Lecture in Ljubljana from 26.06.1999

Lecture in Ljubljana from 26.06.1999

Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Gosvāmī

“What shall I do? How can I come out from this sin, so much sin that I have committed? At the time of my death, I have to suffer.”

And that suffering now he can neutralize as if… bring now. Because Nārada’s words, it acted like an injection.

Now he says: “What is the remedy, what shall I do?”

“If you want remedy, you break that bow and throw it.”

“If I break that, then who will maintain my family? Daily I do this business and whatever income I maintain my family.”

“I will maintain!”

“Then immediately he broke it and threw it.”

“Then what shall I do?”

“You sit here and do Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma. And daily food I will send to you.”

So, in truth, within a minute such a cruel animal-like he who used to kill too big animals. No heart, such a cruel fellow, a hunter, now he became a devotee. Repentance has come to him.

Then he followed his guru what he said he’d do it, and said, and began to repeat Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma. And it is, sunset time has come. This fellow never returned home. And all of their family members were anxious. The villagers all anxious. They were surviving on the kill of big animals, when they die.

So, they came to this spot where he came. He was doing:

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

They asked: “Why? What is this? What is this?”

“This is the mantra given by my Guru. Now I follow him and do that mantra.”

“Have you taken food?”

“No, I don’t want food. He said he will send me food.”

And what they will do. “I am not going to do this business again. I will never hunt. I will never kill, and kill animals.”

Then they argued him. “No argument I am going to hear. My guru has said, I have to. Because I want to save myself. By killing animals I protect you. That is a great sin that I commit. Who is responsible to destroy my sin? My guru is responsible. He has told me that you break, break it and throw it and sit here, do nāmam. So I am doing nāmam.”

Then they sat. “Oh, he is our villager and let us once in a week, one house should give food to him.”

And they have to threw it… could get food daily and do his nāmam. He said: “Not more. This must be off bring. I don’t want any more food. Not the, vegetable food.”

So, he was doing nāmam.

And after one year passed Nārada. And with a ṛṣi was coming, ṛṣi. And that ṛṣi, Nārada‘s. This fellow saw Nārada from a long distance. When he saw that my dear Master has come, he ran and threw his upper cloth on the ground and he offered his prostrations to him. Then the Parvata Muni asked Nārada:

“What is this? Why should he throw a cloth on the ground and after it ṣaṣṭāṅga daṇḍavats?”

Nārada said that: “Daily he used to kill big animals. Small not. Big animals. Now he is feeling for the destruction of small animals, of small creatures. Even ants or any small creature maybe walking or moving on the ground. So if he’s fallen then they will die. He is afraid of their death. Small insects. Now to throw the cloth upon it nobody would die.”

So, this is ahiṁsā. “Now, he doesn’t want to commit anything for harm to even a small insect. This is”

“How could he get this knowledge?”

Then they said: “Nara Kṛṣṇa has given that knowledge. Who is to kill, kill heartless, kill big animals, now he is afraid of a death of small insect.”

So, this is a blessing of Nārada.

And he said, Parvata Muni: “It is a blessing of you. Oh Nārada, your blessings. Otherwise how such a ferocious, how such a cruel and who has very cruel heart. He has no sympathy, nothing. But now he could get that sympathy for your grace.”

It is only the Nāmam and Divine Name can change them. If the Divine Name is in the proper process obtained from a realized soul. And if he contemplates and determines: “I am with full vigor, with full faith I will do nāmam.” Then he will do no harm to anybody. So, a devotee means a harmless creature. He will do no harm to human beings, no birds, no beasts, no insects, noneless.

He is always following ahiṁsā paramo dharma. That is ahiṁsā: one should not harm any animal, any beast, any bird, physically or mentally and quarreling also never harms. Because he follows tṛṇād api sunīcena. Because he considers himself that I am the humbler than a blade of grass. I must not harm anybody.

samohaṁ sarva bhūteṣu

Now he says:

sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau

He is not happy receiving profit and he is not unhappy when there is going any loss. So, he has no profit and no loss. He doesn’t create difference between good and bad. The good and bad; they follow him. Whatever we see in this world; the wealth. The wealth will follow him. The knowledge will follow him. The beauty will follow him. Everything should follow.

