Just Hear about Krishna

(Part -2)

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.

This is the concluding part of the transcription of a lecture delivered by HDG Srila Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj in September 2008 at Singapore on the verse 3.29.11-12.

mad-guna-shruti-maatrenaa / mayi sarva-guhaashaye
mano-gatir avicchinnaa / yathaa gangaambhaso 'mbudhau
lakshanam bhakti-yogasya / nirgunasya hy udaahrtam
ahaituky avyavahitaa / yaa bhaktih purushottame

“The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord.”

"mad-guna-shruti-maatrena, “Just hear about Me (Krishna).” This is the medicine for all our miseries. And as I told you, this is very necessary. Everywhere it should be available free of charge and that is how Prabhupada established these communities everywhere all over the world. You go anywhere, there will be some namahatta programme, some temple, somebody will be following rath yatra, somebody will be distributing prasadam, something will go on everywhere. This is Prabhupada’s mercy. And this is really a speciality of Prabhupada’s preaching and he had in one go inundated the whole planet with these things. Where can you find this type of preaching? This is real preaching. No other acarya could do it. And Prabhupada just in eleven years could inundate the whole thing. So reality is there and really the truth is, when the samsthaapaka acarya or the founder acarya passes away, the society collapses or may be in front of him, the society collapses. But here our experience is that after our acarya passed away, it is increasing. So there must be some reality into it. And day-by-day, it is increasing, it is bound to increase, provided you follow him. We don’t have to do anything else, just try to understand this verse, with the help of the equivalents. When he was with us, he was always telling that, “Please relieve me from all these duties, I have to meditate on each word.” Really he has given so nice equivalents otherwise one Sanskrit word may mean in ten different ways. Really these words give a fitting translation. Please take help and try to make the best of your human existence. And as soon as you imbibe the real knowledge through the mercy of Prabhupada, it is bound to come out from your mouth. How long you are going to contain it? To that extent, you should seriously study these things so that one day you are going to speak out. Please try to prepare. This is years’ job in a way or if you are serious, then within a day or two you can speak. Anybody really, one verse you learn and start preaching to others. Please try to do this.

There was one station master, you know. So everybody was coming and asking him how to go to Delhi. So he will point out, go to this station, change the train and take this train and go to Delhi. So many people were always inquiring from him. One day one man came and asked him, “Master have you been to Delhi?” “No”, he said. “But I know one thing, to whoever I have sent there, they are already there. I did not go.” There must be somebody who is right. So please be that station master here. Go to Goloka Vrindavan, go here, go there, I am here. (Gurudev laughs) So please try yourselves and as I told you, the goal and the process is the same. So you will also be in Goloka Vrindavan and you will be directing others to go to Goloka Vrindavan. So please make best use of this.

(Devotee leads in reading the word-to-word equivalents)

This is the way. Read the translation loudly. (Devotee leads in reading the translation and the purport)

Jai Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai. Very easy purport, you know. See the example, best example is given regarding Ganges water. And we should try to understand these things in a practical way otherwise we don’t derive any instructions for ourselves. Unless we improve our own behaviour, these slokas have no meaning really. No doubt we take advantage of chanting the vibrations but vibrations are not enough. They will not sustain long, so you have to improve yourself, the quality of life must improve. Here the example is given, appropriate – gangaambhaso 'mbudhau. The Ganges water has only one goal of existence, that is, it has to rush to the ocean. So the Ganges should not look here and there and should continue the flow rushing towards the ocean. In the meantime, we have to understand one thing. If the water of Ganges is really clean, the flow will be fast. If the water is dirty or contaminated, then the flow will be slow. It is too much dirty, then it will be stagnant. So the instruction is that, our goal of existence is to go to Krishna, always remember Him. If our life is clean, then the flow is very fast. There is a need of improving our own quality of life. At the moment, everyday, we have to go to the material world, we have to perform so many activities for our maintenance etc. So we are getting dirty all the time. Then dirty association, we have to literally force upon us, we don’t want to do it. But if you associate with the drunkards, eventually you will only start drinking and then all the inabilities of drinking will be forced upon you. So we have to save ourselves from this. Always remember the Ganges example. If the water is too dirty and it is really misleading, that water is really not useful for any purpose. At the same time, it does not remain in its own constitutional position of flowing towards the ocean. Both things are stopped.

