19821016 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.9

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on October 16, 1982 at Murāri Sevaka farm in Mulberry, Tennessee. The class begins with a lecture from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10th Canto, Chapter 9, Verse 9.

Translation: When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw His mother, stick in hand, He very quickly got down from the top of the mortar and began to flee as if very much afraid. Although yogīs try to capture Him as Paramātmā by meditation, desiring to enter into the effulgence of the Lord with great austerities and penances, they fail to reach Him. But mother Yaśodā, thinking that same Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, to be her son, began following Kṛṣṇa to catch Him.

Purport: Yogīs, mystics, want to catch Kṛṣṇa as Paramātmā, and with great austerities and penances they try to approach Him, yet they cannot. Here we see, however, that Kṛṣṇa is going to be caught by Yaśodā and is running away in fear. This illustrates the difference between the bhakta and the yogī. Yogīs cannot reach Kṛṣṇa, but for pure devotees like mother Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa is already caught. Kṛṣṇa was even afraid of mother Yaśodā’s stick. This was mentioned by Queen Kuntī in her prayers: bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya (Bhāg. 1.8.31). Kṛṣṇa is afraid of mother Yaśodā, and yogīs are afraid of Kṛṣṇa. Yogīs try to reach Kṛṣṇa by jñāna-yoga and other yogas, but fail. Yet although mother Yaśodā was a woman, Kṛṣṇa was afraid of her, as clearly described in this verse.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purport to text 10, chap… Text 9, Chapter 9, Canto 10 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, in the matter of “Mother Yaśodā Binds Lord Kṛṣṇa”. Oṁ Tat Sat.

Jayapatākā Swami: Here, we see the śloka which describes how… Kārtika month, or Dāmodara-vrata beginning līlā. Every year, in the next coming month, around November, we celebrate Dāmodara month, where we offer lights to Kṛṣṇa, singing the Dāmodarāṣṭakam. This form Dāmodara means one who is tied by the waist.

Kṛṣṇa allowed Himself to be tied by His devotee, allowed Himself to be captured by His devotee. That for those who know Kṛṣṇa’s real position, like Mother Kuntī - how He’s the Lord of all the universe, how He’s the creator of all that be, how He’s the cause of all causes for them, when they see how Kṛṣṇa has allowed Himself to be caught by His devotee, who was thinking that she was His mother. Of course, Kṛṣṇa can have no mother and father because He has no origin. He Himself is ever-existing. So, He is the ādi-puruṣa, the original being. This is the wonderful thing, is that how Kṛṣṇa has allowed Himself to be caught by His devotee.

When great, great yogīs, sages who do severe austerity, penances and other forms of yoga, they’re not able to even get near to Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of catching Him, rather they’re afraid of Kṛṣṇa while Kṛṣṇa has shown fear from His mother. This is the wonderful pastime that Kṛṣṇa’s manifesting. Who cannot fail but be attracted to how wonderful and loving are the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa? Knowing how Kṛṣṇa is so favorably disposed to His devotees, who would be so foolish as to accept some other process of yoga? Who would be so foolish as to miss this opportunity? So, this is a very important pastime for us who are in the path of bhakti-yoga. We should remember this pastime.

Mother Yaśodā was working very hard, trying to catch Kṛṣṇa, was not able to easily catch Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa finally allowed Himself to be caught. Like that sometimes, the devotees are put in difficulties, you see, but that makes their achieving Kṛṣṇa all the more relishable. It also fixes a devotee that there’s no other source of shelter, except for Kṛṣṇa.

Sometimes, even in devotional service, people have had so many brainstorms, where they thought that they knew a way of doing some type of service which was not actually desired or authorized particularly by Kṛṣṇa. And as a result, then sometimes, devotees are put into difficulty by their own unauthorized plans which are not purely connected with devotional service or were not completely authorized. Just like sometimes we find ourself saddled with responsibilities which were created because we didn’t follow the spiritual master, therefore to rectify, we have to work harder.

But actually, to somehow or another remain steady in devotional service, remain fixed, is actually what seasons a devotee or what purifies the devotee. Sometimes it may be by the will of Kṛṣṇa. It may be by one’s own mistake. Maybe so many different reasons, but ultimately everything that happens, happens with Kṛṣṇa’s sanction. He’s allowed it to happen, even if it’s being performed (uhh) without His direct apparent hand, nonetheless, His sanction is always there. Therefore, He will not let any devotee perish, will not let any devotee go away, so long as the devotee wants to come to Him. He promises, na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (Bg 9.31) - My devotee shall never perish.

