Day 7 - Puri Yatra

Day 7 – 2/5/2017

Class by HG Madhavananda Prabhu

Questions/Answers:

1.       Why do we chant Krsna and not Radha’s name or Gauranga’s name?

We might sometimes  think it’s better to chant Gauranga’s name than K’s name, but Mahaprabhu himself has said don’t chant my name, chant K’s name, BUT there is a better fruit that that – understand the teachings of Gauranga and preach the teachings of Gauranga. What is higher is to please our Guru. How do we please our Guru – to please Gauranga, Nityananda, to please Radharani; deepest richest pastitme is going on by gopis and they are doing amazing kirtan for Radharani’s pleasure. They are doing it to please Radhanrani and what is pleasing to her. She has a parrot who is chanting Krsna’s name and she is feeding pomegranate seeds to her and that is pleasing her.– chanting Krsna’s name. Our pleasure is for pleasing Guru, Gauranga, Radharani and that is by chanting Krsna’s name. Hence chant Krsna’s name to please all our acaryas and Radharani which is the HK mantra.

2.       Gurudev is Sikha Guru or Diksha Guru?

Guru is a principle just like the bank teller represents the bank. If we don’t treat the teller nicely the bank also won’t treat us nicely, so very imp to treat our Guru. He is Vidya or advidya, he knows K or doesn’t know K, he pleases K or doesn’t please K – this is a verse from Sanatana Gosvami. We should have faith in Guru. Guru is the attitude of the disciple. It’s like a marriage, it’s a personal commitment. After you are married you are stuck with them, either perfect or not perfect that is sisya abhiman. If he knows or doesn’t know he is my everything (Guru). Just like parents, they might not be perfect but we should respect them as they have taken care of you, cleaned your stool. Guru is my mother because we become twice born from him. He’s our father as he feeds us. He’s our pati because he speaks to us, he is my master as he gives me service. Sikha/Diksha guru – is someone who takes our heart.

3.       Should we always consider our Guru is from Krsna’s lila and from Goloka Vrindavan?

Yes, we should always think like this, because he is a representative of K. Irrespective of whether he is a nitya siddha or baddha siddha, it doesn’t matter he is siddha. According to the degree we have faith and respect we give him, he will give us mercy. Guru is a position and we should respect them, we should have proper attitude. We should have a submissive attitude, we should always think Guru is not an ordinary person and is from the spiritual world. Ex – someone marrying when they don’t think their partner is nice. Of course Guru is from the spiritual world. Ex – Suniti and Dhruva; Suniti was a vartamana Pradikshina Guru and Dhruva took her back to Godhead. 3 things are required to build a building – cement (Guru is strong like cement), sand (we are like sand), but still the building won’t work till we have the 3^rd ingredient is water (water represents faith of the devotee). Faith is very important in Guru. The faith we have with our Guru is the same faith we will have with K as Guru is K’s representative.

4.       Baharanga Sisya vs Antaranga Sisya?

Cahtursloki SB says – we should do something both directly and indirectly. Indirect is – avoid bad qualities but it’s not the process of our bhajan. Our goal is not Ananta Nivritti, our goal is artha pravritti we want R and K. To help protect our bhakti lata creeper we want to avoid the weeds. To help purify ourselves we shouldn’t become baharanga sisya (external) there are –ve things and +ve things. So just focus on +ve thing chanting Krsna’s name. If you chant Krsna’s name you will get Gurudev. It’s our service to Guru.The instruction to chant 16 rounds is the most important instruction. If we do that with faith without adding and subtracting then we get Krsna. External disciple is someone who does things for their own sense pleasure but an internal devotee is doing service to please their guru. We want to become an internal devotee.

5.       How sudarshan is with Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra?

7 deities in the Puri temple:

Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, Sudarshan- Su darshan a very good darshan of Krsna, (manifestation of Nrsimha so he removes the bad qualities from our heart and then we can get darshan of K better; He manifested in the Gundica temple; Indradyumna maharaj was doing yajna there worshipping the Lord in that form; first sudarshan appeared, then the daru came and then everything else came.) , Sayana (Made of Gold – half K and Radharani), Suvambhu, bhudevi, Nila Madhav.We should see the Puri pasttimes a little more deeper, there is different kind of mellow (Vipralambha bhav)

6.       Imitation vs following instructions and essence/feeling of Gurudev?

There will be contradictions in instructions but we need to understand the essence, feeling of Gurudeva and the context in which it was spoken.

7.       Ornaments of a disciples – humility, tolerance how do we get these qualities:

It comes in 3 ways –

a.       Dukh – when we are sad, then we become humble

b.       Trasha – when we are afraid. Ex – Indra was afraid after the rain on Vrindavan

c.       Aparadha/offense – sense of committing an offense also makes us humble.

Gurudev can smash us by his instructions or actions and when he does it we should accept it and follow our instructions.

8.       Some instructions which come are harder, when they come what should be our mood

Srila Prabhupada had the hardest instructions, but Srila Prabhupada always followed it and always kept it in his heart. Some of Gurudev;s instructions will be hard, but we shouldn’t compromise. Even if we can’t do it right away, pray to Gurudev that we can follow your orders and please him.

9.       What is Srimati Radharani’s role here in Puri?

This is Sri ksetra. Sridevi is his Internal potency. Dhaam which has sridevi is called sri Ksetra and anyone following madhurya ras can see it in the virplambha kshetra. Where is Radharani? Radharani is present with Jagannatha but it is also sri ksetra and vipralambha kshetra.

10.   Yogamaya vs Mahamaya

Mahamaya is the manisfestation of Yogamaya.

11.   Why didn’t Radharani give K her bhav?

Nature of a pure devotee is even if they have a lot of bhav they always feel they don’t have any bhav. Radharani said I’m pagalini Radha and she told K, I’m pagli, mad and if I give you my bhav and you start rolling in the dust then your soft body will get pierced with stones etc, so I will cover you with my body so your soft body won’t get hurt and that is Gauranga Mahaprabhu inside He is K and outside is Radharani.

12.   Guru’s instruction doesn’t make sense sometimes, what to do?

We should do is go to Gurudev and tell him our dilemma and then hear from our Guru why he’s giving us that instruction. Then based on what he shares we should contemplate and then accept or reject. (Ex of rejection – if Guru for example says have LSD before you chant because it works for me, then you SHOULD reject.)

Gurudev = Even though he doesn’t wear Spandex he is a superhero.

Now is the hard time as Puri festival is closing and the mood we should have is Separation from dhaam so we can keep coming back to the Puri Yatra again and again and always remember this dhaam in Vipralambha rasa. Always remember all the devotees are very very important.

Then a few devotees when to Alarnath and Sakshi gopal after which we had lunch maha at Tota Gopinath.

Then we went to the railway station to Mayapur and did a big Harinaam and book distribution.

Pictures from today: