martes, 23 de agosto de 2011

Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini






HariKatha


&


HariKatha





[Respected Maharajas, Prabhus and Didis,
Dandavat pranama. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
This year, 2011, June 11th is the divine Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini, a great lady-saint in our disciplic succession of spiritual masters. The following is a lecture given by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja on the subject of her life and character Srila Gurudeva’s lecture was given in January of 2000, in Murwillumbah, Australia.]

H. H. Srila Bhaktivedanta
Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

The Glories of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini

There was a beautiful girl in East Bengal named Saci devi, and she was the daughter of the King of Putiya. From the beginning of her life she heard about Lord Krsna, and from that time onward she gave her entire heart to Him. From the time she was about five years old, she used to worship Krsna, sing to Krsna, play with Krsna, and do everything with Him. When she was about sixteen years old she became maddened for Him.

Saci devi was not only beautiful, but she was very intelligent and used to study Sanskrit and Bengali. Her father and mother were worried for her marriage, but she totally refused to marry. She told her father, "My marriage has already been done. There is no need of another marriage. Don't be worried. I will go to Vrndavana and I will meet my beloved there."

She took her Deities and was ready to go to Vrndavana alone, on foot, which was a three to four thousand mile journey. There were no airplanes or any modern conveniences in those days. She was preparing to go by foot, but her father arranged everything for her travel. 

Having come to Vrndavana and being completely infatuated and controlled by the desire to meet Krsna, she began searching for Him everywhere, wandering here and there. She would go to Vamsivata and ask that Vamsivata banyan tree: "Where is Krsna? Can you tell me where is Krsna?"

There was a disciple of a very exalted devotee, named Haridasa, who in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami.  He was always chanting and remembering Krsna. He was also giving classes, just as I give in the evenings, and all Vrajavasis and saints and sadhus in our line would attend. Saci devi also used to hear the classes, and she was attracted. She told Haridasa, "I am taking your shelter. Please give me initiation, otherwise I will die. I want to see Krsna, and I want serve Krsna and Radha." Hearing this, he was so much happy. Though he had never wanted to initiate anyone, he initiated that beautiful princess.

Haridasa then gave Saci devi instructions on how to chant, how to remember, how to practice in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami, how Krsna is her beloved, and how she would be able to serve Radhika. He told her that her guru was a manifestation of Srimati Visakha devi and Sri Rupa Manjari.

Sri Haridasa did not want her to be alone. He told her that there was an elderly lady of about fifty years who was very mature in hari-bhajana. He placed her in the hands of that devotee, just as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu placed the hands of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in the hands of Sri Svarupa Damodara.

After her initiation, Saci devi was always weeping for Lord Krsna. She used to chant more than one hundred thousands names (64 rounds) of harinama daily, and she was totally absorbed.  Her guru never gave her any bhajana-kutira (small house or room or hut, used for chanting and remembering Krsna). Rather he told her, "Oh, you should arrange this yourself. I have nothing to do with these things. You should manage that part of your life."
Saci devi used to live in a broken-down temple on the Yamuna ghat, and there she would perform her sadhana-bhajana. She never made any management for taking prasada, but rather she would go from door to door, taking very little madhukari (prasada alms). She would eat only one forth of one chapatti in a meal, not taking all or even half of it. Everyone loved her and wanted to give her foodstuffs, but she never accepted them. She never wore nice clothing. She wore only warn and torn white cloth, and she was satisfied by this. She had no electricity, and no facilities at all.

By continually hearing, and developing her Krsna consciousness, she became totally renounced. When she became twenty-five years old her gurudeva told her, "It is time for you to go to Radha-Kunda, to the place of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and do bhajana like him. And also take that nice elderly devotee."

For the next twenty-five years Saci devi remained in the renounced order, doing madhukari (begging) and somehow maintaining her life. There was no problem in maintaining herself, and therefore she used to perform bhajana day and night. She did not sleep, even at night.