So, sometimes, just like a parent takes the baby and then throws the baby up in the air, and they go, (gasps) and he catches, or sometimes in the water they put the baby just like under the hand, or they let the hand go, “Daddy!” (laughter). That way they’re forced to depend a little more on the parents, but actually the parent is all along, holding the child. Sometimes the situation happens where it seems that, “Well, why there’s so much difficulty?” But, actually, in the eternal sequence it’s just for a flash, but during that moment, that’s actually the opportunity for us to really depend upon Kṛṣṇa and realize that He’s actually the one who is making or breaking us. He’s the one who is actually the ultimate controller.

Because our tendency is to depend simply upon our own material intelligence, simply upon our material abilities, simply upon so many material situations. Not that a devotee doesn’t use intelligence, and use everything, but the actual dependence on success or failure is left to Kṛṣṇa. That, whether… just as Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prayed,

mānasa, deho, geho, jo kichu mor
arpilū tuwā pade, nanda-kiśor!
jīvane-maraṇe vipade,sampade
dāy mama gelā, tuwā o-pada baraṇe

Or the… whether in success or in failure, whether in life or in death, whatever I have, I’m simply offering unto you, Nanda-kiśora. Everything is… I simply want to engage in your service.

So, by understanding these pastimes, actually there is no one who is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. He is so kind that even sometimes His devotee is apparently having difficulty, or struggling in terms of the service, that this is again, an opportunity to develop a closer relationship with Kṛṣṇa, to more intimately surrender to Kṛṣṇa. For…It’s up to us to utilize every situation that happens to remember Kṛṣṇa. Just like you’re in a car and suddenly… Kṛṣṇa forbid but say someone is in a car accident. At that moment, it’s up to that person whether he is going to shout out, “Oh golly!” (laughter) or “Hare Kṛṣṇa!” Right, what do you think, Steve?

And, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa gives you the shelter. If you don’t, and you survive, then you learn next time to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That actually happened to me once, several times, where actually I was in a car accident, but somehow, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, we always chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, and somehow it always seemed that just by a hair we missed any severe injury.

So, of course, ultimately the action was because of our own negligence, we fell asleep or there was some other… or sometimes it was completely beyond our control, but there was like a little split-second warning before it happened. We could understand that immediately now there was an extreme, impending danger. At that moment, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa”, we chanted Kṛṣṇa and everything became alright.

So, sooner or later, we have to leave the body. So, sometime also that will happen, and it will be the last moment. These are so many dress-rehearsals, and in our service also, the more we can learn to depend upon Kṛṣṇa, the more that (uhh) we become fixed in devotional service.

Sometimes, of course a devotee might start to think, “Better if I had an easy situation, then I’ll be able to think of Kṛṣṇa better.” But, I… I was hearing how, I think it was Pañca-draviḍa in New Orleans was mentioning… no, it was Brahmānanda Swami. I heard Ācāryadeva mention this once also, this is a very false or wrong proposition.

Where is there in the world, that when the going gets easy, people think of God more? Right? During all the wars, during all the diff… everybody’s praying. Right? As soon as it gets easy-going, then gradually, they start to become more and more uh, forgetful of God.

Just see the history of America. When they first came here on the Mayflower and on the different (uhh)… on the different (uhh) boats, all the pilgrims, they’re very religious people. We find, at least the the fore... founding fathers, they put on our money, “In God We Trust”, they encouraged prayer in many ways. Nowadays, what has happened?

Now America has got more and more money, gradually, the people are becoming more and more Godless. “Now, we have science, now we have money, we don’t need God. We don’t need prayers in the schools.” Just on technicalities, they’re able to remove God. God is removed due to technical reasons. What prayer, this or that?

