KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.7.18:
- The more one spiritually advances by devotional service to the Lord, in exchange for his temporary possessions, the more one is freed from the attachment of material illusion.
- Faith in the words of the spiritual master and in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His spiritual master and stopped propagating the saṅkīrtana movement.
- “We believed in the words of our spiritual master and started in a humble way — in a helpless way — but due to the spiritual force of the order of the supreme authority, this movement has become successful.”
- CC ADI 7.95 – “By chanting the holy name,” Lord Caitanya continued, “I became almost mad. However, after inquiring from My spiritual master I have come to the conclusion that instead of striving for achievement in the four principles of religiosity [dharma], economic development [artha], sense gratification [kāma] and liberation [mokṣa], it is better if somehow or other one develops transcendental love of Godhead. That is the greatest success in life.
- CC ADI 7.96 – “Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that one tastes by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmānanda] is like the shallow water in a canal.
- My Guru Mahārāja [Prabhupāda begins to cry, choked voice] pulled me out from this material life. I have not lost anything. He was so kind upon me. I have gained. I left three children, I have got now three hundred children. So I am not loser. This is material conception. We think that we shall be loser by accepting Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is loser.
- Without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become a preacher. So he wanted me to become a preacher. So he forced me through this Godbrother (Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Mahārāja), “You accept.” So unwillingly I accepted. And then I remembered that he wanted me to go to the Western country. So I am feeling now very much obliged to my, this Godbrother, that he carried out the wish of my spiritual master and enforced me to accept this sannyāsa order.
- Advantage of Kali Yuga – One can attain salvation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. In the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is also said that by the recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme Lord becomes at once arrested within one’s heart.
- Mahārāja Parīkṣit took all the advantages and did not think any ill of the Age of Kali, true to his Vaiṣṇavite cult
SB 2.7.18
Therefore, the more one spiritually advances by devotional service to the Lord, in exchange for his temporary possessions, the more one is freed from the attachment of material illusion.
If we voluntarily give up and be at a minimalist level, the more time we have for spiritual life.. Eventually we have to give them all up. The more we dispose off things and be ready for the Vanaprastha and sanyasi life..
Vanaprastha – husband is taking more risks, does not stay in one place…wife is protected by the son.. And she is also always engaged in bhajan and service
If one gives up the association of devotees… one falls down.. But the good news is – if you have chanted Hare Krsna and associated with devotees even if you fall down you will never forget Krsna.. Like Gajendra…even though elephant he was able to remember the prayers he said in his previous human life.
You are never a loser in KC. Today’s theme is “ What is the real success”
CC ADI 7.95
“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” This Vedic injunction is very important, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu supported it by His personal behavior. Believing in the words of His spiritual master, He introduced the saṅkīrtana movement, just as the present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started with belief in the words of our spiritual master. He wanted to preach, we believed in his words and tried somehow or other to fulfill them, and now this movement has become successful all over the world. Therefore faith in the words of the spiritual master and in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His spiritual master and stopped propagating the saṅkīrtana movement. Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, at the time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world. Later, however, some self-interested, foolish disciples disobeyed his orders. Each one of them wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master, and the entire mission was defeated. We are not proud of this; however, the truth must be explained. We believed in the words of our spiritual master and started in a humble way — in a helpless way — but due to the spiritual force of the order of the supreme authority, this movement has become successful.
“By chanting the holy name,” Lord Caitanya continued, “I became almost mad. However, after inquiring from My spiritual master I have come to the conclusion that instead of striving for achievement in the four principles of religiosity [dharma], economic development [artha], sense gratification [kāma] and liberation [mokṣa], it is better if somehow or other one develops transcendental love of Godhead. That is the greatest success in life
CC ADI 7.96
“Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that one tastes by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmānanda] is like the shallow water in a canal.
ROOM Jul 18th 1979 Detroit
Purity is the force
Preaching is the essence
Utility is the principle
Offering prasadam – follow the instructions in the scriptures and standards set by SP. Please say the mantras offer and say mantras and honor the mercy.. We do not follow our own opinion…
SP was unhappy that devotees are distributing the books and not reading them. We follow what is written in the books by Srila Prabhupada. We do not follow someone’s opinion.
Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Mahārāja’s Disappearance Day Lecture,
Type: Appearance and Disappearance days
Date: Oct. 21, 1968
Location: Seattle
https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/681021dksea/
Nobody is a loser by accepting Krsna..
Prabhupāda: One has to accept the renounced order from another person who is in renounced order. So I never thought that I shall accept this renounced order of life. In my family life, when I was in the midst of my wife and children, sometimes I was dreaming my spiritual master, that he’s calling me, and I was following him. When my dream was over, I was thinking. I was little horrified. “Oh, Guru Mahārāja wants me to become sannyāsī. How can I accept sannyāsa?” At that time, I was feeling not very satisfaction that I have to give up my family and have to become a mendicant. At that time, it was a horrible feeling. Sometimes I was thinking, “No, I cannot take sannyāsa.” But again I saw the same dream. So in this way I was fortunate. My Guru Mahārāja [Prabhupāda begins to cry, choked voice] pulled me out from this material life. I have not lost anything. He was so kind upon me. I have gained. I left three children, I have got now three hundred children. So I am not loser. This is material conception. We think that we shall be loser by accepting Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is loser. I say from my practical experience. I was thinking that “How can I accept this renounced order of life? I cannot accept so much trouble.” So… But I retired from my family life. I was sitting alone in Vṛndāvana, writing books. So this, my Godbrother, he insisted me, “Bhaktivedanta prabhu…” This title was given in my family life. It was offered to me by the Vaiṣṇava society. So he insisted me. Not he insisted me. Practically my spiritual master insisted me through him, that “You accept.” Because without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become a preacher. So he wanted me to become a preacher. So he forced me through this Godbrother, “You accept.” So unwillingly I accepted. And then I remembered that he wanted me to go to the Western country. So I am feeling now very much obliged to my, this Godbrother, that he carried out the wish of my spiritual master and enforced me to accept this sannyāsa order.
What is the real success?
SB 1.18.7
The Age of Kali is called the fallen age. In this fallen age, because the living beings are in an awkward position, the Supreme Lord has given some special facilities to them.
- So by the will of the Lord, a living being does not become a victim of a sinful act until the act is actually performed. In other ages, simply by thinking of performing a sinful act, one used to become a victim of the act.
- On the contrary, a living being in this age is awarded with the results of pious acts simply by thinking of them.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being the most learned and experienced king by the grace of the Lord, was not unnecessarily envious of the personality of Kali because he did not intend to give him any chance to perform any sinful act. He protected his subjects from falling prey to the sinful acts of the Age of Kali, and at the same time he gave full facility to the Age of Kali by allotting him some particular places. At the end of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that even though all nefariou
s activities of the personality of Kali are present, there is a great advantage in the Age of Kali.
- One can attain salvation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Thus Mahārāja Parīkṣit made an organized effort to propagate the chanting of the Lord’s holy name, and thus he saved the citizens from the clutches of Kali. It is for this advantage only that great sages sometimes wish all good for the Age of Kali.
- In the Vedas also it is said that by discourse on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s activities, one can get rid of all the disadvantages of the Age of Kali.
- In the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is also said that by the recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme Lord becomes at once arrested within one’s heart.
These are some of the great advantages of the Age of Kali, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit took all the advantages and did not think any ill of the Age of Kali, true to his Vaiṣṇavite cult.
One has to live a decent, truthful and honest living..
Ocean of mercy – Kripamrit – Ocean of mercy – Seattle oct- Spiritual life is amrit.. 1968 – kripambridi… the bring the ocean of mercy for dictributing
Hare Krsna Homework for next Saturday – Look up the following references , write an essay on the different things that Srila Prabhupada said on secret of success.
SB 1.18.7, SB 1.3.39 , SB 1.5.33, SB 1.5.29, Letter by Srila Prabhupada to Jayapataka Swami Maharaj Dec 19th 1972 (14 points to way to success), CC Madhya 10.17, BG 2.62 purport, SB 4.30.19, SB 2.9.8