Pearls of Wisdom - Part 1

Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev!

It has been our greatest good fortune that our beloved spiritual master H.H. Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj was here in Abudhabi from 29th of November to 3rd December, immersing all of us in transcendental bliss with his nectarean instructions. We have very limited capacity to even collect the pearls of wisdom that were flowing from his lotus mouth. Whatever we could assimilate, according to our limited capacity, we would like to share with all the members of this wonderful Granthraj forum. In the Mangala aarati program on 30th November, Maharaj asked us to recite the ten offences against the Holy name. As soon as the first offence was recited, Maharaj gave a wonderful insight into it and gave a lot of practical instructons on the ways to avoid this great offence.

THE FIRST OFFENCE: To blasphame the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

Maharaj categorically stated that devotees do not criticize anybody. By doing this, we save half our life. When two people meet, we always have the tendency to talk about and criticize the third one and this has to be avoided. He quoted the following verse from Mahabharat and everyone of us should remember this always in order to get out of the pitfall of criticizing others.

dharmam bhajasva satatam
tyaja loka dharmaan
sevasva saadhu purusaan
jahi kama trsnaan
anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa
sevaa katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam

1. dharmam bhajasva satatam: One should always focus and speak about dharma. Here the verb 'bhajasva' indicates an order and it is not a request. Dharma refers to the religion that links us to the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. We are all eternal servants of the Lord and this dharma is our constitutional position. Every part has to serve the whole. The soul, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, can never survive on its own. That is why the supersoul never leaves the individual soul. If every soul is part and parcel of Krishna, we have no right to criticize anyone. This is the practical application of the knowledge. Unless the knowledge is realized and applied, it becomes mere speculation. Here it is mentioned 'satatam', which means that the religious principles have to be practised all the time. A grain of practise is more valuable than tons of knowledge. By not criticizing anybody, we are observing the austerity of speech. Speaking is a very easy activity and that is why we criticize. Our body is so formed, that we can see only other's face and we cannot see our own face. We are not aware of our own defects and we talk about others. By always performing the religious principles, we avoid this pitfall.

2. tyaja loka dharmaan: we should abandon the general meaning of religion. People are running after so many demigods, other living entities and so many rituals without actual knowledge of real religion which is to glorify the supersoul. Here again the verb ' tyaja' indicates an order to abandon and is not a request. Time is running out and we should not be running after false things. We either use the time or lose it.

3.sevasva sadhu purushaan: All through our life, we are serving our mind, greed, envy, our wife, children-everything else other than Krishna. we should serve the sadhus who are simple people who have taken shelter of Krishna. A sadhu is a renounced person, but we should be clear that renunciation is not only the showy fervor, but the actual realization must be there that ' everything here is temporary'. We should always seek the association of the sadhus. There are three things.

1. sanga - association
2. satsanga - good association
3. prasanga - prabhu's (Lord's) association.(prabhu's sanga is prasanga)

We should always seek prasanga. In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.19.16, King Parikshit prefers this prasanga when he prays 'ratih prasangas ca tad-aashrayeshu'. Krishna consciousness flows from one living entity to another and this is the value of prasanga . By this prasanga, we save ourselves from the pitfall of criticism. Any talk, other than about Krishna, affects our blood ciriculation and hampers our devotional service. If our goal is constant remembrance of Krishna, then our tongue is automatically controlled. The more we concentrate on the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita, the less we talk about others. In prasanga we relish His association and this brings us satisfaction. Thus our health definitely depends upon 100 percent Krishna consciousness.

4. jahi kaama trshnaan: We have to stop all material desires. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3.39, Krishna instructs,

aavrtam jnaanam etena / jnaanino nitya vairinaa
kaama-rupena kaunteya duspurenaanalena ca

"Thus the wise living entity's pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."

Devotional life means all transcendental and hence all the material desires have to be given up.

5. anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa: We should not think about other's bad and good qualities. We should concentrate on our own bad qualities and try to improve our qualities and behaviour. Our minds are always wandering thinking about so many things. We have already wandered through 84 lacs of species completing at least one round, but even now our mind wanders. we should stop this wandering of the mind.

6. seva katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam: we should drink regularly the nectarean juice of Krishna's topics. so many times we say that Bhagavad gita is non- different from the Lord, but again we do not focus on bhagavad gita, and we talk so many other things. We have to change our nature and habituate ourselves to studying the scriptures. ' pibatvam' means 'you drink' which means that we should seclude ourselves for one or two hours and read and understand the scriptures.

In conclusion, for our own health we should stop criticizing. Maharaj was giving practical instructions on avoiding the other offences also, and I shall try my best to post them in the ensuing mails.

Thank you very much.
Trying to be a servant in the service ofSrila Prabhupada and Gurudev