Even one county passed a law that for one minute there’ll be silence, let everybody during that minute, if they want to doze off, meditate or whatever, but there’ll be one minute of silence in the class. That was also struck down because it implied that someone might pray then. Basically speaking, prayer has been outlawed. Even a minute of silence where if someone wants to, they can pray, that also has been outlawed. So, this is all because people now they think, “We don’t need God.” They would never make these laws if they thought that we actually needed God, they wouldn’t. They would overrule all these technical arguments. But because of we have enough money, we don’t need God. So, this is what happens when a person actually has less difficulty, it is often that their intense calling for Kṛṣṇa is less (uhh) prominent.

So, mother Yaśodā, when she said goodbye to Kṛṣṇa, what did she say? She was lamenting that, “Now we’ve been given this whole kingdom to rule. Now we defeated our enemies. We’ve overcome the difficulties, but Kṛṣṇa is leaving, so what is the use? Kṛṣṇa is actually the dear most object of ours.” So, she told Kṛṣṇa, “Better that You give us some more difficulty and You stay, than You give us all this material opulence and You leave. We don’t want You to leave.” Very profound understanding.

So, actually, when there is some pressure put on devotees, it’s a very great mercy. Because they come up to it, and they will, as long as they depend upon Kṛṣṇa. Then it gives them that much more of an opportunity to actually become very close to Kṛṣṇa.

There is a saying in Sanskrit. I always, I never memorized the thing. But it basically that… basically the meaning of it is that…that goes something like, it’s very beautiful. candanam canda gandham gandhan punara ki puraih kancanam kancavanam - The more that you heat up gold, [Aside: of course, Richard could tell us about that.] the more brilliant it becomes. The more that you heat it up, the more brilliant and pure lustrous it becomes. The more that you smash sugarcane, the more the sweet juice comes out. The more that you rub sandalwood against the stone, ghṛṣṭam ghṛṣṭam, the more that the sweet scent comes. Similarly, the sādhus, the more that they’re put under different pressures, the more their transcendental qualities become manifest. The more that the devotees are put in various tests, the more that their transcendental qualities, even after death, these qualities become manifest.

So, in the eternal sequence, sometimes things are going very very opulently. And then sometimes in the material world, they go up, down, up, down, like that. So somehow, if we’re able to never forget Kṛṣṇa, even in our success, you don’t have to actually suffer difficulties. It’s a special opportunity when we are in difficulty however to remember Kṛṣṇa even more intensely. Because for the devotee, naturally they think of Kṛṣṇa, who else will help, for Kṛṣṇa to give intelligence, for Kṛṣṇa to give avenues so that His service can continue?

So here, we see that mother Yaśodā was very (umm), anxious to protect Kṛṣṇa. She just thought Kṛṣṇa was her son and Kṛṣṇa allowed Himself to be chased by His mother, even acted as if He was afraid. So, this is very attractive to all the devotees because it illustrates how Kṛṣṇa actually is so intimately connected with His devotees. It illustrates what is the actual purpose of rendering devotional service? What is the result if one actually becomes close to Kṛṣṇa? One actually can capture Kṛṣṇa, who is otherwise uncapturable. Kṛṣṇa… the devotee, because a devotee completely depends upon Kṛṣṇa, therefore Kṛṣṇa is willing to depend upon the devotee in reciprocation. You trust me, I will trust you.

If the devotee is not ready to put himself under Kṛṣṇa’s care, then how would Kṛṣṇa trust that person, to be put in that person’s care? That... just like if you have someone who, you know, “Can you loan me some money?” But you know that that person thinks that, “Well, would this guy ever loan me any money? Would he actually uh, trust me?” This is just a natural thing you would think about, from reciprocation, what is? So, in the spiritual realm, that is also there. If you trust Kṛṣṇa, then He will trust you. And if you don’t trust Kṛṣṇa, it’s an indication that you still have something in the back of your head, some ulterior motive, some desire, something else.

So, of course Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so merciful that He is accepting devotees, even they don’t have this highest level of surrender. And He gives them the opportunity to become Kṛṣṇa conscious by chanting the holy name, but as a devotee chants and takes the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura, the point is that they are also to come up to this standard of pure devotion. Even though they may have had the, a previous life which was so fallen and so otherwise unqualified, by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura, one comes up to this.

If one doesn’t have this standard of devotion, then one should pray to Nitāi-Gaura, and Their representatives in the disciplic succession to give that special strength. Because this is the special mercy of Nitāi-Gaura; He gives this level of pure devotion, very easily. It’s not that one gets Kṛṣṇa just on some artificial qualification. This is the qualification. The devotee is able to completely fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa and surrender to Kṛṣṇa through all difficulties and through all happiness, and not become infatuated by success, or become (uhh) overwhelmed by failure.