After twenty-five years her guru, now very old, called her and said, "You should now go to Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri, near the Gambira of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and then remain there for some time. There you will become siddha, perfect; so don't delay. Also, I would like you to renovate the place of Sri Sarvabhuma Bhattacarya. At present it is in ruins. No one is taking care of it and practically no one knows about its existence. So go and discover it, make a very simple temple there, worship there, live there, and take the prasadam of Jagannatha.

That elderly lady was now gone, and therefore Saci devi went there alone. Somehow she came in the same way that Sri Sanatana Gosvami came from Vraja Mandala to Jagannatha Puri, traveling for many days on foot. You cannot imagine how she came.

Once in Puri, Saci devi discovered the place of Sarvabhuma Bhattacarya. She made a hut of leaves and began to live there, chanting and remembering Lord Krsna. In the evenings she gave classes on Rasa Pancadyaya (the five chapters in Srimad-Bhagavatam 10th Canto regarding Lord Krsna’s lilas with the gopis of Vrndavana). Sometimes she spoke on Venu-gita, and sometimes on other very important subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

When giving class, tears would come to Saci devi's eyes. All the residents of Puri were attracted, and even the King used to come in disguise to hear from her. The King made a proposal: "I want to give something to you. I want to build you a nice hut, and I want to give you a donation." Saci devi refused the donation and said, "I don't want a donation from a king."

One day, on Makhara-sankranti, millions of Indians were going to take bath in the Ganges, which was hundreds of miles away from Puri. At that time Saci devi made up her mind: "I must also go to the Ganges to take bath."  She made this determination in her mind, and she was going to go, but at midnight she saw, "Oh, the Ganges is coming." There was a very heavy, roaring current, and as though by magic, she found herself in that Ganges, where millions of persons were taking bath. The current in the Ganges took her to the temple of Lord Jagannatha, and then it entered and touched the feet of Jagannatha. [The Ganges originally came from the feet of Jagannatha-deva, because He is Krsna Himself. When Sri Vamanadeva took the universe away from Bali Maharaja, His foot went through the universal covering and touched the Causal Ocean. A drop of that Causal Ocean th us came into the universe as the Ganges. It is also said that Ganges is originally a sakhi of Srimati Radhika from Goloka Vrndavana. It can therefore be said that Jagannatha Himself, in the form of the Ganges, had picked up Saci devi and brought her to His lotus feet.] She was now there at Lord Jagannatha's feet, and the door was closed. No one else was there.  

In the morning the priest came, opened the door, and thousands upon thousands of persons came in to take darsana. The priest saw that lady and said, "Oh, why did you come here? To steal the ornaments of Jagannatha?"

Saci devi was absorbed in Krsna, thinking, "Krsna is so merciful. Ganges came to me, made me take bath, and her current took me to the lotus feet of Jagannatha." She could not answer that priest, however. It is prohibited for a devotee to reveal his or her realizations, and moreover, no one would have believed her.  She was thus taken to jail as if she were a thief.  

During the night Jagannatha gave a dream to the King, and also to the prominent pujari. Saci devi would now become famous as Gangamata Thakurani or Gangamata Gosvamini, due to her being carried by the Ganges. Jagannatha told them, "Go at once and beg forgiveness. Bring Gangamata Thakurani in a golden chariot, with drums and all other paraphernalia, to make a royal reception and royal procession. Also, you should become a disciple of that lady, along with your priests and all others prominent persons." 

The king awoke and at once went to the jail with golden chariots, a large crowd, and a royal reception. He brought her to her cottage and said, "Jagannatha has told me, "You should go and take shelter of that devotee. If you do not take initiation from her, I will destroy your entire dynasty." Along with all his councilors and others, he now began to fast and pray, "Be pleased to give us initiation very soon." Gangamata Thakurani replied, "My guru has not told me to do this. I don't want to make any disciples." Jagannatha then ordered her, "For Me, to please Me, you must make disciples." She then accepted them.

The king promised, "I will give some land for Sarvabhuma Bhattacaraya, and I will make a very good temple there.  I know that you have come from your gurudeva for this." He made a temple, but Gangamata Thakurani was always living in the temple of her heart. Her temple was there.

