720409 - Lecture Initiation - Sydney

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720409IN-SYDNEY - April 09, 1972 - 35:20 Minutes

(Glebe Temple in the backyard)

Prabhupāda: So being afraid, he wanted to be saved by his youngest son. Naturally we, anyone we love . . . but because the youngest son had the name Nārāyaṇa, the original Nārāyaṇa took notice of him, and he was saved, and he was immediately taken to the kingdom of God because he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa. So those who are always chanting the holy name of God, they are in safety position. Safety position means next life, he is going back to home, back to Godhead.

So this is an example that such a sinful man, if simply by chanting once at the time of his death—that was also desiring his youngest son—he could get so much benefit, those who are chanting always the holy name of God, they should be always in safe condition. Māyā, or the material contamination, cannot touch him. But one thing, those who are being initiated, they are being freed from the resultant action of past sinful life. But they should be careful not to commit again sinful activities. Then they are safe. That's all.

Next man.

Śyāmasundara: Yajñeśvara dāsa. Yajñe, Yajñe.

Prabhupāda: Yajñeśvara.

Devotee: Yogeśvara.

Śyāmasundara: Not Yogeśvara. Yajñeśvara.

Prabhupāda: It is not required.

Śyāmasundara: That's all right.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Take it. You know all the rules and regulations, regulative principles?

Yajñeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Yajñeśvara dāsa. Yajñeśvara means . . . this is yajña, so sacrifice, sacrificing or satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So yajña means sacrifice, and one who enjoys the resultant action of sacrifice. All our sacrifices should go to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His name is Yajñeśvara.

(break) Whatever we shall do, as it is prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñārthe karma anyatra lokaḥ ayam karma . . . (break) . . . you do, act only for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then you are not entangled in the resultant action. Otherwise you'll be entangled.

(break) Entangled means for one resultant action we are now, we have got this body. Again we are going to take another material body. So this is a chain of birth and death. But if you dedicate your life for the satisfaction of the Yajñeśvara, then no more you are going to accept any material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After quitting this body, he does not accept any more material body. The spiritual body is already there within this material body. So those who are engaged in Yajñeśvara's service, they are giving up this material body and developing a spiritual body.

The example can be given: just like an iron rod. You put into the fire, it becomes warm, then warmer, warmer, and at last it becomes red hot. When the iron rod is red hot, it is no longer iron rod, it is fire. Similarly, if you practice this spiritual way of life, the same way, gradually you will become completely spiritualized. Completely spiritualized means that no more material activities. That is possible. If we follow the process, we can turn our life from material contamination to pure spiritual life. And that will help us going back to home, back to Godhead. That's all.

Śyāmasundara: Pārtha dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Pārtha. Come on. (offers obeisances) So you know the rules and regulations? All right. Pārtha dāsa. Pārtha means Arjuna. Arjuna's mother name was Pṛthā, therefore Arjuna is addressed sometimes as Pārtha. Pārtha means "son of Kuntī," in relationship with his mother's name.

Kuntī was also great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So Pārtha dāsa, you are trying to become . . . follow the footsteps of Arjuna, how he was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is the meaning of Pārtha dāsa. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Come on, next man.

Śyāmasundara: Śyāmānanda dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So you know the rules and regulation? You have heard already? And how many rounds you shall chant?

Śyāmānanda: Sixteen.

Prabhupāda: Sixteen, at least. Yes. So Śyāmānanda. Śyāma means Kṛṣṇa, śyāmasundaram. So one who takes pleasure in serving Kṛṣṇa, his name is Śyāmānanda. Ānanda means pleasure. We take pleasure in serving so many nonsense things. Sometimes we take pleasure in serving a dog. But the same service attitude, when transferred to Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. Our . . .

Everyone is giving service. Somebody is giving service to a country, to his society, to his wife, the children. And if he has nothing to serve, then he keeps a pet dog and gives it service. So service we must give. That is our constitutional position. But that service is meant for rendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So long we remain forgetful where our service should be given, that is called material life. When we come to that consciousness that, "I have to serve Kṛṣṇa," that is spiritual life. That is difference between material life and spiritual life. We are serving, there is no doubt. We cannot be master. Any one of you who are present in this meeting, none of you can say that, "I am the master."

Every one of you, servant to somebody. That is our position. But that service is being rendered to mistaken places; therefore we are not happy, neither the person whom we are serving, they are happy. This is the position. But as soon as you serve Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, then you become happy, the whole world becomes happy. This is a great science. Try to understand. Go on. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Śyāmasundara: Hari-śauri. Hari-śauri dāsa. Hari-śauri?

Prabhupāda: What is the spelling?

Śyāmasundara: H-a-r-i s-a-u-r-i.

Prabhupāda: Hari-śauri. So you know the principles, regulative principles?

Hari-śauri: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. How many rounds you will chant?