In this material world, no one can be successful all the time, at every moment. It is not possible, except for Kṛṣṇa, you see, but even Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, they may sometimes suffer a temporary setback, but they’re never completely defeated. And for the materialists, they’re always being defeated, you see. Of course, their ultimate defeat is death, where they lose everything. For the devotee, death is not at all a defeat. It is opening the door back to Godhead.

So, in this way, in our Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, we take the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura to serve Kṛṣṇa. And we take every opportunity, every s… every situation as an opportunity to learn to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, better.

There are so many examples. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, when he was put into the prison house. The Hari… Harināma Ācārya, the great spiritual master of the holy name, he was thrown in a prison because he chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. What did he do? He preached in the prison, and made all the prisoners Kṛṣṇa conscious, preaching to them that, “You’re thinking you’re in the prison, the whole world is a prison. Once you go out, you’re going to fall into again theft, and again into sense gratification. Here you’re very renounced. Not by your own choice, but because (chuckles) living in prison life is very austere. So, if you use this austere environment to chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

then you’ll be able to quickly advance in spiritual life and actually achieve real freedom; not just from this prison to the bigger prison, but out of the whole material cycle of birth and death. Out of the whole material prison house.”

So, they all began to chant. Then Haridāsa Ṭhākura was called up, “Why you (uhh), are making everyone chant in our prison? You were thrown in the prison because you were chanting. Now you’re making everyone else chant. (devotees chuckle) You must stop, otherwise, we will kill you. Otherwise you’ll be severely punished.” Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “Even if you divide my body into thousands and thousands of pieces, I will never give up the chanting of

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

So, then they tried to do just that. They said, “alright whip him in 22 marketplaces”, which was supposed to shred him up into little pieces. But, even then Kṛṣṇa, protected him and he survived all the whippings unscathed. You see, so, of course, how can we imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura? But therefore Kṛṣṇa doesn’t whip us in 22 marketplaces. He doesn’t put us through those tests. If someone was put into a serious test, that’s an indication that the person is strong enough to take the test.

Simply if the person depends fully on Kṛṣṇa… just like sometimes some of our devotees are also arrested and put in prison or put in jail for a short time. Sometimes, just due to preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, (creaking sound of doors being opened) due to false charges and other things, not due to even their own karma. Karmic activities before they were devotees, or unauthorized… just they’re put there, not due to any offense, but just because they’re preaching.

Sometimes, it happens. And, just like, Māyāpur was attacked one time by (uhh), some Communist and Muslim people and as a result of just simply defending the temple, Bhavānanda Goswami and a number of other devotees were arrested; at which time Prabhupāda was in great anxiety. And it came out in the newspaper that Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees are in the pri… are in the jail, and now the whole jail is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

We were bringing prasāda for the devotees, they were giving out to all the prisoners, some prasāda. They had the whole… whole prison, everybody was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. In fact, they would let the devotees out at a time different than the other prisoners, so they could walk around in this courtyard. They said it was for their protection.

So, they went around anyway and gave everybody prasāda, and but in India, they have high security prisoners where they’re just like the old time, they actually shackled down, hands and feet. They’re the terrorists… the terrorist communists who are trying to overthrow the government by armed rebellion, and they’re always yelling out, “Lal salām!” this means, “Red salute! Red salute!” You know, and all the… and all kinds of slogans, you know. Lenin jindābād, Marx glories… all these things, and you know… have to mention these names. But uh, when the devotees would walk by, they see the devotee, even they would say, “Hare Kṛṣṇa salām!” (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa salute! There we know that the six gosvāmīs, it says that they were liked both by the ruffians as well as the rascals, as well as by the gentle people. Bhadra abhadra…

So, therefore, we try to follow in the footsteps of mother Yaśodā and these great devotees and learn every… to take every opportunity to simply serve Kṛṣṇa. Actually, this is the secret to capture Kṛṣṇa. Someone who avoids service to Kṛṣṇa when the going is difficult is… it’s an indication that the person either wants to be elevated to the heavenly planets in his next life, or to obtain liberation, but is not actually fixed in pure devotional service.

