'll accept you. According to the protocol, if you get recommended by the local Temple President, then I'll accept you as my disciple, formally initiated. 

Chinmaya Vikasa from Mumbai.

Chinmaya Vikasa:  How to make children inclined to listen to Krishna katha? My husband is a devotee.

Sankarshan Das: Actually, if you just say, okay kids, now we're going to hear some stories from Krishna book. Children love to hear stories. Just give them an opportunity, you can sit down and read Krishna books to them. And they'll become fascinated. If you can get them engaged in hearing the Krishna book, the stories of Krishna, they'll become fascinated. And every day they'll be saying, Mommy, Mommy, when can I hear some Krishna stories again? Just sit them down and read Krishna books with them. Actually, they have more of a tendency, they're more inclined to hear than we are, actually, because they're more innocent.

Dhrishtadyumna and sarva-mangala: While chanting, mind doesn't stop thinking. Can we think of the memories of spiritual master or pastimes of Krishna?

Sankarshan Das: Now just fix your mind on the holy name. Other things come automatically; other spiritual thoughts come automatically. That's nice. But bring your mind back to the sound of the holy name. 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Chinmaya Vikasa: Of Hanumanji and my elder son is mostly incontinent in Hanumanji than Krishna.

Sankarshan Das: I guarantee you if you start reading Krishna book stories, you will become addicted to Krishna.

Panchatattva Das:  Kindly enlighten how to understand. Take Vrndavana heart that mentions spiritual discourse kindly guide me.

Sankarshan Das: Well, But Krishna wherever there is Krishna Vrndavana is automatically there. So, if you meditate on Krishna, you are already in Vrindavan. What's the difficulty to understand? Wherever there is Krishna, Vrindavan, if you have Krishna, you take shelter, my dear Lord Krishna, please bless me now I can take full shelter of You from my every thought, word and deed in all times, places and circumstances. You are in Vrindavan automatically. If you sincerely pray in that way, begging for pure devotional service, Vrindavan is immediately, you are immediately in Vrindavan.

Chinmaya Vikasa: Thank you very much.

Sankarshan Das:Anything else? Any complaints? Any corrections? Any realizations anyone would like to share? Well, I realize this, I realize that. Here we have, Sahil Jale.

Sahil Jale:  How can I be fully absorbed in service?

Sankarshan Das: Well, ask devotees to look for what service needs to be done. It's like we have to cook offerings to Krishna. We can't eat food without offering to Krishna. So, when you cook food, let me think, how can I make this very nice for Krishna? Let me make the kitchen very clean also. Take up activities like cleaning, cooking, or going out and distributing books, or going to Harinam Sankirtan. Take some service and try to perfect it. Let me try to perfect the art of book distribution, or perfect the art of playing the mrdanga, playing the karatal. Whatever you're doing, try to perfect it, make it perfect. And that will, by praying, whatever you're doing, you try to do it perfectly, that will absorb you in service.

Casper: what happens to me if I love you, but not I follow strictly?

Sankarshan Das: That means you don't really love me. Your love is a show, a false show. Your love is seen by how strictly you follow the instructions of the spiritual master. That's how your love will be seen. Otherwise, it's on the lips, called lip service, lip service love, not real love. Love means obedience.

Okay? Anything else? Anything else from anybody? Look at the verse again. Look at the verse again. When the heart is cleansed of all material contamination, the devotee's mind becomes broader and transparent and he can see things equally. At that stage of life there is peace and one is situated equally with Me and Sat-cit-ananda vigraha. So, we have to become very serious now about becoming free of all this contamination. This contamination is the cause of all our anxieties. We have a tendency to think our anxiety is due to the external situations. But that's not true. We have to kick out this idea that my anxieties are because of, well, because, you know, I lost my job or my, you know, my wife wants to divorce me or, you know, whatever. We have a tendency to think I'm unhappy because of the external situation, I'm sick right now or I have this difficulty or that difficulty, I have a huge debt to pay off or whatever. We always tend to think my anxieties are due to the external, whether somebody is treating me in such a way, or whatever it may be. We have a tendency to think my unhappiness is due to the external situation. But that's absolutely untrue. Whatever unhappiness I'm feeling is simply due to my lack of Krishna consciousness. If I'm purely fixed in Krishna consciousness, in any situation, material situation, it doesn't matter, happiness or distress, honor or dishonor, pain and pleasure, wealth or poverty, it doesn't matter the situation externally. If I am purely faith and I must please my beloved Krishna, my beloved Lord, I must please now my beloved Lord Krishna perfectly by the way I speak, the way I think and the way I act in every situation. I have that mood I will always be in a state of unlimited bliss. I will be relishing the nectar of pure bhakti every minute. So besides pure Bhakti now we enter into what's called poison. We taste poison to whatever extent we're not absorbed in pure devotional service. So that poison is not the external situation, it is our lack of Krishna consciousness.

Yugadharma Devi Dasi: I'm having difficulty getting rid of pride. I'm begging Your Grace, please help me.

Sankarshan Das: 

trnad api sunicena

taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena

kirtanya sadahari.  

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than a straw in the street, being more respectful to everyone without expecting any respect from oneself. In such a state of mind one can chant 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. 

24 hours a day. So, you should be offering all respect to others without expecting any respect for yourself in return. Even if everyone is disrespectful to me. You understand this point? Even if everyone is disrespectful to me. You understand this point? If everybody is disrespectful to me, and I continue to be respectful to them, I will not reciprocate disrespect with disrespect. I reciprocate disrespect with respect. That's not an easy thing to do, because we're puffed up. But the tendency is if you're disrespectful to me, I'm going to be disrespectful to you, I'm going to get even with you. If you're disrespectful to me, okay, I'm going to get disrespectful to your back. That's our nature, called false ego. So, we say, okay, my false ego, you're not alive because of my dear false ego, because of you I can't relish the holy name. I'm not able to relish the holy name because I'm caught up in egotism. So, my dear false pride, now you must turn yourself off. My dear, now you must be respectful to everyone else, in all times, all places, and all circumstances, even if they are very disrespectful to you, it doesn't matter. Pay disrespect with respect. So do that,Yugadharma Devi Dasi.

Visnurata Das:  If one is not following initiation seriously, it means only one is spiritually fit.

Sankarshan Das:Visnurata so much is not following the initiation vow seriously, they are spiritually unfit. It is not that you are chanting 16 rounds, following the four regulative principles and in every other way you are disrespectful, you are not going to the mangalarati, you are being rude to the Vaishnavas by chanting my rounds and following the principles. No. Chanting your rounds means, chanting your rounds purely. Spiritual Master is ordering you become a pure chanter of the Holy Name. Not that you can .. it offensively and be properly fit in Krishna consciousness.

Okay, let's see what else we got here. Gabriel from Lithuania.

Gabriel: I also heard that you can't become humble and chant Hare Krishna and become humble.

Sankarshan Das:Chanting Hare Krishna will help you. But you have to chant it purely, not that you can chant offensively. Offensive chanting will not last. You won't get a taste. You chant offensively, you give up your chanting in due course of time because you won't get any taste. So, you want to get delivered by chanting Hare Krishna you have to learn how to chant without any offense. In that way you can keep chanting 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, 100 years. You can keep chanting because you're trying to chant purely without any offense.

Anything else? Everybody's ready now to end the class? Any questions? Any complaints? So, if there's nothing else, we can stop here. We thank everybody for tuning in. 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. 

Srila Prabhupada ki Jai.