Because a devotee who can able to control the Supreme Lord through his devotion. The whole world is in the Lord’s belly. So, he is the mother. As the mother carries the child in her womb the Lord Kṛṣṇa carries the whole world in his body, in his mouth. Yaśodā asked Kṛṣṇa:

“Did you take, eat, eat earth?”

“No, no. Why should I eat earth?”

And all the boys had just speak alike, even Balarāma. They also, everybody.

“If I have taken see my mouth.”

What did she see? That whole universe in a globe in his mouth. That is:

taṁ eva mātā stāpitātmānam eva

For my mother means, what is that mother? Mother who carries the child in her womb is called mother. And the Lord carries the whole world in his womb. So he is the mother, and the father and all protection, is the father. So like that, a devotee who has submitted to the Lord:

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

Gītā says, give up all your religions and dharmas and surrender to me. Surrender means: “Oh Lord, I am yours. I have surrendered to you my body, my mind, my friends, my relations, my kitten, kids, my wealth. Whatever is mine is yours. I have nothing mine. This body also yours, my cloth also yours, the flower garland is yours, chair is yours, everything is yours. I know you, nothing else.”

The devotee when completely surrenders and says:

Amita tomār śunita āmār…aparādha dhāne (11:22 verse?)

“I am yours and you are mine. What? Nothing else I want in this world. I have no concern with anything except you. I know you. You are my father, you are my wealth, you are my brother, you are my knowledge, you are my body. Everything you are. I belong to you, and you belong to me. I am yours and you are mine.”

sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api

When Durvāsā could not get any shelter throughout fourteen worlds he went to Viṣṇu and requested the Lord, falled flattened. “Oh Lord, your Sudarśana Chakra. That Sudarśana Chakra is coming after me, wants to kill me. You please save. I am traveling for one year. Take shelter. Nobody is accepting me. And nobody is, nobody is helping me. Everybody says: ‘We cannot help, you go to Viṣṇu.’ I have come to you. It is your district. And now you can help me, you can save me.”

Then Viṣṇu said: “I cannot save you.”

“What is this, sir? If you do this, if you say this, to whom I can go and appeal? You are the supreme authority and the weapon belongs to you. If you don’t help then who will help me? You must help. So please help me.”

“No, I cannot help you but I will advise you. I advise you; where you have committed offense you please go there and offer your prayers to him. Then you will be saved.”

So, now he went to Ambarīṣa. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja who was performing ekādaśī-vrata for one year. Ekādaśī without taking the water. Even one drop of water. And daśamī once in a day, and dvādaśī once in a day. And he spends his whole time, daily also, though he was the emperor. Emperor to see the empire he has established a congress committee who will look after the administration. And he was performing yajña on the border of Yamunā river. All these ṛṣis, sages; they perform yajña.

Now his duty is from morning till night always serving the Lord Kṛṣṇa. Feeding, washing and garland preparing or doing pūjās. He is engaged in three times. All his, all his senses. He was looking the Lord with his eyes, hearing the glories of the Lord through ears, and smelling the flowers and tulasī offered at the feet of the Lord. Smelling. And taking prasād, vegetable prasād offered to Him. Those prasād he prepares. Though he was an emperor he is the servant to the Lord. “I will now.”

So, he, and he walks straight to the Lord an no cāpāls, no sandals. And held that namaskār. Everything. All his organs are engaged in the service of the Lord. Nine types of devotion:

1. śravaṇa
2. kīrtana
3. smaraṇa
4. arcana
5. vandana
6. pāda-sevana
7. dāsya
8. sakhya
9. ātma-nivedana

These nine types of devotion he only performs. One devotee performs nine types of devotion. He is called Ambarīṣa. Now Ambarīṣa was performing ekādaśī-vrata for one year. He completed that one year vrata in Mathurā. Now you go to Mathurā, on the banks of the river Yamunā. And on dvādaśī day, before that dvādaśī, he distributed all food and cloth and cows, everything he distributed. Now at last only five minutes more.