Someone wants a very comfortable material situation, those desires will take one to heavenly planets after death, where one will have very very comfortable material situation, but not immediately getting Kṛṣṇa. And so, a devotee who wants liberation, they’re usually very fixed in the mode of goodness. They don’t want to be (uhh) dirty. They don’t want to go out and take all the difficulties of some difficult service or preaching. They want to just stay very much (uhh), fixed in a type of very protected service, that no rocking the boat, cause they’re afraid that somehow or another they may be distracted and then have to again take birth, you see?

But the mood of Lord Caitanya is that pure devotion is actually much more relishable. The pure devotee, he has the attitude, “Even if Kṛṣṇa wants me to take birth again, at least I want to be a devotee.” I want to simply render pure devotional service. So, as a result, whether it’s a very convenient or whatever, the devotee simply stays in his devotional service, doesn’t allow anything to interrupt that flow of devotional service, whether it’s a desire to uh, achieve liberation, or a comfortable material situation or whatever. Pure devotee simply tries to continue rendering devotional service, accepting the mercy of Kṛṣṇa to bring him closer and closer to Kṛṣṇa.

And, of course, like the Pāṇḍavas, ultimately, when all the difficulties are over, and the facility is there for doing more service, but then, the devotee was… is thinking back on how, how close I was brought to Kṛṣṇa in the difficult situation? When the pressure is let off a little bit, then devotee even thinking that, “Actually that was more relishable in many ways. I was forced to think of Kṛṣṇa. I was forced to work so much harder for Kṛṣṇa, and actually, I was feeling more transcendental happiness.”

Just like when Kṛṣṇa wrote to the gopīs that, “Actually, I’ve only left you so that you could relish the love for Me more intensely, in separation. But actually, we are more intimately united because of your intense feelings of love for Me.” So, these things on a material platform are completely inconceivable. But on the spiritual platform, all these opposites are perfectly equated, perfectly balanced, perfectly uh, synthesized, or how do you say, integrated.

The mercy of Kṛṣṇa is realized by the devotee in various forms. Sometimes in pleasure, in great happiness, the devotee also realizes the mercy of Kṛṣṇa intensely. And even then, feels separation from the Lord. But (uhh) it’s easier for us to forget about Kṛṣṇa in happiness sometimes. And the devotee of course sometimes can also forget about Kṛṣṇa when there’s material difficulty. The tendency is then to start to lament.

But since we’re actually eternal spirit souls, and we’re practically speaking, living out this material drama, that we should learn to play the part of a devotee and then take the great benefit from this bad bargain, to actually become completely Kṛṣṇa conscious. After all, this is not our real role that we’re playing in this particular body. Our real role is devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. This is just a setting on the stage, and we are the actors. But, if we play in our eternal role as the servant of Kṛṣṇa, regardless of what the setting is, as the time causes the setting to change, we never come out of our role as serving Kṛṣṇa, then actually, we are transferred to the eternal setting. Then we don’t have to play the role in these material setting.

But for the pure devotee whether, wherever setting it may be, the temporary settings of the material world, or the eternal setting in the spiritual sky (uhh), his consciousness is always one, it’s always fixed: ekeha kuru-nandana, in pure devotional service. Therefore, for the pure devotee, it doesn’t make any difference whether he is in the material world, or whether he is in the spiritual sky. It’s just a question of what stage props are there. For him, his role is always the same: Pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

Thus, a person actually becomes immunized. The fangs of this material nature are de-poisoned. In any situation a person realizes that, “I can be Kṛṣṇa conscious, and simply that’s my only duty, to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Whether my service is ultimately successful or not, is not the reason why I’m doing devotional service. I’m simply doing it to please You my dear Nitāi-Gaura, my dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, my dear spiritual master. It’s simply, I’m offering my service unto You for Your pleasure. Success and failure are Yours. I am simply a, Your eternal servant. I surrender at Your lotus feet. May my service be pleasing unto You. I have no other purpose for my energy but to serve You.” And by gradually assuming this attitude, then one becomes so steady that nothing can shake, even death, which is a very big test, does not shake such a devotee.

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare

Any questions? Yes?