She continued to give classes, and all the residents of Puri, as well as the highly elevated devotees, used to attend. One day, while she was absorbed in chanting and remembering the pastimes of Krsna, a brahmana from Jaipur came to her. That brahmana had been serving the Deity of Raya Kisora, Sri Krsna Himself.  

Krsna had told him in a dream, "Please take me to Puri and give me to Gangamata Thakurani. She will serve me. If you don't do this I will curse you. You are not rendering proper service. Sometimes you give Me offerings and sometimes not. You sometimes give Me bath and sometimes not. You are not doing service as you were before. So please go there and give Me to her. Otherwise, I will curse you, and your dynasty will also be finished."

That brahmana then took the very beautiful Thakuraji (Deity) in a basket, and walked on foot for many months until he came to Puri. Now he approached Gangamata Thakurani and requested her, "Thakurji has come. Please take Him and serve Him. She refused and said, "I am doing manasi-seva (worship of Sri Radha-Krsna by meditation) in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami. I cannot do all this. I have no time to worship with external paraphernalia."

The brahmana became very worried and thought, "What shall I do?" Gangamata Thakurani had a Tulasi garden. That night the brahmana left the Deity in the midst of her Tulasi garden and fled. At four the next morning, Raya Kisora, that is, Syama Raya, Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara, said to Gangamata, "You are neglecting Me. I came to have your service, your love and affection, and you are neglecting me. I'm thirsty; I'm so hungry. So please take me. Prepare something and offer that to Me." Gangamata Thakurani then went to see that Deity. Charmed, she took Him in her arms. She brought Him inside the temple and began worshiping Him there, and still now that vigraha (Deity) is there.

When the king heard about this, he thought, "I am fortunate to be the disciple of this great devotee."

All the ladies should try to be like Gangamata Thakurani. She never even dreamed of marrying any worldly person. I have come to help you to become a devotee like this. The world is like a fire, a burning forest fire. We have seen such a big fire in Florida. It burned for miles, and the government could not do anything. The burning forest fire of material existence is greater than this. We are in that fire, and we can never be saved as long as we are in material consciousness. If someone puts ghee in the fire, what will happen? It will become bigger. You will not be able to be saved.

The father of Yadu Maharaja, Yayati, had so many very beautiful wives, but he was not satisfied. When he was old he wanted to take the youthful age of his son, but Jadu Maharaja refused and told him, "This life is only meant to serve Krsna. If you were a pure devotee, I would have been very happy to give you my youth." Yayati then asked his second son, Puru. He said, "Puru, you are my very dear, darling son. Please give me your youth. I want to further taste material pleasure. My thirst has not been quenched." Puru replied, "O father, I came from you, and so I'm giving you my youth." Yayati thus became young, and for many thousands of years he engaged in sense gratification. He was not satisfied, however, and one day he thought, "What silly things am I doing?" He quickly returned his youth to his son, and then left every material considerat ion and went in the forest.
      
This history shows that the world is a burning fire. The fire in the sea is thousands of times greater than the forest fire, and we are in that fire. We should try to know all these truths. Don't waste your time. Try to develop your Krsna Consciousness. If you are married, there is no harm in that. Along with your wife and children you should try to be detached. There must be some sense of duty, but no attachment at all. You should think, "I must serve my wife (or husband) and children because they are eternal servants of Krsna. For this reason, so that they may develop their Krsna consciousness, I should help them."

Male devotees should try to become like Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, and Srila Rupa Gosvami. Lady devotees should become like Gangamata Thakurani, Jahnava Thakurani, and Hemalata Thakurani. Sometimes Jahnava Thakurani exhibited four arms. [Jahnava Thakurani is the eternal potency of Lord Nityananda. Nityananda has two potencies, Jahnava and Vasuda. The son of Vasuda devi is the incarnation of Godhead, Bhirabhadra, He was searching a Guru and was recommended to take shelter of Jahnava Thakurani, but he thought, "She is my mother. How can she be my Guru?" One early morning, after passing and just before taking her bath, Jahnava Thakurani was undressed from the waist up, as was the custom for Indian ladies. Bhirabhadra saw her in that condition, standing by a well, and became shy. She immediately manifested two more arms, and with them she covered her breasts. Bhirabhadra then offered his pranama (obeisances) to her and took initiation.]

