Author: JayaSri Devi Dasi

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.1.6 today (02/28/21): 

1. ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ – The highest perfection of human life achieved by all other methods (jnana, mystic powers, perfect discharge of occupational duty) is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.
2. Life should be molded in such a manner that one is able to progressively remember the Personality of Godhead in every step of life.
3. Constant remembrance of the Personality of Godhead is possible only by the association of a pure devotee.
4. Lord Krsna’s confidential pastimes are so attractive that they attract even the Lord, and thus He relishes them in the form of Lord Caitanya.
5. Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows. 
6. The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in spiritual science.
7. The reason the Lord displays the rāsa-līlā is essential to induce all the fallen souls to give up their diseased morality and religiosity and to attract them to the kingdom of God to enjoy reality.
8. A person who actually understands what the rāsa-līlā is will certainly hate to indulge in mundane sex life.
9. For the realized soul, hearing the Lord’s rāsa-līlā through the proper channel will result in complete abstinence from material sexual pleasure.
10. The love of the gopīs is called rūḍha-bhāva. It is pure and spotless. It is not at any time lust.
11. Lust and love have different characteristics, just as iron and gold have different natures.
12. The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is Prema [love].
13. The predominated gopīs were bound to Kṛṣṇa in such pure love. They dedicated their souls only for the satisfaction of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There was not the slightest tinge of sexual love between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa.
14. Their only engagement in life was to see Kṛṣṇa happy in all respects, regardless of their own personal interests.
15. Transcendental stage in which one feels himself to be only an eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa, the absolute Personality of Godhead. All acts performed in this sense of servitude are called pure love of God because they are performed for the absolute sense of gratification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 
16. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta advises everyone to give up all engagements of sense gratification and, like the gopīs, dovetail oneself entirely with the will of the Supreme Lord. That is the ultimate instruction of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā.

SB 2.1.6 TRANSLATION: 
The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by the practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.

CLASS NOTES: 

(SB 2.1.6) ONE CAN ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST PERFECTION, PROVIDED ONE IS ABLE TO REACH THE STAGE OF NĀRĀYAṆA-SMṚTI, 

or constant remembrance of the Personality of Godhead. This is possible only by the association of a pure devotee, who can give a finishing touch to the transcendental activities of all jñānīs, yogīs or karmīs, in terms of prescribed duties defined in the scriptures. 

None of the devotees of the Lord ever deviated from the path of devotional service by taking to other methods as adopted by the jñānīs or yogīs.

Everyone is anxious to achieve the highest perfection of his particular activity, and it is indicated herein that such perfection is nārāyaṇa-smṛti, for which everyone must endeavor his best. Life should be molded in such a manner that one is able to progressively remember the Personality of Godhead in every step of life

Ante narayana smriti – this is the most important line. You cannot think one day suddenly you chant narayana like Ajamil and go back to Godhead. It will only happen with constant practice of chanting the lord and thinking about the Lord through out our life. We never know what condition we might be in in our last stages. May be we are sedated or in comma…
Gradually her house was getting empty, furniture, tables… she began to be more careful and started watching the 7 ladies who come to house and clean the house. She found the lady who was stealing the things. She was stuck and she could do nothing. She was in deep anxiety, everything she collected was stolen by the dishonest labor. When she left the body she was thinking of her possessions and the labor who stole it.
Yam yam vapi  smaran bhavan… BG 8.6 (Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.)
People might think
We have to practice remembering Him every minute of our life so at the end of the life we remember nothing but Him .

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The following verses from CC AADI explains the reasons for Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to appear and the difference between pure love and conditional love for Krsna.

(CC ADI 4.27 -28) LORD KRSNA’S CONFIDENTIAL PASTIMES ARE SO ATTRACTIVE THAT THEY ATTRACT EVEN THE LORD, AND THUS HE RELISHES THEM IN THE FORM OF LORD CAITANYA.
“Taking these pure devotees with Me, I shall descend and sport in various wonderful ways, unknown even in Vaikuṇṭha. I shall broadcast such pastimes by which even I am amazed.

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa presents His most confidential pastimes as He enjoys them in His transcendental realm. Such pastimes are so attractive that they attract even the Lord, and thus He relishes them in the form of Lord Caitanya.

He is taking the position of RadhaRani who is most intensely relishing Krsna and His pastimes.
To appreciate the way She appreciates Krsna
To understand the things about Himself that are attractive to Her
To experience the transcendental bliss that She is experiencing with Krsna

(CC ADI 4.29) YOGAMĀYĀ IS THE NAME OF THE INTERNAL POTENCY THAT MAKES THE LORD FORGET HIMSELF AND BECOME AN OBJECT OF LOVE FOR HIS PURE DEVOTEE IN DIFFERENT TRANSCENDENTAL MELLOWS. 
“The influence of yogamāyā will inspire the gopīs with the sentiment that I am their paramour.”

Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows. 

The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual science.

(CC ADI 4.30) THE REASON THE LORD DISPLAYS THE RĀSA-LĪLĀ IS ESSENTIALLY TO INDUCE ALL THE FALLEN SOULS TO GIVE UP THEIR DISEASED MORALITY AND RELIGIOSITY, AND TO ATTRACT THEM TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO ENJOY THE REALITY

“Neither the gopīs nor I shall notice this, for our minds will always be entranced by one another’s beauty and qualities.

Yogamāyā creates a situation in which the devotee is prepared to transgress all regulative principles simply to love Kṛṣṇa. A devotee naturally does not like to transgress the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the influence of yogamāyā he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme Lord better.

Those under the spell of the material energy cannot at all appreciate the activities of yogamāyā, for a conditioned soul can hardly understand the pure reciprocation between the Lord and His devotee. But by executing devotional service under the regulative principles, one can become very highly elevated and then begin to appreciate the dealings of pure love under the management of yogamāyā.

In the spiritual loving sentiment induced by the yogamāyā potency, both Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the damsels of Vraja forget themselves in spiritual rapture. By the influence of such forgetfulness, the attractive beauty of the gopīs plays a prominent part in the transcendental satisfaction of the Lord, who has nothing to do with mundane sex. Because spiritual love of Godhead is above everything mundane, the gopīs superficially seem to transgress the codes of mundane morality. This perpetually puzzles mundane moralists. Therefore yogamāyā acts to cover the Lord and His pastimes from the eyes of mundaners, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25), where the Lord says that He reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone.

The acts of yogamāyā make it possible for the Lord and the gopīs, in loving ecstasy, to sometimes meet and sometimes separate. These transcendental loving affairs of the Lord are unimaginable to empiricists involved in the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Therefore the Lord Himself appears before the mundaners to bestow upon them the highest form of spiritual realization and also personally relish its essence. 

The Lord is so merciful that He Himself descends to take the fallen souls back home to the kingdom of Godhead, where the erotic principles of Godhead are eternally relished in their real form, distinct from the perverted sexual love so much adored and indulged in by the fallen souls in their diseased condition. The reason the Lord displays the rāsa-līlā is essentially to induce all the fallen souls to give up their diseased morality and religiosity, and to attract them to the kingdom of God to enjoy the reality. A person who actually understands what the rāsa-līlā is will certainly hate to indulge in mundane sex life. For the realized soul, hearing the Lord’s rāsa-līlā through the proper channel will result in complete abstinence from material sexual pleasure.

CC ADI 4.162 THE LOVE OF GOPIS PURE AND SPOTLESS
The love of the gopīs is called rūḍha-bhāva. It is pure and spotless. It is not at any time lust.

CC ADI 4.163
“The pure love of the gopīs has become celebrated by the name ‘lust.’ The dear devotees of the Lord, headed by Śrī Uddhava, desire to taste that love.”

(CC ADI 4.164 )LUST AND LOVE HAVE DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS, JUST AS IRON AND GOLD HAVE DIFFERENT NATURES.
One should try to discriminate between sexual love and pure love, for they belong to different categories, with a gulf of difference between them. They are as different from one another as iron is from gold.

(CC ADI  4.165) THE DESIRE TO GRATIFY ONE’S OWN SENSES IS KĀMA [LUST], BUT THE DESIRE TO PLEASE THE SENSES OF LORD KṚṢṆA IS PREMA [LOVE].

If there is ample reason for the dissolution of a conjugal relationship and yet such a dissolution does not take place, such a relationship of intimate love is called pure.”

The predominated gopīs were bound to Kṛṣṇa in such pure love. For them there was no question of sexual love based on sense gratification. Their only engagement in life was to see Kṛṣṇa happy in all respects, regardless of their own personal interests. They dedicated their souls only for the satisfaction of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There was not the slightest tinge of sexual love between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa.

ACTS OF SENSE GRATIFICATION MAY BE PERFORMED UNDER THE COVER OF 

public welfare, nationalism, religion, altruism, ethical codes, Biblical codes, health directives, fruitive action, bashfulness, tolerance, personal comfort, liberation from material bondage, progress, family affection or fear of social ostracism or legal punishment, but all these categories are different subdivisions of one substance — sense gratification. All such good acts are performed basically for one’s own sense gratification, for no one can sacrifice his personal interest while discharging these much-advertised moral and religious principles. 