Devotee: Sometimes it seems that we engage in service, but we don’t have the full enthusiasm for it, we’re lacking… lack of enthusiasm… I wish I had more enthusiasm is all I can say. So, I could start doing more service… When I’m chanting my rounds, doing all these things still seems like less enthusiasm, is there any need to change?

Jayapatākā Swami: Well in general… is there what?

Devotee: Any need to change?

Jayapatākā Swami: For… for a devotee, the more that you understand that Kṛṣṇa is directly accepting your service through the spiritual master, and the main thing that He is accepting is how enthusiastically you do it. Because ultimately, He doesn’t need the service. What He’s relishing is your...your desire to serve Him, your devotion, your enthusiasm.

Just like that time when Kṛṣṇa appeared in the kitchen, and then they so enthusiastically handed Him the banana peel, instead of the ba… they handed Him the banana peel, and He ate the banana peel. So, then they saw, “I gave Kṛṣṇa the banana peel, and I kept the banana. He is eating the peel!” Then He said, “Well for Me, the peel and the apple are the same. I was relishing your enthusiasm to serve Me.” (laughing)

Actually, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t need anything. He is already ātmārāmāḥ ca munayaḥ. He is already complete - oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ. But the fact that after so many millions of years of forgetting Him, the conditioned soul is coming forward to serve Him, that enthusiasm and that desire is what Kṛṣṇa appreciates most. So therefore, even if (uhh), the service may not be that… sometimes one needs a slight change of service, sometimes the service is alright. These are things that can only be discussed by the authorities with the individual devotee as to whether there is adequate service to keep the person fully engaged. That’s a separate situation. That has to be dealt with individually. But even in such a situation, still, one should be very enthusiastic, and still after being very enthusiastic if the person is bored, or just unengaged, true that it’s not enough service, or not enough to keep the mind in… involved, then that’s something that has to be dealt with individually between the spiritual master, or the representative… his representative, the temple authority. Still, the person should be doing the service fully enthusiastically, otherwise, how can you tell whether you’re working up to the capacity or not?

Just like if you’re driving in the car and the pedals… the gas pedals got down and then the car is killing, you see…you know and then you come to some conclusion, “Well, something is wrong with the car.” But then sometimes when the engine is cold, or when you overload it, just have to put on more gas.

You’re going up a hill, then you keep going up the hill, then when you’re going up the hill, it kills, then you say, “What’s wrong?” You go and look at your car and everything, but because you weren’t putting the gas on. Right? So, when you’re going up the hill, you’ve got to put the gas on. Maybe sometimes you downshift, put on the gas, and you go up. Right? If you don’t put on more gas when you’re going uphill. So, that’s why sometimes Kṛṣṇa makes a person go uphill a little bit, just like you’re forced to put on the gas. Sink to swim.

Ordinarily you know, if you’re always putting on the gas, then it doesn’t make any difference. Those type of tests are no longer really needed, either. So, a devotee is not actually tested that much, and even if he is, it doesn’t make any difference. He just passes, just to show other devotees as an example. Do you see what’s for Kṛṣ… for Prahlāda to swim in the boiling oil, because he such a great devotee. You know. Similarly, for us, we get very infinitesimal situations comparatively, Kṛṣṇa helps us to cross over them.

Enthusiasm is something that is just (uhh)… just somehow or another, like a person riding, running in a race. How do you become enthusiastic? Someone either through instruction, through criticism, through joking, through something, a person just gets fired up and goes out and does it. Ultimately, enthusiasm is not something, you can pray of course to Nitāi-Gaura, Nityānanda to help you become more enthusiastic, but enthusiasm comes from one’s desire.

If you desire something, you’re enthusiastic. If you want to please Kṛṣṇa, you become enthusiastic. It’s just a question of focusing. Focusing your… focusing your desires, focusing your intentions, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena, just like the sunlight, focusing on Kṛṣṇa. If it’s not focused, energy gets splayed, you lose enthusiasm. Like, we’re discussing having HAM radio sets (uhh) here in Murāri and different places. Now we have a way of getting a license within a very short time. We’ve found some nice sources. Satya Nārāyaṇa was setting up HAM radio sets and doing some work for Rūpānuga Prabhu and setting up in Europe and in Māyāpur, everywhere. So, they’ve come out now with a special beam antenna.

