Appointment with Krishna 1/12

(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)

We were really very fortunate to be with Srila Gurudeva whose unlimited compassion overwhelmed us with the nectarean ocean of Krishna's names, qualities and pastimes, in spite of scorching summer. Maharaja is completely transcendental to the material atmosphere as he is fixed in transcendence. The often repeated crime by us (not a mistake) is to consider our Spiritual Master also on the same level as us on the basis of bodily conception of life. Maharaj's flight landed at 12.30 midnight and we reached home at 1.30 am. We were all in illusion that Maharaja would go to rest after blessing us and then we can also sleep nicely in the mode of ignorance. The transcendental nature of the Spiritual Master is that he always puts his disciples into inexplicable situations on account of his enigmatic personality which is non-different from the Lord. Maharaja was reciting the first two chapters of Bhagavad gita while traveling from airport to his ashram (HG Purna Prajna prabhuji’s house).


Immediately after reaching home, he told us to open the Gita and started reading chapter 3 up to chapter 5 and then started giving very strong instructions to us. Ironically none of us could recite the verse nicely. After about an hour it was 3’O clock and he instructed us to do Mangala Arati (4.30 am Indian time). We were thinking that because of late night journey and also the fact that Maharaja has traveled from Nashik to Mumbai on the same day, we should do our Mangala Arati at our house and assemble at 7.30 AM for Srimad Bhagavatam class. But Maharaja completely decimated all our mental concoction.

This is a gist of the strong dose of medicine that Maharaja gave for deeply diseased souls like me (completely bound by material modes).

"All of you have spent almost 10 years of Krishna consciousness and no one can recite even the first chapter of Srimad Bhagavad gita. This shows our quality of devotional service which is basically now a showy business. The show business can go on for only three hours and not for years. All of us should have entire Bhagavad gita in our throats or otherwise we are wasting our valuable time. Once we complete our stipulated rounds we should started churning our brain to retain this Bhagavad gita which is personified by sound, unseen by eyes and non-different from Krishna Himself. Please don't miss the direct contact with Lord Krishna by chanting, reciting slokas with translations which is also as absolute like having darshan. Chanting Hare Krishna mantra or Gayatri Mantra is a direct appointment with Krishna. This chanting should be done peacefully and sincerely. Simply mumbling of the mantra is not good. Why are you trying to do only chanting, because, it is the easiest. Chanting alone is not enough. The intelligence and mind needs to be engaged in vibration and remembrance of Srimad Bhagavad gita and Srimad Bhagavatam or otherwise we will become more rotten. Already we are rotten on account of material modes. This will aggravate our already rotten condition. This engagement of vibrating the transcendental vibrations will make the mind and intelligence fully occupied and thereby provides a good scope for mental equilibrium. Suppose if you have an appointment with some doctor or whoever for urgent disease or business, how much careful and sincere are you in the appointment. In the same way the transcendental vibrations are direct appointment with Krishna. Don’t miss this appointment. If your miss then you will glide down to lower species of life and it becomes very difficult to come back to this illuminated form of existence. Please come to sanity with Srila Prabhupada or otherwise we will become insane. (Already we are in an atmosphere which is surcharged with insanity).



Maharaja was enlightening us on the verse in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.25,26.



maa bhaista vibudha-sresthaah

sarvesaam bhadram astu vah

mad-darsanam hi bhutaanaam

sarva-sreyopapattaye

jnaatam etasya dauraatmyam

daiteyaapasadasya yat

tasya saantim karisyaami

kaalam taavat pratiksata

"The voice of the Lord vibrated as follows: O best of learned persons do not fear! I wish all good fortune to you. Become My devotees by hearing and chanting about Me and offering Me prayers, for these are certainly meant to award benedictions to all living entities. I know all about the activities of Hiranyakashipu and shall surely stop them very soon. Please wait patiently until that time."

Srila Prabhupad's Purport - "The vibration of the Lord's voice appeared in the presence of all the devotees, and although the person vibrating the sound was unseen to them, they were meeting or seeing the Lord because they were offering prayers and because the vibration of the Lord was present. Contrary to the laws of the material world, there is no difference between seeing the Lord, offering prayers and hearing the transcendental vibration."

Maharaja was emphasizing the word - "mad darshanam" in the above verse where in Lord Krishna says - "seeing Me" (or offering of prayers to Me or hearing about Me, all of which are absolute). “Chanting and hearing are the direct appointment with the Lord. How can we miss this very important appointment? In spite of knowing these things for so many years we do not want to take this appointment very seriously. Who is preventing us from taking this appointment?

Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental purport is very clear in front of us. This verse is same as 1.6.25. This is how we should churn our intelligence to take out from Srimad Bhagavatam. Every word of Srimad Bhagavatam gives ocean of knowledge and every word has to be meditated upon. When are we going to do it? Why are we procrastinating it? Don't be a dirgha sutri. Lord Krishna runs away from a dirgha sutri as it is sign of mode of ignorance.”

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.