Hari-śauri: Sixteen rounds a day.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So your name is Hari-śauri. Śauri means learned scholar, and Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "One who is a learned scholar in the science of Kṛṣṇa." It is a great science. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we don't take it very insignificantly. It is a great science. And Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: "Anyone who knows this science, he becomes spiritual master. It doesn't matter what he is." He has actually said:

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya

yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya

(CC Madhya 8.128)

Kibā śūdra. Śūdra is considered to be the lowest in the civilized society, śūdra. No, if not lowest, lower, lower class, worker class, no intelligence. Kibā śūdra kibā . . . and vipra means brahmin, the most intelligent class of the human society. So either one is a śūdra—śūdra means born in a śūdra family—or vipra, similarly born in a vipra family . . . kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene. Nyāsī means sannyāsī.

Sannyāsa order is the topmost order in social division. So whatever he may be—the only qualification, if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes spiritual master. So śauri, one who is learned, Hari-śauri, one who is learned in the science of Kṛṣṇa. So try to be a learned scholar in Kṛṣṇa science and deliver the whole world. Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Next man. Come on. Take your . . . you are forgetting real thing. Oh, you have got it? Oh, thank you. (laughter)

Devotee: Ray? Ray.

Nanda-kumāra: Śrīla Prabhupāda, those dark beads belong to this boy.

Prabhupāda: Which boy?

Nanda-kumāra: The dark colored beads belong to . . .

Prabhupāda: This one?

Nanda-kumāra: The bigger one.

Prabhupāda: So what is his name?

Śyāmasundara: Which one? Ray? Rājghana dāsa.

Prabhupāda: What is spelling?

Śyāmasundara: R-a-j-g-h-a-n-a.

Prabhupāda: So you are classified amongst the kings, Rājghana. Yes. So anyone who is a devotee is more than a king. You know what are the regulative principles?

Rājghana: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Take this. You are Rājghana. Next man, come on.

Śyāmasundara: Rājendra dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Which one? Which? So your name is Rājendra. Rājendra is the name of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was addressed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī as Rājendra. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ.

śrotavyādīni rājendra

nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ

apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ

gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām

(SB 2.1.2)

This king, at the time of his death, he inquired, "Now what shall I hear? My life is only for seven days." He was a very magnanimous emperor of this world. Unfortunately, he was cursed by a brahmin boy to die within seven days. But he did not take any reaction. He submitted. And at the time of his death, because there were seven days only, so he wanted to do something which may emancipate him.

So the Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he arrived in the meeting and he advised him to hear about Kṛṣṇa. In this connection he spoke this verse, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ: "For ordinary man, there are many, many hundreds and thousands of subject matter for hearing.

But this, these engagement are for those who are apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, persons who do not know what is he, what he is, what is self. They have got many things to hear. But one who is interested for self-realization—that is the only business of human life—for him, he should only hear about Kṛṣṇa." Therefore he was addressed as Rājendra. Try to become like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Take this. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Next.

Śyāmasundara: Durvāsā Muni dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā. This one? Why? So Durvāsā Muni was a great yogī, Durvāsā Muni. And amongst all the yogīs, the bhakta-yogī, the devotee, is the greatest. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gata āntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

Yogī, there are many yogīs. They have got very exalted power, extraordinary power. Just like this Durvāsā Muni. He once traveled all over the space. Not only within this universe—he traveled outside the universe in the spiritual world, and he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. He was such a powerful yogī. And he took only one year to come back again. So still, he was defeated by a devotee. He was very angry. Anyway, he was a great yogī. And anyone, great personality, we should ask his blessing for making advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all.

Next.

Devotee: (to guests) We hope that you will all stay for a tremendous twenty-course feast after the ceremony. So please be patient.

Prabhupāda: No, those who are going, you can give them prasādam. They should not wait.

Devotee: All right. For those of you . . . Prabhupāda, can we serve out now?

Prabhupāda: Yes. No. Those who are going, they must take. Yes. Next? Who is? Who is next?

Śyāmasundara: Who is next?

Prabhupāda: Come on.

Śyāmasundara: Wally. It's Vyāsadeva dāsa.

Devotees: Ohhh!

Prabhupāda: Vyāsadeva had also long hairs and beard also. (laughter) But he is without beard.

Śyāmasundara: He is a professor also.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And Vyāsadeva is the greatest professor. He is the authority of Vedic literature. All right, very good name, Vyāsadeva dāsa: to become the servant of the greatest authority of Vedic literature. Thank you. Come on. That . . . they will be married later on.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. This is Kalki dāsī, Kalki devī dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Now, with this dress you look so beautiful. Hmm. This Vedic dress is also nice, very beautiful. It increases the beauty hundred times by this dress. So you know the rules and regulations? This is hers?

Śyāmasundara: Are those your beads?

Prabhupāda: No. So chant with your husband. That's all. Thank you. Next!

Śyāmasundara: Her name. Her name. Kalki devī dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Ah, Kalki devī. Kalki is the incarnation. The last incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is Kalki. Kalki will come on this planet about 400,000's of years after. But his name and address is also given. (laughter) That is śāstra. Not . . . it is no laugh. Don't laugh. That is śāstra, that they can speak of future which will happen hundreds and millions of years after.