That dvādaśī tithi should not, you should not go beyond the limit of dvādaśī. When dvādaśī goes trayodaśī comes. If he takes anything that will be an offense at the feet of the Lord Viṣṇu. Now, within this five minutes the Durvāsā came. And he said: “Sir, you have come. I am fortunate. You please take bath and take prasād. I’m waiting for the time. Only five minutes”.

But he went to take bath, never returned timely.

Then he thought: “What shall I do now. If five minutes passes I have to commit offense at the feet of Lord Viṣṇu. And now if I take something without offering the guest to whom I have invited he will say that: ‘You have committed offense. I will curse you.’ Now what shall I do?”

Now he is in danger. Nobody, the counsel, so many great scholars, to tell what you can do. Then nobody could give any suggestion.

“By talking to you five minutes will be passed.”

Now he says: “I will take one drop of water and just put it on my tongue. That is pāraṇā. That drop of water will never destroy my hunger. And it is not the food. And my thirst can not be destroyed by, just by the water. Now niyama-rakṣā, that is I have kept the timely some pāraṇā. If he is late half an hour, no matter.”

Now immediately Durvāsā came and Durvāsā said: “Mahārāja! You are a kṣatriya, you are a gṛhastha, whereas I am a yogī, I am a jñānī and I am a great scholar. I had been to Brahmā in this body. You could not recognize me. You have committed offense. You promised to me food. You did not give me food and you took.”

He said: “Sir, I have not taken any food. Because you are coming late, now I should not commit offense at the feet of this vrata, Viṣṇu-vrata. So I have taken one drop of water and just I put it on my tongue. It is absorbed on the tongue only. It never entered inside the throat. Now you could excuse me.”

“No excuse. I will punish you.”

So saying he removed one yajñopavīta and threw it on the ground. There came a burning devil with a sword in hand. He wanted to kill Ambarīṣa. Going towards Ambarīṣa. Ambarīṣa with folded hands. So he is the emperor. He has got military force. Everything he has got. He can do anything. But as if he has done a great offense he was with folded hands. He was waiting there.

And that devil when he came nearer, immediately Sudarśana also came down. Sudarśana the disk. Śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, padma. Four arms. One is cakra. It is like a wheel. And that the powerful cakra, it can destroy the whole world. Now, because Lord Viṣṇu has asked that cakra:

“You must save Ambarīṣa. So that none can able to do any harm to him. Not only to him. You must look after his empire. You must go round his empire. If anybody attacks his empire you should save them.”

Now this Sudarśana has come and when Sudarśana came it destroyed this devil. And when the devil was destroyed then it came towards this fellow who has created this devil. And now he is running afraid of death, he is running. Durvāsā was running, running after Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka, then came to Brahmā. Nobody could give him shelter. He came to Brahmā: “You save me sir.”

Brahmā said: “I cannot save you. This weapon belongs to Viṣṇu. We are to carry the orders of Viṣṇu. Through the orders of Viṣṇu I create the world.”

And when he rejected, he went to Mahādeva and requested him to save him. Mahādeva: “Sir, I cannot help. I am only his servant. I follow him, his advice and destroy the world whenever he wants.”

And so when they were rejected, when he was rejected by them he went to Viṣṇu. Now Viṣṇu said: “You go to Ambarīṣa. You have committed offense. He was a king. He was an emperor. He can kill you. He would have kill you. But he never did it. Because he is a devotee. He is a devotee. He always wants to respect all. He never harms to anyone. So he did not harm you.

So emperor, he has got his ammunitions, he has got his military force. They can do any harm to you, but he never likes it. Now, he himself to suffer, but he never allows other to suffer. Never wants to take revenge.”

If anything, one will commit wrong: “I want to take revenge. Oh, you have done this, I will do this. You have done this harm to me, I will do this harm to you.” This is revenging attitude. The devotee has no revenging attitude. He always forgets, forgives. He forgets that. And Ambarīṣa Mahārāja forgave, forgave this yogī.