PURE LOVE OF GOD
But above all this is a transcendental stage in which one feels himself to be only an eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa, the absolute Personality of Godhead. All acts performed in this sense of servitude are called pure lovef God because they are performed for the absolute sense gratification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 

However, any act performed for the purpose of enjoying its fruits or results is an act of sense gratification. Such actions are visible sometimes in gross and sometimes in subtle forms.

(CC ADI 4.166) THE OBJECT OF LUST IS ONLY THE ENJOYMENT OF ONE’S OWN SENSES. BUT LOVE CATERS TO THE ENJOYMENT OF LORD KṚṢṆA, AND THUS IT IS VERY POWERFUL.

(CC ADI 4.167 – 69) GOPIS HAVE FORSAKEN ALL SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND WENT THROUGH MANY DIFFICULT THINGS, JUST TO PLEASE THE LORD
Social customs, scriptural injunctions, bodily demands, fruitive action, shyness, patience, bodily pleasures, self-gratification and the path of varṇāśrama-dharma, which is difficult to give up — the gopīs have forsaken all these, as well as their own relatives and their punishment and scolding, for the sake of serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. They render loving service to Him for the sake of His enjoyment.

(CC ADI 4.170) ACTIVITIES IN PURE LOVE OF GODHEAD ARE AS SPOTLESS AS WHITE LINEN THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY WASHED. 

That is called firm attachment to Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is spotlessly pure, like a clean cloth that has no stain.

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta advises everyone to give up all engagements of sense gratification and, like the gopīs, dovetail oneself entirely with the will of the Supreme Lord. That is the ultimate instruction of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. We should be prepared to do anything and everything to please the Lord, even at the risk of violating the Vedic principles or ethical laws. That is the standard of love of Godhead. Such activities in pure love of Godhead are as spotless as white linen that has been completely washed. 

 ŚRĪLA BHAKTIVINODA ṬHĀKURA WARNS US 

in this connection that we should not mistakenly think that the idea of giving up everything implies the renunciation of duties necessary in relation to the body and mind. Even such duties are not sense gratification if they are undertaken in a spirit of service to Kṛṣṇa.

What helps a person to understand this, needs complete surrender to Krsna. Arjuna has to do things which he did not enjoy doing. He did not want to fight
Attachment to following the principles without understanding – is a form of sense gratification
Attachment to not following the principles – is also a form of sense gratification

No one can fake the love of Krsna, because it is the absolute truth. Srila Prabhupada was the only one who was able to do it of all the god brothers. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati thakur initiated so many disciples. Prabhupada went way out of his comfort zone and his life was at risk when he came to US, he  was never wavered in His faith in Krsna and in his spiritual master’s instructions.

Purity of the Gopis is superior to that of Arjuna’s purity. Because of that the Gopis were able to achieve the oneness with the Lord.  SB 1.9.40.  Differential conception is completely eradicated for the Gopis. What he is saying – Gopis do not become Krsna. They achieve the perfect ecstasy as the same level as the God, by seeing Krsna being happy. Surrender to the God’s will and is only their

We might express with words. To understand we need to experience it. 

BG 4. 11
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.

SB Introduction

KEY TAKEAWAYS from HH Harivilas Maharaj’s Morning Bhagavatam class on SB 2.1.5

1. If one desires freedom from the vicious circle of birth and death, then one must cease to act as a karmī or enjoyer of the results of one’s own work, good or bad. 
2. One should not do anything, either good or bad, on his own account, but must execute everything on behalf of the Supreme Lord, the ultimate proprietor of everything. 
3. One should, first of all, hear about the Lord and then glorify His acts and deeds, and thus it becomes possible to remember constantly the transcendental nature of the Lord
4. By hearing about the Lord and glorifying the Lord – 
   • One will be always in the association of the Lord. This brings freedom from all sorts of fear. 
   • Lord invites the association of all in His creation
   • One will be lead to the ultimate success in everything in which one may be engaged by providence
   • One can be free from all kinds of fear, and one can get the fullest extent of happiness in life. 
   • One’s activities become molded into spiritual activities, and thus all conceptions of material miseries become completely vanquished.
5. The following points are from the Krsna Book Chapter 70 – Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Daily Activities
6. Lord Kṛṣṇa would immediately get up from bed exactly on the appearance of brāhma-muhūrta. 
7. After rising from bed, Lord Kṛṣṇa would wash His mouth, hands and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate on Himself.
8. His meditation on Brahman or Paramātmā or Bhagavān is on Himself only and not on anything else beyond Himself. This meditation cannot be imitated by the ordinary living entity.
9. Krsna was teaching us that brāhma-muhūrta should be utilized for meditation on Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa (chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.). By such meditation Kṛṣṇa would feel very much satisfied. 
10. After His meditation, the Lord would regularly bathe early in the morning with clear, sanctified water. Then He would change into fresh clothing, cover Himself with a wrapper and engage in His daily religious functions – offering oblations into the sacrificial fire and silently chant the Gāyatrī mantra. When the sunrise became visible, the Lord would offer specific prayers to the sun god. 
11. Lord Kṛṣṇa, as the ideal householder, executed all the religious functions of a householder without deviation.
12. As the perfect exemplary householder, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa followed this tarpaṇa system and offered respectful obeisances to the elderly, superior members of His family.
13. His next duty was to give cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas. 
14. His next duty was to please all kinds of men belonging to the different castes, both in the city and within the palace compound. 
15. The Lord would say good-bye in all the sixteen thousand palaces, and again He would become one and enter the Sudharmā assembly house in procession with other members of the Yadu dynasty. 
16. We should always remember, therefore, that Lord Kṛṣṇa, although playing the part of a human being, simultaneously maintains the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
17. To become ideal householders we should follow in the footsteps of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He displayed His daily activities, but we cannot imitate Him at any stage of our life.

CLASS NOTES: 

SB 2.1.5  TRANSLATION (ALL ABOUT HEARING)
O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear about, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries.

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has described how the foolish materially attached men are wasting their valuable time in the improvement of the material conditions of life by sleeping, indulging in sex life, developing economic conditions 

Being engaged in all these materialistic activities, the living soul entangles himself in the cycle of the law of fruitive actions. This entails the chain of birth and death in the 8,400,000 species of life.

if one desires freedom from this vicious circle, then one must cease to act as a karmī or enjoyer of the results of one’s own work, good or bad. One should not do anything, either good or bad, on his own account, but must execute everything on behalf of the Supreme Lord, the ultimate proprietor of everything that be.

one should, first of all, hear about the Lord. When one has perfectly and scrutinizingly heard, one must glorify His acts and deeds. Hearing about and glorifying the Lord is identical to the transcendental nature of the Lord.  The perfect process of hearing and glorifying is recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is uttered by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

1. By hearing and glorifying the Lord-  
   • it will become possible to remember constantly the transcendental nature of the Lord
   • one will be always in the association of the Lord. This brings freedom from all sorts of fear. 
   • Lord invites the association of all in His creation
   • It will lead one to the ultimate success in everything in which one may be engaged by providence
   • One can be free from all kinds of fear, and one can get the fullest extent of happiness in life. 
   • a person’s activities become molded into spiritual activities, and thus all conceptions of material miseries become completely vanquished.
2. This process of hearing about and glorifying the Lord is applicable for all classes of human beings: the fruitive workers, the empiric philosophers, the mystic yogīs, and, ultimately, the unalloyed devotees, for achieving the desired success. 

The question is do we believe this? Even though the english is simple and straightforward, and even though the result is what everybody wants, they cannot simply understand it and yet they won’t do it.  This is because of the attachment to the body, family, children, country, race, etc., because of the attachments people won’t do it. 

Hearing about Krsna and glorifying is absolutely necessary!

SB 1.9.40

Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose motions and smiles of love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhāma [the gopīs]. The damsels imitated the characteristic movements of the Lord [after His disappearance from the rāsa dance.

By intense ecstasy in loving service, the damsels of Vrajabhūmi attained qualitative oneness with the Lord by
dancing with Him on an equal level,
embracing Him in nuptial love,
smiling at Him in joke, and
looking at Him with a loving attitude.

The gopīs, practically became one with the Lord by attainment of equal footing with the Lord. Bhīṣma’s aspiration to remember the gopīs is a prayer to have their mercy also at the last stage of his life. The Lord is satisfied more when His pure devotees are glorified, and therefore Bhīṣmadeva has not only glorified the acts of Arjuna, his immediate object of attraction, but has also remembered the gopīs, who were endowed with unrivalled opportunities for rendering loving service to the Lord. The Gopi’s equality is one of perfect ecstasy where the differential conception is completely eradicated, for the interests of the lover and the beloved become identical.

Differential conception – One has a different understanding than the other.  When married the couple are on the same plate as life goes on they have differences in opinion on what life is and what is the goal and there can be arguments etc.,

Gopis have no other desire than pleasing Krsna.  The wife may start like that in the beginning and later she can find the faults in the husband and the husband finds faults in the wife. The Gopis stage is unimaginable. It is the complete surrender. Even Bhishma dev recognizes that Arjunas relationship with Krsna is very special but Gopis is most  special. Hence he is mentioning them.

Oneness in perfect ecstasy – there are other purports in SB. Spiritual sex is not the mundane physical activity, there is always that element of love in separation. Whenever the wives of Krsna see him from the roof of the houses, the wives embraced Him with with eyes, looking at Him with love… they feel intense separation. That Vipra Lamba bhava is greater.