Don't waste your time. Remain in your positions, and if you are married, that is okay. If you are not married, if you are renounced, that is okay. If you are not renounced, that is okay. But hear hari-katha wherever you are and in whatever position you are. Offer pranama to that place where hari-katha is being spoken. Offer pranama to the organisers, and offer satstang-pranama to the speaker and to the whole audience. Then, very soon you will have sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti and prema-bhakti. Try to realize all these things. 

These are truths. 

Gaura premande hari hari bol.























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Ladies and Men, and other Topics






HariKatha


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HariKatha





----- Original Message -----
To: 
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 2:36 PM
Subject: Ladies and Men, and other Topics - Badger - June 22, 2007

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Naryana Gosvami Maharaja
Ladies and Men, and other TopicsMorning WalkBadger, California: June 22, 2007

Sripad Nemi Maharaja: Srila Gurudeva, in San Francisco you said that we should follow varnasrama-dharma (the system of four castes and spiritual orders of life). To what extent, or in what sense, do you want us to follow it?
Srila Gurudeva: Follow it as your Gurudeva, Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, has told you to follow.
     If one is a brahmacari, he follows the principles of brahmacarya; if one is a grhastha, he is an exemplary grhastha like Srivasa Pandita and other such pure devotees.  Those in the vanaprastha asrama follow the principles of varnasrama in their asrama, and sannyasis follow the principles of those in the renounced order.  This is varna and asrama dharma, the religious system of social, or occupational, and spiritual orders of life.  You are not paramahamsas, and that is why you have been told to follow. You must follow.
Sripad Nemi Maharaja: Varnas also? We should all work according to our propensity?
Srila Gurudeva: Varna and asrama; both. Because we follow daiva-varnasrama (division of society by qualification, not by birth, and executed for the pleasure of the Lord), everyone should accept that which is favorable for bhakti, not other things.
     For example, we do not accept smarta-kriya (activities performed according to smarta scriptures). The funeral ceremony for one’s father and mother should not be performed according to smarta regulations.  If there is a fire sacrifice or a marriage, it should be done solely according to Vaisnava scriptures and regulations.
Sripad Nemi Maharaja: What is the ladies’ position in varnasrama-dharma?  You have always emphasized that ladies and gentlemen are equal in bhakti.
Srila Gurudeva: Sita devi, Arundhati, Anasuya, Gargi, Maitri, Draupadi, Kunti, and other Vaisnavis have been given so much respect in our sastra and Vedic culture, on the same level as rsis and maharsis (the best of great sages and saints).
Sripad Sajjan Maharaja:  Srila Prabhupada has said that ladies are very good and men are very good, but together they are not very good.
Srila Gurudeva:  If a man and woman are grhastha, it is okay for them to associate with each other.  If they are not grhastha, however, their association will be the cause of their fall-down; this is maya.  Kamadeva, Cupid, has defeated even Visvamitra, Brahma, and Sankara (Lord Siva). [Srila Gurudeva explained elsewhere that these great personalities were not actually defeated by Cupid; rather, they played that pastime in order to teach us conditioned souls how careful we must be in this regard. – Ed] The only personalities he could not defeat were Nara-Narayana Rsi and Narada.
Sripad Nemi Maharaja: In ISKCON there was a problem because, supposedly, according to the ISKCON members’ understanding of varnasrama-dharma, ladies are less intelligent and in a lower position. *[See endnote 1]
Srila Gurudeva:  No, no.  Never think like this.
Sripada Madhava Maharaja:  He is saying that in ISKCON they used to think like this, and they proclaimed that their conception was according to the principles of varnasrama.
Sripad Nemi Maharaja:  That conception created a big problem.
Srila Gurudeva: Yes, certainly. They don't give respect to ladies; but I give respect, and I want everyone to do so. We give respect according to an individual’s qualification.
Mahaprabhu dasa:  Can ladies take management positions in this society?
Srila Gurudeva:  Oh, so much.  In India, Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister.
Mahaprabhu dasa:  So ladies do not just make babies?
Srila Gurudeva:  They can make so many babies. Indira Gandhi had two very beautiful sons, and one of her sons became the Prime Minister.  Her daughter-in-law, Sonya Gandhi, also has one son and one daughter, and her son may also become Prime Minister. In America, Clinton’s wife may become president.
Mahaprabhu dasa:  I am a family man, Srila Gurudeva. I have a family, and I see that the girls are always more intelligent than the boys.
Srila Gurudeva: Yes, sometimes they are.
Aniruddha dasa: While you were giving class yesterday, my god-brother Harernamananda prabhu (Spanish) prayed to Sri Krsna, “I want to have a close relationship with Srila Gurudeva.”  Then, when you were leaving the temple, you approached him and asked, “Who are you?” 
      He was amazed and startled, thinking, “How did he know?” He is taking that as a sign of the beginning of his establishing a closer relationship with you.  He is a very serious disciple of Prabhupada. He wants to have a closer relationship and serve you, but he wants to know how.