Normally, an antenna is broadcasting 360 degrees around, right? So what they do is they… they take that antenna is designed in such a way… I‘m not an electric whiz, but just saying, they… so it only beams at 60 percent or 50 degrees range. So, because it’s beaming at 50-degree range, like this much, and then the other area is only tight, just a very small fraction is actually being beamed, only maybe 10%, and everything is going at either 40 or 50 degrees out of the 360. So therefore, it goes 7 times the force in that particular direction, so in this way, because the other direction is not doing anything, it’s all being focused.

So in the same way, we have in material life, 360 degree vision. Every sight, we have desires, car, this, that, whatever. Just millions of desires. So then gradually, all the 360 degrees are focused, just to Kṛṣṇa: Single point. Therefore, so much energy is produced. Much more energy than what a materialist is supposed to have. And that creates enthusiasm. So all we can do is focus more clearly.

Any other questions?

Did you have… were you present when we asked the question about the sun in the New Orleans? Anybody was here? So, anybody here can give an example of any example that we use in our Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, philosophical etc. where the sun is used as an example, can anyone think of one?

Devotee: Sure.

Jayapatākā Swami: Is what?

Devotee: Prabhupāda gives the example of the uh, sun when he compares it to uh, Paramātmā, Bhagavān and…

Jayapatākā Swami: You have won a prize.

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Any others raise your hand. Yes.

Devotee: When Prabhupāda said that the sun is… comes into your room, is that, he’s saying, the sun rays and the sunshine are different, you know? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jayapatākā Swami: Anyone else?

Devotee: Where the aspect of the sun is being purified, without the sun being affected.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes. Vedānta-kṛt?

Vedānta-kṛt: By ordinary vision, the sun appears to be a small disc you can cover just with your fingers, but we know, that of course that it’s so much bigger.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, what does that illustrate?

Vedānta-kṛt: Just like Kṛṣṇa, here may cover a small aspect, but actually He is vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, He is actually there.

Jayapatākā Swami: Congratulations.

Devotee: Should probably describe the difference between like, the sun and the moon. The sun rays still are like Kṛṣṇa’s energies.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes.

Lady Devotee: As the sun sometimes becomes covered by the clouds, but actually we’re the ones that are covered, not the sun.

Jayapatākā Swami: (to another devotee) you don’t have any example?

Devotee: I was just like about to worry just that… (laughter)

Jayapatākā Swami: How come you didn’t have your hand up? (laughter) Can’t think of any other? So, you can tell one on behalf of Steve.

Steve: Sun is the eyes, eyes of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Congratulations Steve by proxy. (laughter) … him, too?

Steve: Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun, so where there is sunlight, there is no darkness, so where there is Kṛṣṇa, there is not

Devotees: Haribol! māyā.

Jayapatākā Swami: You know other one?

Devotee: Yes connection that sunlight is like… the darkness cannot prevail the sunlight. The sunlight is prevailing. Where there’s light, there’s light… there would be no darkness. Of course, darkness… we live in the darkness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, he made one for him. (laughter) Support your brother in law. You have any Parīkṣit?

Parīkṣit: All taken up. (laughter)

Jayapatākā Swami: No. No there’s so many… (laughter).

Parīkṣit: All the ones that I know are.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, let Varāha make one for him.

Varāha: Okay, ah, let’s see. It’s Prabhupāda compared sometimes the sun sets but you know, that uh, you know that the sun is actually there, he compares…

Jayapatākā Swami: It dies, you know, in the night and it’s born in the morning.

Varāha: It’s compared to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. They’re always going on somewhere, just like the sun is always rising somewhere.

Jaypataka Swami: One for yourself, Raghu

Devotee: I was hearing an Ācāryadeva tape. He is saying that the sun is going on its orbit and exactly according to specific di… its destination around the universe, like that. If it varied even one fraction, the whole planetary system would be destroyed, like that. So, he’s saying that who is actually directing the sun? They don’t know, but actually it’s Kṛṣṇa focusing its heat.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, who is this for, you? (laughter) What about… what about Caitanya-caritāmṛta? It makes an example about Nitāi-Gaura.

Devotee: Oh, yeah

Devotee: Like the setting of the sun, has been lost, but…

Jayapatākā Swami: What, you didn’t think of one yet?

Devotee: Oh! (laugter)