We have to cultivate hearing about Krsna. Krishna book is unbelievable trancendenatal delineation of Krsna’s daily activities, relationships, past times . Much more profound than anything. This transports ones consciousness from mundane to transcendental… 

CHAPTER 70 KRSNA BOOK:  DAILY ACTIVITIES OR LORD KRSNA

We should always remember, therefore, that Lord Kṛṣṇa, although playing the part of a human being, simultaneously maintains the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

We should meditate this, normal people think that Krsna is a Fantacy, whenever He acts as ordinary human being, they accept it and otherwise it is a fantasy. It is too much for them to understand simultaneous oneness and different. It is due to their envy. When Rama cries for Sita they can understand. They cannot understand that Rama built a bridge…

DUTIES OF IDEAL GRIHASTA BASED ON KRSNA”s Daily Activities

To become ideal householders we should follow in the footsteps of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He displayed His daily activities, but we cannot imitate Him at any stage of our life.

RISING EARLY IN THE MORNING AND IMMEDIATELY ENGAGING IN KRNSA CONSCIOUSNESS (CHANTING HARE KRSNA)

An ideal householder should learn from the behavior of Lord Kṛṣṇa how to rise early in the morning, however comfortably he may be lying in bed embraced by his wife.

Śrī Rukmiṇī-devī and Kṛṣṇa acted as ideal householders to teach the whole human society to rise early in the morning and immediately engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

After rising from bed, Lord Kṛṣṇa would wash His mouth, hands and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate on Himself. This does not mean, however, that we should also sit down and meditate on ourselves. We have to meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is real meditation.

There is no difference between meditating on the eternal forms of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.We will also feel transcendentally pleased and satisfied if we utilize the brāhma-muhūrta period to meditate on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa 

KṚṢṆA IS KṚṢṆA HIMSELF; THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KRSNA’S BODY AND HIMSELF. HENCE KRSNA MEDITATES ON HIMSELF AND WE SHOULD NOT IMITATE THAT

The bodily limitation whereby one part of the body cannot act as another part is totally absent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between His body and Himself. He is completely spiritual, and therefore there is no difference between His body and His soul. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s original two-handed form, like that of a human being, and these incarnations of gigantic animal forms. Nor is there any difference between the action of one part of His body and that of another. His hands can act as His legs, His eyes can act as His ears, or His nose can act as another part of His body. Kṛṣṇa’s smelling and eating and hearing are all the same. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti: Kṛṣṇa can perform the activities of one limb with any other limb. So by analytical study of Kṛṣṇa and His person, it is concluded that He is the complete whole.

When He meditates, therefore, He meditates on Himself. Self-meditation by ordinary men, designated in Sanskrit as so ’ham, is simply imitation. Kṛṣṇa may meditate on Himself because He is the complete whole, but we cannot imitate Him and meditate on ourselves. Our body is a designation superimposed upon our self, the soul.

Kṛṣṇa’s body is not a designation: Kṛṣṇa’s body is also Kṛṣṇa. There is no existence of anything foreign in Kṛṣṇa. Whatever there is in Kṛṣṇa is also Kṛṣṇa. He is therefore the supreme, indestructible, complete existence, or the Supreme Truth.

Kṛṣṇa is always one, and for Him there is no differentiation. That is the difference between an ordinary living being and Kṛṣṇa. 

Kṛṣṇa’s existence is not relative existence. Everything else but Kṛṣṇa is a relative truth, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa does not depend on anything but Himself for His existence

In the Vedic literature we find that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has multipotencies. Since all such potencies are emanations from Him, there is no difference between Him and His potencies. Certain philosophers say, however, that when Kṛṣṇa comes He accepts a material body. But even if it is accepted that when He comes to the material world He accepts a material body, it should be concluded also that because the material energy is not different from Him, this body does not act materially. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, therefore, that He appears by His own internal potency, ātma-māyā.

there is no such action and reaction upon Kṛṣṇa because these qualities are all simultaneously one with and different from Him. Kṛṣṇa Himself is simply sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, the eternal form of bliss and knowledge, and because of His inconceivable greatness, He is called the Supreme Brahman. His meditation on Brahman or Paramātmā or Bhagavān is on Himself only and not on anything else beyond Himself. This meditation cannot be imitated by the ordinary living entity.

This explanation can be only understood by genuine devotees. Because of the jealousy the non devotees cannot understand and they do not want accept it. That is why there are so many Slef made Gods. It is there in Christianity, Judaism. 

If someone declares himself as God, that is the last stage of degradation. We cant even pass urine and stool what to say about expanding as pramatama and Brahma Jyothi

IT IS THE DUTY OF THE HOUSEHOLDER TO OFFER RESPECTS TO THE DEMIGODS AND GREAT SAGES, AS WELL AS THE FOREFATHERS.

After His meditation, the Lord would regularly bathe early in the morning with clear, sanctified water. Then He would change into fresh clothing, cover Himself with a wrapper and engage in His daily religious functions. Out of His many religious duties, the first was to offer oblations into the sacrificial fire and silently chant the Gāyatrī mantra. Lord Kṛṣṇa, as the ideal householder, executed all the religious functions of a householder without deviation. When the sunrise became visible, the Lord would offer specific prayers to the sun god. The sun god and other demigods mentioned in the Vedic scriptures are described as different limbs of the body of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and it is the duty of the householder to offer respects to the demigods and great sages, as well as the forefathers.

It is the duty of the householder to make his family members happy, and by following this tarpaṇa system he can make his forefathers happy also. As the perfect exemplary householder, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa followed this tarpaṇa system and offered respectful obeisances to the elderly, superior members of His family.

WHat is the tarpana for the devotees is  – Everyday offer food to Krsna, afterwards a Grihasta should always share prasad with other Vaishnavas . Your forefathers will receive the effect of that offering. Wherever they are benefited and they are happy. Pleasing Ancestors by first pleasing Krsna.

LORD’S NEXT DUTY WAS TO GIVE COWS IN CHARITY TO THE BRĀHMAṆAS. 

Every day Lord Kṛṣṇa used to give many groups of 13,084 cows. When the cows were given in charity to the brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas also were given nice silken garments, and each was given a deerskin and sufficient quantity of sesame seeds. The Lord is generally known as go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, which means that His first duty is to see to the welfare of the cows and the brāhmaṇas. He would touch auspicious articles such as milk, honey, ghee (clarified butter), gold, jewels and fire.

LORD KRSNA’S BEAUTY

Although the Lord is by nature very beautiful due to the perfect figure of His transcendental body, He would dress Himself in yellow garments and put on His necklace of Kaustubha jewels. He would wear flower garlands, smear His body with the pulp of sandalwood and decorate Himself with similar cosmetics and ornaments. It is said that the ornaments themselves became beautiful upon being placed on the transcendental body of the Lord.

LORD’S NEXT DUTY WAS TO PLEASE ALL KINDS OF MEN BELONGING TO THE DIFFERENT CASTES, BOTH IN THE CITY AND WITHIN THE PALACE COMPOUND. 

He made them happy by fulfilling their different desires, and when the Lord saw them happy He also became very pleased. 

The flower garlands, betel nuts, sandalwood pulp and other fragrant cosmetic articles offered to the Lord would be distributed by Him, first to the brāhmaṇas and elderly members of the family, then to the queens, and then to the ministers, and if there were still some balance He would engage it for His own personal use. 

LORD LEAVES HIS PALACES AND THE QUEENS FEELING INTENSE SEPARATION

By the time the Lord finished all these daily duties and activities, His charioteer Dāruka would come with His wonderful chariot to stand before the Lord with folded hands, intimating that the chariot was ready, and the Lord would come out of the palace to travel. Then the Lord, accompanied by Uddhava and Sātyaki, would ride on the chariot just as the sun god rides on his chariot in the morning, appearing with his blazing rays on the surface of the world. When the Lord was about to leave His palaces, all the queens would look at Him with feminine gestures. The Lord would respond to their greetings with smiles, attracting their hearts so much that they would feel intense separation from Him.

THE LORD WOULD SAY GOOD-BYE IN ALL THE SIXTEEN THOUSAND PALACES, AND AGAIN HE WOULD BECOME ONE AND ENTER THE SUDHARMĀ ASSEMBLY HOUSE IN PROCESSION WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE YADU DYNASTY. 

Then the Lord would go to the assembly house known as Sudharmā. It may be remembered that the Sudharmā assembly house was taken away from the heavenly planets and established in the city of Dvārakā. The specific significance of the assembly house was that anyone who entered it would be freed from the six kinds of material pangs, namely hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death. These are the whips of material existence, and as long as one remained in that Sudharmā assembly house he would not be affected by these six material whips.