Srila Gurudeva:  (To Harernamananda dasa) Hear me for four more days, and our relation will strengthen automatically.
Sripada Madhava Maharaja:  He wants to know how he can serve you more.
Srila Gurudeva: He can serve in any way he thinks best.
Sivananda dasa:  One or two years ago, in Venice, I was on a morning walk with Srila Gurudeva, Brajanath prabhu, and Sripad Madhava Maharaja. I was a little bit upset with of some of the activities of ISKCON, and I asked Srila Gurudeva, “Srila Gurudeva, are these people offenders, or are they asura demons?” Srila Gurudeva said, “They are my children.”

Srila Gurudeva:  (To Sripad Sajjana Maharaja) Can you explain the meaning of maya as I described in my class yesterday? What is maya?
Sripad Sajjana Maharaja: It is hard for me to speak without prior preparation.
Devotee: Maya is the desire to be a second Krsna, and that misunderstanding creates all the problems of this world.
Srila Gurudeva: You should know that there are two kinds of maya.  Ultimately, maya is yogamaya (Sri Krsna’s internal desire-potency), whose function is in Goloka Vrndavana and in the prakata-lila of Krsna, His pastimes as manifest in this material world. Yogamayam upasritah: In His rasa-lila Krsna employed his yogamaya, His potency which makes the impossible possible, and that yogamaya potency made all arrangements for Him and the gopis. Without yogamaya, rasa-lila would not have been able to take place.
       There is no function of yogamaya in this world.  Here in this world, maya refers only to worldly maya, by which creation, sustenance, and destruction of the cosmos take place.  This maya is a shadow of the real yogamaya. 
       Maya is also the thinking that, “I am this body, these relatives are mine, this wealth is mine, this land is mine, and all my possessions are mine.”   We think, “Oh, wealth will save me; my relatives will help me;” this conception is maya. Attachment to relatives is maya, and destruction is also maya.
       Maya is able to defeat everyone in this world. In Kali-yuga (this present age of quarrel and hypocrisy) she especially attacks sannyasis; so be very careful. 
Sripad Nemi Maharaja:  How does maya attack the sannyasis, Srila Gurudeva, and how can we be safe?
Srila Gurudeva: She sees that the sannyasi is the best person to be attacked.
Sripad Nemi Maharaja:  So how they can be saved?
Srila Gurudeva:  They can be saved only by surrender to Sri Krsna, guru and Vaisnavas.  If sannyasis think, “There is no one to control me,” they will surely land in the lap of maya.  Those sannyasis who always remember Krsna, guru and Vaisnavas will be protected.
Visvambhara dasa:  Srila Gurudeva, for so long you have been asking me which devotees are the top book distributors.  Now we have determined the top three book distributors by how many books they have distributed, but we are wondering if that is actually the best way to measure.  Is there a way to measure by quality?
     The only way to practically measure right now is through quantity.  But there is some doubt in several devotees’ minds in this regard; they have expressed some dissatisfaction with this method. So, we are wondering if there is another way to measure for next year.
Brajanath dasa: Some devotees are saying that ISKCON leaders used to encourage the number one, two, and three distributors, who, by so many tricks, ‘by hook or by crook’ distributed books and then left devotional service. Many of the topmost distributors left Krsna consciousness and are now completely in maya.
Srila Gurudeva: So be careful. Still, we should give some reward to the best distributors.
Sripad Madhava Maharaja:  How can they judge who is the top?