Now he said: “You have committed offense. He has done no harm to you. You came late. And that also he preserved his promise. Without giving you food he never took. Now, he is waiting. Already one year he is waiting for food. Without giving you food he cannot take food. He wants to keep that promise. Now it is already one year you are traveling. Now, you go there and offer your prostrations to him. And beg him to excuse you. Then he will excuse. Then Sudarśana cakra will go. Till then Sudarśana cakra will never go. I cannot alter Sudarśana cakra. Because in my heart Ambarīṣa is there.”

sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham

“My heart is Ambarīṣa. I am the heart of Ambarīṣa. Ambarīṣa is my heart.”

“So, what I have to do?”

“Ambarīṣa must give the key. He has got the key to open the door. The heart will be open to you if he gives the key. So, he is my heart, I am his heart. Now you go there.”

“Oh?”

Then he went and saw Ambarīṣa waiting with folded hands. “Sir, I am waiting for you. You have come. You take my food.”

So, food was prepared and he took food. And then he said: “Yes, now I could recognize, I could realize the extent of a vaiṣṇava, a sādhu, a saint, what the power you possess. I thought I am more powerful that you. You are a kṣatriya and a gṛhastha. But I am not a gṛhastha, I am a brāhmaṇa, I am a brahmacārī. My power, now, completely my power was defeated before yours, before devotion. So, I could now understand devotion of the Lord. And devotees possess such capacity. I could now understand. So I offer my prostrations to you.”

“No!”, he says, “Don’t offer your prostrations. I am a gṛhastha, I must prostrate to you.”

So saying he prostrated. So, such is the character of a sādhu. One must be a sādhu. Sādhu means who finds no fault with anybody. No fault. He says: “I am the person who commit faults, but the sādhus will never commit faults. They are not, they never commit wrong. I am the person, I will commit wrong, I will commit fault, I am the sinner, but the sādhus are all pure.”

So, this is the correct conception. Correct conception. Perfect conception. That the Lord, he is īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām. He is dwelling in each and every object. He is this movement. He drives the whole universe. All are being moved by him. Because he is there. He is there. The Lord is there. Such ātmā is there. Without that ātmā. Sat. He is sat, cit and ānanda. That ānanda, that happiness you realize, it is due to his existence here. Because he is in this body you can have that knowledge and you can attain that bliss, happiness.

Who is that happiness giving you? That Lord, who is dwelling in you. When he leaves you, this will be a corpse taken to the ground and buried or fired. It is finished. This body has no value. I am without thought, I am that body. Now, I am a body. This life. What is that life? The Lord is life. And the Lord has vacated this body then I am, I am a corpse. This corpse if they touch it they must take bath. Now this body, if anybody touches, then he must go and take bath.

And if it is kept for one day, then all germs will come out from that body. It must be buried immediately. And it must be burned to ashes. If you keep this body, how long will you keep. In the ice like (?), it cannot be kept for a long time. It will be destroyed. Because the life has gone. Life, what is that life? Nobody can perceive, nobody can understand, nobody can say anything. Even the greatest scientist cannot say.

Only a transcendental scientist can say this is ātmā. That ātmā is invincible. And more powerful, and he is not visible. You cannot see with your eyes and hear about, and take everything. You lose. When he blesses you. Now, he is everywhere. If he blesses you then you can know everything. You can taste everything. And without his blessing nothing can be done.

Now, our great effort, our going, passing, or distributing prasādam or accepting vegetable food and offering to the Lord. All these difficulties, all this penance we perform only for the mercy of the Lord. If the aim is not there, mercy of the Lord, we can do anything we will take birth again. Again and again we take birth, again and again we die and

punar api janmaṁ punar api maraṇaṁ punar api jananī jaṭhare śayanam saṁsāre putra pāra doṣā tathāmi amanava (?)santoṣa

Where is? Where is? Where do you think that you have got happiness? How can you be happy? You are in this circular birth and death. And always. How can you be happy? It is happiness like very, the big wheel, big wheel. Like this: it has four seats down, four seats on other side. Diameter, this diameter 1, 2, 3, 4. Four diameters, four passengers are there, four boys can sit.