KEY TAKEAWAYS from HH Harivilas Maharaj’s Morning Bhagavatam class on SB 2.1.4

1. This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence
2. This life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. No one will survive in this struggle with material nature. But yet humans want to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc.
3. His attachment to his body, family members, society, country, etc., makes him want to win over the impossible. He gets blinded and even though he has seen enough examples of his predecessors, he still does not see his inevitable destruction.
4. Due to a lack of knowledge of self, we become victimized by the force of ignorance and thus spoil the valuable energy of human life in a vain search after permanent living conditions, which are impossible in this material world.
5. Example: Two scientists from Spain are promising – Death will be ‘optional’ and aging ‘curable’ by 2045, say genetic engineers. An article published in 2018. They are saying they are not mad and that people just don’t know what they know.
6. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.
7. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have the perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.
8. Even though we may understand Atma-tattva theoretically, we cannot put it into practice easily. It can only happen through “constant hearing” of the pastimes of the Lord every day from pure devotees.
9. To become ideal householders, we “should follow” in the footsteps of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He displayed His daily activities, but we “cannot imitate” Him at any stage of our life.
10. Lord Kṛṣṇa would immediately get up from bed exactly on the appearance of brāhma-muhūrta. An ideal householder should learn from the behavior of Lord Kṛṣṇa how to rise early in the morning, however comfortably he may be lying in bed embraced by his wife.
11. After rising from bed, Lord Kṛṣṇa would wash His mouth, hands, and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate on Himself. We should rather meditate on the Lord rather than on ourselves.
12. Krsna was teaching us that brāhma-muhūrta should be utilized for meditation on Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By such meditation, Kṛṣṇa would feel very much satisfied. 
13. Śrī Rukmiṇī-devī and Kṛṣṇa acted as ideal householders are teaching the whole human society to rise early in the morning and immediately engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no difference between meditating on the eternal forms of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
14. We will also feel transcendentally pleased and satisfied if we utilize the brāhma-muhūrta period to meditate on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa 

SB 2.1.4 Translation
Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.

CLASS NOTES:

(SB 2.1.4) THIS MATERIAL WORLD IS CALLED THE WORLD OF DEATH. 
This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence. Therefore, this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all.Although he is sufficiently experienced in the matter by dint of past experience and previous examples of his deceased predecessors, he does not see that the so-called fighting soldiers like the children, relatives, society members and countrymen are all fallible in the great struggleNo one will survive in this struggle with material nature. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.Śukadeva Gosvāmī is pointing out the duty of the human being after showing the actual position of bewildered human activities. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.

Our friends, relatives and so-called wives and children are not only fallible, but also bewildered by the outward glamor of material existence.

Wife, children is repeated 4 times. Las vegas looks good, when you stay there you will see the ugly side of it. 

The history of human society definitely proves it, yet the foolish people still suggest that in the future they will be able to live perpetually, with the help of material science.

Srila Prabhupada based on Gnana Caksu is able to see the present, past and future. 

This promise of immortality is a complete nonsense. Death will be optional and aging will be curable by 2045, 21st April 2018. Dying will be optional within just …. Thinkspain.com… Old age is an illness,  cure can be extended through genetic manipulation techniques. The process will involve bad cells into good cells… He has chosen not to die and be younger than what he is in 35 years. Google and Microsoft are entering into this field of curing aging. The Death of Death will eventually be published in four languages at first – Spanish, English, Portuguese and Korean – and all proceeds from its sales will be ploughed back into the authors’ research…. (https://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/30425/death-will-be-optional-and-ageing-curable-by-2045-say-genetic-engineers). This is called FOOLS GOLD.  or Hava Mahal or Akash Mahal. It looks very wonderful, positive, but it is completely false and nonsense. 

This poor fund of knowledge exhibited by human society is certainly misleading, and it is all due to ignoring the constitution of the living soul

If there is a soul it comes through the evolution of bodies, technology, no education system talks about soul. 

this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. In the human form of life, a living being is competent enough to come to an understanding of this great struggle for existence, but being too attached to family members, society, country, etc., he wants to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc. 

This is a hopeless situation. The two silly scientists replaced children, relatives with science. All this is unverifiable. The whole experiment is taking place in Venezuala. The same experiments are not allowed in Europe or USA. They want to live long in this body. They are not thinking about soul. Science means no soul. Everybody knows they are going to die, but due to attachment they try the impossible. This is not new this has been going on for time immemorial. The christians, the fountain of immortality, ponsdaleon, came all the way to America to search for that fountain in America.  Part of Alchemy was to transform base metals into Gold. They found allopathic medicine. It is using poison to kill germs or viruses and heal people. Often times they kill people. Example – radiation therapy, chemotherapy. Now a days they call it pin point chemotherapy. Iranian friend dies of cancer inspite of getting the pin point cancer. 

Christian eschatology  – Judgement of already dead about who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. everyone who dies and still in cemetary, they all resurrect and Jesus gives them a body and judges whether they go to hell or heaven. Christians, Jadiasm, Islam they have this concept of second coming.  This is all based on the body. 

Ravana built a tunnel in the middle of the earth to reach heavenly planets, There scientists, ravana, demons they are maya- aparihata jnana. 

There is nothing new about elixir of keeping the body mortal. 

Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.

If we are attached to material condition – house, cars, junk foods, credit cards, family, children relatives aunties uncles, gadgets, technology, because ofthat attachment even though we hear the truth we will not follow. Everything is going to disappear even our body, but still we hang on to them. It can only happen if we constantly hear the pastimes of the lord. 

(CHAPTER 70 KRISHNA BOOK) LORD KRSNA’S DAILY ACTIVITIES

Lord Kṛṣṇa, although playing the part of a human being, simultaneously maintains the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We can follow Lord Kṛṣṇa’s dealings with His wives as an ordinary human being, but His dealings with more than sixteen thousand wives at one time cannot be imitated. The conclusion is that to become ideal householders we should follow in the footsteps of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He displayed His daily activities, but we cannot imitate Him at any stage of our life.

Lord Kṛṣṇa would immediately get up from bed exactly on the appearance of brāhma-muhūrta. An ideal householder should learn from the behavior of Lord Kṛṣṇa how to rise early in the morning, however comfortably he may be lying in bed embraced by his wife.

After rising from bed, Lord Kṛṣṇa would wash His mouth, hands and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate on Himself. This does not mean, however, that we should also sit down and meditate on ourselves. We have to meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is real meditation. Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa Himself; therefore He was teaching us that brāhma-muhūrta should be utilized for meditation on Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By such meditation Kṛṣṇa would feel very much satisfied, and similarly we will also feel transcendentally pleased and satisfied if we utilize the brāhma-muhūrta period to meditate on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and if we think of how Śrī Rukmiṇī-devī and Kṛṣṇa acted as ideal householders to teach the whole human society to rise early in the morning and immediately engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no difference between meditating on the eternal forms of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. As for Kṛṣṇa’s meditation, He had no alternative but to meditate on Himself.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON INVOCATION & SB 2.1.3 – 2.1.4 TODAY (02/25/21):

1. Atma tattva is the process of knowledge, directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter
2. Human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development but is meant for making a solution for the problems of material life. 
3. Karmis are devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge. They waste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth
4. This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence
5. This life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. No one will survive in this struggle with material nature. But yet humans want to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.
6. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have the perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.
7. Yadus are relieved from all material contamination and are situated in the transcendental position of liberation due to the presence of Krsna with them.
8. The ecstatic trance Gopis achieved simply by mentally embracing Kṛṣṇa is impossible to achieve even for great yogīs constantly engaged in meditation on Him.
9. This important instruction (on the basis of inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference) by Lord Kṛṣṇa to the gopīs can be utilized by all devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
10. The cosmic manifestation is nothing but a display of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, and because the energy is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. When this absolute Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absent, we are separated from Kṛṣṇa; but, fortunately, if it is present, then we are not separated from Kṛṣṇa.
11. If the devotee knows perfectly that the arcā-vigraha, or Deity form of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha as Kṛṣṇa Himself, then his service to the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
12. One has to follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the ācāryas, and thus, under superior guidance, Kṛṣṇa-realization is fully possible, even in this material existence.
13. The gopīs, having been instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, were immediately freed from the jīva-kośa imprisonment and remained always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
14. A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always liberated from false egoism (jiva kosa); he utilizes everything for Kṛṣṇa’s service and is not at any time separated from Kṛṣṇa. Gopis are always liberated souls because they are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
15. The gopīs, were not interested in the idea of going with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā. They wanted to remain busy in Vṛndāvana and thus feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa in every step of their lives. This transcendental emotional existence of the gopīs is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya’s teaching.
16. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being profoundly attached to the gopīs, never goes away from Vṛndāvana, and the gopīs and other residents of Vṛndāvana remain fully satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

CLASS NOTES: 

SB 2.1.3 

The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members.

SB 2.1.4

Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.

CLASS NOTES: 

(SB 2.13) ATMA TATTVA IS THE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE, DIRECTED AT LIBERATING THE SPIRIT SOUL FROM THE CONTAMINATION OF MATTER

Human life is a combination of matter and spirit soul. Atma Attva, the process of Vedic knowledge is directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter. 

(SB 2.13) HUMAN LIFE IS NOT MEANT FOR HARD LABOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUT IS MEANT FOR DEVELOPING ATMA TATTVA. 

Human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development, nor is it meant for sex indulgences like that of the dogs and hogs. It is specially meant for making a solution to the problems of material life and the miseries thereof. 

(SB 2.13) KARMIS ARE DEVOID OF ĀTMA-TATTVA KNOWLEDGE.

