Humility

Humility

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

“Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest;

even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth

—all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.”

Srila Prabhupada lectured on these verses for several days in India once. He stressed that the main qualification is attachment to Lord Krsna, and that with that the others become useful. But then he discussed at length the importance of humility.

Lord Krsna is akincana gocara. He is the friend of the humble person. Someone in passion and ignorance cannot become humble. But brahmana, who is in goodness, can, and this is one of the great hallmarks of the brahmanas — humility.

Janmaisvarya sruta sribhir.

This knowlede has to be received from the dhiras. Those who have controlled their senses. They are the real heroes. Srila Prabhupada talked about heroes: “Every living entity is a hero in two ways. When he is a victim of the illusory energy, he works as a great hero in the material world, as a great leader, politician, businessman, industrialist, etc., and his heroic activities contribute to the material advancement of civilization.

One can also become a hero by being master of the senses, a gosvami. Material activities are false heroic activities, whereas restraining the senses from material engagement is great heroism.

However great a hero one may be in the material world, he can be immediately conquered by the lumps of flesh and blood known as the breasts of women. In the history of material activities there are many examples, like the Roman hero Antony, who became captivated by the beauty of Cleopatra.”

From previous verse was idea of ignorance being bad, but so-called knowledge being worse — example of giving a person enough rope to hang himself.

Srila  Prabhupada gives Ravana as an example of someone who couldn’t understand because of lack of humility.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s great contributions are manifold. One of the greatest is Nama Hatta. He set up the Nama hatta. It had as commodities:

1. The holy name.
2. The holy name related to the Lord’s form.
3. “““qualities
4. …………………………..pastimes
5. ………………………..bhava
6. …………………………..prema

You could buy sraddha for 1 cent, Nistha for 5 cents, ruci for 20 cents, asakti for 25 cents, bhava for a dollar, and prema for a gold coin.

He had various venues: bazaars — holy places or temples, shops — small centres with a few members, travelling salesmen, sales agents or brokers who would bring interested people to the shops or bazaars.

No false currency accepted, otherwise you automatically get namabhasa and not the pure name.

Different posts:

1. The leaders who make policy decisions
2. The market reporter.
3. Scale operator who checks the payments.
4. Keeper of the keys to all the doors to all the different departments selling the different forms of the name
5. Labourers- who deliver the goods
6. Watchman who checks to see if anyone is trying to steal the name.
7. Bookkeeper
8. Janitor.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thäkura took the role of janitor. Keeping the place clean.

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