Srila Gurudeva:  By how many books they are distributing; only by this way.

Visvambhara dasa: Another question is this: We are inspired to give the top distributor a big recognition – a ticket to Kartika – but some devotees think that that is too much.
Srila Gurudeva: Oh, they should decide.  A committee will decide.
Sripad Padmanabha Maharaja: Srila Gurudeva, Yesterday you mentioned that the difference between your brahmacaris and sannyasis and those of our Srila Prabhupada was that you are training your brahmacaris and sannyasis in such a way that they will not fall down in the future. You have trained all the brahmacaris who have been with you for many years, telling them very strictly that they must never give up their brahmacarya, their saffron cloth. 
       One thing to note is that during the time of our Prabhupada, he encouraged brahmacarya, but he did not enforce it.
Srila Gurudeva: Yes, he did not enforce brahmacarya, because it was the beginning of the Krsna consciousness mission in the West.

Sripad Padmanabha Maharaja:   Yes. He did not enforce it.  If they wanted to marry, there was no problem.

Sripad Bhagavata Maharaja:  In fact, in the beginning he personally arranged the marriages, because he saw that they were not capable of remaining brahmacaris.
Srila Gurudeva: He was very, very intelligent. Somehow he arrested them all. He trained them to make money also. In this way, even if they would give up life in the matha, they would be able to easily maintain their lives.
Gokuldas dasa (Australia): Srila Gurudeva, I have a question.  Since the beginning you have encouraged us to form a society in this sanga, and now the leaders are doing this. Yesterday there was a big meeting.
     But some devotees have a doubt regarding the establishment of a society, and I also have a doubt.  Those who assume management positions tend to be very strong, pushy, and forceful, especially in Western societies.  How can we best avoid a body of controlling leaders?  Many are asking this question.  They are worried that we will again become like ISKCON or another, similar institution.
Srila Gurudeva:  We do not control here.  I do not want to control anyone by force.  I have love and affection for everyone, and I control everyone by that love and affection.
Sripad Madhava Maharaja:  Gokula is saying that if there are managers in the society, their natures will want to control everyone, like some of the managers in ISKCON did.
Srila Gurudeva:  No, no. Why would that happen? I always remind the leaders to think that they are servants of the matha.  I make them matha commanders to serve all.  I tell them not to think, “I am the controller and I am the head.” I tell them, “Don’t think, 'I am the monarch.'” They should consult with all others before doing anything.
Gokuldas dasa:  I see that several institutions, like ISKCON and even Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s institution in Bhubanesvara, are being managed with a mentality of control.  Only one institution was not like that, and that was the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti lead by you and Srila Trivrikram Maharaja and Srila Vamana Maharaja.
Brajanath dasa: Gurudeva, when we first came to Kartika, we saw how everything was managed by you. We saw how there were no management meetings; nothing of the sort.
Srila Gurudeva: There was no meeting at all at that time, and still there is no meeting. Everything transpires as if automatically.
Brajanath dasa: On the contrary, we (western devotees) have to sit down time to time and have meetings. We have to say to everyone at the meeting, “You have this job and you have that job, and if you don't do your job, then everything will fail.”  But there are no meetings in your sanga.  Everything happens automatically.
Srila Gurudeva: No meetings at all.
Devotee:  Srila Gurudeva, when there are properties and money involved, there is always greed.  How can we avoid that, and how can we avoid the way we suffered in ISKCON? When Srila Prabhupada was here, nothing like this happened; but after his departure so many leaders began fighting over properties and temples, and kicking out devotees.  Ambition and greed tend to come to societies, desiring to destroy them.  How can we avoid this?
Srila Gurudeva:  The members of the controlling committee must be very selfless, surrendered to guru, Vaisnavas, and Krsna; and also detached from worldly wealth and desires.  I want to make members like this.  Maya may come, but we are trying by this method.
Purandara dasa: In the absence of good association, leaders may adopt their old bad habits of trying to be controllers.  How can that be avoided?
Srila Gurudeva: Some corruption dwelled in Satya-yuga, more so in Dvarapa, more in Treta, and still more so in Kali-yuga.  We are trying; but still it may come, and therefore it is essential that we are careful in that regard. 
     We find that sometimes, if a father has two sons, the sons quarrel and one shoots the other instead of loving him. This is the world; this is why we should chant and remember Krsna, and be surrendered to Krsna and guru.  This is why.  Without this, any scheme will fail.
Gokuldas dasa: It always seems that some persons are there to persecute others, and sometimes I'm thinking that this is Krsna's arrangement to teach us to be more tolerant.
Srila Gurudeva:  No, this is not Krsna's arrangement.  He never likes things like this. He is very merciful and kind.
Sripad Madhava Maharaja: This is the arrangement of Kali (the personification of this Age of quarrel and hypocrisy).
Srila Gurudeva: Those who are selfish are simply cheaters.
     (To Aniruddha dasa) Don’t criticize ISKCON, as you have done. The ISKCON devotees are also my children. Don’t speak about them with such anger. Be calm and quiet, and perform bhajana. Don’t see anyone’s faults. See your own faults. Do you understand?
Aniruddha dasa: But if we keep a humble attitude…