The karmīs are more or less devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge. The karmīs waste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth, and after doing so, they try to improve the standard of materialistic life. Thus their life is spent without any spiritual profit.

(SB 2.14) THIS MATERIAL WORLD IS CALLED THE WORLD OF DEATH. 

This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence. Therefore, this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all.

Although he is sufficiently experienced in the matter by dint of past experience and previous examples of his deceased predecessors, he does not see that the so-called fighting soldiers like the children, relatives, society members and countrymen are all fallible in the great struggleNo one will survive in this struggle with material nature. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is pointing out the duty of the human being after showing the actual position of bewildered human activities. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.

Srila Prabhupada is trying to explain the purpose of Vedic knowledge. The whole process of how we are contaminated by materialism is explained in Bhagavadgita. The whole dilemma of Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita is the struggle between the mundane concept of life spiritual concept of life. It only took 30 mins – 1hr for Krsna to explain it to Arjuna. The speed at which Krsna recited and the fact that arjuna understood it in such a short time is incredible. Shows how advanced Arjuna is. They were in a stressful situation.
To understand how we become entangled in the material world is a big subject, how we get over the entanglement is even a bigger subject.

Most of the time is spent on understanding how we are entangled, we have to spend more time hearing the past times of the lord which gets us out of this material entanglement.

(CHAPTER 82 KRSNA BOOK)

YADUS ARE RELIEVED FROM ALL MATERIAL CONTAMINATION AND ARE SITUATED IN THE TRANSCENDENTAL POSITION OF LIBERATION DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF KRSNA WITH THEM.

The specific condition of your perfection is that you always see Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is sought by many mystic yogīs undergoing severe austerities and penances for great numbers of years. All of you are in direct touch with Lord Kṛṣṇa at every moment.
“All the Vedic hymns glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The Ganges water is considered sanctified because of its being the water used to wash the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Vedic literatures are nothing but the injunctions of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of the study of all the Vedas is to know Kṛṣṇa; therefore, the words of Kṛṣṇa and the message of His pastimes are always purifying. By the influence of time and circumstances, all the opulences of this world were almost completely wiped out, but since Kṛṣṇa has appeared on this planet, all auspicious features have again appeared due to the touch of His lotus feet. Because of His presence, all our ambitions and desires are gradually being fulfilled. Your Majesty, king of the Bhojas, you are related with the Yadu dynasty by matrimonial relationship, and by blood relationship also. As a result, you are constantly associating with Lord Kṛṣṇa, and you have no difficulty in seeing Him or touching Him at any time. Lord Kṛṣṇa moves with you, talks with you, sits with you, rests with you and dines with you.
The Yadus appear to be always engaged in worldly affairs, which are considered to be the royal road to hell, but due to the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead in the Viṣṇu category, who is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, all of you are factually relieved from all material contamination and are situated in the transcendental position of liberation and Brahman existence.”

THE ECSTATIC TRANCE GOPIS ACHIEVED SIMPLY BY MENTALLY EMBRACING KṚṢṆA IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE EVEN FOR GREAT YOGĪS CONSTANTLY ENGAGED IN MEDITATION ON THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

As far as the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were concerned, from the very beginning of their lives they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were their life and soul. The gopīs were so attached to Kṛṣṇa that they could not tolerate not seeing Him even momentarily when their eyelids blinked and impeded their vision.  Because they had been separated from Kṛṣṇa for so many years, the gopīs, having come along with Nanda Mahārāja and Mother Yaśodā, felt intense ecstasy upon seeing Kṛṣṇa. No one can even imagine how eager the gopīs were to see Kṛṣṇa again. As soon as Kṛṣṇa became visible to them, they took Him inside their hearts through their eyes and embraced Him to their full satisfaction. Even though they were embracing Kṛṣṇa only mentally, they became so ecstatic and overwhelmed with joy that for the time being they completely forgot themselves.
The ecstatic trance they achieved simply by mentally embracing Kṛṣṇa is impossible to achieve even for great yogīs constantly engaged in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa could understand that the gopīs were rapt in ecstasy by embracing Him in their minds, and therefore, since He is present in everyone’s heart, He reciprocated the embracing from within.

LORD GIVES AN IMPORTANT INSTRCUTION TO GOPIS FROM WHICH WE CAN LEARN

This important instruction by Lord Kṛṣṇa to the gopīs can be utilized by all devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The whole philosophy is considered on the basis of inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He is present everywhere in His impersonal feature. Everything exists in Him, but still He is not personally present everywhere. The cosmic manifestation is nothing but a display of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, and because the energy is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. When this absolute consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is absent, we are separated from Kṛṣṇa; but, fortunately, if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is present, then we are not separated from Kṛṣṇa. The process of devotional service is the revival of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate enough to understand that the material energy is not separate from Kṛṣṇa, then he can utilize the material energy and its products in the service of the Lord. But in the absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the forgetful living entity, although part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, falsely puts himself in the position of enjoyer of the material world and, being thus implicated in material entanglement, is forced by the material energy to continue his material existence. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Although a living entity is forced to act by the material energy, he falsely thinks that he is the all in all and the supreme enjoyer.

If the devotee knows perfectly that the arcā-vigraha, or Deity form of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha as Kṛṣṇa Himself, then his service to the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, the temple itself, the temple paraphernalia and the food offered to the Deity are also not separate from Kṛṣṇa. One has to follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the ācāryas, and thus, under superior guidance, Kṛṣṇa-realization is fully possible, even in this material existence.

The gopīs, having been instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, remained always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus became liberated from all material contamination.

The consciousness of the living entity who falsely presents himself as the enjoyer of the material world is called jīva-kośa, which means imprisonment by the false ego. Not only the gopīs but anyone who follows these instructions of Kṛṣṇa is immediately freed from the jīva-kośa imprisonment. A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always liberated from false egoism; he utilizes everything for Kṛṣṇa’s service and is not at any time separated from Kṛṣṇa.

GOPIS PRAYERS TO KRSNA 

The gopīs therefore prayed to Kṛṣṇa, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, from Your navel emanated the original lotus flower, which is the birthsite of Brahmā, the creator. No one can estimate Your glories or Your opulence, which therefore remain always a mystery even to the highest thoughtful men, the masters of all yogic power. However, the conditioned soul fallen in the dark well of this material existence can very easily take shelter of Your lotus feet. Thus his deliverance is guaranteed.”

The gopīs continued, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are always busy in our family affairs. We therefore request that You remain within our hearts as the rising sun. That will be Your greatest benediction.”

GOPIS ARE ALWAYS LIBERATED SOULS BECAUSE THEY ARE FULLY IN KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS

The gopīs are always liberated souls because they are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They only pretended to be entangled in household affairs in Vṛndāvana. Because of their separation from Kṛṣṇa, He might have asked them to return with Him to His capital city, Dvārakā. But the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, the gopīs, were not interested in the idea of going with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā. They wanted to remain busy in Vṛndāvana and thus feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa in every step of their lives. They immediately invited Kṛṣṇa to come back to Vṛndāvana. This transcendental emotional existence of the gopīs is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya’s teaching. The Ratha-yātrā festival observed by Lord Caitanya is the emotional process of taking Kṛṣṇa back to Vṛndāvana. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī refused to go with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā to enjoy His company in the atmosphere of royal opulence, for She wanted to enjoy His company in the original Vṛndāvana atmosphere. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being profoundly attached to the gopīs, never goes away from Vṛndāvana, and the gopīs and other residents of Vṛndāvana remain fully satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS from HH Harivilas Maharaj’s Morning Bhagavatam class on Invocation & SB 2.1.1

1. First Canto, is called “Creation.”
2. Second Canto is called “The Cosmic Manifestation.
3. In the SB 2.1.1 Krsna’s name was spoken 17 times in the purport. 
4. The highest perfection of life is to achieve the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa.
5. The questions and answers about Kṛṣṇa elevate one to that transcendental position
6. Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to absorb his mind completely in Kṛṣṇa, and such absorption can be effected simply by hearing about the uncommon activities of Kṛṣṇa.
7. Simply by understanding the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, disappearance, and activities, one can immediately return home, back to Godhead, and never come back to this miserable condition of material existence.
8. To hear always about Kṛṣṇa is very auspicious. The activities of Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa Himself. 
9. As long as one is engaged in hearing such transcendental activities of Kṛṣṇa, he remains aloof from the conditional life of material existence.
10. The topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa are so auspicious that they purify the speaker, the hearer, and the inquirer. 
11. Humility and tolerance is the essence of Krsna Consciousness
12. Material life is always up and down, whereas spiritual life is always up and up 
13. Firm faith and confidence are called śraddhā
14. When one engages in the Lord’s devotional service, he is to be understood to have performed all his responsibilities in the material world. 
15. Knowledge alone is useless, one must also have dettachment along with knowledge 
16. The best achievement of all fruitive activity is detachment from material life, and this detachment is spontaneously enjoyed by the devotee firmly engaged in the Lord’s service.
17. One should completely surrender to Krsna and should have complete faith that Krsna wil protect us, as He promises us

Invocation: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

SB 2.1.1 Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.