And now the wheel turns, wheel turns. When these 4 boys, ghoṣā, ādehā. Where are you going? Welcome. And, they cannot laugh for a long time, again they die. It will move. They will come down. And when they come down they are not happy. And they are anxious again to go up. So the wheel will give you one turn, two turns, three turns, four turns and five turns and ten turns and stops. And they have to get down and go. Whatever they have paid it is back. Now, like that. Sukha, duḥkha. What is happiness, unhappiness?

They are like, in this, in the wheel. Timewheel. We only feel happy, we only feel unhappy, the moment what we want can be achieved, then if they say that such comes up: “Oh, you have come up. Oh, it’s everything.” But when they come down. “Oh, I have come down again.” Again you go. Day and night. Daytime, some animals, some creatures will be happy. And night some other creatures will be happy. So, day and night. They are side by side. And profit and loss, side by side. And happiness and unhappiness, side by side.

And praising and abusing, side by side. One may praise you, you will be happy. One may ridicule you, you will be unhappy. One will do help to you, you will be accepting. One who wants to take help from you, he is now, he is not feeling well. Like this. Happy, healthy, unhealthy. Day and night. And puṇya-loka and pāpa-loka. Puṇya-loka is svarga and pāpa-loka is naraka. So, hell and heaven, side by side. If you go to heaven you enjoy. If you come to hell you suffer. They are side by side. You cannot stay in this world in one position.

Now, both you have to. Now if you want to come, dvandva. Dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ. If you want to cross this dvandva then you will never suffer, you will never be unhappy. You always accept your service to the Supreme Truth, Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth. Lord Kṛṣṇa‘s abode where there is no darkness, always light. But here, day and night. In the day we see, in the night, in the dark we cannot. But there, all, every moment, every second is with the light, with knowledge, with light. They serve the Lord. It is the Lord.

na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ

The sun gives light in the daytime. The moon gives light in the nighttime. But that light is a more superior than this sunlight and moonlight and firelight. These lights are inferior. The light, the light, divine light which helps the sun, moon, source, and the fire god. It is through the help only they give light to you. But it is more light. That light we can have through his mercy.

So let us try for that light. He is that Lord Kṛṣṇa who is blowing the flute. Let us hear that flute. If we concentrate our mind on the flute we cannot move. We will stick up. Our body will become movementless. Because if that delight we have, stambha śarīra api, sometimes my body become still, doesn’t move. Mahāprabhu, when he sees Jagannātha he cannot utter Jagannātha out of ecstasy. He says: “Jaga, Jaga! Jaga, Jaga!“

That is the superstage of rejoice. That ānanda. We enjoy that ānanda. And that ānanda, due to ecstasy, he cannot take bath, body was trembling. It falled down on the ground senseless. His eyes become very, very big. And his hand hundred people cannot bend it. And the color changes. And the water coming down from his eyes. He was exhibiting this scenery for 18 years in that room, small room in Gambhīrā at Purī. Mahāprabhu. No food. Little food when away. Whole body is delicate and he is always weeping, weeping for the separation.

And Rādhā. Rādhā was separated from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa went to Mathurā and Dvārakā. Rādhā must not move from Vṛndāvana. But when she realizes that Kṛṣṇa isn’t in Vṛndāvana. But actually she is feeling unhappy and feeling sorry and for the separation she is weeping. Always. She remembers Kṛṣṇa always. And all the pastimes were done when Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana for twelve years. Now, after twelve years Kṛṣṇa went away. From Mathurā he went, said he will come, he never came. He said: “I will come on the 4th day.”

Every morning they get up and count: “4th day he said he will be, promised to us to come on the 4th day.”

So, from that day they left, they count 4th day. If today, today is Sunday, Saturday. From Saturday four days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. “Wednesday he will come.”

He did not come. Saturday passed. Then we enter to Sunday. From Sunday he counts, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. “At Thursday he will come.”

Then he did not come. Again this Sunday has gone to Monday and from Monday four days. And again he did not keep his promise. So from Tuesday till 4th day. Always, the four days. They remember only his words, “Four days”. Every day counting four days. “After 4 days he will come.”

But he never comes. Never comes. So, they are weeping, day and night, weeping, weeping.