Srila Gurudeva: Try to follow these principles of humility and respect for all. These are not my words. Rather, sastra is telling this and Krsna is telling this. Whoever criticizes others will see that he has absorbed all the bad qualities he is criticizing. He will see that those bad qualities have entered his own being.
[*Endnote 1: Srila Gurudeva’s lecture in Holland, July 12, 2005 – Some people think that sudras and women are very low. This is actually a wrong idea – a very wrong idea. You should know you are neither male nor female. The soul is transcendental, a servant of Lord Sri Krsna, but we have now accepted a female or male form. It is not that the intelligence is low in ladies and high in men.
     It is also not true that black people are necessarily sudras. Who are sudras? Those who eat cow-flesh and drink alcohol, and those who cheat others. Sudras are those engaged in diplomacy, duplicity, hypocrisy and envy – whether they are black or white. I will speak something more on this topic, with reference to Srimad-Bhagavatam.
     We are all spirit souls. The soul is not white or black. All souls are very beautiful. Regarding the transcendental form of the soul, there is no question of who is less intelligent or more intelligent. If ladies are so low-class and so low in intelligence, how could the gopis have defeated even Lord Sri Krsna? Why does our guru-parampara, beginning from Brahma and Narada, worship the gopis? Why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu – Sri Krsna Himself – adopt Srimati Radha's mood? Srimati Radhika always defeats Krsna in beauty, in intelligence, and in all other ways. If ladies are less, why do we Gaudiya Vaisnavas want to be gopis? We want to serve Lord Krsna and Srimati Radhika in a female form, not a male form. So how is it possible that this female form is lower? Don’t think like this.
     Srila Vyasadeva appeared in a family of sudras, and Sri Narada Rsi was also born in a sudra-family. However, whoever calls them sudras will go to hell. Srila Haridasa Thakura was born in a Muslim family. He appeared in a family in which cows were slaughtered and their flesh eaten, but he is not a Muslim.
     Ramananda Raya said about himself, "I am sudra." This is trnad-api-sunicena – humility. Mahaprabhu said about Himself, "I am a Mayavadi sannyasi." Was He a Mayavadi sannyasi? Of course not. One may say that He Himself said so, but He said so only out of trnad-api-sunicena.]
























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