What happened that, there was a nice river, you know. But it was very dirty by pouring all this industrial waste and etc. So the river had become completely dirty. The flow was naturally interrupted, you know. So it was not that free because of the concentrated dirt. So one boy was just walking on the bank of the river. So he saw a golden necklace in the water, you know. He said, “This is nice, I can take the golden necklace, I can go for drinking, so much drink I can have.” So he showed to so many people that, see there is a necklace there. So one man was trying to cheat him. He thought that really necklace is there. So he said, “Where is it? I cannot see it.” See, see there (the boy shows him). He (the man) was seeing already, so he tried to grab it. So that man jumped into the river. And he became completely dirty with all the industrial waste and couldn’t find the necklace. So that boy was looking and thinking, “Good that I didn’t jump. I would have been dirty and I would never find the necklace.” That man came out and again the necklace was seen there. He thought, “What is this happening?” So another man came. He (first man) said, “Do you see the necklace?” (second man responds) “Where is it?” “Yes, yes, beautiful necklace is there. I will try to cheat him“ (thought the first man). Again he jumped to take that necklace. He could not find it and he became more dirty. He tried very hard to go to the bed of the river and tried to find out something but there was no necklace to his surprise. And that boy was always seeing the necklace. And so third man came. And third man, again he (first man) showed, “See, see the necklace there!” “Yes, I am seeing the necklace” (the third man said). “Do you like it?” (asked the first man again). “Yes, I like it but it is not there”, he (third man) said. It is a reflection there and he showed the necklace was hanging on the branch of the tree. So then he jumped, climbed the tree and got the necklace. This is the result of the dirty flow. As soon as your life becomes dirty, the things which are not there, you think they are there, there. The necklace was not there at all, it was a reflection and as it is water might not have very good reflection but because the dirty water was there and it was stagnant, so the reflection was very clear. The more dirty your existence is, you will be completely misguided by the things which are not there.And that is what we are doing. Without exception, we are running towards the necklace which is only a reflection in the dirty water. Reality is not there. Somebody comes in our life like Prabhupada and he shows you, “Hey look, the real necklace is there.” Then you may get the necklace or try at least. This is how, please, remember this Ganges flow. And remember that the flow must be very clear. The water, if it is clean, then it will rush towards the ocean and then again there is another secret. While rushing, so many people are waiting to take the help of the Ganges water. I go there and take snana (bath), millions of people take snana and the Ganges does not bother about it. Let them take snana, somebody picks up a bucket and takes water, doesn’t matter. But the main flow always rushes towards the ocean. So we are useful to the people also but at the same time our flow is towards the ocean (Krishna). This is the thing to be learnt that we may be trying to be useful to everybody, we may guide them to come here. Prabhupada has tried hard to write this thing and that thing, even then his own flow was continuous. He didn’t mind in people taking advantage. This is how we should mould our life. You please do something, some fruitive activity for maintenance, you have to do. But most of the time, please try to be useful to the society in any way you can. Krishna will give you capacity. The main flow should continue. Our flow is our constitutional position; helplessly we are following the attraction of Krishna. We can’t do anything else. If you try to do anything else, it is only running after the reflection. So avoid these reflections. And reflections are more clear because your life is dirty, more dirty. And that is why the reflections are there. Again, reality is not there. Please remember these things in short and I wish you all good. Study these things. We will stop here."

I pray unto the lotus feet of Guru Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada that by their mercy and the blessings of the devotees, I may forever remember these instructions and put them into practice in this very life.

Thank you very much.

Your servant in the service of Srila Gurudev,

Svayam Prakash Krishna Das,
Singapore

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.