That is mentioned, "This Kalki avatāra incarnation will come. He will appear in a place whose name is Śambhalapur." That is still in India. "And his father's name will be Viṣṇu-yaśi." His father's name and his place of birth is mentioned in the śāstra. So Kalki is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, and that means she was servant of, maidservant of Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Next. Come on.

Śyāmasundara: Girl? This is Ambikā devī dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Which one? Huh? This one?

Nanda-kumāra: No. This is for a boy named Dave.

Prabhupāda: So Ambikā is the name of, another name of Goddess Durgā, the material nature. So material nature is also another energy of Kṛṣṇa, God. So to become her maidservant means she will help you to approach Kṛṣṇa. Thank you.

Nanda-kumāra: Śrīla Prabhupāda? There was one too few sets of beads, so tonight you can chant on one new set and give to this girl. These belong to one boy.

Prabhupāda: All right. What is the name? What is her name?

Śyāmasundara: Lakṣmaṇā devī dāsī. Lakṣmaṇā.

Prabhupāda: Lakṣmaṇā. Sulakṣmaṇā. Lakṣmaṇā was the daughter of Duryodhana. She was married with Kṛṣṇa's son, and there was some misunderstanding. The kṣatriya families, whenever there was marriage, there was fight also. That means they exhibited the valor of kṣatriyas. So Lakṣmaṇā became the daughter-in-law of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. You can take it.

Śyāmasundara: Dvaipāyana?

Prabhupāda: So Dvaipāyana is another name of Vyāsadeva. You know the rules and regulation? All right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So now you can get these married.

Nanda-kumāra: There is one more boy.

Śyāmasundara: Sahadeva. Sahadeva dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Sahadeva dāsa. That is his beads? Oh, all right, you can give it, then again chanting. So you know the rules and regulation?

Sahadeva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Sahadeva, the youngest brother of Arjuna. That's all. Our names are so many, but the real name is dāsa, dāsa, "servant." Our position is servant of the servant. We don't want to become master of the master. Our position is servant of the servant. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80).

The more we become servant of the servant, the more we become advanced. It is very difficult to understand from material stand of . . . here, everyone wants to become master of the master. And the spiritual world, they want to become servant of the servant. That is a bigger position. So as we make advance in spiritual life, we understand this. So that's all right.

(aside) No. No. You perform the marriage, that change, and get them promise. Yes. Yes, take it.

So general instruction is that this marriage is being taken place in front of Kṛṣṇa, His devotees. There is no written agreement, but this promise is agreement, that none of you who are going to be married, there is no question of separation. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness marriage does not mean sense gratification. No. The marriage is for producing nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children. Because at the present moment the population is not being produced very nicely; therefore there is disturbance of peace all over the world. But if there are Kṛṣṇa conscious children, they will grow up and they will possess all good qualities.

So peace automatically will come if people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, because they become highly qualified, without committing any sinful activities. If such population is there in the world, there is no question of disturbance. Everyone will be peace, peaceful and happy. So our marriage, Kṛṣṇa consciousness institution encouraging marriage, on this ground: not to produce cats and dogs, but to produce highly qualified devotees. So you should always remember that.

And there is no . . . once married, there is no question of divorce or separation. That we should remember. We don't allow any divorce and separation. The husband and wife, there may be sometimes disagreement, but according to Vedic literature, when there is fight or disagreement between husband and wife, it should be neglected. Nobody take it seriously. The Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says:

aja-yuddhe muni-śrāddhe

prabhate megha-ḍumbare

dampatiḥ kalahe caiva

bāmbhārambhe laghu-kriyā

Aja-yuddhe. "Fighting of the goats, and a śraddhā ceremony performed by the sages in the forest, and sounding in the sky, vibration of cloud, rumbling of the cloud early in the morning, and similarly, fight between husband and wife—don't take it seriously." You have got experience that rumbling early in the morning—never there is heavy shower of rain.

There may be very great rumbling, but the result is very small, maybe some drizzling. Similarly, a husband and wife may fight, but if you don't give them any seriousness, they will mitigate. That is the process. But in the Western countries, in the name of liberty, so many family lives are dismantled simply by this divorce case. So according to Vedic civilization, there is no divorce. Once united, it cannot be disunited in any condition of life. That you should follow. That is our first. So I think you promise this, all of you? Say yes.

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Thank you very much. That's all. Now you change. And you instruct them.

Devotee: Change places first . . .

Prabhupāda: First of all . . . first of all, accept that, that "I take charge of . . ." Why do you forget? So why don't you do that? I tell you. So why don't you do it? Do it! Do it!

Devotee: You are, Raghunātha dāsa, do you take Gaurāṅgī devī to be your bride, to protect her, to help her advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and promise that there shall never be . . . (break) (kīrtana) (end)