READ MORE:

CLASS NOTES: 

Invocation: 

In the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the principles of creation are described, and thus the First Canto may be called “Creation.”The First Chapter describes the glories of chanting, and it hints at the process by which the neophyte devotees may perform meditation on the universal form of the Lord. In the Second Canto, the post-creation cosmic manifestation is described. 
Because you have raised questions about Kṛṣṇa, your question is most glorious.

(SB 2.1.1)

Simply by such questioning and hearing, one can achieve the highest perfectional stage of life. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Person, any question about Him is original and perfect. 

1. The highest perfection of life is to achieve the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa.
2. The questions and answers about Kṛṣṇa elevate one to that transcendental position,
3. Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to absorb his mind completely in Kṛṣṇa, and such absorption can be effected simply by hearing about the uncommon activities of Kṛṣṇa.

1. The highest perfection of life is to achieve the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa.
2. The questions and answers about Kṛṣṇa elevate one to that transcendental position,
3. Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to absorb his mind completely in Kṛṣṇa, and such absorption can be effected simply by hearing about the uncommon activities of Kṛṣṇa.

(SB 1.2.16)
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya
vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ
Puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt

O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.

(SB 2.1.2)
Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.

(CC M 22.62)

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.

Firm faith and confidence are called śraddhā. When one engages in the Lord’s devotional service, he is to be understood to have performed all his responsibilities in the material world. The best achievement of all fruitive activity is detachment from material life, and this detachment is spontaneously enjoyed by the devotee firmly engaged in the Lord’s service.

This understanding will only happen when you read something written by a pure devotee. Maharaj went to high school college philosophy, and could not understand anything. He went to the library in indian embassy and read the books, nyaya… karma mimamsa… always interested in philosophy, when I read those books he thought India was all hodge podge..

Krishna Consciousness is based on humility and tolerance. The more you hear the more you become purified. So that you can keep your mind on the progressive path of Krsna Consciousness. When you look at the history of Trump, it was a roller coaster,

For the philosophers The topic is not Krsna. When people talk it is all about the body nothing about the soul… massage is nice, my kids went to yale.

Knowledge is useless, unless detachment. How to become a vyragi, have complete surrender and have complete faith in Krsna. He will protect you. Limit sense gratification and maximize your service. If you have the strong attachments even though you are hearing it is going away.

Devotees always should be alert on the first impressions. First impression is the last impression. If someone comes to the temple and no one talks to them… Catch the kid you catch the parent. When you give them a kids book, it is very simple, they will read it for the kid and they will also learn.  Regulating the atmosphere of temples is very important. If we put on the atmosphere of peace, loving, caring, giving, very beneficial for the children… Once you get into quality.. Quality sells. Everything we do should be first class.. One little thing is first class…. I have been looking for this community 

HW – Explain CC M 22.62, BG 4.39, Explain Shraddha

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 1:19:37- 40

1. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the right type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of all men, particularly for the dying men. 
2. Maharaj Praikshit says – Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and worship, and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me.
3. The question put forward by Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. 
4. No one can establish peace and prosperity in the world by fruitive activities or by speculative philosophy or ideology. 
5. The only way is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord and thus become free from the illusion of the deluding energy.
6. The pure devotee 
   • is called niṣkāma, which means he has no desire for self-interest. Perfect peace belongs to him alone, not to them who strive for personal gain.
   • desires nothing but Krsna. Therefore the Lord says that for anyone who is unflinchingly devoted to Him, He is easy to attain.
   • meets with none of the problems that plague the practitioners of other yogas. 
   • he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa without deviation and without considering the time or place.
   • a pure devotee can live anywhere and create the atmosphere of Vṛndāvana by his devotional service. 
   • As indicated by the words satatam and nityaśaḥ, which mean “always,” “regularly,” or “every day,” a pure devotee constantly remembers Kṛṣṇa and meditates upon Him
   • does not desire promotion to heavenly planets, nor does he seek oneness with the Brahma-Jyotir or salvation or liberation from material entanglement. 
   • meets with none of the problems that plague the practitioners of other yogas.
   • is always constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord and cannot forget the Supreme Lord,so for him the Lord is easily attained.
   • A pure devotee cannot forget the Supreme Lord for a moment, and similarly the Supreme Lord cannot forget His pure devotee for a moment.
7. Bhakti-yoga is very simple and pure and easy to perform. One can begin simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chanting Hare Krsna is the means and the end. 
8. To become the servant of the Lord means to accept a Spiritual Master. Without accepting somebody as master, how can one become an expert servant?
9. those who are married should work, earning money as much as possible, and at least 50% should be spent for the Krishna Consciousness Movement. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life.
10. The Spiritual Master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore the Spiritual Master is accepted in the renounced order of life. 
11. one who understands the importance of Krishna Consciousness must be a very fortunate soul. 
12. In the material world the energy is called Bhadra, and in the spiritual world the same Maya is called Subhadra. So in the spiritual world, the same Maya works auspiciously, and in the material world, the same Maya works inauspiciously. This auspiciousness and inauspiciousness is our own choice.
13. In Krsna Consciousness there is no conditions whatever, so in any position, one may be in, he can chant Hare Krishna, preach Krishna Consciousness
14. If you want to make others as krsna devotees you first become a pure devotee
15. Krishna Consciousness is already in you—not only in you, but in every living being. Such consciousness is aroused by the vibration of the Hare Krishna Mantra. 

SB 1.19.36 TRANSLATION

Otherwise [without being inspired by Lord Kṛṣṇa] how is it that you have voluntarily appeared here, though you are moving incognito to the common man and are not visible to us who are on the verge of death?

CLASS NOTES: 

SB 1.19.37 

You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die.

Unless one is perfectly anxious to inquire about the way of perfection, there is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not a kind of decoration for a householder. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the right type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of all men, particularly for the dying men. The question put forward by Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Now let us see how intelligently the great master replies.

I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die.

SB 1.19.38

Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and worship, and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me.

These are fundamental instructions everyone has to ask for and receive. But unfortunately, no one is doing that. Prabhupada did the same thing as Sukhadev Goswami 5000 years ago. We are the most fortunate to receive this from Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada when he used to write the initiation acceptance letter he would say you are the most fortunate to receive initiation. 

SB 1.19.39
O powerful brāhmaṇa, it is said that you hardly stay in the houses of men long enough to milk a cow.

SB 1.19.40
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The King thus spoke and questioned the sage, using sweet language. Then the great and powerful personality, the son of Vyāsadeva, who knew the principles of religion, began his reply.

(BG. 8.14)
ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ
yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ
tasyāhaṁ su-labhaḥ pārtha
nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ

For one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pṛthā, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.

(BG 7.14)
Daivihesa guna mayi
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

(SB 1.11.34)

In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) this fact is very vividly described. It is said, “The deluding energy is My potency, and thus it is not possible for the dependent living beings to supersede the strength of the material modes. But those who take shelter in Me [the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa] can cross over the gigantic ocean of material energy.” This means that no one can establish peace and prosperity in the world by fruitive activities or by speculative philosophy or ideology. The only way is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord and thus become free from the illusion of the deluding energy.

Everything that the materialistic scientists, philosophers , politicians, are saying is wrong.
The definite statement made by Krsna is it is impossible to overcome the laws of material nature. We are living in a culture that prides itself on seminating the wrong knowledge. People are believing it to be correct and their lives are being destructed.

The cumulative effect of hearing. We learn one new thing every day after 1 year we remember 365 things. That means you are highly educated. We should be formally hearing. We should be actively, reverently hearing, at least pick one thing and never forget. 

(BG 8.14) A PERFECT DEVOTEE HAS NO DESIRE OTHER THAN TO PLEASE THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD

As indicated by the word ananya-cetāḥ, in pure bhakti-yoga the devotee desires nothing but Kṛṣṇa. A pure devotee does not desire promotion to heavenly planets, nor does he seek oneness with the brahma-jyotir or salvation or liberation from material entanglement. A pure devotee does not desire anything (material). In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta the pure devotee is called niṣkāma, which means he has no desire for self-interest. Perfect peace belongs to him alone, not to them who strive for personal gain. Whereas a jñāna-yogī, karma-yogī or haṭha-yogī has his own selfish interests, a perfect devotee has no desire other than to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Lord says that for anyone who is unflinchingly devoted to Him, He is easy to attain.

Mayavadis –  Say No desire, it is impossible to have no desire.

Bhakti Yoga – No desire for self-interest, only desire is to please the supreme personality of Godhead. a devotee can choose to fix his mind in loving service to any of these transcendental forms of the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee meets with none of the problems that plague the practitioners of other yogas. Bhakti-yoga is very simple and pure and easy to perform. One can begin simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.Mayavadi philosophy is very boring. Vipassana can only be done 10 days. Mayavadi is a dead-end philosophy. It is a bridge to nowhere. 

Therefore something which becomes impossible to attain becomes easy as soon as we give up personal interest and replace it with interest to please Krsna. Our personal interest is to please Krsna through the instructions of the bonafide guru and not to please ourselves. If we want to please ourselves, we get entangled in the struggle from existence, competition, and all kinds of negative things. If we are working to please Krsna we get free from struggle for existence. A pure devotee of Krsna has 2 fundamental qualities  – Humility and tolerance. He knows that he is the servants of Krsna and can tolerate anything else even violence against himself, Except blaspheme on Krsna or devotees.

A devotee can choose to fix his mind in loving service to any of the transcendental forms of the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee meets with none of the problems that plague the practitioners of other yogas. Bhakti-yoga is very simple and pure and easy to perform. One can begin simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

(BG 8.14) THE LORD IS MERCIFUL TO ALL, BUT, HE IS ESPECIALLY INCLINED TOWARD THOSE WHO ALWAYS SERVE HIM WITHOUT DEVIATION. 

The Lord helps such devotees in various ways. As stated in the Vedas (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23), yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas/ tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām: one who is fully surrendered and engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord can understand the Supreme Lord as He is. And as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10), dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam: the Lord gives such a devotee sufficient intelligence so that ultimately the devotee can attain Him in His spiritual kingdom.

(BG 8.14)THE SPECIAL QUALIFICATION OF THE PURE DEVOTEE IS THAT HE IS ALWAYS THINKING OF KṚṢṆA WITHOUT DEVIATION AND WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE TIME OR PLACE.

Some say that the devotee should remain in holy places like Vṛndāvana or some holy town where the Lord lived, but a pure devotee can live anywhere and create the atmosphere of Vṛndāvana by his devotional service. It was Śrī Advaita who told Lord Caitanya, “Wherever You are, O Lord – there is Vṛndāvana.”

(BG 8.14)A PURE DEVOTEE CANNOT FORGET THE SUPREME LORD FOR A MOMENT, AND SIMILARLY THE SUPREME LORD CANNOT FORGET HIS PURE DEVOTEE FOR A MOMENT.

Generally, the bhakti-yogīs are engaged in five different ways: (1) śānta-bhakta, engaged in devotional service in neutrality; (2) dāsya-bhakta, engaged in devotional service as servant; (3) sakhya-bhakta, engaged as friend; (4) vātsalya-bhakta, engaged as parent; and (5) mādhurya-bhakta, engaged as a conjugal lover of the Supreme Lord. In any of these ways, the pure devotee is always constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord and cannot forget the Supreme Lord, and so for him, the Lord is easily attained. A pure devotee cannot forget the Supreme Lord for a moment, and similarly, the Supreme Lord cannot forget His pure devotee for a moment. This is the great blessing of the Kṛṣṇa conscious process of chanting the mahā-mantra – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23 (Alternate translations in BG 10.10 & CC m 12.6)

(LETTER TO JAYAGOVINDA — LOS ANGELES 4 JULY, 1969) TO BECOME THE SERVANT OF THE LORD MEANS TO ACCEPT A SPIRITUAL MASTER. (HTTPS://VEDABASE.IO/EN/LIBRARY/LETTERS/LETTER-TO-JAYAGOVINDA-8/)

What he can’t perform by his own capacity he wants to have done by being merged into the Supreme Lord. That is the mentality of the general people. But if anyone becomes humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree, it is understood that he has accepted a Spiritual Master. Besides that, if we accept Sikshastak as authority given by Lord Chaitanya, this means we accept Lord Chaitanya as Spiritual Master.

To become the servant of the Lord means to accept a Spiritual Master. Without accepting somebody as master, how can one become an expert servant? It is not that in every literature you will find the words that everyone has to accept a Spiritual Master, but we have to study things scrutinizingly. In the Chaitanya Charitamrta there is mention guru krsna krpaya paya bhakti lata bija (CC Madhya 19.151). By the mercy of the Spiritual Master and Krishna one can get the seeds of bhakti lata, the plant of devotional service.

(LETTER TO: SACISUTA JULY 5, 1969) HOUSEHOLDERS SHOULD SAACRIFICE 50 PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME(HTTPS://VEDABASE.IO/EN/LIBRARY/LETTERS/LETTER-TO-SACISUTA-4/)

Another principle is that those who are brahmacaris, they should sacrifice all of their income and collection for the Krishna Consciousness Movement, whereas those who are married should work, earning money as much as possible, and at least 50% should be spent for the Krishna Consciousness Movement.

(LETTER TO GIRIRAJ MAHARAJ) ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS MUST BE A VERY FORTUNATE SOUL.(HTTPS://PRABHUPADABOOKS.COM/LETTERS/LOS_ANGELES/JULY/05/1969/GIRIRAJA?D=1)

 Living entities are roaming within the universes in different species of life and in different planetary systems enjoying or suffering the reaction of pious or impious activities. But they have no information how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death. Due to the darkness of ignorance, most living entities have no idea about the values of life. Therefore, one who understands the importance of Krishna Consciousness must be a very fortunate soul. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna Consciousness. With my blessings I am sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me. You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible, and follow the four regulative principles as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good Godbrother, Satsvarupa, will always help you in this connection.

Actually, a brahmacari should contribute whatever he has got to Krishna, through the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore the Spiritual Master is accepted in the renounced order of life. So far as householders are concerned, they may contribute at least half of their income to Krishna. Then life is sublime. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life.

(LETTER TO UPENDRA) IS SUBHADRA, LORD KRISHNA’S SISTER, THE SAME DURGA OR MAYA? HTTPS://VEDABASE.IO/EN/LIBRARY/LETTERS/LETTER-TO-UPENDRA-34/

Regarding your questions, “Is Subhadra, Lord Krishna’s Sister, the same Durga or Maya?”, the answer is that originally Krishna’s energy is one: that is spiritual energy. But according to different functions, the Maya is represented differently. In the material world the energy is called Bhadra, and in the spiritual world the same Maya is called Subhadra. The only distinction is su and without su. Su means auspicious. So in the spiritual world, the same Maya works auspiciously, and in the material world the same Maya works inauspiciously. This auspiciousness and inauspiciousness is our own choice. .

(LETTER TO BURIJAAN) KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT LIMITED TO BRAHMACHARI OR SANYASI… 
HTTPS://VEDABASE.IO/EN/LIBRARY/LETTERS/LETTER-TO-BHURIJANA-6/

Krishna Consciousness is not limited that one must be brahmacari to execute, or one must be sannyasi to execute. Spiritual means that there is no conditions whatever, so in any position one may be in, he can chant Hare Krishna, preach Krishna Consciousness, and pray to Krishna to engage him more and more in His transcendental loving service.

(LETTER TO NAIR) IF YOU WANT TO MAKE OTHERS AS KRSNA DEVOTEES YOU FIRST BECOME A PURE DEVOTEE (HTTPS://VEDABASE.IO/EN/LIBRARY/LETTERS/LETTER-TO-MR-NAIR/)

the best treatment is to give the people scientific religious ideas which are very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

There is nothing else except devotional service to the Lord described there, but great politicians have misinterpreted the sunshine-like clear statements of Bhagavad-gita with a cloud of mental concoctions. So if you think seriously to improve the condition of India, you can begin even in a small-scale the propagation of Krishna Consciousness, and if you do it seriously and sincerely, surely you will be successful.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE OTHERS AS KRSNA DEVOTEES YOU FIRST BECOME A PURE DEVOTEE
I came here alone in 1965. Gradually the young men here took the philosophy very nicely, and now they themselves are spreading and opening many branches, even without my presence. Similarly, you can do this also, under my instructions. Just begin with a small endeavor, and gradually it will spread. You have asked me what are the formalities that you have to observe for recruiting Krishna devotees in India, and the first principle is that you have to become a pure devotee of the Lord. Then you can attempt to convert others to become devotees. To become a pure devotee means one should be firmly convinced of his being the eternal servant of Krishna.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A KRSNA DEVOTEE

The formalities are as follows: You should take a vow not to have any illicit sex life. That means sex life should be accepted only by married couples. You should not take anything beyond the group of grains, fruits, vegetables, flowers, milk and milk products, and that also only after offering to Lord Krishna. You should not accept any kind of intoxication, including drinking coffee, tea, or smoking cigarettes, chewing pan, etc. Finally, you should not take part in any gambling, including so-called sports, cinema, theater, or any such entertainment. Then you will have to be first initiated for chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra under regulative principles, avoiding 10 kinds of offenses and following the above regulative principles. Then, on or before the completion of one year, you will be finally initiated. In the meantime you will read our books like Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, etc. These books are all in English, and in addition you should read our monthly journal, Back To Godhead. You should go on inquiring about your pros and cons ideas in the matter of the Krishna Consciousness.

KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS WILL BE REVEALED

Along with this you chant Hare Krishna in the assembly of friends and family members regularly, morning and evening, and then Krishna Consciousness will become revealed unto you. Krishna Consciousness is already in you—not only in you, but in every living being. Such consciousness is aroused just like a sleeping man is aroused from slumber by vibration of sound. Similarly, a conditioned soul is aroused by the vibration of the Hare Krishna Mantra into Krishna Consciousness. This is the process. We will be glad to give you all instruction on this point, providing you are serious to accept it, and to propagate it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 1:19:36:

1. One can achieve the nucleus of the devotional service of the Lord by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Personality of Godhead.
2. The spiritual master is the manifested representative of the Lord to help one achieve ultimate success.
3. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is an authorized spiritual master, and thus he was inspired by the Lord to appear before Mahārāja Parīkṣit and instruct him in the teachings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
4. To get the assistance and help of a bona fide spiritual master means to receive the direct help of the Lord Himself.
5. KC MOVEMENT IS TO SIMPLY UNDERSTAND KRSNA AND HIS ACTIVITIES. If you can understand Kṛṣṇa’s activities, then this is the last body.
6. Just try to understand one book, Bhagavad-gītā, and you become liberated.  
7. SIMPLY HEAR, EVERYTHING WILL BE REVEALED
8. You cannot realize God by your own effort. That is not possible. Things which are beyond your perception, don’t try to understand by this foolish argument and logic (mental speculation)
9. How to Understand Krsna? When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.’
10. The more you stick to this principle, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: engage your tongue in two business, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam, your life will be perfect.
11. MINDS DISEASE – REJECTING AND ACCEPTING
12. Our real business is to get out of this body and if we are disturbed by these bodily pains and pleasures very much, then I forget my real business. 
13. If you want to get out of this body, you have to tolerate. The more one understands that “I am not this body.” Then one can tolerate. 
14. By being humbler than the grass and tolerant than the tree, we should keep our position in this material world and advance in spiritual consciousness. If we become disturbed, then we cannot make progress.
15. We should be desiring to get out of this body. Desires cannot be stopped; we have to PURIFY THE DESIRES. How to serve Krsna, How  to decorate Krsna, You have desire to eat nice foodstuffs, make the best preparations and offer to Krsna, etc., 
16. f you become a perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then after giving up this body you will get a body like Kṛṣṇa, sac-CID-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1], and live an eternally blissful life of knowledge. That should be the aim of life.

SB 1.19.36 TRANSLATION

Otherwise [without being inspired by Lord Kṛṣṇa] how is it that you have voluntarily appeared here, though you are moving incognito to the common man and are not visible to us who are on the verge of death?

CLASS NOTES: 

(SB 1.19.36) TO GET THE ASSISTANCE AND HELP OF A BONA FIDE SPIRITUAL MASTER MEANS TO RECEIVE THE DIRECT HELP OF THE LORD HIMSELF.

As soon as the Lord finds that a particular soul is very eager to go back to Godhead, the Lord at once sends His bona fide representative. The sincere devotee is thus assured by the Lord of going back to Godhead. The conclusion is that to get the assistance and help of a bona fide spiritual master means to receive the direct help of the Lord Himself.

How does the lord today authorize one to be a spiritual master. That is done through the representatives of the Lord. In Iskcon we have GBC Body. There are 32-35 members. It is the ultimate managing authority. We have deputed service of the founder acharya. SP acted follows the order of his guru. First 30 seconds of their meeting Siddhanta saraswati thakur said you are very educated preach this to the english speaking world. in 1922. Between 1922 to 1952 what happened, he was preparing himself. He raised his 5 children. When proper time came he gave up his family life. He took up his spiritual master’s instructions. Others also came but they were not successful.

Authorization of the lord comes from the representatives of the lord or the pure devotees of the lord. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he did not appoint a successor after he left. He asked them to form a governing body. But they did not follow.
Srila Prabhpada formed GBC while he was there and is continuing after he left the body too. The idea is that one never forgets that SP is the founding acaraya and Krsna is the supreme personality of godhead. His books are the ultimate authority and no one cane become greater than him. Each member of GBC the oath of allegiance to uphold the teachings of SP. The gurus in Iskcon are not supreme authority they are under the purview of GBC. This collegial management of the movement is something unique. It existed time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Six goswamis became the next predecessors.
They were humble, genuine sadhus and pure devotees. When someone is given a permission to initiate that does not mean they are God. Diksha has a very grave responsibility. The Diksha guru has to take the sins of the initiates. Rithvik is all about Only Prabhupada is the guru and all sins are dumped on Srila Prabhupada. That is not the vaishanva system. If someone is appointed as guru does that mean they are infallible. They are subject to GBC. Can the GBC come between guru and disciple, no, but if the Guru falls down and deviates they can. As soon as the guru think aham mameti, guru will fall down.

(LECTURE ON 2.14) KC MOVEMENT IS TO SIMPLY UNDERSTAND KRSNA AND HIS ACTIVITIES. IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND KṚṢṆA’S ACTIVITIES, THEN THIS IS THE LAST BODY.

This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, His activities. He is not impersonal. Janma karma me divyam. Karma means activities. He has activities. Why He is taking part in this world, activities? Why He comes? yadā yadā hi dharmasya
[Bg. 4.7]
He has got some purpose; He has got some mission. So try to understand Kṛṣṇa and His mission and His activities. They are described in a historical form. So where is the difficulty? We read so many things, history or the activities of some leader, some politician. The same thing, same energy, you apply for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa, therefore, He manifests Himself with so many activities, because you can understand Kṛṣṇa’s activities. And if you can understand Kṛṣṇa’s activities, then this is the last body. As soon as you give it up you go to Kṛṣṇa. Why not accept this simple method?

(LECTURE ON 2.14) JUST TRY TO UNDERSTAND ONE BOOK, BHAGAVAD-GĪTĀ, AND YOU BECOME LIBERATED.  

Kṛṣṇa’s activities we are writing in eighty books. If you read one book, that is also sufficient. Just like this book,  Bhagavad-gītā, if you read carefully everything is explained there = what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa’s activities. So you are reading so many books; just try to understand one book, Bhagavad-gītā, and you become liberated. So simple method.

(LECTURE ON 2.14) SIMPLY HEAR, EVERYTHING WILL BE REVEALED

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a very serious movement for the welfare of human society. Just like you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s instruction, the Bhagavad-gītā. If you simply hear, everything will be revealed; everything will be revealed automatically.

(LECTURE ON 2.14) THINGS WHICH ARE BEYOND YOUR PERCEPTION, DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND BY THIS FOOLISH ARGUMENT AND LOGIC
You cannot realize God by your own effort. That is not possible. 

This is Vedic instruction, that things which are beyond your perception, don’t try to understand by this foolish argument and logic. Don’t try to understand. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā. Acintyāḥ means beyond your conception. Cintyā means within your perception, and acintyā means beyond your perception. You cannot understand by this rascal logic and philosophy; that is not possible. Then how it is to be understood?

[CC. MADHYA 17.136] HOW TO UNDERSTAND KRSNA? WHEN YOU ENGAGE YOUR TONGUE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD, HE REVEALS. 

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.’

That is said, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [Cc. Madhya 17.136] = when you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. Now this is also another peculiar thing, that to understand by the tongue, not by the mind. Tongue. Tongue means we have got two businesses we perform with the tongue = one is tasting foodstuff, and vibrating voice. So we use the tongue vibrating Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Bās. Then you understand Kṛṣṇa. You don’t understand, but He reveals

The more you stick to this principle, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: engage your tongue in two business, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam, your life will be perfect.

MINDS DISEASE – REJECTING AND ACCEPTING

You are hearing Bhagavad-gītā, but your mind is somewhere else. So this is mind’s disease, rejecting and accepting. There is mind’s disease, there is bodily disease. That is called ādhyātmika.

The fact that you cannot focus your mind on KC is adhyatmika. Because of that you are suffering frustration, confusion, dualities. Therefore Caitanya mahaprabhu gave simple instructions – chant Hare Krsna…. When in doubt Chant, when bored Chant and when mind is deviating Chant. The mind accepts and rejects. The Intelligence is more careful in accepting and rejecting, it has to have valid reasons. Mind is very quick in accepting and rejecting.  It is based on emotions and feelings. Our intelligence should be based on sastric evidence. People liked Hitler because of emotions. 

HOW TO TOLERATE
Prabhupāda: The more he understands that “I am not this body.” Then he can tolerate. Yes. And if we become disturbed by the pains and pleasures of the body, then we shall forget our real business. 

REAL BUSINESS – GET OUT OF THE BODY
Our real business is to get out. I am not this body, but this human body is a chance how to get out of this body. That is my real business. So if we are disturbed by these bodily pains and pleasures very much, then I forget my real business. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised taror api sahiṣṇunā.

Tṛṇād api sunīcena: just like grass. Everyone is trampling over the grass—the grass does not protest. Therefore humbler than the grass and tolerant than the tree. In this way we shall have to keep our position in this material world and advance in spiritual consciousness. If we become disturbed, then we cannot make progress. Suppose we are prohibiting so many things. Especially in the Western world this is very painful; but we have to tolerate. If you want to get out of this body, you have to tolerate. Actually it is not painful. If you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is not difficult; it is very easy.

DESIRES CANNOT BE STOPPED; THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. PURIFY THE DESIRES. 

Change the quality of the desire. Desire cannot be stopped; that is not possible.

1. I want to eat very nice foodstuff = all right, eat remnants of foodstuff… We offer Kṛṣṇa the best food. That is the regulative principle.
2. You have got the desire for driving a motorcar—just drive motorcar for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
3. How shall I push on? 
4. How shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? 
5. How shall I decorate…?
6. Simply think of how to push on this movement. That desire and no other desire

Desireless means I am dead. No. Purified desire. 

AIM OF LIFE 

If you have got good faith and love for Kṛṣṇa, you become a body like Kṛṣṇa. Unless you have got the same type of body, how you can play with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa? Therefore when Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma [Bg. 4.9]

If you become a perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then after giving up this body you will get a body like Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1], and live eternally blissful life of knowledge. That should be the aim of life.